Pentecost

Acts 2:1-8, 12, 17-18, 43-47

Last Sunday I was in Ohio with my sister, and was telling her that I was excited to be home the next Sunday because it was Pentecost.  My sister turned to her friend and commented  that her church in Africa also celebrated Pentecost in a big way, and she just couldn’t understand it.  How could churches celebrate Pentecost when they didn’t believe in the gifts of the Spirit – by which she meant speaking in tongues. What we have here is a colliding of two worlds.  One world takes this Pentecost story literally:  it’s about speaking in unknown languages and everyone becoming Christian.  When we talk about Pentecost being the birthday of the church – which we often do – we’re lining up with that world.  This is the literal day that the first church was born and baptized 3000 members.  That’s a great story, but it’s just a story.  It’s a story told long after the fact by folks who weren’t there and who needed a way to give their Jesus movement some history.  In actuality, there’s no way Roman soldiers less than 2 months after crucifying Jesus were going to let 3000 people join a movement in his name in the heart of Jerusalem.  By the time this story was written down, Rome had completely destroyed Rome and torn down the Temple for less than that.

All week I’ve been thinking about why we celebrate Pentecost – why it’s my favorite Holy Day.  I want to be on record here and now that Pentecost is much, much more than just ecstatic languages and the institution’s origin story.  It’s about God bringing the people together and giving them life – new life.  So just like we celebrate Easter/resurrection every Sunday and we celebrate Christmas/incarnation every time we sense the presence of mystery in this world, we celebrate Pentecost whenever we connect with hope and community – which is to say virtually every day.

 Why do we celebrate Pentecost?  Pentecost is about finding hope in the face of despair.  The story tells us the followers of Jesus – many more than just the disciples but all the men and women who had traveled with Jesus and signed on to his mission – were all together in one place.  They were hiding out because they were afraid.  Jesus had been executed at Passover, a festival when Jews from near and far were gathered in Jerusalem to remember their common heritage.  Now it was Pentecost or Shavuot, the first of several harvest festivals.  Jews from across the Empire were once again gathered in Jerusalem to bring the first of harvested grain to offer in the Temple.  It was a celebration of life, and Roman soldiers were once again in the city in large numbers to keep order.  Jesus’ followers wondered if more of them would be executed as part of the crowd control for the holiday.  They were afraid. 

And then God set them on fire and they were not.  They already had the sense that Jesus was resurrected – still alive and among them in the strongest way.  They were beginning to understand that his death hadn’t been the end of his ministry, but that there was still more to do.  Still ways to tell the story of God’s love the way he had told it.  Still the possibility of being the reign of God in their time, like he had told them they were.  We don’t know exactly what changed, but they went from hiding in fear to preaching to anyone who would listen.  They had a story to tell of a better way to live, and they were going to tell it.  Maybe not to thousands in the public square, but to friends and neighbors and people they met on the street.  What Jesus had given them wasn’t dead but still alive and strong within them, and it was too good not to share.  It overcame fear of Empire and gave them hope that new life was real.

Then they set about living that life, the way Jesus had taught them.  They healed folks the way Jesus trained them to do.  They accomplished tasks they never believed they could do.  The gave praise to God because God’s love was strong in them and they felt it.  They pooled their resources and took care of each other, and a lot of folks around them.  They ate together.  They enjoyed life together.  They made a difference in their neighborhood by helping others.  And they grew – not by thousands in a single day, but slowly and steadily they became a movement that spread across the known world.

Here's what we’re celebrating:

God’s love overcomes fear.  The Empire can be strong.  Public opinion can be against you.  Life can feel unsafe at times, but God gives courage and people stick together.  The possibility of new life is more important than fear.

New life is possible.  The Roman Empire did its best to divide people and to make them fear both Empire and neighbors, but you can live under Empire and still live by Jesus’ vision.  You can love your neighbor.  You can share your bread.  You can care for those who become ill and shelter those who are homeless.  And you can have a good time doing it.

There’s always hope.  Hope is a gift of God that is planted in our hearts as a sign of our humanity, and it’s stubborn.  It doesn’t depend on life around us being hopeful.   It’s like that fire that burned in the first Pentecost story and touched everyone without harming them.  It can be dimmed by circumstance, but you can’t put it out.

Courage.  Life as a community.  Hope.  Those are great reasons to celebrate.  I propose that we celebrate them all summer long.  We begin by naming them as our Pentecost today, and then we explore the many things they can mean together week by week.  Let’s build ourselves into a courageous, hopeful community that makes Jesus’ vision real right here, right now.  And let’s have a good time doing it.  Let’s celebrate!

Flower Communion Sunday

For the Flowers Have the Gift of Language

Speak, flowers, speak! Why do you say nothing?
The flowers have the gift of language. In the meadow they speak of freedom,
Creating patterns wild and free as no gardener could match. In the forest they nestle, snug carpets under the roof of
Leaf and branch, making a rug of such softness. At end tip of branches, they cling briefly
Before bursting into fruit sweet to taste.
Flowers, can you not speak joy to our sadness? And hope to our fear? Can you not say how it is with you
That you color the darkest corner? The flowers have the gift of language.
At the occasion of birth, they are buds before bursting.
At the ceremony of love they unite two lovers in beauty. At the occasion of death, they remind us how lovely is life.
Oh, would that you had voice, Silent messengers of hope.
Would that you could tell us how you feel, Arrayed in such beauty.
The flowers have the gift of language. In the dark depths of a death camp They speak the light of life.
In the face of cruelty, They speak of courage.
In the experience of ugliness
They bespeak the persistence of beauty. Speak, messengers, speak!
For we would hear your message. Speak, messengers, speak!
For we need to hear what you would say. For the flowers have the gift of language:
They transport the human voice on winds of beauty; They lift the melody of song to our ears; They paint through the eye and hand of the artist; Their fragrance binds us to sweet-smelling earth.
May the blessing of the flowers be upon you. May their beauty beckon to you each morning And their loveliness lures you each day,
And their tenderness caress you each night. May their delicate petals make you gentle, And their eyes make you aware.
May their stems make you sturdy, And their reaching make you care.

Fifth Sunday of Easter

John 13:31-35

Jesus says, “Everyone will know that you are my disciple if you love one another.”  That seems pretty straightforward.  Jesus told his disciples that love was the glue that would hold them together and keep them faithful to him and his teaching.  He told them that just before their lives got really hard.  Jesus was arrested and executed.  They were afraid.  They didn’t have a master plan for what they were supposed to do next.  Some of them were also executed within a few years.  Before all of them died their country was crushed, their temple destroyed, and Jerusalem leveled.  Some days we think we live in scary hard times, but this is nothing compared with what these disciples were about to face.  So what advice is sufficient for people whose lives are about to fall apart?  Love one another.

They surely weren’t surprised that this was Jesus’ bottom line.  It’s what he’d been saying the whole time they had known him.
       God is love.
       Love your neighbor as yourself.
      Everyone is your neighbor.

Over the centuries church teachers have written volumes about what it means to be a Christian.  Councils have spent years debating the fine points of theology. There have been schisms and reformations and great awakenings.  But the basics remain the same:  love one another.

Sometimes I think so much else is written about how to be a disciple because the love part is darn hard to do.  God knows all of us are sometimes unlovable.  We say the wrong things.  We think the wrong things.  We make huge mistakes.  We alienate friends and families and sometimes even make it hard to love ourselves.  Jesus doesn’t say we have to get it right all the time.  We just have to keep trying. God is love and nothing can separate us from God or from love.

Then there are all those other folks that make love so hard.  The ones who are truly cruel.  The ones who lie, cheat and steal.  The ones who call us names.  The ones who undercut us at work or school.  The ones who commit crimes.  The ones who vote for the other party.  Jesus doesn’t say we have to like people.  Or like all the things people do.  In fact, he spent much of his energy calling folks out when they did harmful things. But he extended love to everyone.  Love that looks like respect for the person even while condemning their actions or beliefs.  Love that holds hope for change and gives second and third and endless chances.

Every week I’m reminded that there’s a lot about this moment in history that reminds us of the first century, and other moments when life was hard.  Much of what’s broken in our time shows that folks still aren’t taking Jesus seriously about this love stuff.

Love doesn’t start wars.
Love doesn’t bomb civilians or withhold humanitarian aid from them.
Love doesn’t see refugees as a threat or deport people without due process.
Love doesn’t turn folks who dissent into criminals.
Love doesn’t withhold healthcare or food aid.
Love doesn’t reject and endanger people because of race or gender or gender identity.
Love doesn’t lie.

We could make a long list.  During Lent we acknowledged many unloving actions when we focused on the desert experience.  This Eastertide we’re trying to remember that in spite of cruelty, love still exists.  There are still helpers trying to do what is right and care in any way they can.

It’s important for us do two things at once:

To hold the standard of love against what’s happening in our world.  That let’s us celebrate the good around us and name those actions we believe are wrong.

To love all people as best we can.  Especially those who make us cringe.  To treat every single person as a beloved child of God.  For there is no one whom God does not love.

Jesus’ command to love one another is also his gift to us.  We can love extravagantly only if we know ourselves to be loved – accepted, respected, valued, cherished.  When we belong to a community which grounds us in love, then we are empowered to extend love to others. We need a home base where we can rest and reflect if we are going to be the transforming power of love in the community and in the wider world.  We need to love each other so we have the strength to love everyone else.

Whether we like it or not, the foundations of our society are shaking right now.  I’m convinced that the most important things we can do in response is to get very clear about what it means to love as God loves, and to support and care for each other along the way.  I’m working on finding the resources to help us understand what that means for our summer project. I welcome your suggestions.  Who gives you hope?  What authors or musicians clarify your thinking? Where should we be putting our collective energy? How do we form strong community to sustain us? Most of all, what does it mean to love one another?  That’s the journey we share together.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Psalm 23

When Psalm 23 was written, many of the people of Israel were shepherds.  They knew what it meant to take care of sheep – to lead them on safe paths, to find them lush pastures, to bring them to water in a quiet place where it was safe to drink.  The Psalmist drew on one of the most caring relationships in everyday life to describe how protected he felt by God.

People cared for their sheep because they made life possible.  Their wool clothed them.  Their milk and meat fed them.  Their lambs became their generational wealth.  And they cared for their sheep because they spent a lot of time with them.  You have to pay attention day and night if you are going to be a good shepherd.  It was comforting to think that God was paying constant and benevolent attention to them.

Three thousand years ago there were very few atheists.  Every nation or tribe had at least one god.  The realities of daily living were explained by telling stories about gods – gods of war and peace, or hunting and hearth, of day and night, of planting and harvest, of love and justice, of life and death.  Some of these gods were kind and generous; many were not.  Everything that happened in life was controlled by one god or another.  The Psalmist is celebrating that their god is as caring as the best shepherd.  They can have confidence that God will care for them.

We often read Psalm 23 when we need someone to care about us and for us.  It’s a star at funerals.  It whispers in hospital rooms.  Children memorize it about the time they start striking out more on their own and need some extra protection.  Our  modern world has scientific explanations for most things and we no longer believe that the details of our everyday life are controlled by one god or another, but it’s still nice to believe that there’s some good power behind all that is which is on our side.  Even when our life story sends us down some dark valleys, and we all have dark valleys from time to time, we can assert that we’re not walking alone.  God is present.

Last week we read the story about Jesus asking Peter to feed his sheep, placing the care of the earth and her peoples in the hands of the disciples.  Sometimes we understand that to mean the church is responsible for taking care of folks.  We sing that every Sunday:

                  Christ has no body now but yours…
                  No hands, no feet on earth but yours…
                  Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
                  Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

I don’t know about you, but right now I’m feeling like that’s a lot of responsibility.  I’ve told you that I call our three people in Congress five days a week.  You’d think I’d run out of things to tell them, but the fact is most days there’s so many things I have trouble choosing.  Almost all of those days I’m pleading for them not to hurt someone:  stop bombing, release aid, fund health care and education, restore research grants, stop firing people.  Lots of times I tell them, “You have to care about people because I can’t afford to care for them without you.”  I feel like we’ve earned the right to say that, because we certainly try to do as much as possible.  Being good shepherds for all God’s flock is one of the ways we understand how Jesus people live in the world.  It’s an image that works.

I was thinking about how long Jesus people have been at that job this week, and I realized it’s OK if we don’t finish the job.  There are lots of folks before us who worked at it, and they didn’t finish either.  I used to say it was enough to make a little progress.  But progress isn’t a straight line upward, so these days I say it’s enough if we are kind and do what we can.  Following Jesus, loving God’s people, is a way of being, not a job that ends.

The church has been at this way of being for a long time.  This week the part of Jesus people who used to be the only game in town got a new leader.  I was hoping for someone I’d like, even though I knew they wouldn’t ask me.  I think we got a keeper.  He cares about the people.  He sees everyone, even those some would push down or throw out.  He understands about taking care of earth.  He has a vision for peace.  He’s excited about the work that needs to be done.  He’s not afraid.  Even though we’ll never meet him, he’s our partner in creating something new for this world.

One more thing about this Psalm – we’re asked to be the shepherd, but we also get to be the sheep.  We can take a break and let folks care for us.  We can sit out one protest or one project.  We work together AND we can play together.  Good food.  Good music.  Good jokes every Sunday.  We can trust God and all the power of the universe to fill our cup to the brim when it’s dry, to give us a safe place to rest, to show us a way forward and to have our back.  I know that’s hard to believe.  There are a lot of broken places in this world.  There are broken places in our hearts.  Three thousand years ago a singer wrote this psalm to tell us God’s love and care are true.  Two thousand years ago Jesus told us God IS love and we can love each other.  One of the most important things we do for each other is to affirm the truth of God’s love, even on days we don’t much see it.  To stand by each other until the darkness lifts and the light returns.  And to say over and over, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”

Third Sunday of Easter

John 21:1-19

Two weeks ago we celebrated Easter.  Now, in this Gospel lesson we have Jesus appearing to a group of the disciples some time after Easter.  We know that some of the disciples were fishermen by trade.  We know that because when Jesus called Peter and James and John to be disciples, he called them from their fishing boats to come and follow him.

They left their fishing nets and followed Jesus.  Now Jesus is no longer with them.  Or is he?  It is difficult for them to get their heads around, just what is the current situation?  They know that Jeus was crucified.  They know that he was raised from the dead.  They have seen the risen Jesus. What does that mean for them now?  They do not know what to do next. 

A few of the disciples are gathered on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias.  Normally we refer to that body of water as the Sea of Galilee, which would be what it was called by the locals, by the Jews.  The Romans, when they conquered Israel and took over, changed the name from the common name which had been used throughout history, to a name that the Roman leaders liked better.  Imagine a ruler thinking that he could change the name of a body of water from a name that had been used historically to something he liked better.  In that context Peter says, “I am going fishing.”  I have heard several people say that they will go fishing at times that they need time to think.  The disciples needed time to think, but the fishing nets are mentioned.  It does not sound like sitting with a fishing rod.  The fishing described is like describing as a professional fisherman letting down his nets to catch fish.  It is like describing fishing for a living.

Commercial fishermen on the Sea of Galilee normally fished at night.  The weather was warm enough that the water during the day was warm enough at the surface that the fish were driven to the deepest parts of the lake where the water would be cooler.  These disciples had fished all night and caught nothing.

If you were fishing just for the fun of it, fishing all night and catching nothing could be enough to convince you to quit and try again some other time.  It does not seem like these fishermen were quitting, just that they were close to shore.  At any rate, they caught nothing. 

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Why did they not know that it was Jesus?  The lesson says that they were about a hundred yards off shore.  Maybe at a hundred yards it was not clear to see who was there.  Maybe the resurrected Jesus looked different.  Maybe they did not pay much attention to this person on the shore, or at least not at first.  At any rate, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?”  They answered him, “No.”  It could sound like Jesus already knew that they had caught no fish.  I have read that traditionally they would have thrown the net off the left side of the boat.  Maybe, maybe not.  At any rate, at a point where they have had no success all night, all Jesus asks them to do is try one more time.  There certainly are a lot of times where that is good advice.  If things are not working, give it one more try.  They try one more time and the net is full to overflowing.

The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”  There are times in scripture where the disciple John is referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved. I have a couple reactions for Peter at that point.  I could picture Peter answering something like, “Why didn’t you say so sooner?  When did you first know?”  Then we see the impulsiveness that Peter is known for, as he jumps into the sea to go to Jesus.  Before he jumps into the sea, it says he put on his outer garment.  If you are working and you take off your jacket when you get heated, or take off your shirt, that makes sense.  I do find myself wondering about putting that outer robe back on, and then jumping into the water.  It would feel so good to have that wet robe, probably wool, clinging to you and weighing you down, as you go that hundred yards to shore.

The other disciples, did they complain that Peter left them with the work of getting the fish to shore?  Maybe that is why Peter went back aboard and hauled the net ashore.  Maybe the others were saying, all right, we got it this far, now you finish the job.  The net is full of large fish, 153 of them.  Not just fish, but large fish.  The number 153 gives the idea of a lot of fish, they could eat breakfast and still have a lot of fish to sell.  The number 153 may be symbolic of a lot.  There would be a lot of countries, a lot of areas, that Jesus would draw in to himself, like a fisherman drawing in a net and catching all with that net.

Jesus took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish.  It sounds like a very simple meal.  It is told to us, sounding almost like communion. I wonder if the disciples were reminded of the Last Supper.  It was also on the shore of the Sea of Galilee that Jesus fed the 5000.  Would the disciples have thought of that also?

 It would be easy to stop the story there.  It would be a nice ending.  It would be an ending with us pondering meanings of the fish and communion.  Jesus, however, does not stop there.  We then have Jesus questioning Peter.  Three time Jesus asks Peter if he loves him.  Peter gets frustrated with being asked three times.  We can remind ourselves, or remind Peter, that it was not very long before this that Jesus was arrested and tried and crucified.  It was not very long before this that, during that trial of Jesus, Peter had denied that he even knew Jesus, not once or twice, but three times.  Maybe in asking Peter if he loved him, Jesus is also reminding Peter of those three denials.

We had sheep when I was growing up on the farm.  It was pretty common for us to refer to the lambs separately from the old sheep.  The lambs did require more attention, if you were intending to raise them to sell.  And those older sheep required more tending than to just feed them.  We moved them between 3 pastures.  Sometimes we needed to haul water for them.  Fences to be checked.  And the list can go on.  There was work to do in caring for the sheep.

Jesus is not trying to educate Peter, or us, on the raising of sheep.  He does come to us, like to those disciples, at times and places that we may not expect.  He does do things for us that we may not understand, like this appearance on the shore and the breakfast and the conversation.  But our faith does not stop there.  That would end up with a highly intellectual faith.  Knowing things, an intellectual approach, is important at times.  Jesus does not stop there.  Jesus takes that knowing and goes to peoples in need, and cares for them.  The questions for Peter are about loving Jesus, but also about using that love to care for those in need.

Jesus clarifies that to love is to care in active, tangible, life-giving ways.  Jesus does not instruct Peter, or the other disciples, or us, to simply pray for the hungry or to confess their faith as proof of love for him.  Jesus does tell Peter, and the other disciples, and us, that love is action and mutual aid; feeding, tending, caring for all of God’s children, for all in need.   May we always put that love into action.  Amen.

Second Sunday of Easter

John 20:19-21

Today we get to talk about Thomas, who has a reputation for being the disciple who doubted.  It’s been held against him for centuries, and I think it’s a bad rap.  Before we start on today’s story, I want to back up a bit to the story in which Lazarus was ill and his sisters sent word to Jesus, wanting him to come.  Going to Lazarus at that moment was dangerous, because Lazarus lived in a small town just outside Jerusalem, and the  authorities in Jerusalem had it out for Jesus.  All the disciples advised against Jesus going.  “If he's going to die anyway, you can’t do anything about it.  Don’t risk you life on a fool’s errand.”  Yet when Jesus seems determined, it was Thomas who said, “We might as well go too.  If he’s going to die, we can die with him.”  I always wish Thomas was remembered for loyalty and not doubt.

There’s a part of me that thinks doubt was a logical response to the story of resurrection.  Sure Jesus had raised Lazarus, his friend, but can a dead man raise himself?  And does anyone else among them have that power? Think of any one of the people you’ve known who have died recently.  When you arrived at the funeral, would you have believed a story of resurrection?  Don’t bother with the eulogy, let’s just have lunch together? I’m thinking not. 

I’ll bet Thomas wanted to believe the resurrection stories, but a little healthy skepticism can be a good thing.  Don’t believe he’s risen until you see the wounds on the body.  Don’t buy the timeshare until you’ve checked out the reviews.  Don’t take the miracle cure until the FDA has weighed in on the safety.  Don’t believe everything you read on Facebook.  A little doubt in the beginning can save you a heap of trouble in the long run. Some days I’m wishing doubt was a skill more folks had perfected.

Over the years the story of Thomas has been used to teach good church folk the nature of faith.  “Blessed are those who believe without seeing.”  In some church circles, you get more points for faith that believes the impossible.  The more unlikely a doctrine is, the more credit you get for believing it.  God works in mysterious ways, so if we don’t understand something, it must be more holy.

There is indeed a lot of mystery in this world, and there are still many things we can’t explain.  That’s one reason research is so important to push back the boundaries of the unknown.  It’s the reason we hold out hope for people who seem lost and situations that seem hopeless.  You never know what new life just might rise up. 

On the other hand, there’s been plenty of religious snake oil sold on faith.  I’m inclined to caution against believing everything you hear is true, even from a pulpit; even from me.  Thomas saw and then believed, and that might be a good model for us all.

Does that mean those of us living thousands of years after the first century have no chance of believing?  No, because there’s more than one way to see.  A resuscitated Jesus isn’t going to walk into the sanctuary today, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to see Jesus among us.  If we’re watching, we see God moving in our lives every day.

When I tell people about Family of God, I most often tell them about our practice of naming Light Signs every Sunday.  I think we started doing that by accident, but it’s been a happy accident.  It reminds us that God shows up in all the places we live every day.  How do we know that God is there?  By the ways we see life happen.  Jesus told us that God is love.  I suspect that’s his most important teaching that we can remember.  If there is love, God is there.  If there’s no love, then whatever is happening isn’t a God thing. 

Think about the times in your life when you most felt the presence of God.  It may have been when you were in a place whose beauty took your breath away and you felt in your bones what it means to be one with the world.  It may have been when you were grieving a terrible loss and suddenly realized you weren’t grieving alone.  It may have been when you were scared to death about something about to happen and were filled with a strength you never knew before. 

I’d like to suggest that we are not people of faith because we believe even though we haven’t seen resurrection.  We are people of faith because we have seen resurrection in places we never expected to find it.  It found us.  God holds us when we have no strength.  God comforts us when we are beyond comfort.  And day after day God gives us hope.

The older I get the less I care about knowing the right doctrines about God and Jesus and teaching them to folks.  I care a lot about what you believe, but not much at all about that being the right stuff.  I just want you to know that God is alive among us, and we can see God every day.  I want you to know that God loves you and will give you the power you need to love each other.  I want to invite you to join together to create the reign of God right here, right now.  I want us to be a joyful sign of resurrection for the whole world.  If you doubt that’s possible from time to time, that’s OK.  We’re in this together, and we can take turns with the doubt as long as there’s a friend to keep the faith until ours comes back.  As long as there’s even one voice to say, “God is alive!  Look!  God is moving among us right there.”

Easter Sunday

Luke 24:1-12

We are here to celebrate Easter, the story of resurrection.  We’re expecting a story of victory: life over death. But at its heart, this is first a story of grief.  Before we can understand the message of life, we have to first understand death.  This may be a good year to begin with death, because many of us are grieving.  We’ve lost friends and family members.  We’ve lost the story about how life is supposed to unfold.  We’re afraid for what our future might hold.  We can touch the loss of death with more authenticity than we sometimes do in our busy and distracted lives.

Over the centuries the church has described Jesus’ death as God’s plan for salvation.  Because the world is broken and sinful, someone has to pay for what is wrong.  God sends Jesus to pay the price, fight the devil, overcome death, set us all free.  The death is a plan for good and God has everything under control.  There are some good messages in that explanation, but it’ s not the way the first Easter went down.  The only folks in control at that moment were the soldiers and the rulers appointed by Empire.  There was nothing good about them being in charge.

Jesus dies by crucifixion because Rome saw him as an insurrectionist.  We believe his “kingdom” was not of this world and wasn’t a military challenge to Rome.  But anyone talking about living under God and not Ceasar was a threat to Empire.  Anyone empowering the rabble to live with dignity was a threat.  Anyone feeding the hungry so they weren’t dependent on Roman charity was a threat.  Anyone drawing crowds and giving people hope was a threat.  Peasants who threatened Rome’s power in any way were crucified.  They were hung from crosses in public places so that everyone could see what happens to people who dare do anything but submit to Roman power.  Their deaths were common, they were excruciatingly long and painful, and they were meant to intimidate.

So what do we know about the women who went to find Jesus’ body early in the morning after the sabbath and the men who stayed behin?.  We know they were grieving.  They had witnessed the horrible death of a person who had transformed their lives.  We know they were intimidated.  They had no guarantees that they wouldn’t be next.  Often whole movements of people were crucified together, just to make a point.  We know they would have been remembering scenes from Jesus’ life and their lives with him.  We do that.  We remember and tell the stories.  It’s unusual that they were going to a grave, because most crucified bodies were dumped in large piles for the dogs and vultures to finish destroying them.  When they don’t find a body, it would have been natural for them to assume the gift of a tomb had been rescinded and Jesus’ body had been returned to the pile of those crucified with him.  That makes their loss even greater.  They have lost the ability to say goodbye with spices and ointments and tears. 

What they weren’t ready for was angels telling them the body had been resuscitated.  That Jesus was alive. That story only adds to their confusion.  They run to tell the men what they’ve seen, and even when the men come to see for themselves, they don’t understand.  They go home to mull it over and try to make sense of it.  We all know that fresh grief is not the best time to make sense of anything.

It’s a temptation for us to hear the Easter story and think, “Hooray!  God made everything better!”  Three days pass and everything is alright again, only in a new and unheard-of way.  Does that match with your experience of death and grief?  I’m thinking turning resurrection into a divine magical finale does a great disservice to the profound pain of the moment and the incredible hope it eventually becomes.  God didn’t just kiss Jesus’ wounded body and make it all better.  What God did was much more.  God entered into the pain of the disciples and the pain of the world and showed them how to walk into new life.  But making life new takes time and effort and all of us participate in the process.  Resurrection is a process, and it may have started on Easter, but we’re still in the thick of it today.

Resurrection begins with stories.  The disciples remembered the stories of Jesus – how he accepted the outcasts, healed those rejected by everyone, fed those hungry for bread, fed those hungry for hope.  They remembered how he taught them that the true power of God was love and the power of community was loving one another. They remembered how he was fearless and steadfast and believed so strongly in the possibility of life that he faced even death.  This week someone told me she didn’t believe in heaven, but she believed her husband who died years ago was still with her because she could feel him and hear him every day.  I believe that’s what the disciples came to know about Jesus; he was with them.  Someone I read this week says that’s a poor excuse for a resurrection.  I beg to differ.  I say it makes resurrection possible for everyone who’s ever lived and been loved by family and friends. 

The power of resurrection is what rose slowly among the disciples until they believed that Jesus wasn’t gone and the movement wasn’t over.  They remembered how he taught them to live and care for one another and they worked out together how to put it into practice.  They welcomed strangers into their homes.  They ate together and invited even the ones who didn’t have food to bring to the potluck.  They learned how to love each other, even when they disagreed or got on each other’s nerves. They stayed under the Roman radar and they created a kingdom of God among them that infected the whole world with love.

This kind of resurrection takes a lifetime or a couple of thousand years.  I want you to have a clear picture of how it grows from the heart out and is fed by the connections we find in community.  I hope you can see that we’re still living this resurrection into reality today.  That’s why we tell the stories of Jesus when we gather.  It’s why we tell the stories of heroes across the ages and those who live today.  We tell the stories of where we’ve been light in the world every week because it reminds us that there IS light in the world and we make it visible. 

Jesus’ disciples lived in a world in which there was no reason to hope and they found reasons to keep hope alive.  They lived in a world in which people were devalued and discounted and crucified and they learned to love each other and taught those around them to see the world through the eyes of love.  They lived in a world of abusive power and discovered a deep connection to an even greater power they called God which filled the universe and made new life possible.

We live in a world that’s much less certain than it was just a bit ago.  This world is asking us to devalue people who differ from us, to fear abusive power, to give up hope. Some folks want us to believe that it doesn’t matter if people are fed and illness healed, if children are embraced and those who struggle are lifted up.  There is reason to be intimidated.  But we don’t stand in this world alone.  We are a community built on the foundation of the faith of generations.  We are the next page in a long story that refuses to give up hope and insists on the power of love.  We are joined in creating new life by the power of God’s love which fills the universe and fills our hearts and will never leave us.  We know resurrection because we are living resurrection together.

Palm Sunday

Luke 19:28-40

We celebrate Palm Sunday every year as though it were Jesus’ coronation.  All our lives we have called Jesus “King” or “Lord” so we hear this story through that lens.  Palm Sunday is the day the crowds in Jerusalem crowned Jesus as king, choosing him over Rome to rule them.  Of course that’s not what happened.  It’s very likely the crowds welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem because they had heard about the miracles of healing he performed and the teaching that drew crowds.  But it’s not a coronation.  At the same moment the Roman legions would have been arriving on the other side of the city to keep order during the Passover festival.  They came with war horses and marching, heavily armed soldiers.  Jesus on his donkey with a few peasants armed with tree branches were not taking Rome’s power. 

The Pharisees knew this was true.  They tried to silence the crowd, knowing that their joy only endangered Jesus.  Rome wasn’t going to tolerate even the semblance of this upstart pretending to have power.  It was inevitable that he would soon die.  He may have bravely claimed that “even the stones” would acknowledge him, but Jesus was not about to overthrow Rome.

It's hard for us to hear this story through first century eyes.  We are used to people having choices about who is in charge of their world.  If Jesus represents a better way of living for the people, then we think it’s natural that they would rally for him and choose his leadership.  But first-century people had no power to make that choice.  Jesus’ teaching and his miracles could change the way they saw life, but none of them could change the Empire.

Centuries later Christianity named Jesus Lord and celebrated Christ the King Sunday, but only after the Empire endorsed this religion.  Jesus became King when the Empire merged itself with what they claimed was Jesus’ kingdom, not before.  Palm Sunday isn’t about Jesus winning or the Kingdom of God becoming the way the world works – at least not in any obvious ways.  The people who welcomed Jesus had no illusions that their world was going to change that day.  Except perhaps that it was never going to be the same

This year I’m inclined to think that Palm Sunday is about hope.  Often we think of hope as the belief that the world is going to change for the better.  We hope someone is going to get well.  We hope Congress will wake up.  We hope wars will end.  We tie that hope to real possibilities that these things will happen.  There will be the right medicine, the right speech delivered, the right negotiations.  We tie our hope to the real possibility of change happening.

The first century has something to teach us about hope.  They had no hope of the Empire changing.  Jesus had no hope of being in charge.  He had no hope of living through the next few days after what happened that day.  The realities were harsh and unrelenting.  But there was something about Jesus that still inspired hope.

He spoke of loving neighbors in a way that made folks believe they could do that.

He spoke of God’s love in a way that convinced people love was real.

He held a vision of the way the world could be that was so strong people could believe it.  Maybe they couldn’t change the world, but they could change the way they lived in the world.  That vision didn’t depend on probability.  Even if Jesus didn’t stand a chance, he still inspired them to see life in a new way, to treat each other in a new way. 

The kind of hope people found in the Jesus movement was the kind of hope that would let them believe that even someone who died might rise from the dead.  Even Rome’s crushing power couldn’t keep their spirits from rising up and their community from finding life in the midst of death.

This is a Palm Sunday gift to us.  Centuries ago people who lived under occupation and violence believed it matter how they treated one another.  People who lived under corrupt leaders believed they could be good and kind.  People who saw no way forward still formed communities that cared for each other and gathered in joy day by day. 

Their hope was in a vision Jesus called the reign of God, and it didn’t depend on the possibility of it coming true.  Instead, it was a way of life people could live in spite of what was happening around them.  In spite of horrors and struggle.  The Empire could control food and work and who lived and who died, but it couldn’t control how they loved one another, how they cared for each other, how they saw a bigger reality beyond the soldiers in their streets and the crosses on their hillsides. 

Palm Sunday crowds surely knew Jesus would die.  But hope told them he also would live.  A God-sized vision of goodness can’t be crucified. 

People who believe in the power of love can’t be crushed.
Hope rises again. 
And a world that can’t be changed, changes. 

Fifth Sunday in Lent

John 12:1-8

As John tells this story, Jesus has traveled almost to Jerusalem.  He’s staying in Bethany with some of his closest friends and supporters – Lazarus, Mary and Martha.  The disciples who accompanied him had gathered in this home.  It would have been crowded because homes were small and the group travelling with Jesus at that point was relatively large.  They were all tired from long hours interacting with crowds and long days journeying across the countryside.  They were stressed because Jesus was headed toward Jerusalem, the seat of power and the garrisons of Roman soldiers.  Jesus had attracted the attention of both the Roman and religious leaders and none of them liked him.  They thought he was a troublemaker.  In those days in Jerusalem trouble makers were crucified.

That evening they had dinner together, like they often had.  It must have been a weighty occasion.  Like the last time you visit a dear relative who is terminally ill.  The last time you gather before the oldest child moves across country.  We can remember similar occasions in our lives and get a sense of how they felt.  Glad to be together and worried about tomorrow.  On edge.  Exhausted.

To mark that occasion Mary, one of the hosts of this party, not only washes the feet of Jesus, the guest.  She covers them with costly, sweet-smelling ointment and wipes them wither hair.  There’s no way to see that act but as an incredibly intimate, personal moment.  It was Mary showing Jesus how much he mattered to her; how he had changed her life.  It could have been any one of them expressing their love, but it was Mary.  Judas objected.  It was an extravagant excess in a time when so many were near starvation.  John explains it as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ death and of Judas’ betrayal.  But I think it’s okay for us not to explain it at all.  It was one friend showing another how much she cared.  Jesus was willing to take it at that, and to be grateful.

This is the one message I want you to hear in this story:  we all deserve care.  We all deserve people in our lives who tell us how much we matter to them and who do extravagantly kind things for us just because.  I want us to take a minute to remember what that feels like.  To remember a time someone gave you the gift of comfort and connection because you matter. … Moments like that are a gift, and we all need them to carry us through the pivot points of our lives.

Many of us are feeling like we’re living in a moment that demands that we do something to fix things.  We need to fix our country.  We need to fix the world.  We need to fix poverty and illness and division and you name it.  It can be a heavy burden.  We can be exhausted and discouraged.  When live seems bigger than you can manage, remember even Jesus let Mary rub his feet just for a little while.  Jesus and his friends stopped to have a dinner party just before his last big moment of ministry.  You can’t work all the time.

It's common these days to analyze almost everything, so we talk about how we give and receive love.  Gary Chapman wrote The Five Love Languages to help people communicate what makes them feel loved and to consider how they say, “I love you.”  That’s a worthwhile endeavor.  What makes you feel loved and cherished?  Quality time?  Acts of service?  A gold watch?

It's also good for us to think about how we most like to show love.  I want to cook dinner or sew a quilt.  What do you want to do for people?

In a time when there’s lots of talk about what’s broken, it’s good for all of us to think about how we give and receive love.  Jesus and his friends shared dinner and a pound of nard.  What are we doing to care for each other in these days?

Please hear clearly:
                  You deserve love and compassion and comfort.
                  You can give love and compassion and comfort.

No matter how confusing or frustrating or even dangerous our times, acts of love and compassion and comfort matter. They are, I believe, holy moments. We are intended to share them because they will sustain us all.

Fourth Sunday in lent

Luke15:1-3, 11b-32

This story tells us everything we need to know about how the world works when we live by God’s vision.  Everyone welcome all the time.  The people who heard Jesus tell this story would have been horrified at the younger son’s behavior.  They may well have known someone who acted that way, but they still would have been horrified.  The son dishonored the father by asking for his inheritance and by squandering it on wine, women and song.  He clearly showed his family that he had no love for them.  He only wanted the money and high times and in a far off place.  How heart-broken the father must have been, first that money mattered more than family, and then that he had no word about his son’s well-being for probably years. 

 How does he react?  He gives the son what he asks for and then he waits for him to come home.  We know he waits because he was watching for the son, seeing him while he’s still far down the road.  He had to be watching to see him so soon.  Every day for years, watching and hoping the son would be back.

The son is well-rehearsed, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and you…” but he doesn’t get to give the speech he’d been repeating mile by mile.  He’s bathed and given new clothing and honored with a ring and a feast.  Everyone celebrates.  What do we learn from that?  People matter.  For the father, the son mattered more than the insult he’d given.  He never mentions the pain of their parting.  The son matters more than logical consequences.  He doesn’t say, “You can come back as a hired hand.  Move to the barn.”  The son matters more than the rules.  He doesn’t say, “Have you learned your lesson?    You can work but there’s no more inheritance for you.  I’ll draw up the contracts.”  The father simply says, “Let’s have a party and celebrate.”

This parable is called the prodigal son, after the son who blew his inheritance.  It’s also sometimes called the forgiving father, because forgiveness is at the heart of the story.  Forgiveness puts the relationship between father and son first – before consequences, before payback.  There is no retribution here.  People matter.  Relationships matter.  Did they have a lot to talk over and work through the next day?  Probably.  But that’s not where the father started.  He began with “Welcome home!”

These days we hear a lot about how the world should work, and much of it feels a little off to me.  I’m not sure how to explain how God wants people to be valued and how I want people to connect with each other.  This story is a gift in that regard.  Here it is clearly laid out for us:  Welcome! 

                  You didn’t come from here?  Welcome!
                  You didn’t finish school?  Welcome!
                  You’ve made some bad choices and struggle with addiction?  Welcome!
                  You can’t afford health care?  Welcome!
                  You’re behind in your rent?  Welcome!
                  You’ve been in jail? Welcome!
                  You worship on Friday?  Welcome!
                  You joined the young Republicans?  Welcome!
                  You don’t fit the President’s abbreviated genders? Welcome!
                  You can’t tell a joke or carry a tune?  Welcome!

Come right on in.  You matter to us.  We’ll figure out the hard stuff later.

The older brother isn’t having any of this, you’ll note.  He’s been keeping track.  With his brother gone he did twice the work.  He’s been reliable and responsible.  The father OWES him.  Where’s his party?  He’s not having any of this forgiveness stuff.  He’s pouting on the porch.  What he really wants is retribution.  Give the guy what he deserves…nothing!  Make him pay.  Make him earn his way back into the family.  Make him grovel.

Much of the time the world is on the older brother’s side.  But it doesn't have to be.  This isn’t a long history of how a family heals after trauma.  It’s not a record of therapy which helps them learn to trust each other again.  It’s not the whole story of how they rebuild relationships.  It’s a starting point.  What we need more than anything is better starting points.  We need to say to each other, “You matter.”  Then we can put things together so they work.

When we give funds through the community fund, we don’t say to people, “Live any way you want, we’ll pay for it.”  We expect them to have a case worker and a plan for becoming independent, working, paying their way.  But first we say, “You matter.  We’ll give you a better starting place.”

We have a broken immigration system in this country.  There’s not much energy for saying, “Everyone can be here, no matter what.”  But it is possible to say, “You matter.  You’ve been my neighbor.  Let’s figure out how we move forward.”

The news is full of folks wanting to divide us.  Some countries are free-loaders.  Some people are lazy.  Let’s throw them all out and keep what’s ours.  If they hurt me, they have to pay!  Here’s the story that shows us another way.  First we connect.  Then we work things out.  Most of all we say to strangers, to those who are different, to you and to me:  Welcome home!

Third Sunday in Lent

Luke 13:1-9 

Today’s scripture reminds me that every sermon should come with a disclaimer:  I don’t know what this means.  It’s good to remind ourselves that Jesus lived 2000 years ago in a very different time and place from ours.  The stories about his life were written down decades after they happened by people who weren’t eyewitnesses and who also lived in a very different time and place from ours.  When we come to think about these stories, we aren’t asking so much, “What did Jesus mean?” as we’re asking, “What meaning can this hold for us?”  So that’s my disclaimer.  I’ll take a stab at this one and you decide if any of it hold meaning for you. 

This scripture refers to a news story of the day:  Pilate had ordered the murder of some Galileans, presumably while they were making sacrifices in the Temple, or perhaps during sacrifices in a Roman temple.  It’s a gruesome story.  People are asking why the victims deserved such treatment?  What had they done wrong to be punished by God in this way?  Remember the people with the question were first-century people.  This was a time before significant scientific discovery and people of all religions believed there were gods in charge of all aspects of life who micromanaged events according to some godly principle or perhaps some godly whim.  The question is why would the Galileans’ God, who was also Jesus’ God, let this happen?   

Jesus is clear that he sees the story behind this story differently.  He’s not interested in why these folks deserved such horrible treatment, but he is interested in everyone, including those who came with the question, living in a different way.  Repent means to turn around and live differently.  Unless you repent, you will die like they did.  Unless your change, the world won’t change. 

We sometimes hear this same question when disasters come in our time.  We could name a lot of disasters:  the destruction of 9/11, numerous wars, catastrophic storms, plane crashes.  Why does God let these things happen?  Do you remember after Hurricane Katrina when some preachers declared God was punishing the riotous lifestyle of New Orleans by storm?  They thought they were quoting Jesus, but here Jesus is clearly saying, “Don’t worry about what they did wrong; look at yourselves and how you’re living.”  Disaster is perhaps a reminder that life is fragile, and we choose every day to value living.  Or not. 

Jesus doesn’t seem to me to be interested in placing blame or explaining God’s control of the world.  I’m tempted to say God didn’t appear to be in control of the world in the first century, or for that matter the twenty-first century.  There were and are daily disasters.  If God would fix them, why aren’t they fixed?  Is God allowing disaster as punishment?  Many of the victims seem innocent of crime and undeserving of capital punishment by violence.  Or perhaps we can say right out loud that God is not micromanaging Life.  That what happens to us for good or ill is not the direct cause of God choosing our life story for us.  The events of our lives are not the will or the whim of God.  

Then what good is God?  I’m convinced that God permeates every part of the fabric of Life.  But what benefit do we get from that if God isn’t intervening on our behalf and we’re still subject to illness and tragedy?  If God isn’t bringing us good, what good is God? Here are three gifts of God which matter to me in the face of the horrors of life on earth:  vision, grief, and inspiration. 

Let’s start with vision.  Jesus was convinced that God has a vision for what life can be that’s quite different from the way humans have chosen to live it throughout history.  The prophet Micah spoke that vision aloud and Jesus knew his words well:  Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God.  Follow that vision and the world is a better place.  It’s a good summary of Jesus’ own teaching, inviting people to repent or turn around in their behavior and live in just and caring communities.  There are millions of people who have claimed to live by Jesus’ teaching across the centuries, and a few of them actually practiced his vision.  Just because it isn’t widely implemented doesn’t mean it can’t give us hope.  I choose to believe that justice, kindness and humble community are still possible, and we’d all do better if we lived by those principles. 

Second, I believe God gives us the gift of God’s own grief at the traumas and tragedies of life.  If God holds a vision for goodness, then surely God grieves as much as we do when people hurt, life is ended, and the earth and communities are torn.  Sometimes when the unspeakable happens we just need someone to agree that the only response is grief.  We need someone to share our sadness and to join in our tears.  We need a companion to walk with us when our world falls apart and to give us time and space for healing.  God does that. 

Third, we need inspiration and encouragement to change the way the world works so that everyone benefits.  There will always be risk in living, and many authors have reminded us that without risk, life would be lifeless, boring, maybe even meaningless.  What’s the fun of succeeding beyond our wildest dreams if there’s no risk of failure?  In the 2000 years since Jesus, God has inspired people to make significant improvements in reducing the risks of life.  The people surrounding Jesus that day couldn’t imagine vaccines which eliminate deadly diseases, or modern agriculture that can feed billions.  Since that time life has been enriched by art and architecture and music.  Science explains many things and questions many more.  They were injured by falling towers and we are protected by building codes and stronger materials.  They were at the mercy of weather and we have complex warning systems.    I’m pretty discouraged these days by what’s broken in our world, and it’s good to remember what isn’t broken. We are the beneficiaries of so much good.  Human ingenuity is pretty amazing, and I believe God plays a part in that. 

Luke pairs this story with the story of the fig tree.  Its owner is angry that it’s not bearing fruit and is ready to get rid of it, but the worker holds out hope.  A little cultivation, some well-placed manure – maybe it will do better.  Maybe the most important gift of God is hope.  There’s a lot of repentance needed from a lot of folks, but there’s still hope.  At the same time disaster threatens, there are people who believe in justice, who practice kindness, and who are working every day to create a better world and a more humble community.  God is in the heart of that, joining us in the effort.   If you want a better world, do justice, love kindness, walk humbly because God walks with us. 

Second Sunday in Lent

Luke 13:31-35

Early in the first century Jesus began his ministry by talking with people about God and healing those who were ill or disabled.  Over time people began to pay attention.  They would gather when he came to their village or even travel into the countryside to see what he would do and hear what he had to say.  He was popular because he could heal diseases, straighten crooked feet, cast out demons (which meant calm mental illness) and do some showing things.  People who had a physical problem wanted to be made well.  Those who didn’t, wanted to see the show.  Jesus wanted to help people, so he welcomed the crowds.

We often think of the Pharisees as his enemies, but some men who belonged to that group of religious leaders had sympathy for what he was doing and some surely agreed with how he thought about God.  The Pharisees were the reformers of their day, the ones pushing for religious change, and some of them liked what they heard when Jesus talked.  So, wanting to be helpful, some come to him and encourage him to be more careful.  Herod the local ruler has taken notice, and in an Empire, notice is not a good thing.  It’s better to keep your head down, talk in smaller groups, and not draw attention.  This is particularly true because Jesus is challenging the status quo.  He’s challenging the way those who are rich are exploiting the masses, demanding high taxes and heavy workloads.  He’s challenging the way religious leaders are gaining power by enabling Empire’s violence, encouraging people to go along with harsh rules to keep relative peace. Jesus is telling people that God is love and those who truly follow God watch out for each other, feed the hungry, level economic opportunity.  It’s a disruptive message.  I’m sure Jesus wasn’t surprised to hear the Pharisees’ words of caution.  He has to have known he was causing trouble.

It's interesting that Jesus refuses to be silenced.  His reply:  I have work to do and I’m going to keep on doing it.  Jesus claims the role of prophet – speaking God’s truth to a moment in history which isn’t going God’s way.  He’s taking on the authorities and daring them to arrest or kill him.  We know how that ends.  In essence, Jesus is refusing to be afraid of what might happen because what IS happening in his ministry is too important to give up.  He has a clear mandate to speak about God’s way of living, and he keeps at it.

Last week we talked about Jesus in the desert, preparing for this ministry.  I’m sure he asked himself, “If I do this, what will happen to me?  If I speak out, will I be the next one arrested and crucified?”  Knowing what we know about his time, the answer must have been “Yes.”  When we hear Jesus’ message, we can be certain that he saw it as so important it was worth dying for.

It's interesting to think about Jesus’ fearless response in this particular moment in time.  Every day I talk to people who are afraid.  Some are afraid of losing their jobs or of having their jobs become harder as government workforce shrinks.  Some are afraid that important research they are doing or service they are giving will simply end.  We don’t know what happens next.  Will our friends be deported?  Will children lose their teachers?  Will cancer research not find the next cure?  Will the next pandemic not be addressed?  Will protest be silenced?  Things that seemed impossible to imagine not long ago suddenly seem quite possible and dangerous.  What do we do?

Jesus answered the danger by doing what mattered most to him:  he healed people, he accepted people, he talked about God’s love.  We can follow that example.  Yes, the world is a bit upside down, but we can keep teaching, keep befriending, keep driving carpools.  Every week we help the people in front of us in ways that we can.  The need may grow in the months ahead, but we can keep doing the part that comes to us, doing what we can. 

Jesus knew there was danger ahead, but he focused on the moment.  He taught the people who came that day.  He healed the ones in front of him.  He connected with his friends and welcomed newcomers and ate supper at the end of the day.  He prayed and rested.  Then he did it again.  It’s very easy right now for us to borrow trouble thinking about “what if….?”  Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow; focus on today.  Do what we can today.  That’s something we can do. 

And I love the image at the end of today’s story, Jesus thinking about going to Jerusalem, to the seat of power, and gathering the people into his arms.  Gathering folks into safety like a mother hen.  There’s a time to confront abusive power – to look it square in the face and call it out.  This is such a time.  But at the same time, we can trust that God is gathering us together and holding us close.  God is wrapping strong arms around us, hiding us under protective wings.  Some didn’t allow Jesus to gather them, but those who did received comfort and care.  Jesus faced death because he wanted us to know that we were loved.  God loves us.  The world can be scary, but God is with us.  There’s hard work to be done.  There are brave words that need speaking.  God is with us in the work and the word.  We are not alone.  We are God’s people. We are in this together and God is leading the way.

Here's a verse of a song that has been important to me for 50 years –

                  Be not afraid. I go before you always.
                  Come, follow me, and I will give you rest.

First Sunday in Lent

Luke 4:1-13

I want to start today on Ash Wednesday.  Marking Ash Wednesday with ashes and a reminder of our mortality isn’t deeply ingrained in our practice, nor is the idea of “giving something up” for Lent.  I’m not fond of the idea of spending a season focused on guilt and inadequacy, which I know is an exaggeration of the theme but also present in many observations.  But this Ash Wednesday in my annual crabbiness I read a bit by Diana Butler Bass that seemed more hopeful than usual, and I want to share it with you.  Part of it follows:

“On this Ash Wednesday, my heart is broken and every shred of hope I once had is gone.

I’m not well. My soul is sick. I see nothing but greed, destruction, lying, inhumanity, and evil all around.  If anyone tells me that I came from ash and will return to it, I may well laugh in their face. Or cry and never stop. I just hope I don’t hit the priest. Because — read the room, people — we’re standing in ash up to our knees.  This is a brutal Ash Wednesday.

There. I said it.

“I’ve prayed so much in recent months that I can’t tell you how much I’ve prayed. Literally face on the ground sobbing prayer. I’ve taken cues from Anne Lamott’s famous dictum that there are three kinds of prayer — help, thanks, and wow — by occasionally yelling (I’m not kidding) “Help, help, help!” in a loud voice when we sit down for dinner…

In short, the last thing I want or need right now is Lent. I’m nearly Lent-ed out already. I’ve been Lenting for months.  Honestly, I’ve got questions for God. Like: Why? Why is this happening? Why don’t you stop this? What kind of God would allow these amoral, corrupt men to purposefully hurt and destroy the good work, dignity, and lives of so many truly decent people?  I’m making a lot of noise down here praying and fasting and you, God, don’t seem to be doing your part.”

Butler Bass goes on to describe that day’s scripture from Isaiah in which the people of Israel said essentially the same thing:  God, we’re in a shit show down here and you don’t seem to be fixing it.  She suggests that the prophet’s reply turned the focus on the people, asking what they were doing to help others rather than just fasting and calling out to God.

 “Historian Amy Oden describes it thus, ‘The fasting acceptable to God is a daily fast from domination, blaming others, evil speech, self-satisfaction, entitlement and blindness to one’s privilege. The fast that God seeks calls for vigilance for justice and generosity day in and day out.’”

If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.  (Isaiah)

If you want the kind of world that matches the goodness of God, become the kind of world that matches the goodness of God.

 I wanted to start with Butler Bass because I think the questions she’s asking and the questions the ancient people of Israel were asking, are the same questions Jesus is confronting in the story of his temptation.  After he is baptized, Jesus goes on retreat for 40 days (which is the biblical way of saying “a long time”).  He goes to the desert.  That’s partly because he lived in a land surrounded by desert.  Because the desert is always there nearby, it carries significance.  The desert is a place of desolation and dryness, representing the dryness of despair and wandering.  It’s a place of solitude, where you can focus without distraction.  The desert is a place where you go to get ready for important things – like conquering the promised land under Joshua or beginning a world-changing ministry.  Over the centuries the people were used to hearing the voice of God when they were in the desert.

Jesus had important questions he was wrestling with.  His world was a mess.  Rome was enforcing power through violence.  Most people were hungry while a few grew richer every day.  Religious leaders claimed the blessing of God while ignoring God’s justice and advancing their own interests.  Things were broken and he wanted to fix them.  Sound familiar?  But how does a peasant from a village make a difference in the world?  He needed clarity.

 The devil in this story represents some of the options he had to consider.  Jesus believed God wanted him to do something, but what was the ethical and effective way to do it?  He had some power and influence already from his teaching and from knowing how to heal.  Should he use it to influence the masses?  After fasting, he was hungry and wanted bread.  The people were hungry.  He could organize a feeding mission.  Most of those close to starvation were given grain for bread by Rome.  He could provide bread, challenge Rome and get the people’s attention.  They would love him for it.  But his vision was about more than bread or popularity.

Should he challenge the power of Empire more directly?  There were plenty of insurrectionists ready to form an army.  Over the years there had been brief times when revolution had worked.  Maybe it could work again.  If he were Emperor, or even governor of Judea, he could make important changes to help everyone.  But his vision was about more than military power.

Should he wrap himself in the cloak of religion to gain some protection?  He had impressed some of the religious scholars in the temple.  Maybe he should just preach and quote the prophets, changing some minds and giving people some comfort, but not rock the boat too much.  It would be a slow process, but relatively safe and the people might feel better.  But his vision was about more than soothing people with pious words and promises.

In the end Jesus becomes the teacher who brings hope to the peasants by sharing God’s vision for the world – justice for everyone, mercy for everyone, food and shelter for everyone, healing for everyone, peace for everyone.  How does it happen?  Love your neighbor.  Love your enemy.  Share your bread and your coat.  Forgive.  After considering all the ways he could become the leader of a new movement to reform the world, Jesus chose to put that movement in the hands of the people.  If you want the world to be just and merciful, be just and merciful.  If you want people to be fed, feed them.  If you want people to be well, heal them.  If you want the reign of God to come among you, live like it’s already here. He was reminding them of what the prophets had said for generations.  Then he showed them how to do it, and two thousand years later, we’re still following his example.

I’ve been trying to figure out what Lent is about this year for months and I’m not much closer than when I started, so we’re going to have to figure it out together. 

One part of it is about dryness and despair.  We live in hard times and it’s therapeutic to say that out loud. This lent we’ll take some time to name what’s broken, what frightens us, to name those people who are being hurt by power right now.  We’ll do that during our prayer time and we’ll light the prayer candles in the little bit of the desert Victoria has brought to us on our altar.

Another part of Lent is asking important questions.  Jesus did that.  When you’re not sure what to do next, it’s helpful to do nothing for a bit and focus on what matters.  Each week I’ll give you a question you can think about if you choose.  Or you can substitute a question that matters more to you.  This is a good time for clarifying what we care about and what we can and can’t do.  I’ll print the question in the bulletin, send them in the weekly email, and put them in the description of the livestream.  Use them if they are helpful to you.

Finally, Lent is about resting in the presence of God.  We’re pretty good at looking for the light of God around us.  Let’s keep it up.  Let’s celebrate the goodness we see in each other and in each day.  Let’s watch for God sending us opportunities to do our part for a better world.  Let’s listen for God’s words of encouragement in music and art and friends.  When you have a suggestion for something else that would be helpful, let’s do that too.  We’re making this up as we go.  I think that’s what Jesus did as well.  Start here, see what happens, trust God for the rest. 

Last Sunday after Epiphany

Luke 6:43-49

Today we’ve come to the end of this year’s season of Epiphany.  This is the last time we’ll light the lanterns on our altar which have guided us since Advent, helping us find our way in the world.  Epiphany is the season of seeing clearly, of recognizing what matters and naming it out loud.  In this season Christians say to the world, “In the teachings of Jesus we find light for everyone.”  Many of us were taught that Jesus is the only way to truth and goodness, and many of us have learned enough about the many religions of the world to know that’s not true.  There were a whole lot of Christians last month testifying to the ND legislature that it was unwise to name Jesus King of the state.  We have much more respect for freedom of religion than that.  (And besides, we’re pretty sure that “King of the State” isn’t really a thing.)

We can be in favor of freedom of religion and at the same time say out loud that Jesus’ teachings are one good way for people to live.  The values we find in Jesus’ stories are true values for all of life.  There is light in them, whether or not we claim that as the only light.  There is truth in the ways that Jesus encourages us to live with one another and relate to our communities, our government and the world. 

Today’s teaching has Jesus explaining to us that the values we put at the heart of our living matter.  A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit.  What’s inside a person comes out for better or for worse.  Most of us have days when our good side shows up and at least moments when the bad side wakes up.  When we’re tired or hungry or disappointed or hurt, every one of us has the potential for saying mean things, thinking mean thoughts, lashing out in ways we regret.  That very human reality isn’t what Jesus means when he talks about bad fruit.  You can have a bad day and not be a bad person.  Part of becoming an adult is learning how to go back and ask for forgiveness, make amends, learn from mistakes, do better the next time. 

There’s a difference between having a bad moment that contradicts our usual values and adopting the kind of priorities that cause lasting harm in the world.  Jesus talks about the difference in values and beliefs with his parable of the houses.  When you build a house, you want to do the work to build on solid ground – deep footings, strong foundations, built to endure.  It’s easier to just level off the sand and slap up the walls.

But that kind of structure isn’t going to withstand a flood or a hurricane or an earthquake?  If you want something that lasts, you have to build it well.

 We’re living in a moment in time when we’re confronted every day with choices about what our values will be.  What world view will we adopt that describes how we see other people and how we build community?  What will we teach our children and grandchildren?  How will we do business?  What rules will we live by?  It’s pretty easy to spend lots of energy describing what’s broken.  We can point fingers and say, “not that or that.”  The most egregious “not that’s” are playing over and over on TV right now, so we can’t possibly forget.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t need another list of what’s broken right now.  So let’s build a stronger list of what’s good and true.  I’ll start, and you can help me finish…

TRUTH – If we’re going to build a strong foundation of character, truth is a good beginning.  We revere George Washington who is rumored to have said at an early age, “I cannot tell a lie.”  We can commit to finding facts and sticking with them.  Are there shades of opinion in complicated situations?  Of course!  That’s why conversation is important, so we can discover what is most true and explore nuance.  It’s tricky to fact-check ourselves before we pass information along, but we can do it.  When we commit to truth, we have a foundation for trust among us.

RESPECT – Strong communities grow when we respect each other.  When I think of the biblical stories of Jesus interacting with others, respect is always present.  He respected people others overlooked, like the beggar beside the road or the woman from another country.  He respected religious leaders, even when he disagreed with them or challenged them to change their minds about something.  He respected the potential in everyone he met, believing that they had value and something to contribute to the whole.  Respect connects us with other people.  It asks us to stop a minute before we make snap judgments and invite a stranger to share their story.  It reminds us that every person has expertise about something, everyone has overcome one hardship or another, everyone has gifts to share.  We can treat people with respect, and we can insist that so long as we’re present, others will do the same.

LOVE – In every situation one question serves as a guideline for decision making:  What would love do?  Of course there many circumstances to consider:  finances, time, preferences.  But there’s only one bottom line…What would love do?  We will often encounter people making decisions for other reasons, but we’re not other people.  We can choose love.

Now it’s your turn.  What other bedrock values guide your living?  What matters most to you?

When we are firm in our intention to live by our values, we bear good fruit.  Strong values make for strong community. It makes a difference in our own lives and in the world around us.  First we decide for ourselves, and we help each other stick to that decision when the going gets hard.  We’re in this together.

Because we are living in this moment in time in this place, we have the ability to influence others.  Some of us are calling or writing legislators.  Some are meeting in solidarity with friends who commit to justice.  Some are just a quiet presence about town.  I have one friend who’s an expert at gently saying to someone, “Help me understand why you think that way?”  Sometimes that kind of conversation begins to change a mind.

You are probably familiar with the concept of grounding.  It’s the feeling you get when it’s finally warm enough to stay outside a while and put your feet on the ground and your heart in nature.  It’s a solid kind of feeling that gives us hope that there’s something right in the world.  Grounding is the deep breath you take before you speak, while you’re rejecting the first three things that pop into your mind and finding a gentler response.  Grounding is finding strength to say “yes” to a hard ask because you know there will be strength to back you up; and it’s finding strength to say “no” when that’s a better answer.  Grounding comes from practicing your values over and over until they become not your second nature but your first response.  It’s good fruit.  Jesus lived a grounded life, and with his example, we can too.  Strong foundations, good fruit, joyful lives.

Seventh Sunday after Epiphany

Luke 6:27-38

When I was a little girl, I was lucky to have a family that went to church every Sunday, and lucky that the church they chose was often on the cutting edge of justice and global mission and putting the love of Jesus into practice.  I’m thinking about that church this week because of the verse at the end of our scripture.  Every Sunday when it was time for the offering, our pastor would quote this verse:  Give and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.  I want to report honestly that to my ten-year-old mind this verse was never proven to be true.  I dutifully put my offering envelope into the plate every Sunday – an envelope divided in half, holding a nickel on the side marked “for the church” and a nickel on the side marked “for mission.”  I knew that our congregation’s goal was to give away to the world an amount equal to what they kept for heat and lights and kid’s programs and salaries.  I knew that I was supposed to tithe because we were from a tithing family, tracing back to my grandparents, and I was smart enough to know that 2 nickels was actually 40% of my quarter allowance, which some days gave me unseemly pride. Every Sunday the envelope went into the plate, and no money ever came back. 

Now I know that what I received in return wasn’t a cash transaction, it was formation – a deep understanding of what it means to be part of God’s world that’s seeped into my bones and shapes who I have become.  I wasn’t about what I did and what I received in return, it was about who I am and who we are all meant to be.  Today’s entire scripture isn’t about what we do and what reward we receive; it’s about being, beyond words to describe, the presence of God in the world.  It’s about being love, because God IS love.

Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you…If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn the other.  If someone steals your coat, give them the shirt off you back.  These are things Jesus was suggesting people do.  We could see them as a code of conduct.  Scholars tell us they may be much more. If a soldier patrolling your town abused you by slapping you, they would do so with the back of their hand.  It was a sign of derision, someone in power belittling someone with no power.  Those standing nearby might laugh.  But if that person stood up again and turned the other cheek, daring the soldier to strike again, it would require a slap with the open palm.  That’s the kind of blow exchanged by equals.  Offering that other cheek gives the peasant the same dignity as the soldier.  It’s a blow accepted by choice, which demands recognition as a fellow human.  Even inviting the blow is a victory of sorts.  In the same way soldiers could require the coat of anyone passing by and must have often enough that this story sounded familiar to those listening.  Jesus suggests that giving up not only your coat but then offering your shirt makes the giving a choice and not a requirement.  It expresses generosity in the face of derision.  And it gets the soldier in trouble for exceeding what could be asked.  It bestows dignity on the giver and takes it from the abuser.  Jesus is perhaps advocating nonviolent protest, changing the power dynamic in the village just a bit.

The Empire counted on those whose lands were occupied being afraid of what the soldiers might do.  Fear was a means of control.  But if you are determined to love rather than to be afraid, you take back your autonomy.  When Jesus says “love your enemy,” he isn’t talking about squishy emotions.  He’s not talking about welcoming abuse in any form.  Instead he’s teaching people that the essence of their being, their God-given nature, is love.  Love is who you are, and no soldier or Empire can take that away from you unless you give it up to them.  One of the greatest gifts God gives to us is the image of God within us – God who IS love.  When we choose to live from that image, to be love in the world, we are replacing the external world and all its rulers with the heart of creation, the reign of God, the world as God shows us it can be.

Right now the powers that control our world want us to be afraid.  They want us to be confused by countless illegal and immoral actions that seem to take away our agency.  The want us to worry that our identity will be stolen, our friends deported, our funding frozen, our research censored, our future changed beyond recognition.  Those things may or may not happen to us.  But we still get to choose who we are and how we will respond.  Jesus encourages us to respond with love, generosity, and mercy, because when we show those qualities we are standing up for who we are, and no one can take that away unless we let them.

Yesterday Krista Tippet quoted a story from Naomi Remen told by her Jewish grandfather.  It’s about Tikkun Olam, the privilege of being the co-creators of the world.  In the beginning, when God created all that is, God took the power of love, the power of light, and broke it into a million, million pieces.  Then God places within each person, each creature, each bit of beauty in the world, a piece of that light.  And with the light of God hidden within everything that is, God asked us to find the light.  Watch for the light in your neighbor, in your school or workplace, in your garden, in your country.  And when you see the light, call it forward so it can shine.  When you see the light and name it, you are completing the creation that God began and bringing this moment in time one bit closer to the goodness that God intends.  When you name the light, you are uncovering the presence of Love and giving it power to overcome all that hurts or destroys.

This is a holy task, gifted to each one of us and to all of us together.  Some days it’s too much to ask that we as individuals find the power to love those who are causing harm.  To love an unruly child, a difficult coworker, a bully, a person of influence who remains silent and allows hatred or intolerance a voice, a government bent on doing harm to those most vulnerable.  That’s why we stand together, so that when it’s too much for one of us, we have friends to help.  We can take turns, seeing and naming light, so that we don’t give up hope.  We believe that the light is still present and we can trust it as we trust each other.  It’s a happy accident that we have put in the heart of our worship a time to name light.  How lucky we are that we have that practice to sustain us.

I’ll admit that there are days I feel discouraged, almost defeated, certainly crabby and unloving.  Thank you for holding me up and holding me accountable in those days.  I hope I can do the same for you.  Please remember – you are the light of the world; you are the love of God made flesh in this moment in time.  Jesus has shown us how to live with hope and joy in the face of hardship.  He has shown us how to encourage each other and to believe that there is always more light, a new life, a better tomorrow.  It’s not always possible to feel kindly toward those who are causing harm, but it is possible to love them because we ARE love.  And when we allow the light of love to show through us, no matter how dim, we are creating a new world, God’s world, and we are holding the light of hope for everyone.

Religious & Science Sunday

The Clergy Letter Project is an endeavor designed to demonstrate that religion and science can be compatible and to elevate the quality of the debate of this issue. The Clergy Letter Project has released this statement explaining the importance of religion, science, truth, diversity, and inclusion in modern society.

Clergy United in Diversity: The Power and Importance of Respecting Human Dignity

Communities are stronger, and the individuals within those communities are healthier, both physically and spiritually, when people are not needlessly pitted against one another. Clergy Letter Project members represent religious leaders from many faith traditions. Although we do not always agree with each other, our traditions all adhere to the Golden Rule. We listen to each other and we treat each other with respect.

Values central to the mission of The Clergy Letter Project are respect for truth, for science, for diverse faith traditions, and for the dignity of all persons.

The thousands of religious leaders, from a broad array of religious traditions, who comprise The Clergy Letter Project urge individuals in our country, especially those who hold political power, to think carefully about how their actions may be divisive and harmful.

The Value of Human Dignity: The Clergy Letter Project has regularly spoken out forcefully, from both religious and scientific perspectives, about how all human beings are worthy of respect and fair treatment, how we are all part of one species, and how attempts to divide us are counterproductive and immoral. Respect for human dignity means that all individuals, regardless of their place of birth, their sexuality, their gender identity, their race, their class, or their ethnicity should be valued. The diversity arising from these differences enriches our communities, makes us stronger, and should be celebrated rather than denigrated.

The Value of Truth: Both religion and science recognize and promote the pursuit of truth as a foundational value for all their endeavors. While politics is often not the best place to find truth, lack of respect for truth and the constant use of deception to advance a political agenda must be recognized and rejected. While we might differ on policy, we should be able to have civil and meaningful conversations about those differences. To do so, however, we must agree that basic facts are distinct from opinions.

The Value of Science: The Clergy Letter Project recognizes that the knowledge provided by scientists has transformed society and will continue to do so if we respect the scientific process. Vaccines, for example, including those designed to combat Covid-19, have saved millions of lives and have reduced untold amounts of suffering worldwide. Attacking the scientists performing this critical work is both counterproductive and dangerous. Similarly, the scientists studying climate change and providing us with both warnings about what the future might bring and suggestions for actions to avert the worst of those possible futures, should be honored and respected rather than abused and disparaged. Scientific education should neither be censored nor replaced by or paired with religious dogma; both must retain their individual and distinct identities.

The Value of Religion: Members of The Clergy Letter Project value the individual and collective wisdom of our religious traditions. We affirm the meaning those traditions bring to the lives of so many individuals, the good they can deliver to communities, the spiritual enrichment they may yield, and the awe they inspire. Respect for different religious traditions is a core tenet of members of The Clergy Letter Project. When religious leaders are attacked, demeaned, and disrespected for promoting mercy, forgiveness, respect, and tolerance by political leaders, the damage inflicted goes well beyond what is experienced by one individual. The meaning of religion itself is belittled, and our broader social fabric is unraveled.

Members of The Clergy Letter Project urge the American people in general and our political leaders in particular to consider how any actions that censor good science, render some individuals invisible, and spread messages of hate in place of love, work to destroy our communities, harm the most vulnerable among us, forsake our most precious shared values, and force a significant portion of the population to live in fear. Members urge everyone to think carefully about their actions as well as their words, and to be guided by both civility and humility. We believe that if we were to make full use of the combined power of religion and science, we could create a fairer, greener, healthier, more humane, and more truthful world. Members believe that, as a nation, we can and should be on a better path to advance these goals. Our faiths demand that we try to move in that direction.

More information about The Clergy Letter Project, including a list of the thousands of clergy who have signed our Clergy Letters, can be found at www.theclergyletterproject.org

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Luke 5:17-26

In this season of Epiphany, we’re remembering that Jesus is light for the whole world.  The Gospel of Luke is helping us remember stories about Jesus that explain why those who knew him saw him as light.  Today we learn that when Jesus was teaching, people crowded in to hear him.  Yesterday at the ND Human Rights Coalition meeting we had to add tables twice to accommodate the people who wanted to be there.  When there’s good news going around, it attracts people.

Part of the reason the room was so crowded was that the religious leaders in the area had heard that Jesus was talking about God.  That was their portfolio, and they had come to see if he was getting it right.  This week one of our church members posted the long list of words people with federal research grants were no longer allowed to use in their publications. It seems the same to me – big brother checking on whether or not you are saying banned words.  Jesus knew they were there to catch him in a mistake, but he kept teaching anyway.

While Jesus was talking, some people came carrying their friend on a stretcher.  They had heard that Jesus had the power to make people well, and they wanted their friend to have a chance at that healing.  They couldn’t get in the door, which tells you something about how interested people were in what Jesus had to say.  These friends took the steps up to the roof, dismantled it a bit by setting tiles aside, and lowered their friend’s stretcher right in front of Jesus. Imagine, just for a minute, what a disruption that was.  It has to have taken a while for them to accomplish this, and people must have noticed.  Jesus didn’t say, “Stop interrupting me!”  He had compassion for the man, waited until he was in front of him, and said, “Your sins are forgiven.” 

“Your sins are forgiven” doesn’t make much sense to us, but to the crowd it made perfect sense.  There was wide-spread belief that if someone was ill, had a disability, or suffered a setback in life, it was because they or their family had done something wrong and God was punishing them.  There’s another story where Jesus is asked about someone who was blind, “Who sinned to make this person blind?”  His answer then is no one.  That’s not how it works.  But here he goes along with what everyone is thinking to give this man some relief:  Your sins are forgiven.  He’s upsetting the common assumption that God wants harm for this man and replacing it with forgiveness and mercy.

At that moment, the visiting religious leaders sprang into action:  You can’t forgive sins!  Only God can forgive, and clearly God hasn’t because this man can’t walk.  They are telling Jesus that he can’t change the status quo and tell the people about God’s love and compassion.  They want to control the people by telling them about God’s rules.  Don’t break the rules or God will get you!  Jesus isn’t having it.  Okay, if you don’t want me to tell him about forgiveness, I’ll just heal his paralysis.  “Get up and walk home,” he tells the man.  And that’s what happens.  I suspect people made way for him to walk out the door.  Maybe there was plenty of room because those who challenged Jesus were quietly slinking away.   

I know that I’m supposed to be able to tell you what all this means, but you’re out of luck.  I can’t explain ho this man was able to walk away.  Maybe being relieved of the burden of past mistakes did it.  Worry and health are connected.  I’m convinced that I have shingles because I’m worried about all the people the current administration is hurting.  Maybe forgiveness set this man free to walk.  Or maybe it was a miraculous healing we no longer understand.  At any rate, it’s a good story.  Jesus takes on the religious leaders and this man gets healed in the process.

There are a lot of people wanting to tell us who God is and what God wants these days.  For instance, JD Vance has explained that God wants us to care about our family and then our neighbors and then our country and then the world.  Jesus clearly says we’re to love everyone, not in layers.  Diana Butler Bass cautions us not to listen to people who try to co-opt Jesus for current political movements, but to stick with Jesus as the Bible reveals him to us.  Clearly Jesus upset the status quo in favor of those at the margins.  He didn’t much care about preserving the status quo in favor of the wealthy.  And those in power were not pleased with his influence with the people.

Again, Diana BB tells a story of a friend who years ago was working to organize workers in central America and attending a Bible study after hours.  The passage for the night was the story of the rich young ruler who asks Jesus how to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus tells him to sell everything, give the money to the poor, and follow him.  The American missionary explains to the group that this means we should value Jesus above other ideas, and he’s met with stunned silence.  Later he asks a friend what he said wrong and is told, “The group isn’t sure you can be part of this Bible study because you clearly don’t believe Jesus.

Jesus’ teachings are revolutionary.  They favor the least among us.  They challenge us to do more to help others.  When leaders tell us God wants to help the rich, they are wrong and we need to call them out.

I also am intrigued by the friends who bring the man who is paralyzed to see Jesus.  They dismantle a house to get him in front of this new teacher who can cure what’s wrong with him and give him a new life.  They go to great lengths to help a friend.  Right now we all need that kind of friend.  We need to be that kind of friend to the refugee community who are in danger.  We need to be that kind of friend to those who are losing jobs because of layoffs or impoundment.  We need to be that kind of friend to those who are facing discrimination in ways we thought had ended.

And we need people to be a friend to us.  We need friends who will stand with us as we stand up to new rules that hurt people.  We need friends who will watch the Super Bowl with us to give us a break.  Friends who will tell us a joke and remind us that there is still good in the world, even if good isn’t in charge right now.  We have made a commitment to each other to follow Jesus, to act with love, to believe in the possibility of change and the power of hope.  We can commit to lifting each other up, taking turns seeing the light in the darkness.  We are learning together who Jesus was and who he is and what it means to follow him.  Sometimes that means we can stand up and walk, even when we never believed we could.  Sometimes that means our friends help us learn to walk in new ways and walk with us.

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Luke 5:1-11

Today’s scripture is a fishing story.  Some of you are fisher folk.  Sometimes you go fishing and catch your limit.  Sometimes you go and there’s nary a bite.  You enjoy the scenery, the quiet, and the break from your usual routine, but you don’t catch fish.  That’s more or less OK if fishing isn’t your business.   But for Simon and James and John and the others in this story, fishing was their business.  It’s not OK to fish all night and catch nothing.  Empty boats don’t pay the bills.

It was probably a nice distraction from their discouragement when the teacher Jesus asked to borrow a boat.  Jesus spent some time, maybe an hour? teaching the folks who had gathered to see this new fellow, following in the footsteps of John the baptizer.  He had something to say, and the fishermen listened with one ear while they cleaned their nets, removing weeds they had caught overnight.  They were not in a hurry because there weren’t any fish to take to market.  What did they hear?  Luke doesn’t say, so we fill in with teachings from other stories:

• If a soldier asks you to carry a pack a mile, go two.

• If your neighbor is hungry, give him bread.

• You matter more to God than the birds flying by or the sheep on the hillside, and they are completely cared for.  So don’t worry.

• God intends for you to be well.

• You are God’s light in this world.

It was a nice message, a hopeful message.  It didn’t pay the bills either.

When Jesus was winding down, Simon got ready to take his boat back and clean it, too.  Instead, Jesus said, “Row out to the deep and put down your nets.” They had fished all night.  The nets were newly clean and folded, and it was time to rest.  Simon had no interest in trying again that day.  He was done.  But there was the crowd, and he didn’t want to offend the new teacher, so out they went.  They threw the nets.  There were more fish than they had ever seen.  They called in the second boat of reinforcements and even that could hardly hold the catch.

The whole experience brings Simon to his knees.  “I don’t know who you are, but if you are from God, be merciful to me.”  (And if you are from some other power, please don’t hurt me!) 

 Luke uses this story to explain how Jesus called men to become his disciples, his apprentices and assistants in the movement he was launching.  “You’ll be fishing for men, next.”  Tradition explains that it’s our job to help Jesus “catch” people to be his believers.  The expectations are set high; our signup genius should overflow like their boats.  It’s true that these men who once fished, became disciples.  What’s not clear is why.  If the miracle you need is a big catch of fish and Jesus gives you that, you don’t stop fishing.  You invite him to stay with you, rather than going with him.  But Simon falling on his knees gives us a clue that what really impressed him wasn’t the fish, it was the way Jesus took his falling-apart life and filled it right up with hope.  It was the message that he’d overheard when he was half listening, that God was up to something in this ordinary life that was extraordinary.  Something worth paying attention to; something worth signing up for.

Most of the time sermons aren’t written, they’re found.  This week I found this sermon while we were bagging macaroni at the food bank.  Nell and I were putting ingredient labels on bags of macaroni, which doesn’t take much concentration, so we could talk about how things are.  She correctly noted that aside from this macaroni, life is pretty hard right now.  People we care about are afraid.  Crazy hurtful things are all over the news – and that doesn’t count two plane crashes.  I realized that the reason nothing productive has been crossed off my to-do list in two weeks is that I’m pretty much paralyzed by things going haywire and completely out of control. It gives us pause. Then for some reason I saw all those fish from the scripture, more and more of them pouring into the nets until there were more than enough for everyone.  After that amazing success, why does everyone stop fishing and go with Jesus?  I suspect their reaction wasn’t about fish.  It was about being in the presence of someone who comes along side you when life is its most discouraging and reminds you that there is so much more.

What we need more than anything right now is to get in touch with Jesus’ message that the universe in on our side and the bullies don’t have the last word.  There are still fish in the lake and there is still hope in the world.

What does that hope look like?

It looks like connection.  Remember the story.  There are the fishermen working on the shore.  There are folks who’ve come looking for the new teacher.  There’s Jesus who sits offshore in the boat and talks to people about life and finding goodness in it.  There’s Simon who shares his boat and Jesus who shares where he sees fish schooling.  None of that fixes what’s wrong with the first century, but they are all in it together.

There’s lots of talk these days about how divided we are.  How we can’t trust one another.  How this idea or that one is ending the world as we know it.  How strangers are dangerous, and family might turn you in, or your coworker might report that you said something inclusive last week.  Here’s the truth.  We are all in this together.  We are, at the very heart of our being, interconnected.  We breathe the same air.  We live one Life. Scientists tell us that the individual trees of the forest are connected underground across their root systems so that they function as one being.  No one lives alone.  We are entwined with one another. 

Jesus invited people into community and the nature of that community is abundance.  The fish filled the net.  Their joy overflowed.  When we recognize our connection to one another, we reconnect with the heart of God, who is good, who is life, who is all.  We get tired and wrung out and discouraged, but there is a deep well of love waiting to fill us up again.  Folks may try to tell us to grab onto what’s ours because someone is trying to take it away from us, but the truth is there’s more than enough.  There’s enough food, enough work, enough joy, enough love, enough hope.  When we share it, it multiplies; it never divides.  Jesus said, “Come with me,” and together they provided for each other and shared with everyone else.  Jesus is still saying, “Stick with me” and in him we find abundance.

And most of all we find love.  There are plenty of folks wanting us to believe that the world is broken.  That kindness is weakness.  That cruelty is going to have the last say.  Here’s why people followed Jesus and why they stayed with him:  love.  Here’s why even when they killed him, those who knew him best believed he was still alive and with them:  love.  There are a lot of hard things happening in our world and even harder things happening around this world, but at its core, Life remains rooted and grounded in love.  Nothing can take love away if you don’t let it.

Jesus’ followers lived in the first century trauma AND they lived immersed in God’s love. They lived in villages controlled by Rome AND they lived in communities that practiced love.  They lived in the Roman Empire AND they lived in the Kingdom of God, who is love. 

 This is the gift God is going to give us today and every day:
People to stand with us
Hope to pour over us
Strength sufficient for each moment’s need, and a bit extra to share with a friend.
Love stronger than any power to hurt or divide.

This is the season of Epiphany when we celebrate the light that Jesus brought into the world.  It’s the light that people saw in him and through him that changed the way they saw their world.  It’s the light that keeps shining  through the ups and downs of history and right into this moment.

This is what we know:  Light shines in darkness and darkness cannot overcome it.

Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Luke 4:14-21

This has been a week of speeches and announcements and decrees in our country, so when I sat down to put this sermon on paper, it struck me that Jesus’ words could be seen as an inaugural address.  He’s in his home town, with his supporters, who have come to hear their boy talk about what he’s going to do.  They are cheering him on.  They wonder what he’s going to say.

He gets to choose the scripture.  That’s a powerful privilege.  He chooses Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.”  At face value, that’s a powerful claim.  God’s Spirit is with me.  I want you to remember, please, that every one of you could say the same thing.  God’s Spirit is with you, with all of us, every day.  Every morning we could and should ask ourselves, what will God do in me and through me today? 

 Here's what Jesus sees as God’s work in his life:  bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.  Set free the oppressed and proclaim that this is the time of God’s favor.  Notice, it’s not about him.  It’s all about how God is going to do good things for the most marginalized people through him.  I suspect that you can measure the most authentic spiritual leaders by the folks they hang out with – the marginalized.  We have many wonderful Jesus stories about how he went to these folk on the edges and brought them hope – healing, food, connection, freedom.

The people in Nazareth, we learn, weren’t all that impressed with Jesus’ mission statement.  They wanted to know what was in it for them, what miracles would he work in his home town?  Even though they lived on the margins they didn’t see a need to reach out to those even worse off than they were.  Why not do something impressive?  Bring fame and fortune?  Don’t waste this moment on those at the bottom of the barrel.

There are passages of scripture where I struggle to understand what Jesus is saying.  This isn’t one of them.  He’s crystal clear about the people who are the focus of God’s favor and about how God shows up in our world.  Notice he doesn’t say, “God has saved me so that I can bring in the golden age of prosperity for you.”  There are no billionaires behind him on the platform.  There’s no reason for anyone to be afraid of what might come next.   This is good news for everyone, beginning with those least accustomed to news being good.  Everyone is invited to come along for the ride, so long as they remember the focus:  God is lifting up the least and so lifting up us all.

This week Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde stood in the tradition of Jesus when she asked those in power to recognize the ways their actions could harm others and to have mercy on those who were vulnerable and frightened.  We aren’t surprised that her words fell on deaf ears.  Today the Catholic bishops in the United States joined her in pointing out how this week’s executive orders are harming people.  They got a similar response.  It’s important that people of faith, that’s us, keep living by Jesus’ plan and calling out those who pretend to have God on their side while harming others.  It’s a little overwhelming, with a lot to pay attention to in Washington and Bismarck and St. Paul and here at home. Jesus shows us how to do it …one person at a time.  One act of kindness at a time.  He never made phone calls to legislators, but maybe one phone call at a time.  There’s a ND bill to post the 10 commandments in every classroom so that people who might “do something wrong” will know what God is demanding of them.  Here’s what God expects of us in the words of Micah:  do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God.  In the words of Jesus:  proclaim good news to the poor.  It’s our privilege as people of faith to keep the focus where God puts the focus – on those longing to hear the good news that God cares about them through people who care about them.

It's easy to be overwhelmed  by the fire hose of actions harming people right now.  We have to help each other remember that there is so much good also happening.  This is our Annual Meeting day, when we remember what Family of God has done in the past year and look forward to what’s to come.  That’s a story about caring for God’s children day by day.  I want us to take a few minutes to say out loud some of the things we’ve done together, and some that each one of you has done on your own, to make this community better and to share God’s love….

Jesus says to his neighbors, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  We are celebrating the ways God’s love has been made real, here and now, through small acts of generosity and kindness.  Well done!

Second Sunday after the Epiphany

John 2:1-11

We’re in the season of Epiphany when we celebrate the many ways that Jesus, his teaching and his living, are light to the world.  We’ve left our Advent lanterns on the altar to remind us that the light of God shows us the way in our journey through life.  People who knew Jesus in the first century believed that God’s light was clearly visible in him, and they told stories about how and why they came to believe he was The Way – creating a new community of people who lived under God’s rule in spite of also living under Roman Empire.

Today’s story comes from the Gospel of John.  John’s gospel was the last one written of the four which are in our scriptures.  That gave him the advantage of perspective over time.  It meant that the meaning of Jesus has been considered by many different groups of his followers by the time John wrote about it.  It also removes him somewhat from the immediacy of Jesus’ life.  Our life stories improve over time, and John’s Jesus stories were refined to make his point about Jesus’ importance.  John’s gospel is organized around fewer, longer stories from Jesus’ life, each one being a “sign” that Jesus is the Messiah, the founder of God’s new reign among the people.  The story of the wedding at Cana is the first “sign.”  Its purpose is to show that Jesus was able to work miracles because he had great power given by God. 

John wants us to believe in the power of Jesus, so he shows him doing powerful things.  He turns water into wine – a skill many people have longed for over the centuries.  In many stories John shows that Jesus has authority and power over the natural world, able to heal, cast out demons and manipulate reality (water into wine) because he wants people to know that Jesus has more power and authority than the Empire.  The Empire is in charge of people’s external world, but behind the scenes, Jesus and God are really in charge. John is writing in a time before much scientific discovery when people thought most of what happened in the natural world happened at the whims of the gods.  When we hear miracle stories, we are scientifically skeptical in ways they were not.   These stories aren’t about HOW Jesus was able to do these things.  They were about his power to change life.

So we need to hear these stories mystically, not scientifically.  How can we identify with the power Jesus wields in this story?   How does “real life” Jesus give us hope as we read this particular story about his life?

This Jesus lives in relationship.  He’s gone to the multi-day wedding celebration of a friend.  He brought his friends – his new disciples – with him.  His family is there.  He gets irritated with his mother for asking him to fix the wine problem, and for assuming he’ll do it, even when he said he would not.  And then he does.  This feels like real family.  How much do we love all our relatives, and how irritating can they be at times?  Remember that John’s audience was people who followed Jesus in the first century who formed family groups.  They ate together, talked about life together, looked out for each other.  They took turns bringing the wine for dinner.  This story reminds us that there’s strength in community.  Jesus connected people and he still connects people today.  We gather because we share a commitment to his teaching and his way of living.  There’s power in the people together.

This Jesus knew how to have a good time.  He came to the party.  He made great wine to keep the party going.  This story probably isn’t about drinking gallons of wine, but it is about finding joy in being together.  It’s about celebrating milestones – weddings, births, new houses, finding lost coins and lost sons.  Jesus people in the first century lived hard lives, but that didn’t keep them from having a good time together.  Jesus is in favor of joy, wherever you can find it.  Just being together is a good place to find joy.

This Jesus worked with what he had.  There wasn’t wine, but there were six big jars standing empty.  He told the people standing around to fill them up.  That was a big job, drawing that much water from the village well.  It took time and they had to work together.  When they were done with all that work, whatever was in those jars, water or wine, would have tasted cool and cold and sweet.  A friend of mine in Seattle used to say whenever we had coffee, “Toothpicks and water is a feast among friends.”  You take what you’ve got and you enjoy it.  These days we’re inclined to think any new idea needs to become a program, find grant funding, meet goals and objectives.  I like it when Jesus’ people just do things with what they’ve got because something needs to be done.  Family of God is good at that.  It’s one of my favorite things about us.

This Jesus believed that God was at the heart of everything good that was happening.  If friends gathered for a wedding, God was with them.  If they found more wine, God helped them.  If someone needed healing or feeding or loving, God was in that healing and feeding and loving.  The people who followed Jesus also believed that God was in the thick of whatever they were able to do for one another.  That’s a good way to see the world.  Yes, there’s much that’s broken, but God is stirring the pot to bring healing through the community.  When we care for each other, God is in the caring.  When we help strangers, God is in the helping.  When we extend welcome or encouragement or compassion, God is in that.

John wants us to know that Jesus matters as much, even more, than Empire. People experienced the difference Jesus made by coming together in community and caring for each other in the way he showed them to care. It changed their lives and it changed their world. It still is. We are the Family of God and Jesus is in the heart of our life together. With him, we are bringing the love of God to heal the world.