May 14, 2006

Today, throughout this country, we honor one of the most important roles of humanity. Today, we honor Motherhood.

In today's culture, you would think that this day would be decreed to be something a little more inclusive. Parent's Day, maybe? But no, over time, this day has managed to keep its significance, and identify the role of Mother as being unique to the role of Father. Is there a difference?

In today's households, many roles are shared by the parents, making the line between Moms and Dads a little more blurry. The stereotypical roles no longer define parents in today's world. The reality is that we are each a composite of many different characteristics; some masculine, and some feminine. More than ever before, the title Parent seems more appropriate.

Our Parent, who art in heaven... That doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it? That's the problem with language. It is not always a rational endeavor. And maybe that's a good thing, as our images of God are not always rationale, either. When it comes to the nature of God, we know very little. We talk about God using metaphors. Sometimes metaphors are helpful. Sometimes they're not. If our reference to God as Father leads us to believe that God must be male, much like our earthly fathers, and our experience of earthly fathers is negative, then the metaphor of God as father may hinder our relationship and our understanding of God. Speaking of God as Parent probably isn't much better, as our relationship with God might become yoked to our interaction with our earthly parents.

Our Father/Mother, who art in heaven... This is a cumbersome way to address God, but it does have some merit. It is a complex image, a unique image, and one that is not readily accepted literally. It contains an element of mystery. But, once again, it just doesn't sound right to our ear, does it?

Our Mother who art in heaven... This metaphor has the same problem as the Father metaphor. Referring to God as Mother makes it easy to let our earthly Mother become our model of God. Yet, it is a metaphor worth exploring, as I think it is an option that has been neglected for much too long.

God is both Father and Mother. God has both masculine and feminine characteristics. You may have never thought of God before with feminine characteristics. I invite you today to consider God as Mother; to consider God as the One who gathers us under Her wings.

Mother's Day is not specifically a religious holiday, although it is interesting that the lectionary provides us with today's Gospel for the Sunday set aside to honor mothers. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments…and I will love you and reveal myself to you."

If there was ever a human metaphor for the love of God, it would probably be the love of a mother for her child; an unconditional love. God's love is totally unconditional.

I invite you to recall some of your memories of unconditional love from your life. They don't have to be memories of your mother's love. You might remember such love from your father, grandparents, spouse, or any other significant person in your life. We are referring to this "no strings attached" love as motherly love, but it didn't have to come from your mom. We've all experienced this kind of love, expressions of care that were unearned and undeserved. Even though it may not have been your personal experience, the idea of unconditional love, born through the ages in song and literature, has been wrapped up with the image of Mother.

This morning I want to suggest to you that the term Mother is an appropriate way to address God, who offers us unconditional love, and who gives us a new commandment, that we love one another.

Let me tell a story to illustrate the difference between the masculine and the feminine, a story that might help illustrate why I think right now, in this time in history, the image of Mother is a good way to envision God. It is a story told by Ed Gentry, a bible study leader at a church in Texas.

When I was a kid, we used to go to my grandparents dairy farm for a week each year. Each morning my grandmother would wake up at 4am and head out to the pasture to round up the cows and take them to the barn for milking. I will never forget the day I came of age. It was announced the following morning I would be allowed to get up and go with my grandmother as she performed her duties.

By the time grandmother was ready to go, so was I...decked out completely with cowboy boots, plastic chaps, genuine leather holster, metal cap gun, bandana, cowboy hat, and, if memory serves, she found me digging around for a piece of rope to be used to wrangle the particularly reluctant doggies.

You can imagine my surprise when, as we started to walk to the barn, she began to softly call out the cows names into the darkness. By the time we got to the barn, the first few cows were lining up to come in and get milked. I don't remember if the surprise knocked me off my feet or I slipped on a cow patty, but I was really bothered. This was not how you were supposed to round up cattle. It bothered me for a long time. As we studied Psalm 23 last month, this memory came rushing back. My vision is of God gently calling our names in the dark as we walk through our lives. I think cattle prods would be more effective.

Our Mother, who art in heaven, softly calling our names in the darkness. God the Creator giving birth to all creation, nurturing and sustaining Her creation, and expressing an inclusive love for all of creation. I think our world needs this metaphor for God right now. One who creates, nurtures and sustains.

Today, I have invited you to stretch your understanding of God, to explore the possibility of seeing God as your heavenly Mother. I have found this metaphor to be helpful in my life. I suspect it may be helpful to some of you.

Let us celebrate motherhood this day, and give thanks to God our Mother. Let us also honor God as we encounter Her in those around us. Express your love for the mothers in your life. They are created in the image of God.

April 30, 2006

The resurrected Christ appears to his disciples and tells them, "You are the witnesses of these things."

The disciples were called witnesses. What do you think of when you hear the word "witness"? I think of Perry Mason, one of my favorite shows as a kid. A good witness could steal the whole episode. What else leaps to mind? I have another image that springs to mind; from my childhood Pentecostal days, of witnessing on street corners. Sometimes it felt more like shoving Jesus down someone's throat if they wanted it or not. But we understood that's what Jesus called us to do.

And, to some degree, I think this approach is correct. I don’t think aggressive evangelism is very successful today, but if we really believe that we have found a way that gives meaning and purpose to our lives, it would seem that we would be bursting to share what we have found with those we encounter each day. We are called to be witnesses. But I'm not sure that street corners are the best place to find people who are open to the Gospel.

We are each being called to be witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today, it is the church that keeps Jesus alive in our midst by becoming the risen body of Christ. Jesus the Christ has become known to us, through the witness of scripture, and through the witness of how Jesus Christ has touched our lives.

How has Jesus Christ touched your life? What are the particular things that you can proclaim as a witness for Christ?

Being a witness can be difficult. We don't know what to say, or when to say it, or when to stop. Don't feel bad. At first, right after the resurrection, the disciples didn't feel up to the job, and they weren’t. Jesus told them to wait, to not start being his witness yet. Jesus knew that though the disciples were full of enthusiasm and good intentions, when push came to shove, they were really only ordinary people. They were to wait, until they were filled with the Holy Spirit, until they were filled with the presence of the living God.

It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that allows the Church to become the body of Christ. When we try to run on our own power, or our own strength, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We cannot present an authentic witness to Jesus Christ without the Holy Spirit.

Who are the witnesses for the Church? Who affirms that we are indeed the resurrected body of Christ? If the Church is to be heard in this world, if the Gospel is to be preached to open ears, the Church must also have witnesses. Who speaks for the church today?

Unfortunately, the church’s witness to the world has not always been a positive one. Mahatma Gandhi followed the teachings of Jesus, but said he could never become a Christian because of the example of Christianity he had witnessed. Today, there are young people who will not even consider Christianity as an option because of the harsh message they hear coming from the Church.

But, we do have other examples in the history of the Church. One of these examples would be St. Lawrence, who was martyred in 258. He was the Archdeacon of Rome. His assignment was to maintaining the sacred vessels and disperse alms to the poor. Governor of Rome took Pope Sextus captive. He demanded to know, "Where are the treasures of the church?" When the Pope refused to give up the treasure, he was tortured to death. The Governor gave Lawrence the same demand. “Bring me the treasures of the Church. "Give me three days, and I will grant your demand," said Lawrence. When he returned threee days later, he was accompanied by crowd of the lame, blind, and deaf, the nobodies of society. “Here are the treasures of the church," proclaimed Lawrence.

If our message is to be heard, we need to proclaim it in both word and deed. If we are to be effective witnesses to Jesus Christ in today's world, we need witnesses that will say, "Yes, these people live the life that they profess."

We are called to be witnesses. May God grant that each of us might encounter the risen Christ, be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and show forth in our lives what we profess by our faith.

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

Easter, 2006

Easter 2006

Sometime between Friday and this morning, over 2000 years ago, something happened. We don’t know exactly what happened. All we have is the testimony of those who saw evidence of this “something” that first Easter morning. A wandering rabbi by the name of Jesus had been executed by the Romans for the crime of treason. They said he claimed to be king of the Jews.

Three days later, his tomb was found to be empty. Some of his followers told stories of seeing him alive. Throughout his small band of followers spread the message; “He is Risen!” At first, these followers weren’t sure what that meant exactly, except that one they loved, whose loss they had mourned, had somehow appeared once again in their midst.

Over time, this “something” that happened, this event, became the definitive moment in the faith tradition known as Christianity. Eventually it came to be understood to mean something like this; “through Jesus Christ, death, our ancient enemy, has been cast down and trampled underfoot.”

We are no longer held captive by our fear of death. That is a wonderful thing in and of itself, but is that it? Is that what Easter is all about? Not being afraid to die?

I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem to cover the myriad of emotions I feel when confronted with the story of the resurrection. I think overcoming fear is a big part of it, but I’m not sure it is simply overcoming the fear of dying.

In the Gospel account, the risen Christ tells the women, “Do not be afraid.” That’s all well and good for them. If I was able to see Jesus Christ, the son of the living God risen from the grave, I wouldn’t be afraid either!

With those in the Gospel story, we proclaim, “He is risen!” What do we mean by that? If he is risen, then where is he?

It’s time for my thunderstorm story again. A little boy was scared during a thunderstorm. His Mom tried to comfort. “Don’t be scared,” she said. “God will keep you safe.”

“But Mom!” the little boy cried. “Right now, I need a God with skin on!”

Sometimes we all need a God with skin on. In order for this idea, this concept of resurrection and immortality to not just float away, it needs to be concrete; it needs to put on some flesh.

One way of understanding a sacrament, an outward sign of an inward grace, is that these things, wine, bread, water, oil, words, people, in a sense become for us concrete ways that we can hold on to the lofty concepts that they represent. We understand Jesus to be the sacrament, the outward and visible sign, of God. We understand the Church to be the sacrament, the outward and visible sign, of Jesus Christ. We, those who are baptized and filled with the spirit of the living God, are the Church. Each one of us is a living sacrament. Each one of us can be God, with skin on for each other. We can represent the risen Christ to one another.

It isn’t always easy to see Christ in your neighbor. Sometimes it’s because your neighbor is a jerk. But most times, I think we cannot see Christ clearly in others because our own vision has become cloudy. How do we clear our vision?

Friday night I spoke to you about suffering and death, and suggested that sometimes we have to let something die in order to make room for the new thing God might be doing. Sometimes we have to let go of something that we have been clinging to desperately in order to see the risen Christ in our midst.

I spoke of the little pit bull that lives within me, and the need for me to let my old friend die. I mentioned that the reason that now is the time to finally let go of the attack dog inside of me that has kept me safe for so long was because I felt God doing something new within me, and this pit bull, with his growls and long teeth, was barring the way for this new thing.

What is this new thing? I promised you if you came back this morning I’d tell you about it. Now I’m not sure just how to describe it. It’s a particular way to view our relationship with God, and our relationship with each other. It’s not really that new, I suppose. It’s Christianity in its most basic form, actually. It seems that somewhere along the way, most likely while paying too much attention to the barking of my pit bull, I seem to have forgotten some of these basic themes.

I’m relearning this relational approach to God through the writings of one author. Right now, I’m allowing this writer to be God, with skin on, for me.

I’m not going to mention the name of the author who seems to be ushering in a new chapter in my own spiritual life, as some folks might be inclined to run out and buy his books. That would be a mistake. Most likely you would be disappointed. He’s not a great writer, and his ideas are not that novel. He speaks to me right now. I’m not sure he would speak to you.

This guy describes himself as an evangelic, catholic, poetic, biblical, charismatic, contemplative, anabaptist, calvinist, anglican, green, incarnational, depressed, unfinished Christian. I love it! He refuses to be put in a box. I’ve worn most of those labels at one time or another in my life, but the idea that I don’t have to take one off to put another one on is refreshing to me. It eliminates a lot of the internal arguments I have with my little pit bull.

He speaks of evangelism; proclaiming the Good News of God in Christ, as a dance! A dance…how wonderful. He talks about nature as God's artwork, God's text, showing us so much about the Creator.

He describes the tension between science and faith this way; “Science sought to explain the world without God, it produced a story without meaning. And Christians, trying to recast the gospel in the language of science and reason, produced a propositional belief system that lost touch with the story that gave it power. I am interested in seeing science and faith as collaborators.”

He reminds me that diversity is a good thing. “Life evolves to thrive in many different niches. The same should be true among Christians,” he says. "We need incredible diversity to fill many, many niches."

And most importantly, he speaks of Christianity as a relationship, not a set of beliefs. He calls for more conversations, and fewer debates.

The pit bull in me doesn’t like this guy. But right, now, he represents, for me, the whisperings of God.

How do I know that this author is right? I don’t. But when I close the book, and look around, I see evidence surrounding me of the truth of his words. And I see even more evidence for why the pit bull must be allowed to die. I want more conversations, more relationships, and the snarling attack dog within me is in the way.

If I am honest, the main reason I kept the pit bull around was because of my fears; fear of being rejected, fear of being wrong, fear of losing the debate, fear that God could not keep me safe. It’s time for me to hear my Risen Lord saying, “Do not be afraid!” It is time to place my faith in God, instead of an internal pit bull.

Christ is risen, and in our midst this morning. How do I know? Because I feel a new life emerging within me. Because I’ve encounter the risen Christ in the writings of a wonderful man. Because I see Christ being made manifest in the love Cherie offers me each day.

And, I know that my redeemer lives, because I see him in each one of you gathered here this morning.

Do not be afraid. He is risen. Alleluia!

April 3, 2006

In this morning’s Gospel, we hear of two resurrection appearances of Jesus. The Gospels were written to proclaim the Good News to all people. I think that these two resurrection stories are told so close together for a specific reason. They offer a witness to the ability of the resurrection to transform the lives of two very different kinds of people.

First, we have the disciples, minus Thomas, gathered behind a locked door, afraid that if anyone found them, what happened to Jesus would happen to them. They were afraid that they would become Act II, with matching crosses. So they were hiding,

Most of us can identify with this kind of fear. Fear of what might happen. Fear of what someone might do to us. Fear that something might happen to the children. Fear of the stranger. Fear of the unknown.

Our fear of the unknown can lead to our fear of change. If everything is orderly, everything is routine, then we believe we can be safe. Maybe we can, but I think we need to realize that this safety is often based on an illusion. Change is inevitable, no matter what we do.

There was a little boy who was learning to tie his shoes. When he finally mastered this skill, his mother praised him, telling him what a big boy he was now. Suddenly, the young child broke into tears. “What ‘s wrong?” his mother asked. “You should be so proud of yourself! Now you can tie your own shoes just like all the other kids.”

“But Mom!” the boy wailed, “now I’m going to have to do it myself for the rest of my life!”

William Auden once said;
We would rather be ruined than changed
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
And see our illusions die.

Change is inevitable. And maybe we suspect we won’t like it. It’s hard to see our illusions die. But its going to happen anyway. And we have no crystal ball. The fear of the unknown lurking in the misty future is something that no amount of planning, no carefully structured routines, no locked doors or gated communities, can protect us from.

The change in the disciples from the Last Supper to this scene of them huddling in fear is quite dramatic. Jesus was dead, and their world had turned upside down. The future was now completely unknown; but from what they could guess, it was not a very bright.

Then, suddenly, Jesus appears to the disciples in the midst of their fear. He didn’t come to them to take away their fear, but to be present with them in the midst of it. Jesus brought them a word of peace, but not necessarily a word of safety. Most of the disciples went on to face violent deaths. The peace Jesus brought was a peace born of courage. This was a peace that sprung from them seeing who they really were and what they had been called to do.

The situation outside that room did not change. They were still being hunted as criminals. Everything they had been afraid of was still the same. The change happened inside the room; inside each one of them. Jesus said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The spirit of the living God, dwelling within them, transformed these frightened men into messengers who boldly went out into the world proclaiming God’s love revealed through Jesus Christ.

That’s the story of the first resurrection appearance. Now let’s move on to the second one; the one starring Thomas.

Among every culture and every time in history, there are a few people who are unusual in that they seem to not react to fear the same way as the rest of us. Some of these people are the stuff of legends, the heroes of their generation. Their courage often draws us more timid souls to move beyond our fear, and to move forward into the unknown. I think Thomas was one of these types.

Notice that Thomas was not with the rest of the disciples hiding behind a locked door. He didn’t care if he got arrested. He wasn’t going to cower behind some locked door. He had things to do and people to see. He went on about his business.

You might recall earlier, during Jesus earthly ministry, there was a debate among Jesus and his disciples about returning to Judea, where the people had already tried to kill Jesus by stoning him.. Some of the disciples were afraid if they did, they all might be killed. But Jesus was insistent. Finally, Thomas spoke up saying, “Let us all go, that we may die with him.”

We can imagine that Thomas was a brave, no nonsense kind of guy. He was not afraid to face flying stones. After the crucifixion, he was not afraid of being arrested. But, as it is with some people with this kind of strong personality, he was a bit of a cynic. He is known by the label of “doubting Thomas.”

It does take a bit of courage to doubt, doesn’t it? Some people seem to be willing to believe anything, if such beliefs will help them feel safer. Sometimes, I think we are afraid to question some of our beliefs, as we are afraid that we might lose them; we are afraid of we dig too deep, we might somehow lose God. There is a danger of doubting so much that one becomes skeptical of everything. But, for the most part, I think that doubts can often be the springboard for spiritual growth.

The Thomas we meet in the Gospel has become quite the cynic. Here comes his friends, all excited about Jesus suddenly appearing to them. “Yea, right,” thinks Thomas. “The whole thing was a waste of time. We follow this carpenter around, and what happens? He is executed like a common criminal. And now these airheads show up with this bizarre story. They are in denial, big time. Face it fellows. He’s dead! It’s over! Go back to your homes, and get on with your lives!”

But they will not stop jabbering about this ghost they have seen. Finally, in frustration, Thomas shouts, “Look, here’s the deal; unless I can touch the wounds, unless You give me some kind of evidence that he is real, not some phantom projected out of your heads, I’m not buying it. Now leave me alone!”

But, his friends just keep on babbling about it, for all of the next week. Finally, desperate to shut them up, Thomas agrees to return with them to the room.

And Jesus does appear. And Thomas experiences the risen Christ. This strong, courageous cynic drops to his knees, proclaiming, “MY Lord and My God!”

Thomas was transformed that day, as the disciples had been a week before. The cynicism born from doubt was gone. His courage now became even greater. Some early traditions claim that Thomas carried the message of the Gospel as far as India.

I think we need to take to heart these two stories. We might be people bound by fear. Or we might be one of those courageous folk who have become a bit skeptical of those who lean on what we see as false hopes for protection. Regardless of what kind of person, or community, we are, Jesus stands in our midst, offering us peace, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. “Christ comes to Christians regardless of what their quality of life together may be.,” writes Herbert Driscoll. Christ’s unfailing love and unconquerable power penetrates all locked doors. Christ’s presence among us has nothing to do with our deserving his presence, or our willingness to receive it.

Easter sets us free of our fear, and of our bitter cynicism. We are strengthened through the Holy Spirit to affirm that the risen Christ is in our midst. We become bold enough to dare to see the face of the risen Christ in the person sitting next to us this morning. We are empowered to go forth from this place and proclaim that our savior lives, and offers us a life that is deathless and everlasting.

Jesus is saying to each of us today; “Take courage; for I have overcome the world!” This is the message we are called to offer all of humanity. We no longer have to hide in fear. We no longer have to live in bitter cynicism built on broken dreams. We have been given a new spirit, and a new vision, that goes beyond this world. We have been given the gift of God’s love. We have been given God’s spirit, making us the hands of the risen Christ in the world today. Let us proclaim this good news to the world with our every word and deed.

Alleluia Christ is risen!

March 5, 2006

"Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan ... And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan" (Mark 1:9-13).

I have lots of problems with this passage. First of all, it seems to have things a bit backwards. Jesus is baptized, claimed as a member of the household of God, and then goes through a period of preparation or purification.

Shouldn't the preparations be made first, and then the baptism? Before an adult is baptized, they prepare themselves. Before we receive communion, we prepare ourselves. Before ordination, the ordinand traditionally makes a retreat.

Just possibly, we have it backwards.

Maybe we need to remind ourselves that there is nothing we can do to earn the sacraments. We cannot earn the right to Holy Baptism, Holy Communion or ordination. These are free gifts of grace offer by God through God's Church. They are given freely. But we do need to keep in mind that the sacraments are a means by which we receive God's grace, and once God's grace gets involved, things are going to change in our lives. Maybe we need a retreat after we have acknowledged the reception of God's gift of grace. Maybe that's when we need to stare in the face the new thing that God has done in our lives.

Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness. He didn't go by his own volition. The Spirit of God drove him, forced him, to undergo this forty day fast. Such aggressiveness on the part of God makes me nervous. What do we do with that? It appears that God was still preparing Jesus, and time was of the essence. Jesus had more to learn before he would be ready for his ministry.

Seminary was not the wonderful experience I had expected it to be. There is a point when almost every seminarian has a crisis of faith. Most seminaries won't admit it, but I think that its built into the process. The seminaries want their students to face their own doubts, fears, and inadequacies while still in school, and not while serving in their first parish. At times, seminary did seem like being driven into the wilderness by God. I didn't like it, but I wouldn't give up my seminary years for anything. Sometimes, God can be rather insistent, whether we like it or not!

Jesus is driven out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. If God drove him out there, then Satan is functioning as an agent of God. This is what we also see in the book of Job. Somehow, we have to get a handle on the reality that Satan has to be under God's authority. This brings up lots of problems with evil in the world, but that's another message. This passage refutes the idea that there are two powers fighting it out somewhere, and that there is some danger that God might lose this bout of cosmic fisticuffs! There is only one God of all.

The season of Lent, the forty days preceding Easter, is a call for each of us to enter the wilderness. The wilderness is a frightening place. We have no map. We don't know what we'll encounter. But we are driven into our own wildernesses just the same.

God calls us to enter those strange places in our lives, the places we avoid. God calls us to look into our hearts, and seek out those unexplored wildernesses, and begin to learn who we really are.

Lent is a time to expand our horizons, by charting the unknown wildernesses in our lives. We are called to stretch our understanding of God, and to try on new ways of responding to God. Lent is a time to enter the wilderness within our relationships as well. It is a time to seek reconciliation with those from whom we have been cut off for much too long.

God is pushing us out of our nice, comfortable lives into the unknown of the wilderness. Let us look at those dark places within our hearts, and allow God to heal them and bring them into the light. Let us allow God to stretch us in the wilderness and reveal new ways to respond to God's love with acts of mercy. Let us enter the wilderness with joy, knowing that we will emerge with a heart no longer hardened, but a heart desiring reconciliation with God and one another.

February 26, 2006

Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings..."

You gotta love Peter. He is so...well...human! Faced with a wondrous mystical experience on the mountaintop, he sees no reason to let it end.

That's how it is with mountaintop experiences. The euphoria is so intense, we never want it to stop.

But most of us don't live on the mountain. Eventually, we have to return to the valley.

For many people in this world, there are few if any mountaintop experiences in their lives. If the Transfiguration is the definitive mountaintop experience, probably most of us don't have much of a mountaintop to climb down from.

Walter Wink and Marcus Borg, among others, have tried to point out that the way we often think about god really doesn’t work if we are honest. It depicts a transcendent God who occasionally intervenes in human affairs. They suggest a God who, as Wordsworth would put it, "rolls through all things."

The difficulty in separating experience into categories of "supernatural" and "natural", or mountaintop and valley, is that it encourages us to believe that God is only encountered in the unusual, the miraculous, the spectacular. The natural world is seen as mundane, or even profane.

The movement of God is always from one moment of glory to the next moment of glory. We might split things up as natural or supernatural, secular or sacred, mundane or momentous, but our perception is not necessarily the reality. We are called to move from faith, to faith, trusting that God is in our midst, moving all around us and through us; transforming all of creation.

Those fishermen on the mountain with Jesus saw this glory, and their eyes were opened. If we open our eyes, maybe we might also? Of course, we may have to redefine what we consider glorious and sacred.

What might be often considered mundane, but might also be considered full of awe and wonder?

Watching the sun rise...amazing!
Beautiful music...awesome!
A child snuggling close...glorious!
Fresh fallen snow...beautiful!
Reconciling an argument...peace!
Quiet prayer...refreshing!

Once we begin to look for God's glory, we find it all around us. It's a matter of perspective.

Beyond the glory we stumble across in our daily routines, we can also be co-creators with God, by transforming our environment.

Recently I came across an article by James McGinnis entitled Households of Faith. He tells about taking each of his young children to a large park, and encouraging them to pick out their own special prayer place. For the next years, as the children grew up, one of their parents would take them to their prayer place the day before any special religious commemorations, such as first communion or confirmation, so that together they could prayerfully reflect on the upcoming event. What a wonderful example of creating a mountaintop experience!

I still say that we need to live in the valley, to serve those who know nothing of the mountaintop. But, if we are to be of service, we need to have something to offer; which may require us to redefine the mountaintop.

It just may be that we may encounter the glory of God in the face of those we serve, if we look carefully, and listen closely.

February 19, 2006

February 19.2006

This morning I want to invite us to hear the message from this morning’s Gospel by considering the story from four different perspectives.

First, let’s consider the paralytic man who was healed. Being paralyzed, there wasn’t much he could do to help himself, was there? So, he asked his friends for help. Asking for help is not always easy to do. It means swallowing our pride. “Pride,” says the writer of Proverbs, “goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). We want everyone to think we’ve got it all together. We don’t want to admit we can’t make it on our own. And so we suffer in silence, out of prideful ness.

In the United States, 33.6 million people including almost 13 million children live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents approximately one in ten households.(10.7 percent).

In America, it is a shameful thing to be poor. It means that you have failed to live up to the American dream. To admit you need help means that you are somehow flawed. Consequently, many of those who are suffering from poverty try to say invisible. They don’t ask for help.

We may all have enough food, but I would imagine that there are some of us here today that need help of some kind, but don’t ask for it, because of their pride. Here is the lesson for us from the perspective of the paralytic man; if you want help; if you want God’s healing, you have to humble yourself enough to ask for help.

The next perspective I want us to consider is the friends who lowered this man through the roof so that he could be healed by Jesus. These are some pretty creative friends. When they see the huge crowd filling Jesus house, they didn’t give up on their promise to help their friend. They got creative, and got the job done.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked to you about an effective form of evangelism based on the saying, “Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.” This story is a literal picture image of how to do this kind of evangelism. When we commit to befriending someone, we don’t give up when things get difficult. We stick with the, we be a real friend. And we never forget that in the end, we cannot offer them the help, the healing that they seek. We bring our friend to Christ.

Next, let’s consider the perspective of the crowd watching this man being lowered from the roof. I would imagine that some of the crowd were not that pleased. Here they had stood in line, pushed and almost trampled by the crowd, in hopes of getting near enough to Jesus to receive his healing touch. And this guy cuts right in. It’s not fair. He cheated! Why should he get healed, when I’m the one whose been waiting in this crush of flesh for hours!

Life isn’t fair all the time, is it? And sometimes God doesn’t seem fair. The wind of the Spirit blows where it will. We don’t see the big picture, so we may never know why this person is touched by God an another is not. But, if we give in to feelings of resentment and envy, one thing is assured; we will have moved farther away from God. When another is blessed by god, rejoice with them, and give testimony to others of the mighty acts of God.

And finally, let’s consider the scribes. They are not pleased that Jesus had the audacity to declare the forgiveness of sins without all the ritual their tradition required. Once again, the wind of the Spirit blows where it will. And yes, especially on this point, I am preaching to myself. We must be careful not to limit our experience of God by trying to put God in a box. Our ways are not God’s ways. If you want to know if something is of God, consider the fruit of the work. The man was healed. The healing offered by Jesus was obviously of God. Instead of rejoicing, the scribes are complaining that Jesus didn’t use the right liturgy! Don’t let your pride block your view of God moving among us, loving us, and healing us.

Ask for help. Be a helper. Bring the wounded to God. Rejoice in the good fortune of others. And be open to experiencing the healing of God in unexpected places.

February 5, 2006

February 5, 2006

In this morning’s epistle, St. Paul writes to the church in Corinth these words;

“I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.”

For the Jew, he becomes a Jew. For the Gentile, he becomes a Gentile. This flexibility, this ability to meet the other person where they are in their spiritual life, and avoid the temptation to drag them to where we think they should be, is the Christian ideal when it comes to evangelism. Unfortunately, that’s often not what happens in the world today.

There’s a story about a man walking across a bridge one day. He saw another man standing on the edge, about to jump off. He immediately ran over and said "Stop! Don't do it!"

"Why shouldn't I?" he said.

The first man said, "Well, there's so much to live for!"

"Like what?"

"Well ... are you religious or atheist?"

"Religious."

"Me too! Are you Christian or Jewish?"

"Christian."

"Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?"

"Protestant."

"Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"

"Baptist."

"Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?"

"Baptist Church of God."

"Me too! Are you Original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?"

"Reformed Baptist Church of God."

"Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?"

"Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!"

To which the first man said, "Die, heretic scum!" and pushed him off the bridge.

What an sad witness such an attitude offers the world of what it means to be a Christian! What is even more sad is that often this same approach is how some Christians respond to those who are not Christian.

We are facing a new world today. The way we understood Christianity during to 50s and 60s will simply not do today. Since the 70s, many people have simply dropped out of the church. Their children, and their grandchildren, have no idea of what the bible or Christianity is all about, except what they see on the TV. At least two generations are unchurched today. The majority of Europeans have no connection to any organized religion. We live in a different world, a world that requires new approaches to evangelism, the ways in which we proclaim to the world the Good News of Jesus Christ.

When looking for new ways to witness to others, Paul’s words give us some good guidance. Our response to those who do not know Jesus must be more flexible. For the weak, we appear weak; to the strong, we are strong.

Loren Meade of the Alban Institute has looked more closely into the difficulties in our approach to modern day evangelism.

In one of his presentations, “The Once and Future Church”, Mead breaks down the history of Christendom into three eras; the Apostolic, the Christian, and the Emerging. He identifies three different environments in which each era existed. During the Apostolic era, the environment was hostile to the message of the Gospel. During the Christian era (which lasted through most of the 20th century), the environment was primarily Christian, as that was the dominant world view. In the Emerging era, the external environment is, at best, ambiguous to the message.

Some of us have witnessed this shift from the Christian to the Emerging era in our own lifetime. Here's just a few of the indicators;

In the Christian era, all of society was understood to be religious. In the Emerging era, society is often not religious at all.

In the Christian era, most public institutions were permeated with religious values. In the Emerging era, most public activities have no reference to religion.

In the Christian era, most people were expected to be members of a church. It was almost considered un-American not to be. In the Emerging era, church is for religious people, not ordinary people.

In the Christian era, religion was very public. In the Emerging era, religion is private, irrelevant, or optional.

In the Christian era, almost everyone is acquainted with the biblical story. In the Emerging era, few people know anything about the bible.

I think much of the Church is in denial of this reality. The energy seems to be drawn towards trying to recapture the glory days; to turn back the clock. In the meantime, God has continued to work in the world, but not always in the same ways as the Church has perceived the movement of God in the past.

The apostolic mission of the Church has to be rethought; no longer can the mission of the Church be primary. It has to give way to the mission of God, which can often be discovered outside the traditional boundaries of what we understand to be "church" or "religion."

Our mission of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ is hindered when we understand that to mean we are taking something out into the world that does not already exist; that our message is the most important one. That blocks our ability to see what God might already be doing in the life of someone else. When we insist on others accepting our understanding of God, and use the bible as a weapon to beat them into submission, we turn them away from Christ with our arrogant manner.

The world has changed. Today, we are called to meet people where they are in their spiritual life, and not drag them to where we think they should be. We listen to their story, offer our story, and look for the places that God's story intersects them both.

This doesn't dismiss the need for a catechumenate process, continuing education, amendment of life and spiritual disciplines. Those are elements that will gradually become meaningful to a person who is nurtured into developing a relationship with Jesus Christ. To demand it all from the beginning is blocking the way into the kingdom for others. It seems to me this is the error that Jesus saw within the Pharisees. Are we doomed to continue to make the same mistakes over and over again?

So how do we do evangelism today? There’s a saying in the Cursillo movement that might be good for us to keep in mind. Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ. We begin our witness through our actions; being a real friend to someone else in their time of need. Through our lives, we testify that we are different, that Christ has made a difference in us. Eventually, if we have been a good friend, the other person will ask about this difference. That is our opportunity to tell them about how your relationship with God has transformed your life. Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.

January 29, 2006

Jesus teaches at the synagogue in Capernaum, and the people are amazed because he teaches with authority, not like the scribes. He then heals a man with an unclean spirit, and Jesus’ authority is confirmed.

We’re not told what Jesus taught in the synagogue that day. We don’t know what it was that initially signaled to the people that Jesus was a person with authority.
Let’s consider some ways that Jesus might have signaled to the people in the synagogue that he had authority.

Maybe he expressed his authority by talking very loud. Haven’t you met people like this? I served a bishop who used to signal that all discussion was over by increasing the volume of his voice. Some people attempt to win an argument through increasing the volume, don’t they? Usually, the weaker their argument, the louder these folks tend to get. But, I doubt if Jesus convinced the crowd in Capernaum of his authority by getting in a shouting match.

Or maybe Jesus did a bit of name dropping. We’ve probably all met people who use this technique to convince us they’re important. And, yes, this method also shows up in the church. Among the clergy, the biggest give away is when someone refers to the bishop by his first name. “I was talking to George the other day, and I told him…” Most folks are not too impressed by this method. Of course, Jesus had a pretty good name to drop…”I was chatting with God Almighty, creator of heaven and Earth the other day…” but I doubt if Jesus did that either.

Or, maybe Jesus impressed the people in that synagogue with his credentials. Those with graduate degrees often like to put lots of letters after their name on their business cards, in an attempt to let folks know that they are educated people. I used to put M.Div. after my name…master of divinity, but no one ever knew what it meant, so eventually I dropped it. If I was a doctor, and could put MD after my name nurse, or a nurse with a RN suffix, I might still do it. Imagine Jesus’ business card; Jesus the Christ, SOG. Now that would be impressive!

But, I doubt if Jesus used any of these methods to convince the Capernaum crowd that he was a person of authority.

Most likely, what Jesus used was a blend of four sources of authority;
The bible. Jesus knew the Hebrew bible well. He quoted it often. Some would say that the bible, the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian New Testament, should be our only authority. And, on many issues, that is true. Certainly on all essential things, all things necessary for our salvation, we need to accept the authority of the bible.

But then there’s all those other things in the bible that just aren’t very clear. The way the many Christian denominations differ is evidence that we all don’t interpret the bible to be saying the same thing. Some say that we should baptize babies. Others say we should only baptize adults. Some say a priest shouldn’t get married. Some denominations never allow instrumental music. All based on their understanding of the bible. Each denomination pile verse upon verse from the bible to prove that their way of being the church is the one that is “true to scripture.”
This is what the scribes of Jesus time did. They used biblical texts and saying from the rabbis to make complex rules that usually only they could understand. This morning’s Gospel tells us that Jesus teaching was not like that of the scribes. It appears that quoting bible passages was not the only way that Jesus expressed his authority.

Maybe Jesus taught with authority by revealing to that crowd God’s Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God dwelled within Jesus. He often expanded on the meaning of the scriptures. “And you have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,' but I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Such inspiration would have to be seen as a manifestation of God’s Holy Spirit.

Or maybe it was Jesus’ use of reason that made his authority so obvious. Unlike the scribes, Jesus often used home grown stories that made sense to the people to make his points. They understood him, and heard the wisdom in his words.
Or maybe Jesus’ teaching passed the test of experience. Our past experience is certainly an authority for most of us. We know something to be true because we have tested it through experience. Jesus’ words rang true because those who heard them had experienced that truth.

Today, we can look for these same sources of authority to inform us on our spiritual journey. But I think we need all four. If we lean on the bible alone, we begin to treat the bible like an idol. If we depend just on the Holy Spirit, we might fall into the error of emotionalism. If we just use reason, we will fall into the maze called philosophy. And experience by itself is nothing more than humanism.
But, when combined, we can depend on scripture, the Holy Spirit, reason and experience to reveal to us what is true and good. When kept in balance, we can use these tools to discover the will of God.

Jesus granted us his authority here on earth. We are called to be the teachers and healers in the world today. Let us go out into the world, and use the tools God has given us; scripture, the Holy Spirit, reason and experience, to proclaim to this world the Good News of God’s redemptive love.

January 15, 2006

January 15, 2006

When Samuel is called, he responds with, "Speak, for your servant is listening." Listening is not always an easy thing to do, especially when we have prejudged the message to be something we'd rather not hear. However, sometimes such messages are important, so we have to overcome our resistance and preconceived notions in order to fully receive the message being offered. Here's how I envision the way the encounter between Nathanael and Jesus unfolded.

Philip finds Nathanael sitting under a fig tree. He excitedly tells him that he has found the one spoken of by Moses and the prophets. Nathanael responds with, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" We don't know what Nathanael was brooding about as he sat under the fig tree, but this rather insulting reply suggests that he was responding from a very dark place within himself.

When I am full of doom and gloom, I am inclined to mutter the most awful things in response to anyone who attempts to enter the dark cloud surrounding me. For instance, if someone mentions some news about Texas, I might grumble, "Can anything good come out of Texas?"

Now I've never lived in Texas and have never visited the state, yet I have all of these preconceived notions about its inhabitants. There's a word for this kind of attitude: prejudice, a term defined in the dictionary as "an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts. " What might we call one who expresses such prejudices? A bigot, defined as "a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own."

We don't know why Nathanael was so prejudiced toward anyone from Nazareth. But we can surmise the effect such bigoted attitudes might have had on his interior life.
Prejudice builds walls which we hide behind to avoid facing the truth. Prejudice also forms mental barriers within ourselves. When hiding behind these self-made walls, we become dependent on own ideas, the stone and mortar from which these walls are made. When these ideas are challenged, our safety feels threatened. We defend our walls by all means possible. Prejudice is an attempt to guard our safety. It is a response that springs from fear, a deadly poison that will eventually destroy us all without the proper antidote.

For some reason, Nathanael decides to go meet this man from Nazareth. When Jesus sees him approaching, he shouts out, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" This comment makes no sense, unless we consider it a retort to Nathanael's bigoted remark about Nazareth. Here is an Israelite who does not hold his tongue. Here is an Israelite who disregards the social mores, who is not restrained by being "politically correct," but who speaks his mind and doesn't care whether others are offended.

Nathanael is rather taken back by this response. How did this man from Nazareth overhear his conversation with Philip? "Where did you get to know me?" he asks. Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." This stranger from Nazareth knew what Nathanael had said to Philip. He also knew that dark place Nathanael had been in under the fig tree. Yet, here he stood, knowing Nathanael's ugliest inclinations, yet still smiling with an invitation to join him in his mission. Could it be this man from Nazareth was indeed the one promised by the prophets? As his prejudices against Nazareth begin to fade away and a new hope stirs within him, chasing away those dark clouds, Nathanael finds himself transformed. He blurts out, ""Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

Jesus is amused by this sudden transformation. "You will see greater things than these," he tells him. "You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." Nathanael would have recognized the reference to the story of Jacob's dream of a ladder stretching from earth to heaven. Jacob, the original "Israelite," was quite the rascal, yet was blessed by God. It might just be possible that even a bigot like Nathanael, a tax collector like Matthew, a hothead like Peter, or a sinner like you and me could also be blessed by God and become a follower of the Messiah.

St. Paul reminds us that we are a temple of the Holy Spirit. Here is our antidote to the prejudices that dwell within each one of us: God's healing Spirit. But we first have to do all we can do to make a place in ourselves for this gift. We have to bring to light the prejudices that dwell within each and every one of us. We have to see the walls that we have built. And then we need to trust that God will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, that God will tear down those walls that are beyond our strength. Free from these barriers, the light of God's Spirit can then shine brightly, allowing us to offer freedom to a world trapped behind walls of bigotry, an antidote to the poison of prejudice.

Christmas, 2005

Christmas Day 2005

Most of you have probably watched, at one time or another, ACharlie Brown’s Christmas. Iwant to remind you of a conversation between Charlie Brown and Linus that happens in that story;

Charlie Brown: Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?

Linus: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is about. Lights Please! Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown!

The theologian Linus Van Pelt seems to consider the appearance of angels to the shepherds the most important part of the Christmas story. Maybe it is. This morning I invite you to join me in focusing on these supporting actors in the drama. We all know something about Mary, Joseph, and hopefully we know quite a bit about Jesus. But what do we know about the shepherds in the field? In many ways, they are the strangers in the story of the birth of Jesus.

What can we learn from these strangers? First of all, keep in mind that as shepherds, these were poor men, considered low class in the culture of their time. In today’s world, they might be the equivalent of parking lot attendants. Add to this the fact that according to Jewish law, because they worked in the field and with livestock, they were considered unclean. Before they could enter the temple, they were required to undergo a purification process. The shepherds were low on the totem pole within Jewish society.

Yet, these shepherds are the ones chosen to be given the announcement of the birth of the Messiah. God did not chose the kings or the philosophers or the scholars or the high priests to be the first to hear this announcement. He chose ordinary poor shepherds, watching their flock at night.

In the bible, we consistently see God showing a bias in favor of the poor, the disenfranchised and the oppressed. When Jesus called his disciples, he selected selected regular folk. Mary tells us of Jesus’ mission in the Magnificat:
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly.

This does not exclude the educated and wealthy, of course. On the Feast of the Epiphany, we will celebrate the arrival of the Magi, learned men from the East, who arrive in Bethlehem to honor the Christ child. Among Jesus followers, we find Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish leader, and Joseph of Arimethea, and wealthy man who gave Jesus his tomb. But notice that the host of angels proclaim the birth of the Christ child first to ordinary shepherds.

Maybe some of us today feel like we are just regular folk in God’s kingdom. We’re not all that special. Maybe we feel like we don’t have much to offer God. We’d never imagine that god would show us favor, or give us a special mission. If that describes you, I encourage you to consider the shepherds. God may surprise you, as he has a blatant bias in favor of ordinary folks like you and me.

How did the shepherds respond to suddenly seeing the sky filled with an angelic chorus? Our Gospel lesson tells us:

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." (Luke 2:8 and 15)

They left their sheep behind, and made their way to Bethlehem. This in itself was amazing. Their job, their primary vocation, was to watch the sheep. But now they found themselves charged with an even more important mission; to be witnesses to the birth of the savior of the world.

Notice what has happened here. One definition of “Angel” is a messenger from God. In one sense, these shepherds have become angels. In the stable, where Jesus was born, there were no angelic choirs, there was no celestial fanfare. A woman gave birth among the livestock, with her husband standing by and helping when he could. A very humble scene. A rather ordinary scene for those times. What makes this drama become extraordinary is the arrival of the shepherds, who tell the mother and her husband what Has happened to them in the field. Ordinary shepherds become the messengers of God, and transform an ordinary domestic scene into a powerful drama that has transformed the world.

We who have encountered the living God have also been given a new vocation; a new mission. We are called to be angels, to be the messengers of God, and proclaiming to the world the Good News, that there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The perception that there was a chasm between heaven and earth was refuted once and for all. Heaven and earth are seen to be joined. The Kingdom of God is at hand!
And finally, notice what these shepherd angels do when they finally take their leave;
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The events of that night transformed the lives of these shepherds. They glorified and praised God. We can assume that they continued to praise God every day for the rest of their lives. Not just the next day, or the day after that. Not just until the end of the season on January 6.

We need to remember that today we are not just remembering an event that happened thousands of years ago. Jesus Christ is born today! It is the living God, who is born anew in each of our hearts on this day that we celebrate. Cgristmas doesn’t end when the stocking and decorations are put away. We continue to praise God every day of our lives for dwelling among us and within us.

We ordinary folk are given a new mission this day. We are called to become a host of angels, proclaiming to the world, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

November 20, 2005

Christ the King, 2005

Today is the feast of Christ the King. The image of Christ, reigning on the cross, is one of many identities we give Christ. In a way, its an uncomfortable image to us. Americans don't care much for royalty. We don't like people having that much authority over us.

Most of us don't have much problem with the image of Christ as our Savior. The saving power of Christ, who saved us from a life oblivious of God, and shackled to sin and death, gives us all reason to rejoice. But accepting Christ as our Lord, or as our King, is another matter. Christ as Lord asks for our obedience. We are to obey Christ, for our own sakes, as well as for the sake of the kingdom of God. We are a people who are under the authority of Christ.

This week, we will commemorate Thanksgiving. One remarkable thing about thanksgiving is that it hasn't become as commercialized as other holidays. And there are many families who normally never say grace before meals who will suddenly feel compelled to offer some form of thanks before carving up the fattened bird and diving into the dressing.

I think that Thanksgiving can become more than this country's sacred day of overindulgence. I think it could be the day when we acknowledge our blessings, offer our thanks to God, and then pass on the abundance of God's love that has so freely been offered to us. If Christ is our King, then maybe we need to listen to him. Maybe this thanksgiving we need to hear our King, as he reminds us that we are to use our blessings to bless others.

Henri Nouwen, a famous theologian and writer, offers some insights into how we might share our abundance of blessings with others. He quit the faculty of Harvard to join the staff at Daybreak, a residential community for handicapped people. He went from working with the world's brightest and best to working with people the some would rather forget.

In his book, In the Name of Jesus, Nouwen shares his insights on this radical expression of servanthood.

"Most of my past life has been built around the idea that my value depends on what I do. I made it through grade school, high school, and university. I earned degrees and aw2ards and I made my career. Yes, with many others, I fought my way up to the lonely top of a little success, a little popularity, and a little power. But as I sit beside the slow and heavy breathing of Adam, (a resident of Daybreak), I start seeing how violent that journey was. So filled with desire to be better than others, so marked by rivalry and competition, so pervaded by compulsions and obsessions and so spotted with moments of suspicion, jealousy, resentment and revenge."

Can we know Christ without knowing those whom Christ identifies with in today's Gospel text? Can we know Christ without knowing the weak, the poor, the hungry, and the prisoners among us?

As we look for Jesus, we soon begin to see his faces in the faces of our brothers and sisters, especially in those faces twisted in pain.

Mother Teresa once asked some visitors to hold up one hand. "The Gospel is written on your fingers," she said. Holding up one finger at a time, she accented each word. "You did it to me." Then she added, "At the end of your life, your five fingers will either excuse you or accuse you of doing it unto the least of these. You did it to me.

We share our blessings with others. We do this not because we are good people. We do it because our king has commanded us to do it. We help others, with their physical, spiritual, emotional and mental health as our goal. We offer them compassion, we meet their immediate needs, and we introduce them to Christ. Not the other way around. One of most powerful witnesses as Christians is the compassion of Christ. As William Barclay has said, "More people have been brought into the church by the kindness of real Christian love than by all the theological arguments in the world, and more people have been driven from the church by the hardness and ugliness of so-called Christianity than by all the doubts in the world.

Let us honor our king this Thanksgiving. Let us offer our thanks to God for our many blessings. Then, let's find a way to share those blessings. This thanksgiving, commit yourself to being the hands of Christ in the world today.

Allrighty, Then...

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And happy Advent!

Grace and Peace

Many thanks to all those who showed their love and support at the sudden and wholly unexpected passing of my dear father.

September 18, 2005

The story in this morning’s Gospel doesn’t seem fair, does it? Those who work for a full day get the same pay as those who work only one hour. The ones who put in a full day’s work have every reason to be upset, don’t they?

Notice the landowner’s final statement; “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

It is the landowner’s option to be generous, as it is God’s option to be generous with us. If God was fair, if God really gave each one of us what we deserve, would any of us survive? I doubt it. God is generous with us. God has given us the free gift of God’s grace, God’s unmerited favor, even though we don’t deserve it. In light of such generosity, we are moved to be generous with those we encounter in our day to day lives.

Fr. John Claypool, Rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Birmingham, Alabama, once told an old rabbinic parable about a farmer that had two sons;
“

As soon as they were old enough to walk, he took them to the fields and he taught them everything that he knew about growing crops and raising animals. When he got too old to work, the two boys took over the chores of the farm and when the father died, they had found their working together so meaningful that they decided to keep their partnership. So each brother contributed what he could and during every harvest season, they would divide equally what they had corporately produced. Across the years the elder brother never married, stayed an old bachelor. The younger brother did marry and had eight wonderful children. Some years later when they were having a wonderful harvest, the old bachelor brother thought to himself one night, "My brother has ten mouths to feed. I only have one. He really needs more of his harvest than I do, but I know he is much too fair to renegotiate. I know what I'll do. In the dead of the night when he is already asleep, I'll take some of what I have put in my barn and I'll slip it over into his barn to help him feed his children.”

At the very time he was thinking down that line, the younger brother was thinking to himself, "God has given me these wonderful children. My brother hasn't been so fortunate. He really needs more of this harvest for his old age than I do, but I know him. He's much too fair. He'll never renegotiate. I know what I'll do. In the dead of the night when he's asleep, I'll take some of what I've put in my barn and slip it over into his barn." And so one night when the moon was full, as you may have already anticipated, those two brothers came face to face, each on a mission of generosity. The old rabbi said that there wasn't a cloud in the sky, a gentle rain began to fall. You know what it was? God weeping for joy because two of his children had gotten the point. Two of his children had come to realize that generosity is the deepest characteristic of the holy and because we are made in God's image, our being generous is the secret to our joy as well.

Life is not fair, thank God! It's not fair because it's rooted in grace.

It is God’s nature to be just. But it is also God’s nature to be merciful. Thanks be to God!

How does this apply to the church? Sometimes, I think we folks who have been part of the church for along time forget what this church thing is supposed to be all about.

We have been given a charge by God. This charge is usually referred to as “The Great Commission.” It can be found in the 28th chapter of Matthew;
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Or, as Archbishop William Temple once summarized it, “The Church is the only institution that exists to serve those who are not yet members.”

Our commission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Our commission is to proclaim the message of the Gospel beyond the walls of this building.

In light of that, who is the most important person here this morning? It’s not the priest, or the wardens. It’s not the faithful volunteers, or the one who’s been a member the longest. The most important person here this morning is the stranger in our midst, the person who shows up among us seeking a community that will help them along with their spiritual journey.

We here at Holy Spirit have a special responsibility regarding the Great Commission. As the Toms River area begins to fill up, more and more people are moving farther south. This areas is growing fast. There are currently building permits for over 2,500 living units being considered in this area. It is projected that as many as 12,000 new residents will move to our area by 2008. Many of these folks will be seeking spiritual food. We must be ready to offer them a community of faith that will meet our new neighbor’s spiritual needs. If we are to be faithful to the great Commission given to us by Christ, we must begin to prepare our household of God to be an inviting place for those who will be seeking a new spiritual home.

Our new members will be given as much love and attention as those of us who have been part of this community from the beginning. That’s not fair, is it? But it is generous. Since God has showered his generosity on us, we must follow God’s example, and, with generous hearts, embrace the stranger in our midst.

September 11, 2005

The ministry of Jesus Christ is the ministry of reconciliation.

Reconciliation. What does that mean? The dictionary defines “to be reconciled” as “to reestablish a close relationship”.

That is the ministry of Jesus; to reestablish, to restore, our relationship with God. Through God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ, the chasm between God and this world has been bridged. Heaven and earth have been joined.

We have been reconciled with God through Christ. God’s grace flows freely through us. As the stewards of this wonderful gift, our mission is to enable this same grace to flow from us out into the world. Our mission is to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ, being ministers of reconciliation in the world today. Our role, as Christians, is to help others, and each other, to reestablish a close relationship with God, and one another.

As the Book of Common Prayer tells us, on page 855 of the catechism, “The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” Once again, it all boils down to the summary of the law’ love God, and love your neighbor.

Who is my neighbor? From God’s perspective, everyone is my neighbor. As St. John tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.” Whosoever. God’s love does not exclude anyone. Consequently, neither can we. We work towards the restoration of all people to unity with God and each other. In the kingdom of God, there is no “us” and “them.” In the kingdom of God, there is only “we.”

This is not a comfortable notion for us. Since we were children, we have been taught to compete, to divide people up into “us” and “them.” How can we be ministers of reconciliation, when our natural inclination is to dissect the human race into understandable groupings?

We can’t help others, or ourselves, restore their relationships on our own. But we don’t have to. If we are willing, God will fill us with his presence, with his spirit. It is God working through us that will engage in the ministry of reconciliation.

To be a receptive vessel for this gift, we may have to make some room in our lives for God. One way to begin this internal house cleaning is by confessing to God the things that have drawn us away from our relationship with him. We begin by confessing our sins. In the Book of Common Prayer, on page 447, we find the confession of sin referred to as the rite of the Reconciliation of a Penitent.

Part of this rite includes these words said by the penitent; “For these and all other sins which I cannot now remember, I am truly sorry…and I humbly beg forgiveness of God and his Church.” Part of the priest’s response is to say; “The Lord has put away all your sins…Go in peace.”

God’s willingness to forgive us, and put away our sins, makes the restoration of a healthy relationship possible. It becomes a new relationship.

There’s a story about a certain Catholic woman who was having visions of Jesus. The archbishop decided to check her out.

"'Is it true, ma'am, that you have visions of Jesus?' asked the cleric.

"'Yes,' the woman replied.

"'Well, the next time you have a vision, I want you to ask Jesus to tell you the sins that I confessed in my last confession. Please call me if anything happens.'

"Ten days later the woman notified her spiritual leader of a recent apparition.

"Within the hour the archbishop arrived. 'What did Jesus say?' he asked.

"She took his hand and gazed deep into his eyes. 'Bishop,' she said, 'these are his exact words: "I CAN'T REMEMBER. "

When we sincerely confess our sins to God, and intend to amend our lives, we start all over again with a clean slate, a new relationship with God.

Sometimes, restoring our relationship with God will lead us directly into the next step; restoring our relationships with our neighbors. God’s spirit may illuminate areas of our life in which we have hurt someone, maybe intentionally, or maybe just thoughtlessly. As ministers of reconciliation, we go to that person, and ask their forgiveness. We say, “I am sorry.” Such a simple thing. Those words will never undo the harm we have done. And, if we do not offer them sincerely, they are worthless. But, without them, there can be no hope of restoring the relationship.

The next step in becoming a minister of reconciliation is being willing to forgive others for the wrongs they have done to us. In this morning’s Gospel, Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” This is not always an easy thing to do. But it is essential if we are to be reconciled with our neighbor.

It is essential to our own spiritual health as well. Carrying a grudge for too long is like taking poison. The bitterness and anger eats away at our peace. Let go of it, for God’s sake, for their sake, and for your own sake.

Casting Call!!

Frank Davide of St. Theresa's Roman Catholic Church in Tuckerton has sent out an ecumenical casting call to the local churches for a Christmas production called "Journey for a King." The production will use recorded orchestral music from some of the world's great operas, as well as Broadway show tunes.

Both child and adult actors are needed.

Also Needed:

Actors/Actresses
Chorus
Stage Crew
Production team: publicity, advertising, bulletins, ushers, seating, etc.
Other: any other area of the overall production you think you or your organization would like to participate in.


Production dates: December 8, 9, 10 at 7:30pm and matinee on Sunday, December 11 at 2:30pm/

The first meeting & audition will be on Tuesday, Sept 13 at 7pm in the basement of St. Theresa's church.

St. Theresa's is hoping to raise funds to help with the construction of their new church, and also to establish an annual community-wide ecumenical event to celebrate the Christmas season.

No Man Is An Island

In many of our minds this morning are the images of the disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Our hearts go out to those who are suffering great losses.

These horrible losses touch each one of us. As John Donne said;

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

We share in these losses. A part of ourselves is suffering right now. We respond by doing whatever we can to help those who are in such desperate need.

Our response to this disaster is important for reasons connected with our faith as well. There are those who find such stories of natural disaster and ask us “Where is your God now?”

I don’t have a good response to that question. All I know is that there are reasons why the laws of nature are in place. We can’t see the big picture. We don’t know what further disasters would result if these laws were suspended. And the result is that sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Natural disasters do not challenge my belief in God. A scenario which would call into question my faith would be imagining the high winds and floods, and then see no one showing up to help, no one risking their own lives to save someone else, see no communities rushing to provide aid , see no relief agencies spring into action, see no one acting in the name of their God to offer help, aid, and prayers.

If that was the response I saw, if I witnessed no response from those who are safe, then I would say that there is no such thing as a compassionate God.

Critics of religion are quick to point out that radical terrorists invoke the name of God when they commit their atrocities. What these critics often miss is people of faith responding to help those in need.

When we are faced with this present disaster, we see that our hands become the hands of God, our feet the feet of God, our words the words of God. As Stan Purdum, a writer and Methodist minister puts it: “This is a time to urge the church to be the church, and remember that when Jesus told us to love our neighbor, he had a really big neighborhood in mind.”

Sometimes, our religious tradition seems so complicated, doesn’t it? When that happens, I find it helpful to remember Jesus’ summary of the law:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love God, and love your neighbor. Pretty simple, really. But we need to remember the order of priorities. Our relationship with God must come first, otherwise we have little to offer our neighbor.

In this morning’s Gospel, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." It is Jesus in our midst that makes the difference. Without the belief of Christ among us, we would be nothing more than a social club.

When we work together in the name of God, Christ works with us. When we reach out to those who are hurting in the name of God, we are empowered to re-present Christ to those in need of a word of hope. When we become the united body of Christ, working together towards common goals with Christ in our midst, we can literally transform the world.

Let us respond with the compassion of God to those suffering from hurricane Katrina. Let us also allow this tragedy to sharpen our vision so that we can see more clearly those in need all around us. Let us respond to those who are suffering, both spiritually and physically, with the healing power of God’s love.

Let us pray;

O God, we remember when the disciples of Jesus were terrified after a long night on a turbulent sea. When they cried to you for help, you stilled the sea and brought them to safety. We ask now that you comfort and still the hearts of those suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

We pray for those who have been displaced and who now must return to homes destroyed or damaged by the storm.

We pray for those whose lives were lost and for those who now must grieve the loss of a loved one.

We pray for those who are attempting to offer help and relief to victims.
While we wonder why such devastation can occur, where lives and property can seem held so capriciously in the hand of what is uncontrollable, we know, O God, that you count every hair on our head and that our names are written on the palm of your hand.

Let your loving grace wash over those who must now face damaged lives, homes, and possessions. Hold them close to yourself until they are sure of the security of your loving embrace. Calm their hearts and still their souls, O Lord. We ask this for the sake of your love. AMEN.

September 4, 2005

A Lutheran, a Catholic, and an Episcopalian at the Pearly Gates...

In this morning's Gospel, Jesus gathers his disciples together, and asks them, "Who do you say that I am?"

In theological libraries around the world, there sits volume after volume that attempts to answer this same question. It's an important question. Who do we say Jesus is in the world today?

Three clergy, a Lutheran, a Catholic and an Episcopalian, end up at the pearly gates one day. It was St. Peter's day off, so Jesus was administering the entrance exam to heaven that day. "The question is simple," he said. "Who do you say that I am?"

The Lutheran stepped forward and began, "The bible says..." but Jesus interrupted and said, "I don't care what the bible says; who do you say that I am?" The Lutheran said, "I don't know," and immediately he fell through a trap door to the other place.

The Catholic stepped forward and began, "The pope says..." but Jesus stopped him and asked, "I don't care what the pope says; who do you say that I am?" "I'm not sure," said the Catholic, and immediately he fell through a trap door to the other place.

Jesus then turned to the Episcopalian and asked, "Who do you say that I am?" The Episcopalian replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" Then, just as Jesus smiled and began to open the pearly gates, the Episcopalian continued, "...but on the other hand..."

Who do we say Jesus is?

Here are a few names for Jesus, assembled by Alice Camille in U.S. Catholic (August 2002):

Saint Thomas Aquinas called Jesus the perfect mediator between God and humanity.

Protestant theologian Horace Bushnell named Jesus the “poor man’s philosopher, the first and only one that has appeared.”

Fidel Castro said Jesus is “a great revolutionary.”

George Bernard Shaw called him “a first-rate political economist.”

Johnny Cash said he was “the foundation of my life and my strength.”

Author and storyteller John Shea describes Jesus as “God’s challenge and invitation.”

For Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Our Lord Jesus Christ ... is our hero, a hero all the world wants.”

So, who is Jesus Christ?

In this morning's Gospel we hear Peter proclaim the clearest answer to our question, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

There are two very different biographies of Jesus floating around in the world today. We can see the story of Jesus as a story of man's religious quest with Jesus cast as the hero. The plot of this story is one of log cabin to the White House. Born in a stable, his home a carpenter's cottage, rising through love for humanity to the height of the ultimate sacrifice, his death on the cross, Jesus is the supreme hero in the story of humanity's spiritual evolution. Jesus is the example of what humanity ought to be. This is a dominant view of Jesus. It's not the bible's version of the story. It's only been around for the last 100 years.

The story of the heroic Jesus is a modern creation. It is not what we find in the Gospels. Their story is just the opposite, It is a story of White House to log cabin, or royal palace to slum. It is the story of the king of glory casting aside his royal robes and coming to live as a human being on earth. Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, humbled himself and came to dwell among us.

Think of the stories we've all heard about the king going out among the people in disguise. When the king returned to the throne, his time among the people allowed him to know them in a new way. He had laughed and cried with them. He had seen their burdens and their accomplishments first hand. A new relationship begins to grow, a relationship that had never existed before. No citizen of that kingdom would ever forget that the ruler of the realm once considered him worthy of being his friend. A new dignity is born and the people have a new sense of their own value. If this king now asks for service, he would be obeyed not out of fear, but out of gratitude. This is a form of voluntary morality, rising out of a relationship, not bound by laws and threats of punishment.

The word became flesh and dwells among us. This is the heart of the Good News we have to offer to the world. This is the unique message of Christianity.

I've spoken to you before of one way to understand the trinity. I want to mention it again, as I think it may be helpful in understanding who Jesus is. One way of thinking of the Trinity is to consider the Father as the Lover, the Son as the Beloved, and the Holy Spirit as the Flow of Love. Since before the beginning of time, since before the creative act of God, there has been a constant Flow of Love between the Lover and the Beloved. Then, something unique happened. The Beloved entered our world and dwelt among us. The Flow of Love between the Lover and the Beloved continued, now spanning the chasm between God and humanity. We are told that if we are willing to become the adopted sons and daughters of God, if we are willing to stand in the place of the Beloved, if we act in the name of Jesus Christ, we can also access this same Flow of love, and enter into a new kind of relationship with God. We can become who we have always been intended to be: the Beloved of God!

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The God we serve is not a distant God, who rules from a throne far away. He dwells among us. He is with us, and in us, right now. Our mission is to help others become aware of God moving among us, transforming us, and making all things new.

Who do we say Jesus is? He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, whom we serve by serving those around us.

August 21, 2005

The Nice Thing About...

"The nice thing about living in a small town is,
If you don't know what you're doing, somebody else always does." :D

--from a parishioner