Friday, January 29, 2016

January 31, 2016


I remember the first time I returned to my home parish after I was ordained. I was very nervous and I have no idea how bad my sermon was. Mr. Brown (whose lawn I used to cut in the summer) slept and snored through the whole thing. People were polite and they thanked me at the door. I don’t know what we all expected, but I was young and I didn’t have much to say.

There was a certain amount of pride in the congregation. They were proud to see the success of one of their own. They saw me as a reflection of who they were. They had a hand in raising me. Whatever I said about God had its source in them. I got over my anxiety. No one was offended. It was nice to meet old friends. But I had begun to loose my connection with them. I had already made a home somewhere else. I served another church. I belonged to a different community and did not have the same connection with the church of my past.

I can imagine some of the feelings in the congregation when Jesus comes home to preach. He is given a seat of honor. He has already enjoyed a little fame, and the people are wondering what he might do with them. He starts off well. He reflects on a passage from Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Better still, he proclaims, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” The crowd can’t wait to hear what’s next. Is this Joseph’s son? What miracle will he do? What great words will he share? Will he challenge the powers that oppress them? Will he work some miracle to free them?

Jesus surprises them, but not in a pleasant way. Instead of comfort and solutions, Jesus reminds them that God seeks out strangers and aliens. When there was a drought, God sent Elijah to a widow in Sidon – not one of the chosen people. God sends Elisha to cure Naaman the Syrian, not one of the faithful.

No one likes what Jesus is saying, so they attempt to throw Jesus off a cliff. I wonder what else Jesus said to make everyone mad. I know from my own experience of preaching in my home parish that I cannot imagine what I could have said to make everyone mad at me. I can’t think of anything to say right now that would make you want to throw me out the window.

It wasn’t just the words of Jesus. He didn’t fit into the established order. Jesus didn’t accept their system of obedience and shame they used to keep order and define their identity. They had accepted the truth that they were God’s special people. They defined suffering as some sort of deserved punishment for past sins (and held a hope that God would punish their afflicters.) Jesus suggests that God loves everyone. God intends to bless and not to punish. God even works miracles not found among the chosen people.

In the middle of what everyone thought would be a feel good moment, Jesus didn’t tell everyone, “It’s great to be here! You’re all wonderful people!” Instead, Jesus reminds them that God loves everyone, especially those who are now outside on the outside.

We gather in this place because we expect something. We hope to find comfort and support. We hope to experience God’s love. We look for this in word and sacrament. We look for love in the gifts shared in this community.

Love is difficult. The hymn to love that Saint Paul writes for the church in Corinth reminds us how far we have to go. It’s not about how we look or how successful we think we are. The Corinthians thought they had everything figured out. They had charismatic and miraculous gifts. They looked good and everyone spoke well of them. Paul reminds them and us that without love, it’s all just a bunch of noise.

This passage is often read at weddings. I find this ironic. Do they know that Paul is writing about love to a bunch of people who don’t know how to love? Often, the dress and the wedding party and the reception all crowd out what is important. Everyone looks good in the pictures but they are all stressed out. The passage on love is romantic to hear on a wedding day but it takes a lifetime to live into it.

The hard message we need to learn is that the church is all about love. It’s not here for our comfort or to help us feel better about ourselves. God creates the church to help the world know that God loves everyone. Whenever we become a comfortable little club of friends, we risk forcing out the people who don’t know us. We are blind to all of the people whom God loves. We become a peculiar family that our neighbors wonder about.

Jesus was invited to his hometown and he wouldn’t bless their arrangements. I don’t think he really wants to set us aside as a special gathering either. Of course God loves us. We are set aside as God’s beloved people. It’s not enough to keep it to ourselves. The hard part for us is that as we open the doors and our hearts to those outside, we can’t expect things to stay the same. The stranger will change us. We will begin to care what happens outside these doors.

This is the risk of love. It is not easy or comfortable. God’s love is not just about this place or this time or this collection of people. As we are open to what God wants, God’s love changes us. We cannot control what will happen to us. That unknown, foreign, outsider place is where God wants us to be. As we trust God, we can trust how God will use us for others, and how God will use unknown friends to remake us.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

January 24, 2016


How far we are from what was promised! Part of life is living with disappointment. Nothing seems to live up to its hype. We buy products that wear out. We work in a career that changes and fails us. Our children make bad choices (much as we chose when we were young.) We plan and arrange and work towards some end and something gets in the way. The final insult is that our bodies fail us and we grow old.

Even so, every once in a while, we hear a promise. Something happens, or a wise person speaks, and we catch a glimpse of what might be possible. We believe again. We hope again. We hold a grandchild in our arms, and all we see is joy and promise. We watch a movie or read an inspiring book - not some thriller or blockbuster - a work of art. Our trust in the goodness and possibilities of people is renewed. We begin to see again the good things all around us.

We can hold these things together. We can be honest about our disappointments and still hope for something different. When the people of God returned from exile, Nehemiah gathered them all together to hear the law - the Torah; some of them for the first time. They were grateful and they were sad. They regretted all that they lost by not living up to the law. They grieved for all the years that they did not live with a deep connection to God. Nehemiah sent them home and commanded them not to be sad. The hearing of the law was a gift. They were to feast and rejoice - and share the feast with those who had nothing. They were not to wallow in what could have been. They were to rejoice because God was showing them what could be.

We often find ourselves in situations that we cannot control; yet we can always choose how we will respond. This week, we are obsessed with weather. Is it a problem to overcome? The psalm suggests that it could also be a reminder of the power and glory of God. Can we make it snow or not? The power of a storm that shuts down all our modern movement and commerce is an inconvenience. It can also remind us we live by trust and not by control.

Jesus returns home to teach in local synagogue. There is quite a bit of talk about him. He is well thought of, and people are eager to see what he will do and hear what he has to say. In the tradition of the day, everyone stands throughout the service. It is the teacher alone who sits to teach (the opposite of what we do on Sunday!) 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he tells everyone, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Really? The poor are still poor. The prisons are still full. I know several people who are losing their eyesight. Fulfilled? How? 

We know how Jesus works to free us. Through his death and resurrection we are now free from sin and free from death. We know that we are free to live eternal life in this moment. We are also disappointed that everything isn't all worked out just yet. There's more to come. There's more freedom to see. What do we do with this?

We are reminded that we live by faith. We trust that God will work more in this world and the next. We keep ourselves moving towards whatever salvation and freedom looks like. We also know that we are not separate individuals on solitary journeys. Jesus invites us in to the work.

The apostle Paul writes about the work of community. We are one body with many members. All of the old divisions and differences no longer apply to us. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free. What gives us our value and place is no longer our race or our culture. Our place is given by our common life in Jesus. This whole body is Christ to the world. We are together, the voice of Jesus when he says, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." We are the voice and the hands and the feet and the heart that proclaim freedom and act to bring it about.

 If we read between the lines in the letters of Paul to the Corinthians, we wonder why he has to remind them of the importance of each member. Paul tells them not to play favorites because that is exactly what they are doing. They praised members who were wealthy and powerful. That was the convention of the day. They looked down on those who were poor or powerless, for they were without honor in that world. Paul reminds them that they are part of a new reality. In this new community, everyone is valued. Everyone has been given gifts to share in community. No one is rich except in Christ. No one is powerful except as they display God's power in the exercise of their gifts.

If we are not careful, we will treasure only certain gifts and we will seek only talents that we are used to seeing around us. We worry about the future, so we think about money. Perhaps we value people with professional capabilities - to help us fix things and perhaps pay some bills. We seek new members so that there will be people around who can do things and pay for things. Of course, we welcome all gifts, but this is not perhaps the best way to value the gifts of others.

Instead of looking for someone to take up our chores, we should seek to discover what others have to offer. It might be that no one wants to continue some sort of ministry that is dear to our hearts. We need to mourn our loss and admit our disappointment. Then we can be open to what others can truly offer. There is more that is possible than the few things we remember doing. New people, with new ideas, and a new sense of call - they might lead us in directions that we never expected. Our purpose here is not merely to keep the church going. We are here to participate in God's work of reconciling the world in love. Who really knows where that can lead us?

We have worked hard to listen to one another and respect each other. We have experimented with different ways of doing things. We given up old ways and tried new ones. We are not doing all of this to reach some end place where we don't have to ever change again. We are living into a new community, where we are open and curious. We are trying to discover what God is up to, and how we can participate. This work is not easy. The end result is not at all certain. The work is reconciliation and love and it is worth the effort. Not because we are certain it will succeed- but because we know it is God's work.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

January 17, 2016, the Wedding at Cana

Last week we had a baptism and this week we have a wedding. As much as people try to personalize a wedding, there is still a pattern and a ritual to each wedding. Sometimes weddings are great fun. Sometimes they are a little strange. Sometimes family and friends get along and sometimes it can be a little stressful. I've seen many weddings. Usually, they are fun and the people gather to celebrate love and to have a good time.

Weddings in our time are very costly and they require a lot of planning. People take years to save money and get everything arranged. The day of the wedding, there might be some gatherings of the wedding party and a series of opportunities for pictures. Eventually, everyone gathers at the place of the wedding. The wedding party processes in, with the bride arriving last, usually on the arm of her father. The service consists of an exchange of vows and rings. There might be prayers, and there might be musical offerings. The bride and groom leave - perhaps to a reception line or straight to pictures. Then everyone goes to the reception. There might be several types of snacks to keep everyone busy until the meal. Then there is dancing and the formal end of everything is the wedding cake.

There are variations, but most weddings are a one-day event. People travel great distances. Everyone spends an awful lot of money. Why do we do weddings this way? We want to express love. We want to gather as witnesses to this important event. The couple seeks support from family and friends. They seek to express their love. They seek to share joy.

Weddings are a time of great change. Much of the ritual involves giving away. There are exchanges of gifts. Parents give away their child to another. The couple gives themselves to each other. This is the beginning of a new relationship. To make room, old relationships are being re-negotiated. This is where we get the stress. We don't really know what will happen. We trust and hope. We try to help a new couple begin a new life.

In Cana, Jesus is at a wedding. The rituals are quite different. There is the same fundamental change in relationships. Two people leave their childhood home and begin a new household. The gathering is different. It is likely that the whole village is in attendance. Jesus, and his mother Mary, are probably related to the couple in some way. The celebration lasts for days. People recline on couches and feast and converse for hours. Then the wine gives out. How can the celebration continue without wine? There is a little exchange between Jesus and Mary, and Jesus orders servants to fill some purification jugs with water. When the servants draw the water out, it has become wine - the best wine. The chief steward (literally, the master of the three couches! - this is one of my favorite Greek words) is surprised that the host has saved the best wine for last.

Why does Jesus become a bartender? Why is this his first miracle in the gospel of John? Jesus will become known for his power and his mercy. He starts his ministry by keeping the party going. We think of Jesus the miracle worker. We remember his acts of compassion and healing. He casts our demons. We silences the religious authorities. He even walks on water! Do we stop then to wonder why? We assume it's all about showing us his strength or his difference from us. Maybe Jesus isn't proving anything. Maybe he's just doing what he came to do.

The purpose of miracles isn't a proof. This is the work. Jesus is always acting to restore people to right relationships. He is healing what is broken. He is putting back together what is divided. Even when he argues with authorities, he is really trying to bring them together. He doesn't want to cast anyone out. He wants to bring us together. Even at a wedding. The wine is a small thing but the party is important. Jesus wants the good thing to keep on going. The village is gathered to celebrate love and to participate in a couple's intention to create a new life together. That's why Jesus is here.

In a way, that is why we are here. Every gathering is not a wedding. Every Sunday is a kind of feast. In this feast too, Jesus changes wine and bread and makes it something that unites us. We are invited to commit to common work. We are invited to work together, using our God-given gifts, to create something better than what we make on our own.

For the next few weeks, we will hear familiar passages from Paul's letter to Corinth. We will even hear a favorite wedding passage in the poetry about love. But first we hear the set up. We start with what we have. The Holy Spirit has given each of us gifts. These gifts are not all the same, and we don't always recognize them. Nonetheless, these gifts are given for a reason. God intends that we help each other and support each other. We do God's work together. We are not alone. There is no personal quest or private faith. We are called for each other and we are meant to serve together.

This should not surprise us. The church isn't here simply for our personal benefit. We are called here so that we can be empowered to go out. Jesus saves the world and Jesus wants us to join in the work of reconciling the world. The work may begin here, but the direction and end of all our work is out there.

It sounds hard, may be even daunting. It is not at all clear that the world wants our help or would even appreciate it. But remember, Jesus didn't just show off. Jesus made wine. He meant for us to enjoy the work. What we do isn't simply toil. Jesus invites us into a celebration. The change we seek is to create something new. We are called to proclaim love and to help everyone else commit to acts of love and mercy. It is great news. It is joyful work. Like a good marriage, it keeps getting better with time.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

January 10, 2016, the Baptism of Jesus


This is the season when we roll up our sleeves and get back to work. The family gatherings are all over and the presents are all opened. Now we have to pay for them. Now the cold and dark days of winter are upon us and we have nothing to wait for but the spring. There is a focus in these days, much like the crisp air. There is nothing to distract us. We can see the stars in the clear air of winter.

Epiphany is all about making things clear. Jesus is revealed to the world - first through the visit of the Magi, and then through a series of events that make his presence known. Today we remember his baptism. The ritual in itself is not as important as the commentary from heaven. "You are  my son, the beloved." We can wonder at the need for any of this. Of course, God loves the Son. Of course, we know this is important. We remember and we also consider what this means to us.

We too have been baptized. We have been loved. Baptism is our way of beginning our lives as Christians. We enter life through the waters of baptism. It is often our first experience of a faith community. There are also other important aspects. Baptism is a formal ritual that makes us part of a family. Our baptism is often our first public event. Friends and family take pictures and have a party. It is where we share our name that will follow us through life. It is a turning point in our lives - and for most of us, we don't even remember it.

We revisit the baptism of Jesus to help us remember our baptism and to remember the true and eternal purpose of our own baptism. We use only a small amount of water, poured over the head of a baby. It is a kind of bath. We remember that we are forgiven - cleansed from our sins as if they are washed away. This is only a small part of baptism. The symbol of water is much greater than our little splash of water from a shell.

We remember that water is present at creation. The Holy Spirit moved over the waters at the beginning of all things. This baptismal water is creative. This reminds us that we are made and that God is always creating new things. We are part of God's creativity and we are connected to the whole of all created things. We become part of creation in a new way and we are connected to the creator in a new way. We become co-creators with God as we become God's daughters and sons.

Water is God's path of deliverance. There is a recurring theme around how God saves people through water or by water. The people of God first find freedom by crossing the Red Sea in the exodus. They cross the Jordan River to enter into the promised land. Noah and ark are carried safely over water. Jesus offers us baptism to show us a way from one life to another. We are saved from sin and we are also brought to a new place where we are the new people of God.

Water is also a kind of danger. The word, "baptism" means death by drowning. To be baptized is to be overwhelmed. We follow Jesus literally. We participate in his death and in his resurrection. In baptism we die with Jesus and we are resurrected with him. I think we only understand a part of this. We somehow understand that we are forgiven. (Maybe a little harder to accept it.) We somehow understand that Jesus dies and he is resurrected. The hard part is accepting that we are too.

Well, we don't look any different. We often don't feel any different. It's hard to imagine that a little baby needs any transformation. We grow up. We don't just grow old. In our baptism, we begin a journey into a larger life. We join Jesus in death - death to sin and all the things that kill us. We are also invited to join Jesus in life. Even if it was a long time ago - even if we don't remember it - we are always able to live our new resurrected life.

The trick for all of us who are old and who think life is over - is to continue to walk into new life. We are always reborn. We are always resurrected. We know how help our children grow. We know how to care for them and encourage them. These are the words from heaven, "This is my beloved." These are words to Jesus and to us - to all of God's children. God isn't done with us at baptism. God is just starting.

How is God working in you right now? What new thing is beginning in you? We are eager to think about all the bad things God has to get rid of. We have no trouble being ashamed of our failures. (There is certainly a place for this sort of self-examination.) Do we believe that our sin is so bad that God can do nothing with us? Baptism isn't about how bad we are that God needs to wash us clean. Baptism is about a change. We end one life and begin another. There is no turning back. God wants us to be part of a new creation. God wants us to live forever.

We are surrounded by fear and anger. Mostly this comes from fear - fear that we won't ever be good again. We are surrounded by demands that we worry and fret and hoard and keep ourselves free of danger. God keeps reminding us to stop being afraid. God wants us to be curious. God wants us to discover new horizons. God wants us to look out for each other and not just ourselves. God has loved us and blessed us. We have everything we need, and probably more than we can imagine. We only need to follow Jesus. He confronted anger and fear. He offered new life instead.