Last sermon at Salem.
Today was a sad day for me. It was the last day of my internship. This year has been a blessing, the people at Salem have been joyous, welcoming, and have taught me a great deal. They will forever be in my prayers and heart.
My last sermon for my internship was this....
Gospel: John 6: 56-69
main text: Ephesians 6:10-20
May the words of my lips and the mediations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord our Rock and Redeemer.
Let us pray,
Triumphant God, wrap us in your love, use us in your mission, draw us together in unity, so that we may declare your radical Gospel with boldness. Amen.
As I read the text from Ephesians for today, it reminded me of a field trip I took in Junior high School. We had been studying the Medieval times, and the teachers decided a great way to make history fun, as well as to allow us to see the practices in person, was to take us to a place called, Medieval times. There was to be jousting, and knights in full armor, a ‘king’ of the event, servants, and food that was served without silverware.
As the festival began, depending on where you were sitting you were given the color of a knight to cheer for. I had the green knight. I remember thinking how awesome it would be to try on a suit of armor, to walk around impenetrable, to fight gallantly for ones kingdom, to slay dragons like I’ve heard of in stories.
Like many of us, as a young person, I romanticized that period of history. Thinking about kings, queens, princes, princesses, noble knights set out on dangerous missions. Their armor began to define who they were, their job, their title, their soul. These pieces of intricately laced together metal pieces, began to become a person. Their armor began to define them on one side of a fight, and usually that side was the good side. The strong protective side.
Our obsession with armor has not ended. We think about and create it even today, from bullet proof vests, to the armor that we use and send out to our troops in foreign wars. We want to protect our selves as much as possible.
But this extends further then just physical protection as well. We as people who are hurt by words and actions, by choices, and emotions, we want to protect ourselves from people too. We want armor and shields to cover us, so that we don’t have to be hurt, feel pain or discomfort from the words and actions of others. We want to be protected from the mean insults that others can lob at us. We want protection from the pain of self-consciousness, from the demoralizing of acts of racism, sexism, ageism, or classism. We don’t want to be hurt by rejection.
We think about war in many forms, we express it in songs, we watch it in movies, cartoons show illustrations of heavily armed machines fighting one another, of fighting against evil. Fights of good versus evil are present in our literature, movies, songs, stories, minds, politics, social causes, language and lives.
We live in a culture now, that is dominated by the thought that to make change, we must wage a battle. We must fight strong handedly against others, in order to change our current situations.
We have created only two sides in our battle, the good side and the bad side. If it’s bad, we fight against it, and always believe that we are on the good side.
This Ephesians text is something radical, it’s not advocating war, it’s not preparing us to wage a war, it is not telling us to use faith as a weapon, as some may advocate. Instead it is referring us to put on the armor of God to stand up for justice. To strive for peace. This isn’t a physical fight, this isn’t a fight that is easily won, but this is the mission that God is striving for.
The section of Ephesians is drawing from a passage from Isaiah ch59. In the Isaiah text, God is the one putting on the armor, God is the one wearing the breastplate of righteousness, God is wielding the sword of the Word. God is the one who is striving for justice, alone.
But here, in this text, we are asked to join that mission. To put on the armor ourselves. To place upon our heads the helmet of salvation, to wrap around our waist the belt of truth, to hold the shield of faith tight, to grasp the sword of the Word of God, and to walk in shoes of peace. We are asked to suit up, and help in the mission of God.
We aren’t asked to help slaughter enemies. We aren’t asked to close ourselves off in our protective suits. We are instead asked to fight in an entirely new way. With our radical fashion, we are asked to walk in the Gospel of peace, to hold tight to our faith, to surround ourselves in truth and righteousness, to know that our minds are safe in the promises of salvation, and to keep the Word of God at our side. We are asked to open ourselves up to the Spirit, and to share ourselves with others. We are given an opportunity to help penetrate injustices’, to help invoke change in society, to help end pain and rejection. We are given an opportunity to show the love that God has offered to us with others.
It is love that we are putting on, it is love that we are wearing from God. God has wrapped us in it, and now we have the power to go out and share it with one another. While the world is calling for war, while people want to fight, God comes to conquer, triumphantly through the peace of Christ. He doesn’t slay his enemies like they were dragons, instead he loves them. He radically changes them. His enemies are not people, but instead are hatred and sin and fear. They are not our earthly brothers and sisters, but are injustice and pain. And these are conquered by the risen Christ.
But that’s difficult to understand for us. We have a hard time seeing love conquer evil without a real fight, without having to draw swords and strike the enemy down. We want God to punish our enemies, so it’s hard to understand a God that brings enemies into our family, and takes suffering upon himself. It’s hard to understand a God that would offer his body as a life-giving bread, to all those who listen. Even the disciples would agree, as we heard in the Gospel for today. They have heard the words of Jesus and say that his teaching is difficult, and ask who can accept it?
Because of hearing this message of ultimate love, of ultimate sacrifice, many of his disciples turned back, and no longer went with him. They couldn’t understand this radical approach to love, so they left. And so Jesus turned to the twelve, and asked, “Do you also wish to go?”
Peter answered him, “But Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Peter and the twelve knew that these were difficult words that Jesus was offering, but they also knew that this was the only place they could receive the grace of God, the bread of life.
As difficult as it is to understand, Christ is the armor of God. Christ is the ultimate conqueror. For Christ is the one who conquers the power of death and the grave, Christ is the one that takes our sins, takes our pain, and gives us eternal life. Christ is the one that offers up his own body, to save us. Christ is the one that pierces our hearts and minds with the Gospel of peace, grace and life.
It is in unity that we put on Christ, the armor of God. It is in unity that we can strive for justice and peace through the Word of God. Christ will win this battle, for he has already given his life so that we may receive eternal life.
In the armor of Christ, we stand together, we gather side by side, as brothers and sisters, whether we agree or disagree, whether we are similar or different, whether we understand the gift of salvation or are just learning about it’s power. We stand together, united, and receive the body of Christ, we receive the words of love from God, we receive the gift of salvation. We stand together, in prayer, that we may understand the words of Christ, that we may help to spread his love to all the world, whether they be our enemies or our closest friends.
The letter to Ephesians is concluded with this passage. They are left with an encouragement to put on the armor of God, to stand firm, and to pray in the Spirit. Pray for the saints, and those gone before them, and to pray for the leaders of the church that they me deliver with boldness the Gospel.
This encouragement is just as appropriate for us today. As my last Sunday with you here at Salem, I encourage you to put on the armor of God, that is Christ. To wrap your selves in the love that is the Gospel. To stand together, unified, as brothers and sisters of faith.
Don’t allow small things to come between you, but remember the big things. Remember that the love of Christ is what conquers all, remember that you have been called to stand beside each other, to work together for the mission of God. And in doing so, never forget to pray for yourselves, your mission, your leaders, and those gone before you. For it is Christ who has the words of eternal life, and Christ who gives you them to you freely. Fill yourselves with the bread of life and cup of salvation, wrap yourselves in the armor that is Christ, and you will show others the love of Christ, you will make change, in the lives of others, in the world, and within yourselves.
Also pray for those who speak the words of God. Pray that they may declare the boldness of the Gospel, the radical and life changing Gospel of love and that the Spirit may empower them through this difficult task.
May we strive with boldness to spread the Gospel, to declare the words of God’s love, to share with others the radical life changing bread of salvation. And may we remember that the love of Christ conquers all. Amen.
Labels: armor, blessing, goodbyes, salem, sermon
Stormy Seas a Comin'
Here is my sermon for Pentecost 3B.
Mark 4:35-41
Almighty God, Calm the storms in our hearts and minds so that we may hear your words for us, that we may know of your love and grace. Amen.
In High School, I was part of a class that went on a canoe trip each year. As part of the requirements, we were to be paired up with someone, and work as a team. For those who didn’t know how to canoe, they were taught in the indoor school pool, and this would be their first big outing onto a river. I was paired with a girl named Erin. Now Erin was about 5’2, and had never canoed before in her life. She was jittery, and I kept telling her to just be calm. As the experienced canoeist, I took the back. I explained to her again how we needed to work as a team, she needed to watch for things coming up ahead, and tell me how to steer us. We were towards the end of the boats that were launched into the river that day. Erin kept talking about how she didn’t want to tip in, because she was terrified of it, and how I needed to make sure not to tip us. I assured her that I had never intentionally tipped a canoe before and we would be fine, she just needed to sit still.
Well there is where I went wrong. Erin was so nervous, that she literally could not sit still. She jumped at every little movement around her, she swayed back and forth when she remembered to put her paddle in the water. Then we got to a part of the river where there was faster moving water, and trees that dangled overhead. Being that I was already 6’1 in HS, I of course got lots of branches in the face, lot’s of bugs all over me that fell off the branches, but the worst was listening to Erin scream about the spiders. She couldn’t handle the bugs falling on her, she freaked out, and began to squirm even more. Needless to say, she tipped us.
But that wasn’t the last time we would be in the water that day, Erin caused us to tip about six more times that day. Her fear had overtaken her and she was no longer thinking rationally.
That same fear of the water is tangible in the words of the disciples that we heard from the Gospel of Mark for today. You can almost hear the panic in their tones as they run to Jesus, asking him why he is sleeping while they are going to perish. They fear the storm that has cropped up, and for good reason too.
The location of the water that they disciples were boating on, lies behind a mountain range, and is quite shallow. Although Mark refers to it as a “sea” it’s actually a lake. This lake is well known for the bad storms that come across it. Because of it’s geographical placement, storms come quickly without warning, they are fierce and dangerous, and usually do not last very long. The fishermen would have known all this information, they would have known that this lake was well known for it’s storms, they would have been watching in fear from the moment they stepped on to the boat.
These disciples put no trust in their own knowledge of boats to save them from this storm that popped up. Instead they turn to look for their leader; they turn to look for Jesus awaiting his words, awaiting his commands. Although they had more experience on the water then Jesus, although the fisherman of the bunch had known the dangers of the waters for their whole lives, they turn to the man that they have been following, the man that was raised as a carpenter, and persuaded them to leave their jobs and follow him.
The fear over took them, and they could only panic and run to Jesus. When they find him sleeping calmly, they yell out to him. They accuse him of sleeping while they are perishing. They accuse, because they don’t know what to do, they feel abandoned by their leader, and are not trusting in his previous words, but instead need an action from him now, in this moment. They feel the peril that approaches them through the storm, and they don’t know what to do.
Having spent a good amount of time on the water myself, I know that it is a dangerous place. Storms only increase the danger of being at sea. I’m sure most of us have heard of all the different vessels that have been lost at sea. Stories pop up about the Bermuda triangle, and boats that vanish. We have heard of storms that have torn ships apart, run them aground, and sunk them. People, and all kinds of crafts get lost at sea. The water can often be a dangerous place.
We encounter storms on a regular basis during our lives. Yes, we encounter natural storms like thunderstorms and tornadoes, but we also encounter different kinds of storms. Storms that shake our foundations, storms that change life as we know it.
Storms in our lives come in different ways and at different times. They can be building storms, or can pop up without warning. We come to encounter storms such as death, loss, broken hearts, rejection, pain both physical and emotional. Storms in our lives can be the death of loved ones, struggling with depression, finding knew ways to survive, being turned down for a job because of who you are, feeling alone and separated from those who you love.
Storms cannot always be predicted, sometimes we are influenced by the people that surround us, sometimes people abuse and use us in ways we didn’t see coming. We get lied to by someone that we trusted with everything, and we are suddenly left alone in a mess we didn’t create.
There are times when we don’t deserve the storms of our lives, when we question what’s going on around us.
We like the disciples can wonder where God is during our storm? How can we be left feeling alone, and feeling as if we are perishing, and God not be beside us giving us direction?
As Jesus is awoken by the disciples, he stands up and calls out off the boat, “Peace. Be still.” Three words, and everything is calm. The winds and waves have stopped crashing, the beating hearts have steadied, and the worried minds have relaxed. With three words, the storm and the disciples are calm.
In the Gospel, Mark says that Jesus states these words to the wind and water, but I think they were meant more for the disciples. It wasn’t that Jesus had to physically control the natural elements, he was calming the minds and hearts of the disciples, he was giving them peace and stillness, not the waves. The storm would have passed in it’s own time, but the disciples fears needed to be calmed.
Jesus offers them peace in the midst of turmoil, he offers them calmness in the face of danger.
Jesus continues on to question the disciples, asking them if they have faith, how come they didn’t trust in this situation. Although he chastises them about their reaction, he still took the time to calm them. He knew that what they needed was peace of mind, they needed to feel safe, and he gave that to them. He brought to them a peace that not only calmed the storm in front of the, but calmed the many storms to come. He brought them a peace that will forever give them salvation, that will forever give them stillness, because he brought them a peace the surpasses all understanding. A peace that is offered in his death on a cross.
There is a great song, with the chorus line of, “Sometimes he calms the storm, and sometimes he calms his child.”
Jesus does this for the disciples. He may have controlled the earthly elements, he may have stopped the waves in their tracks, but he most definitely calmed his people.
God does this for you too. God is there, through it all. The comfort may not always come in the ways we want it to, the storms may not always disappear instantly, but God is with you.
The storms in our lives can come and go, they can stick around and they can reoccur, but through it all, God is there. Even when we think there is no help for us, that we are perishing, we can take comfort in our tiny seed of faith, that we are cared for that we are loved.
Just as Jesus spoke peace to the disciples, so God speaks peace to our lives. Speaks peace to the fears and dangers in our lives. Speaks peace to our worried hearts and minds.
Water can also speak peace to us, remembering God in the waters, we can have peace. Peace from the waters that God used to create the world, Peace from the waters that God used to save our ancestors the Israelites when He parted the Red Sea, waters that God used to baptize his Son Jesus Christ, waters that he uses to baptize us and claim us as his children, to claim that he will be with us always.
So let us take comfort in the fact that God is with us, through the storms through the joys through days and through the years. Let us be calmed by the glorious message that we are children of God, that we are a loved people, that we have been redeemed through the indescribable love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
You are a loved child of God, a child that would not be allow to perish alone in a storm on the seas of life, for God is with you through all you do, through all the trials and through all the struggles. Living and breathing in and around you.
May the Holy Spirit blow peace into the storms of our lives, may Jesus be the calm conductor of our boats on the choppy seas of life, and may God be our guide and companion keeping us close as we worry and fear. Amen
Labels: child of God, Jesus struggles, sermon, storms
Weeds of faith.
Pentecost 3B
This is my sermon for:
Mark 4:26-34- Kingdom of God as a mustard seed.
Let us pray.
Holy Creator, you do extraordinary things with little resources, You make the small, mighty, you make the weak, strong. Bless our hearts and our minds to your service, so that we might be extraordinary through you and in your service. Amen.
After reading the Gospel for today, I got interested in mustard. I had always thought of it as a condiment, as an addition to sandwiches, burgers and deviled eggs. I never had really thought about what a mustard plant looked like, or where or how it grew.
I looked it up, and found out some pretty cool stuff.
There are several household uses for Mustard such as: a Food additive, muscle cramp reliever, clears congestion, aids in digestion, odor remover (skunk and smelly foods), can be used as a facial cleanser, household cleaner, muscle relaxer (good in soaking feet, or back aches). The leaves can be eaten, or used in marinating meats.
The mustard plant can grow to a height of eight feet tall. It’s a weedy looking plant, taking over gardens, and practically impossible to remove once it starts growing.
In Jewish law, mustard plants are unclean to keep in the garden.
So why does Jesus use this image of a mustard seed as a mighty plant? They aren’t even the smallest seeds around, although as you can see they are pretty tiny (indicated a jar full of mustard seeds).
This confusing image that is presented is to tell us about the Kingdom of God, so why then does it seem as if Jesus is exaggerating?
The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed? The Kingdom of God, that which we are to inherit, is like a small invading plant, that takes over whole gardens, and is basically seen in the farming community as a weed.
When I think of weeds, I think of things that are undesirable. Things that take away from the plants I’ve been intentional about. We try to take out the weeds, we try to separate them from what we desire.
When I think weeds, I think dandelions.
Dandelions are often one of the most hated weeds around. They poke up out of lawns all around the country. It seems as if there is never enough weed repellant to make dandelions disappear. They keep coming back. Ruining lawns we have worked hard to perfectly manicure.
It seems as if we struggle so much to get rid of them so that our situations are perfect that we become consumed by them. But what are the dandelions in your life?
Do we struggle to get rid of our racial identifiers, to be equal to others? Throughout the years people have attempted to assimilate into American “culture’ meanwhile losing their own culture.
It often seems that those things which make people unique, are hidden, so that they can appear as if they blend in. People try to hide their family situation, their background, even some of their physical attributes, or talents.
We as people try to appear perfect by society standards that we lose perspective. We look up to become great and tall like that of the cedar. We look up expecting God and Christ to come in a roaring thunderous way. We look up, expecting that perfection can only come dripping in Gold with trumpets blasting on high.
But what if we are looking in the wrong direction? What if instead of looking up for God, we should really be looking down? Looking low on the ground in the common weeds. In the dandelions and mustard plants.
Looking in the humble forms that God appears in our lives. Looking in the weeds for the unexpected. Looking in the scraggly plants that take over gardens, for the unexpected God coming in the form of man, to give up his life to save us all.
We are so busy looking up, that we miss the unexpected in the weeds. We miss the life giving power of the Gospel, invading our lives, taking over our garden like hearts, and not being able to be removed.
We as a society have been consumed by the bigger is better thought for a very long time. American society has adopted a strong consumerist attitude, using up all our resources to make sure we have the newest of things. Looking as if we are big and tall is the image we seek to portray, but what about those dandelions?
So let’s compare cedar trees to weeds for a moment. In the forest, you would get rid of a tree by chopping it down. The size of the tree would mean that it would take more time to remove it, but it can be removed so that it never grows again.
For anyone that has gardened before, or knows a little bit about it, you know that weeds are impossible to get rid of. They can be pulled out, sprayed with weed repellant, covered in wood chips and even mowed over, but they still find a way to come back. They grow in the most inhospitable of places, in the cracks of sidewalks, at the corners of foundations, in planted fields, in urban gardens, and in the wilderness. They grow where they are unwanted, and even despised.
Isn’t this exactly how we should view the kingdom of God?
Maybe this image of the weedy mustard seed is perfect to think about the Kingdom of God. Flourishing from a tiny seed, with little resources, and nothing can stop it. It can be neglected, left aside, unwanted, forgotten, but it will never stop growing. Isn’t the Gospel message exactly the same?
We hear about faith all throughout our lives, often we are busy and in tune with church when we are young, when we are encouraged to attend church by parents or mentors, and for some of us, it fades as we grow. People see the world around them, and think that this God they had grown to know through Sunday school, isn’t what they see around them. They are looking up for something mighty, something profound to come out of the sky, for a great presence. And miss the weeds at their feet. The weeds that pervade their daily lives, that exist in poor conditions, even though all else has left.
The Kingdom of God is of the weeds. It is of the unexpected, disregarded people, the broken and sinful people, the hurt and the weary. The kingdom of God is the pervading weed that is in all our lives, whether we see it creeping into our lives, taking over our gardens and sidewalks, or even if we try to get rid of it. That weed will always be there.
Jesus prepares us for the unexpected. We are the mustard seeds, the Kingdom of God together. We are the undesirable, unclean seed, tiny little seed that gets tossed aside by society standards. We flourish with little resources, and nothing can stop us.
We do not carry the word perfectly, but somehow it keeps flourishing through and in our lives. The message of Christ is in the world, and nothing can stop it.
I’m going to place this pot of mustard seed, out in the narthex, and as the seeds grow and flourish, I want you to watch. To watch for the unexpected. So that each time you see these weeds, or ones out on the street, you think about the Kingdom of God. Think about God being in the unexpected places, in the weeds. And know that you are part of the pervasive Kingdom of God that cannot be stopped, no matter if we are neglected, alone, mourning, scared, or looked down upon. We, as the mighty weeds of God’s kingdom, shall continue to grow and spread the message of God. Let us remember that although we may not have the best of resources, we might not have giant seeds, we have enough to flourish. Let us use our resources to spread the Gospel message, to share with others the invading and life giving power of God.
The cedar trees of the world may be cut down and removed, but the Kingdom of God cannot be cut down or ripped out or removed in any way! Thanks be to God! Amen.
Labels: faith, Looking low, mustard seed, sermon, small and mighty, weeds
Questions and Answers
This is my sermon for Holy Trinity Sunday.
The text is John 3:1-17.
Holy God, Three in one, bless our hearts and our minds that we may hear your word, and live out your calling to each of us, to your glory. In your name we pray, Amen.
Answers. Aren’t we all looking for answers of some sort? Whether it be answers to questions such as, “will I have enough savings to make it through this economic crisis?”
Or will I make it through the layoffs at work, so I can keep my job.
Questions such as, How will I survive, now that my spouse is leaving me?
Or how can I go on now that this loved one has died?
There are many questions in our lives. We search often for long periods for answers to our questions. Sometimes just looking for comfort, sometimes looking for joy, and sometimes we are just looking in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some of our questions are genuine, and others are meant to be accusatory or to hurt another person.
No matter the answer we seek, we as human beings are always looking for answers, looking for reasons behind our lives, looking for ways we can improve either superficially or deep down to our core, we look for answers regarding our lives on earth, as well as what comes after.
As we heard in the Gospel for today, Nicodemus is also searching. Nicodemus, a Jewish high priest, comes to Jesus by night. With that statement already, I have questions. Now, why would a Jewish High priest be coming to Jesus? In the past it has been ill-intentioned, they have wanted to find ways of discrediting him, of arresting him on an illegal charge, and have wanted him to contradict scripture or Jewish law. So, already, a sentence and a half into the Gospel reading, and I’m suspicious of Nicodemus’ intent.
But, what does it mean that he came by night? How does that change the circumstances of his questions to Jesus?
It changes them in several ways, actually. First, coming by night, meant that he didn’t want it to be a big show out in the public square, so that instead of him coming to challenge Jesus, Nicodemus is coming honestly to find the answers to his questions, and to find if Jesus is truly the Son of God.
A second reason, why Nicodemus coming by night is so significant, is a Jewish teaching which tells the people that if they truly want to have a deep conversation with a Rabbi, so that they can get all the answers to their questions, they must come by night. The reasoning behind this is then that you have a quiet time set aside for answers. There is less commotion, and neither the person or the rabbi needs to run off to do things such as happens during the day.
So here is Nicodemus, coming to Jesus by night, confirming that Jesus is whom he considers a religious leader, that Jesus is who he is coming to for answers to his deepest questions. Nicodemus is also showing how much he respects Jesus, and is in need of answers.
Nicodemus in an attempt to have Jesus understand that he is here in truth and peace, states that Jesus must be a teacher from God, because of all the amazing signs, healings and miracles he has performed. He tries to compliment Jesus with saying that he knows that God is with him in some way, and Jesus then answers in a riddle of sorts.
He states that no one may see the Kingdom of Heaven without having first been born from above. It seems as if Jesus is answering a question, that hasn’t been asked yet. An answer that Nicodemus doesn’t seem ready or able to understand yet. It is in the response that Nicodemus gives that we understand that he is confused. He asks, “but how can someone be born again, can one enter the womb a second time?”
Nicodemus is thinking of human birth, thinking that it seems impossible that after one grows old on earth, that he can re-enter a womb to be physically born again. He asks questions, so that he might understand more, so that he may know what he needs to do in order to see the Kingdom of heaven.
There is an interesting play on words here in the Ancient Greek that the Gospel was written in. The Greek word, Ano-then, which we hear as translated as, born from above, can also mean, born again. In Greek there is in way to know which way this word has been used.
Nicodemus takes Jesus’ words to mean literally born again, whereas Jesus was speaking of being born from above. Being born of water and of the Spirit.
Still Nicodemus is confused, not sure what Jesus is even speaking about, not sure how the Spirit blesses or gives birth to a new people, not sure how baptism into the Family of God gives a rebirth of a new person as a child of God.
We like Nicodemus, don’t always understand what God is up to. We don’t even always understand God’s love or compassion.
As we grow older, we live through many trials, trials of faith, trials of endurance, trials of grief and depression, trials of drug habits, trials of persecution or rejection. We live through times that break our spirits, that beat us down, and tear us apart. We can wonder where God is in those trials, we can wonder how God is working in our lives, and even sometimes if God has left us, because it surely feels that way while in the middle of something painful.
We can question God’s presence in our lives, we can question God’s plan for us, God’s calling, and sometimes even God’s existence. The earthly world surrounding us, can often be a harsh place. We see death and destruction daily. We remember world events such as D-day, a day when many people’s lives were lost. We see news stories about 18 yr old boys who go missing for months, and who are known to have now been murdered in the country that they had at one time fled from, to seek refuge here. We hear stories of murder, of drug dealers and houses, we see our neighborhoods slowly getting boarded up because of the economy, we see families getting kicked out of the houses they are renting because of foreclosures. We hear about young kids getting involved with gangs because they feel there is no other place to turn. We hear about communities that turn young people away, chastise them, look down upon them and even sometimes beat them because of who they love.
We live in a broken world. We are a broken people. We do wrong things, we sin, we hurt ourselves and each other. We question what goes on around us, we try to find answers to our questions, answers to the things that hurt us the most. We look for comfort, we look for love, we look for even just a little compassion.
Nicodemus came looking for answers, and he found love. He found love in it’s purest form, he found Jesus Christ, Son of God, salvation to all.
Jesus continues to tell Nicodemus the most important truth. The line that is most quoted from Holy Scripture, known from memory to many people around the world, a line that sums up the Christian faith. A line that brings us comfort and shows us what love truly is.
“for God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.”
This was the focus of our first Wednesday night happenings, this last Wednesday. We worked on memorizing this verse, and then discussed what it meant.
Now I know all the youth that were there know this verse well, so let’s say it out loud together. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.”
So that everyone who believes in him, may not perish but have eternal life. Everyone! This is not a conditional statement, it’s meant for everyone. God loved the world so much, that He gave Jesus Christ, God’s son, to die painfully on a cross, for you, for me, for us, for the world.
Jesus shares the answer with Nicodemus. He shares the truth with Nicodemus, he shares love with Nicodemus. Jesus gives Nicodemus life, eternal life.
Nicodemus comes with questions, comes with doubts, comes with struggles, comes with imperfections. And he receives all the answers he needs, although he might not understand them all. Even though he is broken, he is welcomed into God’s family, he is redeemed by the death of Christ, he is loved.
We are Nicodemus. We come with questions, we come with doubts, struggles, imperfections, sins, fear, and pain. And we receive the best gift of all time. We receive eternal life, life with God, life full of the love of God.
We receive a love that surpasses all our understanding. It’s a love that exists for us even when we do wrong. It’s a love that is there for us even when we don’t see it or don’t want it. It’s a love that is there for us when we think we don’t deserve it.
A love that inspires us to reach out and care for each other. A love that inspires things such as food drives, a love that inspires things such as listening to a friend who needs someone to talk to, a love that inspires things such as volunteering to help with a summer children’s program. It’s a love that changes our lives, that inspires us to live in new ways, to love our neighbor as we have been loved by God.
It’s a love that is there for you, even when we don’t understand.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that who ever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Amen.
Labels: gospel, Jesus, John 3:16, love, sermon
Just Breathe!
This is my sermon for Sunday, April 19th
The text was John 20: 19-31
It’s right about dusk, the sun has set for the evening, and the sky still has an eerie reddish glow to it. There is a crisp autumn scent in the slightly chilly evening breeze. I’m holding tight to the arm of my friend Danielle, linked arm in arm our bodies are tense and anxious as we slowly move forward toward the next corner. Our ears are straining to hear the sounds of anything that is to come and surprise us, but we are left only with the noise of the fallen hay and cornhusks that crunch beneath our feet. I can hear my heart beating fast, my breathing is short and shallow, I’m scared, I’m fearing what is to come. As we go to turn the corner of the corn maze, we pause slightly, fearing the inevitable. And then it happens, a masked character jumps out in Halloween Garb, and all that is left is the echoes of our screams in the night air, surrounded by others who are undergoing the same momentary panic.
Although my story is surrounded in the spooking spirit of Halloween, I can only imagine that the disciples feel that very intense sense of panic and anxiety as they huddle together in a locked room. As verse 19 says, “and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.” The Jews here are not referring to the Jewish people, but instead are referencing the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders, the people that were persecuting Jesus and therefore now looking for the disciples.
Here the disciples huddled, fearing for their lives, questioning what had just happened, wondering what their future held.
I don’t know about you, but I know I would sure be questioning everything that happened.
I’d be wondering how the Messiah could be killed?
How he gave himself up to be killed upon a cross?
What I should be doing now?
How could I live my life under persecution?
How could I continue to spread the messages Jesus had taught me, when he wasn’t there to lead me?
I can picture the disciples sitting around saying very similar things:
what were they going to do now?
would they elect one of them to lead?
or would they all just break up and try to spread the word that way?
They sit huddled, nervous, worried about the future. Behind closed doors they worried about persecution, listened to every creaking sound, strained their ears to hear if someone was coming down the road, afraid if something was coming their way that they couldn’t handle, something that they were afraid of.
Previous to the reading for today, Mary Magdalene witnesses the risen Christ, and she goes on to tell the disciples of her encounter. But the question becomes, why then would the disciples still be afraid if they heard Jesus had been risen, that their beloved Teacher was back upon the Earth, that the prophecy had come true, the Messiah had risen from the dead? Why still fear?
But see, they were afraid, they were afraid of being persecuted, afraid of what people thought of them, of the way Jesus’ message had affected the leadership of the Temple, they were afraid of being killed like Jesus was.
Not only were they panicking because of their previous association with Jesus, and what the Pharisees thought about Jesus’ teachings, but now, Jesus’ words had come true! He had risen from the grave, and they were bound to take the wrath of the Pharisees for it.
The Pharisees feared that Jesus would be found alive, that’s why they had stationed guards outside the tomb. They feared that Jesus would try to get a message out from beyond the grave, they didn’t think that he could actually rise from the dead, but that his disciples would spread a false message. And yet, the disciples heard he was alive, Mary Magdalene told them that she saw him, and they were now terrified and just sat in their locked room unable to do anything else.
In our own lives, we are often paralyzed with fear. We, like the disciples, have heard the message of Jesus’ resurrection, we have reflected, sang, cried, worshipped, praised, prayed, and waited for his rising from the dead. And yet we still have fear.
I walked through that corn maze, knowing that there were people there roaming around to scare the patrons, Heck, that’s what I had paid for, but I was still afraid. I still crept cautiously to the corner, my breathing breaking into a belabored beat, anxiety arising within the air.
I knew I would be surprised at some point, I knew that there was truly nothing in that maze that could hurt me, but still, STILL I feared!
We, as a people, as children of God, as Children of the Resurrection, we fear. We have heard the resurrection story, and yet we are afraid. Fear runs through the air.
Fear motivates violence in the streets, fear motivates war in foreign countries because there might be terrorists, fear motivates racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, ableism, and classism.
Fear is present. Fear is tangible.
Fear is in the dark street you have to travel down in order to get home after your overnight shift,
Fear is in not having enough money to put food on the table,
fear is in being beaten by your spouse,
fear is in drinking problems,
fear is in the economy,
fear in a recession,
fear is in the foreclosures,
fear is in worrying you can’t provide a better future for your children,
fear is in breaking out of stereotypes,
fear is in asserting your humanity,
fear is in the violence that get’s portrayed against women,
fear is in piracy in the seas,
Fear is present in many different ways.
Some fear having a black man as president,
some fear change in politics,
some fear not being in charge,
others fear not having control over their life due to drug habits,
or having to give up a drug habit, incarceration, rehabilitation, renovation, renewal, rebirth.
We fear persecution. Persecution because of who we are, what we do, what we look like, how much money we have, where we went to school, what we do for a living, what we believe in, what we stand for, and who we are associated with.
Like the disciples, persecution is a real thing for us.
We get questioned about why we are Christian, why we believe in Christ, why we go to church, why we try to help others out, why we speak the good news, why we talk about Jesus, why we sing about Jesus, why we give thanks for the things going right in our life.
When it seems like life is out of control, when fear has paralyzed us, when we question ourselves, when we are worried about the rent, food, or our job, there he is, Jesus. Right there with us in the room.
The disciples were gripped with this fear, they were closed off, locked in a room, with no one coming in or going out, it was just them. But then suddenly there was another, one who wasn’t with them physically before.
I don’t know about you, but my first reaction would have been to fall out of my chair. Here suddenly was another person, but the room was locked, no one knew they were there, their worst fear came true, they had been found.
But Jesus, brings them a new message. He tells them, “Peace be with you.” This typical Jewish greeting brought them back to the moment, their breathing stabilized, they realized who this was. It was their Master, their teacher, their beloved Messiah.
Jesus did more then just bring them a word of peace, did more then offer them a traditional greeting, Jesus brought peace, peace as an end of persecution. Peace as an end of fear. A new peace, peace that fulfills what he told the disciples before his death, In John 14: 27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” Jesus gave them a new peace, a peace that passes all understanding, a peace that gives us a new life, gives us eternal salvation, that can be there to comfort us through the trials.
I can only imagine, that the disciples are sitting there shocked. They were told by Mary Magdalene that he had risen from the dead, and he himself told them that it would happen, but yet here he was in front of them right now. I imagine all ten of them, standing there with their mouths open wide, eyes open wide in amazement.
Jesus is prepared for this though, and immediately tells them to look at the holes in his hands, to view the cut in his side, although they don’t ask, he verifies for them that he truly is Jesus, and that he is here standing before them, not a ghost, but a true flesh being.
The disciples rejoice in Jesus’ appearance, peace has been brought. Now that the disciples are breathing easy, Jesus does another amazing and gracious thing for the disciples. He commissions the disciples, “Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”’
Then Jesus imparts the Holy Spirit on them, ruach in Hebrew, literally meaning the breathe of God. He breathes on them, and they are filled with the Spirit. Breathes on them. Just the breath of Jesus fills them with the Spirit, how amazing is that? He doesn’t need to touch them, or tell them anything, he just breathes on them.
He breathes on them just like God breathes on Adam in Genesis 2: 7 “Then the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.”
Just as God breathed life into Adam, Jesus breathes life into the disciples. The fear doesn’t matter any more, there is only eternal life through Jesus. Jesus breathed on them. How close do you think you would have to be to breath on someone? A couple feet? A foot? Five inches? One inch? I think you would have to be pretty darn close to breath on someone. And that’s what Jesus was, he got all up in their grills, got personal, and breathed on them. [breathe on them]
Well, I’m here to tell you, Jesus does the same thing for each and every one of us. Jesus breathes on us. He gets up close and personal, and breathes on us. [breathe]
He breathes life on us [breathe],
breathes the holy spirit on us [breathe],
breathes away the fear [breathe],
breathes away the anxiety [breathe],
breathes away the pain [breathe],
breathes away the loneliness [breathe],
breathes away the self mutilation [breathe],
breathes away the money issues [breathe],
breathes away worries [breathe],
breathes away the stress of two or more jobs [breathe],
breathes away the troubles [breathe].
Jesus breathes life into us [breathe],
giving us a new life through God, giving us new life through love, giving us new life though grace.
Now it doesn’t end there folks, there is two parts to breathing. In order for our lungs to fill with air, we inhale the oxygen [ inhale] and exhale the carbon dioxide [exhale].
We inhale the goodness, the life giving force [inhale], and exhale what we can’t use [exhale]. We inhale to stay alive [inhale], and exhale to get rid of the poisons and in order to inhale again [exhale]. It is a natural thing, you inhale [inhale], then you exhale [exhale]. You fill your lungs with life [inhale], and you exhale that which you cannot use [exhale]. But here’s the key to the workings of the universe. We think that what we can’t use isn’t useful, but it is. If we didn’t exhale, we would be harmed, but when we do, plants are given life. Trees, plants, shrubs, bushes, daffodils, tulips, roses, lilies, marigolds, carnations, poppies, pansies, and every other type of greenery need the carbon dioxide we exhale.
Jesus breathes life into us [breathe], and we breathe out life to others [breathe]. It’s not something we have to do, it’s just something that happens, it’s a natural product of breathing in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gives the disciples a last message. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” The disciples are given an option, either they can forgive and let go, or they can hold onto sins within themselves, Jesus gives them the power of proclamation, the freedom of forgiveness. Jesus gives them the ability to forgive others, to breathe life into other people, to show other people that God gives them life, God forgives them, and Jesus has given them the breathe of a new life. The disciples can either sit in fear of persecution, or they can forgive others sins, and be forgiven. They can give life through the spreading of the Gospel message.
Jesus has that same message for us. We are given the gift of forgiveness, we inhale the sweetness of a sunny summer day in the spirit [inhale], and we exhale the gift of forgiveness to those who have done us wrong, who question us, who persecute us [exhale], and forgiveness is given. We inhale the Spirit, inhale the gift of Jesus’ love [inhale], and exhale the grace and forgiveness onto those who surround us [exhale]. We inhale, and we exhale.
So come on breathe with me, inhale the holy spirit [breathe in] and exhale the Gospel story into the world [exhale]. Inhale, and exhale. Inhale, and exhale. 2x
That’s what the message of the Resurrection is. Jesus came back to breathe life into us, Jesus came back to give us life, to give us eternal life through love. Jesus breathes on us, Alleluia!
Inhale, and exhale.
Breathe!
Amen.
Labels: breathe, gospel, holy spirit, Jesus, john, sermon, sharing
People of Promise.
This is my sermon of the Second Sunday in Lent. It's based on two texts;
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Mark 8: 31-38
Here ya go:
Almighty God, Holy Creator, bless our hearts and minds with the inspiration of your holy word, may it stir in us, so that we may understand your promises of love and compassion for us. Amen.
I’ve promised a lot of things in my life. When I was only a toddler, I promised things such as to share my toys with my younger brother, or to pick up my things before bedtime. As I grew older my promises changed to things such as, keeping my room clean, doing all my homework when I came home from school, feeding the cat and dog, taking out the trash, and telling the truth. There were times when I was a teenager, and I PROMISED that my friends’ parents were going to be home when I stayed over their house.
I’m going to admit to you something my mom already knows. I didn’t keep all my promises. Whether it was because I truly thought that I would actually always pick up my toys before bed, or because I just really wanted my mom to let me go to a friends house even though their parents weren’t truly home, I didn’t keep all those promises.
In the world today, there are many promises. We encounter them on a daily basis. Some of them make us laugh, and some of them trap us in deceit. There are promises that get delivered to your email inbox, saying things such as, Become a millionaire instantly, change the way you look with this one pill, own a private island. We are bombarded by scam artists, television ads, politicians and many other people, who make empty promises. We get led by these false promises into a sense of hope, only to be left in disappointment.
There are the false promises which do nothing more then cause us frustration, and then there are false promises which have taken away people’s lives. There are people throughout the world, who approach vulnerable people, either because they are not well educated or are in dire poverty, and offer them riches that exceed what they ever expect to have. They are promised things such as money, luxury, fame, beauty, and a new life. To some of us, this may seem like the old adage, “too good to be true” but for people who are left with no hope, this may appear to be their only way out. Women who are providing for their children or families, young women trying to put food on the table, young men striving to get their family out of debt are preyed upon, because they are without hope.
These victims lives are changed, but not for the better. Instead they are sent to far off places around the world, to work as slaves and prostitutes. They are forced into conditions that threaten their lives, either though physical violence or the nature of the job. They are often uncared for, treated poorly, not fed, violated, and brutally abused. These victims of false promises, are now denied even the hope of a better life.
There are promises such as these, which take away people’s lives, and then there are others which simply make us laugh at the ridiculous nature of them. They are so grandiose, that they seem improbable.
In the reading from Genesis for today, we heard the story of Abraham being told by God that he would be the Father of many nations. At the ripe old age of 99, which to quote Paul from the Romans reading, was ‘as good as dead,’ this surely seemed an improbable event.
Although Abraham had a great faith, and believed in what God could do, he still instinctively laughed. I picture Abraham standing there, shielding his face from the presence of God, being told that he would have many many descendants, and him having one of those giggles that gets caught under your breathe and comes out with sort of snort sound. A smile breaking across his face, and then him trying to control it, realizing that God wasn’t going to add a, “hahaha, NOT I was just playing with you,” to the end of his statement.
Now, Abraham wasn’t the only one that laughed at this promise. Sarah did her fair share of laughing too. She laughed at the idea that she could bare a child at her age, that God would make a promise of them having a child. They both laughed at God’s promise, at how ridiculously radical it sounded, and the improbability of it happening. As Frederick Buechner writes: “Why did Abraham and Sarah laugh?”---“They laughed because only a fool would believe that a woman with one foot in the grave was soon to have her other foot in the maternity ward. They laughed because God seemed to believe it. They laughed because they half-believed it themselves. They laughed because laughing felt better than crying. They laughed because if by some crazy chance it just happened to come true, they would really have something to laugh about, and in the in the meanwhile it helped keep them going.”
An interesting side note that I find in this story, is that Isaac means laughter. So as Abraham and Sarah laughed out of fear and what seemed like crazy belief, they were transformed into laughing out of extreme joy and faith when they laid eyes on their son.
Even though they laughed at the promise, they still continued on in faith. Abraham may have laughed at the idea that Sarah would bear a child in her old age, but he still went and followed God’s word. He went out and circumcised all the men in his household, because God told him to do so, before the birth of his son. Abraham had hope, and even though the promise seemed “too good to be true” he followed through in faith, and was well blessed.
Even though Abraham laughs, God doesn’t leave in a huff and not keep the promise. Instead God creates many mighty nations out of this man that laughed, many nations that comprise the people that God makes the ultimate promise to.
Promises don’t always inspire laughter in the bible. Other times they inspire the reaction that Peter had in the Gospel for today. Jesus had just gotten through telling the disciples of his ultimate promise for them and for all of humanity, and Peter jumps right in with confusion. He can’t accept that Jesus will die, and instead tries to convince him that there must be another way. He doesn’t let all the information even sink in, he doesn’t consider Jesus’ words and think of how terrifying it must have been to know that you will be brutally and humiliatingly murdered, in order to give the ultimate gift to a sinful and guilty people.
The promise is so large, that it’s hard to really take in, and yet so simple at the same time. Jesus lays it out straight forward to us and the disciples, that he was sent here to be a Savior to all people, to die for our sins. And yet, it’s often difficult to understand how God could sacrifice gods-self to save an imperfect people.
We like Peter, struggle with faith. Struggle with the idea that Jesus died for us, personally, individually, but also corporately. We struggle to understand a God that would forgive us for all the horrible things we do to each other and against God. A God that has an all compassionate love for us, and is willing to make nations out of a man who laughs at the promises. A God that is so full of grace, that a man who tries to convince God to not die for sins, becomes one of the forefathers of the faith. A God that dies for you and I.
We are confronted with a radical promise.
Jesus’ promise is always there for us, even when we are confronted by false promises. When we are in pain over false promises of economists, when we are in pain by false promises that rip us away from family, when we are in pain from giving our own false promises, there is always someone there for us, who suffered through the pain for us.
Jesus is there, bearing the cross, for us. We don’t have to worry about doing it perfectly, or doing it right, we can rest in the promise that Jesus lived and died for each and everyone of us. We don’t have to worry when we fail at our promises, because Jesus gave the true promise.
You and I are a people of promise. There may be times when we don’t keep our promises, but there will never be a time when Jesus’ promise is untrue. We may react like Abraham and Sarah, laughing at the promise that we are forgiven all our sins.
In that moment, that our laughter of incomprehension at the radical nature of the Gospel turns into awe-inspired laughter of thanks for loving God, we are given a glimpse of the light of Easter.
Even though as we travel through these next days, we are in the darkness of Lent, we can and will still experience the Easter light. We experience the light of Easter through our laughter together at the goodness of God’s promises, we experience the light together, as we share in worshipping a God that does the unexpected, breaking into our lives and sharing with us a grace and mercy that is undeserved, yet so deeply needed.
As you go out into the world, may you remember that you take Easter with you always, you take a risen Christ with you into the trials and joys of life, into the darkness, where it can inspire laughter of uncontrollable joy in the ultimate promise. Amen
Labels: Easter, internship, Jesus, Lent, promises, sermon
