Sunday, April 28, 2019

Sermon: Doubts


          In today's gospel, we see Thomas, the twin, doubting the existence of Christ through resurrection, without physically seeing Him, feeling the holes in His hands, and the gash in his side.  Prove it! is often a taunt from childhood days when someone has done you wrong, but you have no evidence to back up your word.  And Thomas, just on seeing the risen Lord, realizes that all his doubts are settled; his faith is secure and solid.  "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
          But doubt is a very important part of life as a human.  Because of doubt, we have the scientific method – prove to me that you can repeat the same experiment and achieve the same results.  That method has gone on to achieve scientific and technological wonders.  At some point, however, doubt enters the picture.  The question becomes, just because we can do something, should we?  That's a question of ethics.  And where do your ethics come from?  Is there a line you don't want to cross?  Why?
          Now the first lesson this morning actually ended before the portion that really fascinates me.  Luke wrote, "When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. Then he said to them [the council members], 'Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!'"
          In this instance, doubt works the other way – we can doubt them, but ignore them, and either they will fail, as all others have failed, or they speak the truth, that Jesus the Nazarean was the Son of God, and they have the power of God with them.  If it is the former, then they will fail and all who might have been interested in following them will also fail.  We will have a better society as a result.  But if it is the latter, then perhaps we should withhold judgment and thus claim righteousness.
          Withholding judgment about things is not a new concept:  many thought a western trip would not find a passage to the New World – and while Christopher Columbus missed the continent, he did find the right route.  The idea of getting to the moon was doubted in its entirety – just like the Wright Brothers decades before a manned flight.  But the people making these decisions with certitude actually accomplished it, despite all the doubts.  But would they have advanced as far as they had without doubts?  Where is the challenge in doing something where you couldn't fail?
          There's an interesting movie that came out in 2008 called "Doubt".  To provide definitive answers to the questions raised in this story would defeat the purpose of the writing of it. Thus, as soon as we think we have the characters figured out they provide a twist to their personalities that cause us to shift our conclusions.
          The plot of the movie is a bit convoluted, but, it is set in 1964, just after Vatican II, but still meeting resistance to the changes to come.  A Catholic elementary school has just admitted its first Black student, a 12-year-old boy transferred from public school. The principal, a rigid disciplinarian nun, and the liberal parish priest are both concerned for the boy's welfare in a predominantly Irish/Italian parish. The principal becomes convinced that the priest has, or is planning to have, an improper relationship with the child and is determined to force the priest to leave the school. A third compassionate person is the boy's mother, who has another point of view. The fourth person is a young teacher who is concerned but confused by the conflict between the nun and the priest.
          But one of the lines in a sermon by the priest is, "Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty."  Think about that concept.  Doubt helped to create the Protestant Revolution.  Doubt created questions that have led to every conspiracy theory in existence.  Think about that dichotomy.
          Think about how "reasonable doubt" is built into our criminal justice system.  And it is that reasonable doubt that Gamaliel requested the Pharisaic Council to exercise with regard to the disciples.  It won't cause them harm in keeping an open mind, but might cause severe harm to potentially set themselves against God.
          So, while Doubting Thomas tends to get a bad rap because he has seen and come to believe and those who come to believe without seeing are blessed, doubt can play a rather important role in our lives.  We just have to know when the right time to trust and have faith is.
          One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."
          Our Father sees us, and guides us.  The Holy Spirit is ever moving with us, and sometimes, doubt is a tool in the Holy Spirit's toolbox.  Know when to listen, when to trust, when to obey – and know when to doubt, to question, before moving forward.  Trust that guidance to be present, and listen for the voice of God.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Tuesday Sermon: Take a Step


Take a step.

On the road to Emmaus, we see two men walking , when they are joined by a stranger.  Their concern was that with Jesus dead, their hope that He would be the one who redeemed Israel was also defeated.  Now they weren't certain what to do.

Take a step.

In Acts, Peter and John were on their way to the temple when they came across a man lame from birth.  Through the power given them by Christ, and invoking the power of Christ, Peter commanded the man to stand up and walk.

Take a step.

Our Psalm today tells us:  "Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.  Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered." 

Take a step.

Christ said to the men on the road, "'Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?'  Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures."  We've been told from time immemorial that these things would happen, that all things are possible through God's strength and presence.  We have to trust in the works and words that God has said, repeatedly. 

Take a step.

God knows so much more, and He knows the future perfectly, so we have to step out in obedience first. Faith is taking that first step of obedience.  Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."  We tell our children to do certain things before they fully understand, right? They don't yet know that greater harm will come to them if they don't do as they're told, at least not yet. It’s only after they grow older that they finally see the wisdom in why we asked them to do it.

The Road to Emmaus was a physical road in the Bible, but how many times do we forget to look and find the face of Christ walking with us? With each step, God asks that we remember we're not alone. He is always with us – in the faces of His children, in the tasks of helping our neighbors, in the love for our families – in the lame man at the Beautiful Gate.  How often as we serve do we remember to thank God for His presence, His guidance, His gifts that allow us to help those in need? How often do we truly set aside the busy-ness of our lives and acknowledge the Holy Spirit pervading every act, every person, every situation that we often perceive as a problem or hindrance?

Find your own Road to Emmaus and remember to not just hear, but to listen – for all that you need is already there.  And all that you can accomplish is within your grasp, as you take that step in faith, and walk with Christ.

Take one step.  It will lead to another, and another.  Take a step in faith.

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Easter Sermon: Is it you?


          Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!
          As several of you know, I have a thing for poetry, and then I discovered Hebrew poetry.  Its rules are completely different, in that it most often writes in parallels.  It often goes from the general to the specific, often sounding like an echo, and in the space of two lines, can change a meaning entirely. 
          This morning, we hear the angels ask Mary Magdalene, "Woman, why are you weeping?"  In an echo, we hear Christ ask, "Woman, why are you weeping?"  And a couple of lines later, Jesus says to her, "Mary!" 
          So why are we having a Hebrew poetry lesson this morning?  Echoes and parallels are a literary device that John uses.  "In the beginning".  This phrase begins both the Hebrew scriptures and the start of John's gospel.  Isaiah tells us in our Old Testament lesson, "For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth". 
          And here, the Christ speaks to "woman" as to each individual listening this morning.  There's no name attached, but rather God speaking to each one of us, asking why we weep.  And from that broad statement, Jesus then speaks to Mary, going from the non-specific to the individual.  So ask yourself, as Christ asks each of us, "why are you weeping?". 
          In this instance, Mary was so attached to the person of Jesus, that she could not even recognize the spirit of Christ, who literally stood before her.  It was not until Jesus said her name, said in such a way that she could not help but recognize the love that Jesus had for her. 
          There is an interesting Passover tradition told by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch, where a glass of wine is set at the table for "The Traveler".  Among the followers of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, was a Jew who worked the land in a small farming village near Mezeritch. The Baal Shem Tov had a special empathy for these simple rural Jews, whom he held in high regard for their wholesomeness, integrity, and unequivocal faith in Gd. So whenever the above-mentioned villager would come to spend a Shabbat with his Rebbe, he would be accorded a most gracious and affectionate welcome.
          At the conclusion of one such visit, the Baal Shem Tov requested of him: "Please, on your way home, stop by Mezeritch. I want you to give my regards to one of my closest and most illustrious disciples, the scholarly and pious Rabbi DovBer."
          The villager was overjoyed to be of service to his beloved Rebbe. As soon as he arrived in Mezeritch he began to inquire after the great Rabbi DovBer, but no one seemed to know of a "great Rabbi DovBer" among the town's scholars and mystics. Finally, someone suggested that he try a certain "Reb Ber", an impoverished schoolteacher who lived on the edge of town.
          The villager was directed to an alley in the poorest section of town. Along both sides of the muddy path stood row upon row of dilapidated hovels, leaning upon one another for support. There he found the schoolteacher's "house", an ancient, rickety hut with broken panes occupying the better half of its tiny windows. Inside, a scene of heart-rending poverty met his eye: A middle-aged man sat on a block of wood, at a 'table' consisting of a rough plank set upon other wooden blocks. Before him sat rows of children on "schoolbenches" — also ingenious contraptions of planks and blocks. But the teacher's majestic face left no doubt in the villager's mind that he had indeed found his man.
          Rabbi DovBer greeted his visitor warmly and begged his forgiveness — perhaps his guest could return later in the day, when he had finished teaching his students?
          When the villager returned that evening, the hut's classroom furniture had disappeared: the planks and blocks had now been rearranged as beds for the teacher's children. Rabbi DovBer sat upon the lone remaining block, immersed in a book which he held in his hands.
          Rabbi DovBer thanked his guest for bringing word from their Rebbe and invited him to sit, pointing to a table-turned-bed nearby. At this point, the villager could no longer contain himself. Outraged at the crushing poverty about him, he burst out: "Rabbi DovBer, what can I say? How can you live like this? I myself am far from wealthy, but at least in my home you will find, thank Gd, the basic necessities — some chairs, a table, beds for the children..."
          "Indeed?" said Rabbi DovBer. "But why don't I see your furniture? How do you manage without it?"
          "What do you mean? Do you think that I schlepp my furniture along wherever I go? Listen, when I travel, I make do with what's available. But at home — a person's home is a different matter altogether!"
          "But aren't we all travelers in this world?" said Rabbi DovBer gently. "At home? Oh yes... At home, it is a different matter altogether..."
          We all are travelers here, living out lives within temporary bodies, but Christ has taught us that we will go home to the Father.  In this instance, He asked Mary not to hold onto him, as He is ascending to the Father, but rather to be a witness to His brothers and tell them what He said. 
          Love is the greatest commandment from God.  Isaiah describes the new Earth God has planned:  "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord."
          In the meantime, Christ has shown us that His beloved disciple – and here, we have another, not named person – realizes that He has fulfilled His Word, and arisen.  Is it John?  Is it you?  Is it each of us who does not see, but believes?  The love for Christ transcends time and space.  The beloved disciple is the first to realize Christ is alive. 
          But the first person to whom Jesus appears is Mary Magdalene.  Mary is so much like each of us, and needs to see.  She is the first witness to the risen Christ, and tells the other disciples.  Her example provides each of us the instructions for creating that new heaven and new earth – tell everyone.  Love everyone.  For while we are traveling now, we will all be going home!


Friday, April 19, 2019

Good Friday Sermon: What Was I Thinking?


You know, we're extremely fortunate today, almost 2000 years after Christ's death.  We have the knowledge of hindsight, of first-hand testimony in the Bible, of knowing that Christ will rise within 3 days.  We have faith that all things occurred for a reason, and that Christ took upon Himself our sins, our wickedness, our offenses, and literally became the perfect sacrifice for the whole world to be able to reconcile with God.

But today, what has become known as Good Friday - today, we're going to look at those people living the experience contemporaneously.  I want you to put yourself into the shoes of the disciples.  I'm going to describe those about whom we know at least a little more than their names, briefly. 

Peter – He was outgoing, a natural leader, and spokesperson for the 12.  He was the only married disciple.  His wife was known to go with him on missions.  He was assigned to bring the Gospel to the circumcised.  He was known for denying Christ three times, and when Peter himself was crucified, he requested to be hung with his head down, as he didn't feel he was worthy to be crucified in the same manner as Christ.

Andrew – He was originally a follower of John the Baptist, and a fisherman.  Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus in the wilderness, where they were following John the Baptist, and left to become followers of Christ.  He was a passionate preacher and significant contributor in the early Church.  He died a martyr, also crucified.

James and John were sons of a fairly wealthy fisherman.  Both were known for their intense passion and fervor.  Jesus called them the Sons of Thunder.  James was part of Jesus' "inner three", in that he is mentioned often when Jesus performed miracles.  He was the only apostle whose death was recorded in the New Testament, as the first apostle to die, and he was beheaded.

John was more at the forefront.  He was known as the "beloved disciple" or the "one whom Jesus loved."  He wrote 1-3 John and Revelation, and wrote more about love than any other writer of the New Testament.  He was exiled, but returned to Ephesus after Domitian died and lived there until about 100 AD.  He was the only disciple not put to death.

Phillip was a Jewish follower of Christ, with a heart for evangelism.  He was both stoned and crucified.

Nathaniel or Bartholomew came from Cana.  He preached in India and translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language.  He died crucified and beheaded.

Matthew, the tax collector, brought the gospel to Ethiopia and Egypt.  The king had him killed with a spear.

Thomas, the Twin, was actually an outspoken skeptic, to the point of pessimism, his entire life.  He started the church in India, and was killed by a spear through the side.

James the Less, was also known as "the Little", "the Younger" and "the Minor", as it was apparently in comparison to James, son of Zebedee – who was apparently taller and older.  Some believe he was Jesus' brother; others that he was a cousin – but little is known about his life.

Simon the Zealot was a political activist, and had a fiery enthusiasm in his devotion to Christ.  He preached in Africa, and ended up crucified in England.

Judas, also known as Jude, was overly concerned with Jesus' revelation to the world at large, and not just to the 12.  He was clubbed to death years after healing the King of Edessa.

Judas Iscariot – the traitor.  Little is known about him, other than he enjoyed a position as an apostle, but did not love Christ as the others did.  His guilt was presumed to have caused him to kill himself.

Mary, sister to Lazarus and Martha, lived in the village of Bethany.  She sat at the feet of Jesus, in the place of a disciple, and was accepted there.  She was quiet and contemplative.   She's the one who used the perfume to anoint Christ's feet – at a cost of 300 denarii.  (A single Denarii was worth 10 asses at the time.)

Martha, sister to Mary and Lazarus, lived in Bethany.  She was rather bold and  outspoken.  She was the organizer, keeping people fed, making sure everything was clean and prepared.  She had a rather practical mindset.

Mary Magdalene, from the town of Magdala, was a constant presence with Jesus, traveling with Him and the disciples, helping to support them, which would imply she at least had some wealth.  It is said that there had been seven demons driven out of her by Christ.  Her devotion to Jesus was absolute.  She would have been as important among the female followers as Peter was among the males.

There would have been many more disciples of Christ that just didn't make it into the Bible.  You decide which one you might identify with, and start thinking how they would be thinking at this very point in their lives. 

Some of them may have been thinking, this was not the Messiah they expected!  He'd just been put to death!  He was only 33 years.  How could he have entered Jerusalem to a triumphant king's procession, not even a week ago?  Could they be thinking – "was I wrong?"

Some may have been angry – how could He have promised eternal life, only to be put to death on a cross?  Why could He not save Himself?  Why would He not save Himself?

Some of them were riddled with doubts, with fear about what would happen next. 

Some felt horrible guilt at what they had done, denying Him, not speaking for Him, hiding away from the terrible crowds.

So many mourned, knowing how this day was going to end – for no one survived crucifixion.  Their Master was going to die.  Their friend would perish, and they would be left alone.

What was I thinking?

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Tuesday Sermon: Seen and Unseen


          We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen.  We state this each time we say the Nicene Creed, a profession of our faith.  And today, our lessons are about "seeing."
          To see:  to understand; to discern; to realize; to appreciate; to meet; to view; to observe; to perceive; to imagine.  The Greek word "see" translates very similarly in approximately as many diverse ways.  But for humans, scientists calculate that what is contained in our visual spectrum is approximately .0035% of all that exists.  That leaves 99.9965% of the "unseen" that we have learned methods of seeing some of it through intellect, extrapolation and science.  But the next time you say the Nicene Creed, remember that we believe God created it all.  How much more do we have to discover?
          The two young men who approached Phillip in today's Gospel likely meant more than just observing with their eyes, for they could see Christ from a distance without Phillip's intervention, and likely meant more along the line of wanting to meet Jesus.  The interesting part is that Jesus immediately begins explaining the future, and how much will occur in places where we can't see. 
          Paul's letter to the Corinthians reminds us, "“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”  This comes from another chapter in Isaiah, "The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden."  From the beginning of time, God helps us to understand that faith in Him is what matters.  If our faith is of both the seen and unseen, and our wisdom is about the miniscule amount that we have learned to see and comprehend, then Paul's words make a great deal of sense.  "He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"
          The Son of Man will be glorified through His death and resurrection – just as a grain of wheat dies and bears much fruit.  The entirety of our belief rests on that resurrection, and that through Christ, we also will have eternal life. 
          We look at the glory of Christ, the majesty of all that we actually can see, the Son of God, begotten as true God from true God.  But think about the fact that this Glorious Being came from the lowly, the ordinary, the faithful, but mundane.  When Christ died, he sparked the biggest revolution, dying to create the good fruit that has become the body of believers in Christ – no matter which method they choose to worship. 
          The fruit created through the death and resurrection of Jesus is us.  And like every seed, there's a choice that determines which person lives as an exemplar of Christ, and which person chooses to exist and never bear fruit.  To help those learn to choose, to choose a life of living, of service, of sacrifice, we have to create the environment in which each seed we plant can grow.  We have to make the environment a place for the soul's slow ripening to live and help others.
          In this holy week, we focus on seeing the true nature of Christ – what He's about, what He really is – in order to see Christ in His glory.  Each of us has that spark of the Divine in the ordinary – we believe that it will grow in glory through faith.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Tuesday Sermon: Cheap Grace


          Dietrich BonhÓ§ffer is one of the most famous pastors and theologians of "our time" – meaning within the last century.  By the age of 25, he was already a professor of systematic theology, and in 1933, with the rise of Hitler, he became a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church – the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis.  In one of his seminal works, The Cost of Discipleship he attacks what he called "cheap grace," meaning grace used as an excuse for moral laxity.
          Now one of the main focuses of the Reformation was that we can't earn grace.  Grace, by its very nature, is the unmerited favor of God.  But the two readings this morning exemplify what BonhÓ§ffer refers to as "cheap grace." 
          In Numbers, "the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.'"  God had just rescued them from 400 years of slavery; He had given them the laws to guide their lives, food every day, water to drink, and was leading them to the Promised Land.  They already lived in the grace of God, and yet, expected more.  Rather than praying and asking God to help them find additional sources of food and water, they complained.  They spoke against God and His chosen leader.  In this instance, they had no thankfulness, no gratefulness for what God had already provided them, and had already promised them.  They were uncomfortable and expected God to fix it.  Their faith was in evidence only in their complaints.
          In John, the people said to Christ: "'Who are you?' Jesus said to them, 'Why do I speak to you at all?  I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.'"  God's grace is literally standing in front of them in the form of the gift of His Son, and still, they don't get it.  They're more interested at this point in finding fault than in trying to understand, and have faith in God.  Again, they put no effort into living into the grace provided to them from God. 
          Now, BonhÓ§ffer went in a direction that most theologians and pastors will tell you was the wrong way to go to ensure that the grace he was provided from God was not "cheap grace."  His actions were literally exemplifying his own condemnation of man.  Interestingly for a clergyman, he participated with a group planning not just the overthrow of Hitler, as at that point, he was an employee of the Military Intelligence Department.  He was discovered and arrested in 1943 and after the failed attempt on Hitler's life, he was sent first to Buchenwald and then to Schoenberg Prison.  He had a relative high in the government that helped keep him alive, but that relative was later implicated in anti-Nazi plots himself.  On Sunday April 8, 1945, he had just finished conducting Sunday services in the prison, when the soldiers came for him.  He was hanged the next day, less than a week before the Allies reached the camp.
          BonhÓ§ffer refused to be placed on the prayer list of the Confessing Church after his imprisonment in 1943. Bonhoeffer believed that "only those who were imprisoned because of their proclamation or actions in the service of the church belonged on the prayer list, but not those imprisoned as political conspirators," he said.  He accepted that his actions were not those of a man following God's plan.  He knew that he had fallen short of the grace of God, but also that every man does.  As he was led away, another prisoner reported that he said, "This is the end -- but for me, the beginning -- of life."
          Take a look at Hymn 695 in the hymnal.  BonhÓ§ffer wrote these words shortly before his death:
By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,
and confidently waiting come what may,
we know that God is with us night and morning,
and never fails to greet us each new day.

Yet is this heart by its old foe tormented,
still evil days bring burdens hard to bear;
Oh, give our frightened souls the sure salvation
for which, O Lord, You taught us to prepare.

And when this cup You give is filled to brimming
with bitter suffering, hard to understand,
we take it thankfully and without trembling,
out of so good and so beloved a hand.

Yet when again in this same world You give us
the joy we had, the brightness of Your Sun,
we shall remember all the days we lived through,
and our whole life shall then be Yours alone.

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Sermon: What do you value?


          "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."
          Isaiah proclaimed the words of the Lord:  "Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.  I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"
          And Paul said to the Philippians, "… whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…"
          In both the Old and New Testament lessons today, we're talking about a complete change from what we know, what we've worked for, what we have expected to have happen with our lives, and choosing to change it to live in the way God has designed.  We can see what the world values all around us. 
          In Jesus' day, that pound of nard that Mary had bought and used to anoint the feet of Christ was worth about 300 dinari, if Judas was correct in his estimation.  Judas represents society – and the value of money.  Mary represented what we hope to achieve as Christians – the value of Christ:  His teachings, His importance in our lives,  His example to us, and most importantly, the value of the love of Christ.
          It is the values that we must constantly watch, and yet, values are different for each person.  Someone with a particular talent – for instance, one that can create music through an instrument, may value a type of instrument for the perfection of the sound they can create – while another knows that  music can be created through a much less expensive instrument.  The value here is between the creation of sublime music, wanting to reach the souls of those who have an appreciation for the glory of God within the music, and the creation of participatory joy in the creation of a joyful noise.  Of course, there is also the music snob, merely wanting the experience of listening to the best musician playing the best instrument at an exorbitant cost because, it is the "best."
          I recognized my own snobbery in books.  It often appalls me that people will actually write in books, including Bibles!  And then I read a story in "Our Daily Bread" of  a man who loved old books. He met an acquaintance who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations. "I couldn't read it," the friend explained. "Somebody named Guten-something had printed it." "Not Gutenberg!" the book lover exclaimed in horror. "That Bible was one of the first books ever printed. Why, a copy just sold for over two million dollars!"  His friend was unimpressed. "Mine wouldn't have brought a dollar. Some fellow named Martin Luther had scribbled all over it in German."  And suddenly, the values changed.  The man had thrown away what would be contemporaneous living history of a man who had changed the world.
          So when the Lord spoke to the people through Isaiah, he was reminding them of what they had left behind, though familiar.  They left slavery and servitude to people who did not hear or understand the One God's words.  They left toil that benefited only their masters, providing barely enough to feed and house their families, and yet put their baby sons in danger.  Even with their grumbling in the desert, they were provided food from God, water from a rock split open by God's word.  They were able to raise their children up rightly, and teach them the ways of their people. 
          And Paul's words to the Philippians talk about how he was raised, to be a Pharisee in the Tribe of Benjamin, loyal to the letter of the law, and persecuting those who followed Jesus.  He was well-respected, had gained a position in society, a Hebrew among Hebrews, and absolutely certain in his own righteousness.  He had been proud of all he had accomplished.  And now, after knowing the truth of Jesus Christ, he counted all of that time and effort and pride as loss, because he now realized how much time he had wasted in those other pursuits, when the faith in Christ – true God from true God – resurrected into everlasting life.  His deepest yearning became that he might become like Him in death.
          Now, at this point, I have to be thankful that we actually don't have children here – although I will be very thankful when we do, and hope to have an answer for the question that was put to my mother's priest this week by a 5-year-old.  The logic of children is a blessing from God, because we have to figure out how to respond to them.  The priest asked the class of kindergarten and first graders if anyone knew what Good Friday was about.  A little girl stood up and said that that was the day the bad men killed Jesus.  The priest asked her how she knew it was the bad men, and she very seriously replied, "My mother told me so."  Knowing better than contradicting a mother's truth, the priest moved on.  He asked if anyone knew what happened 3 days later.  None of the children could answer that one.  He explained that Jesus was resurrected and came back to life.  The little girl had a question.  "So if my mommy died, then 3 days later, she could come back, right?" 
          A 5-year-old understands the concept, and extrapolating is actually quite sophisticated for her age.  Now the priest in question copped out, and said that was a lesson for another time.  But here, we're going to consider how we teach Christian values to children.  My response likely would have been that Jesus went to live with His Daddy in heaven, and that her mom would also go to live with Jesus in Heaven, but that she would live there until the 5-year-old grew very old and had children and grandchildren of her own so that later, she could go and live in heaven with her mommy and Jesus.  The values here are family, love, and the expectation of everlasting life.
          In Paul's case, he essentially recognized the value in the resurrection, in having life eternal.  But to live here as a Christian, he felt responsible for spreading the Good News of Christ to all of his neighbors, each time he met a new one.  He wasted no more time on the values he'd had growing up, and counted every day, each bit of suffering he experienced, as a blessing to be and react like Christ.  
          Take a look at how you allocate your time, talents and wealth.  Based on how you spend those things you have, you can evaluate what it is you truly value.  And then decide for yourself if that is how you want your life reflected.  I've got an exercise for you to think about this week.  It's even got a worksheet.  Lent is a time of reflection, so I'll ask that you spend some of your time this week reflecting on your own life.  Be brutally honest with yourself, because let's face it, God sees and knows all.  But you might find a surprise or two for yourself in the reflection.  May we all follow the words of Isaiah, Paul and Christ  in our lessons today.  Amen.

WORKSHEET:
ONE: I consider the rhythm of my life. What percentage of my time is spent in the following ways?
To make it easier, call 1 hour per day 4% (NB there may be some overlap – e.g. Family time could also be leisure time, and the figures may add up to more or less than 100):
Work: _______________ %                                           Leisure: _________ %
Church activities: ______ %                                         Sleep: ___________ %
Prayer: ______________ %                                           Family: __________ %
Worship: _____________ %                                         Study: ___________ %
TWO: Is this a satisfactory allocation of time?
THREE: If not, what is stopping me changing it?
FOUR: Do I try to live on an endless high? Or do I accept the lows with the highs?
FIVE: How often do I have a rest day? How do I spend it?
SIX: Can I face pain and find in it opportunities for growth?
SEVEN: When I meet others do I do all the talking? Or all the listening?
EIGHT: When I pray do I allow time for God to speak?
NINE: Do I regularly reflect on my experience?
TEN: Is there a discernible relationship between my prayer and the ordinary events of  daily life? How do they inter-relate?
ELEVEN: Am I the same person with my friends, with my colleagues, with my family, in my church? Should I be?
TWELVE: How often do I laugh? Is it enough?
THIRTEEN: I imagine that tomorrow, as if by magic, I will be able to do absolutely anything I wish, without restraint. How will I spend the time?
FOURTEEN: When did I last do something I really wanted to do?
FIFTEEN: Are there any areas about which it might be worthwhile to seek the help of a prayer guide/director? If so, what are they?

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Tuesday Sermon: As Soon As...


          Thirty-eight years of "what if" – can you imagine that?  That builds up a huge belief, and a huge fear.  Counting on "what if", you never have to actually do something, but rather wait for "as soon as" X happens, my life will be perfect. 
          In today's gospel, John chose this miracle as one of seven that Christ performed during his ministry.  He wanted people to believe in Christ's words, His teachings, and gave few examples of miracles.  He wrote, "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name." 
          Today's miracle is about showing us that even when we get the "what if" moment – life still happens.  As soon as the man was healed, he took up his mat and walked.  He didn't leave the mat behind, because Christ understood that the mat was the symbol of his life.  It controlled his movements, his hopes, his despair – because he was constantly tied to that mat.  Christ untied the dreams associated with the pool by making the man well, but instructed him to take up his mat.  He gave the man the ability to control his own circumstances, to walk away from the pool of "as soon as", and make his way in the world. 
          Interestingly, when the man was questioned by the Jews in the Temple, he did not know the name of the man who had healed him.  So there wasn't a "belief" that created this healing, as we read about in so many others.  When the man was approached by Jesus in the Temple, Jesus told him, "Do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you."  Most people think of sin as an action, but something to realize is that sin is always a choice.  Sitting for 38 years, the man made the choice to be inactive, to fail to take control of his own circumstances, so that he could accomplish much in his community.  As we say in our prayer of confession – by what we have done and by what we have left undone. 
          Perhaps there are things that can be done if X, Y, or Z happens.  But if we wait for, or count on those things happening, we have given up our own choices to continue to do good, to work for our community, to help others who may find themselves waiting for "as soon as."  Paul wrote to the Philippians:  "I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it.  Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress."
          We must take up our mats, for these are the circumstances of our lives, and move forward.  To go and sin no more, we must avoid the choice of inaction and wallowing in despair, waiting for the "what if" day.  We can create our own opportunities, and God will see us blessed and strengthened in ways we hadn't yet imagined.