Journey, that's the word for today, journey. What do you think of when you hear the word? A trip, going away, heading into the unknown, traveling to a well loved place from your past, leaving the familiar and challenging ourselves to experience a culture, a language, a people and food that are foreign?
What do we do when we contemplate a journey? First we decide that we should go, then we decide where. Based on the place we choose, we begin to make plans. Do we take a bus, a train, a plane or do we drive? What do we take with us? How do we pack? Warm weather clothes or hats, gloves and jackets? Do we bring the coffee maker or will there be one where we are going? What about the dogs, kennel or in-home dog sitter? Do we need an atlas or will we trust google maps on our phones? When will we leave, will we travel at night so the kids can sleep through or in the daytime so we can really see where we're going and appreciate the sights along the way? Who's going with us? Just our partner, the children, a few close friends? There's a lot to decide before we actually close and lock the door and begin our journey.
Unless of course you're Abram...in that case, God says go and you just go. Abram hears Gods promises, you will be a great nation, your name will be great, I will bless you, and through you all the families of the earth will be blessed. And, based on nothing more than these promises Abram leaves all that he has known to journey into new and foreign lands.
He is following God on a journey without a map, a journey about which he knows nothing. We know what he cannot yet know; his journey will be long, much longer than perhaps he thought. It will have many ups and downs, many joys and sorrows. But, it is a journey filled with promise, most importantly God's promise to lead the way.
He believes God and goes without question. Likewise Nicodemus, in all innocence, he begins a quest that will lead him to people, places and ideas he cannot imagine.
Nicodemus, a respected leader of the Pharisees comes to Jesus in "hesitant curiosity". He is kind of sneaking around, coming to Jesus under cover of darkness. After all, what would his friends, neighbors and relatives think about him coming to see this itinerant preacher, a known collector of the rabble, the sinners, the great unwashed? Margaret Hess calls Nicodemus the "Patron Saint of the Curious". If they knew, his colleagues would have called him "nuts"! What could this wandering Aramean possibly have to teach the learned and sophisticated Pharisee? Nicodemus is not there to buy anything, he doesn't want to be convinced, or to sell all that he has and follow Jesus. He comes at night to ask a few questions. Nicodemus wants to see this miracle worker for himself and to form his own opinion.
He comes at night so that no one knows what he is doing. It is very possible that Nicodemus himself isn't sure that he wants to be doing what he is doing. But he is curious. He wants to know more. And so he goes.
He says " you know Jesus, were all pretty impressed with your signs and miracles". And then Jesus begins a conversation with him about being born from above. Suddenly, Nicodemus the teacher, the well educated Pharisee, becomes the student. He is baffled and confused. He wants to know how someone can be born again. Jesus corrects Nicodemus. Jesus isn't talking about a birth involving flesh and blood, no, He is talking about being born of the water and the spirit, being born from above. Jesus tells Nicodemus to get over this born again idea and instead to be born into God"s life. He says you don't need God to come into your life, God offers us God's own life as a gift and wants us to enter in. You need to be in the life of God Nicodemus. This is your journey Nicodemus, to come into God's life. To ride the wind of the spirit, to get your hands and feet busy working in God's kingdom, to get your hands and feet dirty doing the work of God.
That Nicodemus begins his journey at night is fitting. He will travel over time from this darkness into a place of light. We don't know anything about the particulars of his journey. We don't know the conversations he may have had with any of the disciples, or of any further conversations with Jesus. We don't know if he went home and pored over the Torah, stayed up late in the evening pondering what Jesus said to him. We don't know if he was awakened by dreams from God or was troubled by voices and visions about Jesus when awake. We do know that later in the Gospel of John when Jesus is arrested, Nicodemus comes to his defense. Nicodemus advises his colleagues to hear and investigate for themselves before making a final judgement against Jesus. He invites them to take their own journey into the truth. After the crucifixion Nicodemus risks the wrath of both the Jewish and the Roman powers to assist Joseph of Arimathea in preparing Jesus' body for burial.
Nicodemus has taken quite a trip! From a learned and respected member of the religious elite to a servant body washer. It's a trip we are all expected to make in our own way, in our own context. No, we cannot prepare the physical body of Jesus for burial, that's over and done with. But we can walk our own journey of discovery, our own journey into God's life. Nicodemus arrived at journey's end when he was able to risk everything to work with Joseph of Arimathea. We will arrive at journey's end when we are able to embody Psalm 121; when we are able to be one another's keepers, able to be one another's shade, to guard one another's going out and coming in. The result of our Lenten journey, indeed the end result of our travels into God's life, the proof of our being born from above, is that we have allowed the wind to blow us out of here into the world that desperately needs hope and care. Thanks to the incarnation and crucifixion of Jesus, thanks to the gift of grace through the Holy Spirit, we are the hands and feet of God. We journey into the light, and bring light into the world, with our witness and our service. Amen.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Lent 1 March 9, 2014: I Can Do It Myself
Any of us who have been around a preschooler have had this exchange:
“I can do it.”
“Well, let me give you a hand”---
“NO, I CAN DO IT MYSELF!”
It’s a step in the natural development of a child’s growth to go through the I CAN DO IT MYSELF stage.
Between the ages of 3 and 5—basically preschool age—children begin exploring and then trying to assert control and power over their environment. According to Child Development expert Erik Erikson’s, success in this stage of life gives children a sense of purpose while failure results in a child exerting too much power, bringing on adult disapproval and leaving the child with a latent sense of guilt.
In other words, children between the ages of 3 and 5 are testing the limits of their own power. And the job of the adults around the child is to patiently listen to the tantrums that naturally occur and then soothe the child saying, “I know you don’t like this now, but one day you’ll understand.”
Today’s reading from Genesis is The Story of Humankind’s Fall. As a professor of Hebrew Scripture at Princeton puts it: “[This reading] is less about explaining the origin of sin and more about describing the reality of what it is to be human and our mysterious human tendencies to rebel against God, to resist the gracious boundaries and limitations God places around us for our own good, and to desire to be like God.”
The story of the first humans falling away from God is the foundational story of how we, like pre-schoolers, want to do everything on our own, without assistance, without limits. When we fail to let God set some limits on us, we get into trouble, we forget that we are the children and God is the wise and loving parent who says, “I know you don’t understand now, but one day you will.”
Our readings today deal with that most Lenten of topics: the down n’ dirty reality of what it is to be human.
In Genesis, Adam and Eve are wooed by the serpent’s tempting words, and as a result they unleash a desire for more power.
In Romans, Paul describes Adam as the carrier and unleasher of the disease called sin and Jesus as the vaccine against it.
Sin is a disease and Jesus is the antidote. I love that!
The conflict between our desire to be all that God created us to be and our desire to be fully independent and self-reliant with no need for help from God (or anyone else for that matter) is nicely summarized later in Romans when Paul states, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15). I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate---for me that's the quintessential definition of sin.
Turning away from God, engaging in things that carry us farther from God, isn’t what we want to do, but it ends up being what we do "do."
In today’s gospel the devil—the evil one-- tries to tempt Jesus into giving into the temptation for more power and glory, but he doesn't succumb. Now it’s easy to brush this off as Jesus’ divinity, outweighing His humanity. That He saw the devil’s tricks and didn’t fall for them. But to assume this is, I think, insulting to Jesus the man.
Jesus didn’t give into the temptation because he didn’t feel it---he felt it as powerfully as any of us would--- but because he was strong enough, open enough, trusting enough, he didn't give in. Giving in would be to deny God’s love and Jesus --both in his humanity and his divinity--just wouldn’t do it.
Jesus was human in every way, except he didn't sin.
Now for a lot of us sin is a tough word, but understand it as God does-- not us being “bad” but us being stubborn and child like. To sin is to forget God, to turn away from God, to insist that we can do it ourselves!
From the wilderness to the cross, in the most desperate times imaginable, Jesus never turned away from God. He never shut God out.
We, on the other-hand, shut God out all the time. When we stop making space for God to work within us and through us, we're shutting God out, refusing God's help, leaving us frustrated, lost, lonely and empty.
And that's when we get into trouble.
Because, in our I CAN DO IT MYSELF MENTALITY of forgetting God and forging ahead on our own, we distance ourselves; leaving an ever-widening chasm between us and God. The pain of this chasm is so intense we seek to bridge it, to fill it with all sorts of things. Things to distract us from the pervasive sense of loneliness that living without God brings into our souls.
These distractions block God—which is why we engage in Lenten fasts.
The goal of a fast isn’t to make us miserable, the goal is to get us quiet enough, focused enough, open enough to notice God, to trust God and to invite God in.
By fasting from earthly distraction: from clutter and filler we come face to face with a holy emptiness. An emptiness, a void that allows God the palate, the clean slate, the welcoming soul God uses to do wondrous things with us, God’s beloved children.
So I encourage you to spend these forty days getting really needy. Not needy for the stuff of this world, not distracted by the wants of our temporal life, but needy for, longing for, a Divine filler, a Holy distraction, a Loving presence.
When we tap into THAT need, when we empty ourselves of distraction clutter and filler we’ll discover something truly amazing: that empty space deep within us, that chasm of loneliness, anxiety and fear which we strive to fill with everything but God? It will be filled to overflowing by our Loving Creator who knows that in spite of our limit-testing, in spite of our stubborn cries of I CAN DO IT MYSELF, we will, one day understand.+
“I can do it.”
“Well, let me give you a hand”---
“NO, I CAN DO IT MYSELF!”
It’s a step in the natural development of a child’s growth to go through the I CAN DO IT MYSELF stage.
Between the ages of 3 and 5—basically preschool age—children begin exploring and then trying to assert control and power over their environment. According to Child Development expert Erik Erikson’s, success in this stage of life gives children a sense of purpose while failure results in a child exerting too much power, bringing on adult disapproval and leaving the child with a latent sense of guilt.
In other words, children between the ages of 3 and 5 are testing the limits of their own power. And the job of the adults around the child is to patiently listen to the tantrums that naturally occur and then soothe the child saying, “I know you don’t like this now, but one day you’ll understand.”
Today’s reading from Genesis is The Story of Humankind’s Fall. As a professor of Hebrew Scripture at Princeton puts it: “[This reading] is less about explaining the origin of sin and more about describing the reality of what it is to be human and our mysterious human tendencies to rebel against God, to resist the gracious boundaries and limitations God places around us for our own good, and to desire to be like God.”
The story of the first humans falling away from God is the foundational story of how we, like pre-schoolers, want to do everything on our own, without assistance, without limits. When we fail to let God set some limits on us, we get into trouble, we forget that we are the children and God is the wise and loving parent who says, “I know you don’t understand now, but one day you will.”
Our readings today deal with that most Lenten of topics: the down n’ dirty reality of what it is to be human.
In Genesis, Adam and Eve are wooed by the serpent’s tempting words, and as a result they unleash a desire for more power.
In Romans, Paul describes Adam as the carrier and unleasher of the disease called sin and Jesus as the vaccine against it.
Sin is a disease and Jesus is the antidote. I love that!
The conflict between our desire to be all that God created us to be and our desire to be fully independent and self-reliant with no need for help from God (or anyone else for that matter) is nicely summarized later in Romans when Paul states, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15). I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate---for me that's the quintessential definition of sin.
Turning away from God, engaging in things that carry us farther from God, isn’t what we want to do, but it ends up being what we do "do."
In today’s gospel the devil—the evil one-- tries to tempt Jesus into giving into the temptation for more power and glory, but he doesn't succumb. Now it’s easy to brush this off as Jesus’ divinity, outweighing His humanity. That He saw the devil’s tricks and didn’t fall for them. But to assume this is, I think, insulting to Jesus the man.
Jesus didn’t give into the temptation because he didn’t feel it---he felt it as powerfully as any of us would--- but because he was strong enough, open enough, trusting enough, he didn't give in. Giving in would be to deny God’s love and Jesus --both in his humanity and his divinity--just wouldn’t do it.
Jesus was human in every way, except he didn't sin.
Now for a lot of us sin is a tough word, but understand it as God does-- not us being “bad” but us being stubborn and child like. To sin is to forget God, to turn away from God, to insist that we can do it ourselves!
From the wilderness to the cross, in the most desperate times imaginable, Jesus never turned away from God. He never shut God out.
We, on the other-hand, shut God out all the time. When we stop making space for God to work within us and through us, we're shutting God out, refusing God's help, leaving us frustrated, lost, lonely and empty.
And that's when we get into trouble.
Because, in our I CAN DO IT MYSELF MENTALITY of forgetting God and forging ahead on our own, we distance ourselves; leaving an ever-widening chasm between us and God. The pain of this chasm is so intense we seek to bridge it, to fill it with all sorts of things. Things to distract us from the pervasive sense of loneliness that living without God brings into our souls.
These distractions block God—which is why we engage in Lenten fasts.
The goal of a fast isn’t to make us miserable, the goal is to get us quiet enough, focused enough, open enough to notice God, to trust God and to invite God in.
By fasting from earthly distraction: from clutter and filler we come face to face with a holy emptiness. An emptiness, a void that allows God the palate, the clean slate, the welcoming soul God uses to do wondrous things with us, God’s beloved children.
So I encourage you to spend these forty days getting really needy. Not needy for the stuff of this world, not distracted by the wants of our temporal life, but needy for, longing for, a Divine filler, a Holy distraction, a Loving presence.
When we tap into THAT need, when we empty ourselves of distraction clutter and filler we’ll discover something truly amazing: that empty space deep within us, that chasm of loneliness, anxiety and fear which we strive to fill with everything but God? It will be filled to overflowing by our Loving Creator who knows that in spite of our limit-testing, in spite of our stubborn cries of I CAN DO IT MYSELF, we will, one day understand.+
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Ash Wednesday 2014 "What About those Ashes?"
Some of you probably saw my Facebook post from last night. I posted a picture of our own Eyob Marshall with a cross of ashes on his forehead. (8 yr old parishioner who attends the 10:30 service with his mother Kelly). Eyob knew that he wouldn’t be able to attend Ash Wednesday services but he, as is his style, had questions. So last night, as he got ready to leave the pancake supper Eyob came up to me and asked, “what’s with these ashes? I don’t understand.”
What a great question, right?
And you know what?
In over six years of ordained ministry no one-- NO ONE-- has ever asked me what Ash Wednesday was all about. And I don’t think that’s because everyone knows what’s with these ashes… I think we just don’t think about it all that much.
So what IS with these ashes?
Ash Wednesday is a day in our church year reserved for our humanity. Our utter and complete and thorough humanity.
Ash Wednesday is a day when that humanity is spread out in front of us. In all it’s dustiness.
Ash Wednesday is a day to remember that without God, all that we are---all the stuff that makes us uniquely us----is nothing but dust. Ash Wednesday is a day to remember that Without God we are empty, we are dull, we are without substance.
Without God we are just dust.
Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent and Lent is a forty day journey when we strive to open ourselves to God, to re-engage in a relationship with God.
Lent is a journey from us to God and back again. Lent is a season for getting to know God and inviting God to get to know us.
On Ash Wednesday we open our dustiness to the cleansing grace of God. It’s the first day of our Lenten trek to Easter, a journey to intentionally show God more than just the spit and polish shiny “us” of Sundays, a journey where we expose God to the fullness of who we are--from the glorious, prayerful and committed Christian parts of us to the darker, more doubting, more despairing, more self-loathing, yes even more sinful and wretched parts of us.
So what about these ashes?
Well as I told Eyob, when these ashes are pressed into your skin, remember this: without God, we are nothing but dust.
But with God?
Well with God we are all that we can dream, all that we can imagine, all that we can long for.
And then some.
A well-done Lent allows God plenty of room and plenty of time to get to know us, the good the bad and the ugly.
A well-done Lent allows us to get to know God—the forgiving, loving and delighted God who wants nothing more than to meet us with joy at the empty tomb.
A well-done Lent begins with the dust of our mortality and ends in the resurrection light of Love on Easter morning.
A well-done Lent is forty days of making room for the God who creates amazing, astounding and wonderful things out of dust. The dust of you and the dust of me.
So as those dusty ashes are pressed into your skin tonight remember that while you are but dust, you can be, you will be and you are, so very much more, thanks be to God.
May these forty days be a dust clearing, hope starting, love expressing journey into a deeper more honest relationship with our Creator, a God, who working in us can do so much more than we can ever ask or imagine.
Amen.
What a great question, right?
And you know what?
In over six years of ordained ministry no one-- NO ONE-- has ever asked me what Ash Wednesday was all about. And I don’t think that’s because everyone knows what’s with these ashes… I think we just don’t think about it all that much.
So what IS with these ashes?
Ash Wednesday is a day in our church year reserved for our humanity. Our utter and complete and thorough humanity.
Ash Wednesday is a day when that humanity is spread out in front of us. In all it’s dustiness.
Ash Wednesday is a day to remember that without God, all that we are---all the stuff that makes us uniquely us----is nothing but dust. Ash Wednesday is a day to remember that Without God we are empty, we are dull, we are without substance.
Without God we are just dust.
Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent and Lent is a forty day journey when we strive to open ourselves to God, to re-engage in a relationship with God.
Lent is a journey from us to God and back again. Lent is a season for getting to know God and inviting God to get to know us.
On Ash Wednesday we open our dustiness to the cleansing grace of God. It’s the first day of our Lenten trek to Easter, a journey to intentionally show God more than just the spit and polish shiny “us” of Sundays, a journey where we expose God to the fullness of who we are--from the glorious, prayerful and committed Christian parts of us to the darker, more doubting, more despairing, more self-loathing, yes even more sinful and wretched parts of us.
So what about these ashes?
Well as I told Eyob, when these ashes are pressed into your skin, remember this: without God, we are nothing but dust.
But with God?
Well with God we are all that we can dream, all that we can imagine, all that we can long for.
And then some.
A well-done Lent allows God plenty of room and plenty of time to get to know us, the good the bad and the ugly.
A well-done Lent allows us to get to know God—the forgiving, loving and delighted God who wants nothing more than to meet us with joy at the empty tomb.
A well-done Lent begins with the dust of our mortality and ends in the resurrection light of Love on Easter morning.
A well-done Lent is forty days of making room for the God who creates amazing, astounding and wonderful things out of dust. The dust of you and the dust of me.
So as those dusty ashes are pressed into your skin tonight remember that while you are but dust, you can be, you will be and you are, so very much more, thanks be to God.
May these forty days be a dust clearing, hope starting, love expressing journey into a deeper more honest relationship with our Creator, a God, who working in us can do so much more than we can ever ask or imagine.
Amen.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
March 2 2014 Transfigured through Baptism
+As has become my custom, whenever we have a baptism at one of our three services, the sermon for that day is in the form of a letter to the baptized. Today is one such day as we baptized Donovan John Drexinger at the 8 am service.
Dear Donovan,
Your folks picked a GREAT day to have you baptized. Today, as we get ready for the simplicity and starkness of Lent we pull out all the stops—[great music], lots of alleluias and our fanciest, shiniest vestments. Today is an explosion of excess before we settle into Lent. We were planning a party anyway, but now, with your baptism, we get to REALLY celebrate!
Now, one day, when you're a little older, you may look back and say "I was baptized on the feast of the Transfiguration? Sounds painful, what in the world is a transfiguration?"
Well Donovan, you're not alone. Most people don't quite get it.
Actually, what happened to Jesus, while a little strange, was also pretty cool. It was toward the end of his ministry, he's told his friends that the end was near, that soon he'd stand face to face with the temple and Roman authorities in Jerusalem. His friends didn't want him to go and more than a few of them were TERRIFIED to follow Jesus. But because they were his very good friends, they agreed to go with him. On the way to Jerusalem they stopped for a rest and, as was his custom, Jesus readied himself to go up the mountain to pray. But instead of going alone, as he usually did, Jesus asked three of his best friends, Peter, James and John to go with him. So they walked to the top of Mount Tabor and got ready to pray. Suddenly a cloud or a flash or a sheet of light---something really bright and pretty darn impressive---completely covered Jesus. He looked totally different. And then, as if that wasn't enough weirdness, suddenly two really old (and by the way, very dead) prophets, that is teachers who had lived many years before Jesus, Moses and Elijah, appear next to him. Having the two of them there makes sense; Moses had his own face transfigured when he received the Ten Commandments from God on top of another mountain (Sinai) and Elijah? Well Elijah was always getting up close and personal with God and each and every time Elijah had an experience with God, an experience of God, he was changed. Transformed. And transfigured.
Just like all of us here today.
You see that's the point of church, it's the point of learning from Jesus, it's the point of accepting---of embracing--- God's love in our lives. When we do this, when we engage in a community of faith, when we listen to Jesus, when we love our God, we are CHANGED.
Each and every time.
Usually it's not as dramatic as what happened to Jesus and Moses and Elijah, but it's still change, and it still happens. ALL THE TIME.
That change is going to be invited into your life today. That change is going to be acknowledged and re-invited into the lives of everyone here today, as well.
Because baptism--- and the renewal of our baptismal vows---transfigures, transforms and changes us.
Now never say never, but I'm pretty sure, as the baptismal waters pour over you, we won't hear God's voice, nor will you be shrouded in a dazzling white array of light. However--- and this is soooo important, Donovan, God will speak and light will fill you....from the top of your red head to the bottom of your little feet.....because God's Love is all over this church this morning. It's in the smiles of your mom and dad, your godparents, your grandparents, the rest of your family, friends and everyone here….and those smiles, that love, this happiness, is God.
Today we celebrate that you are a member of God's family and you are God's Beloved. Now and always. The baptism we're about to do is the outward and public demonstration of the inward and personal grace that God bestowed on you as soon as you were you.
It's what God does with all of God's creation. God LOVES all that God has created including you and me and everyone. God loves us always and forever.
No exceptions.
In a few minutes, right before we pour that holy water over you, before we mark and seal you as Christ's own forever, everyone here will make a bunch of promises. We'll promise to love God with all our heart and mind and soul. We'll promise to trust God in all things (although I'll let you in on a little secret, we forget that ALL THE TIME) , we'll promise to apologize when we make mistakes, we'll promise to love our neighbors and we'll promise to respect the dignity of every single human being always and forever.
No exceptions!
When we do this, when we make those promises and when we welcome a new member of our church family--that's you--we are changed. It's one of the greatest things about our faith: every time we exercise our faith, that is every time we stand up against injustice, every time we reach out a hand to the neglected, the abused and the forgotten, every time we make sure this earth is given the care and nurturing God has asked us to give it, every single time we love someone even when we don't like them all that much, every time we welcome someone new through our doors, we are transfigured, transformed and transported closer to the image God has for us and closer to the world Jesus dreamed of: a world of peace, a world of love and a world of equality.
Today, because of your baptism, we are reminded that no matter how far we fall, no matter how lost we become, no matter how twisted up in worry and fear and doubt we become, we can always return to this altar, to this community and to this faith; where, through the transfiguring Love of God we will be smoothed out, reshaped, and formed more and more into the image of Christ. (Lectionary Lab for March 2 2014)
So thank you, thank you for offering us the perfect way to commemorate the Transfiguration of Jesus, by welcoming you into our family and by renewing our own commitment to enter the love of God, where anything, absolutely anything is possible.
Amen.
Dear Donovan,
Your folks picked a GREAT day to have you baptized. Today, as we get ready for the simplicity and starkness of Lent we pull out all the stops—[great music], lots of alleluias and our fanciest, shiniest vestments. Today is an explosion of excess before we settle into Lent. We were planning a party anyway, but now, with your baptism, we get to REALLY celebrate!
Now, one day, when you're a little older, you may look back and say "I was baptized on the feast of the Transfiguration? Sounds painful, what in the world is a transfiguration?"
Well Donovan, you're not alone. Most people don't quite get it.
Actually, what happened to Jesus, while a little strange, was also pretty cool. It was toward the end of his ministry, he's told his friends that the end was near, that soon he'd stand face to face with the temple and Roman authorities in Jerusalem. His friends didn't want him to go and more than a few of them were TERRIFIED to follow Jesus. But because they were his very good friends, they agreed to go with him. On the way to Jerusalem they stopped for a rest and, as was his custom, Jesus readied himself to go up the mountain to pray. But instead of going alone, as he usually did, Jesus asked three of his best friends, Peter, James and John to go with him. So they walked to the top of Mount Tabor and got ready to pray. Suddenly a cloud or a flash or a sheet of light---something really bright and pretty darn impressive---completely covered Jesus. He looked totally different. And then, as if that wasn't enough weirdness, suddenly two really old (and by the way, very dead) prophets, that is teachers who had lived many years before Jesus, Moses and Elijah, appear next to him. Having the two of them there makes sense; Moses had his own face transfigured when he received the Ten Commandments from God on top of another mountain (Sinai) and Elijah? Well Elijah was always getting up close and personal with God and each and every time Elijah had an experience with God, an experience of God, he was changed. Transformed. And transfigured.
Just like all of us here today.
You see that's the point of church, it's the point of learning from Jesus, it's the point of accepting---of embracing--- God's love in our lives. When we do this, when we engage in a community of faith, when we listen to Jesus, when we love our God, we are CHANGED.
Each and every time.
Usually it's not as dramatic as what happened to Jesus and Moses and Elijah, but it's still change, and it still happens. ALL THE TIME.
That change is going to be invited into your life today. That change is going to be acknowledged and re-invited into the lives of everyone here today, as well.
Because baptism--- and the renewal of our baptismal vows---transfigures, transforms and changes us.
Now never say never, but I'm pretty sure, as the baptismal waters pour over you, we won't hear God's voice, nor will you be shrouded in a dazzling white array of light. However--- and this is soooo important, Donovan, God will speak and light will fill you....from the top of your red head to the bottom of your little feet.....because God's Love is all over this church this morning. It's in the smiles of your mom and dad, your godparents, your grandparents, the rest of your family, friends and everyone here….and those smiles, that love, this happiness, is God.
Today we celebrate that you are a member of God's family and you are God's Beloved. Now and always. The baptism we're about to do is the outward and public demonstration of the inward and personal grace that God bestowed on you as soon as you were you.
It's what God does with all of God's creation. God LOVES all that God has created including you and me and everyone. God loves us always and forever.
No exceptions.
In a few minutes, right before we pour that holy water over you, before we mark and seal you as Christ's own forever, everyone here will make a bunch of promises. We'll promise to love God with all our heart and mind and soul. We'll promise to trust God in all things (although I'll let you in on a little secret, we forget that ALL THE TIME) , we'll promise to apologize when we make mistakes, we'll promise to love our neighbors and we'll promise to respect the dignity of every single human being always and forever.
No exceptions!
When we do this, when we make those promises and when we welcome a new member of our church family--that's you--we are changed. It's one of the greatest things about our faith: every time we exercise our faith, that is every time we stand up against injustice, every time we reach out a hand to the neglected, the abused and the forgotten, every time we make sure this earth is given the care and nurturing God has asked us to give it, every single time we love someone even when we don't like them all that much, every time we welcome someone new through our doors, we are transfigured, transformed and transported closer to the image God has for us and closer to the world Jesus dreamed of: a world of peace, a world of love and a world of equality.
Today, because of your baptism, we are reminded that no matter how far we fall, no matter how lost we become, no matter how twisted up in worry and fear and doubt we become, we can always return to this altar, to this community and to this faith; where, through the transfiguring Love of God we will be smoothed out, reshaped, and formed more and more into the image of Christ. (Lectionary Lab for March 2 2014)
So thank you, thank you for offering us the perfect way to commemorate the Transfiguration of Jesus, by welcoming you into our family and by renewing our own commitment to enter the love of God, where anything, absolutely anything is possible.
Amen.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Epiphany 6, Feb 16 2014 Deacon Pete's sermon
Laws are funny things. They are meant to help us live together, meant to help keep the peace, meant to improve society by setting common limits and expectations. You know the old quote, "fences make good neighbors". We can substitute the word "laws" for fences, culturally approved and practiced laws are supposed to make good neighbors. But....sometimes laws are not such good things, not things that uplift us and make us better people, better neighbors.
For example in New Orleans it is against the law to gargle in public. In Minnesota women may face 30 days in jail for impersonating Santa Claus. In Marion, Oregon ministers are forbidden to eat garlic or onions before delivering a sermon. In restaurants in Memphis, Tennessee it is illegal to take unfinished pie home, all pie must be eaten on the premises. We would be hard pressed to believe and claim that these laws do anything to improve our culture, enhance our community , or benefit our families.
Today's Gospel continues our readings from the Sermon on the Mount. In this section Jesus looks looks at three of the commandments given by God to Moses for the benefit of the Hebrew people, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not swear falsely. Last year when Mother Cathy preached on the commandments she called them the 10 Best Ways to Live. And indeed, that's what they were meant to be. Jesus has some interesting commentary on those ancient proscriptions. He introduces each law with the phrase "you have heard that it was said". He then quotes the commandment " you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not swear falsely". And he continues with "but I say..." And what he says after each commandment sets Jesus apart from all of the Old Testament prophets that those gathered were used to hearing from.
Jesus knew that it was possible to abide by the letter of the law and still wreak havoc on the lives of others . Most of us will never be murders, adulterers or perjurers. Jesus is saying that's not good enough. Obeying the bare bones restrictions of the laws isn't good enough. Jesus says that to follow Him we must shift our focus from the letter of the law and focus on the realm of the heart . We are called to uphold the dignity and humanity of our companions in this world, not just to avoid killing . We are called to treat each other with respect, to listen closely and to not speak hateful words that are insults, gossip or back-stabbing or just plain false. We are to recognize the humanity of others and work toward reconciliation whenever possible.
Likewise we cannot just avoid the betrayal of adultery. We are called to avoid objectifying people and turning them into nothing more than objects for our own pleasure and satisfaction, to not treat others as property to be discarded when we are finished with them.
Jesus is giving us what we in education would call "best practices". Like a good special educator, Jesus goes far beyond just naming the problem. All of the students I work with have something called Individual Educational Plans, IEPs for short. They include a description of the student, for example, Johnny is an angry, disruptive and defiant young man. Then we must write a goal that addresses Johnny's behavior. The goal must be written positively and include what it is we would like Johnny to do instead. So, I can't write a goal that says Johnny will not be disruptive. My goal has to say something like Johnny will identify anger triggers and implement strategies including deep breathing, positive self talk and removing himself from the situation when he begins to feel angry. The goal is deeper and wider than merely stating behavior what is off limits, it includes calling for behavior that will not only help Johnny be a better person and a better neighbor, but will also enhance the communities Johnny is a member of.
And that's what Jesus is doing here. Jesus is not lacking in respect for the law given in the Hebrew Scriptures. He is not saying that the laws are worthless or wrong. No, Jesus believes in the real and ongoing presence of God and wants that presence, that nurturing spirit, that grace to be more clearly recognized than just the "shall nots". Jesus knows that giving folks rules without specifying what kingdom worthy behavior is just isn't good enough. He wants us to understand that the rules are not just meant to list behaviors that are not acceptable, but are meant to help us develop practices of the heart that will lead us into developing God's kingdom here on earth. Jesus turns the "shall nots" into strategies for living differently in the world.
And that's the real point of the Sermon on the Mount passages, Jesus showing us how to live differently, in a counter-cultural way; not merely obeying laws but discovering how to be a member of the community of believers. Jesus wants an inwardly transformed person, not an outwardly obedient one.
Gathered here as a community we are called to be the learning lab where this inward transformation can take place. That's where prayer, bible study, worship, ministry to others, and above all the nourishment of the Eucharist will take us; to a place where we go beyond rules to truly loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Feb 9 2014 Epiphany 5 One Branch, One Tree at a Time
Bette Midler has a pet peeve.
It’s plastic bags that get caught in the branches of the trees in NYC’s parks. Plastic bags in trees drives me nuts too, so when I saw an article about “Bette Midler’s Bag Snagger crews,” I was intrigued.
It’s a pretty simple routine: people see bags snarled high up in trees and they call a hotline number with the location. Every day a crew of four heads out in to the city with one purpose, find and snag as many bags as they can in a day. They estimate it takes, on average, 10 minutes to free a tree of their bags.
Do the math; their work may never be finished. NYC has a lot of trees and even more plastic bags; there will always be more bags to unsnag.
But that’s ok, the point isn’t to lament that the work will never be done; the point is to do the work as best they can, branch by branch, tree by tree, day by day.
One branch, one tree at a time.
It’s simple isn’t it?
One person noticed a problem and used her gifts, in this case a love for NYC’s parks, (plus money and influence,) to address the problem and in the process, each and every day, New York City gets a little more beautiful.
Of course, Bette Midler could have taken on the grocery, drug and other retail stores in NYC and demanded they stop using plastic bags hoping that eventually the problem would be eradicated because the plastic bag itself would be extinct. That’s a huge job and not even a woman with the money and the influence of a famous entertainer could hope to get it done anytime soon. Now, I don’t know, she may be working on this aspect of the problem too, but the fact is, she didn’t wait, she took her gifts and put them to work right away.
The result? In NYC, one branch at a time, one tree at a time, the world is being changed.
Lasting change is like that, steady and methodical, step by step, branch by branch, tree by tree.
Ellen Bard is an author who has a blog entitled “tinybuddha: simple wisdom for complex lives.”
She recently posted an article called: “3 simple small acts of kindness that can make someone’s day,” begins with this Oscar Wilde quotation: “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” One can intend to eradicate plastic bags from all the trees in NYC, but it’s accomplished one branch at a time, one tree at a time.
In the article Ellen shares the following anecdote:
“On a bad day recently, rushing down the road in Chiang Mai, Thailand, late for an appointment, I dropped my bag and things spilled all over the road. I looked at my possessions, spread out in the dust beneath me and held back tears. As I stood there, a Thai woman, tending a food cart at the side of the road, walked over and carefully helped me pick everything up. Then she smiled, patted my hand, and walked back to her stall.”
The Thai woman didn’t have the gift of money or power. But she sure did have the gift of kindness. And that kindness made all the difference in the world on that particular day, in that specific moment, for the author.
One branch at a time, one tree at a time, by using our gifts, we can change the world.
This is what Jesus is talking about in today’s excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world right after blessing those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, right after telling everyone within earshot that the world God envisions is not ruled by powers and dominions but by the meek and the humble; that the world, as God envisions it, is a world of love and justice and peace which is brought to fruition through regular old people. Folks like you and me.
We are God’s instruments, we are the salt that enhances God’s flavor, we are the filament that increases God’s light in this world. We all have gifts that contribute to the world God envisions, the world Jesus preaches about, we just have to use them.
Not using them is akin to hiding them under a basket.
Not acknowledging them is akin to denying them.
And it’s that very thing---hiding and denying all that we’ve been given by virtue of God’s abundant extravagant and never-ending Love---which frustrates and saddens God.
You see, all God wants us to do is to use our gifts—whatever they may be—to show people that God is Love and that this Love that is God is for everyone, everywhere, forever and always.
It’s not rocket science folks:
We are Loved and Jesus compels us to share this Love. Because when we do that, when we expose the Love of God through our acts of simple yet profound kindness, Love spreads and strengthens and grows.
And that’s the point.
We salt this earth and lighten this world, by Loving the unloveable, by embracing the untouchable and by standing up for those who have been knocked down.
One branch at a time, one tree at a time.
It’s simple wisdom folks:
Is there something wrong in our corner of the world? We have the power to do something about it.
We may not, in one fell swoop, be able to eradicate disease, eliminate hunger or stop all war. We may not, in one grand gesture, be able to cure global warming, stop graft and corruption or guarantee every child in this world the safety and security they deserve, but we can, one branch at a time, one tree at a time, one simple act of human kindness at a time change the world.
Amen.
Monday, February 3, 2014
The Presentation Feb 2, 2014
For the last time this year: Merry Christmas! You see, in many ways, today is the end of Christmas. As I emailed on Thursday, the Presentation is a turning point in the church year as the focus shifts from the manger toward the cross, from the wonder of "God among us" to the wonder of God defeating death via the Resurrection.
8 o clock attendee and icon writer Doug Bobak knew how much I loved the Gospel for today do he wrote this as a gift to me. The story of The Presentation is also in our Tiffany window.
What I love about Doug’s icon is the look in Mary’s eyes. It's a combination of surprise, fear and wonder. No doubt she was hoping all the strange events: the angel, the magi, the heavenly hosts, had ended and that life would return to normal.
Of course, there's nothing normal about the Savior of the world.
But things did settle a bit: The angels went back to normal angel activity. The sun rose in the morning and set in the evening. The shepherds continued to pasture their flocks.... Jesus did what babies do—he ate he cried he slept he grew-life continued its usual course, just as if nothing had happened.On the eighth day, according to Jewish law, he was circumcised and named.
And then, On the fortieth day after Jesus' birth the Holy Family traveled to Jerusalem to complete the purification, presentation and sacrifice traditions expected of every Jewish family... It was the expected, the normal thing to do.
But there's nothing normal about this story, is there?
The trip down to Jerusalem was unremarkable---no one noticed them, no one paid any attention to the baby they held. The baby who will save the world. They entered the temple and offered the usual sacrifice for poor people, two doves. The priest approached them and automatically laid his hands on Jesus, as if this was just another first born son. He noticed nothing special about this child, Jesus was just one among many, it was a regular, ordinary day.
But then an older priest, eccentric at best, crazy at worst, burst onto the scene and headed straight to Mary and Joseph. He knew who this child was! He knew, deep in his bones, that this was the One for whom he yearned, the one for whom all of Israel had yearned: the Anointed, the Messiah. For decades, Simeon had been praying that he would live to see the coming of the Messiah and every day Simeon heard God say, "not today, but soon." On this particular day, Simeon didn't hear "not today", on this particular day Simeon heard-- "go and see, He is Here!" Rushing to the Temple, Simeon zeroed in on the Holy Family. And, without even realizing how bizarre the whole scene was, Mary offered the baby to Simeon.
Simeon, overcome with joy, with Jesus in his arms, praises God by saying:
"Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised. For these eyes of mine have seen the savior, whom you have prepared for all the world to see; a Light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people, Israel.” (Nunc dimittis).
Why does our focus shift, after today, from Christmas and the manger to Good Friday, the cross and the tomb?
Because of one clause in this hymn: "a savior for the whole,world--- A light to enlighten the nations.” This messiah was not just for Israel, no this Messiah was for all the world to see. This simple phrase in a song of praise sets in motion all that leads to Calvary--- Jesus was here, Jesus is here, for everyone, always, no exceptions. Not just Jew, but Gentile too. Not just us, but them. Not just you, but me, not just some but all. Simeon professed what Mary would learn, what she would endure, what she would see. Simeon announced what the world was not yet able to bear: Love had arrived. For everyone forever.
In the icon Mary's eyes reveal the truth: Through this child The strong will weaken and the weak will strengthen. The world will get turned inside out and upside down.
And her precious Son, God in the flesh, will be nailed to a tree.
Young Mary knew what Simeon predicted was true: the world that had longed for the Messiah, yearned for Him would , in the end, be unable to bear the reality of Him. That the darkness that feeds our fear, fuels our doubts and tries to deaden our souls would kill that Love and pierce her heart on the darkest Friday of all time.
How she must have longed to keep that knowledge buried for awhile longer, how she must have longed to get out of that temple and home to Nazareth where Jesus could just be another boy.
But before they could leave another character enters the scene:the 84 year old widow and permanent resident of the Temple, Anna. Although she may not have known what she was looking for, when Anna saw Jesus she knew she'd found it. Anna, like Simeon, sang about this great wonder, but, unlike Simeon, who wandered off to rejoice in private, Anna told everyone she met that the Messiah was finally here.
On this day 2000 yrs ago and today, the word is out, the die is cast. The strong will weaken the weak will strengthen and Love will take it's earthly journey until, overcome with fear and doubt, we will do everything we can to snuff it out, to stop it, to stop Him in his tracks. It's a reality none us like or want to admit. But it is a fact of our faith.
We, along with Mary and Joseph, along with Anna and Simeon, along with Jesus, have embarked on a journey that began at the manger, travels to the temple, the shores of Galilee, the gardens of Gethsemene, the dusty despair of Calvary, the depths of death to emerge, at the last, into the amazing victory of Light, life and Love on Easter morn. This journey's not easy, but by taking it we will, along with Simeon and Anna will, at the end, be truly free.
8 o clock attendee and icon writer Doug Bobak knew how much I loved the Gospel for today do he wrote this as a gift to me. The story of The Presentation is also in our Tiffany window.
What I love about Doug’s icon is the look in Mary’s eyes. It's a combination of surprise, fear and wonder. No doubt she was hoping all the strange events: the angel, the magi, the heavenly hosts, had ended and that life would return to normal.
Of course, there's nothing normal about the Savior of the world.
But things did settle a bit: The angels went back to normal angel activity. The sun rose in the morning and set in the evening. The shepherds continued to pasture their flocks.... Jesus did what babies do—he ate he cried he slept he grew-life continued its usual course, just as if nothing had happened.On the eighth day, according to Jewish law, he was circumcised and named.
And then, On the fortieth day after Jesus' birth the Holy Family traveled to Jerusalem to complete the purification, presentation and sacrifice traditions expected of every Jewish family... It was the expected, the normal thing to do.
But there's nothing normal about this story, is there?
The trip down to Jerusalem was unremarkable---no one noticed them, no one paid any attention to the baby they held. The baby who will save the world. They entered the temple and offered the usual sacrifice for poor people, two doves. The priest approached them and automatically laid his hands on Jesus, as if this was just another first born son. He noticed nothing special about this child, Jesus was just one among many, it was a regular, ordinary day.
But then an older priest, eccentric at best, crazy at worst, burst onto the scene and headed straight to Mary and Joseph. He knew who this child was! He knew, deep in his bones, that this was the One for whom he yearned, the one for whom all of Israel had yearned: the Anointed, the Messiah. For decades, Simeon had been praying that he would live to see the coming of the Messiah and every day Simeon heard God say, "not today, but soon." On this particular day, Simeon didn't hear "not today", on this particular day Simeon heard-- "go and see, He is Here!" Rushing to the Temple, Simeon zeroed in on the Holy Family. And, without even realizing how bizarre the whole scene was, Mary offered the baby to Simeon.
Simeon, overcome with joy, with Jesus in his arms, praises God by saying:
"Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised. For these eyes of mine have seen the savior, whom you have prepared for all the world to see; a Light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people, Israel.” (Nunc dimittis).
Why does our focus shift, after today, from Christmas and the manger to Good Friday, the cross and the tomb?
Because of one clause in this hymn: "a savior for the whole,world--- A light to enlighten the nations.” This messiah was not just for Israel, no this Messiah was for all the world to see. This simple phrase in a song of praise sets in motion all that leads to Calvary--- Jesus was here, Jesus is here, for everyone, always, no exceptions. Not just Jew, but Gentile too. Not just us, but them. Not just you, but me, not just some but all. Simeon professed what Mary would learn, what she would endure, what she would see. Simeon announced what the world was not yet able to bear: Love had arrived. For everyone forever.
In the icon Mary's eyes reveal the truth: Through this child The strong will weaken and the weak will strengthen. The world will get turned inside out and upside down.
And her precious Son, God in the flesh, will be nailed to a tree.
Young Mary knew what Simeon predicted was true: the world that had longed for the Messiah, yearned for Him would , in the end, be unable to bear the reality of Him. That the darkness that feeds our fear, fuels our doubts and tries to deaden our souls would kill that Love and pierce her heart on the darkest Friday of all time.
How she must have longed to keep that knowledge buried for awhile longer, how she must have longed to get out of that temple and home to Nazareth where Jesus could just be another boy.
But before they could leave another character enters the scene:the 84 year old widow and permanent resident of the Temple, Anna. Although she may not have known what she was looking for, when Anna saw Jesus she knew she'd found it. Anna, like Simeon, sang about this great wonder, but, unlike Simeon, who wandered off to rejoice in private, Anna told everyone she met that the Messiah was finally here.
On this day 2000 yrs ago and today, the word is out, the die is cast. The strong will weaken the weak will strengthen and Love will take it's earthly journey until, overcome with fear and doubt, we will do everything we can to snuff it out, to stop it, to stop Him in his tracks. It's a reality none us like or want to admit. But it is a fact of our faith.
We, along with Mary and Joseph, along with Anna and Simeon, along with Jesus, have embarked on a journey that began at the manger, travels to the temple, the shores of Galilee, the gardens of Gethsemene, the dusty despair of Calvary, the depths of death to emerge, at the last, into the amazing victory of Light, life and Love on Easter morn. This journey's not easy, but by taking it we will, along with Simeon and Anna will, at the end, be truly free.
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