Worship Message Texts

I concluded my final interim pastorate in March 2016, so I am no longer preaching on a regular basis. I am available for pulpit supply and these sermon scripts and videos give a picture of my approach. For pulpit supply, I am happy to write new sermons targeted at specific concerns or needs of congregations, otherwise I will rework previous sermons based on the texts of the Revised Common Lectionary for that Sunday.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Recognizing God Incognito: Hidden In Human Flesh

Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7; John 1:1-18
December 28, 2014
© 2014
 
Eastern Orthodox icons do not picture an event such as you might get with a photograph. They are a window to look through, not at, and see spiritual realities. Beside things you may recognize, as is traditional, this icon shows the manger as a coffin in front of a,cave-like tomb prefiguring Jesus death for our salvation. Rather than holding a lamp in a stable, Joseph is at the lower left being tempted to doubt Mary's story of Jesus' conception, and Mary is facing Joseph praying for his faith to be strong. Lower right the midwife washes the baby Jesus, prefiguring his circumcision and baptism. Angels, shepherds and Magi are pictured but positioned to symbolize their distinct roles in the birth of Jesus. You can learn more about Nativity Icons with any search engine. Painting an icon is not so much an artistic endeavor as a visual form of prayer.
Merry Christmas! on this 4th day of Christmas – 1st Sunday of Christmastide. The Church’s historic rhythm of 4 Sundays of preparation during Advent and 12 days of celebration through Christmastide reminds us, as David Lose, President of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia says, “Christmas isn’t just a holiday or festival but rather a witness to a reality that permeates our whole life.” During Christmas, Jesus shows us God and empowers us to be God’s children, alive with light, glory and grace. The prologue to John’s Gospel makes this abundantly clear in John 1:1-18.
John may have customized a hymn to introduce his Gospel, showing us God in Jesus so we could become God’s children. What is not clear is whether this was already a Christian hymn or if John drew on a Jewish, Gnostic or even pagan source. While no longer in verse form, it is still dense with poetic meaning.
Twice he interrupted the hymn with comments about John the Baptist, with whom he started the story of Jesus. Unlike the synoptic Gospels, John never used the title “the Baptist” for John but we easily know who he meant.
The themes of John 1:1-18 are intricately woven together with literary dexterity. Listen for the layers developing.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 
9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
15(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”)
16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” Paul wrote it this way in Colossians 1:15, “He is the image of the invisible God.” Hebrews 1:3 says, “He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being.” During Christmas, Jesus shows us God and empowers us to be God’s children, alive with light, glory and grace.
Starting with “In the beginning” and calling Christ “The Word” evokes the creation story in Genesis 1 with God speaking, “Let there be light!” etc. John echoed creation in verse 3, “All things came into being through him.” John may even have been thinking of the hymn in Proverbs 8:22-31, with wisdom in creation personified as a woman, Sophia. Colossians 1:16 also presents Christ as the creator. “In him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.” Hebrews 1:2 says that God “has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.”
Translating verse 14 as “the Word became flesh and lived among us” is too weak. It might better be, he “pitched his tent with us.” Karyn Wiseman, who teaches at Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia, wrote that Christ did not come as a tourist or even visiting rescuer, he fully identified with and lived as one of us so he could change our world.
During Christmas, Jesus shows us God and empowers us to be God’s children, alive with light, glory and grace. John 1:12 says that “to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.”
This goes beyond being created in the image of God. This is to share kinship with God the Father through the only Son who is close to the Father’s heart. This is spiritual power beyond all imagination.
Galatians 4:5-6 that we read earlier says that when we are adopted at God’s children, God sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, so we can cry “Abba,” “Dad,” right along with Christ. The power to become children of God includes the intimacy of being close to the Father’s heart.
During Christmas, Jesus shows us God and empowers us to be God’s children, alive with light, glory and grace.
To be alive with light is to see wonders darkness cannot overcome. Fred Rogers said his mother told him when disasters strike, look for the helpers. When you feel darkness closing in, look for someone holding up Christ’s candle, such as George Mason, pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church just recognized for their response to Ebola.
To be alive with glory is to revel in being personally encountered by Christ’s presence. Mark Ashton was a little kid in the small church we served in Illinois 40 years ago. He is now the pastor of Christ Community Church, a thriving, innovative congregation in Omaha, NE. I am awestruck that he says my part-time ministry there helped to inspire him to consider pastoral ministry.
To be alive with grace is to proceed from setbacks with confidence in Christ. Candy has two cousins who have been pastors but are not active now for different reasons. Both of them have written publically about the struggles of their journeys and their search for Christ’s leading, which affirms for me that Christ walks with us hand in hand even when we feel we’ve jumped the track and our plans seem derailed.


Friday, December 19, 2014

Christmas Choir Cantata at Highlands Christian Church

The message this Sunday (December 21) will be in the form of Highlands Christian Church's Christmas Choir Cantata. We meet at 11:00 am at 9949 McCree in Dallas. You are welcome. I will not be preaching, but you can come to this space Saturday 12-27 for the script of my sermon for the First Sunday of Chistmastide (12-28).

Friday, December 12, 2014

For Crying Out Loud: Crying Out to Proclaim the Lord’s Favor

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Luke 1:26-38
December 14, 2014
© 2014

This week I have posted a gallery of paintings depicting The Annunciation from different times and different cultures to prompt us to think of how we imagine the Angel Gabriel told Mary she would become the mother of Jesus. Compare with the text, especially that Gabriel is not really described with wings or radiance.
 
Annunciation
Alfred Eaker b, 1964
The Annunciation
Henry Ossawa 
Tanner 1859–1937
The Virgin of the Annunciation
Fra Angelico 1395-1455
Aannunciation
Russian Icon of Ustyug
12th Century
Many of the words of hope we associate with the birth of Jesus and read during Advent come from Isaiah. (7 of the 12 readings from the Hebrew Scriptures the Lectionary suggests for three years of Advent come from Isaiah; the others from 5 different books.)
Isaiah 61 comes from what is sometimes called Third Isaiah, written in advance for or when Judah returned from Exile to Jerusalem. (I’ve reposted my brief essay about these scholarly issues again below.) The people were discouraged at not experiencing the great joy they had anticipated. Most people struggled to sustain themselves in poverty, and rebuilding the Temple languished. But a few people became very wealthy and very powerful, which the prophets cried out against.
Isaiah 61 is rooted in the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25 in which debts were canceled, slaves freed and property returned to original owners every 50 years. It was a socio-economic reset button to give people on the bottom a chance for a fresh start. Psalm 146:7-9 paraphrases it.
The Lord “executes justice for the oppressed; [who] gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow.”
Jesus read it to begin his ministry as his mission statement in Luke 4:16-21 and spoke it in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-23. Reading Isaiah during Advent, tells us that with the birth of Jesus, God turns human power upside down and brings joy out of mourning.
The Angel Gabriel’s announcement of the birth of Jesus to Mary in Luke 1:26-38, clues us that Christmas cannot be a sentimental celebration of a special mother and child.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Since before the time of Mary, many Jewish girls dreamed that one of their children would be the Messiah. Mary knew that the Angel Gabriel was saying she’d be the one. Mary never questioned that a common peasant woman would be the Messiah’s mother. She knew God reversed human expectations. Though perplexed to be called God’s favored one, she didn’t argue about her spiritual qualifications. Her objection was that as a virgin, she didn’t expect to be having a child immediately.
Not only am I convinced Mary was conversant with the Hebrew Scripture, I suspect she was a contemplative. Perplexed by the Angel Gabriel’s greeting, she pondered what sort of greeting it might be. After the shepherds had seen the newborn Jesus and left praising God, Mary treasured and pondered these things in her heart (2:19). She was amazed at Simeon’s prophecy when Mary and Joseph dedicated 40 day old Jesus at the Temple (2:33). Returning from Jerusalem after 12 year old Jesus’ visit to the Temple, Mary treasured that event in her heart (2:51). She probed deeply the spiritual significance of being the mother of the Messiah.
The Angel Gabriel told Mary about Elizabeth’s pregnancy as a sign confirming that nothing would be impossible with God. From Nazareth to the Hill Country of Judah was about an 80 mile walk. Very few people rode animals or wagons. No one, certainly not a young woman, traveled alone, but in the 7-10 days the walk would take, Mary had plenty of time to meditate on seeing herself in the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10). When she saw Elizabeth she was ready with her own song, The Magnificat. Echoing Hannah, Mary celebrated that with the birth of her child, Jesus, God was turning human power upside down and bringing joy out of mourning.
We pick up that theme from Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:4-8, which is also echoed in Psalm 113:7-9.
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. 5Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. 6The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. 8He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.
Listen for how Mary echoed Hannah in Luke 1:51-53.
He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 
Psalm 30:5, 11 says, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. … You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.” On this joyful Sunday, we rejoice that with the birth of Jesus, God turns human power upside down, bringing joy out of mourning.
Do we believe God is active and might interrupt in our personal or congregational lives? What are you hearing from God during this interruption between pastors? Can you find God's hand turning human power upside down and bringing joy out of mourning in the recent racial tensions?
As we anticipate celebrating the birth of Jesus, what might God use us to turn upside down to bring joy out of mourning to Highlands Christian Church? to the Lake Highlands community?
Mary responded, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Are we, as individuals and as a congregation, ready to say we are first and foremost God’s servants, ready to let it be with us according to God’s word and not our own plans?


How many prophets wrote Isaiah?
You don’t have to be a scholar when reading Isaiah to recognize that a very significant change takes place between chapters 39 and 40 and a less obvious change takes place between chapters 55 and 56. Chapters 1-39 were clearly written by Isaiah to people about events that were happening in Judah in the 8th century BCE. Chapters 40-55 do not mention Isaiah or any of the people or events of 8th century BCE and speak quite directly to the conditions Judah was facing while in exile in Babylon. Chapters 56-66 also do not mention any people or events of the 8th century BCE and seem to fit conditions when the people of Judah had returned to Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon.

I grew up and was educated in a tradition that insisted that the prophet Isaiah wrote the entire book in the 8th century BCE. Very learned and responsible scholars marshalled the arguments and evidence for what they the called the integrity of Isaiah’s authorship. At some points this position became a litmus test (Shibboleth – Judges 12:6) of theological orthodoxy and scholarly acceptability. Most of these scholars recognize the three sections of Isaiah were written for these three distinct times in Judah’s history and say that God inspired Isaiah to write them in advance of the time they would be needed.

Many other scholars believe the second and third sections were written by other prophets than Isaiah at the time Judah needed those specific messages from God. Most believe that the prophet who wrote the third section (chapters 56-66) is likely also the one who assembled the book of Isaiah as we have it today. They also believe those two other prophets were likely descendants of the original Isaiah’s disciples who kept his message and ministry alive through the terrible years of exile. Though the three sections are distinct, they do share some common themes and literary approaches.

Personally I would suggest that whichever approach makes the most sense to you, you should not treat it as a test of faith and condemn those who hold the other opinion. I certainly believe God is quite capable of inspiring Isaiah in the 8th century BCE to write what the people of Judah were going to need going into and coming out of exile. I also believe God is quite capable of raising up new prophets in the descendants of Isaiah’s disciples to speak God’s Word contemporaneously with the events to which it connects. Since Isaiah’s name and other people and events of his time drop out from chapter 40 on, I see no reason to postulate any factual contradictions if they were written by others. From a strictly literary perspective, Isaiah as a whole is commonly viewed as a towering pinnacle of human literary achievement in any language at any time. From a faith perspective, whether written by one or three prophets, I recognize Isaiah as God’s Word, Scripture divinely inspired, reliable and authoritative.


Friday, December 5, 2014

For Crying Out Loud: Crying Out to Prepare the Way of the Lord

Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8
December 7, 2014
© 2014

In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day with the refrain “Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” In 1914, all along the western front of World War I, allied and German soldiers came out of the trenches to celebrate together on Christmas before returning to killing each other. Since the angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds, we have struggled with the incongruity the promise of peace and the world’s harsh realities. Peace is the theme for the second Sunday of Advent, and we yearn for the fulfillment of Isaiah’s cry of “Comfort, O comfort, my people, says your God.”
As we will hear shortly from Mark 1:1-8, John the Baptizer proclaimed the way to personal peace when our hearts and our world are in turmoil. Confident in God’s comfort, during Advent we prepare spiritually for Christmas by confessing our sins.
When our world seems at odds with the peace of Christmas, it is easy to grumble about the sins of others. My friend Ted Ward, who used to teach at Michigan State, calls these “L” shaped amens. We cheer calls for others to repent while minimizing our own sins.
I was confronted by this when our Milwaukee son sent us a DVD of the musical Oklahoma! when we took the interim in Midwest City. I had played in the orchestra when my high school did it as a school play. The song Curly sings to Judd became popular. “Poor Judd is dead. A candle lights his head. He’s lying in a coffin make of wood, and the daisies in the dell let out a different smell because poor Judd is underneath the ground.” We all laughed at someone who was a “Judd” to us. But watching it recently, I had to say, “Ouch! That’s a terrible case of bullying presented in a way that normalized it.”
God’s comfort announced in Isaiah 40:1 is for the “Judds” of the world who have been beaten down and for those of us who regret that they are the ones beating them down.
I know scholars disagree whether all of Isaiah was written by him in the 8th century BCE or whether chapters 40-55 and 56-66 were written later by two other prophets. I posted a summary of that at the bottom of this post. Whether God spoke in advance or contemporaneously, all agree that this word of comfort was for Judah in Exile.
At the lowest point in their history, God’s word of comfort came. The penalty for their sins has been paid double, meaning completely, not because they deserved to be forgiven but because God is gracious and merciful.
Fading flowers and withering grass illustrate human frailty. People are weak and will sin again. But by contrast, God is mighty and gentle.
Mark 1:1-8 introduces Jesus starting with this prophecy from Isaiah. The first verse is really the title of the whole Gospel of Mark, suggesting that the good news keeps going after the cryptic account of Jesus’ resurrection that leaves us hanging.
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
John’s baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy of a messenger crying out, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” The image of highways in Isaiah suggests making connections between people. For them to be level and straight suggests that even the lame and feeble will freely connect to God.
In Isaiah’s and John’s times, highways were repaired and adorned to welcome royalty and dignitaries. But John’s way of preparing people for Jesus Christ and his good news was to proclaim a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Those who would be prepared were the ones who had been baptized confessing their sins. Bringing these two passages together in Advent suggests that confident in God’s comfort, during Advent we prepare spiritually for Christmas by confessing our sins.
We are uncomfortable with such spiritual preparation. We’d rather decorate, cook, shop and party. Preparing for God’s arrival changes us, which is what confession is all about. No status quo. No safe, sentimental piety. As James wrote, “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.” (5:16)
Preparing the way may be personal, but it is not private. Isaiah called Judah to proclaim good news from a high mountain. We add our voices to John’s, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
Proclaiming good news is not wallowing in failure and shame but introducing Jesus! Isaiah wrote to proclaim, “Here is your God!” John the Baptizer announced, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29,36) What good news to connect with him!
I am convinced that introducing people to Jesus during Advent is a lot more profound that fussing about public pronouncements, advertising, or greeting cards that say “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” rather than “Merry Christmas.” I am afraid that makes us seem cranky to those who are not Jesus’ disciples. Instead of correcting others, I suggest asking the Holy Spirit to open opportunities to affirm how Jesus has comforted you.
When asked if you are ready for Christmas, ask yourself how you are doing with your spiritual preparation.

How many prophets wrote Isaiah?
You don’t have to be a scholar when reading Isaiah to recognize that a very significant change takes place between chapters 39 and 40 and a less obvious change takes place between chapters 55 and 56. Chapters 1-39 were clearly written by Isaiah to people about events that were happening in Judah in the 8th century BCE. Chapters 40-55 do not mention Isaiah or any of the people or events of 8th century BCE and speak quite directly to the conditions Judah was facing while in exile in Babylon. Chapters 56-66 also do not mention any people or events of the 8th century BCE and seem to fit conditions when the people of Judah had returned to Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon.
I grew up and was educated in a tradition that insisted that the prophet Isaiah wrote the entire book in the 8th century BCE. Very learned and responsible scholars marshalled the arguments and evidence for what they the called the integrity of Isaiah’s authorship. At some points this position became a litmus test (Shibboleth – Judges 12:6) of theological orthodoxy and scholarly acceptability. Most of these scholars recognize the three sections of Isaiah were written for these three distinct times in Judah’s history and say that God inspired Isaiah to write them in advance of the time they would be needed.
Many other scholars believe the second and third sections were written by other prophets than Isaiah at the time Judah needed those specific messages from God. Most believe that the prophet who wrote the third section (chapters 56-66) is likely also the one who assembled the book of Isaiah as we have it today. They also believe those two other prophets were likely descendants of the original Isaiah’s disciples who kept his message and ministry alive through the terrible years of exile. Though the three sections are distinct, they do share some common themes and literary approaches.
Personally I would suggest that whichever approach makes the most sense to you, you should not treat it as a test of faith and condemn those who hold the other opinion. I certainly believe God is quite capable of inspiring Isaiah in the 8th century BCE to write what the people of Judah were going to need going into and coming out of exile. I also believe God is quite capable of raising up new prophets in the descendants of Isaiah’s disciples to speak God’s Word contemporaneously with the events to which it connects. Since Isaiah’s name and other people and events of his time drop out from chapter 40 on, I see no reason to postulate any factual contradictions if they were written by others. From a strictly literary perspective, Isaiah as a whole is commonly viewed as a towering pinnacle of human literary achievement in any language at any time. From a faith perspective, whether written by one or three prophets, I recognize Isaiah as God’s Word, Scripture divinely inspired, reliable and authoritative. 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

For Crying Out Loud: Crying Out for God’s Mercy

Isaiah 64:1-9; Mark 13:24-37
November 30, 2014 – First Sunday of Advent
© 2014

This painting is by Lynn Hansen
Lynn is a good friend who is a visual artist and Baptist pastor. We were college housemates.
He shared this painting in a Facebook dialog this week about how Isaiah 64:1-2 speaks to the tragic events in Ferguson, MO. Several folk participated in that conversation, which I think helped at least Lynn and me prepare our sermons for this Sunday.
I post it here with Lynn's permission.
Understanding that the visual arts are visual, and my response may not be at all what Lynn had in mind, nor match the responses of other viewers, I observed that  the contrast of the smooth swirls and the bumpy verticals that give me something of the clashing feelings of the Advent scriptures in the Lectionary and the sentimentality that seems to be more and more manipulated for marketing in the ramp up to Christmas. Perhaps something like Simon and Garfunckel's 1966 "Silent Night /Seven O'Clock News".
You may remember when I started preaching with you I said I wanted to help us listen for the voice of God in the Scriptures from the lectionary. I cannot avoid how pointedly Isaiah 64:1-9 speaks to this week’s events that spread from Ferguson, MO across the whole country. When brought up alongside Mark 13:24-37, I believe I am hearing that when we are threatened by our fears and cry out for God to intervene, we must listen for God to call us as partners in the unexpected.
Ferguson, MO is neither isolated nor remote. Whether you are angry about violence against young Black men or  rioters in the streets, we ought to be crying out to God to tear open the heavens and come down and fix our mess, realizing that God’s fire burns our brushwood and boils our water, not just that of those with whom we are angry.
Verses 5-7 acknowledge what we want to avoid facing, that we are angry that God has not taken up our cause. This complaint blames God for hiding from us and delivering us into the hand of our own iniquity.
Verse 9 ends this passage with a cry for God to be merciful, for we are all God’s people. In light of racial tensions and other polarizing forces, the cry for God’s mercy is also a plea for reconciliation and unity, for we are all God’s people by creation even if not by faith.
I suspect we don’t cry out to God for mercy because we don’t know what we’ll get. As verse 3 says, God’s awesome deeds were not what was expected. In Mark 13, Jesus was preparing for the unexpected, which he concludes in verses 24-37.
“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
Isaiah wrote of trembling nations and quaking mountains. Jesus spoke of suffering and shaking of the powers in the heavens. People in Ferguson, MO felt like that Monday night, and Christians in Iraq and Syria know it all too well.
Jesus told us to keep awake for we do not know when he will come, apparently he didn’t either (v.32). Don’t calculate his calendar for appearing with catastrophes.
To be alert and awake when we are threatened by our fears and cry out for God to intervene, we must listen for God to call us as partners in the unexpected.
Perhaps you’re thinking, “Wow Norm! This is awfully heavy duty for the First Sunday of Advent when we’re just starting to get in the Christmas spirit.” Perhaps, but Advent is not Christmas, regardless of what the advertisers try to tell us.
As both our hymns and Scriptures for today make clear, Advent is a season for acknowledging how much we need a redeemer, how much we need God to tear open the heavens and come down with fire to shake us up. Whether the violence of Ferguson, MO or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or the drug cartels in Latin America, we know how desperately we need the Prince of Peace!
The theme of the First Sunday of Advent is hope. We begin our Advent journey reminded that all is not lost. We are waiting for Jesus to appear in great power and glory, just as God’s people waited for centuries for the Messiah. So Advent is about hopeful waiting, not for the end of exhausting festivities so we can get “back to normal after Christmas.” Rather Advent is anticipating celebrating that God joined us in human flesh when Jesus was born, sharpening our awareness of wonder and hope through Christmas and his revelation to the world at Epiphany.
Advent is countercultural. Instead of instant gratification, Advent prompts us to savor waiting and watching for a deeper satisfaction. Advent takes us beyond the futile efforts to define the “true meaning of the season” without Jesus, to join God’s people through the ages who have cried out to God to tear open the heavens and come down.
Advent insists that when you are threatened by your fears and cry out for God to intervene, you must listen for God to call you as a partner in the unexpected. To what unexpected is God calling you this Advent?
This week we can’t avoid God’s call to be Christ’s agents of justice and compassion. Even with all the food, holiday gathering conversation this year will get around to Ferguson. Ask God how you can speak an unexpected, reconciling word rather than adding to polarization. I suggest this very challenging thought: Real dialog can begin when we can understand why something that seems reprehensible to us seems reasonable to someone else.
As incongruous as it may seem, I believe this approach to Advent speaks powerfully to your interim journey between pastors. O Little Town of Bethlehem says, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Advent invites you to articulate where your hopes and fears for the future of Highlands Christian Church meet. Then, cry out to God to tear open heaven and come down with fire to make you a partner in God’s unexpected.

One of my life axioms is that when we respond out of fear we almost always make the wrong choice. This Advent, speak your personal, most threatening fears and listen for God to call you to partnership in the unexpected. Keep awake and watch for God to surprise you as this season moves you toward Christmas.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Staring God in the Face

Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46
November 23, 2014
Christ the King – Thanksgiving
© 2014
 
Christ The Redeemer

In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo wrote, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” A number of hymns delight in the Christian’s anticipation of seeing God face to face. Yet we also talk about the terror of unrepentant sinners coming to the end of life not ready to “meet their Maker” face to face.
The Apostle John wrote that no one has seen God but God the Son, Jesus Christ, has made Him known. (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12)
Martin of Tours (316-397) was a Christian conscripted into the Roman army in the 4th century, before the Emperor Constantine made his distorted version of Christianity the official religion of the Empire. One cold winter day a shivering beggar asked Martin for alms. Having no money, Martin cut his soldier’s coat in half to share with the beggar. That night he had a dream of angels asking Jesus why he was wearing half a soldier’s coat. Jesus answered, “My servant, Martin gave it to me.” Not long after that, Martin’s unit was sent to battle with the Gauls. Martin said, “I am a soldier of Christ. I cannot fight.” Not a coward, he volunteered to go unarmed in front of the troops. Before the battle, the Gauls sued for peace, and Martin was released from the army.
Our image of Kings and Queens comes from European feudalism that emerged out of the collapse of the Roman Empire, which is dramatically different than the Hebrew ideal of a shepherd king who cares for the weakest of the people in the kingdom (Psalm 72). We need to think of King David at his shepherd best when we listen to Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
We end the Church Year facing Jesus, the King coming in glory. Next Sunday we start a new Church Year with Advent, facing Jesus the King who came in humility.
In this story Jesus gave us a multifaceted gem, giving us four interchangeable ways to look at him: the Son of Man, Shepherd, King and Son of the Heavenly Father.
I frequently notice that when I am preaching on a challenging passage, I am tested and have to examine myself. This week a woman with some serious mental health needs walked in to “talk to the pastor.” I had a hard time tracking with her and thought, “How can I get her out of here as soon as possible?” But with this passage in my mind all week, I was reminded that she was “one of the least of these” and I needed to give her the respect and attention I’d give to Jesus. I did give her as much time as she wanted and a mental health referral. But whatever her situation, I was called back to Jesus’ story.
The sheep were surprised that the King accepted the little things they had done for little people, as service for him. They had the holy ignorance of not keeping score to rack up points to win eternal life. They just lived compassion.
There are several versions of the story of a monastic movement that was in decline and almost extinguished. By the 19th century it was down to one monastery with five monks, all over 70. They heard rumors of a holy hermit who lived in the same forest. The abbot searched, found him and asked how to save their order. When the Abbot returned, the other monks asked what the hermit had said. The abbot replied, “He didn’t have any advice, but commiserated. We read Scripture and prayed together. As I left he told me one of us is the Messiah.” They all pondered who it might be and began treating each other as if all might be the Messiah. When visitors came through the forest, they noticed the love between these five old monks. Young people came to listen to the monks, and some joined the monastery, and it began to grow again.
Ephesians 1:18 asks that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened. Based the prayer we read from Ephesians 1today, I’m going to lead us in a shared contemplative prayer.
With Thanksgiving this week, thank God for the people through whom Christ has revealed himself to you. I invite you to speak their names aloud so we may pray together.
Ask God to show you what it would mean to you, to people you know, to Highlands Christian Church for the Father of glory, to give a spirit of wisdom and revelation so you come to know him, with the eyes of our hearts enlightened, to know what is the hope to which he has called us, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. Dare to ask for this!

With the eyes of your hearts enlightened by God whose power raised Jesus from the dead, and with holy imagination, stare into the face of Jesus the King, sitting at the right hand of the Father in heavenly places far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, who is head over all things for the Church.

Friday, November 14, 2014

“Carpe Diem”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30
November 16, 2014
© 2014

Look at the picture above. When you first looked at it, how many of you saw the saxophone player? How many saw the woman’s face first? Can you switch back and forth and see both? How many see only one? or none?
Jesus’ parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 is a lot like this picture. It can seem to mean two almost opposite things depending on your perspective. Parables are not intended to be “systematic theology” but to prod us to think in new ways, which can be challenging with something so familiar. When Jesus started by saying, “It is as if,” the “it” refers to the delay in his appearance as in his previous teaching. A talent was not a skill or ability but a large form of money used only by government and few highly prosperous business people to move wealth around the empire when they had nothing like electronic fund transfer. Talents were not for grocery shopping. If the box shown below was solid gold, it would be about 1½ talents and weigh about 120 pounds. It would take an average person about 20 years to make one talent, which they would have used to live on. The ordinary person would need a century to make as much as the 5 talent slave was given. The people Jesus spoke to could never imagine working for someone with so much money much less having it.
If this really was a talent and a half of gold, I wouldn't be holding it up with one hand.

“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Jesus used questionable characters to represent something about God before, and we typically think of this business man that way. The slaves who received the 5 and 2 talents saw him as trusting them and rewarding them with generosity when they received his “well done, good and trustworthy slave.” This way of looking at the parable encourages us not to hide our opportunities but deploy them to the fullest. To seize the day – carpe diem as the Roman poet Horace wrote in his lyric poem in 23 BCE. (not Robin Williams in the movie Dead Poets Society)
Many who heard Jesus’ story would have thought of a man with so much wealth as a Bernie Madoff like crook who ripped off poor people and friends and expected his slaves to do the same. If the one talent slave wouldn’t do that, he expected him to loan the money with bankers and charge interest, which was explicitly forbidden in the Law. (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36-37; Deuteronomy 23:19-20) From this perspective the one talent slave is the hero who lived by righteous principles at the cost of his position, and the master is the villain who really was a “harsh man, reaping where he did not sow and gathering where he did not scatter.”
I am not suggesting this second perspective is right and should replace the first, but that as opposite as they seem, both are in the story, just as the saxophonist and woman are in the picture.
When we are aware of God’s generous trust in us, we are motivated to maximize our gifts for effective ministry.
When we are aware that being disciples of Jesus puts us out of step with our society, we are encouraged with the strength to stick by our convictions.
Both views of Jesus’ parable encourage us to be faithful in whatever circumstances we finds ourselves, to seize the day for him whether times are favorable or unfavorable.
Similarly, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 encourages us to live as the children of the day, which we are, even when night seems to be closing in during the delay before Jesus’ appearing.
The image of the thief in the night is a warning for children of the night who don’t expect Jesus to appear. The image of the onset of labor for a pregnant woman is for we who are children of the day. We know Jesus will appear, we just don’t know when, so we get ready.
Being ready is not about predicting when Jesus will appear, but about being awake and sober, seizing each day God gives us.
Staying awake is not neglecting rest but living with Jesus whether we are awake or asleep as verse 10 says.
In verse 11, Paul commended the Thessalonian Christians for encouraging each other to live as children of the day and to keep encouraging each other.
As children of the day, we seize each day God gives us, not looking back with nostalgia to a past time we imagine was ideal in history, for the church, or for ourselves.
To encourage each other, we need to tune into where each other is at the moment. Is someone struggling? Give them support. Is someone prospering? Celebrate with them. As Paul wrote in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”
Paul did not scold the Thessalonian Christians. He knew they were already encouraging and building each other up. In my almost 3 months with you, I have seen a lot of upbuilding encouragement among you. Keep it up!



Saturday, November 8, 2014

Seeing Past “The End”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
November 9, 2014
© 2014


Grieving people often find 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 helpful. It gives permission to grieve while assuring them of God’s hope, even when the timing seems all wrong. They had expected Jesus to be back momentarily, and they were afraid people they loved who were dying would miss out. Paul assured them those who had died would be the first to rise and meet Jesus.
As I read the news about Brittany Maynard ending her life rather than wait for brain cancer to take her, I thought about what I might say to her if I was her pastor. I know nothing about her faith, which was not mentioned in the news. As a pastor who has walked with many people on this sort of excruciating journey, I am content to let God handle any judging. However, to help someone sort out their decisions, I would ask questions such as: which is the path of patience or impulsiveness, of courage or cowardice, of love or selfishness, of faith or fear?
A genre of consolation literature developed around the Civil War. Books like Elizabeth Stuart Phelps’ The Gates Ajar and Beyond the Gates assured that beloved sons and husbands who died in battle were enjoying themselves in a Victorian America, only better. DaVinci gave art lessons and Beethoven composed oratorios.
In contrast, today’s Scriptures teach that as we pass through life’s often uncertain events, we wait with hopeful readiness for Jesus to appear.
I can understand how as those early Christians remembered Jesus’ words, they might think he’d be back in just a few days, but they seemed not to remember how many times he told them to expect him to delay. That certainly is the thrust of Matthew 25:1-13. The surprise in this story is not that the bridegroom appeared suddenly but that he was delayed.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
In our impatient society, we don’t like to wait. Our computers go faster and faster. We like self-check-out at some stores so we don’t have to wait in line for a cashier. We pay a premium for next day delivery of what we purchase on line at any hour of day or night. Since Jesus has delayed his appearing 2,000 years we either write it off as unreal or scour the news to find clues that match biblical hints that it could be threatening soon.
The Left Behind movies and books seem to be trying to increase spiritual readiness by convincing us that we are living on the verge of apocalyptic crisis.
However, the focus of today’s Scriptures is not on intense events but on our relationship with Jesus. The wise bridesmaids go with the bridegroom into the wedding banquet. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 does not focus on explaining a sequence of events but on being with the Lord forever.
We are always in transition. We are always waiting for what God has next. Yet, we are never standing still but are always moving. We wait with hopeful readiness for Jesus to appear.
We easily grow impatient waiting for healing or problem solving for ourselves or a loved one, or longing for spiritual awakening in someone dear to us.
I’m feeling some impatience waiting for the repairs from the water damage in our children’s wing. I suspect some of you are growing impatient waiting for a new pastor.
The worship ministry team is planning for Advent, and I worked on Advent sermons this week. Advent is all about waiting, waiting for Christmas. Our commercial society is already trying to sell us Christmas junk. For the Church to wait for Christmas with Advent anticipation is a counter-cultural discipline that sharpens our spiritual readiness.
Whether it is not rushing through Advent to get to Christmas or grieving with hope at the death of a loved one, seeing past “The End” empowers us to wait with hopeful readiness.
Wanting to know what happens to us and our loved ones when we die is only natural. The New Testament gives only a few tantalizing and puzzling hints, and the Hebrew Scriptures are even more cryptic. As in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, the focus of the New Testament is on the hope of resurrection to eternal life at Jesus’ appearing. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul goes into great and exquisite detail. In many creative ways, such as we heard today from his story in Matthew 25, Jesus affirmed that his delay will end, and he will appear, and we will be with him forever.
We keep ourselves ready for Jesus to appear in all the glory of his Kingdom, by living as people of Jesus’ kingdom now. Whether you are pleased, disappointed or confused by last week’s election, Jesus reminds us that is temporary and calls us to look past “The End” to practice and advocate the righteousness and mercy, justice and peace of the Kingdom of God with patient confidence that Jesus ultimately brings after the delay and he appears.

Since we are waiting for our relationship with Jesus, we cultivate our hopeful readiness by nourishing our life with Jesus now. Several years ago I heard Father Thomas Hopko, then dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary in New York, explain it well. He said when growing up his mother told him that to grow as a Christian he should read his Bible, say his prayers and go to church. Now that he was training people for ministry, he told them that for them and their congregations the key to spiritual growth was to read their Bibles, pray and go to church.