First Lesson: Isaiah 43: 16-21 Responsive Reading: Psalm 126 Second Lesson: Philippians 3: 4b-14 Gospel Lesson: John 12: 1-8 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
I want to tell you the story this morning of the most dramatic events that I have ever witnessed. I was at a Basketball game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks at Target Center. I couldn’t tell you who won this game. But I will always remember what I saw on that night. During one of the timeouts, the Timberwolves mascot Crunch was standing in the middle of the court staring at a giant, wrapped box. What was inside the box? I had no idea at the time. When out of nowhere came running in Bango the Buck the Milwaukee Bucks mascot. Bango grabs the box and runs off with it in the process being chased by the Timberwolves mascot Crunch. Pretty soon, Bango and Crunch are out of sight. Half a quarter or nearly fifteen minutes of time passes without a resolution. All of sudden, flashing lights come strolling down upon Crunch chasing Bango throughout the arena still carrying a giant box. Bango soon stops and pushes Crunch down a flight of steps. Bango stops in front of a young woman. Bango gets down on one knee. Bango takes off his head. You can all guess what type of ring was in the box. Now people could ask all sorts of questions about this event. Was it necessary proposing this way necessary? Probably not. Was it practical or cheap? No. Are Bango and Mrs.Bango still happily married? I have no idea. All I know is that Bango the Buck was going to stop at nothing to take a bride. Today’s Gospel lesson is another tale of someone acting exuberant or a little bit nutty in the wake of the moment. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead. All sorts of people were excited about this as the news began to spread. Many came to believe in Jesus because of it, whereas others started to plot his death. So shortly after Lazarus’ raising, Lazarus, his two sisters (Martha and Mary) and Jesus sit down for dinner. What happened at this dinner would set the stage for Jesus’ ministry in the days ahead. There are two key characters in this interaction. The first character is Mary. We know a little bit about Mary from another prominent story in the Gospel of Luke[1] where Jesus had dinner at Mary and Martha’s house previously. What can we say about Mary is that she was a free-spirit, whereas sister Martha was a task-oriented doer. Mary was sensitive, a thoughtful listener, and a crier who people knew for her sheer emotion. When I picture Mary, I picture a hippie, real long hair, maybe some visible piercings, all sorts of tattoos, and someone who wasn’t going to live life by anyone’s rules. Mary especially didn’t care about the progress of her financial portfolio. Mary decides to do something kind of crazy as they gathered for dinner that night. Mary takes a pound of Nard ointment dumps it on Jesus’ feet and starts wiping his feet with her hair. Few things to know about Nard: Nard came from a plant way up in the Himalayan Mountains, Nard had to travel across Asia via camel, and Nard cost an average worker one year's wages to buy. Since women didn’t have much in the way of economic opportunity, Mary was probably pouring her life savings over Jesus’ feet. Now I understand Mary wanting to do something special for Jesus since he had raised her brother from the dead. There just had to be better ways though then to waste a pound of Nard on his feet? The thing about Mary is she dared to be different. Mary understood the Kingdom of God not to abide by worldly standards. Mary had every right to be excited beyond all rational thought. We know people like Mary. Mary’s non-sensible actions remind me of my favorite story about my grandma. One day Grandma was bored. Grandma looks out into the yard and sees a deer in the yard. Grandma thought the deer looked friendly enough. Grandma thought the deer looked like it might make a pretty good pet. So Grandma decides to lure with food the deer inside the house. In case you were wondering, deer don’t do really well inside houses for the deer soon grows hysterical in such tight confines. Grandma has to call the Game Warden to help get the deer back outside. Now I imagine the Game Warden leaving Grandma’s house that day thinking “What is this woman’s deal?” The Game Warden knew how a person was supposed to behave around animals. The Game Warden couldn’t make sense I imagine of Grandma’s behavior. I imagine the Game Warden was kind of like Judas Iscariot on this day. The other key character at the dinner party with Mary is Judas. Judas didn’t know quite what to make of Mary’s scene. I picture Judas as having the complete opposite personality as Mary. Judas was probably wearing a fine robe, well-groomed, and Judas appeared to be sensible in his decision making. Judas’ talent was in finance. Even Judas’ friends thought he was Mr. Uptight, who would never tell a joke. Judas’ reaction to Mary makes me think of my best friend from college named Cody. Cody was serious about his studies. They were always priority number #1. Cody in his junior year would ramble on and on about how one professor structured a test in his freshman year so that Cody only ended up with an “A-“. Cody would insist on wearing ties to college on tests day because he was the “money-player” who would not fail. Cody, as you can imagine, didn’t have a whole lot of tolerance for the Mary’s at Concordia College in Moorhead. Cody made snide remarks a time or two. So picturing people you know like Cody, imagine their reaction to a scene such as this one with all sorts of expensive perfume being casually dumped on Jesus’ feet by a young woman rolling around on the ground. Here was Mary acting tacky like Bango the Buck was acting tacky. So Judas figures it’s his obligation to speak up witnessing the scene: “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”. Now we know Judas had ulterior motives when asking this question. No one can say that Judas’ question was not the right question to ask. Certainly there were more practical uses of money than what Mary was displaying. Judas wasn’t wrong to point this out. Last week, we looked at the most famous of Jesus’ parables in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Older Brother was like Judas being reasonable. The Father was being unreasonable. The thing that Judas was not grasping at this moment in time about Jesus ministry is Grace is never reasonable. Grace is not about being right. Grace is not about being practical. Grace is not about abiding by any book whatsoever. Phillip McLarty recalls the story of the Crim Family, who lived in the town of Kilgore during the Great Depression[2]. Times were tough for everyone in Kilgore and any money was tough to find. The Crim’s owned the General Store in Kilgore, where everyone shopped and decided the only way to eventually save the business was to start extending credit for goods. The credit was good news for the folks in Kilgore, but everyone, including the Crim’s, kept going deeper and deeper into debt[3]. Finally, one day the Crim’s receive life-changing news no different then Mary finding her brother alive, or Bango the Buck getting a “yes’ to his marriage proposal. The Crim’s received word that oil had been discovered on their property. The Crim Family was never going to have to worry about money ever again. The Crim’s were every Sunday in church Presbyterians. The Crim’s decide that this event was going to serve as an opportunity to proclaim their faith to the people of Kilgore. The Crim’s decide to call a meeting for all of their customers to meet at the general store at 8 AM on Saturday morning. Word spread throughout Kilgore. People were nervous thinking that the Crim’s were going to seize now everyone’s property in town. Just like Jesus was merely expected to mourn at Lazarus’ grave. So Saturday morning, the meeting starts. The older brother, Malcolm Crim begins to speak. In Malcolm’s hands was a box containing everyone’s charges. Malcolm begins by announcing the good news of discovering oil. The Crim’s had more money than they were ever going to need, so everyone’s debts were now canceled, and prosperity would soon come back to Kilgore thanks to the Crim’s oil[4]. Everyone’s was ecstatic on this day. In fact, they were so ecstatic that they would have dumped Nard on Malcolm Crim’s feet in celebration. You see Mary had just received the best news that she would ever hear. Lazarus was alive! Mary was now a believer in the Resurrection. Mary was no longer going to view the world in practical terms; Mary had been given a new hope as she embraced her previously departed brother. Judas saw this event at dinner differently. Judas was angry that Jesus was celebrating alongside Mary. Certainly Jesus could have associated with a better crowd then this reckless, borderline hysterical named Mary. I imagine Jesus’ smiling the whole time upon seeing Mary’s joy after having seen the power of Resurrection within her life. You see the next week was going to change everyone’s lives for Jesus, Judas’ and Mary. Jesus was preparing for his burial. Judas was beginning to see Jesus’ reckless generosity as foolishness, so he would soon betray him. Mary would soon witness a Resurrection once again! Amen [1] Luke 10:38-42 [2] McLarty, Phillip. “Holy Extravengence”. Lectionary.org. 2004. Web. Mar.7.2016. [3] McLarty, Phillip. “Holy Extravengence [4] McLarty, Phillip. “Holy Extravengence.” First Lesson: Joshua 5: 9-12 Responsive Reading: Psalm 32 Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21 Gospel Lesson: Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Tullian Tchividjan tells the following story in his book One Way Love[1]. A woman came into his office for counseling in the wake of her divorce. The woman was mad at her ex-husband, her anger was so consuming that it affected every relationship in her life even with her children. In this woman’s defense, she had every reason possible to be mad. Her husband was a real jerk! He had treated her terribly throughout the course of her marriage and then abandoned her when she was particularly vulnerable. Tchvidjan, as he sits back hearing this, decides to ask whether there was any possibly of forgiveness[2]? “Forgiveness” the woman sneered, “He would never ask for forgiveness.” “And even if he did ask for it, I would never grant it.” The woman finally gave a tiny softening in her stance as she says “Maybe if he really changed to the point that I believed that he was a totally, different person then and only then could we talk. “We are only supposed to forgive those who are truly sorry. That’s how God works[3].” Plenty of people think this way about how God works. God can only act after he’s seen the signs of transformation. God can only act once the one-hundred pounds of sin have been lost permantenly from one’s lives. Jesus is speaking to people like this today. You see Jesus is hearing complaints about his ministry. Jesus is hearing that he’s attracting the wrong kind of crowd: tax collectors and prostitutes along with all sorts of other questionable sinners. Jesus is hearing all sorts of doom and gloom scenarios about what might happen if they keep taking over the faith. Let me suggest something this morning. Perhaps the issue this morning doesn’t lie with the tax collectors and prostitutes perhaps the problem lies with those who believe they can never be a part of the community ever again. I want to tell you this morning the story of the Peterson Family from Saint Olaf, Minnesota[4]- Papa Peterson, the older brother Ed Peterson, and the younger brother Jacob Peterson. Papa Peterson was a banker and the definition of a prim and proper man. Papa Peterson never had a hair out of place on his head, the top button of his shirt was always buttoned, and he would never dare to show excess enthusiasm. Papa Peterson’s personality was thought to be stiff. Papa Peterson was a kind and loving father who would do anything for his children. When Jacob Peterson was growing up, his father was his hero. As Jacob grows up he starts wanting to fit in with the kids at school. Their approval soon becomes more important than Papa Peterson’s. Jacob got lousy grades in school. Jacob would never come home on time. Jacob started using substances for recreation. Jacob had even gotten arrested a time or two during his high school years. Papa Peterson never lost his cool with Jacob; Jacob could see the pain in his father’s eyes whenever he faced him. Finally one day Jacob had enough of Saint Olaf and everyone that he knew there. Jacob was going to leave town forever. If only Jacob could be free from Papa Peterson, then he could have some real fun! Jacob marches up to his father shouting “I hate this town, I hate you, and I never want to see you again.” Jacob in arrogant, even hostile fashion demands that his father gives him his share of the estate early. Jacob basically tells his father to drop dead! Older brother Ed is watching this scene play out before his eyes. Ed Peterson was the model son. A star athlete who was a 4.0 student throughout school, Ed had come back from college to help and eventually take over for Dad at the bank. Ed had a great head of hair and a beautiful and polite blonde haired and blue eyed wife. No one in Saint Olaf could dare say a bad word about salt of the earth like Ed Peterson. Ed was outraged watching Jacob tell his father off. Ed was hoping to see his father snap at his brat of a son. Papa Peterson calmly gets out his checkbook, writes Jacob a check that will take care of him for life and watches Jacob storm out the door. Jacob Peterson moves to Minneapolis. Jacob rents a fancy apartment, buys a fast car, and parties with his friend’s day and night (drugs, gambling, booze, and girls). Jacob was glad to be away from the boring town of Saint Olaf and his uptight father. Jacob’s good times could not continue. Heroin was the drug of choice. Pretty soon, hundreds of thousands of dollars was wasted. Jacob was broke by the needle. Jacob soon has to give up his apartment. Jacob soon finds himself sleeping on the street on a cold, Minneapolis night. Jacob Peterson spent years thinking how cool he was, now he was hungry, and he was lonely. Might anyone help Jacob Peterson then he began to think about Saint Olaf? Jacob knew that both his dad and brother were big deals there. Papa Peterson had retired, and Ed was now running the local bank. The family pets had more food back in Saint Olaf then Jacob currently had. Jacob believed that his life could never be what it once was. Jacob hoped that maybe his family would take pity on him; perhaps he could help scrub the toilets down at Ed and Papa’s bank. Jacob decides to try to make contact back home in Saint Olaf. Jacob finds phones to call back home. The first two times, Jacob calls he doesn’t get an answer. The third time, Jacob leaves the following message “Dad, I’m taking a train back to Saint Olaf”. The train will get in at 3 AM tomorrow night. The train will stop for ten minutes after that. It continues to Fargo after that. I can either stop in Saint Olaf or continue along the way. I fully understand if you never wanted to see me again. I just thought that you should know. As Jacob hops aboard the train, he was fully expecting never to see either his father or brother ever again. The towns become increasingly familiar to Jacob at every stop along the way. Jacob soon looks at his watch and sees 2:45 in the morning. The sights that Jacob was seeing kept getting more and more familiar until he sees the Saint Olaf train station out of the corner of his eye. Jacob saw a light inside the station. Jacob was fully expecting to see it dark, he looked and saw familiar faces. He saw the neighbors from down the street; he saw his cousins, and he even saw a few friends from high school. Jacob didn’t see either Papa or Ed. Finally, the train stops in Saint Olaf, the doors begin to open, and standing on the track was Papa Peterson. Papa Peterson though looked different. Papa Peterson’s hair looked frazzled; his shirt was untucked, and his socks didn’t even match. But as soon as Papa Peterson saw Jacob, he threw his hands way up in the air and ran towards him shouting “My Son, My Son.” Everyone inside the train station comes out its doors. Papa Peterson and Jacob begin to embrace. Jacob dares to try to apologize for all that he had ever done and said. Only Papa Peterson kept cutting him off, saying that “the death of our relationship was in the past; now we celebrate its resurrection.” As both men, simetousley shed tears of joy. Ed Peterson could not attend Jacob’s return. Ed was mad. Ed thought that Papa was being a foolish, old man. Ed had spent years plotting how he would tell Jacob off if he ever saw him again. Jacob didn’t deserve forgiveness! Jacob had told the kindest man that he would ever know to drop dead! Ed wanted nothing to do with this party in Jacob’s honor. He was going to deny that Jacob was his brother if anybody asked. Finally a few days pass, Ed was going to confront his father before facing his brother. At the very least, Jacob needed to help himself before Papa should help him. How could you forgive him Ed asked Papa? To which Papa said, “If we only forgive those who can change their ways according to our standards, then we would live in a world without love, grace, or ultimately salvation. The thing about love is that it will always be reckless, always be generous, and in many cases love will be uncomfortable. What was once lost has now been found[5].” Ed Peterson was right about his younger brother. His younger brother was a reckless jerk. Jacob Peterson had indeed gotten all the breaks. Ed Peterson had done everything as according to the book as a person could. What Ed Peterson failed to grasp was the ways that Resurrection can change the world. We think the way that the world ultimately works through lecture and achievement. Ed Peterson is the only reasonable thinking person in this whole story, but the thing about Resurrection is that it is never reasonable. Resurrection is about taking what is dead lying in the grave and bringing it back to life. The Parable of the Prodigal Son brings the whole Christian faith into perspective. The Prodigal Son draws parallels with Infant Baptism in that reminds us that it is when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable do we see the way of the cross[6]. Infant Baptism reminds us that there is nothing that we can do to accept or believe. The thing that stands out so much about the Father’s response to the Son is that there were no steps between forgiveness and resurrection. Our God truly does welcome the infants, the lowly, sinners, losers, the victims, the outcasts and the prodigal sons those who ultimately can not help themselves[7]. Amen [1] The following comes from an article entitled “Lecturing the Prodigal Son(s) in the NY Times” written by Zahl, David and Will Mcdavid published on Mockingbird (MBIRD.COM) on Feburary 20, 2014. [2] The story comes from Tchvidijan’s book One Way Love. [3] The following is a paraphrase of Tchvidijan’s story [4] The inspiration for this story comes in a few different places. The majority of the story is based on a Phillip Yancey article from Christianity Today found in his book What’s So Amazing About Grace?. The illustration comes from a Tim Zingale sermon entitled “The God of Unmatched Shoes” written in 2007 found on Sermoncentral.com [5] Luke 15:32 [6] The connection between the Prodigal Son and Infant Baptism comes from Robert Farrar Capon’s Kingdom, Judgment, and Grace found on page 297. Eerdman’s Publishing. Grand Rapids, MI. 2002. [7] The following quote comes from Pastor Donavon Riley’s Facebook page on March 1st, 2016. It’s based on a quote by Preston Sprinkle “God rescues sinners, losers, and victims those who can’t help themselves.” 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.
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. First Lesson: Jeremiah 1: 4-10 Responsive Reading: Psalm 71: 1-6 Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13 Gospel Lesson: Luke 4: 21-30 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
The great truth of human existence is that we all want love in our lives. We want a spouse that we love, children that we love, a church that we love, and neighbors whom we love living next door. If everyone wants love why is it so hard to find? The truth is love would be easy if everyone were patient, kind, and self-controlled. Love would be easy if people always practiced responsible lifestyle decisions. Love would be easy if people were to be considerate of other people’s feelings even when they are angry. Love would be easy if we never encountered any people in our lives without any problems. I could ask for a show of hands this morning if the people that you are called to love are always easy to love. I guess very few hands within this room would go up. Where we as Christian people often misunderstand love is thinking of it as an emotion, rather than a way of life. Sure it’s easy to say that you “love” your bride looking radiant walking down the aisle on a wedding day. Love is much tougher though when you’ve had your fourth major argument of the week and gone storming off into your room in the seventeenth year of one’s marriage. Today’s epistle reading is one of the most famous scripture passages in all of Christianity known as the “love” chapter from 1st Corinthians 13. I’ve told the story of the Corinthians before. The Corinthian’s were a church in conflict. The Corinthians had divisions between the “old guard” and “new guard”. The Corinthians had divisions between those who were loyal to their former preacher and congregation founder Paul and those who were loyal to their young, charismatic preacher who had grown the church by leaps and bounds in Apollos. People said that Paul was boring, whereas Apollos was considered to be more of an entertainer than a preacher. The Church in Corinth was probably not unlike a lot of other congregations in their divisions: people said nasty things about each other, people’s pride forced them to dig in their heels, and no one was going to relent until things ended up being their way in the end. So Paul writes a letter known as 1st Corinthians as a way to helpfully bring guidance to the dispute in the midst of some many different personalities coming together. So the most famous passage from 1st Corinthians known as the “love chapter” had nothing to do with weddings, but rather everything instead to do with nasty, bloody church fights. So how does Paul understand Love? The love chapter is worthy of further reflection this morning by looking at some of its key phrases. Love is patient[1]: I’ll always hear people say to my parents “Aren’t you proud to have a son who is a minister?” The truth is that is much more going on underneath the surface than what you see today. As I’ve talked about before, I do not get here without my parents’ patience. When I’m in 8th grade, there were days at Chisago Lakes Middle School that I barely made it through any classes without being kicked out on account of being disruptive. My study habits and focus were poor even for a fourteen-year-old boy. They figured that I would implode in public education, and I had close friends whose lives have ended up in some dark places. I end up at Chisago Lakes Baptist School; they were going to rightfully throw me out until I made a last-ditch plea to the Principal Bob Eiseman. I remember my Mom one morning telling me that my Dad laid in bed crying last night not knowing what might happen to you. Even at the end of high school, the journey with trying my parent’s patience was far from over. Seminary was not easy. There were nights that I figured going into the ministry was nothing other than a terrible life decision. If it weren't for my parents’ patience encouraging me to stick with a career in the ministry, someone else would be standing before you this morning. I’m sure there were plenty of nights when they wished that I got my act together sooner. Patience is a hard attribute to possess because it requires us to acknowledge that not everyone is going to go through life according to your expectations[2]. The reason that patience is so important as Christian people is that God’s plans for someone’s life don’t often take place over the course of days, but rather they often take place after years of struggle and grace. Patience is important because we never know when resurrections around us might take place. Love is kind[3]: I want to tell you the story of Scott and Melissa[4]. Scott and Melissa met through online dating. Scott worked in nursing home administration; Melissa was a school-teacher. Melissa was also a single mom with two young children at home. Scott and Melissa start chatting online, they develop a bit of rapport, and they agree to go on a date. Scott had a busy week, but he arranged for the chance to have dinner with Melissa a few hours away on a Friday night. The date didn’t go well! Melissa’s nerves were evident. The first twenty minutes consisted of Scott receiving nothing more than one-word answers. When Melissa finally began to open up the conversation was forced. Scott and Melissa for whatever reason just didn’t click. Scott realized something about Melissa within their conversations. Melissa had been burned by other men in the past: men that were substance abusers and men that made Melissa feel worse about herself every single day. Melissa had trust issues and justifiably so. So Scott and Melissa’s date ends with an awkward tap on the forearm. Most people would never communicate with each other, again. Scott though had different ideas. Scott decides to write Melissa the following Monday highlighting all the attractive qualities that she had as a person. Melissa was taken back as she had looked from kindness her whole life from likely sources but found it in an unlikely source of a bad date. We often misunderstand “kindness”. One of my favorite books is Evolutionary Psychologist Robert Glover’s No More Mr. Nice Guy. Glover’s hypothesis is that the reason that people often act “nice” isn’t for good reasons but often reasons of pride. People will often merely act all “nice” to merit the approval of others when their response deep down inside is anything but nice. Nice guys are obsessed with what other people think about them, rather than living out the goodness of one’s convictions. Nice guys tend to be unhappy because people can sense their selfish motives. One time I went to see Grandma at the nursing home. Grandma tells one of the nurses that her outfit looks good. The nurse walks away when Grandma turns to me and says “I think that outfit is ugly.” The main point of today’s sermon is what Grandma did was not kind. Grandma said something to try to get the nurse to feel a certain way about her. Kindness would have been acknowledging that the nurse had a different sense of style than you do. Kindness would have been determining the other person’s self-worth in some other way than by their wardrobe. Here is what we don’t get about kindness. Kindness comes from a position not of weakness; kindness rather comes from a position of strength[5]. Kindness is the ability to extend grace and mercy when the other person is down on themselves. True kindness requires a totally flipping of the script of basic human relationships. Way too many human relationships go wrong when people believe that they have to win their relationships. They have to win a friendship or win a marriage. If one adopts this need to win relationship mindset, then the only guarantee in life is that all their relationships will be dysfunctional. What we often fail to remember as people of faith is that our self-worth is not defined by our accomplishments or comparison to others, rather our self-worth is determined by how we are all byproducts of God’s grace and mercy. Love does not dishonor:[6] Let me reflect briefly this morning on the Bible story from which Sychar gets it name, the story of the woman at the well.[7] Let's assume this woman at the well had grown up in a poor home. Mom had left; Dad never gave much in the way of affection. This woman as she grows up can only derive popularity from her looks. The problem is she never had good models for relationship skills. She hadn’t learned the way of love. She keeps getting married, again and again, only to see every marriage fall apart. This woman’s self-esteem keeps falling lower and lower. Finally after five husbands and a new boyfriend, she encounters Jesus. Jesus could have judged her like everyone else in the world judges her. She probably believed that she was dishonorable at this point in her life. She believes that her past would ultimately shape her present. Jesus confronted this woman with different ideas. Jesus told her that she was worthy of honor, whether she believed it or not. Jesus preached that everyone deserved grace at even the darkest points of their existence. The thing about being a preacher in a small town is that you tend to hear a lot of things. You hear when people are estranged from children, you hear stories about people’s temper. You hear stories about people’s drinking. You hear stories about people sleeping around. In my years as a preacher, I’ve heard all these things and had to plan funeral sermon in response. What do you say at times like these? Pastor Andy Stanley makes the following point[8]: ‘Think of the most valuable thing you own- for confirmation kids, it could be their smart-phone, for others it could be their home or their truck. For some, it might be a piece of jewelry. Think of the item that you would protect in a fire more than anything other’. The question needs to be asked, “Do we treat other’s emotional well-being the same way?” Do we seek to remember that even in the midst of the most heated arguments that who we are staring at is a beloved child of God? Who we might be arguing with is the biggest influence in the life of their child. The words that we speak to those around us can change lives long after we’re gone. To honor, someone is to treat them in the most charitable way possible. Luther in his explanation to the 8th Commandment declares “We should fear and love God that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him or give him a bad name, but defend him, speak well of him, and take his words and actions in the kindest possible way[9].” To put the best possible on someone else’s actions is one of the toughest callings of love. The following understanding of love might take someone years to grasp. “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me[10].” What these words mean is that love finds its basis, not in childhood fantasies; the calling to love is rather based on real-world realities[11]. One of the marks of real maturity in life is coming to accept that people out there will think different than you, they will act differently than you, and people will get on your nerves for every possible reason under the sun. These people are still worthy of love. Love cannot be a feeling that comes and go as the wind blows; love must rather be a calling or vocation that does not promise to be easy. Love is unnatural, because those around you will disappoint you, and you inevitably will disappoint others. There is no such thing as the right person to love whether a child, spouse, neighbor or friend[12]. Love cannot be separated from the extension of grace. Love above all us is sustained by forgiveness, understanding, and truth. The following type of love is God’s greatest gift to us as a people. Amen [1] 1st Corinthians 13:4a [2] Stanley, Andy. Love, Sex, and Dating. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing. 2014. Book. P.79 [3] 1st Corinthians 13:4a [4] Scott and Melissa aren’t a true story, but based on a true story of people I know and choose to conceal. [5] Stanley, Andy. Love, Sex, and Dating.P.80 [6] 1st Corinthians 13:5 [7] John 4 [8] Stanley, Andy. Love, Sex, and Dating.P.85-86. [9] Luther, Martin. Large Catechism. [10] 1st Corinthians 13:11 [11] Stanley, Andy. Love, Sex, and Dating. P.74 [12] The following idea is based on Andy Stanley’s chapter “The Right Person Myth”. Stanley, Andy. Love, Sex, and Dating. P.21-33 First Lesson: Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Responsive Reading: Psalm 19 Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a Gospel Lesson: Luke 4: 14-21 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
About a month ago, I was engaging in strategic planning for North Shore Area Partners. The presenter was a guy named Reid Zimmerman. Reid’s a former Lutheran pastor who now teaches nonprofit management at Hamline. Reid asked everyone in the room the following question “What would have to happen for North Shore Area Partners to accomplish its mission and shut its doors?” People were initially unsure how to respond to such a question. It seems obvious that there will always be senior citizens who long to stay independent and need help. For many this would be a tough question to engage. As I thought about the following, a vision of sorts popped into my head. What if every neighborhood in Silver Bay assumed a mindset of the need to help uplift the community most senior members? We have people in town doing this already, what if everyone in town embraced this mentality. What if people didn’t think of providing assistance as an obligation rather than an opportunity? Now many will hear my words and feel them to be incredibly far-fetched, this is the right reaction! Because we want always to be dreaming big when it comes to the world around us. So bringing Reid’s question closer to home, let me ask everyone here the following “How will our work as Sychar Lutheran Church be accomplished?” Could we ever get to a point where we feel that our mission as people is complete? The following reflection leads to one of the most common questions that I receive in the ministry, and that relates to sharing our faith. These struggles affect people as they wonder how exactly do I talk about my faith to my children, to my grandchildren, to my friends, and my neighbors. The natural instinct is that such efforts will fail because they have failed before. How do we speak about our faith to those closest to us? This leads us into our Gospel for today from Luke 4[1]. Luke 4 tells the tale of Jesus giving his first sermon at the synagogue in Nazareth. Jesus on this day is preaching a sermon to those at the place where he had gathered every Sabbath day for his whole life[2]. As the people see Jesus get up to attempt to speak, they didn’t know what to make of the scene. Here was Jesus on this day preaching to people who remember him running around as a ten-year-old-boy, preaching to his friends, and preaching to his neighbors. This was the spot where Jesus dared to give his first sermon. There was nothing unusual about the congregation in Nazareth. The synagogue in Nazareth probably looked like any other small-town congregation in Galilee. The congregation is filled with a mix of rich and poor, Roman citizen and devout Jew, healthy and sick, happy and distraught. I’m sure the Nazareth synagogue had its share of colorful characters. There was nothing unique about Nazareth to make it a special vessel for Jesus’ message[3]. So as Jesus begins, let’s be honest the congregation probably wasn’t expecting much. Jesus lacked any formal religious education, and he had been working as a common carpenter. This was how the people of Nazareth previously knew him. Jesus probably didn’t look like he would be much of a preacher. Then something amazing happened as Jesus began to preach. Jesus was able to read Hebrew well. Jesus was able to speak with poise and polish. Jesus then began to preach that all the scriptures they had previously heard would be fulfilled in his presence, and the congregation was amazed. Jesus had hit upon the greatest sermon that the people in Nazareth were ever going to hear. What was the secret of Jesus’ preaching making it so effective? Jesus was not merely quoting scripture, Jesus was proclaiming scripture which is vastly different. Jesus is connecting the scriptures to the life of his congregation. I can hear people this morning assuming they can’t preach like Jesus. This might be true. Preaching is not the key to evangelism. The key to evangelism is instead the ability to reach out to someone when they need it. The key to evangelism is connecting the reality of grace to people’s lives. Let me tell the following story from Huck Finn[4]. Huck’s dad was a drunk. One night Pap went all over town drinking, cussing, and carrying out till after midnight. Pap gets thrown in jail which was a relatively common occurrence. Things were going to be different though with this jail sentence. The new judge vowed to Pap that things were going to be different this time.[5] So the new judge took Pap and invited him into his home where he dressed him well and fed him some nice meals. The new judge saw Pap as something entirely different than the town drunk. Pap at seeing the judge’s behavior towards him finally breaks down. Pap admits to being ashamed to what he has become. Pap hoped the judge to point him towards a new way forward from his previous messed up existence. The judge had declared in Pap’s presence a declaration that Pap never thought he would hear. Pap is worthy to receive the good news! We all misunderstand evangelism. We misunderstand evangelism when we make it about our knowledge. Evangelism is rather about the ability to forge meaningful connections with people just like Pap, who need them. The calling of evangelism is to not to make people into perfect members of Sychar Lutheran Church, the calling of evangelism is to give people Jesus and allow them the opportunity to be a part of our supportive community of faith. There are people out there that have been struggling with trying to find every coping mechanism with the battlefield that we often call life. These people might not find love within their marriage; they might be estranged from their children, they might be uncertain about the future of their job. We all know these people. What these people long for is a community whose love is unconditional whether they believe it is possible or not. “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored all rejoice together with it.” -1st Corinthians 12:26 As Jesus is preaching on this day, his preaching goes way beyond those merely sitting in the synagogue in Nazareth; rather Jesus’ preaching extends to every single person within the community of Nazareth longing for hope. Too often, we see the church like we see the world. We see a world divided between Democrats and Republicans, a world divided between black and white, a world divided between Silver Bay and Two Harbors. These are the distinctions that Jesus is compelling us on this day to let go. Christ is not interested in our divisions, Christ is not interested in our excuses, rather Christ is interested in setting free those living with a paralyzing bondage as they go through their days. What people don’t need to hear today is a Jesus, who promises to make their lives easier[6], this is a quick fix to much a bigger issue. What people rather long to hear is that no matter what you hear in any sermon today, there is a much bigger picture of faith. The big picture of faith all centers on what is yet to come. We are not optimistic this morning by past results, we are rather optimistic by God’s big promises. I want to close this morning with a story[7]. The following is a story of a mother and a daughter[8]. Mom is currently in the hospital hooked to nothing but machines and totally unresponsive. Daughter is freaking out. The daughter would give anything at that moment for Mom to wake up and respond to her. You see the daughter needed mom in her life. The daughter needed an event such as this to admit it. The daughter as she saw her mom lying in a hospital bed came to admit how much she had failed and disappointed her mother over the years. The daughter recalled her years of teenage rebellion trying to fit into the world that didn’t know any better: drinking, smoking, piercings, and attempting to find approval in the wrong people. The daughter recalls taking every opportunity to tell her mom how awful she was. The daughter even cursed her mom for bringing her into this world. The daughter could see her mom breaking with nearly every word out of her mouth. Her mom’s response is significant. You see we as a people often greatly misunderstand love. Many people think of love as an emotion, we want to love others and have others love us. We assume that love should be easy and natural because of this. The thing about love is that it goes way beyond fairy-tales of human relationships. Love requires patience and self-control when people disappoint you and love require selflessness to bestow grace upon those who have fallen short[9]. So how did mom respond to her deadbeat daughter? Mom kept preaching “love” again and again[10]. Over and over and over. Daughter knew all the ways that she had disappointed mom, yet mom would not waver in her response. The daughter was now terrified as her one light in the midst of darkness began to flicker. The daughter needed her mom’s presence because of this more than she was ever going to admit. The story of the daughter mirrors many of our stories when it comes to things of faith. People often go through life not quite sure of what exactly it is they need without others to guide them. We have people from our congregation and community that come from a bad place this morning. These people are struggling with hurt, rejection, and disappointment. Plenty of people’s messes will come to our door. What shall our words be at times such as these, our words shall be that we do not judge you on this day because deep down inside we are a people of the resurrection. We believe connection is possible because our scriptures promise that “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come The old has gone, the new is here[11]! As long as people need to hear this message, we shall have a purpose as a people. We shall not gather here because we believe that we have the power to change ourselves into problem-free people, we rather gather here because we believe that Christ can change us by one-day making alive, what was once dead! Amen [1] Luke 4:14-21 [2] Harrisville, Roy. “Luke 4:14-21 :Commentary”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 24.Jan.2010. Web. Jan.20.2016. [3] Reese, Ruth Anne. “Luke 4:14-21 :Commentary”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 24.Jan.2016. Web. Jan.20.2016 [4] Bender, Micheal. “Bridging the Empathy Gap: Pap’s New Judge and a Man from Nazareth”. Mockingbird Ministries (MBird). 19.Dec.2013. Web. Jan.20.2016 [5] Bender, Micheal. “Bridging the Empathy Gap: Pap’s New Judge and a Man from Nazareth [6] Lewis, Karoline. “Dear Working Preacher: A Life-Changing Epiphany”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 24.Jan.2016. Web. Jan.20.2016. [7] Larkin, Lauren. R.E. “I Love You, Child, As I Have Been Loved”. Mockingbird Ministries (MBird)19.Jan.2016. Web. Jan.20.2016 [8] The full story comes from Fliss, Jennifer. “Blink If You Can Hear Me”. Brain, Child Magazine. 24. Nov.2015. Web. Jan.20.2016 [9] Merritt, Jonathan. “Andy Stanley gets surprisingly real about love, sex, and dating”. Religion News Services. 15.Jan.2015. Web. Jan.20.2016. [10] Larkin, Lauren. R.E. “I Love You, Child, As I Have Been Loved”. Mockingbird Ministries (MBird) [11] 2 Corinthians 5:17 First Lesson: Isaiah 62: 1-5 Responsive Reading: Psalm 36: 5-10 Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11 Gospel Lesson: John 2: 1-11 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Last Sunday afternoon, I was sitting in Minneapolis in six below weather for upwards of three hours. Twenty- some seconds left in the game, and it looked like everything would soon come to fruition as Vikings kicker Blair Walsh lined up to probably win the game. Disaster soon strikes as Walsh misses a kick that kickers make 99% percent of the time. The Lord’s name was invoked last Sunday in my presence, only the words spoken were not words of praise. Leaving the stadium and walking back to the car, I heard a barrage of cuss words that will not be topped in the next year no matter where I go or who I see. Hope and celebration had quickly turned to nastiest of pessimism. This week, at confirmation, I had kids who have grown up in Minnesota tell me how they knew that he was going to miss that kick because they were the Vikings. Was the outcome disappointing? Yes. Did I sit at my seat with my hands held on my head in silence for several minutes? Sure. But in the midst of a mere Football game came a sign of hope[1]. The hope came from a room of 1st graders at Northpoint Elementary in Blaine. The teacher saw a mortal man who cried after the game on Sunday struggling before the world. So she assigned her student’s letters as a way to teach about empathy and forgiveness. One student wrote “Dear Blair Walsh, I know that it can be hard to get through things that are sad. But you have to try and try again. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. One time I made a mistake when I was doing a cartwheel. I felt embarrassed. You can still help the Vikings win the Super Bowl next year. Your Fan, Sophia Doffin.” PS. You are the best kicker that I know[2]. The rest of the story is Blair Walsh this week visited that classroom of first graders, because they were will sticking by him in not only the ups, but also the downs of life. Whenever we proclaim grace whether we are in first grade or nearing one-hundred, we ultimately bring people hope. The tale of Blair Walsh and the first-graders brings us to Today’s Gospel. Today’s Gospel lesson is another story about bringing grace and hope in a time of despair. Our lesson comes to us from the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry as he performs his first miracle at the Wedding at Cana[3]. I want everyone this morning to reflect upon a few different things regarding this story. Point One: Where Jesus performed his first miracle. Cana was a small village. Archaeologists even today debate Cana’s location because of its puny size. Galilee the part of Israel where the miracle was performed would have been known as a backwoods/hick outpost. There was nothing extraordinary about this wedding. The wedding probably took place at a non-extraordinary venue like the Reunion Hall. We don’t even know the names of the people getting married because they weren’t in all probability either rich or powerful. The crowd at this wedding was made up of normal people. The people gathered on this day had seen God act only a certain way in the previous generations. They assume God was doing big things somewhere other then a wedding in their rinky-dink little town of Cana. They assumed God was only going to act in a far, away glamorous place like Jerusalem. They assumed that God might only act in the lives of the rich, the young, and the powerful. God had different ideas though as he went to the wedding on this day. The thing about weddings in Jesus’ day is that food and wine were served by a pecking order[4]. The best guests got the best wine. And on this day, the wine ran out. The people assumed that it was time to go home. Jesus had different plans though as he asked for ordinary jars of water so that he may turn them into the finest wine that these guests were ever going to receive. Point two: Jesus didn’t want to initially act. Jesus proclaims “My time has not yet come”. My belief is that Jesus had every intention of acting. He waited for someone to set the process in motion. Mary refuses to sit ideally by on the sidelines. The role Mary plays in this story is quite important. Mary was bold in this story. Mary stepped out. Mary risked rejection. Mary risked getting nowhere. Mary risked failure. Mary risked frustration. Mary risked banging her head against the wall. Mary realized something important about outreach though that it has the potential to change not only your life, but the lives of those around you. I have a friend from seminary named that I’ll call Ted. People didn’t always know what to make of Ted. Ted would get a bit rowdy from time to time. Ted was no stranger to getting embarrassed. People would often talk about Ted because of it. Ted goes through life not caring what other people think about him. Ted believes that what he has was worth selling. Eventually a girl comes to Luther Seminary that I’ll call Rebecca. Every guy at Luther Seminary wanted to date Rebecca. Rebecca was the total package: pretty, smart, and personable. Ted initially asks Rebecca out and gets nowhere. People would tell Rebecca all sorts of reasons to stay away from Ted. Ted remained calm because he believed himself to be a great catch. Rebecca eventually says “yes” to Ted. They get married and are both pastors in SW Minnesota. Think of how much Ted would have missed out on, if he embraced the defeatist attitude that everyone thought that he should embrace. Think how much we might miss out on in life if only assume things will go like they’ve gone before. Mary had never seen Jesus turn water into wine before this wedding, but this wasn’t going to stop her from asking. How might God be acting? What can we possibly do? These are the questions that come before us on this day? I’ve been in the news a bit as of late. Let me tell you what happened. Peggi Potter upon hearing about the idle at Northshore Mining wanted to act. The reality of mining is that it affects everyone who lives here even beyond those who work down there, it affects those who contract with the mine, it affects those who work with the city or the school, and it affects those who try to earn a living all over town. We all benefit from Taconite Tax. Peggi wanted to put on meals for the whole community during these uncertain times. My initial reaction was to try to say “no” because the challenge seemed way too large. I then realized that we cannot embrace the mindset of God necessarily acting like he’s always acted before. In the past few weeks, I’ve heard plenty of objections: how it’s never been done that way before, how people don’t need our help, how we much run out of food. The thing is every one of these critics might be right. The thing is the cost of inaction is often greater than the cost of action. You can go through life free of risk never saying anything to which people may object or even leaving the house. Big changes in life, only begin with big risks. Big changes only begin when we realize that God might not always act in our lives like he has before[5]. What the Wedding at Cana shows us is that wine doesn’t necessarily run out. How God’s grace is never going to be ordinary or occur by any sort of book. If a congregation is not creating new ways to reach the community around it, it will soon cease to influence the community in which it serves. Today we begin a new year of ministry as a congregation[6]. The mindset that I want us to adopt as a congregation that we need to think of what we can possibly be, rather than what we can’t be. Each of us is getting older, many of us have longed for change that we have been unable to witness. Yet what our story reminds us is that our God will respond to the needs of his people. As we look out to the community before us, there are all sorts of people on this day longing for connection. They are longing to hear a person say that I want to be a part of “your life”. They are longing for friendship, they are longing for grace, they are longing for forgiveness. There is not one person waking up in Silver Bay this morning that doesn’t want to see their life change for the better because they encounter the Christian Gospel. There is not one person on this day that does not yearn for resurrection. There is not one person on this day who does not desire to see God turn water into wine before their very eyes. What our community needs to hear on this day is that you do not go through life alone. Our God shall work in ways that might not always be evident based on what you see on the nightly news. In our lesson for today, Jesus hour had not yet come. I do believe that our hour has not yet come. There are two ways that we can look towards the future of the congregation on this day. We can look at it through our ages, we can look at it by how many of our friends have dyed off, we can look it at through decades of decline. I know my friend Ted from Seminary wouldn’t look at it this way though. Instead we could possibly see something different. We could see a God who attends weddings. A God who creates hope in the midst of despair. It is this God who stands alongside us on this day as we receive his heavenly supper. It is this God who creates miracles every day as sinners are embraced by the power of forgiveness. It is this God who brings us hope perhaps when we least expect it like those attending that Wedding in Cana on this day. Our God is bringing about all sorts of mini-resurrections as we wait the day of final resurrection. The great hope guiding us into the year ahead is that chances to impact lives will stand before us. Think of the one person you know who longs for people to support them as they go through life. I believe that miracles will take place among us as a people in the years ahead. We cannot even begin to imagine what these miracles might look like on this day. As long as we’re breathing, we will have the chance just like Blair Walsh to “kick it again”. Our God will keep pouring out upon us “grace” upon “grace”. Water will be turned into Wine. Amen [1] Sawkar, Vinetta. “First-graders offer Vikings Kicker Blair Walsh words of encouragement”. Minneapolis Star Tribune. 13.Jan.2016. Web. Jan.14.2016 [2] Sawkar, Vinetta. “First-graders offer Vikings Kicker Blair Walsh words of encouragement.” [3] John 2:1-11 [4] Perez, Alvarez, Eliseo. “Commentary on John 2:1-11”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 17.Jan.2016. Web. Jan.13.2016. [5] Lewis, Karoline. “Embodied Ephanies”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 17.Jan.2016. Web. Jan.13.2016. [6] This comes from the date of the 2016 Sychar Annual Meeting. First Lesson: Jeremiah 31: 7-14 Responsive Reading: Psalm 147: 12-20 Second Lesson: Ephesians 1: 3-14 Gospel Lesson: John 1: 1-18 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God[1].” How did this world come into existence? Who was in the room when the button was pushed creating light from the darkness[2]? The who pushed or helped push the button is the question that defines all religious discussion. Were there many Gods in the room as many ancient religions believe? Or was there just one God, the Father almighty who created light out of the darkness. Who was involved in the creation of the world is the question that defines all religion. Many people don’t get the Christian answer to this question. In the words of G.K. Chesterton, our God was not a “lonely” god[3]. This week in The Scroll, I wrote about the question of whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God? Why is this question an issue? Last week at Christmas Eve supper, I was asked my opinion about a Christian College Professor down at Wheaton in Illinois who was suspended for saying that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. This professor Larycia Hawkins defended her position by stating that Pope Francis said the same thing. The following discussion sparked a huge debate about religious tolerance, which I would like to reflect upon today. I believe as we reflect, we can begin by acknowledging some similarities between our faiths: Christians, Muslims, and Jews all believe God to be all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing. We believe that God, in theory, can hear the prayers of believers from within any faith tradition. These three religions draw their family trees back to Abraham. All three religions believe that God is ultimately a God of mercy, who on the last day will judge all mankind[4]. The Christian God is different though because he does not stand alone at the dawn of creation. The Christian God does not only live in heaven separated from his creation. The Christian God lived as an ordinary man. For Islam, the idea of God living as a person would be impossible. For Islam, the idea of God dying on a cross would be the epitome of weakness and foolishness, they would consider such a belief to be blasphemy. Islam does not believe in the Trinity of God in three (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), which is the fundamental defining belief of the entire Christian faith. I believe the discussion of the differences between religions should not stop here. All religions and cultures contain a degree of beauty. There are positive practices that we can acknowledge from all faiths. I would never say that all religions do not contain good and kind people who make excellent neighbors. When we say Christianity is unique, we don’t’ say it because we don’t take the calling to love our neighbor seriously no matter who they are or what they ultimately believe. One tendency that we often have in the world is to resort to a tribal mentality. We only wish to associate with those who think like us and believe like us. As I’ve talked about before I used to be quite heavy, probably weighing nearly 100 pounds more than I did today. I knew a woman in Seminary who one time joked that “If Stew only ate with people who agreed with me, then he would be skinny.” The truth is though I’d probably also be less wise. My fear is not that America becomes overwhelmed with followers of other religions, my fear is that we lose the conviction that our Gospel to matters to all who believe or who don’t believe. The Gospel ultimately saves. In the words of Chad Bird, when we say all religions, worship the same thing? Such a statement that expresses the idea that we don’t care what other religions believe[5]. When we seek to minimize or downplay our beliefs, this can be troublesome. A few years ago, I was on vacation in Las Vegas. I had some time to kill on a Friday, so I decided to drive up to Utah a state where I had never been. I go to Saint George, Utah. I figure being in Utah I should go to some Mormon sites just because that’s what you’re supposed to in Utah. So I visit the summer home of Brigham Young, who brought the Mormon people out to Utah. So I show up at this house and begin talking to the guide who asks me what faith that I am. To which I told her “Lutheran”, and she described us as “Brothers and Sisters in the faith.” So we start the tour, I was the only non-Mormon on the tour of about ten people. The sales job then begins to start. Pretty soon everyone else on the tour gets involved in the sales job. You might figure I would be annoyed by this; only I wasn’t. If the friendly Mormons believe that they have a spiritual truth that I need to hear as a way of fixing the problems in my life, I admire them for trying to share it with me. As we consider how we as Christians should respond to other religions all around us. We want to declare the uniqueness of our beliefs as an example of how far we are willing to go to preach the grace of a radical God. Perhaps the central question in distinguishing between religions has to do with the direction of God[6]. In all other world religions, people seek to bring forth their best efforts as a way of ascending into God’s presence. Muslims have very strict rules about eating pork or drinking alcohol. Following these observances would be mandatory for all believers. Whether one should eat pork or drink alcohol as a matter of health is not the issue, the issue is rather what we believe about the nature of God. The way the Christian interacts with the world is going to look different than the way that Islam interacts with the world. The reasons and motivations for a Christian interacting with the world around them are very different. As Christian people, we are called to action. The reason for this calling is very particular. In Christianity, we begin with the premise of freedom. Within Christianity you’re calling to be a banker, bus-driver, or beautician belongs to you and you alone. We are not required to do anything because it’s the way that we’ve done it before. Your path to God’s presence might not necessarily be Charlie’s path. There is no such thing as the uniquely Christian life. In Christianity, we act because we believe that Jesus’ words on the cross “It is finished[7]” to be real and effecting every moment of our existence. We are an imperfect faith made for imperfect people. Our Good Friend and my frequent supply preacher Dan Tabor works as a claim adjuster for State Farm Insurance. Dan says whenever he’s talking to people there’s always a certain phrase that makes him a bit nervous that phrase is “I’m a Christian”. The only scarier phrase according to Dan is “But I’m a pastor.” Dan’s point is people will often play the religion card as a way to run from all responsibilities for their actions. Mainly since Joe never goes to Church, but Bill does go to church then Bill must always be right. Being a Christian does not prevent Bill being wrong. Bill being wrong doesn’t make him a hypocrite though it makes him an imperfect Christian who is probably stubborn. I’m sure there are people here that know stubborn Christians. I’m sure there are even stubborn Christians within this church. The type of Christians who need to keep hearing about God’s grace and mercy again and again and again. The central Christian belief is the idea that Jesus Christ has come down from heaven to save the whole world from those in bondage to sin. “I have not come to condemn the world but rather save the world.”-John 3:17 Too often we get distracted by debates of which no certain resolution can come. Our energies should rather be focused out God’s grace and mercy upon a world that longs for it. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”- John 1:1 Everything that we believe as Christian people brings us back to the beginning itself. Today’s Gospel lesson comes to us from the start of the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel doesn’t begin with a claim of a virgin birth. John’s Gospel rather begins with a more dramatic claim! Jesus was there at the beginning. Jesus was present at the creation of the world itself. Our whole salvation story centers on what we believe about creation. Creation is essential to the world. Creation is essential to God’s plan to make the world whole once again[8]. This Sunday morning, we are “In the beginning” of 2016. A few of you have probably set goals or resolutions for the year ahead. Chances are the best of intentions to lose 20 pounds will quickly fall by the wayside. Our motivation to exercise will probably wane as it gets windier and colder outside. As I begin my 37th year on Earth, I’m getting ready to abandon the resolution of growing taller. The problem with all New Year’s resolutions is the people will often lack the will to carry them out because of what we cannot escape. The one prediction that I can make for the upcoming year ahead is that we will stumble an fall as people. The truth is that we will never be able to escape the events of the past year[9]. For some of these events, might be relationships that didn’t develop quite as hoped for or even came to end. For others, you face a time of uncertainty because of the mines. Many of us live in fear at the threat of terrorism. As we enter the Presidential year of 2016, there are probably very few politicians that people actually trust. The birth of 2016 does not change the reality of the previous year just as the Birth of Jesus was not going to change the realities of sin and death. Adam’s curse still reigns supreme. What every person in this room longs for on some level is a new beginning. Every person here probably has their hopes that they have for 2016. Our hope lies with Jesus being at the beginning with God. Jesus’ presence within our world will create new life within the year ahead. The good news of the Virgin Birth is that just as Christ Jesus came from heaven to earth, we too shall ascend from the grave to heaven. Our proof of this is the Resurrection. To realize how amazing the Resurrection that is to come will be, we need to go back to the beginning. We leave this place this morning with a promise. God is remaking our world[10]. God’s work is not determined by the journey from January 1st to December 31st though. Our hope instead centers about being born again in the waters of baptism and reborn as inheritors of eternal life. Our rebirth is taking what is dead in sin and making it alive, once again. The story we are in the process of living out on this day, all comes back to who is in control of the button. Our God has not stepped away from it. Our Lord remains present in this place as we receive his body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins on this day. Our Lord was there at the beginning, our Lord was there on the cross, and our Lord shall be present on the day of our resurrection that is to come. Amen [1] John 1:1 [2] Genesis 1:4 [3] Aglialoro, Todd. “Christians, Muslims, and the ‘One God’. Catholic Answers. 25. Mar.2013. Web. Dec.30.2015. [4] Aglialoro, Todd. “Christians, Muslims, and the ‘One God’. [5] Bird, Chad. “Most Religions Do Lead to the Same God”. Chad Bird. 28.Dec.2015. Web. Dec.29.2015. [6] Rivera, Juan. “Christianity and the other religions.” The Christian Nation.org 8. Dec.2015. Web. Dec.29.2015. [7] John 19:30 [8] Lewis, Karoline. “A New Genesis”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN, 27.Dec.2015. Web. Dec.30.2015 [9] Lewis, Karoline. “A New Genesis”. [10] Lewis, Karoline. “A New Genesis”. First Lesson: Isaiah 9: 2-7 Second Lesson: Titus 2: 11-14 Gospel Lesson: Luke 2: 1-20 Grace and Peace from Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
In the last nine months, everything in Mary and Joseph’s life had changed. First of all, Mary, a young girl of no more than fourteen, learns from the angel Gabriel that she will bear a child that she is to name “Jesus.” As soon as Joseph heard this news, he didn’t believe it to be so for Joseph thought Mary’s claims of virginity were nothing more than lies or excuses. Joseph took this news of a birth as an unpleasant shock. Joseph’s original wish was to divorce Mary[1]. Joseph only ceases his initial plan once an angel appears to him in a dream. Now Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a mere 90 miles away from Nazareth where they lived[2]. The trip was not going to be an easy journey. Whereas typical travelers could go 20 miles a day, this trip was going to be difficult 90 miles going uphill and downhill probably taking twice as long as average. The journey would take them along the flatlands of the Jordan River, into the woods where they dreaded encountering lions, bears, and boars. Even major roads ran the threat of encountering bandits and robbers. For Mary and Joseph, this was not going to be a safe nor comfortable journey to Bethlehem. There is no good reason that a pregnant Mary would want to travel to Bethlehem. In fact, they probably dreaded the journey. Mary and Joseph had no choice in the matter. The Roman government was forcing everyone to go back to their “official residence” to be counted. The Romans did this as a means of forcing every maximum dollar of tax revenue while also making sure that they had no shortage of troops on hand for the next battle. The Romans counted everything they could from the trees in the grove to the number of cattle owned[3]. Here were Mary and Joseph being forced to travel to pay for the right to be oppressed by the most unfriendly of governments. The announcement of the Roman Census would have been taken as anything but good news! Think of the feeling of the Doctor calling you into his office with the need to talk. The census would have seemed to have been the definition of an event out of which no good could come. The census would serve as a reminder of a conquered people seemingly powerless to change their surroundings. Mary and Joseph’s life had flipped in the past nine months and had no clue what the next nine months might bring. Christmas 2015 is a time of uncertainty for many within our community. Due to a crisis within the U.S. Mining industry, many do not know where or if paychecks might come some months from now. We face uncertain times as a community as we can easily say that the downside is much higher than the upside. This uncertainty lies over all of us. Uncertainty was what faced Mary and Joseph on this night. The night of Jesus’ birth was not going to be an easy night. The night was anything but warm or comfortable. Here was Joseph forced to take his pregnant wife to a cave to give birth on a ground surrounded by smelly, farm animals. The night stood in sharp contrast to a Christmas Eve with nice clothes and pleasant aromas. The night was desperate people being suffocated to misery by the census of an oppressive government. There was little that one could say was good about a day such as this one. The truth is Mary and Joseph’s story of trying to find purpose in the midst of turmoil is more like ours then we might imagine. I want to tell you a story today of one of the most miserable days of my life on January 17th, 1999. The day began in Minneapolis watching the Vikings play the Atlanta Falcons with a trip to go to the Super Bowl on the line. Any Vikings fan knows this story all too well, Gary Anderson misses the kick, the Vikings lost the game in the overtime. I’ve walked out of wakes louder then walking out of the Metrodome with 60,000 plus people on that day. I then began the 3 ½ hour drive up I-94 to Moorhead where I went to college. Things looked pretty good until Alexandria when the snow started to fall. Snow kept falling and falling. I still had miles and miles to go. Visibility kept getting worse and worse. Nowadays I would have pulled over and gotten a motel room at the first sign of unpleasant weather. Back then, as a college kid with no money I kept driving. Pretty soon, I had no ability to see the road that lied ahead of me. All I could hope for was to see other cars along the road to guide me. I figured all I could do was follow lights. What is the meaning of Christmas, as I ponder this night? I think of the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem guided by nothing by light[4]. I think of the famous words from the Gospel of John reflecting on Jesus birth that proclaim “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it[5].” Somehow I made it to Moorhead that night almost as if I was being guided whose presence that I could not see. My Dad had trained me to drive a few years prior, but nothing could prepare you for driving on a day such as this. How do we respond to the unexpected of life as we ponder the birth of our Savior on this night. There’s something interesting about the birth of Jesus. Jesus’ birth reminds us how God works in some of the most unexpected ways imaginable. Jesus was born in a manger because the inns in Bethlehem were full because of a census. Mary and Joseph were so low on the social totem pole they ended up out there in spite of the size of Mary’s belly. At the manger that night were shepherds. Shepherds were basically the first century equivalent of transients or bums. The whole story centers around an unwed mother. Our story centers around the types of people seemingly shunned by the religious folk and even God himself. Pro Wrestling Legend Dusty Rhodes when one time describing the ups and downs of his life declared “I have wined and dined with kings and queens and I’ve slept in alleys and dined on pork and beans.” Here was God coming into the world surrounded by the alley-dwelling pork and beans crowd. I think one of the most valuable lessons of our Christmas story is that confronts the innate human belief that only greatness shall win out in the end. Social Worker Brene Brown comments, “When I look at narcissism…I see the shame-based fear of being ordinary. I see the fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be lovable, to belong, or to cultivate a sense of purpose[6].” Christmas reminds us that God indeed dwells within the ordinary. The truth of Christmas is children might not become great students, superstar hockey players, or famous actors; teachers might not win awards, marriages or any human relationship will not inevitability be the things of fairy tales. God still comes in the midst of this at Christmas to bring us hope. God does not dwell with the rich and powerful but rather God lives with the homeless shepherds, unwed mothers, laid-off miners, elderly widows, and in the midst of a crowd of ordinary, broken-down Christian people. We will not leave tonight with our fears completely resolved. Christmas is not a magic pill. We will leave this place fearing the status of our relationships, our finances, and possibly even our health. The crowd that gathers one year from now might look very different than it does tonight. Be reminded that in the midst of our struggles, God will not abandon us. Nine months can change everything. Nine months can bring financial windfall or financial ruin. Nine months can bring the love of your life or see that person leave never to return. Nine months can bring healing or it can bring death. Nine months can bring birth. Nine months can bring hope. Nine months can bring grace. Nine months can bring salvation. Nine months can bring light in the midst of darkness. Nine months can bring a child born in a manager. Amen [1] Matthew 1:19 [2] Religion News Services. “A Long, Cold Road to Bethlehem: Nativity: Gospel Accounts of Mary and Joseph’s journey gloss over the arduous reality of life and travel in ancient Galilee”. Los Angeles Times. 23. Dec.1995.Web. Dec.21.2015. [3] Nelson Larned, Joseph. The New Larned History for Ready Reference: Volume 2. 1924. Google Books. Dec.24.2015. [4] Matthew 2:1-12. [5] John 1:5. [6] The following Brown quote is from Daring Greatly. First Lesson: Micah 5: 2-5a Responsive Reading: Luke 1: 46b-55 Second Lesson: Hebrews 10: 5-10 Gospel Lesson: Luke 1: 39-45 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
I want to tell you the story this morning of a girl who was cut-off from nearly everyone around her. I want also to tell you the story of the woman who took her in when no one else would. This morning’s Gospel lesson is the tale of Mary and Elizabeth[1]. As we reflect upon these ladies story, consider the emotions that Mary an unmarried woman her early teenage years was undergoing. Mary’s pregnancy for many was not a joyous occasion; no one was going to believe that she was actually a virgin. Mary probably had a hard time admitting it due to the circumstances. Mary probably had to face the shame of her pregnancy alone because those around Mary were probably going to distance themselves from her[2]. Elizabeth was on the different end of the social spectrum from Mary. Elizabeth lived in a culture where a woman was considered a failure if she didn’t produce children. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah had seemingly done everything right: they said their prayers, they watched Elizabeth’s health, and they waited until it seemed to be too late. Zechariah went to the Temple nearly every day of his life praying for a child, still praying out of habit once it was thought to be no longer possible. One day the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah announcing that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son. Zechariah’s doubt that this would actually happen was so strong that he went mute until the day of the child’s birth. So here were two women united by their pregnancies because they had no one else but each other. No one else who would believe their story! As we look around the congregation today, not many of you probably think that you are going through what Mary and Elizabeth were going through. We don’t have teenage moms or previous barren pregnant women surrounding us, yet Mary and Elizabeth’s story matters to us on this day. We have people within our congregation on this morning that are struggling with many of the emotions underwent by Mary and Elizabeth during the holiday season. For many people within our midst, Christmas is one of the most painful times of the year[3]. Christmas for many people will be a painful time reflecting upon loss of their loved ones; this loss occurs on either an emotional or a physical level. Christmas breaks people like no other time of the year. People’s joyous celebrations often bring pain to the lonely, and sad. Many people go through the Holiday season struggling with the question of whether “Are they worthy of love in their lives?” Some years ago, the band Bowling for Soup wrote a song entitled “High School Never Ends[4]” which says how we claim to be wiser and more mature as the years pass us by, but society still defines by beauty, status, and power. So even though on the surface Mary and Elizabeth were quite different in many ways they were quite similar. Their same emotional needs were why these women needed to come together. Ultimately in the absence of connection, there is suffering. The world is full of people trying to get and keep connection[5]. Mary stays with Elizabeth for three months before returning home. One interesting thing about the tale of Mary and Elizabeth is that it never has Mary telling Elizabeth her big secret of a virgin birth. Elizabeth seems naturally knows her secret. Perhaps Elizabeth’s knowledge helped convince a scared, young girl in Mary that God’s plan would eventually come to fruition in her. As we hear the story of Mary and Elizabeth, their story might seem unique. Although their story is similar to many people’s stories of going through life seemingly more and more isolated from the world around them only to be brought back by God’s promise. Think of the Biblical story of Zacchaeus[6]. Zacchaeus was a Jew, who sold out to the Roman Government. All of Zacchaeus's former friends wanted nothing to do with him. Zacchaeus had experienced all sorts of rejection in life but made all kinds of money along the way. Zacchaeus eventually becomes so desperate for love and affection that he dares to climb a tree to see Jesus. Zacchaeus probably looked like a fool to everyone watching him, but he just didn’t care. Jesus finally spots Zacchaeus. Jesus’ response to Zacchaeus is interesting in that Jesus never seeks to point out to Zacchaeus where his life went wrong. The truth is Zacchaeus knew better than anybody where his life went wrong. Zacchaeus knew his sin and shame better than anyone else, yet Jesus vowed not to leave his side. Jesus deemed that Zacchaeus was worthy of receiving love, no matter what anyone thought about his situation. The need for connection in the midst of despair brings to my mind another Bible story that we all know. The story of the Woman at the well in the Samaritan village of Sychar in John 4[7]. If anyone could go through life thinking that they are not good enough for Jesus, it would be this woman. The woman at the well had a string of failed marriages, and was now living with another man out of wedlock. Jesus still approached this woman. Jesus interacting with the woman at the well was probably going to cause people to start spreading all kinds of rumors about their relationship. For this, Jesus wasn’t going to care because his message is more powerful than a million people’s small words. Jesus doesn’t ignore her situation or dismiss it as a sign of the times. Jesus ironically enough never issues a word of judgment toward her. Jesus knew that this woman was vulnerable and hurting. Jesus merely seeks to tell her that the Gospel is for her. Jesus is reminding her that there is no confession or isolation too far from which a return is not possible. When I was working in Lamberton, I had a congregation member that I’ll call Phil, who was in recovery. I didn’t know Phil very well since he was very rarely in the church. One day, Phil approaches me wishing to get together to complete the fifth step of his AA program. The 5th step is called the step of confession where we admit our wrongs to another human being. Opening this stuff to a complete stranger for Phil was going to be hard. As soon as we sit down, I let Phil know that I understood what he was going through. I talked to Phil about how easy it is to give into emotional pain having grown up around my Grandma’s alcoholism as a child. I didn’t believe Phil to be a worst sinner than any other sinner; I merely let Phil know that he had made different bad decisions[8]. Phil’s decisions could not be separate from the human realities of how we all have pain! Each of us has hurt deep down inside! I remember several months after this visit Phil talking to me saying that this was probably going to be the best conversation of his life. No conversation between individuals was going to be more authentic as we dared to embrace each other’s rough edges and vulnerabilities. Phil was in church nearly every Sunday after that because his whole outlook on church and forgiveness changes after completing his 5th step. The interesting thing about Mary and Elizabeth’s relationship is it bounded by their mutual trust that God will deliver them from their present isolation. God will one day take away their shame. The movie Good Will Hunting tells the story of Will Hunting an orphan that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. What made Will Hunting unique is that he is a genius. A genius that seeks to run away from his gifts at every opportunity because of his pain. When he meets a girl, he lies to her about having twelve brothers because Will didn’t want to admit to being an orphan. Will goes through life terrified that the secret of his past will be exposed opening himself up to another painful rejection. Will’s natural instinct is to run from any personal commitment. Will Hunting was caught up in a never-ending cycle of shame-isolation-loneliness[9]. Will would always respond to this period though either cigarettes, alcohol, or fighting. The break though in the whole movie occurs when Will’s therapist one day embraces him while assuring him “It’s not your fault.” You are not to blame for how other people have made you see yourself. Will Hunting is not unique. I remember the night before my sister Anne started at Concordia, she asks me “What if I don’t make any friends?”. Anne’s question seemed like a strange question at the time considering she was the prom queen at a relatively large high school; Anne is plenty outgoing yet even Anne struggled with these questions of “Who will accept me?” Mary faced this question during her pregnancy. Mary knew that a higher spiritual purpose was at work within her. The words of Isaiah 61 shed insight on this question “He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound[10]”. People being set free because of the coming birth of the Messiah above all else is the reality of the Christmas season. There is no better person to make this point then Linus of Charlie Brown fame. Everyone knows Linus for his famous security blanket. Linus would never be seen anywhere without the blue blanket[11]. Lucy, Snoopy, and Sally try everything to get Linus to drop his security blanket. Linus’ blanket for some served as a source of his ridicule, but Linus could never let it go. The truth is Linus is more like us than we might imagine. We all have our blue blankets. We all have our ways of shielding ourselves from the truth of the world around us. For many people, this might be their spiritual pride as they to cling towards bitterness, anger, and judgment towards other people. For other people, it might be spiritual despair wishing to cut ourselves off from the world around us for fear of never getting hurt. Blue blankets take many forms. This year has been fifty years since the Charlie Brown Christmas first came on the air. As the Christmas pageant falls apart, Linus the one who was thought to lack courage interrupts. Linus starts reading the Christmas story from Luke 2[12] when he starts reading something happens as Linus says the words of the angel to the shepherds “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people[13].” Linus drops his blanket in front of the entire world. Linus is exposed. Linus’ sin and shame is on the stage for the whole world to see. This scene brings us back to our Gospel lesson for today. The thing about the Gospel of Jesus is Jesus sees us as we are, Jesus doesn’t demand that we cover ourselves in his presence. Jesus sees our shame, sees our guilt, and declares your sins to be forgiven. Mary approaches her cousin Elizabeth today in the weakest and most vulnerable positions. Mary approaches Elizabeth as a scared, young girl with the weight of the world upon her shoulders. Mary had her secret, yet then she saw Elizabeth. When Elizabeth came into Mary’s presence, the lesson says that “She is filled with the Holy Spirit[14].” Mary was not going to be alone through her ordeals. In Elizabeth, Mary was going to experience unconditional love and acceptance to heal her from the pain of the world around her. Just as we shall experience the unconditional love and acceptance of Jesus to heal us from the pain of the world around us. What Christ’s acceptance of us should allow us to find grace not only in our imperfections but the imperfections of others. We know the end of this story. Elizabeth gives birth to a son named John. John would become famous for his baptisms. Mary gives birth to a son named Jesus. The tale of these women’s pregnancies is not a story of healing or everything instantly becoming right within their lives. The tale of Mary and Elizabeth’s pregnancies is a story of the redemption of God bringing unto these women his grace and salvation. Mary was always going to have walk around with the emotions and physical scars of her pregnancy. Elizabeth would never be able to escape the painful years of seeking to conceive a child within her youth. Mary and Elizabeth though would be made whole. The story of Mary and Elizabeth points to many of the ways in which God is working within our world today[15]. God is working in the lives of people that many might choose to isolate or cast out. The new reality of God’s grace is that the people that we consider to be shameful, God considers them to be holy. This new reality of God’s grace is all around us even as difficult as might be for many of us to see on this day. Amen [1] Luke 1:39-45 [2] Jones, Judith. “Commentary on Luke 1:39-45(46-55).” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 20.Dec.2015. web. Dec.15.2015. [3] This paragraph was influenced by a reflection by Dr. Jeannie Miller Clarkson entitled “Speaking to Christmas Pain Brings Christmas Peace” . JeannieMillerClarkson.com. 10.Dec.2015. Web. Dec.15.2015 [4] Bowling for Soup. “High School Never Ends.”The Great Burrito Extortion Case. Jive Recors. 2006. CD. [5] Zimmerman, Aaron M.G. “Brene Brown and the End of Shame”. MBird (Mockingbird Ministries). 1.Nov.2012. Web. Dec.15.2015. [6] Luke 19:1-10 [7] John 4:1-30 [8] This thought process on the difference between shame/guilt comes from Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly. Penguin Random House. 2012. [9] Kozo Hattari, Makala. “What Good Will Hunting Teaches Us About Men, Shame, and Suicide. “ Good Men Project. 12. Nov.2014. Web. Dec.15.2015. [10] Isaiah 61:1 [11] Soroski, Jason. “Just Drop the Blanket: The Moment You Never Noticed in A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Crosswalk . 14. Dec.2015. Web. Dec.15.2015. [12] Luke 2:10 [13] Soroski, Jason. “Just Drop the Blanket: The Moment You Never Noticed in A Charlie Brown Christmas.” [14] Luke 1:41 [15] Jones, Judith. “Commentary on Luke 1:39-45(46-55).” First Lesson: Zephaniah 3: 14-20 Responsive Reading: Isaiah 12: 2-6 Second Lesson: Philippians 4: 4-7 Gospel Lesson: Luke 3: 7-18 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Last Sunday, I attended church at our sister church in Stacy, Minnesota in Saint John’s Lutheran[1]. During the sermon Pastor Ed Wheatley told the tale of a funeral for a woman named Dolores that had happened the day before. No matter how many funerals you’ve attended, I bet you’ve never attended a funeral like this one. Dolores had a grandson let’s say in his early 20’s that was going through some rough times in life. The grandson had been spending the last few weeks before his grandmother’s funeral protesting down at the fourth precinct in Minneapolis regarding the police shooting death of Jamar Clark. The grandson becomes overwhelmed by all the emotions of the past few weeks at his grandmother’s funeral. The young man pretty soon cannot be calmed or controlled by those within the church. The local police had to be called in to constrain him. Words were doing no good, so the cops had no choice but to fire rubber bullets at the young man inside the church as a way of hoping to restrain him. Pastor Wheatley commented that this was the first known shooting in the history of the church. What this story highlights is the uncertainty of the world around us. The most common of occasions can quickly turn into the scariest of realities. This story brings us into the frame of mind for our advent season. We might not be able to explain Advent well, but the message of Advent is the darkness that is all around us. You see this darkness when you turn on the nightly news, we encounter this darkness when you experience people’s personal pain with no good words of comfort, and we are seemingly often overwhelmed with senseless death. What we must remember is that at times such as these is that our expectations of this world are ultimately not God’s expectations. Today’s Gospel lesson comes to us from Luke 3. It contains a story from the life of John the Baptist. In the lesson for today, some very interesting people approach John the Baptist to ask the question “What sir shall we do to inherit eternal life?” These were not the type of men that you would expect to approach John the Baptist. These men approaching was the equivalent of members of ISIS coming near a prominent Christian minister today to inquire regarding the significant answers of life and death. The men that approached John the Baptist were tax collectors and soldiers who worked for the hated Roman government. These men made their living as reverse Robin Hoods stealing from the poor to give to the rich. These men were the Pro-Wrestling villains who everyone boo’s as soon as they walk into the arena. Here they were coming to locust-eating, wilderness living John the Baptist. This was a definite clash of extremes when it came to how they viewed the world: power versus piety. While these men might have seemed like a strange sight in the presence of John the Baptist. These social and religious outcasts were the type of men whom John often preached. John preached to the riff-raff of society. John preached to misfits. Plenty of people probably didn’t want John the Baptist to go to the types of people that he went to. John is preaching to those who endure the struggle between judgment and hope nearly every single day of their lives. John’s aim is to break down the walls of spiritual pride that exist within so many by bringing grace to those society deemed to be the most heinous of sinners. John is saying to these people that God does not see you like everyone else may see you. John’s whole preaching is about seeking to prepare those within the world for a stronger, better world. John is seeking to prepare people for the one who will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit[2]. John the Baptist is seeking to remind people that the future is less uncertain than it may seem. The big story of the last week was the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. The aftermath of the shooting was predictable with people’s instant reactions having to do with either redoing our gun policy or immigration policy. These responses seem to me to miss the mark as the mess in San Bernardino isn’t a problem that we can easily fix by assigning free-will to inanimate objects, nor by only allowing the right kind of people into this country versus the wrong type of people. What the San Bernardino shooting reminds us is that the world is how much of an epidemic that sin is in the world around us even as people fight their hardest to deny its existence. In the wake of the shooting a headline in the New York Daily News blasted out “God isn’t fixing this[3]?” The problem with headlines such as this is they assume that God is standing idly by as the world descends into darkness[4]. The problem that too many people have is they believe Adam and Eve never fell from a tree, so they don’t know how to respond to events such as these other than blaming certain people or even God himself. What the headline failed to recognize is what our Gospel lesson for today tells us about God’s response to sin and evil. On this day, John the Baptist was preaching to a fractured world. John the Baptist was still inviting his people’s worst enemies into his presence. John the Baptist was seeking to give them a way forward in the midst of their despair. John the Baptist was seeking to proclaim that even when times are the darkest, the savior is on the horizon. The savior who would soon be known as Jesus was coming not just to judge the world but ultimately grant unto the world forgiveness. Today in our Gospel lesson the tax collectors and soldiers ask, “What must we do[5]?” These are the questions that plenty of people have been asking within the last week as people debate hot-button issues such as gun control and immigration. What might John the Baptist preach to us on this day as we grapple on this day? John would tell us to repent of the spiritual pride that we cling to claiming to have all the answers. We must remember that whenever we enter into any discussion that WE ARE NOT GOD! We must acknowledge that as broken as the world around is we do not have the power to fix it. Our limited power though does not mean that we lack hope. We do have hope! This hope is soon about to come down from heaven by way of a child. John the Baptist’s preaching on this day is to those who came to him wanting change. John’s preaching is for those who yearn for a new way of life. How can we make sense of this Advent season? How do we make sense of a world filled with shootings and political discord? As stated by C. J. Green Advent is “a season that reminds us that there has to be death before there can be life. There has to be struggle before there is triumph[6].” No one in this room has survived 30, 40, 50, 60 years of marriage without our sorts of challenges coming before you together. What Advent reminds us is that no matter how much the world surrounding you, might be beating you down that there is hope that is present as we gaze unto the sky looked at by shepherds at night. Advent serves as a reminder that the time of death must occur before the day of resurrection. I want to close this morning by telling you the story of the Mayfield family[7]. The Mayfield family’s year was a disaster. Both parents had to quit their jobs. Mom had a really traumatic pregnancy, nearly dying at child birth having to he hospitalized for several days. They had to move across the country saying goodbye to friends and a job they loved. The newborn baby never did learn to sleep any good. Their van died for good. They were forced to move to a cramped, apartment. Dad got a new job, but debt still reigned supreme. Every month they hoped they could get off food stamps, yet it hasn’t happened yet. Mom working as a writer struggled to compose her thoughts to paper. Both Mom and Dad struggled with sleep. The Mayfield’s were so beaten down by it all that they became increasingly isolated from their family and friends. Every day became a fight for survival. Everything that could have gone wrong in the last year did go wrong. Worst of all a car had crashed into their daughter’s bedroom wall. After a few days away from the worst home life that anyone could imagine, the Mayfield’s returned to their apartment. The Mayfield’s in the midst of disaster begin to see the signs of hope[8]. They see hope whenever they see the baby’s dimples. They see hope whenever their daughter makes new friends. They see hope when neighbors drop by food that they’ve never tasted before. They see hope when the newborn baby begins to crawl. They see hope when their life comes together enough to show up in a church on a Sunday morning. You see as the Mayfield’s had a year that was probably worse then your year they came to realize something about their lord and savior, Jesus never left their side[9]. Jesus stood beside them in the arena that we call “life.” You see Advent is above all else a season of hope. Within Advent, we come to terms with the most complex of human emotions: the sadness of the forthcoming holiday season, the waiting for things to turn around; and the longing for all things to be made new[10]. As I reflect on our Gospel lesson for today, I reflect upon the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone[11].” Advent reminds us that as shootings take place all around us, as Politicians say all kinds of nasty things about each other, as the worst of sinners stand before us. As the world around us crumbles, something different lies just around the corner. A new birth is on the horizon. Christmas is indeed coming soon. Amen [1] The story comes from Pastor Wheatley’s December 6th, 2015 sermon at Saint John’s. [2] Luke 3:16 [3] The headline comes from the December 3rd edition of the New York Daily News [4] Burk, Denny. “Christmas means that God is fixing this”. Denny Burk.com. 3.Dec.2015. Web. Dec.12.2015. [5] Luke 3:10 [6] Green, C.J. “The Life, Death, Life Cycle”. Mockingbird. 9.Dec.2015. Web. Dec.12.2015. [7] Mayfield, D.L. “The Brutally Honest Christmas Card.” DL Mayfield.com. 9.Dec.2015. Web. Dec.11.2015. [8] Mayfield, D.L. “The Brutally Honest Christmas Card.” [9] Mayfield, D.L. “The Brutally Honest Christmas Card.” [10] Mayfield, DL. “The Brutally Honest Christmas Card.” [11] Isaiah 9:2 First Lesson: Jeremiah 33: 14-16 Responsive Reading: Psalm 25: 1-10 Second Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13 Gospel Lesson: Luke 21: 25-36 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
I want to tell you a Thanksgiving story involving a Northern Minnesota family the Peterson's[1]. The Peterson’s family probably isn’t too different from your own family. You had the uncle who drank too much at Thanksgiving dinner and made all sorts of inappropriate comments. You have the nephew who’s every step around the house threatened to knock something valuable over. The Peterson’s had their arguments about politics and their petty jealousies that they hoped wouldn’t explode. All that people didn’t say about Grandpa Peterson’s will was probably for the best. There was one member of the Peterson family that created emotions like no one else in Bubba. Bubba was in his early 40’s with blonde hair and scruffy facial hair that stayed in relatively good shape. Bubba had a pretty wife who submitted to his every word and three very blonde daughters. Bubba was a religious man. Bubba attended a Bible college, was a Deacon at his local Evangelical Free Church and quoted the scriptures whenever he got a chance. You very well might have a family member like Bubba. When the Peterson family got together this year: Bubba had plenty of things that he wanted to talk, I mean to preach about gay marriages, ISIS and a society that got less and less Christian with each passing year. Whenever you got Bubba going, he would always point to some world leader being the newest version of the Anti-Christ. Whenever Bubba spoke, he was convinced that all these things of which he spoke pointed to a reality that the world would soon be coming to an end. A funny thing about all of Bubba’s talking is that very little of it centers around grace, forgiveness, or salvation. Bubba’s talking all implies that if someone is a real Christian that what they better do is shape-up or ship out. Now most people in the room would try to get Bubba to change the subject waiting for Pumpkin Pie to be served. There were a few members of the Peterson family though that hung on every word of Bubba’s preaching with great fear and trembling. The thing about Bubba, his critiques of the world, were such that people were going to listen to him. Human nature quickly convinces itself that life is no longer worth living at any number of moments. For some, their life might be over when their spouse vanishes one morning never to return again. For others, life is over when they receive a medical diagnosis letting them know that their life will never be the same again. For others, their life might be over when their employer can no longer issue them a paycheck. For others, life’s end seems to be nearer witnessing a culture whose moral failings seem darker day by day[2]. People like Bubba realize that the Bible talks about the end even more then it tells about the beginning. Jesus talks about the end quite a bit within his ministry. One of the most famous speeches that Jesus gives about the end is the Parable of the Fig Tree[3]. “For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”-Luke 21:35-36 Jesus within this parable is seeking to remind his audience of the nature of upheaval within this world. Let me tell you the story of Raymond and Dawn. Raymond was a terrific engineer who made a very nice living. Raymond was president of his church council and active with the local Lions’ club. Raymond was able to retire soon after his 58th Birthday. Dawn and Raymond had made all sorts of grandiose plans to travel the world together. The future was bright till something strange started happening to Raymond, his usually sharp memory began forgetting things one after another. Raymond goes to the doctor who diagnoses him with early onset Dementia. Within a year, Raymond can’t find his way home from the store. Within two years, Dawn is unable to take care of Raymond. Within three years, Raymond is unable to recognize Dawn. Within four years, Raymond has passed. Dawn’s hope and dreams are no looking very different than years before. What this story reminds us is that even our greatest of optimisms can be crushed within a moment. The community of faith that Jesus is addressing in our Gospel lesson for today is not unlike Christians like Bubba and Dawn[4]. They are struggling nearly every day of their existence with the question of when Jesus will come back to make the world right and whole once again. Jesus chooses a unique image to address this problem in a “fig tree”. The significance of Jesus talking about the “fig tree” is the fig tree’s budding is a reminder that summer is around the corner. The fig tree budding is similar to the signs in the sun, moon, and stars that remind us that our God has not forgotten a broken world[5]. The reality is within the course of our lives that we will encounter some Bubbas. Bubba might be a family member, Bubba might be a next-door-neighbor, or Bubba might be a preacher at a funeral. What we can say to Bubba is that there is plenty in this world in which we grieve. We see power abused every day by those who cling to it. We see no evidence of any utopia coming on the horizon[6]. What we do cling to in this world is hope. Our hope is found that in as many terrible things as we experience in this life: wars, persecutions, earthquakes, and all sorts of nasty death. These things might seem to be the definition of hopeless events, yet within them we find hope. Our hope is found that Our Lord is present in these very moments of intense personal pain. When Jesus speaks to us today he is not seeking to predict the future, but rather he is attempting to state the truth of life as we know it. The problem with Bubba is he only sees life in the present in all the ways that we fall short. Bubba assumes that Jesus Christ is not here yet, but will soon be returning. When in reality, Christ Jesus is present pointing us towards God’s future. Christ Jesus is in our present when we are baptized into his death within the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Christ Jesus is present when we receive his supper reminding us that our lives cannot be apart from the presence of death, but that one day this death shall give way to resurrection. Christ Jesus is present at the very moments of our greatest weakness pointing us towards the hope of his Gospel through Word and Sacrament. One interesting thing that we should note about the Bible is one of the most common phrases within is “Do Not Be Afraid.” Jesus says these words when walking on water; Jesus says these words when encountering his disciples immediately after his resurrection. God says these words to Abram right before delivering unto him his covenant. Our God knows your fears and anxieties. Our God gives us the signs of water, wine, and wheat to remind us that the world will once again be alright. On this day as Christian people, we begin our Advent season. What we remember is that our religion is not obsessed with everything wrong in the present. We have more important battles to fight than over Thanksgiving turkey. Our religion consists of looking towards the future. We are not a people of life than death, but rather a people of life then death then finally resurrection. What we remember on this day is “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”- Luke 21:33. We take confidence that the Lord’s words assure us that our mission goes way beyond trying to save the world from all the ways that it falls as Bubba imagines. Our mission is not to attempt to recreate the world in our own image. Our mission is rather to bring broken, imperfect people the love of Jesus Christ[7]. As we gather around Thanksgiving tables this weekend, we see that people out there are getting more and more broken every day as they see the ways that they seemingly don’t measure up. The truth is Christmas is coming soon around the corner. People that are close and dear to you are going to have bad things happen to them. What we will have to remind them is although the world has changed, it is certainly not over. Our Lord is present not only in this place but their suffering. What this presence is seeking to remind us is though which may appear to be dead shall soon be resurrected. “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”-Psalm 30:5 Amen. [1] Inspired by Harrison Goodman post “Sometimes I Wanna Punch Norman Rockwell in the Mouth” . Lutheran Pastor Says Blog. 20.Nov.2014. Web. Nov.25.2015. [2] This paragraph was inspired by Chad L. Bird’s “The Church of Chicken Little” . Flying Scroll: Musings and Poetry of Chad L. Bird. Nov.20.2015. Web. 23. Nov.2015. [3] Luke 21:35-36 [4] Lose, David. “Commentary on Luke 21:25-36”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 29.Nov.2009. Web. Nov.25.2009 [5] Capon, Robert Farrar. Kingdom, Grace, and Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus. Eerdman’s Publishing. Grand Rapids, MI. 2002. Pages 479-483. [6] Lewis, Karoline. “Why Advent”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul. 22.Nov.2015. Web. Nov.23.2015 [7] Bird, Chad L. “The Church of Chicken Little”. First Lesson: 2 Samuel 23: 1-7 Responsive Reading: Psalm 132: 1-12, (13-18) Second Lesson: Revelation 1: 4b-8 Gospel Lesson: John 18: 33-37 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
This morning I wish to tell you a rags to riches story. This is a tale that isn’t your typical rags to rich tale as it’s a story of rags to riches to lion’s den back to riches once again. This morning I wish to tell you the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. Daniel’s story begins with a king named Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar conquers the land of the Jewish people. The Jewish people are forced to spread throughout all the earth. A select group of men from the Jewish people was chosen to live in Babylon: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. You might know Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from fiery furnace fame[1]. These Jewish nobles journeyed to receive an education in Babylon. The transition to life in Babylon was hard as these men were devout Jews in their observances of the faith. They refused to eat any food that wasn’t kosher leading to initial conflict with their king. Things would soon turn around for Daniel. Daniel served in King Nebuchadnezzar's court. Nebuchadnezzar though was having a problem. Nebuchadnezzar was having all these dreams that he couldn’t make sense. Nebuchadnezzar's dream had four kingdoms after his kingdom falling before God’s kingdom endures forever. Daniel’s ability to interpret dreams was such that even Nebuchadnezzar begins to worship Daniel’s God. Nebuchadnezzar soon dies. Nebuchadnezzar’s son though did not follow in his way. The Babylonian Kingdom soon fell just as Daniel predicted. Daniel was now under the rule of the Persian King Darius the Mede. The thing to know about Darius the Mede is that he wasn’t an evil king. Darius liked Daniel quite a bit! Darius elevated Daniel to high office within his kingdom. Darius wanted to put Daniel in charge of all the administration for his kingdom[2]. Daniel’s story of interpreting dreams and rising to second in command to the most powerful man in the world mirrors Joseph’s in many ways. Daniel’s story though was not going to be smooth or easy. Darius’ fellow officials got jealous of Daniel. They couldn’t believe that Darius would appoint a “Jew” to such a high office. Daniel’s co-workers resented him because he had an attitude or spirit that they did not possess[3]. Darius’ officials and Daniel’s enemies begin to hatch a plan. At first they try to find signs of Daniel being dishonest or corrupt. Daniel was a political figure though on whom they could find no dirt[4]. Daniel’s enemies finally discovered what they thought was a weakness within him. Daniel was like really, really religious. Daniel would pray towards Jerusalem three times a day[5]. Daniel prayed three times a day without exception; it didn’t matter what else Daniel had going on in his life. Daniel’s enemies decide to trick Darius the King into issuing an edict that any member of Darius’ kingdom could not pray to a foreign God for thirty days. Daniel’s enemies knew that he would not compromise his faith under any circumstances[6]. Daniel is shortly after that caught violating the king’s edict, so Daniel is sentenced to go to the lion’s den[7]. King Darius didn’t want to send Daniel to the lion’s den you see. Darius had to do for if he violated the laws of the Persians then he would lose authority over his people[8]. Darius thought Daniel was a goner in the lion’s den. Daniel’s enemies thought he was a goner in the lion’s den. Daniel, however, was calm as he could be. Darius was struck by how calm Daniel was through the whole ordeal. Right before Daniel entered the lion’s den, Darius cried out “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you.”[9] The king’s men escort Daniel into the lion’s den. The king’s men place a giant stone before the door. Darius then left Daniel for the night. Daniel had no means for escape; Daniel merely had to rely on his faith that God might deliver him. Darius the King couldn’t sleep all night long because of his worries about Daniel. Imagine a friend or loved one of yours in surgery where the outcome is uncertain. These were the emotions felt by Darius on this night. Darius’ reaction says something important that even as Darius was the most powerful man in the world that he lived. There were limits to Darius’ power! Finally, the morning comes; Darius travels down to the lion’s den. Darius fully expects to find Daniel eaten up by lions when he arrives. Darius shouts out “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions[10]?” What Darius heard next stunned him, Darius heard Daniel’s voice “O king, live forever[11]!” An outcome that Darius previously could not imagine had become reality. You see as soon as Daniel entered the lion’s den an angel of the Lord also arrived. The angel shut the lion’s mouth so that the lion would not harm Daniel[12]. Darius is joyous that Daniel was alright. Darius released Daniel from the lion’s den. Darius then cast Daniel’s enemies into the lion’s den. The story ends with Darius declaring that all his royal people should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel[13]. Now that you know Daniel’s story how should we interpret it? Daniel’s story is a tale of God’s presence in the face of the end. Daniel’s story seeks to reinforce how God can rescue us from the most seemingly insurmountable of situations even death itself. Daniel’s story is a story of power within this world. King Darius could have anything he wanted at the snap of his fingers. King Darius’ power though had his limits. Darius had to send his best administrator to the lion’s den against his wishes for fear of a popular uprising. Darius was forced to wait for Daniel's fate nervously throughout the night. The most powerful man in the world had to pace his bedroom like a son awaiting word on the verdict of his father’s surgery. Darius himself needed a higher power. Darius knew that as mighty as he was that even his kingdom could one day fall. Daniel’s story heavily influenced Christians in the first century as they received the long awaited Messiah. These Christians had seen mighty kingdoms from Babylon to Persia to Greece and eventually Rome fall before their very eyes. Daniel’s vision had become a reality. One day, God’s Son will rule over all the Earth. Why was Daniel so calm and willing to die? Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.” There was not one place that Daniel was afraid to go in life because of his faith[14]. Daniel believed that even if he went forth to his death, his God would deliver him on the other side. Even though none of us will probably be thrown into a lion’s den like Daniel, this doesn’t mean there is not plenty to learn from his story. What Daniel’s story reminds us is that we will always face moments of uncertainty and moments of terror in their eventual outcome. We pray on this day for the future of this community that we love as we reflect upon the idle at North Shore Mining. We pray for those who don’t know their economic futures on this day. We have no doubts that there will be some scary nights ahead just as the night in the lion’s den was for Darius and Daniel. What we should be assured of is that our God does not stand idly by in the time of our fear. Our God can rescue us at the times when rescue seems hopeless. God’s response to our hopelessness is what we call grace! Apple Founder Steve Jobs once stated[15], “Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.” Some of the most powerful words that Jesus speaks within the Christian scriptures are in the last chapter of the Book of Revelation when he declares “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”-Revelation 22:13. Jesus is reminding us that no matter what forces out there are threatening to destroy your faith and your soul on this day they shall not ultimately win out. “My Kingdom is not from this world,” says Jesus[16]. As we celebrate this Christ the King Sunday, we remember how different God’s kingdom is from our own. Our kingdoms shall fall! Our rulers shall tremble! Our God will still deliver people even from the mouths of lions! Amen [1] Daniel 3 [2] Daniel 6:3 [3] Daniel 6:3 [4] Daniel 6:4 [5] Daniel 6:10 [6] Daniel 6:5 [7] Daniel 6:14 [8] Markquart. Ed. “Books of the Bible: Old Testament Daniel”. Sermons from Seattle. Web. [9] Daniel 6:17 [10] Daniel 6:20 [11] Daniel 6:21 [12] Daniel 6:22 [13] Daniel 6:25 [14] Dr. King said this in a speech in Detroit in 1963. [15] The following was said by Jobs during his Stanford Commencement Address on June 12th, 2015. [16] John 18:36 |
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