Saturday, May 23, 2015

Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2015

Pentecost


         Today is the feast of Pentecost, literally the fifty days. This is an echo of the feast of weeks, the fiftieth day after Passover, when tradition says that the people of Israel were at Sinai, ready to receive the law from Moses and God. This is for us the fiftieth day after Easter, and we are celebrating new gifts, and the birth of the church.

         We rejoice in the birth of a child, yet childbirth is not easy. It is difficult and dangerous. There is uncertainty as to the outcome, or what will happen once the child is born. Paul writes in Romans that the whole creation waits with longing, while creation goes through labor pains, to see what will be born. What new thing will happen? Who will be born children of God? Even in all this pain and longing, we know that children are a blessing. What blessing is born this day?

         Parents have all sorts of expectations and dreams for their family. They fix up the house and the child’s new room. They visit the doctor. They arrange necessary supplies. Then the child is born. No matter what was expected, something else happens. It is difficult to anticipate how life changing a new child can be. This is part of the blessing and part of our learning. Our life often begins when we let go of our expectations and plans. We live differently once we accept the blessings of each day and rejoice in the unexpected.

         We can only guess at the expectations of the crowd that first Pentecost morning. This celebration of the law was becoming a festival of the covenant and a time of renewal; especially after the temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. Perhaps they were all gathered to celebrate the giving of the law. Maybe all these foreign born Jews had come back to renew their commitment. Perhaps they were getting back in touch with their roots.

         The disciples were gathered for a different purpose. They had been joyful witnesses of the risen Jesus. They saw him ascend into heaven with a promise that he would send an advocate, a comforter so that they would not be alone. They remembered that Jesus had prayed for their unity and their protection. Jesus had promised that they would speak the truth and that they would continue his work. They gathered to pray and give thanks for the blessings of that day.

         Then the strange things happened. The room was filled with rushing wind. Something like tongues of flame rested on each of the disciples. They began to speak the truth about Jesus and God in multiple languages. As they spoke, the visitors from foreign lands marveled that they were hearing about the work of God in words that they could understand. Others saw the strange sounds and the babbling voices and assumed that they were drunk.

         Peter tells the crowd that they are not drunk, they are filled with the Spirit of God. He compares this to the prophecy from Joel, when the Spirit of God will fill all God’s people, and they will speak truth and dream dreams. This is a new way of understanding the end of all things. Instead of judgment and punishment, Peter proclaims a new way of living. They will speak truth about God’s love and begin the message that God’s love is universal and not restricted to one tribe or nation or family.

         Today we remember a wonderful outpouring of news and joy and love. This did not come without significant loss. Peter and the disciples had to let go of their previous expectations. They had lived for quite a while believing that they would be part of a kind of human revolution or revival. They thought that Jesus would restore their world exactly as they hoped. Instead, they saw Jesus arrested, tortured and killed. They themselves fled in fear. Only after they saw Jesus risen from the dead, and after Jesus had explained the meaning of all these things – then they understood the new world that Jesus was seeking. Even then, the disciples had to wait and wonder exactly how Jesus would use them. This day we celebrate how the church first began to be sent out into the world to proclaim a new way of living.

         When parents first begin to have children, they have all sorts of expectations. As the birth gets closer, they begin to think of things they never thought of before. Finally, they embrace their new child and everything changes. Perhaps God arranges things this way because no one would try to have a family if they knew how hard it would be!

         All of the good things in our life come with a kind of loss and death. If we start a family, or begin a life long relationship, or start a new business – it’s almost impossible to know how hard it will be. We learn by doing. We are also blessed by the unexpected complications. We discover new strengths within us. We find new allies. We discover new ways to rely on God. We see how God works in our lives so that we have something worth sharing.

         All these voices and all this unexpected news have that one purpose – to strengthen our relationship with God. We can talk about ideas about God. It’s much better to talk about how we know God and how God has been active in our lives. We can say that God loves us. It’s much better to tell how God has loved us through the tough times and the blessings.

         The disciples went out into the world and convinced the known world about God’s love. It came with a cost. Many of the disciples lived in far away lands. Some of them died for their faith. They lived with joy and gratitude for the gifts of God. We are called to the same work. God calls us to proclaim love in uncomfortable places and in uncomfortable ways. We can be sure that God will be with us. As we stretch out into those uncomfortable places, we will discover new strength and new visions of God loving the world.

Sunday after Ascension, May 17, 2015

May 17, 2015


          The day has been long anticipated. The papers have been written and graded. The finals have all been taken. The graduates line up in matching robes and ill-fitting mortarboards. The programs have been printed and the Dean of students has practiced pronouncing the names. With solemn music and wise words from the commencement speaker, the graduates are sent off into the world. Almost as soon as the diploma is in their hands, the question is asked, “Now what are you going to do?”

         It seems we have no time to rest. Each accomplishment leads to another place of beginning. We graduate, we move, we get a job, but always there is a new start, and the need to make sense of it. There is a part of us that would like to rest: to be done. But we know that is a fantasy. Life keeps changing and we have to keep up or stop living. As a Christian community we wonder what we will do next. We know that we cannot rest on the glory of the past. We can’t live off of memories or endowments. We have to live into an uncertain future. There’s no more delay. It’s time to move on.

         The disciples were already changed by the resurrection of Jesus. They had been hiding in their upper room. Now they are walking around the temple with boldness. However, they are in an in-between time. Jesus has ascended into heaven and the disciples are waiting for what will happen next. One of their number – Judas, has betrayed Jesus and killed himself. They do not ignore his loss. They do not remain stuck in their feelings of betrayal. They look to the work that needs to be done as they know it to be done and they discern that they need to complete their numbers. They choose another to replace Judas.

         They do not yet know what the church will be. They have no idea what kind of work they will be called to do. They only know that Jesus chose twelve, and they would still need twelve. This is not a major theological issue, but there is an important principle. When we are in times of uncertainty and we seek to be faithful, sometimes the best thing to do is the little we already know how to do.

         We’re worried about money and members. We could wait for specific directions from on high: from God, from the bishop, from your brilliant Priest-In-Charge. But we already know what we should do. We know that we have to go deeper and rediscover the source of our faith – and we are. We know that we need to use all the gifts and resources that we bring – and we are. We know we need to look outside of these walls and discover what God is doing in the world – and we are doing this.

         Our anxiety is heightened because we have yet to see familiar signs of success. We tend to count the things that are most important to us. We count our money and the numbers of people attending – because these things have traditionally been the marks of health and vitality. In a world that no longer values religious participation (or participation of any kind) maybe we need to measure different values. I count it as a success that we are trying new ways of being church. We are letting go of old things and trying on new things. We are listening to each other and remembering what we love about one another. We are discovering the joy of working with God in reconciling with each other and seeing how God is reconciling the world.

         When Jesus is finishing his last meal with the disciples, before he is about to be arrested and crucified, he prays for them. He prays for their unity – that they remain connected to God and to one another. He prays for their protection – not that they can escape from the dangers of the world but that they might be free to act in the world. Jesus prays for their joy – that they might have the joy that Jesus has to face suffering to find resurrection. Finally he prays to send them out to do the work that Jesus has begun – to reconcile the world to God.

         Jesus does not pray for our comfort. He prays for our work. He prays that we will do what God desires for us to do. Because of this prayer, there are some things we should expect. Jesus prays for our unity – we can expect unity to be hard work. Jesus prays for our new life. The new life he promises comes through resurrection and it isn’t easy. Jesus prays for protection from evil – we can expect to face evil in our work. Jesus prays that God will send us out just as God sends Jesus out. It is a glorious calling. It is a wonderful and blessed vocation to share God’s good news. Just remember how Jesus was received – it’s not easy work.

         We can’t know the future. We know the work to which we have been called. It is good work but difficult work. We will never know who we reach or what impact we make on those around us. We can’t even be sure that our work will lead to the continuation of this worshipping community – but we do the work anyway.

         We are like that graduate who crosses the stage and receives a diploma. We’ve been given responsibility along with our blessings. We don’t know how life will unfold for us just yet. Unlike that graduate, we are not alone. God acts in our lives more powerfully than any alumni association. We are given God’s Spirit to guide and strengthen us. We have been given to one another in this community of faith. We walk with God together as we share our gifts and seek to share God’s love.

         We do not know the future. We know that God has been faithful to the disciples in the past. God has been faithful to us in the past. God will be with us as we live into the future.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

May 3, 2015

Jesus the vine


         Jesus tells the disciples to abide in him. What a funny, churchy word? What does it mean to abide? It means to dwell, to live, to remain, to stay with another. As Jesus goes on to speak to the disciples, you could say it has something to do with love. Jesus is describing the beloved community. He is urging our loyalty and commitment to him and to God and to each other. We long for this. Sometimes we sense it. Often we are disappointed (in ourselves or in the institution.)

         What do we often find instead? We find institutions that offer retribution. We feel as if we have to earn our right to be here. We find ourselves in a never ending loop of finding the right job, the right home, the right school, the right circle of friends – and we have to do the right thing or risk losing whatever we have attained. We draw a border around everything we care about. Everything outside is bewildering and dangerous.

         We live under social constraints. We list all sorts of ways of being so that we can all be fair and just – until we cross some sort of line and we are punished for being out of step with everyone else. We have idealized notions of leadership. If only we had a charismatic Rector to bring the people in! Search committees have such high expectations that they wouldn’t call Jesus if he applied. We want someone to tell us the answers – so we can feel good about ourselves and do what we want – and then we can blame the leader for failing to anticipate our failure.

         Think about Baltimore, or any nearby city for that matter. We often solve a problem by ignoring it. The middle class abandons the city for better schools and greener lawns – and then we wonder why those people haven’t been able to solve their problems. It didn’t stop being our problem just because we walked away. We won’t solve anything until we acknowledge our connection to one another.

         We have built a world that values money and numbers. Everyone is judged by what they can produce – that has a monetary value. The poor, the uneducated, the sick, the elderly have no status and no power. Good for you if you managed to choose good parents! The rest are given a myth of meritocracy. Everyone is supposed to be equal, except some are more equal than others.

         Consider instead the community that Jesus describes. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. We abide in him and he abides in us. See how level it is! There are no distinctions. We all abide together. We all participate. We all are fruitful. We all are necessary. We are defined by how we are joined together.

         There is no question about how we deserve our place. We are asked, “Are we bearing fruit? How do we need to be pruned to produce more?” We could read our fear into this, but it is a necessary part of our work. Pruning is not punishment. It is describing the cost of living well. We can expect the beloved community to be hard work and costly. The dead wood is just that – dead. God removes whatever is dead in us.

         God has called us into this place, branches connected to Jesus. What gift do you share? Jesus is describing a very different community. We are not here because of self-interest. We are not gathered here because of our connections or our money. Jesus draws us in however he found us – as is – no questions asked. God takes us as we are and invites us into something new.

         The foundation of Christian community is not wealth or status or race or gender or sexual orientation. The foundation is love. God calls us in love. We are called to live in love. This is the fruit – our love. In love – we call others to be disciples. We reassess our own choices to love better. We offer ourselves to be used by God. We remain, dwell, and abide with each other and with Jesus.

         I am a lousy farmer. I have other gifts. I share what I know, and I admit what I do not know. Consider the abundance in this room. Think about all the gathered education, memories, connections with friends and neighbors, and experience. Think about all the artists among us: the richness, the wealth, and the wisdom right here. All of this is fruit. All of this is blessing. We only count money and numbers. We look at the bottom line. How much more does God desire for us?

         We seek the beloved community. We seek to be fruitful branches living on the vine. To collect an abundant harvest we have to stop our obsession with the small and bitter grapes that don’t serve us anymore. We have to look for different gifts and different branches to grow them. We have everything we need to be God’s people in this room right now. Are we willing to let go of the little harvest that is familiar and seek the abundance we have yet to discover? It requires pruning. It requires commitment to the vine. It requires our commitment to each other – just as we are – right here in this moment. God is giving us life.