+Do you remember several years ago when there was a cruise ship accident and the captain of the ship was found fleeing the scene in one of the first life boats. People were FURIOUS-- with the authority given to him as Captain came certain responsibilities up to and including, going down with the ship! Now, if the ship’s cook was seen jumping into a lifeboat, no one would’ve thought a thing about it. On the other hand, had the cook stayed behind making sure everyone was rescued before he was, then he would’ve been treated as a hero!
Authority’s an interesting thing….we expect it from those who (in our minds) have earned it through education, title or our own personal experience with them—but when authority is exercised by the unexpected, well that’s something else altogether.
This type of authority catches our attention—
the surprising kind.
In today’s gospel, Jesus was an unexpected leader, a surprising voice of authority.
Picture it: Jesus walks into the synagogue and without paying any heed to the other people gathered, speaks and teaches with an authority unlike anything those in attendance had ever heard.
Even though Jesus’ authority was surprising, it was easily recognized. Folks took notice right away. So while the traditional leaders weren’t so sure about this itinerant preacher from up the road in Nazareth, the regular, run of the mill people in the “pews” were moved by Jesus’ words, they were touched by his leadership,and they accepted his authority as being genuine. The congregation got it.
So did the demon.
The demon recognized Jesus right away—he noticed how Jesus exhibited an authentic authority and immediately the demon begins to challenge him—for although the demon recognizes Jesus’ true identity, the demon doesn’t know if Jesus fully realizes his own identity yet.
Which is precisely why we read this story in Epiphany—the season when we, along with Jesus, learn the full scope of Jesus’ nature.
The demon’s clever: because if Jesus hadn’t realized his divine authority yet, the demon may have been able to gain the upper hand, but Jesus doesn't flinch, he speaks “harshly to the demon, commanding it to come out of the afflicted man.” The demon, no fool, realizes he’s met his match, and departs. The demon recognizes the authority and responds to it by getting out of Dodge, just as the one who was speaking with authority, commanded.
Jesus, with the authority granted to him by God, with the authority obvious in the confidence and firmness of his harsh voice, leads the action, avoiding the attempted hijacking by the demon. Jesus takes charge and with God given authority and his own divine willingness to exercise that authority-- kicked the demon to the curb, making room for the manifestation of his mission—to bring the presence of God into every nook and cranny of the human experience.
So how does this apply to us, here and now?
Well, just as Jesus figuring out his identity and his mission was his Epiphany task, our Epiphany task is to continue that mission, being Jesus’ hands and feet, eyes and ears, here on earth. Our task is to speak the Good News with authority. Our task is to challenge the demons of our own lives with the voice of authority, breaking open space in our lives for the Kingdom of God to flourish. Right here and Right now.
To do this, we need to accept the authority granted to us at our baptism. This is THE authority of the Gospel---our baptisms assign us to be God's foot soldiers in this world---we are to take the authority Jesus handed to us from the cross, and change the world!
To do this we must recognize the demons in our lives and speak harshly to them, kicking them to the curb, making room for the Holy Spirit.
What are your demons, where do they hide? Do they recognize your willingness to grasp the mantle of authority or do they recognize your hesitancy to stand up for the mission outlined by Christ and given over to us?
It would be nice if our demons were as overt and obvious as the one in today’s Gospel. Truth is, most of our demons are quieter, more insidious.
They can be difficult to identify and they can be even more difficult to throw out, because they have a certain pay off for us, there are things about our demons which entice and seduce us, making it easier, in the short run, to stick with them instead of making space for the Holy Spirit to move in and do her work. Our demons keep us in the old familiar places, while the Holy Spirit almost always takes us to places unfamiliar and uncomfortable to us; risky, scary and strange places.
For it's only in the risky, the scary and the strange that true growth happens.
Each and everyone of you here this morning have seen your share of demons: losses, changes, challenges. Trust has been violated, promises broken and hopes dashed. Yet here you are, willing to try something all together new in the school project, willing to kick those demons to the curb, opening up space for the Holy Spirit to lead you into the risky, scary and strange places of growth and renewal. It’s good and holy work you are doing. It’s Epiphany work. And it's the work God has given you to do! And with you? God is well-pleased.
Amen +
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Epiphany 3 January 21, 2018 St Michael and All Angels The Time of Fulfillment is Now
+“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” With these words, it’s clear that John’s prophecy that he must decrease so that Jesus may increase, has come true.
Jesus has appeared on the scene, ready to take what John had built and… well… turn it inside out and upside down!
Jesus is telling all in earshot (including us) that the wait is over, the time is now, the Kingdom of God is close and all we have to do is turn ourselves around, go in a new direction, and follow Him. Jesus is saying, “The old way has served us well, but to move ahead, to continue to move forward, we need to change.”
Change? Who likes change? I mean, when it’s our idea, like changing a hair style, buying a new car, or searching for a new job—when it’s our idea change doesn’t feel so bad. But when someone else tells us it’s time to change, well then change doesn’t always feel so good does it?
I remember when I told the people at Good Shepherd and Ascension that I had taken this job with the diocese and would be ending my time as their rector…that it was the right time for me to make this change. I had several parishioners tell me—-“well it might be the right time for you, but it certainly isn’t the right time for us!”
It wasn’t a joint decision that I leave, it wasn’t their idea that I leave, it was my idea, a decision reached after much prayer and conversation with my family and the Bishop.
Most people at those two churches (because let’s face it, there are always folks who aren’t that crazy about the rector and are happy to see them leave!) didn’t like this change one bit.
I have a hunch some of you may feel the same way about Jack’s departure. It was a private and personal discernment that Jack did. It was the right change for Jack, but not necessarily for you.
But here’s the thing with change, and discernment and listening to God’s call---it doesn’t always feel right, but it is very often exactly right.
Maybe it’s the right time for St Michael and All Angels to make a change. Maybe this doesn’t have to be a sad time, maybe it can be an exciting time.
What’s next for St Michael and All Angels?
Reflect on where Jack led you, reflect on where you were when he arrived and where you are now and instead of asking yourself, “Now what? (Downcast and depressed) ask yourselves, (excited and eager) “Now what!!!”
This is the point of today’s Gospel. Changing, turning in a new direction isn’t comfortable, is often difficult and is rarely boring.
Which is why we don’t have a priest leave and then immediately put another priest in to take his/her place. We encourage an interim period, a time to get used to the idea of life without “what was” and time to live into what may be, what could be, what will be!
When Jesus came upon the fishermen, Simon (who will become Peter), Andrew, John and James, he invited them to follow him and fish for people. And they, all four of them, immediately dropped their nets, left their old lives and followed him. They were ready to take this chance to turn a new direction, to try something new.
Several biblical commentators posit that Andrew and Simon, John and James had known Jesus before this encounter and that while they may have been intrigued by him Jesus knew they weren’t ready to follow him then. I believe Jesus knew he wasn’t ready to lead then. So they waited…waited for that time when He would come to them and say, “it’s time.” And when He did, they were ready. They’d waited and when the time came, they were willing, and they were able.
Folks, such is the time for the people of St. Michael and All Angels, this is the time to get ready, to consider what direction you’d like to turn, who you’d like St Michael’s to be in the coming decade. How will St Michael’s serve her community—-not just those within these walls but those out there--- the hungry, the hurting, the lonely, the searching?
Right now you don’t know...but in a few months, after you’ve done the work our transition officer will lead you through, you’ll have a better idea of who you are, of who you wish to be as a community. You’ll take time to listen to God, you’ll take time to wrestle with what’s next, but you’ll do the work and you’ll find your way.
My friends, the time is about to be fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is near, and your place in it, your role in it is vital. So go forth in peace, knowing that the Spirit of God will lead you to just where it is God needs you to be.
Amen
Monday, January 15, 2018
1 The sky tore open, God’s voice cried out and everything changed. Grace Lockport January 14, 2018 (the calendar was altered to observe Epiphany on the 7th, Baptism of Christ on the 14th )
+That was quite a baptism wasn’t it?
Don’t let that dove gliding down upon Jesus fool you, His baptism wasn’t a peaceful event. The sky tore open and the voice of God indeed cried out.
Ok, so maybe to those nearby it seemed run of the mill---just another of John’s baptisms….but for Jesus this was something all together different. It says it right there in the Gospel… While he was coming up out of the water, Jesus saw heaven splitting open and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down on him. Now I don’t know if John and the others saw and heard what Jesus saw and heard, but John sure knows that something’s different with Jesus’ baptism. John says, “I baptize you with water,” “but [referencing Jesus] he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
So…what the heck does this mean?
Well, John’s baptism was an act that symbolized a change of intention. John’s baptism granted people forgiveness for all they had done up until then and then, as long as they continued to live a God-loving, God-following life they would be granted access to God’s Kingdom. It was a barter system. You apologize and promise to do good from now on and you get a prize: eternal life.
The baptism of Jesus was something altogether different…it was all about that sky tearing open and that voice booming from above. Once that happened, once the veil between heaven and earth was dropped and the voice of God spoke, Jesus was ready, anointed as God’s Son and he was set to begin a ministry that would change the world forever.
Once that sky tore open and once that voice spoke, Jesus was, in effect, unleashed.
No longer was the Kingdom of Heaven something accessible only to the chosen few, the Kingdom of Heaven, the joys of eternal life, the wonder of being part of the Body of Christ here on earth, the gift of the Spirit, grace upon grace, was available to everyone. Always and forever.
John was right, his baptism was a corrective measure, while Jesus’ baptism, the baptism of the Church, was and is a transforming and transfiguring action. Our baptisms serve as the outward and physical sign of our status as beloved children of God.
Now, while Jesus was born with a bit of fanfare, and was raised with episodic moments of intrigue and glory…. once he emerged from the waters of the Jordan, there were no more hints, there were no more glimpses…Jesus was ready to accept the mantel the Angel Gabriel had predicted would be his---Jesus, as this day in our church year commemorates was ready to begin the work that he was given to do.
Just like every baptism.
You see when we were baptized we were committed to live our lives as Jesus taught:
Lives of service, lives of compassion, lives of justice, lives of love.
At the moment of our baptism, we’re publically committed to being what God created us to be---beloved children working tirelessly to bring the reign of Christ, the Kingdom of heaven to our world.
Our baptism, every baptism unleashes the Spirit in and between each and every one of us. And our job, from that point on forward, is to follow where the Spirit leads us…into the wilderness of the world. And every time we baptize a new member we have one more foot soldier in this effort to tame the darkness of this world with the light of Christ, a light that is ours for the claiming as children of God, children whom God loves dearly and who bring God great joy. And we need all the companions we can get!
Because the reality is, defeating the darkness of This World, the darkness of injustice, the darkness of prejudice, the darkness of hate, is tough work.
The spirit isn’t always easy to take. The spirit usually takes us into uncomfortable territory. The spirit usually pushes us farther than we think we can go. The spirit has plans for us that simply aren’t on our bucket list.
But, and this is the thing, the Spirit, the spirit that descended onto Jesus at his baptism, the spirit that infused each and every one of us at our baptism is always and forever with us. We just need to have the courage, and the faith to trust that the Spirit will never leave us.
For when we follow the Spirit when we respond to the Spirit, the sky tears open and the joy of our Creator God brightens our path and leads us home.
So as we settle into the season of Epiphany let’s all take a few moments to listen for the Spirit. It may come to us as quietly as a dove, or as raucously as a voice booming from the torn open heavens, but let us listen, let us ponder and then let us follow in faith with thanksgiving. Amen.
Don’t let that dove gliding down upon Jesus fool you, His baptism wasn’t a peaceful event. The sky tore open and the voice of God indeed cried out.
Ok, so maybe to those nearby it seemed run of the mill---just another of John’s baptisms….but for Jesus this was something all together different. It says it right there in the Gospel… While he was coming up out of the water, Jesus saw heaven splitting open and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down on him. Now I don’t know if John and the others saw and heard what Jesus saw and heard, but John sure knows that something’s different with Jesus’ baptism. John says, “I baptize you with water,” “but [referencing Jesus] he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
So…what the heck does this mean?
Well, John’s baptism was an act that symbolized a change of intention. John’s baptism granted people forgiveness for all they had done up until then and then, as long as they continued to live a God-loving, God-following life they would be granted access to God’s Kingdom. It was a barter system. You apologize and promise to do good from now on and you get a prize: eternal life.
The baptism of Jesus was something altogether different…it was all about that sky tearing open and that voice booming from above. Once that happened, once the veil between heaven and earth was dropped and the voice of God spoke, Jesus was ready, anointed as God’s Son and he was set to begin a ministry that would change the world forever.
Once that sky tore open and once that voice spoke, Jesus was, in effect, unleashed.
No longer was the Kingdom of Heaven something accessible only to the chosen few, the Kingdom of Heaven, the joys of eternal life, the wonder of being part of the Body of Christ here on earth, the gift of the Spirit, grace upon grace, was available to everyone. Always and forever.
John was right, his baptism was a corrective measure, while Jesus’ baptism, the baptism of the Church, was and is a transforming and transfiguring action. Our baptisms serve as the outward and physical sign of our status as beloved children of God.
Now, while Jesus was born with a bit of fanfare, and was raised with episodic moments of intrigue and glory…. once he emerged from the waters of the Jordan, there were no more hints, there were no more glimpses…Jesus was ready to accept the mantel the Angel Gabriel had predicted would be his---Jesus, as this day in our church year commemorates was ready to begin the work that he was given to do.
Just like every baptism.
You see when we were baptized we were committed to live our lives as Jesus taught:
Lives of service, lives of compassion, lives of justice, lives of love.
At the moment of our baptism, we’re publically committed to being what God created us to be---beloved children working tirelessly to bring the reign of Christ, the Kingdom of heaven to our world.
Our baptism, every baptism unleashes the Spirit in and between each and every one of us. And our job, from that point on forward, is to follow where the Spirit leads us…into the wilderness of the world. And every time we baptize a new member we have one more foot soldier in this effort to tame the darkness of this world with the light of Christ, a light that is ours for the claiming as children of God, children whom God loves dearly and who bring God great joy. And we need all the companions we can get!
Because the reality is, defeating the darkness of This World, the darkness of injustice, the darkness of prejudice, the darkness of hate, is tough work.
The spirit isn’t always easy to take. The spirit usually takes us into uncomfortable territory. The spirit usually pushes us farther than we think we can go. The spirit has plans for us that simply aren’t on our bucket list.
But, and this is the thing, the Spirit, the spirit that descended onto Jesus at his baptism, the spirit that infused each and every one of us at our baptism is always and forever with us. We just need to have the courage, and the faith to trust that the Spirit will never leave us.
For when we follow the Spirit when we respond to the Spirit, the sky tears open and the joy of our Creator God brightens our path and leads us home.
So as we settle into the season of Epiphany let’s all take a few moments to listen for the Spirit. It may come to us as quietly as a dove, or as raucously as a voice booming from the torn open heavens, but let us listen, let us ponder and then let us follow in faith with thanksgiving. Amen.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
God’s Among Us. The rest is up to us. Epiphany, 2018
+Today we’re observing the Feast of the Epiphany instead of the Baptism of Christ. I asked Fr Sam to do this because the Epiphany is easily overlooked. And I don’t want to overlook it. I want us to consider just what this birth of Christ meant 2000 years ago and what it means to us. Here. Now.
As the Magi approached Bethlehem, King Herod noticed. And he wasn’t pleased. Herod knew something about these Zoroastrian star-gazers from the East. He knew that it had to be some type of star to bring them all the way to Bethlehem…it had to be something BIG. Poor Herod, once the Magi arrived his worse fears were confirmed---the star—the crazy, wild star, was recognizing the birth of another King, a different type of King---a messiah, The messiah. The light of the world. A light that promised to change…EVERYTHING. And Herod?
He didn't like it one bit.
The birth of the Messiah, the Prince of Peace? Another King of the Jews? Herod would have none of this. You see, there's no one more sensitive to a threat--- real/or imagined-- than a puppet king with an inferiority complex. So, reacting out of his fear, Herod tried to trick the Magi into bringing the baby to him, so he could have the baby Jesus killed. But the Magi were smart, and after warning Mary and Joseph to get out of dodge, they went home by a different route—avoiding Herod at all costs—for this baby, this Jesus? He was something to be adored. He was something to behold. And he was certainly something to protect.
The birth of Jesus caused a stir…but just who is this Jesus? A King, a God, A man, a Son, a prophet, a preacher, a revolutionary, a Messiah?
Yes. And then some.
Who is he? What is he? Why is he? It's the question of this season of manifestation isn't it?
Or are you already past all of this? Has the tree come down, have the lights lost their charm, have the presents been tossed aside?
Are we still awash in the wonder of Christmas Eve?
Or have we moved on, back to the same ol’ same ol’?
From the announcement of Gabriel, to the visit to Elizabeth, the birth in the barn, the arrival of the Magi, and in a few weeks, the presentation at the temple, we read that, “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”
Our Epiphany challenge, our Epiphany task is to do as Mary, to ponder all that has occurred, to open our eyes to what and how and where “God among us” is taking shape.
Epiphany is a time to ponder, a time to adjust, a time to understand, a time to comprehend. A time to notice just how this whole miracle that just happened manifests itself in our lives.
It’s a tall order, I know. The stores have replaced the Christmas and New Year’s displays with Valentine’s Day, all those mundane things that demand so much of our attention are nagging at us.
Are we pondering the Christmas miracle in our hearts, or have we already returned to business as usual?
Folks, something astounding has happened.
God in the flesh has come to live among us, as one of us.
Did you notice? Do you notice, still?
At the moment of his birth, the cosmos cried out in exultation by flashing that dazzling star.
The heavenly hosts burst into song across the Bethlehem hills.
The shepherds noticed.
The star gazers in the east noticed.
Eventually Herod noticed.
But do we?
Epiphany is all about the reality of “God among us” showing and shining in the world.
Does this reality excite you and fill you with joy? Or does it terrify you and fill you with fear? Who are you in this story? The fascinated Magi, the cowering, plotting Herod or the terrified and thrilled, scared and amazed shepherds? Maybe you’re Mary and Joseph, quietly pondering, silently trusting…
Are you filled with expectation about just who this Jesus will be and what he will do with us and through us?
Or are you Herod, threatened by anything that challenges the status quo, leery of anything new, anything different?
The birth of our Savior caused the stars, the planets, and the galaxies, to erupt in shiny exultation, intriguing the Magi, terrifying the shepherds, baffling the Holy Family, infuriating Herod.
But what about You and what about me?
Are we bursting with this Good News?
Are we ready to arise and let the light of Christ shine upon us and upon all those whom we encounter? I hope so. Because truly, we have been given the greatest gift of all time---God Among Us. Right Here and Right Now.
The season of Epiphany is the season of acknowledging that God Among us in the World isn’t something to celebrate for one day and then go back to business as usual.
Epiphany is a time to ponder, to accept, to receive and then to go out into the world, shining the light, life, and love of Christ on everyone, everywhere. Always.
Because when we do that, we will change the world.
Amen.
As the Magi approached Bethlehem, King Herod noticed. And he wasn’t pleased. Herod knew something about these Zoroastrian star-gazers from the East. He knew that it had to be some type of star to bring them all the way to Bethlehem…it had to be something BIG. Poor Herod, once the Magi arrived his worse fears were confirmed---the star—the crazy, wild star, was recognizing the birth of another King, a different type of King---a messiah, The messiah. The light of the world. A light that promised to change…EVERYTHING. And Herod?
He didn't like it one bit.
The birth of the Messiah, the Prince of Peace? Another King of the Jews? Herod would have none of this. You see, there's no one more sensitive to a threat--- real/or imagined-- than a puppet king with an inferiority complex. So, reacting out of his fear, Herod tried to trick the Magi into bringing the baby to him, so he could have the baby Jesus killed. But the Magi were smart, and after warning Mary and Joseph to get out of dodge, they went home by a different route—avoiding Herod at all costs—for this baby, this Jesus? He was something to be adored. He was something to behold. And he was certainly something to protect.
The birth of Jesus caused a stir…but just who is this Jesus? A King, a God, A man, a Son, a prophet, a preacher, a revolutionary, a Messiah?
Yes. And then some.
Who is he? What is he? Why is he? It's the question of this season of manifestation isn't it?
Or are you already past all of this? Has the tree come down, have the lights lost their charm, have the presents been tossed aside?
Are we still awash in the wonder of Christmas Eve?
Or have we moved on, back to the same ol’ same ol’?
From the announcement of Gabriel, to the visit to Elizabeth, the birth in the barn, the arrival of the Magi, and in a few weeks, the presentation at the temple, we read that, “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”
Our Epiphany challenge, our Epiphany task is to do as Mary, to ponder all that has occurred, to open our eyes to what and how and where “God among us” is taking shape.
Epiphany is a time to ponder, a time to adjust, a time to understand, a time to comprehend. A time to notice just how this whole miracle that just happened manifests itself in our lives.
It’s a tall order, I know. The stores have replaced the Christmas and New Year’s displays with Valentine’s Day, all those mundane things that demand so much of our attention are nagging at us.
Are we pondering the Christmas miracle in our hearts, or have we already returned to business as usual?
Folks, something astounding has happened.
God in the flesh has come to live among us, as one of us.
Did you notice? Do you notice, still?
At the moment of his birth, the cosmos cried out in exultation by flashing that dazzling star.
The heavenly hosts burst into song across the Bethlehem hills.
The shepherds noticed.
The star gazers in the east noticed.
Eventually Herod noticed.
But do we?
Epiphany is all about the reality of “God among us” showing and shining in the world.
Does this reality excite you and fill you with joy? Or does it terrify you and fill you with fear? Who are you in this story? The fascinated Magi, the cowering, plotting Herod or the terrified and thrilled, scared and amazed shepherds? Maybe you’re Mary and Joseph, quietly pondering, silently trusting…
Are you filled with expectation about just who this Jesus will be and what he will do with us and through us?
Or are you Herod, threatened by anything that challenges the status quo, leery of anything new, anything different?
The birth of our Savior caused the stars, the planets, and the galaxies, to erupt in shiny exultation, intriguing the Magi, terrifying the shepherds, baffling the Holy Family, infuriating Herod.
But what about You and what about me?
Are we bursting with this Good News?
Are we ready to arise and let the light of Christ shine upon us and upon all those whom we encounter? I hope so. Because truly, we have been given the greatest gift of all time---God Among Us. Right Here and Right Now.
The season of Epiphany is the season of acknowledging that God Among us in the World isn’t something to celebrate for one day and then go back to business as usual.
Epiphany is a time to ponder, to accept, to receive and then to go out into the world, shining the light, life, and love of Christ on everyone, everywhere. Always.
Because when we do that, we will change the world.
Amen.
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