First Lesson: Isaiah 55: 1-9
Responsive Reading: Psalm 63: 1-8
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 10: 1-13
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 13: 1-9

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
The news was not good at all.  A group of religious pilgrims had traveled from Jesus’ home in Galilee to Jerusalem.  These pilgrims were upset at Pontius Pilate.  They believed Pilate was a way to their way of life.  They journeyed to their holy city, peacefully but angry at Roman rule.  They traveled to their house of worship seeking prayer and guidance.  Pontius Pilate though was not a nice man.  Pilate saw these men put to death in a way that was certain to further all hatred.

The Galilean Pilgrims were not only slaughtered but endured having their blood mixed along with the animals that they intended to sacrifice on their holy ground.  This act went beyond bullying.  The massacre of these Galileans was outright cruel.  Sacrificing their blood with animal blood was a mockery of all that Jewish people believed.  It was easy to wonder why God would allow such an incident.  People were starting to talk about whether God had indeed abandoned these people.

So the Disciples decide to engage Jesus upon the meaning of this incident.  The Disciples I imagine knew some of these men from back home.  Now here they were standing before Jesus asking for answers regarding their deaths.  Was Jesus going to explain the cause of such violence?  Was Jesus going to blame the victims?  Was Jesus going to defend the creator[1]?

Jesus decides to invoke another well-known story to the Disciples in the collapse of the Tower of Siloam.  Jesus was going to answer the question in the Disciples’ minds once and for all as to “Why do bad things happen to good people?” 

Jesus begins to tell the tale of the Tower of Siloam.  The Tower of Siloam was a well-known Tower in Jerusalem, that one day collapsed without any warning killing eighteen people.  Jesus knew the Disciples were going to be wondering why these people suffered at the hands of such cruel luck.  Had they possibly done something to deserve all this?  Jesus talks about the victims in the Tower of Siloam’s collapse.  He explains that there was no rhyme or reason as to why these people suffered death.  They didn’t die because of any unresolved sin.  They hadn’t done anything wrong to earn this punishment versus their neighbors.  These people’s death certainly was not fair.  In Jesus’ mind, tragedy does not equal divine punishment.  Jesus says events like the Tower of Siloam instead have a different meaning.  The tragedy itself had nothing to do with anything the victims had done wrong. 

Some years ago, NPR’s Terry Gross was interviewing musician Rosanne Cash[2].  Cash had to take time off from her career for several years because she needed brain surgery.  Gross asks Cash if she ever wondered “Why me?”

Cash’s response is enlightening.  Cash said her attitude through the whole ordeal was “Why not me?”  She had health insurance, no job that she was in danger of losing along with a wonderful caregiver[3]. 
The reality of life is that no one gets a pass on hardship[4].  No one ever lives a life without dread over what might potentially happen next.  The fact of everyone’s existence is that it is always going to be a mixture of highs and lows, joy and tears.  The nature of sin is such that no one ever gets off.  We share this common experience.     

Jesus finds the Tower of Siloam’s meaning as serving as a reminder that no one gets to choose the time of their demise.  Repentance and Death serve as a reminder of one’s shortcomings and dire circumstances within the present age.  These signs are why we ultimately look towards the source of all grace and mercy. 
In seminary, and I’ve told this story before, one of my professors Walter Sundberg was reflecting on the ultimate question of God and Suffering in “Why did God allow my neighbor to get hit by a bus?”  Everyone in this room has probably had a similar incident by which they wonder Why God didn’t act?  Dr. Sundberg said only “We must admit that we do not know the answer to this bus question, all that we can say for sure that we know about God we ultimately know from a cross.”

How might God be acting in any circumstance is always going to be beyond our ability to comprehend.  Last week, I was asked the following question about the Bible.  “Why does God kill so many people within its pages?”  You look at the Old Testament from the Exodus to the Conquest of Canaan to the collapse of Israel’s Kingdom; God seems directly responsible for all sorts of heinous killing.  For many critics of Christianity will always raise this issue. 

I can make a few points in response to such a difficult question.

1. God’s aims are always about saving people from death and bringing about new life.  Perhaps the most violent book in the Bible is the Book of Joshua.  Joshua tells the tales of the Israelites going to land of Canaan so that they may ultimately claim the land.  All sorts of people get killed within the pages of Joshua including seemingly innocent Women and Children.  What we need to remember is how Joshua begins.  Joshua begins by telling the tale of the salvation of a Canaanite prostitute named Rahab[5].  Joshua reminds us that death is not arbitrary, it is rather about returning to people to a land lost before being corrupted by sin.  God uses death in the words of Robert Farrar Capon “not just for bad guys, but to save even those who have lived their lives carefully”[6]. 
2. Once Israel seized their land.  All their wars were defensive wars.  What is interesting about these wars is that they had every disadvantage possible from lacking leadership, to lacking to troops and lacking weaponry, and yet the people of Israel kept coming out ahead again and again.  What we remember above all else is “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.”-Isaiah 55:8-9.  Our ultimate problem as human beings is in comprehending the nature of God.  We remember that our judgments about how the world works and should work are ultimately not God’s judgments.  We often view how God should work through our own sense of fairness.  I think back to the story of Job and how Job had every reason to believe that God was unfair in his life after losing his children, his health, and his possessions.  When Job finally stands before God[7], God doesn’t give Job a reason perhaps because God’s reasoning was far above Job’s.  The question isn’t whether God is fair.  We can plainly acknowledge and see that God is unfair.  God pours out his mercy and grace upon those who least deserve it.  The great Christian hope is found precisely in God’s unfair ways.  So perhaps as Christian people, it's best not to look backward but always forward.  We finally draw hope that God will one day transform us through his grace. 

Tim Zingale tells the following story[8].  One night after a Lenten service, a member of a congregation fell the steps and broke her hip.  This woman did not recover from surgery and died a few days later.  This woman’s pastor stood by her casket at the visitation.  Person after person came forward to her widow trying to make sense of the incident “God had a plan” “It must have been God’s Will.”  There is a silver lining”.  The Pastor knew that people were merely babbling trying to make sense of this no different then the Disciples trying to make sense of Pilate’s massacre. 

So the Pastor begins the funeral sermon the next day by saying “My God does not push old ladies down church steps.”  God is not the one who brings brokenness, death, and destruction unto this world.  For God cannot be both the author of both death and resurrection at the very same time[9].  The following story illustrates what Dr. Sundberg meant when he said that we always point people towards the cross.

The final story told by Phillip McLarty. [10]  In 1994, Rick, Suzie, and nine-year-old daughter Kelly Harper were trimming the Christmas tree in their Texas home when Suzie had difficulty breathing.  Suzie was asthmatic, but this attack seemed out of the normal.  The inhaler did no good.  Rick begins to drive Suzie to the Emergency room.  On the way there, Suzie stopped breathing.  Rick gave her mouth to mouth, but it didn’t work.  By the time, she reached the Hospital, it was already too late. 

Pastor McLarty spent weeks trying to make sense of the incident[11].  Suzie’s mother sits down to meet with McLarty to plan the funeral.  Suzie’s mom proceeded to give McLarty one of the most powerful sermons that he ever heard when she said “There’s nothing more we can do; Suzie’s in God’s hands. God lent her to us for forty-three years, and now, he’s taken her home. Life goes on. We can’t look back.  God will be with us in the future just as he has been in the past.”

Suzie’s story is why we always look towards the cross.  We always look towards this reminder that God does not desire human suffering. God desires the day when human suffering comes to an end.  Our God is not a God of judgment but rather a God of mercy and grace.  No matter what ups and downs that we encounter in this life, our God is continually working towards the day of our resurrection.  Amen


[1] Skinner, Matthew. “Luke 13:1-9 Commentary”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 28.Feb.2016. Web. Feb.23.2016. 
[2] Bernhard, Toni J.D. “The Better Way to Face Setbacks and Sorrows: Inspiration from an Unlikely Source.”Physcology Today. 17.Oct.2013. Web. Feb.23.2016. 
[3] Bernhard, Toni J.D. “The Better Way to Face Setbacks and Sorrows: Inspiration from an Unlikely Source.”
[4] Bernhard, Toni J.D. “The Better Way to Face Setbacks and Sorrows: Inspiration from an Unlikely Source.”
[5] Joshua 6:17-25. 
[6] Capon, Robert F. Kingdom, Grace, and Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus. Eerdman’s Publishing. Grand Rapids, MI. 2002. Pg.248.
[7] Job 38. 
[8] Zingale, Tim. “Why God”. Sermon Central. 2007.Mar. Web. Feb.23.2016. 
[9] Zingale, Tim. “Why God”.
[10] McLarty, Phillip. “When Bad Things Happen”. Lectionary.org. 2004. Web. Feb.23.2016.
[11] McLarty, Phillip. “When Bad Things Happen”.

First Lesson: Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18
Responsive Reading: Psalm 27
Second Lesson: Philippians 3: 17 - 4:1
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 13: 31-35

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid? –Psalm 27:1
 
Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
King David was at the lowest point of his existence.  David’s son had died[1].  David had been rebuked by the prophet Nathan for his great sin[2].  David had indeed committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba[3].  David had sent Uriah to die on the front lines of battle.  Now word had begun to leak out to the people of Israel.  David was unsure of what the next step forward in his life could be.  David dreaded facing the public because of all the shame over what had happened.  David couldn’t help but think: What will they say? Can I ever recover from my mistakes? From where might grace and mercy come?

We might not be King David, but we can probably relate to his shame.  You were maybe picked on as a child and dreaded going to school.  Perhaps as an adult, you regret certain decisions that you made and how your life could have turned out differently.  As you get into your elder years, you worry about the next steps as you gradually lose control of your independence.  There’s truth in the saying that seeing and hearing one word of criticism consumes our mind way more than hearing ten words of praise.

Last Sunday night, I received a phone call from a friend of mine that I’ll call Ed.  Ed would seem to have an excellent life.  Ed’s a doctor making a fine living.  Ed’s personable and in-shape.  Ed was struggling with life.  Ed was struggling with not having his dad around anymore to give him advice.  Ed was struggling with always having to meet other’s expectations.  Ed was struggling with always having to escape the judgments of others.  Ed was struggling with what might be the next step for his soul.  Ed was afraid to fail, even though he seemed to be having all sorts of success.

King David’s story, our story, and Ed’s story are all unique.  The common theme within them all is trying to find a word of light in the midst of darkness.

Today we reflect on one of King David’s psalms that seek to engage us in the midst of this human struggle.  The Psalm on which we reflect through takes a slightly different course than the 23rd Psalm leading us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  The 27th Psalm instead deals with the day to day hardships of this life as faced by King David and my friend Ed.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid-Psalm 27:1

Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?  People ask how David can speak words of praise if his life is down in the dumps as we can imagine.  The truth is that we often get praise wrong as people. 

Occasionally, when watching football on TV, you will see a player get down on his knees and point his finger at the sky upon scoring a touchdown.  We intrinsically think these are the times that we need to give God thanks.  Let me suggest something that might seem counter-intuitive.  The times that we need to give praise are when life is the darkest.  Moments like David was probably going through as he was wondering how might he ever recover from the loss of a child and exposure of his sin.    

The truth is that praise centers are not of what’s taking place at the present, so much as praise centers on “what will happen in the future?”  The problem with how we often view the world is that we often only see crosses, failing to remember that a cross needs to come before one’s resurrection.  Perhaps, David needed to fall before everyone around him before God could ultimately build him back up.
Many people in these days almost speak of sin as a swear word that we cannot mention[4].  The thing is though that confession of sin is rather an admission of imperfection.  Confession is what we need in life before moving forward.

My friend Ed who I was talking about earlier, he decided to attend church last Sunday for the first time since college nearly fifteen years ago.  Ed needed the opportunity to stand before God and his neighbor to speak the harsh truth that my life isn’t together.  Ed needed to proclaim his need for forgiveness and resurrection and see others stand alongside him while he does so.

When we admit the imperfection of the world and ourselves; it is only then that we may begin to point to the unconditional nature of God’s love poured out upon us. 

Whereas David begins the Psalm with a word of praise for what is to come.  The second part of the Psalm takes a different tact.  David speaks of the realities of the present.  David begins to speak to the depth of his struggle.  David talks about being lost in the wilderness.  David talks about relating to God, who seems distant to his concerns at the present moment of his life.  David talks about the need to turn his whole life over to prayer.  Prayer for David is his means of connecting to God as a means of trust no matter what additional trials that the future should bring. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight- Proverbs 3:5-6. 

Brene Brown says it best for too many people “Religion has gone from a belief in faith and mystery to certainty. “I’m right, you’re wrong, shut up. That’s it[5].”

Brown’s critique serves a purpose to remind us that the greatest of spiritual truths is to be thankful that we are not God.  God’s grace and mercy goes way beyond, what we would ever provide to those around us.  We need to leave ourselves room to let God provide for us the answers that we might not necessarily provide for ourselves. 

I almost don’t wonder if we often get what the Church is supposed to be wrong.  We often go through life only viewing the words regarding extremes success or failure, Democrat or Republican, Saint or Sinner.  When in reality it is the times when the world breaks us in nearly every single direction that the Gospel comes to us with a way forward.  The truth for today is that our way forward in this life goes through a cross.

I was reading a fascinating reflection this week by a guy named Brian Zahnd[6].  Brian Zanhd seemed to have all this Jesus stuff figured out.  Zahnd was the pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in the country.  Zahnd soon realized that something was missing from his life.  Zanhd came to realize that his faith lacked a serious contemplation about the meaning of life itself.  Too often when we pray, it’s all about us.  I want to win the lottery.  I want a new wife.  I want a different job.  I want some grand, spiritual purpose.  The reality is that these are merely just our thoughts being confused with God’s will[7].  When in reality what prayer should ultimately do is break down that the universe doesn’t run itself according to our reality.

What if we were to propose a new way of thinking about prayer as a faith community today?  What if people above all else knew us whenever they see the cross that hangs outside our building as a sign of grace and humility in a broken world.  Let Sychar be the place for people trying to be a sense of an embarrassing, uncomfortable, or even weird happening in their life.  Let it be a place where people can dance without being embarrassed, where people can sing their hearts out with their non-angelic voices and a place that finds human connection in the midst of our imperfection.  Let Sychar be the place that is always asking God for direction in prayer to respond to the world around us. 

David’s Psalm closes with a final word of praise.  A word that hopefully gives hope heading into David’s future.  A word of conviction that the Lord will never leave him nor forsake him.  David wanted to say now is not the time to give up, surely hope will soon come on the horizon.  This word of praise reminds us that we don’t need to be anybody other than the person that Jesus sees to receive God’s grace and mercy[8]. 
Let me close with the words of Pastor Jane Strohl today[9]. “In his description of Eden, Luther emphasized that it was a place where there was no fear, no fear of dying, no fear of other living beings, no fear of nature. It is a wonderful vision, for we live in a world fraught with fear.  However, there is a bold word to throw in its face again and again and in God’s “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Then we wait.” 

Perhaps today we can merely see a flicker of light.  For some this flicker might burn brighter than for others.  But rest assured this flicker is there.  It is there this morning when we here the declaration that “we are indeed worthy” as our sins are forgiven with the preaching of the Gospel.  The flicker is there as we soon partake in the foretaste of the feast to come.  The flicker is present when a friend or a neighbor builds you up in your faith even when those around you might be tearing you down.  This flicker will soon be a flash.  The flash will blind you so that you may be able to see again.  See a world filled with hope. See a world filled with Resurrection. Amen


[1] 2 Samuel 2:18
[2] 2 Samuel 12
[3] 2 Samuel 11
[4] McLarty, Phillip. “Psalm 27:1-14”.  Lectionary.org.  2007. Web. Feb.16.2016. 
[5] Brown, Brene. “The Power of Vulernability”. TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. June 2010. Web. Feb.16.2016.
[6] Guyton, Morgan. “Water To Wine: the salvation of a megachurch pastor”.  Patheos: Mercy Not Sacrifice. 5. Feb.2016. Web. Feb.16.2016. 
[7] Guyton, Morgan. “Water To Wine: the salvation of a megachurch pastor”.
[8] Tanner, Beth. “Commentary on Psalm 27.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 21.Feb.2016.Web. Feb.16.2016. 
[9] Strohl, Jane. “Psalm 27 Commentary”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 28.Feb.2010. Web. Feb.16.2016. 

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 26: 1-11
Responsive Reading: Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16
Second Lesson: Romans 10: 8b-13
Gospel Lesson: Luke 4: 1-13

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
One day, when I was a sophomore in high school, I was in my parent’s driveway shooting hoops.  I was going to shoot on this day till my arms fell off.  I was in a foul mood for a sixteen-year-old boy.  My high school JV basketball team had played the night before and I didn’t receive as much playing time as I felt that I was entitled.  What was the most frustrating thing about this effort was all the struggle that I had put in the previous summer? 

I was indeed trying hard enough; coaches would constantly comment how I gave it my all when defending.  There was a harsh truth though that I wasn’t wise enough to face at sixteen years old.  Physically I was never going to be much of a basketball player 5’8 in high tops, flat-footed, and I was carrying a bit of a stomach during my high school years. 

As I’m shooting that day, I’m probably knocking down my fair share of looks.  I could shoot well without someone taller or quicker than me guarding me.  My Dad having to be subject to my whining about the Basketball team sums up the reality of the situation when he says “You’re a decent player, you’re just not going to play in the Big Ten Conference.”  It didn’t matter how many hours that I spent in my parent’s driveway, the chances were zero of ever suiting up at Williams Arena for the Gophers.  This story makes me think about how much having unrealistic expectations ultimately hurts our lives. 

Today’s Gospel lesson is a story that we know.  It’s the tale from Luke 4[1] where Jesus goes out into the wilderness for forty days and is tempted by the devil.  The temptations placed upon Jesus were harsh: food when he had been starving for weeks and all the pleasure and power that this world had to offer as life would soon lead to a cross.  Jesus is challenging all the prevailing wisdom of the world as he resists these temptations.  Jesus uses power much differently than we would use power.  We want to use our power as a means of comparison to the weak and less powerful whereas Jesus was willing to surrender every bit of his power even to the point of death.  What Jesus resisting the Devil for forty days ultimately reminds me is that we are not God[2].  We are an imperfect people trying to make sense out of the devil’s playground.

Last Sunday evening, Super Bowl 50 was played.  The Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers.  Carolina Panthers star QB and NFL MVP Cam Newton did not have a good game.  Newton’s fumble led to the first Broncos touch down, and he fumbled again in the fourth quarter putting the game out of reach.  So Newton after the game has to face the media to answer questions.  Newton didn’t feel like answering the questions after seeing something that he had worked for most of his life crumble before his very eyes.  All Newton could hear in the background of his press conference was his Bronco opponents celebrating.  Newton just didn’t feel like talking anymore, so he walked out of the press conference.  Criticism was swift.  People called Cam Newton’s attitude and sportsman into question by all sorts of voices both young and old alike throughout this nation. 

I want to defend Cam Newton though a bit this morning.  Losing crushed Cam Newton, no different than we would be if we lost our job, our bride, or our fortune[3].  I think how much we would want to have TV cameras flashing in our face some mere moments later.

Cam Newton was sad, disappointed, and frustrated[4].  Cam Newton was having one of those moments of existence that he wanted to be left alone.  Let those who haven’t sulked with huge disappointment, be the ones and only ones that can cast stones.  Sure plenty of people can clamor about how they expected better from the NFL MVP just like plenty of people expected better from King David before he committed adultery with Bathsheba. 

I almost wonder if our expectations for others often don’t come from a place, where we almost want to see others fall.  We often want to always maintain stern standards for others, so we can puff out our chests in comparison.  Sure, Cam Newton wouldn’t and shouldn’t win a sportsmanship award, the reality of this though is it makes him more authentic of the normal human experience rather than less.
The thing about the temptation story for today is it does indeed showcase the contrast between Jesus and us.  When something goes wrong in our life, for many of us it has to be someone else’s fault because otherwise we might have to face the fact that we all know what it feels like to be on the losing end of the spectrum[5].

We are an imperfect church, made for imperfect people.  
  
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”-Matthew 5:48
We often think this is what Christian living is supposed to look.  We often tend to think of Christianity as we believe of much of the rest of life regarding how much we should weigh, how much hair we should have, how much sportsmanship we should exhibit. 

The truth is as we reflect upon the 40 days of temptation in the wilderness is that we, are not God.  Our actual spiritual identity can often frustrate because as soon as we admit that we are not God then we accept that there are areas of life that we cannot control that will always contain degrees of mystery and ambiguity[6].

Social Worker Brene Brown comments[7] “Perfectionism is not about striving to be our best.  Perfectionism is not about healthy achievement and growth; it’s a shield”.  Perfectionism will ultimately not protect us from the realities of life such as grief, pain, blame, and judgment.  What perfectionism rather does is turn all of one’s focus inward, when it rather should be focused outward. 
Perfectionism leads one’s soul to all sorts of horrible anxiety.  Perfectionism will ultimately destroy us because it is impossible leading to either pride or despair[8]. 

Let me tell a story this one involves my Grandma.  Grandma would always give unwanted Christmas presents.  One time when I was in 7th grade, Grandma bought me some Barney the Purple Dinosaur slippers.  No 7th grader could own such a thing was what I thought.  I was going to be the laughingstock of the whole school if the other kids found out that I had such an uncool thing in my wardrobe.  I had to make a big show of throwing these in a waste-basket that was in the living room of her house.  Grandma to her credit at my temper tantrum merely laughed off this incident.  My outburst highlighted the problem with how a lot of us ultimately deep down view our God.  We think we need some of the chart “spiritual cool” factor like we’ve never left middle school.  We can never get out of our head that we’re not quite enough and can never quite come to grasp that God’s grace and mercy for actual people like Cam Newton and us. 

I think the problem with so much religious thinking is an obsession regarding what God might think about us if he truly knew our secrets and our pain.  The great spiritual hope that we encounter on this day is that God declared us to be worthy through his temptation, God has said that imperfect people are worthy of grace and mercy[9].  We may feel helpless, we may struggle to admit our powerlessness, we might struggle to come to terms with our woundedness, yet as Jesus rejects and overcomes the devil’s power on this day, he is ultimately pointing the way to our eventual healing. 

At the root or the center of the imperfect church is confession.  Lent, which we began on Wednesday, is a season of saying to God “This is who I am.”  Lent brings to my mind the famous Prayer of the Tax Collector[10], who like Cam Newton was so distraught about himself that he could barely speak as he began to mouth the words “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
 
Looking back, we all have regrets in life.  I didn’t play Basketball my junior or senior year of high school.  I figured that it wasn’t worth the time or effort that I previously put into it.  Whether I played or not wasn’t going to make too much of a difference to the final win total.  A few weeks ago, Michael Fisher joined the 1,000 point club for the Mariners got written up in the North Shore Journal and Chronicle.  I might have been able to make the 100 point club.

The regret that I have is I stopped doing something that I enjoyed that I will never have the opportunity again because I was too consumed with how success should look.  For me, it wasn’t just enough to stay in shape and enjoy being part of the team, to be a part of something bigger than myself.  We cannot limit ourselves on this day to how God might be pointing us to his Gospel even in the midst of our imperfection.     

Our Gospel reminds us on this day is you will not be judged for the rest of your life because of whatever mistakes that you might have made in the past.  We remember above all else that we continually gather not as a museum for saints, but rather as a hospital for sinners. 

There is something that we can say in closing about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.  Jesus could have figured it’s not worth it; they are not worth it.  Jesus’ ministry though was about grace, not judgment.  Jesus was seeking to claim people for who they are faults and all.   We are members of an imperfect church, made for imperfect people, who will soon be declared to be “worthy” through God’s perfect grace.  Amen
 

[1] Luke 4:1-13
[2] Lewis, Karoline. “Filled With the Holy Spirit”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 7.Feb.2016. Web. Feb.9.2016. 
[3] Espenshed, Howie. “Cam Newton: Show Me a Good Loser and I’ll Show You a Loser-An Ash Wednesday Reflection”. MBird. 10.Feb.2016. Web. Feb.11.2016. 
[4] Really powerful reflection that I came across written by Trish Rohr entitled “Cam Newton. Still a Role Model?” posted on Feb.8.2016 on Trish Rohr.com
[5] Espenshed, Howie. “Cam Newton: Show Me a Good Loser and I’ll Show You a Loser-An Ash Wednesday Reflection.”
[6] Brown, Brene. “Want to be happy? Stop trying to be perfect.”CNN.Com. Atlanta. 29.Nov.2010. Web. Feb.9.2016 taken from Zahl, David “The 20-Ton Shield of Perfectionism”. Mockingbird Online
[7] Brown, Brene. “Want to be happy? Stop trying to be perfect.”
[8] This is a correlation of perfectionism and spiritual growth as laid out by my mentor Meg Madsen.
[9]The ideas of perfectionism and worthiness are influenced by Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.
[10] Luke 18:9-14

First Lesson: Exodus 34: 29-35
Responsive Reading: Psalm 99
Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 3: 12- 4:2
Gospel Lesson: Luke 9: 28-36, (37-43a)

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
The big news story this week was the Iowa Presidential Caucus and the official start of the 2016 Presidential race.  One thing that I’ll notice about candidates in the race is that they are always invoking the past.  Presidential candidates want people to believe they will revive some image of past greatness.  We need another Reagan or Roosevelt they say to lead us out of the times that we’re currently in.  Great things happened in the past. 

This year on Christmas Eve, I was talking to a couple of congregation members who were reflecting upon the hardship of going home with a spouse no longer around.  In instances like this, you can’t blame people for wanting to recreate the past.  Live again in what seemed to be the happiest days of one’s existence.  We all have moments from the past that if we could only recreate that we believe could shape us forever.

Today’s Gospel lesson from Luke contains an important tale of Jesus’ ministry[1].  Jesus, Peter, James, and John go up to a mountain to pray.  This seemingly ordinary occurrence quickly becomes transformed into something else.  Jesus starts shining, and then Moses and Elijah appear upon the scene.

Moses and Elijah would have been any good first-century Jew’s Reagan or Roosevelt.  Moses led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, parted the Red Sea, and received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.  Elijah called down fire from Heaven, raised the dead, and ascended to heaven in a whirlwind.  Here were Peter, James, and John coming to terms with past glory. 

When I was in high school, my Dad and I took a vacation to California to see my aunt where we attended the U.S. Men’s Senior Open golf tournament at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.  I had been to golf tournaments before in Minnesota where there would always be fifty-thousand people.  Being near Hollywood though attending a golf tournament was different as for California golf fans being around celebrities was common.  So there was hardly anyone at the golf course for a practice round.  So we see Jack Nicklaus. 

Nicklaus, who many consider being the greatest golfer of all time, casually walks over to us when we call out his name like encountering a long-lost friend at the local golf course.  There’s a picture hanging in my Dad’s office in Lindstrom of Jack Nicklaus with his arm around me.  Soon after seeing Jack Nicklaus, we see Arnold Palmer.  We see Palmer’s legendary charisma on display as he chats us up for like five minutes.  As we’re waiting for a ride out of the Riviera Country Club, Palmer drives off in his Cadillac and waves to us.  My Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus story wouldn’t have even begun to describe the experience of Peter, James, and John on this day as their faith heroes who had long been dead were now standing before them.  Such a sign would have been interpreted that their faith was really working.  The only problem is that such signs can be misleading. 

When I go around visiting with people, I’ll often hear people invoke the “glory days” of this congregation[2].  Pews filled Sunday morning, parents making sure they register their children for “Sunday School” early, and all sorts of young people coming to coffee hour.  You know the type of church that seemingly has a limitless future.  We all dream of being a part of a church like this.  You see the very mission of the church and we can see how it doesn’t operate quite like the world works. 

The world expects only to see God through dramatic signs such as transfigurations, whereas God never works according to our standards.  People say if God is actually present in my life then all sorts of excellent stuff will happen to me.  I will have the perfect spouse standing alongside me, I will have the well-paying job that I love, and we would be watching the Vikings play in the Super Bowl later this afternoon.  I shall never experience ill-health, loneliness, or any anxiety; if God were to work according to my standards then things will finally be right with the universe.  

A few weeks ago, we had the billion dollar Powerball Jackpot.  We were talking about it at the school gym and what would we do if we won all that money?  People were sharing their daydreams about giving money away, what they would do for their friends or how they would finally purchase a rocket ship to keep in their backyard.  Such an event touches on the great human dream of how would we respond if everything changed tomorrow.  We all want that payoff to our big struggles. 

My good friend Carl absolutely loved seminary.  He always loved being around to people to debate new ideas.  He delighted in never having to eat alone.  So Carl moves to Brookston and doesn’t quite know what to make of it.  Seminary can never fully prepare you for 5 AM phone calls, family squabbles, or having to grind out a sermon week after week. 

My Colleague Pastor Brostrom over at Faith Lutheran always jokes about how one of his favorite reality TV shows is called Preachers of LA.  These preachers are living large, and live such exciting lives that they end up on cable TV.  The lives these preachers live are not the marks though of a successful Christian. 
I have a friend who is a Female Pastor in the Northeast she struggled with doing weddings for the longest time, as she kept having bad date after bad date.  She began to grow conflicted over how God might ultimately be working in her life.  We all go through life wanting that which we do not have.  We all yearn for the life-changing moment whether it be that magical first date, receiving the glamorous job offer, winning the lottery or seeing your faith come to fruition before your very eyes. 

Here Peter, James, and John were having one of these big moments.  The moment though could not last.  The truth is there is a lot of distance in this life between the top of the mountain and entering the holy city.  We can not measure this distance in mere miles.  You see it is in the midst of preaching our good news, we can begin to see that the past shall not be what defines us a people.  God cannot and should not be about creating our ideal world.  God shall rather be about creating the world that we can not even begin to imagine. 

Humorist P.J. O Rourke once said the following “If you think that, in the past, there was some golden age of pleasure and plenty to which you would, if you were able, transport yourself, let me say one single word “dentistry[3].”

We do not and cannot look at the past as Christian people.  Jesus had to instruct Peter, James, and John that this earth-shattering moment with Moses and Elijah could not last forever because their faith was so much more.

My Dad and I were one time on a family vacation out in Banff, Alberta.  We decided we were going to go for a hike to the top of a mountain with a Gondola.  The only problem was what we thought was a hiking trail, wasn’t a hiking trail.  We soon had to start climbing and scrambling being cautious with nearly every step.  I’ve probably never been more nervous in my life until the moment we finally see another hiker and reach safety.

You see this is an apt metaphor for life.  Life is mostly spent fighting, clawing, surviving, and advancing.  The real neat thing about our story for today isn’t Jesus appearing alongside Moses and Elijah.  Nor instead is it Jesus clothes shining brighter than the sun. 

Instead, something much cooler happens.  Jesus goes down the mountain; he encounters a boy having epileptic seizures, who falls into a fire burning himself[4].  This boy starts out with every sort of nasty chain that one can imagine: social ostracism mixed with psychological torment[5].  What starts out as an awful story shows us the way of redemption.  Jesus healed the boy when it was thought for years before to be impossible.  The eyes of the Christian faith are never on the mountain top, but always looking downward towards Jerusalem towards the cross.  We are above all else a people of Resurrection.  We are a people of hope!

I came across a great quote by Timothy Keller this week which says “The opposite of joy is not sadness. It’s hopelessness[6]”

We are a people who believe that what lies ahead in the future will outshine anything that the Disciples see on the mountain top of Transfiguration on this day.  “Rise and Have No Fear[7]” is the key verse that Jesus speaks to the Disciples within this passage.  Jesus knew that the days, weeks, and years ahead were going to contain some scary moments for the Disciples.  Moments of loneliness, moments of uncertainty, and moments where they might doubt God’s plan for it all. 

The great struggle as Christian people is exploring the meaning of these moments.  What these moments shall remind is that life shall not be whole once again going backward, life shall only become whole once again moving forward. 

We don’t need another Reagan or another Roosevelt.  We rather need a reminder of the hope of Resurrection that is to come.  Amen
 
 
[1] Luke 9:28-43
[2] Lewis, Karoline. “Dear Working Preacher: No Ordinary Mountain Top”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 31.Jan.2016. Web. Feb.2.2016.
[3] The O’Rourke quote comes from All the Trouble in the World.
[4] Luke 9:28-43
[5] Lewis, Karoline. “Dear Working Preacher: No Ordinary Mountain Top”.
[6] The following quote appears on Keller’s Facebook page on February 5th, 2016. 
[7] Matthew 17:7 or the Matthew account of Transfiguration.