Pentecost Sunday
Once upon a time there was a child who woke after a nightmare. She was convinced there were all kinds of monsters lurking in her room. She ran to her parents’ bedroom and after her mother had calmed her down, she took the child back to her own room and said, “You don’t need to be afraid, you aren’t alone here. God is right here with you in your room.” The little girl said, “I know that God is here, but I need someone in my room that has some skin on!”
For the first few months of every church year we journey with Jesus, God in the flesh. Thanks to the incarnation, we spend time with a God with skin on. We remember his birth, his baptism, his teaching, his death, his resurrection and his ascension. It’s a story we’ve celebrated over and over again, it’s a story we will continue to celebrate.
Last week we heard of Jesus’ final leaving. For 33 years Jesus was here on earth; healing, teaching, reconciling. But now he’s gone, ascended into heaven. The time when God was physically present, physically touchable, physically knowable is over. And here we are, left behind, totally bereft. And our consolation? Our comforter? It’s a violent, mighty wind. A wind that leaves tongues of fire on the apostles’ heads, a wind that causes a cacophony of languages to be spoken. Where oh where is our God in the Flesh? A God we can see and hear and touch and smell. A God who is with us at work, in difficult meetings, and in scary illnesses and accidents. We need a God who is with us when we’re alone, hungry, cold, or falsely accused. We need a God who will share our laughter, dry our tears; a God who will challenge, poke and prod us; and most of all a God who makes us believe we are loved and lovable.
What kind of God would be here for 33 years and then just take off on us, leaving nothing tangible behind? What kind of God would enter human history and then just disappear into the ether?
There's a Pentecost happening everyday in the world. All day long, every day of our lives, we have the chance and the choice to breathe in the wind and the flames of the Holy Spirit, to put some skin on God, to put some God in our skin. God uses us as we are, all our flaws, all our faults, all our passions and all our gifts. I mean, just look at the apostles: one was impatient, one was cranky, one was uncertain, one was unfocused, one was self-centered, one was thoughtless, and on and on.
Pentecost isn't about being perfect, it isn't even about being good enough. It's about hearing what sounds foreign to us and making sense of it, about hearing what strangers have to say and understanding what they want and need. And by the way, when I say strangers I don't necessarily mean people we don't know, people we have never met. We can be here week after week, at work week after week, and sadly enough, at home day after day and still not really know each other, we can still seem as if we come from different countries and speak different languages. The gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us is that we can hear and understand what each other is saying. By the gift of the Holy Spirit we can be Christ to one another.
Through the Holy Spirit God takes on flesh again. When we receive the Holy Spirit, when we accept the Holy Spirit, when we claim the Holy Spirit, God awakens in us the gifts that God needs so that God can continue to be present in the world.
From Advent until now we've been watching and listening to Jesus. He’s been teaching us how to bring God's kingdom to reign here on earth. He has been modeling for us how to be God with “skin on” for one another. And now it's up to us.
We are the the church, we are the body of Christ. St. James [ St Lukes] and the whole Genesee Region is a spirit filled place, we are a spirit filled people. Today we celebrate. Tomorrow we get busy being God with skin on for the world. What is the spirit calling you to do? Pray, discern, explore your passion, talk to me or to one of the deacons, or to a vestry member, a warden, a treasurer, a trusted friend—-what could they envision you doing? And then, do it. Claim your gift from the Holy Spirit and Be God with Skin on.
Amen.
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Easter 7 a
Today’s reading from John’s Gospel is the end of what’s known as Jesus’ Farewell Discourse, a long series of statements Jesus makes to his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. We’ve read from this discourse for these last several weeks of Easter.
It’s a bit confusing and disconcerting---here we are, shouting Alleluia, rejoicing in the wonder of the empty tomb for these Great 50 Days only to have our Gospel readings take us back to that sorrowful night during the first Holy Week.
And we’re reading these selections at the tail end of the Easter season, during one of the oddest ten day stretches in the entire church year.
This past Thursday was the Ascension of the Lord…(we heard that story in our first reading) when Jesus says good-bye to his disciples and tells them to stay put and wait, help is on the way.
So the disciples do as they are told (for once) and stay put, looking somewhat slack jawed up to the heavens as Jesus ascends, waiting for something more to happen. And so here we are---no longer reveling in the empty tomb and also not yet rejoicing in the gift of the Holy Spirit. We, like the disciples before us, stand a bit slack jawed as we linger betwixt and between endings, and beginnings, “hurry up and wait,” and not quite yet.
Where are we and what in the world are we supposed to do?
Although our Gospel reading is taken from the night before Jesus’ crucifixion it’s all about what will come---the resurrection, the ascension, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the steady walk toward the coming of God’s reign in this world, on that day when, as Jesus says, we’ll all be one.
So today we’re looking behind; remembering the pain and terror, the sadness and grief of Holy Week, and we’re looking ahead to what will be— to the promise of eternal life where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing but life everlasting.
And in the midst of this looking ahead and looking behind, of thinking about what was and what will be, Jesus gathers his disciples—the ones who knew him in the flesh and us, who know him in the Spirit—and tells us that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us; and we will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Jesus does not leave us orphaned or comfortless, he leaves us with the Holy Spirit, the gift of whom we celebrate next Sunday, and through the glorious Spirit we are to go and do, to the ends of the earth and until the end of time as we know it.
Folks, the world is always changing. Jesus spent his three years of active ministry trying to get this across to his original followers and continues to try and get it through to us. We find comfort in the familair and in the what was, but then is not the work we’ve been called to. Now and yet to come is our work…and the now and yet to come is uncharted and unfamiliar and, therefore, daunting and scary. But we have the gift of the Godhead: our Creator Father, our Redeemer, Jesus and our Sustainer, the Holy Spirit who when we keep them upper most in our minds and ever present before us, will lead us where we need to go.
I urge us, as we face the uncertainties of today and tomorrow to appreciate yesterday, but to stay focused on tomorrow because it is only by moving forward that we are able to follow the arc of time which ALWAYS leads us to where God needs us to be.
On the night before he died, our Lord prayed for his friends, he prayed for the world and he prayed for us. Today as our focus moves from the empty tomb to being the church in the world, let us pray for him, let us pray with him and let us bravely face what tomorrow will bring, in His Holy Name. Amen and Alleluia.
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“Love must be the motivation of all that we do.” Easter 6a
Today's Gospel takes us back in time. For the past few weeks our gospels have been resurrection appearances, but this week we go back to chapter 14, the first of four chapters in John’s gospel commonly called The Farewell Discourse. Remember, John’s gospel is different than the other three. This Gospel has less stories about Jesus’s actions as he traveled about and more stories which reflect what John considers the most important point: the intimate love between God and Jesus. An intimate love which— as John points out a lot—is granted to us by virtue of our baptism. We, through Jesus, have that same intimacy with God available to us.
Now let me be clear, God longs to have that intimacy with us, the problem (as always) lies on our end and our resistance to allow that intimacy in.
So, just what is this intimate Love? Jesus explains it in the first sentence of today’s gospel:
”If you love me, you will keep my commandments.’” And what are Jesus’s commandments? As The Message translation reads (from Matthew’s gospel):
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”
So let’s review—-Jesus is saying goodbye to his disciples. They’re completely confused because they have no idea what will happen when they arrive in Jerusalem, but Jesus knows it’s time to start saying goodbye and he reminds the disciples then and us, now: Love God with all that you have and then love your neighbor; if you do that, everything else will follow. And, when you do that I will remain in your heart forever, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, whom I’ll give you soon.
It’s clear: Love is what makes God come alive in the here and the now. Love must be the motivation in all that we do.
Do we have a big decision to make? Do we need to make a change in our life that’s frightening? If we make that change from a stance of love, God will lead us where we need to go. BUT if we make that decision from a position of anything other than love (usually fear) God is not in the lead, and we will falter.
This is what Jesus is trying to get across to his followers—-it may be scary to think about not having me, BUT if you begin and end all your actions in Love, it will be ok, you will be ok, all manner of things will be ok.
Today is the 1 year anniversary of the Tops Massacre in Buffalo, when a fearful and hate-filled young man decided to drive several hours to murder as many black people as possible. If not for the heroic actions of Aaron Salter, the store security guard, many more people would have been killed. The murderer acted from a stance of fear—fear of people who don't look like him—-and the security guard, Aaron Salter, acted from a place of love for his neighbors. From one perspective it could be said that Aaron lost because he died. But from the perspective of Jesus, Aaron won, because he didn’t let fear overtake his love of God, his love of neighbor.
Love for God is risky, because when we love as God loves—-vibrantly and throroughly—-we may find ourselves in unfamilair and frightening territory when faced with the changes and chances of life.
We can hide, we can dig in to the familiar, we can stay the course of what we know or we can love broadly and faithfully, taking step after step into the unknown, sure in the Love of God which surpasses undersatnding and stands firm against all fear. And when we do that? When we love as Jesus commands us to? We can and we will change our world. Alleuia and Amen.
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Easter 5a
Today's Gospel takes us back in time. For the past few weeks our gospels have been resurrection appearances, but this week we go back to chapter 14, the first of four chapters in John’s gospel commonly called The Farewell Discourse. Remember, John’s gospel is different than the other three. This Gospel has less stories about Jesus’s actions as he traveled about and more stories which reflect what John considers the most important point: the intimate love between God and Jesus. An intimate love which— as John points out a lot—is granted to us by virtue of our baptism. We, through Jesus, have that same intimacy with God available to us.
Now let me be clear, God longs to have that intimacy with us, the problem (as always) lies on our end and our resistance to allow that intimacy in.
So, just what is this intimate Love? Jesus explains it in the first sentence of today’s gospel:
”If you love me, you will keep my commandments.’” And what are Jesus’s commandments? As The Message translation reads (from Matthew’s gospel):
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”
So let’s review—-Jesus is saying goodbye to his disciples. They’re completely confused because they have no idea what will happen when they arrive in Jerusalem, but Jesus knows it’s time to start saying goodbye and he reminds the disciples then and us, now: Love God with all that you have and then love your neighbor; if you do that, everything else will follow. And, when you do that I will remain in your heart forever, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, whom I’ll give you soon.
It’s clear: Love is what makes God come alive in the here and the now. Love must be the motivation in all that we do.
Do we have a big decision to make? Do we need to make a change in our life that’s frightening? If we make that change from a stance of love, God will lead us where we need to go. BUT if we make that decision from a position of anything other than love (usually fear) God is not in the lead, and we will falter.
This is what Jesus is trying to get across to his followers—-it may be scary to think about not having me, BUT if you begin and end all your actions in Love, it will be ok, you will be ok, all manner of things will be ok.
Today is the 1 year anniversary of the Tops Massacre in Buffalo, when a fearful and hate-filled young man decided to drive several hours to murder as many black people as possible. If not for the heroic actions of Aaron Salter, the store security guard, many more people would have been killed. The murderer acted from a stance of fear—fear of people who don't look like him—-and the security guard, Aaron Salter, acted from a place of love for his neighbors. From one perspective it could be said that Aaron lost because he died. But from the perspective of Jesus, Aaron won, because he didn’t let fear overtake his love of God, his love of neighbor.
Love for God is risky, because when we love as God loves—-vibrantly and thoroughly—-we may find ourselves in unfamilair and frightening territory when faced with the changes and chances of life.
We can hide, we can dig in to the familiar, we can stay the course of what we know or we can love broadly and faithfully, taking step after step into the unknown, sure in the Love of God which surpasses undersatnding and stands firm against all fear. And when we do that? When we love as Jesus commands us to? We can and we will change the world…and God knows, it needs some changing,
Alleluia and Amen.
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Easter 4 a
+OK, does anyone else get uncomfortable when they hear Jesus talk about there being only one gate? Is Jesus really being this exclusionary— is there really only one way into the arms of God, anyone who isn’t following Christ’s way, is out of luck?Now, while I agree that to me Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and that my salvation is gained through my belief and trust in Him, I don’t believe that the way we know Jesus, the way we access God, is the only way God is reached. I believe that God reaches out to people in a variety of ways that all lead to the same place: the one sheepfold of God, the one kingdom of God. As Jesus says elsewhere in John’s Gospel, “My father’s house has many dwelling places.” Many dwelling places that are all under the one “roof” of God.
Am I saying that you can get into heaven even if you don’t believe as we believe?
You bet. And I think Jesus says that too.
First you need to know something about shepherds in the time of Jesus—as they pastured their flocks they’d cover lots of territory … (to avoid overgrazing) …so… when it’s time to stop for the night they have to create a sheepfold. Back in Jesus’ day that was usually a cave. The shepherd would gather all the sheep and then stretch out over the opening to keep the sheep in and the thieves, bandits and wolves out. So, quite literally, the shepherd is the Gate. But just who is the shepherd—-clearly to us he’s Jesus but to others he may be Muhammed, or Moses or some other figure we’ve never even heard of.
I believe that the sheepfold of God is immense and that the gatekeepers of the sheepfold are as wide and varied, as unique and as numerous, as the stars in the sky.
And I think it’s why Jesus mentions the sheep knowing their own shepherd’s voice-- it suggests that more than one flock was in each sheep-fold-and that each sheep needed to hear their shepherds voice only. Because otherwise that sheepfold would be a chaotic mess.
It’s right there in verses 3- 5:
The gatekeeper---the shepherd—opens the gate, calls His or her sheep and they Hear their shepherd’s voice. They recognize their shepherd and respond to their shepherd. To me its clear—-there isn’t one Shepherd for everyone, there is one voice that speaks to us and the voice I hear may not be the voice my neighbor hears, but all the voices within the fold bring people to salvation. The voice we hear, the one that resonates with us is our Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
It’s the same message we’ve heard throughout Easter. Mary Magdalene hears Jesus’ voice and realizes that it isn’t the gardener at all, it is her Shepherd. Thomas denies that Jesus is raised until such time as he hears Jesus’ voice, looks into his eyes touches his wounds and realizes that Jesus, his shepherd, is alive. It’s what we heard last week in the Emmaus story---the disciples’ hearts burned as they heard the stranger’s voice and then, in the breaking of the bread, they realize, they recognize that this is no stranger at all, but their friend, their teacher, their shepherd, their Lord, their God!
Jesus, as experienced through our sacred scripture, worship, and traditions is our shepherd, we hear his voice and we follow him!
But this doesn’t mean that other sheep don’t hear another voice that they recognize and follow.
They do. Jesus tells us they do. He says: They will not follow a stranger, because they don’t know the voice of the stranger. Right here, smack dab in the middle of the cozy little story about sheep and their shepherd, Jesus tells us that there are many ways to know God, to worship God, to love God.
The issue isn’t how we do it, the issue is that we do it.
The issue isn’t the name of our shepherd, the issue is that everyone, everywhere, always, has a Shepherd whose voice they recognize and follow, a shepherd who will always protect them from the thieves and bandits of their lives.
And for that we say: Alleluia and Amen.
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