Some Recent Sermons
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“TALKING
THE TALK, OR WALKING THE WALK?” |
“Easter—The
Real Extreme Makeover” |
“WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD
PEOPLE” |
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“FORGIVENESS—WHEN LETTING GO BRINGS
PEACE” |
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost—July 3, 6, 2008 Immanuel
Romans 7:15-25a—We are captive to our own brokeness.
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30—Jesus
is the one who breaks through the indifference of his generation—and gives an
image of discipleship being a community thing.
As
we celebrate the birth of our country this weekend and take time to give thanks
for the freedom to worship we are mindful that this is a presidential election
year and most surely, we will hear people invoking God’s name and a particular
brand of morality claiming that it is coming from God.
Too
often we have been passive listeners who have absorbed it all with our brains
and our mouths disconnected from what we really believe. Maybe it is that we
feel powerless to respond to the well-financed right wing Christian coalition,
but maybe it also is that we don’t understand what our faith is all about and
therefore don’t feel qualified to rebut that which we know to be blatant
political ideology dressed in the clothing of faith.
More
recently as we have been going through the primary season it seems we began
again asking the question, “Who speaks
for God?” Is it Jeremiah Wright the pastor of a United Church of Christ
church in the
Part
of the difficulty is that we are prone to create God in our own image rather
than remembering who the creator is. In his letter to the early Christians at
Rome Paul gives us an excellent model when he writes of his captivity to the
law of sin. Paul understood that he was not God, that in fact he was the
greatest sinner of all.
I
don’t know about you, but I can live and feel comfortable with a person who
claims their own brokeness but my personal experience
has been, beware of those who claim to be with out sin! “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and
the truth is not in us” certainly applies here. If a person is claiming to
speak for God and is not honest about their own shortcomings I begin to wonder
if they are in fact truly speaking for God…or simply pushing their own agenda.
There
are of course other red flags or red lights if you will. For me it is when a
person claims to speak for God and then goes on to label others, usually with a
term that puts them in a box, or any time a person professes to speak for God
and then goes on to tell people how to live their lives in a very narrow way,
that excludes those who are different, or have a different perspective--a way
that subtly or blatantly condemns others. “If i speak
in the tongues of men, but have not love, and condemn everyone else”…to
paraphrase Paul…“I am a clanging gong or
a clashing symbol.” We probably could continue to list many more examples
of those who claim to speak for God, but in fact don’t.
So
who speaks for God? God does—the same God who said, “let
there be light!” The same God who said, “this is my beloved son…listen to him!”
It is Jesus who breaks the law of indifference to those who were different than
others. It is Jesus who called us to love one another as God has loved us. For
me, the true test of a person speaking for God as a Christian is whether or not
they are willing to follow the great commandment.
So
here we are in 2008, celebrating the 232 anniversary of the birth of our
nation. In many ways we are a nation that can be characterized as polarized by
extremes.
Many
Christians however refuse to make the false choices between personal
responsibility or social justice. Many Christians see
racism and sexism as sin. Many see that the best test of a nation is how it
treats the poorest and most vulnerable. As Christians we are called to
carefully consider each social and political issue applying the values of our
faith—seeking to love as we have been loved. When we do that…we too are
speaking for God! Amen!
Third Sunday after Pentecost—
Matthew 7:21-29—Jesus reminds his followers that talking the talk is for naught if they do not act on his words.
TITLE: “TALKING
THE TALK, OR WALKING THE WALK?”
How would people know you are a Christian? would it be by the lapel pin that you are wearing? Would it be by the cross that you wear around your neck? Would it be that you attend church regularly? Would it be something that you are fond of saying? This is the tough question that our reading from Matthew raises for each and every one of us here today.
So how would you answer the question, “How would people know you are a Christian?”…
Would it be by the words that you use? I once knew a lady that was fond of saying, “praise the Lord! And then she would talk condemningly of her ex husband, venting her rage and bitterness and anger on anyone who didn’t exactly fit her picture of perfection. Every time I saw her, every time she was in a meeting, every time she attended her circle Bible study, it was always, “Praise the Lord!”
One day her son died in an accident, and her words didn’t change…all she could say was, “Praise the Lord!” I gently tried to remind her that it was okay to grieve the loss of her son. Trying to join her I reminded her that Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. But all she could say was, “Praise the Lord!” Until one day she came apart at the seams and had to be admitted to a psychiatric ward. Jesus was telling his disciples and us that all the bible babble in the world, all the God talk in the world, doesn’t cut it!
Reflecting on what Jesus said, the Apostle Paul wrote to the
troubled congregation in
“If I speak in the tongues of men, but have not love, I am a clanging gong, or a clashing symbol.” The hard truth of this reading is that a living relationship with Jesus—walking the walk…has to be more than talking the talk! More than lip service!
That is what the scribes and the Pharisees did as our
Another way to answer the question, “How would people know you are a Christian?” is what I call a kind of “dumbing down” approach. With this approach I hear the call to commitment that Jesus issued to those who want to follow him, and I try to find a kind of “middle ground” between the demands of discipleship and the desire for creature comforts. I ask myself, “isn’t there some way to reconcile the sacrificial call to commitment of Christ with my desire for self-centered living?”
We are told we can have it all…we can have it both ways! But there is a story that bluntly tells us “no!” in Matthew: The story of the rich young ruler. Maybe you recall that story…the young man asks Jesus how he could inherit eternal life and Jesus tells him to go and sell all he has and give it to the poor. And do you remember what the young man did?
Matthew writes, “when the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth”.
The call to follow Jesus is clearly counter-cultural. In fact, the whole Sermon on the Mount makes it clear that living by the beatitudes is the way of Jesus. In other words, the call to follow Jesus is a call away from the values of the world, which, if I am honest with myself, is nearly impossible on my own. So trying to find the middle ground doesn’t work in the eyes of Jesus.
So what does tell others that we are a Christian is what we are doing now, not what we have done in the past. For example we might say, “Well I went to Sunday school and have a long string of perfect attendance pins. I endured conformation classes. (I believe that what scares many adults away from participating in adult education classes in the church was their confirmation class experiences). I went to church camps, on and on”…
But the problem is, that is all about the past. The real time question is, “What is God doing now in your life?” “How is God involved in your life and faith now?” It is a question of self-examination. But then, isn’t that what Jesus intended when he said, “everyone who hears these words and does not act (in love) will not enter the kingdom”?
Conclusion:
Reporters and city officials gather at a
The man was doctor Albert
Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who spent his life helping the poor in
In response to Schweitzer’s action, one member of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next to him, “That is the first time I ever saw a sermon walking!”…
If we really want to worship Jesus, we need to walk the walk—it may be a challenge, but then all things are possible with God.
Amen!
Easter
John 20:1-18—the resurrection of Jesus; Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene.
Title: “Easter—The Real Extreme Makeover”
Hardly a day goes by that we do not see something in the news regarding primary and general elections with candidates for the most part trying to tell us why they are the right ones to change the status quo. This is true nationally, and this is also true in the race for judgeships.
By now, most of us are tired of it…yet the longing for change is not just limited to our politics: hardly a day goes by when we don’t see something regarding changing our looks for the better. First their was the popularity of the TV show “extreme makeover”…with a home...or with people’s looks. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t see an ad for botox, and other drugs.
I read the other day that more and more doctors are seeking residency in plastic surgery…we don’t like something about ourselves, so we will go to great extremes to get a makeover, we want to keep up appearances. But when it comes to being concerned about keeping appearances we are not alone. Ifyou read Matthew 28:11-15—you will discover that the chief priests and the elders paid off the roman guards at the tomb to spread rumors that the disciples had come by night and stolen the body of Jesus from the tomb.
Their need was to create the illusion that they were in control…instead of Jesus. The sub prime mortgage crises, jobs going overseas, the cost of our national debt continue on even as our leaders today try to keep up appearances. Just as it did on that first Easter, our Easter celebration comes amidst the darkness of social realities, with new life, not life as usual.
So we come here today seeking something better!
Like Mary, and Peter, and the other disciple we may come up empty in our initial searching.
Struck by the finality of death they simply wanted to finish
the job of burial…or perhaps to ease their pain and maybe to pay their respects
at the grave. Each Sunday after church
my grandparents would drive to the roselawn cemetery
to “fuss at ‘little
Unable to make sense of things, we can at least validate our feelings of loss at the gravesite…and remember how special that person was to us. The loss of a loved one is not something that is easily forgotten--and so it was for Mary, Peter, and the other disciple. Consumed by her pain, Mary could only feel worse in realizing someone had stolen the body of Jesus. The tragic had become worse…in fact now it was unspeakable…
with pain so deep marry was unable to recognize the presence of Jesus.
But Mary is not alone…often times our own emotional state keeps us from seeing the presence of God and this is particularly true when we are suffering or grieving. Many times it is only in retrospect that I have realized the presence of God during times of trial. But one thing I have learned is that the God of the resurrection is always with me…even in the worst of times. Even when I am too blinded by my own stuff, to recognize Jesus, he is present and often surprises me!
But it does not end there. When Mary finally recognizes Jesus, in her joy she wants to cling to him…all very natural, all very normal. But Jesus is having none of that. I can hear him thinking to himself, ”enough contemplation…this is not just about you…now is the time for action. go and tell the others!” Mary’s transformation from weeping to joy is not really complete until she moves into action. No longer bound by fear, and loss, Jesus calls Mary to leave the past behind and to move into action sharing the good news of his resurrection with the others.
And so it is for us, gathered here today:
Today, some are overcome by grief…understandably so due to the recent deaths of loved ones. For you, the good news is that God is with you even though you may not recognize him.
Today, some have come with the loss of loved ones by divorce and you may fear loving again or are stuck blaming your ex and/or yourself. In your pain, you may be depressed, and wondering if life is worth living. For you the good news is that God is not distant, but God is with you in your pain, and God still loves you even though your marriage didn’t work out. And more, God offers you a chance to move out of the empty cave and begin a new life.
Some of you may have come today with a huge load of regret, or shame, or guilt. For you, the good news is that in the death and resurrection of Jesus God has wiped the slate clean, and offers you a chance to begin over again.
Or maybe you have come here today with a lot of unfinished business--anger caused by someone who let you down…anger that has putrefied…so that you spew it on others…and push them away. For you, the good news is that in the resurrection, God calls you to leave the tomb of that anger behind and discover how God has blessed you.
Wherever you may be in your life, in the resurrection of Jesus God
calls you out of the past into a brand new life…
I am told that when people have plastic surgery their image of themselves will not change unless they change how they perceive of themselves. The make over has to be more than merely changing our physical characteristics. The transformation has to also be in the very depth of a person’s being.
Now this might scare you…but let me tell you a secret: In the resurrection God has shown us the way…no matter how you have or are suffering, God has the power to change your life. The fear of death is gone and God offers you a new beginning…if you are willing to come out of the tomb!
Amen!
Fourth Sunday in Lent,
John 9: 1-11—Jesus heals a blind man and he can see to the disbelief of the Pharisees.
TITLE: “WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE”
INTRODUCTION: ON VALENTINES DAY A MAN WITH A GUN
ENTERED THE CAMPUS OF
THIS OF COURSE IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF THE
RECENT MASSACRE AT
OUR FIRST RESPONSE MIGHT BE OUTRAGE, SADNESS, OR DISBELIEF—AND, WHEN TRAGIC EVENTS LIKE THESE TWO HAPPEN, WE ARE PRONE TO RAISE SOME FAMILIAR QUESTIONS. ONE MIGHT BE ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF WEAPONS TO THOSE WHO HAVE A HISTORY OF ERRATIC BEHAVIOR.
INEVITABLY PEOPLE WILL RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHO WAS AT FAULT, WHETHER AUTHORITIES RESPONDED IN A TIMELY MANNER AND WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO PREVENT THIS SENSELESS LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE.
ALL VERY
BUT ON A DEEPER LEVEL SUCH EVENTS ALSO ARE CAUSE FOR US TO RAISE QUESTIONS OF FAITH. QUESTIONS LIKE, “WHY IS THERE SO MUCH EVIL IN THIS WORLD?” “IF THERE IS A GOD, WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?”
AT TIMES LIKE THIS WE FIND IT DIFFICULT TO RECONCILE THE EXISTENCE OF A LOVING GOD WITH THE EVIL AND DEPRAVED WORLD WE LIVE IN. YET IN TRUTH WE CAN ONLY FIND REAL ANSWERS IF WE ARE WILLING TO TURN TO GOD.
IN OUR HEADS WE CAN EASILY SAY, “LIFE IS NOT FAIR!” BUT FROM THE DEPTH OF OUR BEING WE CAN CERTAINLY RAISE QUESTIONS IN PROTEST. NATURALLY IN OUR PROTESTING WE WANT TO ASSIGN BLAME, MUCH LIKE JOB’S FRIENDS WE MAY BELIEVE THAT BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO US BECAUSE OF SOME SIN EITHER PUBLIC OR PRIVATE...WE MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG…(KIND OF CAUSE AND EFFECT). IN OTHER WORDS, IF BAD THINGS HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE, “YOU DESERVE IT!”
OR, IT IS BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE HAS DONE SOMETHING WRONG? PLEASE NOTE THAT IN JOHN SIN IS NOT ABOUT DOING SOMETHING WRONG, BUT MORE OFTEN SIN IS REFERRED TO AS THAT WHICH SEPARATES US FROM GOD. AND IF BLAMING SELF OR OTHERS DOESN’T MAKE SENSE WE TEND TO BLAME GOD. THE FLOOD THAT DEVASTATES A TOWN IS NOT AN ‘ACT OF GOD.’ EVEN THOUGHT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES FIND IT USEFUL TO CALL IT THAT.
BUT IT IS AN ACT OF GOD WHEN THE PEOPLE DECIDE TO REBUILD, AND FOLKS FROM OTHER CHURCHES ACROSS THE COUNTRY COME TO HELP THEM REBUILD.
I DO NOT HOLD GOD RESPONSIBLE FOR A PERSON HAVING A HEART ATTACK OR DYING OF CANCER--THEY HAVE OTHER CAUSES. BUT I HAVE SEEN GOD GIVE PEOPLE TREMENDOUS STRENGTH TO GET THROUGH THE TRYING TIMES.
THE DISCIPLES WERE SO DEEPLY INGRAINED WITH THE NEED TO BLAME SOMEONE THAT THEY ASKED OF JESUS, “WHO SINNED, THIS MAN, OR HIS PARENTS THAT HE WAS BORN BLIND?” WHICH IS A QUESTION THAT I MYSELF WRESTLED WITH WHEN IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT BOTH OF MY SONS HAD DIABETES. THEN ONE DAY A FRIEND GAVE ME A BOOK BY RABBI HAROLD S. KUSHNER.
IN IT, KUSHNER RELATES THAT WHEN HIS SON AARON WAS JUST THREE YEARS OLD, HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A “RAPID AGING” DISEASE. HE DIED JUST AFTER HIS FOURTEENTH BIRTHDAY. OUT OF THIS TRAGIC EXPERIENCE KUSHNER WROTE A BOOK ABOUT GOD, HUMAN SUFFERING AND LIFE’S TRAGEDIES. KUSHNER CONTENDS THAT BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE BECAUSE OF FOUR THINGS:
1). BECAUSE IT SOMETIMES GOES THIS WAY;
2). BECAUSE WE ARE GIVEN FREEDOM OF CHOICE AND CONSEQUENTLY LIFE IS FULL OF INJUSTICES;
3). BECAUSE NATURE IS MORALLY BLIND;
4). THERE MAY BE CORNERS OF THE UNIVERSE WHERE GOD’S CREATIVE LIGHT HAS NOT YET PENENTRATED.
IN OTHER WORDS, OUR SUFFERING IS NOT PUNISHMENT FROM A CRUEL GOD.
THE PAINFUL THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US ARE NOT PUNISHMENT FOR OUR MISBEHAVIOR, NOR ARE THEY IN ANY WAY PART OF A GRAND DESIGN. TRAGEDY IS NOT GOD’S WILL. LIFE HAPPENS!...
DOES THIS MEAN THAT OUR SUFFERING AND THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US HAVE NO MEANING?” WE SEEM TO BE ABLE TO BEAR ANY BURDEN IF WE CAN ATTACH OR FIND MEANING TO IT. BUT EVEN A LESSER BURDEN CAN BECOME TOO MUCH FOR US IF WE FEEL IT MAKES NO SENSE.
I HAVE READ THAT PATIENTS IN A VETERAN’S HOSPITAL WHO HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY WOUNDED IN COMBAT HAVE A MUCH EASIER TIME ADJUSTING TO THEIR INJURIES THAN PATIENTS WHO HAVE THE EXACT SAME INJURY THAT A PERSON MIGHT HAVE SUSTSTAINED FOOLING AROUND ON A BASKETBALL COURT, BECAUSE THEY CAN TELL THEMSELVES THEIR SUFFERING WAS AT LEAST FOR A GOOD CAUSE.
LIKEWISE, PARENTS WHO CONVINCE THEMSELVES THAT THERE IS SOME PURPOSE SOMEWHERE SERVED BY THEIR CHILD’S HANDICAP CAN ACCEPT IT EASIER FOR THE SAME REASON. BUT THE BAD THINGS IN OUR LIVES DO NOT HAVE MEANING AT THE TIME THEY HAPPEN TO US.
GOD LEAVES IT UP TO US TO DISCOVER THE MEANINGS FOR OURSELVES.
INSTEAD OF ASKING, “WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?” IT MIGHT BE FAR BETTER TO ASK, “NOW THAT HIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME, WHAT AM GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? WHICH OPENS THE DOOR TO THE FUTURE.
AMEN!
Epiphany
Post Christmas Series
Matthew 5:21-24—If you are angry with someone go and reconcile (forgive) that person.
“FORGIVENESS—WHEN LETTING GO BRINGS
PEACE”
BACK IN THE LATE NINETIES A DRUNKEN DRIVER INTENTIONALLY HIT AN AMISH HORSE AND BUGGY ON A RURAL ROAD. THE DRIVER CAME BACK AND HIT THE DRIVER OF THE BUGGY, HIS DAUGHTER, AND THE HORSE A SECOND TIME. THE AMISH MAN AND HIS DAUGHTER WERE IN UW HOSPITAL IN MADISON, THE FATHER STAYING FOR MONTHS SO HIS WOUNDS COULD BE TREATED.
I MARVELLED THEN AT THE REACTION OF THE AMISH COMMUNITY—HOW FORGIVING THEY WERE, AND HOW GRACIOUS IN THE FACE OF AN ACT OF VIOLENCE DIRECTED AT THEM.
THEN IN EARLY OCTOBER 2006, IN WITH UTTER AMAZEMENT AS THE
AMISH COMMUNITY NEAR
WHO ARE THE AMISH? THEY ARE COMMUNITIES OF CHRISTIANS WHO TAKE THE BIBLE SERIOUSLY. THEY ARE DEVOTED FOLLOWERS OF JESUS, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE SINNERS AND CHRIST DIED FOR THE SINS OF ALL SINNERS. THEY BELIEVE THAT GOD FORGIVES AND THEY SEEK TO DO THE SAME WITH OTHERS. THEY BELIEVE THE MAN WHO DID THE KILLINGS HAS TO ANSWER TO GOD.
BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE JUSTICE IS IN THE HANDS OF GOD, “VENGEANCE IS MINE SAYS THE LORD,” THEY ALSO BELIEVE THAT MERCY—FORGIVENESS—IS SOMETHING THEY CAN DO...SIGHTING PAUL’S LETTER TO THE EARLY CHRISTIANS AT EPHESUS (4:31-32) “GET RID OF ALL BITTERNESS, RAGE, ANGER, HARSH WORDS...INSTEAD BE KIND TO EACH OTHER, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, JUST AS GOD THROUGH CHRIST HAS FORGIVEN YOU.”.
BECAUSE THEY ARE ABLE TO LET GO, AND LET GOD BE THE JUDGE AND HANDLE JUSTICE, THE AMISH HAVE AN ABIDING PEACE WITHIN THEMSELVES WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP ALL OF US.
OH, IT IS EASIER TO HANG ON TO HATRED, AND ANGER, AND RAGE THAN IT IS TO FORGIVE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR THOSE WHO WERE VICTIMS OF ABUSE, SEXUAL ABUSE, RAPE OR OTHER KINDS OF VIOLENCE, ALL VERY SERIOUS, BUT ALL OF WHICH CAN LEAD US INTO A KIND OF ETERNAL VICTIM MENTALITY AS WE CLING TO OUR HATRED FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT HAVE HARMED US.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE RESENTMENT THAT WE CARRY AROUND POSIONS OUR BODIES AND OUR SOULS. YET WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH OUR FEELINGS WE MAY EASILY DISCOVER THAT OUR BODIES AND SOULS ARE MUCH HEALTHIER GIVING US THE BENEFITS OF: A MUCH BETTER IMMUNE SYSTEM AND BLOOD PRESSURE, BETTER EMOTIONAL HEALTH, WE FEEL BETTER PHYSICALLY, WE HAVE LOWER AMOUNTS OF ANGER, AND FEWER SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION, AND WE ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO HAVE MORE SATISFYING AND LONG LASTING RELATIONHIPS.
NOW YOU MAY SAY, “BUT WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO FORGIVE?” WHAT HAPPENS THEN? DOES ANYTHING HAPPEN? THE ANSWER IS “YES” BECAUSE HOLDING A GRUDGE COMES AT A HIGH PRICE TO YOUR SOUL, YOUR BODY AND YOUR RELATIONSHIPS. THE REALITY IS, FORGIVENESS IS A CHOICE...AND THE CHOICE IS UP TO YOU!
BUT FORGIVENESS IS NOT JUST FOR OTHERS...WE NEED TO FORGIVE OURSELVES ALSO. MY HOME AND INTERN PASTOR USED TO SAY, “WE ARE OFTEN THE HARDEST ON OURSELVES!” I BELIEVE THAT IS TRUE...WE DEMAND PERFECTION OF OURSELVES (AND OTHERS), WHEN IN REALITY WE ARE DOING THE BEST WE CAN WITH WHAT WE KNOW AND HAVE AT ANY GIVEN TIME--YET WE DO NOT FORGIVE OURSELVES, AND INSTEAD BERATE OURSELVES AND BEAT OURSELVES UP WITH THE GREAT “WOULDA, SHOULDA, COULDA.”
WHICH WHEN YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT IS OFTEN ONE THE CAUSES OF DEPRESSION IN ADULTS. I KNOW, BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN THERE—FOR MANY YEARS I BLAMED MYSELF BECAUSE I WAS NOT PERFECT ENOUGH IN MY OWN EYES. BUT THAT PERFECTIONISM WAS A PART OF THE DEPRESSION I SUFFERED FROM. AND THEN ONE DAY, A FRIEND SAID TO ME, “IF GOD CAN FORGIVE YOU WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM FORGIVING YOURSELF? WHICH CAUSED ME TO REFLECT NOT JUST ON MY OWN LIFE, BUT HOW MARTIN LUTHER DEALT WITH THIS SAME DEMON CALLED PERFECTIONISM WHEN LUTHER CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT BECAUSE HE WAS BAPTIZED HE DIDN’T NEED TO BE PERFECT.
I ALSO LIKE TO THINK OF FORGIVENESS AS AN ACT OF WORSHIP. WHEN I FORGIVE SOMEONE I GIVE UP RESENTMENT TOWARDS SOMEONE AND THE DESIRE TO HURT THE ONE WHO HURT ME I AM DOING AN ACT OF WORSHIP.
A BITTER HEART SEPARATES US NOT ONLY FROM THE PERSON WHO HURTS US BUT ALSO FROM GOD, YET IT IS FROM GOD, IN THE CROSS, THAT WE FIND FORGIVENESS—“IF WE CONFESS OUR SIN, GOD IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE OUR SIN AND CLEANSE US FROM ALL OUR ESTRANGEMENT.”
WHEN WE ARE WILLING TO ASK GOD TO FORGIVE THOSE WE HAVE WRONGED US AND/OR TO FORGIVE US WHEN WE HAVE WRONGED SOMEONE ELSE, WE ARE IN FACT TAKING THE FIRST STEP IN HEALING.
SO, IF YOU FIND THAT YOU BEAR A GRUDGE OR, IF YOU ARE ANGRY WITH SOMEONE ELSE, OR, MAYBE AS YOU LISTEN TO YOUR SELF-TALK AND DISCOVER THAT YOU ARE BEING UNFORGIVING OF YOUR OWN HUMANNESS MAYBE IT IS TIME TO TAKE A CUE FROM THE AMISH AND ALLOW THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS GIVEN IN JESUS BE A PART OF YOUR LIFE—AND A PART OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS...
AMEN!
First Sunday in Advent Consecration Sunday
Matthew 24:36-44—As to the day and hour no one knows…keep awake therefore, for you do not know the day your Lord is coming, therefore be ready…
TITLE: “WANT TO BE READY? THEN GIVE GOD YOUR BEST”
As I was walking to the men’s locker room at the YMCA I noticed a pathetic scene, where two adult men were laying a guilt trip on a boy who was no more than 7 years old about the way he was playing basketball in a youth game. The boy hung his head as he listened to one of the men talking about things that were way beyond the boy’s ability to comprehend and to execute.
It reminded me of a scene I witnessed some years back as I
was entering the
In this season of preparation called advent I was reminded that not all preparation is good. In fact some preparations can be misguided, or even damaging.
the time of preparation for Christmas can be that way too, if we allow ourselves to focus only on the material preparations, so our reading from Matthew today is timely in that it reminds us and refocuses us on preparing for and being ready for the coming of Jesus into our lives.
Part of our Probem is that we are a nation of multi-taskers-- something born out in a study released this past week on what drivers really are doing behind the wheel: 15% of us are talking on a our cell phones instead of concentrating on the road, 70% are talking on hands free cell phones, 60% admit to eating while driving, 5% combing hair and applying make up, 32% of the drivers surveyed read while driving, 21% say they are managing their children in the back seat, and 13% say they are manipulating a GPS device or an mp3 player.
So we need to ask ourselves the question, “are we paying attention to what is most important?”
When it comes to our spiritual journey the question is, “are we paying attention to the awesome abundance that god has blessed us with in our own personal lives? Are we focused on the blessing of the abundant love god has shown for us in Jesus? From the very first book of the Bible, the image of God is one of an abundant giver. God has truly blessed us.
So naturally we focus on gifts at this time of year. In his book The Gift, Lewis Hyde has researched many different cultures and discovered that one common thing about giving a gift is that a gift tends to establish a relationship between the parties involved. In other words, gifts tend to attach us to one another.
As a result Hyde tells us that there are three important aspects to understanding gifts: First, we have a need to give…and when that need is fulfilled, we tend to feel more satisfied with our lives. Second, we have a need to receive gifts from others that tells us that others care about us. Third, the receiving of a gift creates a need to give in return.
The bottom line being that instead of gifts distinguishing us from one another, gifts in fact connect us to one another.
Jesus says this same truth more simply and memorably, “give and you will receive!” Martin Luther put it this way, “I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into god’s hands I still possess.” By giving we expand our sense of being with one another. In other words we are blessed in return
The past month you have received in the mail a series of letters on the biblical basis of stewardship. Your stewardship committee has been studying and giving their task prayerful consideration. First, I need to say that we are very grateful for the generosity that you have shown in this past year! This has been evident in our offerings since about July and in the many ways that you have responded to help those in need. Over and over again, you have shared of the abundance that god has entrusted to you.
This morning you may be asking yourself “how much should I give?” Or “how much should we give?” Some would say, “Give until it hurts!” But giving from the heart is not about sacrifice. When we give from the heart we give until it feels good. Only by giving until it feels good will our gifts bring about the connections to others and to our god.
It is not a matter of reaching a goal or balancing the budget. It is about giving to connect with one another in love and service to others.
What is also very exciting is that when we adopted our long range goals, we said that we were going to invest in the future of our congregation by investing in the young people of today. All through the long range planning process we kept asking, “What is God calling us to do?”
Today we answer that on a personal level as we complete our commitment cards and bring them forward. it boils down to “how are we going to be faithful in caring for others while waiting for Christ’s return?”
Irene and I invite you to join us in learning and growing in our stewardship and experience giving until it feels good. Amen!
Christ the King
Immanuel Contemporary
Jeremiah 23:1-6—the promise of God to save
Luke 23:33-43—Jesus on the cross forgives a thief.
TITLE: “WHICH KING WILL WE HAVE?”
INTRODUCTION: AT FIRST
GLANCE THE
BECAUSE, JESUS CAME AS A DIFFERENT
KIND OF KING, I APPRECIATE THIS
WHAT WERE THEY TO DO WITH AN UNKINGLY KING? A KING WHO REFUSED TO TAKE AUTHORITY OVER ARMIES, A KING WHO WOULD NOT GRANT CABINET POSTS TO HIS CRONIES, A KING WHO, WOULD NOT FOR ONE DAY LIVE IN A PALACE, WHO REFUSED TO HATE HIS ENEMIES OR PLOT THEIR DOWNFALL.
WHAT KIND OF KING MIXES WITH COMMON
CROWDS AND STILL HAS A SENSE OF DIGNITY?
WHAT KIND OF KING WOULD REFUSE TO PLAY POLITICS IN ORDER TO INCREASE HIS POWER? WOULD A REAL KING REFUSE TO DRESS IN ROYAL CLOTHES AND WEAR EXPENSIVE JEWELRY?
A POEM WHOSE AUTHOR IS UNKNOWN TITLED , “THEY MISSED HIM” SAYS IT ALL:
“THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A LION, HE CAME AS A LAMB, AND THEY MISSED HIM; THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A WARRIOR, AND HE CAME AS A PEACEMAKER, AND THEY MISSED HIM; THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A KING AND HE CAME AS A SERVANT, AND THEY MISSED HIM; THEY WERE LOOKING FOR LIBERATION FROM ROME, AND THEY CRUCIFIED HIM, AND THEY MISSED HIM; THEY WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO FIT THEIR MOLD, HE WAS THE MOLDMAKER, AND THEY MISSED HIM. HE CAME TO MAKE PEACE BETWEEN GOD AND HIS PEOPLE, WILL YOU MISS HIM?
YOU GET THE IDEA…WHAT WAS THE WORLD TO DO WITH SUCH AN UNKINGLY KING? THEY QUICKLY GOT RID OF HIM, BECAUSE HE DID NOT MEET THEIR SPECS FOR A KING. DID THEY / DO WE MISS HIM BECAUSE GOD’S WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS?
FOR THE FIRST FEW CENTURIES, A NON-VIOLENT CRUCIFIED AND RISEN CHRIST WAS WORSHIPPED AND FOLLOWED BY THOSE WHO BELIEVED IN JESUS. JESUS WAS KING, BUT A KING OF AN UTTERLY DIFFERENT KIND OF AUTHORITY AND POWER THAN THAT EXHIBITED BY THE ROMAN EMPEROR OR THE REGIONAL GOVERNORS AND KINGS. DURING EARLY CHRISTIANITY THE POPULAR ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS OF CHRIST DEPICTED JESUS AS THE CRUCIFIED ONE, THE GOOD SHEPHERD. AND SOMETIMES JUST A PLAIN MAN ON THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION, WITH THE GLOWING RADIANCE OF GOD AROUND HIM.
THIS WAS A PERIOD IN WHICH
CHRISTIANS WERE PERSECUTED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. BUT
THEY DID NOT RESIST ARREST OR FORM GUERILLA OPERATIONS TO FIGHT BACK--INSTEAD THEY TRIED TO OBEY THE ROMAN LAWYS EXCEPT
FOR THOSE THAT CONFLICTED WITH THEIR FIRST ALLEGIANCE TO JESUS THEIR KING. IN FACT, THOSE WHO SOUGHT TO BE BAPTIZED
FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO JOIN THE CHURCH IF THEY WERE IN VIOLENT PROFESSIONS.
THE EARLY CHRISTIANS IN A DOCUMENT TITLED THE APOSTOLIC TRADITIONS MADE THIS POSITION VERY CLEAR. THEY FOLLOWED THE JESUS’ WAY OF HUMILITY AND MERCY . TO BE A CITIZEN OF CHRIST’S NEW KINGDOM MEANT TO BE A NON-VIOLENT PERSON IN THE MIDST OF AN EXTREMELY VIOLENT SOCIETY.
BUT THINGS WERE ABOUT TO CHANGE
WHEN
SOON THE CLERGY WERE GIVEN LEGAL
AUTHORITY…PRIESTS BECAME MAGISTRATES WEARING THE ROMAN ROBE AND STOLE OF OFFICE. BISHOPS BECAME HIGH COURT JUDGES WITH ALL THE
TRAPPINGS. AND IN THE ART THE PICTURE OF
JESUS CRUCIFIED AS A CRIMINAL OR SHOWN AS THE GOOD SHEPHERD WAS REPLACED BY
JESUS DEPICTED AS AN EMPORER ON A JEWEL ENCRUSTED THRONE, SURROUNDED BY HIGH
OFFICIALS OF THE STATE. JESUS THE KING IS
NOW THE SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE LEGIONS OF HEAVEN WHO IS GATHERING HIS ARMY
FOR A FINAL ASSAULT ON THE WICKED UNBELIEVERS ON EARTH.
BASICALY, THE KINGSHIP OF JESUS WAS
HIJACKED AND PERVERTED--MUCH OF THIS CARRYING
DOWN THROUGH THE CENTURIES IN
TEACHING THAT NEXT TIME JESUS COMES TO EARTH THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT…THAT HE WILL COME WITH ARMIES AND SWORDS AND FIRE TO DO THE JOB PROPERLY THIS TIME, AND THIS TIME HE WILL SUBDUE THE EARTH AND PUT ALL OPPOSITION UNDER HIS IRON BOOT. NO MORE OF THAT NICE GUY STUFF, NEXT TIME HE’S KING FOR REAL!”
NONE OF WHICH IS BIBLICAL.
REALITY IS, THE BIBLICAL WITNESS TELLS US CHRIST’S KINGLINESS IS DEFINED BY THAT LONELY SUFFERING FIGURE DYING ON THE CROSS EVEN IN HIS LAST HOURS FORGIVING HIS MURDERERS AND A THIEF.
AT
AND MAY YOU BE PREPARED TO ENDURE EVERYTHING WITH THE SAME PATIENCE THAT KING JESUS MODELED FOR US
AMEN!
Twenty-forth Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 20:27-38—Jesus reminds the Sadducees that God is the God of the living, and that their perceptions are different than God’s.
WHENEVER I READ THIS PARTICULAR PASSAGE FROM LUKE I AM
REMINDED OF THE STORY ABOUT
WELL, ANYWAY,
WELL IT SEEMS THAT
“VELL, YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE THAT CEMETERY PLOT WHERE OLE AND SVEN ARE BURIED AND YOU KNOW THAT I VANT TO BE BURIED BETWEEN THEM…
BUT,” SHE SAID, “COULD YOU TILT ME JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE TOWARDS SVEN?”
WE LAUGH, BUT IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR US TO THINK ABOUT MATTERS LIKE THIS WHEN WE THINK ABOUT DEATH. MOST OF US PROBABLY HAVE OUR OWN WAY OF THINKING ABOUT DEATH AND WHAT HAPPENS AFTERWARD AND THE SADDUCEES ALSO HAD THEIR OWN WAY OF THINKING ABOUT SUCH THINGS.
“WE HAVE HEARD A
(SOMETHING WE ARE STILL SEEING IN THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICTS).
THE SADDUCEES HAD A VESTED INTEREST IN KEEPING THE STATUS QUO. TO THEM, JESUS WAS A NEW AGE TEACHER WHO THEY HATED. ESPECIALLY, BECAUSE JESUS TAUGHT ABOUT THE RESURRECTION WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT THE SADDUCEES WERE ADAMANTLY OPPOSED TO.
SO LIKE THE PHARISEES THEY SOUGHT TO TRAP JESUS USING A TRICK QUESTION. I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED IF JESUS DIDN’T SAY TO HIMSELF OR HIS DISCIPLES SOMETHING LIKE, “SAME CIRCUS, DIFFERENT CLOWNS!”
I ALSO WONDER IF WE AREN’T SOMEWHAT LIKE THE SADDUCEES. GIVE US A NICE COMFORTABLE DEBATE TO ENGAGE IN AND WE ARE FINE. LISTENING TO TALK RADIO, A LOT OF FOLKS WOULD RATHER TALK ABOUT THE WAR—PRO AND CON—THAN MAKE A COMMITMENT TO STOPPING THE ROOT CAUSES OF TERRORISM.
IN
IT IS ALMOST THAT WE HAVE THE INABILITY TO THINK ON THE SAME LEVEL AS GOD DOES. “BUT THE BOTTOM LINE,” SAYS JESUS, “IS THAT ALL THE DEBATING IN THE WORLD IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE ANSWER TO ONE QUESTION--AND THAT QUESTION IS, “WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD LIKE?”
HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THAT QUESTION? ON MORE THAN ONE OCCAISION WHEN PEOPLE HAVE REQUESTED I DO A FUNERAL FOR A FAMILY MEMBER AND I HAVE HEARD SOMETHING LIKE, “WE ARE NOT SURE IF HE OR SHE WAS A CHRISTIAN.” AND THEN AS I LISTEN TO THE FAMILY TELL ME THE LIFE STORY OF THE FAMILY MEMBER WHO PASSED AWAY I OFTEN DISCOVER A PERSON WHO SPENT THEIR LIFE SERVING OTHERS. IT MAY HAVE BEEN IN THE MILITARY AND THAT THE PERSON GAVE UP SEVERAL YEARS OF THEIR LIFE TO DEFEND THEIR NATION SO THAT WE COULD ENJOY THE FREEDOM WE HAVE, OR, IT MAY BE THAT THE PERSON WAS ALWAYS HELPING OTHERS.
I AM CONTINUALLY AMAZED HOW DIFFICULT IT IS FOR US TO SEE THE WORK OF GOD IN OTHER PEOPLES LIVES OF SERVICE. MAYBE THE QUESTION WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES IS, “CAN OTHERS SEE BY OUR LIVES WHAT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS ALL ABOUT?”
I SUSPECT THAT DEPENDS UPON WHETHER WE HAVE ALLOWED THE JESUS CHRIST TO TAKE HOLD OF US. DO WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP, A LIVING RELATIONSHIP, WITH A DEAD JESUS, OR WITH A JESUS WHO IS ALIVE? THE JESUS WHO WALKS WITH ME, POKES AND PRODS ME? THE JESUS WE MEET THROUGH SILENCE AND PRAYER, THROUGH SPENDING TIME IN THE SCRIPTURES? THE JESUS WHO COMES TO US THROUGH OUR FAMILY AND PEERS?
THE TRUTH IS THAT GOD IS THE GOD OF THE LIVING AND JESUS IS LIVING IN EACH OF YOU AND ME.
REGIS PHILBIN OF THE POPULAR GAME SHOW, “WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? CREATED A COMMON BUZZ PHRASE…”SO WHAT’S YOUR FINAL ANSWER?” THE SADDUCEES GOT THEIR FINAL ANSWER FROM JESUS--GOD LIVES BEOND THE CATEGORIES OF LIFE AND DEATH. EXISTENCE WITH GOD IS ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL. UN-LIKE US, GOD IS UNPERTURBED BY PHYSICAL DEATH BECAUSE EXISTENCE IN THE REALM OF GOD IS UNLIKE THE WORLD WE LIVE IN NOW. BECAUSE GOD IS THE GOD OF THE LIVING, FOR TO GOD, ALL THOSE WHO HAVE DIED ARE ALIVE.
AND THAT, BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, IS GOD’S FINAL ANSWER!
AMEN!
All Saints
Immanuel
Luke 6:20-31—Living out our inheritance of God’s blessing we are called to love even our enemies.
TITLE: “LIVING AMONG THE SAINTS”
INTRODUCTION: THE FIRST TIME I HAD EVER BEEN TO NEW ORLEANS WAS TO BE PART OF A NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING I WAS HANGING OUT WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE ON THE NATIONAL STAFF OF THE AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH AND WE WITNESSED A FUNERAL PROCESSION IN TYPICAL NEW ORLEANS STYLE COMPLETE WITH A BAND PLAYING, “WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN”.
AT THAT TIME I UNDERSTOOD SAINTS TO BE PEOPLE HAVING HAD EXTRODINARY FAITH AND/OR WHO HAD DONE GREAT WORKS--TO ME, SAINTS WERE THE DECEASED.
TODAY WE HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US TO THE ETERNAL PRESENCE OF GOD--THOSE WHO ARE IN THE GRANDSTANDS OF HEAVEN CHEERING US ON AS WE PLAY OUT THE GAME CALLED LIFE HERE ON EARTH.
BUT I MUST SAY MY UNDERSTANDING OF SAINTS HAS BECOME MUCH BROADER AND CLEARER AS MY FAITH HAS GROWN AS MY FAITH HAS DEEPENED, SO HAS MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SAINT.
FIRST, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT SAINTS ARE REAL PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND I.
THEY ARE REALLY NO DIFFERENT IN THAT THEY HAVE BEEN CREATED BY GOD WITH THE SAME BASIC HUMAN NEEDS…THEY NEED FOOD, WATER, OXYGEN, AND SHELTER…THEY NEED TO BE LOVED, AND THEY HAVE LOVE TO GIVE.
SAINTS ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DISCOVERED THAT FAITH IS BETTER THAN RELIGION. RELIGION IS ABOUT FOLLOWING THE RULES AND BECOMING ENSLAVED TO THE PAST. FAITH IS ABOUT LIVING IN THE HERE AND NOW TO BE FAITHFUL TO THE COMMANDS OF JESUS IN CONFIDENCE THAT IN THE END GOD WILL WIN OUT.
SAINTS DO MORE THAN TALK THE TALK--SAINTS
WALK THE WALK…SAINTS “WALK WET IN THEIR BAPTISM” WHICH WAS THE THEME OF
THE NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING THAT YEAR IN
IN BAPTISM WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE SAINTS…TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
SECOND, IN MY STUDIES OF THE
WRITINGS OF MARTIN LUTHER I DISCOVERED THAT WHILE WE ARE ALL SAINTS, LUTHER
ALSO REMINDED US THAT WE WERE BOTH SAINT AND SINNER...BOTH ANGEL AND
SNOOK. I AM REMINDED HOW OUR CAT KATIE VON BORA (LUTHER’S WIFE’S NAME)
WILL GO TO THE BACK DOOR AND SIT THERE SOMETIMES MEOWING TO TELL US SHE WANTS
TO GO OUT ON THE PORCH. OFTEN WHEN WE OPEN THE DOOR, SHE WILL JUST SIT
THERE, NOT MOVING
IN A SIMILAR WAY, WE OFTEN GO TO THE DOOR AND PUSH PEOPLE OUT AND INVITE OTHERS IN. WE DETERMINE THAT CERTAIN PEOPLE WILL BE INSIDE WITH US, AND THAT OTHERS WON’T BE. WE DO IT AS INDIVIDUALS…WE DO IT AS CHURCHES. WE DIVIDE PEOPLE INTO FRIENDS AND ENEMIES…ALLIES OR ADVERSARIES…THOSE WHO WE INCORRECTLY CALLS SAINTS OR SINNERS.
AS PART OF OUR SINNER SIDE WE ARE
DOORKEEPERS FOR NOT ONLY OUR PETS, BUT FOR PEOPLE AS WELL. WHICH IS WHAT
MOTIVATED JESUS TO PRESENT THE BLESSINGS AND WOES IN OUR
WE ARE REMINDED THAT ALL THINGS IN THIS WORLD ARE TEMPORARY AND OUR FORTUNES COULD BE CHANGED IN AND INSTANT. WE CAN WASTE A LOT OF TIME IF WE WANT TO SPEND OUR LIVES LOOKING AROUND OUR CHURCHES AND COMMUNITIES TRYING TO SEPARATE THE SAINTS FROM SINNERS. OH, WE THINK WE CAN EASILY SPOT THE SINNERS…BUT DO WE REMEMBER, THAT THEY ARE FORGIVEN SINNERS? WHEN I FIND MYSELF LOOKING AT THE SINS OF OTHERS IT IS TIME TO LOOK AT MY OWN BROKENESS.
THIRD, SAINTS ARE THOSE WHO SERIOUSLY SEEK TO LIVE OUT THE INHERITANCE OF THE BLESSINGS OF THEIR BAPTISM TO HELP OTHERS. JESUS REMINDS US TO DO TO OTHERS AS WE WOULD HAVE THEM DO TO US. WHEN WE DO TO OTHERS AS WE WOULD HAVE THEM DO TO US, THEN THE POOR WON’T BE SHUT OUT. INSTEAD THEY WILL BE BLESSED BECAUSE OF US.
WHEN WE FOLLOW THE GOLDEN RULE WE INVITE IN THOSE WHO ARE USED TO HAVING DOOR SLAMMED IN THEIR FACES.
THE POOR ARE BLESSED WHEN WE TREAT THEM THE WAY WE HOPE TO BE TREATED WHEN WE BECOME POOR. THE HUNGRY ARE BLESSED WHEN WE TREAT THEM THE WAY WE HOPE TO BE TREATED WHEN WE BECOME HUNGRY. THOSE WHO MOURN ARE BLESSED WHEN WE TREAT THEM THE WAY WE WOULD WANT TO BE TREATED IF WE WERE GRIEVING.
THE ABUSED AND THE PERSECUTED, AND THE EXCLUDED ARE BLESSED WHEN WE TREAT THEM THE WAY WE WANT TO BE TREATED WHEN WE ARE ABUSED, OR PERSECUTED, OR EXCLUDED. BECAUSE JESUS HELD THE DOOR FOR EVERYONE. IN ORDER FOR US TO LIVE BY THE GOLDEN RULE WE HAVE TO ERASE THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THOSE WHO ARE IN, AND THOSE WHO ARE OUT. OUR DOORS WILL NEVER BE CLOSED TO ANYONE IF WE “DO UNTO OTHERS AS WE WOULD HAVE THEM DO TO US.”
WHERE DO WE START? ONE WAY IS
TO HELP GIVE TO THE FAMILIES WE HAVE ADOPTED THAT YOU HEARD ABOUT IN THE
ANOTHER IS TO SIMPLY THANK THOSE SAINTS WHO HAVE BEEN A PART OF YOUR LIFE. THIS PAST WEEK I RECEIVED A CARD OF APPRECIATION FROM A FAMILY IN OUR CONGREGATION…FOR JUST BEING ME. IT WARMED MY SOUL.
THEN THURSDAY I RECEIVED A CARD AND
LETTER IN THE MAIL FROM A WOMAN WHO WAS IN MY FIRST CONFIRMATION CLASS, IN MY
FIRST PARISH AT
THROUGH THE TEARS AS I READ THE LETTER, ONE PARAGRAPH STOOD OUT--
“THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME SEE THAT
MAY YOU THANK THOSE WHO HAVE HELPED YOU IN YOUR OWN JOURNEY OF FAITH. AND MAY YOU BE THE SAINT GOD INTENDED FOR YOU TO BE!
AMEN!
Twentieth First Sunday after Pentecost
Affirmation of Baptism Service
Luke 18:1-8—the parable of the persistent widow.
TITLE: TRUSTING GOD FOR THE LONG HAUL
INTRODUCTION: TODAY IS THE DAY THAT ALL OF US HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR…AT LEAST YOU PARENTS OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE AFFIRMING THEIR FAITH HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR…AND, I SUSPECT, MORE THAN ONE OF YOU WHO ARE AFFIRMING YOUR FAITH ARE GLAD TO “FINALLY GET IT OVER!” IT HAS BEEN A LONG HAUL.
SO WHAT COMES NEXT?
AS I WATCHED MY GRANDSON RYDEN LEARN TO WALK I NOTICED THAT HE DID NOT ALWAYS TRUST HIMSELF…OR HIS LEGS OR HIS BALANCE TO BE ABLE TO WALK--YET HE PERSISTED, AND NOW HE WALKS AND RUNS. MY HUNCH IS MANY OF YOU PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS HAVE SIMILAR IMAGES ETCHED IN YOUR MEMORIES, MEMORIES OF WATCHING YOUR CHILD, GRANDCHILD LEARNING TO WALK.
TO YOU, OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE AFFIRMING THEIR FAITH TODAY I HAVE SOME MEMORIES OF YOUR PERSISTENCE: ONE MEMORY IS THAT OF MISSY PERSISTING AFTER HER KNEE SURGERY, PERSISTING IN HER REHAB, NEVER GIVING UP.
ANOTHER MEMORY OF PERSISTENCE IS THAT OF CODY PERSISTING IN HIS HUNTING TO GET A DEER. AND PERSISTING AS THE ONLY YOUNG MAN AMONGST ALL OF THESE YOUNG WOMEN.
OUR
MANY YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS COACHING HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY IN ASWAUBENON WE SAT DOWN WITH OUR TEAM AND SET SOME GOALS…ONE OF THE GOALS WE SET WAS TO GET TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT AND TO WIN THE STATE TITLE. WHEN WE SHOWED THE GOALS TO THE PLAYERS PARENTS AND TO OTHERS, THE MOST COMMON REACTION WAS, “YOU WILL NEVER GET TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT WITH 15 SOPHMIORES AND 2 SENIORS”.
THE PLAYERS HEARD THAT EVERY PLACE THEY WENT, BUT WE TURNED THE NEGATIVES INTO A POSITIVE, HELPING OUR YOUNG MEN TO REALIZE THAT IN ALL OF LIFE THEY WILL MEET OPPOSITION. IN ALL OF LIFE PEOPLE WILL BE NEGATIVE AND THROW PHYSICAL AND VERBAL ROADBLOCKS IN THEIR WAY--THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED,
ONE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WHO
WIN AND THOSE WHO DON’T IS BELIEVING IN YOURSELF AND
WHAT YOU ARE DOING. THAT TEAM LOST 5-3 IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON
AN EMPTY NET GOAL TO 18 SENIORS FROM
IN YOUR JOURNEY OF FAITH, YOU WILL FIND THOSE WHO WILL OPPOSE YOU. THOSE WHO WILL TELL YOU THERE IS NO GOD THAT YOU ARE FOOLISH FOR BELIEVING, THAT BEING A PART OF A WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY IS NOT NECESSARY, OR TELL YOU FOLLOWING JESUS ISN’T COOL.
YOU MAY EVEN CHOSE TO TEST THAT OUT, AND WANDER OFF TO THE FAR COUNTRY, OR WANDER IN THE WILDERNESS, BUT OUR LOVING GOD WILL ALWAYS WELCOME YOU BACK, AND WE WILL TOO. GOD WILL ALWAYS PERSIST, AND NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU. AND GOD WILL BELIEVE IN YOU EVEN WHEN OTHERS DON’T EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
OH, THERE WILL BE TIMES WHEN YOU FAIL IN TRYING TO LIVE OUT YOUR FAITH. IT WILL BE EASY IN THOSE TIMES TO GIVE UP ON YOURSELF, TO GIVE UP ON GOD. WALT DISNEY WAS TURNED DOWN 302 TIMES BEFORE HE GOT FINANCING TO CREATE THE “HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH,” YET TODAY MILLIONS HAVE EXPERIENCED HIS HAPPY KINGDOM. COLONEL SANDERS WAS TURNED DOWN 1009 TIMES TRYING TO GET RESTAURANTS TO SERVE HIS CHICKEN, BUT HE MODIFIED HIS APPROACH AND BECAME SUCCESFUL.
“WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH GETTING GOING,” SAYS AN OLD ADAGE. IN THOSE TIMES YOU MAY BE TEMPTED TO GIVE UP. YOU MAY BE TEMPTED TO GET ANGRY WITH GOD, AND SHAKE YOUR FIST AT GOD, WHICH GOD WILL CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND.
IN THOSE TIMES REMEMBER YOU ARE IN GOOD COMPANY--MOSES COMPLAINED TO GOD, THE PSALMIST THOUGHT GOD HAD WALKED AWAY,
ISAIAH FACED THE QUESTION OF WHY WRONG PREVAILED OVER RIGHT.
BUT THE ONE THING THEY ALL HAD IN COMMON WAS THAT THEY TOOK THEIR PAIN AND ANGUISH TO GOD. PRAY EVEN WHEN IT IS THE HARDEST THING TO DO. PERSIST IN PRAYER BECAUSE IT IS KIND OF LIKE WORKING OUT IN THE WEIGHT ROOM--SOME DAYS YOU DON’T WANT TO DO IT, BUT ALWAYS YOU GET STRONGER.
NOW YOU MAY LOOK AT THE VIOLENCE IN THIS WORLD AND ALSO BE TEMPTED TO GIVE UP. HUMANS ARE THE ONLY ONES IN GOD’S CREATION THAT KILL ONE ANOTHER. YET TODAY TO TAKE A VOW TO STRIVE FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE IN ALL THE WORLD.” A HUGE ORDER, ONE THAT YOU MAY WONDER, “HOW CAN I DO THAT?” JUSTICE AND PEACE STARTS WITH EACH OF US…IT STARTS IN OUR FAMILIES, IT STARTS IN OUR CLASSROOMS, AND IT STARTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT STARTS IN THE TIMES YOU LISTEN TO A FRIEND WHO IS HURTING, IT STARTS IN THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIVES,
IT STARTS WITH YOU AND IF YOU DO NOT GIVE UP, YOU WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
SO IT COMES DOWN TO THIS…GOD HAS NEVER GIVEN UP ON YOU, HE HAS BEEN WITH ALL ALONG AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE. GOD IS THERE FOR THE LONG HAUL…TODAY, TOMORROW, FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. GOD WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU. AND GOD IS COUNTING ON YOU NOT TO GIVE UP ON HIM BECAUSE HE HAS WORK FOR YOU TO DO IN HIS CHURCH…AND OUT IN THE WORLD.
AMEN!
September 30. 2007 Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
I Timothy 6:16-19—Real life is not to be found in riches, but in our relationship with God.
Luke 16:19-31—The rich man and Lazarus.
Introduction: This reading from Luke is one we would rather ignore with our knowledge of the widening gap between the rich and the poor in both this nation and the world.
This parable from Jesus is pointed, convicting, discomforting. It is cause for alarm shaking us up, or cause for denial as we seek to ignore this story and rationalize it away.
We are told we “Reap what we sow,” and, “What goes around, comes around.” Sometimes it that isn’t easy to hear, and at other times it seems like a cliché.
But who of us can read about the gap between the rich and the poor and not think of this parable?
Who of us can read this parable or hear this parable and not feel guilty? Who of us, if we are honest, and not in denial, cannot realize this parable is a challenge to us, as well as the Pharisees?
In this parable Jesus goes beyond stuff like the rip-off of bottled water and the isolating effects of an I-pod. This goes beyond the consumption of fossil fuels and the effects of pollution and global warming. In reality we discover Jesus being deliberately blunt when it comes to
Possessions.
The rich man failed to see that possessions place one in a state of “crisis”—a word that denotes two meanings…danger and opportunity. The rich man had an opportunity to help Lazarus and failed to act. To be a disciple of Jesus is to use our possessions to help others. We don’t need to be bill and Melinda gates, or warren buffet, to share our possessions and wealth with others…
The decisions we make on a daily basis have a lasting effect says Jesus. In this story there is no way out. This is not some nice morality play where everything comes out in some tidy way in the end, and everyone lives happily every after. No, in this story we have a tragedy--A tragedy closer to the truth than any morality play. And what is so deeply troubling is that it involves more than our individual will to action or our intellects.
This tragedy involves character flaws so deep that they
affect the actions and lives of whole families and communities The rich
man had heard what Moses and the prophets had to say about justice and caring
for the poor and those in need, but he had what Jesus called, “hardness of
heart.” The tragedy is that the rich man had not internalized what
he had heard in the scriptures to make it a natural part of his life…
He suffered from deep spiritual deafness--An inability to hear and respond to the call for mercy and justice, to even answer the plea for bread or salve to heal the sores licked by the dogs…
Like any good tragedy the effect transfers to us, the audience. We see the tragic flaw in the rich man and recognize our own inability or unwillingness to hear and respond to God’s word. We can make no excuses, or rationalize, or play dumb just because we have Jesus who was raised from the dead. This is one of those times when the sin of pride hits the church and every one of the faithful with force. We can easily fall into the trap of thinking we Christians are on the right track, that believing in the resurrection is going to make everything come out all right.
But we can’t be too sure--If our hearts are closed to hearing the cry for justice, mercy, and brad, the words of the resurrected one will not be convincing, but instead convicting.
I recently came across a story in the newspaper about a couple in Glendale, Wisconsin who said the couldn’t afford a baby sitter so they strapped their 14 month-old son in his stroller at home while they went out to party. They neglected the baby so badly that his body temperature was 12 degrees below normal and he stopped breathing, requiring 21 minutes of CPR to revive him. The child is in protective custody and the couple is awaiting trial.
While this is an extreme example of neglect, the reality is we see this more often than we would like. From my own observations one of the things I see to be the cause of these incidents is very low self-image created in families of origin which then leads to a teen pregnancy, followed by the inability to care for the infants in a healthy manner. Creating more children at risk.
Now you might be saying to yourself, “what does this have to do with the parable?” To think this story is just about wealth and possessions are to miss the point. This story is really about whether we love others enough to care for their welfare and to build them up. And that brothers and sisters is the one of our goals…to help people at risk.
We can use more people on that task force…how about you? The challenge is before us, and has been before us for a long time.
So, if you want to see how you are doing I would encourage you to do two things: First, look at your check register; and second, look at your appointment book or calendar.
Amen!
14th Sunday after Pentecost,
Immanuel Labor Day weekend.
Luke 14:1, 7-14—Jesus encourages humility, and challenges people to invite to their table people who cannot pay them back.
TITLE: “HOLY MANNERS IN AN
UNCIVIL SOCIETY”
HOW MANY OF YOU HEARD SOMETHING LIKE, “MIND YOUR MANNERS” WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG? WHAT WERE SOME OF THE THINGS WE WERE TAUGHT ABOUT POLITENESS? TO OPEN A DOOR FOR SOMEONE ELSE, TO SAY, “THANK YOU” AND “PLEASE”...“EXCUSE ME” OR “PARDON ME”?
AND, WOULD SAY, THAT IN GENERAL WE ARE LESS POLITE, AND LESS WELL-MANNERED THAN YEARS AGO? YOU ARE CORRECT, BECAUSE RESEARCH SHOWS THERE WAS TIME WHEN WE WERE A BETTER MANNERED SOCIETY.
A TIME WHEN PEOPLE GREETED ONE ANOTHER ON THE STREET WHETHER THEY KNEW THEM OR NOT. A TIME WHEN PEOPLE WERE PATIENT, AND DID NOT SEEM TO BE IN AS MUCH OF A HURRY AS THEY DO TODAY.
BUT, MUCH TO OUR DETRIMENT, TIMES HAVE CHANGED.
LET ME ASK YOU, IF YOU COULD HAVE THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE OR STADIUM HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD CHOOSE: A ROCK CONCERT?...A COUNTRY WESTERN CONCERT?...A NASCAR RACE?...THE SUPER BOWL? DID YOU NOTICE THAT MOST OF US DID NOT RAISE OUR HANDS FOR ALL OF THESE EVENTS?
I WOULD HUNCH THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS BECAUSE OF SOMETHING WE CALL “PERSONAL PREFERENCE”. SOMETHING WE TEND TO VALUE TODAY...OFTEN TIMES TO THE EXTREME OF IDOLATRY. I BET YOU CAN REMEMBER A TIME WHEN THERE WAS NOT AS MANY CHOICES AS THEIR ARE TODAY, WHEN INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCE WAS NOT THE DOMINANT IDOL IN OUR SOCIETY.
FOR EXAMPLE WHEN FOLKS RODE ON TRAINS AND BUMPED UP AGAINST EACH OTHER THERE WAS AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WERE POLITE MANNERS AND WHAT WERE NOT. IN FACT, A MAN BY THE NAME OF ISAAC PEEBLES WROTE A BOOK TITLED, POLITENESS ON RAILROADS. IN IT, LOUD TALKING, BOISTEROUS SINGING, OR WHISPERING WAS CONSIDERED RUDE BEHAVIOR. THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE IN OUR SOCIETY WAS THAT WE MADE SACRIFICES FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYONE ELSE. THIS BEHAVIOR PEAKED DURING WORLD WAR II.
BUT WHEN THE SOLDIERS RETURNED THEY
HAD A
WHATEVER WE THINK HAD THE GREATEST INPUT INTO THIS MAJOR CULTURAL SHIFT IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE FACT THAT THE DEFAULT CULTURAL FOCUS BECAME THE INDIVIDUAL INSTEAD OF THE COMMUNITY. SO WE FIND OURSELVES LIVING IN A WORLD WHERE WE EXALT SELF OVER THE COMMUNITY (THE COMMON GOOD FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE)--
A WORLD WHERE COMPETITION HAS REPLACED COOPERATION, WHERE STRIVING AND MANIPULATING IN ORDER TO BE NUMBER ONE MAKES THOSE JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT IN OUR PARABLE TODAY LOOK LIKE AMATEURS AS THEY ELBOWED THEMSELVES INTO THE BEST PLACES AT THE TABLE.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE HAVE SEEN A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE PUBLIC RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PEOPLE. A CHANGE THAT ALLOWS AND ENCOURAGES A HOST OF AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS, FROM SPITTING ON YOUR HANDS BEFORE SHAKING HANDS AT THE END OF A LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL GAME TO ACTS OF ROAD RAGE, DOG FIGHTING, AND “GOTCHA” INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING...
WE NOW LIVE IN A CULTURE WHERE THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES NO LONGER ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS IN MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE WAYS, BUT INSTEAD SEEK ONLY TO GAIN POWER TO ADVANCE THEIR OWN AGENDAS.
THIS IS WHAT PROFESSOR NICHOLAS MILLS CALLS THE “TRIUMPH OF MEANESS”.
MEANING WE HAVE BECOME A CULTURE OF SPITE AND CRUELTY...AN INCREASINGLY UNCIVIL SOCIETY.
IN THE WORDS OF MARTIN LUTHER, WE MIGHT ASK, “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?”
AS CHRISTIANS LIVING WITH ONE FOOT
IN THE CULTURE AND THE OTHER IN THE CONGREGATION, WE OFTEN FIND OUR
DEFAULT BEHAVIOR REFLECTS THE DEFAULT VALUES AND BEHAVIOR OF OUR SOCIETY.
ALL TOO OFTEN THE CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION TODAY LOOKS LIKE THE CULTURE...ME,
AS THE BODY OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT THAN A ZONING COMMITTEE, A PARENT TEACHER GROUP, OR A SCHOOL BOARD WHERE WE MOST LIKELY SEE PEOPLE DEMANDING EVERYTHING BEING THEIR WAY INSTEAD OF GOD’S WAY AS DISCERNED BY THE COMMUNITY?...
THE QUESTION CAN BE ASKED, “HAS THE CHURCH LOST ITS HEART AND SOUL AND SOLD OUT TO THE CULTURE, OR DOES THE CHURCH HAVE A BETTER WAY?
UNCOMFORTABLE AS IT MAY FEEL FOR
US, JESUS WAS DOING MORE THAN BEING MISS MANNERS HERE. BECAUSE HE SPOKE
IN A PARABLE WE KNOW THAT HE IS SPEAKING ABOUT HOW WE ARE TO ACT IN THE
DO WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO BE COUNTER-CULTURAL? ARE WE WILLING TO CLAIM THE VALUES AND PRACTICE THE BEHAVIORS THAT ARE NOT STRONGLY HONORED AND PRACTICED IN THE LARGER PUBLIC WORLD? CAN WE MOVE FROM EXALTING OURSELVES TO BEING A PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT CARES ABOUT ALL PEOPLE. CAN WE REJECT DOING OUR THING AND INSTEAD OFFER OURSLEVES TO DO GOD’S THING?
THE WOMAN ON THE PARK BENCH WAS GNARLED AND DIRTY, HER HAIR WAS AN UNCOMBED MESS, HER CLOTHES TORN AND OLD. SHE CLUTCHED A PAPER BAG TO HER SIDE WHICH SEEMED TO CONTAIN HER BELONGINGS. SHE SAT IN THE SUN HUMMING TO HERSELF, OCCAISIONALY THROWING A BIT OF POPCORN TO THE DUCKS WHO WAITED AT HER FEET.
A LITTLE BOY AND HIS MOTHER SAT BY
THE
WHEN WE SHUN SOMEONE BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY LOOK, WE CUT OURSELVES OFF FROM PART OF LIFE.
BUT WHEN WE ARE WILLING TO BE ACCEPTING AS GOD IS ACCEPTING OF US WE ARE A WONDER TO EVERYONE.
HOW ABOUT YOU? WHERE DO YOU NEED TO PRACTICE HOLY MANNERS? WHERE DO YOU NEED TO PRACTICE HOLY HOSPITALITY? WHO CAN YOU ACCEPT UNCONDITIONALY AND CHANGE THEIR LIVES?
AMEN!