November 29, 2009

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36

Today is the first day of Advent, a time for considering the coming (and arrival) of someone very important – Jesus the Christ. Many Christians observe Advent as a special season of regular prayer, eating in moderation, and being sorry for their wrongdoing. Advent also marks the beginning of a new church year. This coming year, our gospel readings will be from Luke, considered by some to be a bright and "up and out" gospel that encourages an always advancing mission for the church.

The original source for this Sunday's text is Mark 13, sometimes called the "little apocalypse" which talks about things coming to an end. Luke, however, written 15 years later, c. 85 AD, draws a picture of chaos coming from the cosmos (the sun, moon, and stars) to the powers of the world and then to the inner, personal life of people (as they hear the "sound of sea and waves" and experience great chaos). People would "faint from fear" and their breath taken away in the fear and expectation of what would come.

Jesus says in Luke, “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory,” recalling Daniel 7:13: "...like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven..." a passage that figures large in all four gospels and in virtually every apocalyptic passage in the New Testament. In Daniel, the son of man (literally), "human one"--will have royal power and be king. Luke maintains this sense: "...when you see these things coming to pass, you know that the kingdom of God is near." (21:31)

Advent is all about God coming to be with us. But what does that mean – ‘coming’? Fred Gealy, former professor at Perkins School of Theology, suggests, “there is not some place out there where God comes from. God does not sit somewhere up in the Milky Way enveloped in a cloud... God is nowhere. We… know what it means for us to come and go. But what does it mean to say that God comes-- this one who is everywhere and yet nowhere, who fills all things, yet is contained in none.”

Gealy has also said, “we live only as God comes to give us life. Our very being is in God - a gift received each and every day. That gift is new each morning and like breathing, we can’t survive on yesterday’s breath. God comes again and again to bring the fresh gift of life.” I like that image of God coming. Maybe that is why we say come quickly Lord Jesus into our hearts, and in the next breath, but who can stand the day of the coming, … when God appears.

Because some days the life we face seems like our world is coming apart, its foundations shook. Most of us would rather run or hide. Yet Luke says, this is the time for people to show courage and faith – he says, "Stand up (when you are down) and hold your heads high." What seems like bad news is really good news "for your deliverance is drawing near."

Leonard Beechy writes, “The church exists to remind us we live in the time between the times, between what is dying and what is being born, between the “already” of Christ’s reign and the “not yet” of Advent. Advent draws us into a drama, but the pull of its narrative is not away from our lives, but more deeply into them.” assuring us that whatever devastation we experience, it is neither permanent nor ultimate – “your deliverance is drawing near."

 “Jesus’ ministry,” says Walter Brueggemann, “takes place between the clinging and the yearning.” (Prophetic Imagination) That’s also where we can find ourselves at Advent, in the times between the times - both an evening time and a morning time - when we learn what we must give up and to what we must open our hands. That time is “near."

Jesus said, “When you see the fig tree and "all the trees" sprout new shoots you "know" summer is near. “ Likewise, he pointed out, when you see these things taking place (things like cosmic uproar and inner anxiety) know that “the kingdom of God is near.” (21:31) God's kingdom is just around the corner – so close, in fact, that "this generation” will see it in their lifetime. Good news indeed! The Lord is coming!

John Petty tells a story of being at an Arts Festival, held each summer in his city, and noticing a street preacher on one of the corners urging everyone to get right with God because Jesus was coming soon. An old man, walking with a cane, heard his warning and fired back, "What in the blazes are you talking about? He's already here."

Is it possible Jesus has been here with us all along? That he didn't just go off some-where waiting for some future day to come back. In his incarnation, Christ became intimately connected with the world. Might it be possible, he never let it go. This generation will not pass away "until all is fulfilled.” The kingdom of God is "among you"

Our lives could very well be going great and still be filled with things ending - all the time. We have no idea what will happen tomorrow and so we have reason to be anxious. Disaster could strike at any moment – in fact, it will strike someone tomorrow with a job lost, a divorce, a spot on an x-ray… something. And the time will come when that someone is us. It is going to happen. “When you see these things taking place…”

At one time or another, for every person on earth, everything that used to feel solid and sure will start to come apart. Paul Tillich called this "the shaking of the foundations." Jesus said to expect it: "For it will come upon everyone… everything would pass away, including heaven and earth,” And then he gave us hope – “but my words will not."

Therefore in “this time between times,” "watch” and “pray we might be strengthened to… be stood before the son of man” “…may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus…” (1 Thess. 3:13) For "All the things are coming to be" - both the bad and the good. And he will raise you up before him. There, in his power, you will "be stood." “The days are coming says the Lord when I will fulfill the promise...” (Jer. 33:14-16)

November 22, 2009

Revelation 1:4-8; John 18:33-37

“Belonging To the Truth”

In Mark last week, Jesus told his followers, “This is just the beginning.” In other words, no matter what is going on around you, no matter what changes are taking place, no matter what you come up against, it is not the end, it is part of “what is” and the beginning of what will be for you – so continue on and always be ready. Jesus was giving his disciples a preview of what their lives would very well become if they stayed centered on God’s purpose for them – their sharing of the gospel with everyone.”

Paul on the other hand, in his letter to the Hebrews, was reminding this wavering community of faith not to shy away from a lifestyle of which Christ and everything he taught was the center or to give in to the pressure to return to their old habits and beliefs when things started to turn sour. So he told them, hang in there! “Hold fast to the confession of your hope without wavering.”  For them too, this was just the beginning.

In today’s text, when asked by Pilate if he is king, Jesus’ response is yes and no. The safe answer would have been no, but Jesus says, “It depends on what you mean by king. King is your word, not mine.” If it is not Jesus’ word, then why do we celebrate today as Christ the King Sunday? Do we have it all wrong, like Pilate, or what? Do we try to frame Jesus’ importance by ‘what’ he is, in earthly terms, rather than by what he reveals – the revelation of God’s suffering love for us? Let us “crown him with many crowns” but remember that the one we worship is much more than an earthly king.

It is not necessary our image of Christ the King be a victorious Jesus, golden-robed and crowned, brandishing a great sword, as long as that image, whatever it may be, is indicative of Christ’s rule in our lives and in the life of the world God loves. After all, we do – don’t we – belong to the truth and listen to his voice? Jesus told Pilate he came into the world “to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Our listening to Christ and all that entails marks the beginning of our faith.  

Pilate then, in a voice of power or contempt or curiosity asks, "What is truth?"  Placing ourselves in Pilate’s shoes, with the status quo being threatened by this ‘rag-a-muffin’ man of God - who points out he doesn't need to be a king in the traditional sense because his is not that kind of kingdom - how do we respond? When his is not a kingdom of soldiers or violent conflict or democratic vote, but a kingdom in which his power comes from God, what then? What do we ask?

For the church today, is Christ really our king? Or do we hold, and act out of, a serious misunderstanding or illusion of who Jesus really is – not only in our lives but also in the life of the world? Is Christ our king, center of our life, the one we serve? And if not, who or what is? Jesus said, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Last week in the message, community shaped my understanding of being a Christian. It does today as well. As a community of faith, what do we say, and believe, about this Jesus? Do we belong to the truth he talks about? Do we live it? Would people recognize us because of what we do? Walter Brueggemann says that the "truth evidenced in Jesus is not an idea, not a concept, not a formulation, not a fact. It is rather a way of being in the world in suffering and hope..." Would people say that about the way this community of faith lives its life? “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’

Our identity in the world as God’s people requires our loyalty to God’s truth revealed. As Eugene Peterson interprets John’s verse in The Message, "Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice." To whom is our love given? Whose voice do we hear?

Some have suggested the role of the church is to provide a venue for our lifelong self-examination. That would be good. Emilie Townes reminds us of two things – 1) "God truly is a God of love and grace, who wills the blessings of creation in our lives," and 2) God "asks us to look deeply into who we are and what we have become, to try to live into what we can and should be." “We do this best.” She says, “in community – praying, worshipping, studying and meeting together – as people of faith.

What if our faith were transparent, where we examined and shared openly what we believe or were able to speak the truth about our life in Christ. It is tough enough for the church to carry on this sort of self-examination, let alone facilitate a similar process for individual members, but that may be exactly what we need to do. Despite our claims of allegiance to Christ, in fact we may actually be struggling with the truth and what we, who belong to the truth, are being called to do.

Which brings us to the question of what it means to be the church - the Body of Christ - in the world. On this Christ the King Sunday, we might ask how the "not-of-this-world" reign of Jesus Christ relates to the very-much-of-this-world life we live. Walter Brueggemann says: "The gospel narrative (today), …makes a claim…that in Jesus of Nazareth the things of the world are settled on God's terms." When looking around then at the poverty, injustice, and suffering experienced by so many, do we hear the truth of "the one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little" (Exodus 16) or do we hear something quite different?

Our task is “to make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world,” but we are not left to do it all on our own – that is the good news. In Christ, we can expect a different kind of power to establish "a wise reign" in this world, and to help us be participants in it - not alone, but in community. Rodger Y. Nishioka says “there is to be a ‘belonging’ part of this Christ the King celebration because when Jesus says, ‘that everyone who listen to his voice belong to the truth and are part of his kingdom,’ he is actually saying that belonging is less about individual decisions and more about collective participation in a community that transcends the self." Imagine that!

Today marks the end of another liturgical year as we observe Christ the King Sunday. All our Sunday meditations have brought us to this point – to this end – and to Christ's omega point. So today, we look forward to Christ’s reign, “a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice and peace" not only in the future but in the here and now – and a new beginning as we live the truth revealed in Jesus Christ - to love God and to love our neighbor as God loves us.

November 15, 2009

Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25; Mark 13:1-8

This Is Just The Beginning

In Mark, Jesus tells his followers, “This is just the beginning.” In other words, no matter what is going on around you, no matter what changes are taking place, no matter what you come up against, it is not the end, it is part of “what is” and the beginning of what will be for you – so continue on and always be ready. Jesus was laying out for his disciples a lifestyle, the type of life they would experience if they were to remain centered on God’s purpose for them – their sharing of the gospel with everyone.” He was giving them a preview of what their lives would very well become.

Paul on the other hand, in his letter to the Hebrews, was reminding this wavering community of faith not to shy away from a lifestyle of which Christ and everything he taught was the center. He didn’t want them to give in to the pressure to return to their old habits and beliefs when things were starting to go bad. He didn’t want them to become “watered down” Christians. So he told them, hang in there! “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering.”  For them too, this was just the beginning.

I remember a time when things were a lot simpler and I was a lot younger – probably about fifty-five years younger. Dismissed for recess, we would hurry out the front door of our one room country school and run to the swings to be first at attempting ‘world record’ jumps; or to a pair of worn wooden teeter totters for a game of ‘alligator pit;’ or to the trapeze bar, hanging from the swing pole, for a ‘death defying’ flight above the audience of ants below looking up in hushed amazement. Those who were brave or foolish, attempted the feat hanging upside down by our knees. I never could hang by my toes like an older brother, who would practice his skill after our nightly chores by hanging from rafter ties in the barn. (Maybe his ‘logger’ boots were the difference.) There were also the regular ‘hanging’ contests on the trapeze bar which included everyone, girls and boys alike – all seeing who could hold on the longest. After jumping up and grabbing the bar with both hands, it was a matter of strength and endurance.

Like Paul said, “Holding fast… without wavering” – was the key, if you were going to win. Always though our weight was too much, our endurance not enough and our strength lacking. Sooner or later, we all let go. Some held on for a very long time, others not so long. But letting go never disqualified anyone from trying again. You didn’t have to be perfect. You didn’t have to hold on until the bell rang and recess was over. You just had to hold on as best you could. And, when it was your turn again, you would just jump up, grab hold of the bar with both hands – and try your very best to hold on, again. There was grace in that game – as a matter of fact, I think Grace won more than once.

God’s grace is also a part of the process of our being made holy. If we truly follow Christ, we grow. We change. We are transformed. We are always in process. Paul wanted his readers to know God is faithful, partnering with us on the journey, helping us to hold on, giving us strength. God promises to be faithful. So, hang in there! This is just the beginning.

In the process of sanctification – of being made holy, we are in partnership with God. Philippians 2 reminds us, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you…” God’s grace includes the Holy Spirit and us in this process of change, growth and transformation. The proper response is to hold on as best you can without wavering. This is just the beginning. “Not one stone will be left here upon another…” so hang on and get ready, “this is but the beginning.” God is patient. God is kind. God is love. And God is with us Paul says, whenever we meet in community.

Nowhere in Scripture is following Christ understood to be an individual effort. Rather, as Paul writes, we are to “provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24). Following Christ is not something we can do on our own. Jesus originally called twelve disciples, not just one. He sent seventy-two out in pairs, not by themselves. The truth is God’s grace is most evident in our helping one another be faithful followers of Christ. There is grace in community.

It has been suggested our transformation is not an individual partnership with God, but a corporate one between each other and God. Others are to know our spiritual story and journey of transformation. It is important that someone else knows your gifts and knows your faults. Somebody else needs to ask you hard questions and offer you kind words. If not, you will remain unchanged.

Some things don’t really change. Our grandchildren are very much into the Beatles. When John Lennon and Paul McCartney, wrote their last song together, they reminded those of us who not only sang out of key but also would rather find God in their lyrics rather than drugs - “I get by with a little help from my friends.” Friends were important then and friends are important now, especially in our community of faith.

God has given us one other for our grace filled journey together. God’s grace is found in the community we offer each other and the community we receive from one another. It is only in community, we are able to provoke and encourage one another to give our life completely to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ – to live a life of love and good works.

So, how might we do this, encourage one another to love and good works? Peter J. Gomes, a professor at Harvard Divinity School, told the story of when he was a boy, the longest part of the Sunday service was the pastoral prayer. He said, “The sermon was easier to “listen to” because it was just the minister going on and on and on (you could ignore that). But the pastoral prayer was talking to God; (so you) had to pay attention.” These prayers, he said, have given way to prayers of “joys and concerns.” Perhaps it is time for "prayers of encouragement" during which “we cheer our fellow believers to love and good works; or offer ways we can be of assistance to the people in this community of faith we call our own. These prayers of encouragement would then be our response to people’s strengths and opportunities rather than of their weaknesses and needs.

A prayer of encouragement and love, a prayer for affirmation of one another - who would have thought? Perhaps, this is just the beginning.

November 8, 2009

Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44

“He sat down… and watched the crowd.”

Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes, who…”  Who do what?  They walk around arrogantly in ‘fancy clothes;’ they draw attention to themselves in public; they have to sit in the best seats at church or at the head table at special dinners; they take advantage of widows; and, to get attention, they say long prayers. He condemns the scribes not because of who they are, but because of what they do.

Brian Stoffregen (Faith Lutheran Church, Marysville, CA) suggests that the issue is not the "scribes" so such, but the need to watch out for people who act in the ways Jesus describes. Today we could say: "Watch out for pastors or church members who..." or "Watch out for the students or teachers who..." or "Watch out for farmers or businessperson who..." Certainly not all those identified fit Jesus’ description, but the point of the references is to denounce what they do rather than who they are. Jesus told his followers, “Watch out for the people who…” – especially if you have or are becoming one.

Then… “He sat down… and watched the crowd.”

The point is, like the disciples we have been Jesus’ followers long enough now that we know what we should be - a caring person, someone sensitive to others, who is patient and kind. We know it, and yet at times we find ourselves walking around “in long robes,” desperately wanting the respect of others, and hoping for the best seats in the house. After all, hadn’t Jesus’ disciples argued not too long before this about who would sit next to him when he came into his kingdom?

In today’s story, when Jesus points out that the scribes are not loving others as they should – that they are really only concerned about themselves and ‘lording it over others’ – he is not just condemning their actions, he is in fact warning his disciples (and us) to not be like them. And if the scribes doing these things were not bad enough – their wanting to do them was worse. So, perhaps, that is the real issue – the scribes want people to think they are better than others.

So, Mark’s warning to the early Christian community is this: Watch out for these people. Don't be like them. They pretend to care, but they don’t. They pretend to pray, but that is not really what they are doing. They pretend to put God first, but in reality they put themselves at the top of the list. How can someone pray for justice and not work at making society more just? How can someone ask for healing and not go to the doctor or take the medicine? How can someone pray for the church to grow and not actively invite friends and neighbors to church? Isn’t the sincerity of our prayer determined by what we are actually willing to do, rather than just the words we pray? Are we really willing to help the ‘least of us’? Or are we just pretending most of the time?

 “He sat down… and watched the crowd.”

In today’s story, Jesus is somewhat of a “people watcher.” In the temple, he watches and listens to them, observing how they relate to one another. He studies what they do and why they do it. He not only sees how much each person puts in the treasury box, but how they do it. Are they joyful? Do they give with a happy heart? Or are they sad? Do they make a big show of it? Or is it given with humility? How are the people putting their money in the offering plate? How are they giving of themselves? Some gave discreetly, quietly or hoping to go unnoticed – while others wanted to be seen so their offering would be recognized.

Jesus seems to suggest the heart of giving lies in the distinction between giving from what we have left over, and giving from the first fruits. The widow is blessed because she knows, unlike so many people, God is all she really has. There wasn’t anything of value she could give. Her two small coins, what could they do? Not a lot. And yet her giving reflected her complete trust in God, even though the scribes, the representatives of God’s institution, had probably ripped her off, taking everything she had, except these two small coins.

There have been many interpretations of what Jesus may have been telling his disciples about the widow’s giving - perhaps they are familiar. We have ‘heard’ Jesus’ teaching to be: 1) The true measure of our gift is not how much we give but how much we keep, OR the percentage of our means that the gift represents, OR the self-denial involved and the cost of giving for us. 2) It is not the amount given that matters but the spirit in which it is given. 3) The true gift is to give everything we have. 4) What is given should correspond with one's means. 5) It is our duty to give to the poor.

“He sat down… and watched the crowd.”

All that Jesus says by way of comment is: “She gave more . . . for they all contributed out of their abundance but she out of her want has put in everything she had, her whole living.” Is Jesus saying the widow gave more because her giving was sacrificial? Or is there more to it than that?

May I suggest our hearing the widow’s part of the story - as an example of how all of us are to give - may be totally wrong, touching on something Mark never intended. You know how sometimes we hear something and disconnect before we hear the rest as our mind takes off in a whole new direction. Could that have happened here? Perhaps. Maybe the lesson has less to do about the widow’s giving and more about the institution to which she gave.

Scholars have noted that by pairing the story of Jesus observing the widow’s offering with his statement against the religious leaders in the preceding verses (12:38-40), the lectionary is inviting us to hear this event differently than we usually do at this time of year. When Jesus criticizes the scribes, saying they “devour widow’s houses” and then comments that the widow “out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on,” he is in fact condemning the religious institution that would take a “poor widow’s” last penny when in fact, it should be ‘taking care’ of her. Jesus is saying the religious institution, which in our case is the church, is not to take from the poor, the marginalized and powerless, but is to provide for them.

So, the message of today’s gospel is not that all of us should dig deeper into your pockets and increase our giving. Nor is it that all of us are tied too closely to our money. The message of today’s gospel for everyone to hear is that as the church we should not ask more of those struggling to make ends meet each month, those raising children alone, or those without a job, rather we should be asking them to give less and to take more from us.

We, as individuals and as the church body, need to rethink giving—who should give, how much should be given, as well as who should receive. What we are doing must be examined. It is true the church needs more money to achieve our mission goals – to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, but giving to the church should never be a financial hardship on anyone, especially when there are others who can give more. Therefore our invitation to those who have little to give must always be to give a little, and our invitation to those who have a lot must always be to give a lot.

“He sat down… and watched the crowd.”

November 1, 2009

Revelation 21:1-6; John 11:32-44  

“All Saints Day: Saints Among Us”

 
Last night was Halloween; today is All Saints Day, tomorrow is All Souls Day. No explanation is needed for the first, the second and third perhaps. All Souls Day is for remembering those who have died this past year, All Saints Day is for remembering the saints, all Christian people of every time and place. These three days have their roots in an ancient Celtic festival during which time the veil between worlds became especially porous. So then, in that spirit, we are invited to consider both the past and the present today – and those ‘saints’ who have helped open to us God’s kingdom.

I hope this service has a little of that sense for you – with the veil becoming less opaque as our souls are touched – by the lighting of candles, the quiet time, the prayer, the listening, and the remembering “the saints” who have impacted our lives over the years. With every part of this service today, may another memory of those who have passed through the thin, thin place be yours. And as we remember, may they linger a bit longer that, in a gathering of good spirits, we might still be connected.

Today’s scripture affirms that God's future happens also here and now and in all kinds of ways. In Revelation, John sees a “new Jerusalem.” Robert Gundry interprets “the New Jerusalem” not as a future dwelling place, but rather as their future selves and state. He sees a people as they will be, living a “kingdom” life, close to God. Might these be the saints we recognize today?

Matthew Muters, in his commentary of the story of Lazarus found in John, offers the idea that Jesus calls each of us to "come out" from our tomb (whatever has entombed us) and to be freed from the power of Death. He said, “Lazarus' resurrection was a sign of Gods Power and presence in this world. It was the power of the Kingdom in the here and now!” Those who have heard the call and have come out of their tombs have been given a “kingdom” life worth living. Might these be the saints we recognize today?

Still not sure who these saints might be? Then listen to what others, a lot smarter than me, have said.

1.

all day, every day (c) 2009  by Thom M. Shuman

st. lucy stopped for a moment

while she rested her arms and legs

   from pushing her little

   brother down the sidewalk    in his electric car whose

   battery had run down;

stroking Dusty's nose,

her eyes shimmered with delight

and she exploded in a giggle,

       'you're a silly dog!'

   when he suddenly baptized her

           with a sloppy kiss.

pausing for a few moments

from helping his elderly neighbor,

st. chuck leaned on his rake,

   smiling as his grandkids,

   eagerly and deliberately

   scattered the leaves he had

   spent all afternoon carefully

       piling by the curb,

whispering, 'what a life!'

slowly, painstakingly, as if

she were joining together a puzzle,

differently-abled st. jennifer

   put each item in its place

   in the cloth bags,

   not making them too heavy

   (as the customer requested)

       making sure the bread

       ended up on top,

       and nothing too heavy

       was near the eggs.

they're all around us, aren't they,

those precious drops of grace

sprinkled in our lives?

2.

'All the places of our lives are sanctuaries; some of them

just happen to have steeples.  And all the people in our lives

are saints; it's just that some of them have day jobs and most

will never have feast days named for them.'  (Robert Benson)

3.

'There are no perfect human beings!  Persons can be found

who are good, very good indeed, in fact, great.  There do

in fact exist creators, seers, sages, saints, shakers, and movers. . .

even if they are uncommon and do not come by the dozen.

And yet these very same people can at times be boring, irritating,

petulant, selfish, angry, or depressed.  To avoid disillusionment

with human nature, we must first give up our illusions about it.'

(Abraham Maslow)

4.

'In God's holy flirtation with the world, God occasionally drops

a handkerchief.  These handkerchiefs are called saints.'

(Frederick Buechner)

5.

'A person can be as truly a saint in a factory as in monastery,

and there is as much need of one in the first as in the other.'

(Robert McCracken)

6.

'Saints are not born to it

   Except most rarely

Nor by default do they come to God having no other choice.

   But rather, like sunflowers do they grow and turn,

   Following the course of God with upturned faces,

Growing each day taller, stronger, more resistant to the wind of the world

and even in the times without sun

   They wait, turned toward dawn, knowing the promise of light.

In their holy simplicity, the saints of God remember what I forget too easily:

   That having found the Son, the source of life,

   All other light, however strong, is not enough.' (Anne Squire-Buresh)

May today be a day of remembering the saints in our lives, but more importantly may it be a day of imagining our own sainthood, and what that might mean for others.