John 1:1-18
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God. 1:3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it. 1:6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 1:7 The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him. 1:8 He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light. 1:9 The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. 1:11 He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. 1:12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: 1:13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 1:14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. 1:15 John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’” 1:16 From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. 1:17 For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
John puts the Christmas story in theological language. Deep, powerful, penetrating language which grapples with the mystery of it all in words which grasp that mystery and holds it before us that we might penetrate it with our minds and embrace it with our hearts,
Here is what he tells us: We are a people of the Word, not just any word, not just a word, but THE WORD! The word which makes God known and creates faith in human hearts.
This Word is our life blood - the source of all we believe and the reason why we love.
It is a living Word living in us and living through us. It makes us a people of faith - it becomes “a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of our lives.”
(P. T. Forsythe)
It also makes us a people of grace - a people who partake of grace at the Lord’s Table; and who practice grace in our living. Who believe in the real presence in the bread and wine and who practice the real presence in our daily living.
All because of the Word which became flesh and lived among us - full of grace and truth.
We are a people who trust in “God’s love which never ends and God’s dazzling grace which always is.” William Sloane Coffin
“The Word Became Flesh”
Christmas is here; and will soon be past. The celebration of Christmas, which begins earlier each year, will soon be over. Yet Christmas is never over. It never ends. It is hidden in every day, every word, every deed of our lives.
As we celebrate the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us, we also celebrate the Word becoming flesh - our flesh - and dwelling still in our midst.
Henri Nouwen: “The most important question for me is not, ‘How do I touch people?’ but, ‘How do I live the word I am speaking?”
Indeed, Christmas is not just once a year. It is yesterday, today, and forever, as the Word becomes flesh in us and dwells among us.
Indeed, Christmas is every day!
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Dec. 28, 2014 Christmas 1
Luke 2:22-40
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
“A Sign Spoken Against”
Jesus came as a sign; a sign of God’s love; a sign to be spoken for or against.
Many spoke against Jesus in his days - those who loved their religious ritual and formalism more then a living faith. They didn’t want to lose their importance as religious leaders to one who would make it so easy to be a child of God. The Rich Young Ruler spoke against Jesus; he wanted to buy his way in; not enter through the grace of God. The Pharisee’s spoke against Jesus - they were too proud to live by grace.
The question we all have to struggle with is “Do I speak against the sign God has given us?” With Christmas over - do I live as one who has celebrated it’s mystery and experienced its joy?
“To Be Or Not To Be”
What we believe is basic to who we become in life.
To surrender to Christ is to become a child of grace; it is come alive and discover real self identity and self worth. I am not a no body, no matter how insignificant I feel; I am a child of God and that makes me somebody - somebody unique, precious, and loved.
Out of surrender to Christ comes new birth in Christ. A life of becoming, including a life of good works. We become what we believe. When I believe I am a child of God -- I can fail and not be destroyed; I can have worth even when I don’t feel worthy... even when I have preached the worlds worst sermon.
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
“A Sign Spoken Against”
Jesus came as a sign; a sign of God’s love; a sign to be spoken for or against.
Many spoke against Jesus in his days - those who loved their religious ritual and formalism more then a living faith. They didn’t want to lose their importance as religious leaders to one who would make it so easy to be a child of God. The Rich Young Ruler spoke against Jesus; he wanted to buy his way in; not enter through the grace of God. The Pharisee’s spoke against Jesus - they were too proud to live by grace.
The question we all have to struggle with is “Do I speak against the sign God has given us?” With Christmas over - do I live as one who has celebrated it’s mystery and experienced its joy?
“To Be Or Not To Be”
What we believe is basic to who we become in life.
To surrender to Christ is to become a child of grace; it is come alive and discover real self identity and self worth. I am not a no body, no matter how insignificant I feel; I am a child of God and that makes me somebody - somebody unique, precious, and loved.
Out of surrender to Christ comes new birth in Christ. A life of becoming, including a life of good works. We become what we believe. When I believe I am a child of God -- I can fail and not be destroyed; I can have worth even when I don’t feel worthy... even when I have preached the worlds worst sermon.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Dec21, 2014 Advent 4
Luke 1:26--38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Smuggling God Into The World
The extraordinary occurs in the ordinary, the uncommon in the common, the divine in the human. This is the mystery we celebrate in Christmas. Where ever love is in human form, something of God is there too, in divine form. Our task is to “keep our eyes skinned“, open for the miracle which is hidden in the common.
It wasn’t as easy as it looks, believing this promise and living with the mystery.
Consider Mary as Barbara Brown Taylor seeks to capture the moment the angel comes to her.
“If you decide to say No you simply drop your eyes and refuse to look up until you know the angel has left the room and you are alone again.
Then you smooth your hair and go back to your spinning or your reading or whatever it is that is most familiar to you and pretend that nothing has happened...Or you can set your book down and listen to a strange creature’s strange idea. You can decide to take part in a plan you did not choose, doing things you do not know how to do for reasons you con not entirely understand. You can take part in a thrilling and dangerous scheme with no script and no guarantees. You can agree to smuggled God into the world inside your own body.” (Mothers of God, pp. 150-53)
We stand with Mary and Joseph this morning in pure amazement at the wonder of Christmas and how God did it and continues to do it, in loving in human form.
“Blessed Is She Who Believed”
It is incredible - that Dr. Luke would report that a young woman would conceive without a man in her life; that Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph would believe what they were told, by angles.
It is incredible -not that God could do it. But that they believed it would be done through them!
The miracle of Christmas you see, is not that God was born of a virgin, but that a virgin believed God was to be born through her. Not that the Holy Spirit caused Mary to conceive, but that Joseph believed it was the Holy Spirit who did it.
As Luther says, “The miracle of Christ as Virgin-born, is a trifle for the mighty God. That God becomes a man is an even greater miracle. But the most amazing of them all is that the maiden finds the angle’s message credible and that the Child he promised would be hers.”
God chose her.
God chooses us, to also be God’s instruments. To be a human vessel through whom something of God’s love and grace becomes human and lives among us.
Blessed indeed are those who believe that there can be a fulfillment of God’s purposes through them, for they shall see God. And know the true meaning of Christmas.
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Smuggling God Into The World
The extraordinary occurs in the ordinary, the uncommon in the common, the divine in the human. This is the mystery we celebrate in Christmas. Where ever love is in human form, something of God is there too, in divine form. Our task is to “keep our eyes skinned“, open for the miracle which is hidden in the common.
It wasn’t as easy as it looks, believing this promise and living with the mystery.
Consider Mary as Barbara Brown Taylor seeks to capture the moment the angel comes to her.
“If you decide to say No you simply drop your eyes and refuse to look up until you know the angel has left the room and you are alone again.
Then you smooth your hair and go back to your spinning or your reading or whatever it is that is most familiar to you and pretend that nothing has happened...Or you can set your book down and listen to a strange creature’s strange idea. You can decide to take part in a plan you did not choose, doing things you do not know how to do for reasons you con not entirely understand. You can take part in a thrilling and dangerous scheme with no script and no guarantees. You can agree to smuggled God into the world inside your own body.” (Mothers of God, pp. 150-53)
We stand with Mary and Joseph this morning in pure amazement at the wonder of Christmas and how God did it and continues to do it, in loving in human form.
“Blessed Is She Who Believed”
It is incredible - that Dr. Luke would report that a young woman would conceive without a man in her life; that Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph would believe what they were told, by angles.
It is incredible -not that God could do it. But that they believed it would be done through them!
The miracle of Christmas you see, is not that God was born of a virgin, but that a virgin believed God was to be born through her. Not that the Holy Spirit caused Mary to conceive, but that Joseph believed it was the Holy Spirit who did it.
As Luther says, “The miracle of Christ as Virgin-born, is a trifle for the mighty God. That God becomes a man is an even greater miracle. But the most amazing of them all is that the maiden finds the angle’s message credible and that the Child he promised would be hers.”
God chose her.
God chooses us, to also be God’s instruments. To be a human vessel through whom something of God’s love and grace becomes human and lives among us.
Blessed indeed are those who believe that there can be a fulfillment of God’s purposes through them, for they shall see God. And know the true meaning of Christmas.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Dec 14, 2014 Advent 3
John 1:6-8, 19-28
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
“One Whom We do Not Know”
“Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas,
star and angles gave the sign.”
And the world did not know him...
And his own people did not accept him.
And as strange as it sounds. even among us, more often then we would like to think, He stands as “One whom we do not know.”
He is among us in places we least expect, in people we find it difficult to be civil toward let alone love and in ways we are far from wanting to take as our way on this earth. For His way is the way of love and that is the hardest thing for us to come to in this world. We say we know what love is yet we reject it as the way to run our world.
It is too soft, we say; too sentimental, too easy, too forgiving. It’s a good way to get yourself killed, And of course, that’s exactly what happened to this Baby who commands so must attention at this time of the year.
Without love, as Paul reminds us so emphatically in his hymn to love, no matter what we do or believe, we are nothing!
That’s what makes this season such a powerful time of the year. This is no casual thing we are celebrating. This is the cosmic event of all time!
For Jesus is pure love coming to dwell in a world where hate has its sway and such love is always on the cutting edge of life going where we do not want to go and asking us to follow in places we would never go alone.
Indeed,
“Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas,
star and angles gave the sign.”
To believe this is to also have to, want to, dare to, rejoice to sing:
“Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all people,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
“One Whom You Do Not Know”
God is always a surprise. There is always more mystery than knowledge with God.
God came in human form and God comes in human form. It is the challenge and task of faith to see God in places we expect Him not and in people we know not.
Jesus was a surprise to all who thought they knew what to expect from God. He was not the One they were looking for - they didn’t want a ‘word become flesh’ - that was too close for comfort.
God is always new even as God is forever of old. God is always close to us, even as God dwells in the far places of heaven. God is deeply intimate even as God is powerfully creative. God is among us as One who would change us into His likeness day by day as we walk with Jesus and dare to see him as the One God sent. This means that we become more human not less, more alive, more joyful, more loving, more real and that our religion becomes not something which keeps God in our control , but something which opens us up to the mystery and surprise which God always is!
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
“One Whom We do Not Know”
“Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas,
star and angles gave the sign.”
And the world did not know him...
And his own people did not accept him.
And as strange as it sounds. even among us, more often then we would like to think, He stands as “One whom we do not know.”
He is among us in places we least expect, in people we find it difficult to be civil toward let alone love and in ways we are far from wanting to take as our way on this earth. For His way is the way of love and that is the hardest thing for us to come to in this world. We say we know what love is yet we reject it as the way to run our world.
It is too soft, we say; too sentimental, too easy, too forgiving. It’s a good way to get yourself killed, And of course, that’s exactly what happened to this Baby who commands so must attention at this time of the year.
Without love, as Paul reminds us so emphatically in his hymn to love, no matter what we do or believe, we are nothing!
That’s what makes this season such a powerful time of the year. This is no casual thing we are celebrating. This is the cosmic event of all time!
For Jesus is pure love coming to dwell in a world where hate has its sway and such love is always on the cutting edge of life going where we do not want to go and asking us to follow in places we would never go alone.
Indeed,
“Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas,
star and angles gave the sign.”
To believe this is to also have to, want to, dare to, rejoice to sing:
“Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all people,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
“One Whom You Do Not Know”
God is always a surprise. There is always more mystery than knowledge with God.
God came in human form and God comes in human form. It is the challenge and task of faith to see God in places we expect Him not and in people we know not.
Jesus was a surprise to all who thought they knew what to expect from God. He was not the One they were looking for - they didn’t want a ‘word become flesh’ - that was too close for comfort.
God is always new even as God is forever of old. God is always close to us, even as God dwells in the far places of heaven. God is deeply intimate even as God is powerfully creative. God is among us as One who would change us into His likeness day by day as we walk with Jesus and dare to see him as the One God sent. This means that we become more human not less, more alive, more joyful, more loving, more real and that our religion becomes not something which keeps God in our control , but something which opens us up to the mystery and surprise which God always is!
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Dec 7'14 Advent 2
ADVENT II ; IS. 40:1-11; 2 PETER 3:8-14; MK 1:1-8
Nov. 24, 1968 “But God Has Promised” 2 Peter 3:8-14 (Was Trinity-last)
For a child so much in life depends on the promises of Mom or Dad.
That is why they will turn even a hint of a promise - “We’ll see.”, “Maybe.” into a possible promise. So much depends on it.
For the child of God so much depends on God’s promises. Promises which turn us on, reassure us in our needs, and comfort us in our struggles. My faith does not make the promises real, but it does make them real for me.
To live with God is to live with promise; the promise of forgiveness, the promise of sustaining grace; the promise of compassion; the promise of eternal life.
In a letter written from Stalingrad, a man wrote to his wife and said, “The Fuerer has promised...” to get us out. It wasn’t enough. It was an empty promise.
In the face of much which would defeat us, we can say, like a child, “But God has promised!”
It is enough! For God can do what God promises!
Dec. 6, 1981 “The Mystery Hoped For”
There is a lot of mystery in our religion. Today we look the end in the eye and are not afraid, for we wait for what God has promised, a new heaven and a new earth.
There is a lot of mystery when we get close to God. Perhaps the greatest mystery is grace - that God will never give up on us. He waits patiently, lovingly, eternally, for our turning to Him and then as a Shepherd gathers and carries us in his Bosom. This is the mystery we hope for - and live in!
Dec. 9, 1984 “The Mystery Foretold”
What if the mystery of mysteries which is being foretold in our texts for today and is hidden in the simplicity of the Christmas story is that the final act of God is grace!
I believe it is! Listen!
Is. 40:1-11
II Peter 3:9
Rom 8:31
Even God’s judgment, which is never God’s last word, is a part of God’s grace.
The mystery that grace is the final act of God!
“Come To Repentance””
Today we are reminded not to rush headlong into our celebration of Christmas. To not start the celebrating until we have had time to be still and discover again how deep is God’s love.
We are reminded that we may well need to clean up our own act first, to come to repentance and open ourselves to change, before we can really celebrate Christmas.
Repentance - sounds like cold water on a happy time, but it isn’t. It is the way to make a happy time happier. For it opens us to the joy of forgiveness and the joy of Christmas. God waits for us to come to repentance, so God can love us in a way which make a real difference in our lives. So God can soften our hard hearts and make us more loving, as God is loving.
There is something of Scrooge in all of us. We are reminded today to confess this so we can truly celebrate Christmas.
Story: A Christmas Ballad for the Captain” (in my Christmas story file.)
“A Happy Book of Happy Stories”, pp. 17-26
Nov. 24, 1968 “But God Has Promised” 2 Peter 3:8-14 (Was Trinity-last)
For a child so much in life depends on the promises of Mom or Dad.
That is why they will turn even a hint of a promise - “We’ll see.”, “Maybe.” into a possible promise. So much depends on it.
For the child of God so much depends on God’s promises. Promises which turn us on, reassure us in our needs, and comfort us in our struggles. My faith does not make the promises real, but it does make them real for me.
To live with God is to live with promise; the promise of forgiveness, the promise of sustaining grace; the promise of compassion; the promise of eternal life.
In a letter written from Stalingrad, a man wrote to his wife and said, “The Fuerer has promised...” to get us out. It wasn’t enough. It was an empty promise.
In the face of much which would defeat us, we can say, like a child, “But God has promised!”
It is enough! For God can do what God promises!
Dec. 6, 1981 “The Mystery Hoped For”
There is a lot of mystery in our religion. Today we look the end in the eye and are not afraid, for we wait for what God has promised, a new heaven and a new earth.
There is a lot of mystery when we get close to God. Perhaps the greatest mystery is grace - that God will never give up on us. He waits patiently, lovingly, eternally, for our turning to Him and then as a Shepherd gathers and carries us in his Bosom. This is the mystery we hope for - and live in!
Dec. 9, 1984 “The Mystery Foretold”
What if the mystery of mysteries which is being foretold in our texts for today and is hidden in the simplicity of the Christmas story is that the final act of God is grace!
I believe it is! Listen!
Is. 40:1-11
II Peter 3:9
Rom 8:31
Even God’s judgment, which is never God’s last word, is a part of God’s grace.
The mystery that grace is the final act of God!
“Come To Repentance””
Today we are reminded not to rush headlong into our celebration of Christmas. To not start the celebrating until we have had time to be still and discover again how deep is God’s love.
We are reminded that we may well need to clean up our own act first, to come to repentance and open ourselves to change, before we can really celebrate Christmas.
Repentance - sounds like cold water on a happy time, but it isn’t. It is the way to make a happy time happier. For it opens us to the joy of forgiveness and the joy of Christmas. God waits for us to come to repentance, so God can love us in a way which make a real difference in our lives. So God can soften our hard hearts and make us more loving, as God is loving.
There is something of Scrooge in all of us. We are reminded today to confess this so we can truly celebrate Christmas.
Story: A Christmas Ballad for the Captain” (in my Christmas story file.)
“A Happy Book of Happy Stories”, pp. 17-26
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Nov. 30, 2014 Advent 1
Mark 13:24-37
(Jesus is speaking)
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
“Watch - In Faith”
The word watch often goes with the word out.
“You better watch out, you better not pout...”
It carries more from the sense of a threat of something bad happening rather then a promise of something good happening.
This produces more fear, guilt, apprehension which leads to up tight, unhappy living and believing. Not able to let go and live.
How contrary to the spirit of Jesus, who came that we might have life abundantly!
So...lets put in a different preposition - in.
Watch in faith, in joy, in thankfulness, in anticipation of something good going to happen. Watch in faith for the mystery of God to unfold before your very eyes.
It will...it has...it does...it is happening now!
To stay awake means to stay faithful at each moment in our lives. Living not in the idolatry of certainty, but in the ambiguity of faith which wrestles with mystery and dares go beyond reason. Christmas is not reasonable. It is mystery opening before our eyes when we are open to seeing it. This is what we watch for!
“The Mystery Awaited”
Mystery means (5th meaning in Webster) “any truth unknowable except by divine revelation.” That is, mystery can be something I discover and live with, embrace and experience through encounter.
We don’t solve the mystery of the end time. We live ready lives, alive and alert to the mystery of God’s love as it has been, is, and shall be in our world.
These words are not a threat; they are a promise. A promise which creates hope in our lives.
To be watching for Jesus return is to be watching for the return of a lover, and you know how exciting and energizing that can be!
We are to live as those who know a great mystery, and live to experience that mystery in deeper and deeper ways in our lives. As Albert Einstein has said:
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science (and at the center of all true religion). He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.”
“And Yet O lord”
“Such a text must be approached cautiously, lest we say too much and therefore be too much misunderstood.” Walter Brueggemann, Proclamation 3, p. 13
It is tempting to try say too much about the second coming; and use it to try scare people
into being good and in believing in God, like we do with children.
“You better watch out, you better not pout,
you better not cry, I'm telling you why,
Jesus Christ is coming to town.”
This is not what these words are about. They are about hope and are meant to generate anticipation, excitement, expectation, and joy because the One we are waiting for is a friend, not an enemy. We are to get ready for something big which is going to happen.
In this, which is not the easiest time of the year, we hear this word of hope which gives meaning and direction to all we do. Our God, who has come to dwell with us is coming again, now and at the end of time - we need not fear, we can live in hope! For with God there is always hope. And with God’s coming we experience hope. Nothing can happen to take this away from us, for no matter what happens God is present for us and will turn the worst into the best. Christmas will be a joy, no matter what!
“There were many periods in our past when we had every right in the world to turn to God and say, ‘enough. Since You seem to approve of all these persecutions, all these outrages, have it Your way: let Your world go on without Jews. either You are our partner in history, or You are not. If you are, do Your share; if You are not, we consider ourselves free of past commitments. Since You choose to break the Covenant, so be it.’
And yet, and yet...We went on believing, hoping, invoking His name...We did not give up on Him....for this is the essence of being Jewish: never to give up- never to yield to despair.” A Jew Today, p. 164 Elie Wiesel
(Jesus is speaking)
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
“Watch - In Faith”
The word watch often goes with the word out.
“You better watch out, you better not pout...”
It carries more from the sense of a threat of something bad happening rather then a promise of something good happening.
This produces more fear, guilt, apprehension which leads to up tight, unhappy living and believing. Not able to let go and live.
How contrary to the spirit of Jesus, who came that we might have life abundantly!
So...lets put in a different preposition - in.
Watch in faith, in joy, in thankfulness, in anticipation of something good going to happen. Watch in faith for the mystery of God to unfold before your very eyes.
It will...it has...it does...it is happening now!
To stay awake means to stay faithful at each moment in our lives. Living not in the idolatry of certainty, but in the ambiguity of faith which wrestles with mystery and dares go beyond reason. Christmas is not reasonable. It is mystery opening before our eyes when we are open to seeing it. This is what we watch for!
“The Mystery Awaited”
Mystery means (5th meaning in Webster) “any truth unknowable except by divine revelation.” That is, mystery can be something I discover and live with, embrace and experience through encounter.
We don’t solve the mystery of the end time. We live ready lives, alive and alert to the mystery of God’s love as it has been, is, and shall be in our world.
These words are not a threat; they are a promise. A promise which creates hope in our lives.
To be watching for Jesus return is to be watching for the return of a lover, and you know how exciting and energizing that can be!
We are to live as those who know a great mystery, and live to experience that mystery in deeper and deeper ways in our lives. As Albert Einstein has said:
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science (and at the center of all true religion). He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.”
“And Yet O lord”
“Such a text must be approached cautiously, lest we say too much and therefore be too much misunderstood.” Walter Brueggemann, Proclamation 3, p. 13
It is tempting to try say too much about the second coming; and use it to try scare people
into being good and in believing in God, like we do with children.
“You better watch out, you better not pout,
you better not cry, I'm telling you why,
Jesus Christ is coming to town.”
This is not what these words are about. They are about hope and are meant to generate anticipation, excitement, expectation, and joy because the One we are waiting for is a friend, not an enemy. We are to get ready for something big which is going to happen.
In this, which is not the easiest time of the year, we hear this word of hope which gives meaning and direction to all we do. Our God, who has come to dwell with us is coming again, now and at the end of time - we need not fear, we can live in hope! For with God there is always hope. And with God’s coming we experience hope. Nothing can happen to take this away from us, for no matter what happens God is present for us and will turn the worst into the best. Christmas will be a joy, no matter what!
“There were many periods in our past when we had every right in the world to turn to God and say, ‘enough. Since You seem to approve of all these persecutions, all these outrages, have it Your way: let Your world go on without Jews. either You are our partner in history, or You are not. If you are, do Your share; if You are not, we consider ourselves free of past commitments. Since You choose to break the Covenant, so be it.’
And yet, and yet...We went on believing, hoping, invoking His name...We did not give up on Him....for this is the essence of being Jewish: never to give up- never to yield to despair.” A Jew Today, p. 164 Elie Wiesel
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Nov. 23, 2014 Christ The King Sunday
Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
“Come, You Blessed”
We all know that words can be cheap.
We all know that faith which is not lived is hollow, empty, meaningless; that without love faith is nothing. I Cor. 13:1-3
We also know that we fall far short of being who we say we are.
Jimmy and Tammy Baker are not the only hypocrites in the world.
So we come here again, not to gloat, but to be kept on course.
Just as the rocket to the moon has to constantly be adjusted lest it miss the mark.
Today we come to the end of the Church year and we hear a word of hope from Ezekiel and Paul.( Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Ephesians 1:15-23) The story is complete; we can live in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection and in the confidence that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Then the Gospel turns our eyes back to life in the here and now, with a strong reminder that what counts is not just dreaming about what will be, but loosing ourselves in what is. Not just star gazing, looking for the coming of the Glorious Kingdom, but seeing the places and people whom God has placed in our path, through whom we are given the opportunity to live out our words, and make our faith active in love. Not because we are trying to gain heaven, but because we are being led by, and are open to the nudging of the Holy Spirit. This makes us vulnerable to the real human needs which cross our paths and call for our compassion.
We don’t always know we are doing it. It is not trying to be religious; it is being open to what comes our way and responding with something which has in it the love of God. Did you notice, both those who were affirmed and those who were rejected, didn’t know why! The depth of our goodness and badness can often best be seen when we think no one is looking.
Sometimes we are being evil and don’t know it.
i.e. Scott Peck story of the father who gave his second son the gun his older brother used to committed suicide, as a Christmas present.
Is it possible that whenever I evade my responsibility to stand up for my brother or sister in need, turn my back, pretend I don’t hear, can’t see, become indifferent, it is a sign of the evil within me, which keeps God from loving through me?
Likewise, when ever I stop to help, to care, to live in some small way, the love of God is there to do its powerful thing. As Mother Teresa says,
“All gestures of love, however small they be,
in favor of the poor and the unwanted.
are important to Jesus.”
This makes God glad, for God’s Kingdom is still coming on earth as it is in heaven. Then God can say what God wants to say:
“Come ye blessed (of my Father),
inherit the Kingdom prepared for you,
from the foundation of the world.”
“The Least of These”
Two things stand out in these words of Jesus.
1. The Kingdom of God has a lot to do with the nobodies of this world. It always has and it always will.
Life in the Kingdom is forsaking greatness for smallness,
property for people,
one’s own religiosity for others needs,
the protection of respectability for the vulnerability of compassion.
“It is (our) care and love and service of ‘the very least’ of the human race , the helpless, the presumed ‘godforsaken’ the lawbreakers, the ‘little ones’ which are the marks of the righteousness expected of the authentic children of God. “
This is where God looks to see what it is we really believe!
2. We do this best when we don’t know we are doing it. We do this best when
we lose ourselves in being kind and doing good, not because this is
the way to get to heaven, but because this is what naturally flows out of a life touched by the love, grace, and mercy of God.
When he was a wise old man Aldous Huxley wrote: “It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with human problems all one’s life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than try to be a little kinder.”
It is as a Western Mystic who said, ”Do you want to be a saint? Be kind, be kind, be kind.”
And it was Mother Teresa who said:
“At the end of life we will not be judged by
how many diplomas we have received
how much money we have made
how many great things we have done,
We will be judged by
‘I was hungry and you gave me to eat
I was naked and you clothed me
I was homeless and you took me in.”
“Hungry not only for bread - but hungry for love.
Naked not only for clothing - but naked for human dignity and respect.
Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks - but homeless because of rejection.
This is Christ in distressing disguise. What we do to them we do to him! “
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Nov. 16 204 23rd Sunday of Pentecost
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“Afraid To Risk”
What we do not use we waste. Money is no good unless it is used. God’s gifts of grace, love, forgiveness are of little good if they are only kept to ourselves. In fact, they create self-righteousness in us which leads to no good.
“In this one sense, we human beings are akin to the battery in a flashlight; unused, it corrodes. What we do not use is wasted; what we do not share we cannot keep.”
Earl A. Loomis, “The Self In Pilgrimage” p. 7
What we fear to risk we loose.
“A child who fears he won’t be liked never finds out how likable he could be. A young girl who believes she’s so unattractive she’ll never have a date actually contributes, by worry , to the poor appearance that fulfills her fears.”
Dr. Loomis p. 6
When we are so afraid of making a mistake that we do nothing, we loose more than if we risked, and made a mistake. God has a cure for mistakes. It’s called forgiveness.
Dare to risk making a mistake and discover what God can do with what little you might have to make a big difference in someone's life, a difference which makes a big difference to God!
Therein lies the abundant life Jesus promised.
“Doing Something With Our Talents”
The emphasis of this parable is on the servant who did nothing - who was afraid to fail so didn’t try.
The parable warns us against doing nothing with the Gospel...our talents...our uniqueness...our creativity...our ideas and skills...our unique self.
When we don’t use it we lose it!
It is okay to fail; make a mistake, have a flop.
It is not okay to do nothing.
What ever God has created in us, that is our talents.
What ever we do with it, that is the measure of success in life.
As Paul Simpson Duke suggests:
“Jesus’ point seems to be that the worst we can do is nothing.”
“The parable proclaims joyous freedom under great grace.”
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“Afraid To Risk”
What we do not use we waste. Money is no good unless it is used. God’s gifts of grace, love, forgiveness are of little good if they are only kept to ourselves. In fact, they create self-righteousness in us which leads to no good.
“In this one sense, we human beings are akin to the battery in a flashlight; unused, it corrodes. What we do not use is wasted; what we do not share we cannot keep.”
Earl A. Loomis, “The Self In Pilgrimage” p. 7
What we fear to risk we loose.
“A child who fears he won’t be liked never finds out how likable he could be. A young girl who believes she’s so unattractive she’ll never have a date actually contributes, by worry , to the poor appearance that fulfills her fears.”
Dr. Loomis p. 6
When we are so afraid of making a mistake that we do nothing, we loose more than if we risked, and made a mistake. God has a cure for mistakes. It’s called forgiveness.
Dare to risk making a mistake and discover what God can do with what little you might have to make a big difference in someone's life, a difference which makes a big difference to God!
Therein lies the abundant life Jesus promised.
“Doing Something With Our Talents”
The emphasis of this parable is on the servant who did nothing - who was afraid to fail so didn’t try.
The parable warns us against doing nothing with the Gospel...our talents...our uniqueness...our creativity...our ideas and skills...our unique self.
When we don’t use it we lose it!
It is okay to fail; make a mistake, have a flop.
It is not okay to do nothing.
What ever God has created in us, that is our talents.
What ever we do with it, that is the measure of success in life.
As Paul Simpson Duke suggests:
“Jesus’ point seems to be that the worst we can do is nothing.”
“The parable proclaims joyous freedom under great grace.”
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Nov. 9, 2014 22nd Sunday of Pentecost
Matthew 25:1-13
25:1 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. 25:2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 25:3 Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, 25:4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 25:5 Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 25:6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 25:8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 25:10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 25:11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ 25:12 But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 25:13 Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
“GIVING THE GIFT”
Grace alone saves, but grace is never alone.
Grace is a free gift of Gods love in Jesus Christ. yet grace is not cheap.
“It demands my life, my soul, my all.”
It is by grace that we are saved, yet grace which makes no difference in who we are and how we are, becomes no grace at all.
The five foolish bridesmaids mirror this for us.
We dare not take grace for granted. We must always be ready when the moment of ministry comes. The moment to live out our gift of grace.
They were not ready and they missed the opportunity and the party.
The 5 bridesmaids who had enough oil and could not share it remind us that:
There are some things no one can do for me - I have to do it for myself. I have to be responsible if there is enough oil in my lamp. Co-dependency results when you try to do this for me.
As Post Grape-nuts ad says, “You gotta try it a week- for yourself.”
Missed opportunities are just that - missed opportunities in which something of the goodness of life is lost and something of the grace of God is missing.
We need to be ready to be responsible to others, with enough oil in our lamps to be a source of hope, comfort, and joy to them. We need to be ready to give the gift we have been given - the gift of grace!
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Nov. 2, 2014 All Saints Sunday
Matthew 5:1-12
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“Rejoice And Be Glad”
“I’m no Saint!
I’ve made some mistakes.
I’d do some things differently.
I’d not do some things I did, and do some things I didn’t do.
I’m no Saint!” Gerald Ford as he was being considered for appointment to V. Pres.
Most of us do not consider ourselves to be saints. In fact, it is almost an insult to be called a saint. It means you are not in touch with real life. As the agnostic Robert Ingersoll describes, you are someone who is “...not quite sick enough to die nor healthy enough to be wicked.”
This is a gross contradiction! A saint is someone who is very human.
A saint is someone who wants much out of life but refuses to crush life to get it. Who is passionate enough to not hurt others as he/she drinks deeply of life.
A saint is someone who dares to live as a human with an eye towards heaven. Who can be “poor in spirit” because he/she doesn’t have to pretend. Who can be “meek” because he/she doesn’t have to always be right. Who can be” merciful” because he/she doesn’t have to judge others. Who can “hunger and thirst after righteousness” because he/she doesn’t have to have all the answers all the time.
A saint is a very human person who can “rejoice and be glad” amidst persecution, suffering, grief or pain because he/she lives on earth with an eye on heaven; and the love of God which comes from above.
“Enjoy The Luxury Of Doing Good”
We usually think of a saint as someone extraordinary. A St. Francis of Assisi, a Maximillian Kolbe - the catholic priest who took the place of a condemned polish Jew at Auschwitz and was canonized a saint in l971, or a Mother Teresa. A Raoul Wallenberg, Martin Luther King, or Dietrick Boenhoffer.
We don’t often think of ourselves as saints. Yet this is what we are - all of us!
Or at least it can be said we are called to be saints! We are called to live out our faith in the places where it makes a difference in our lives and in the lives of others. Even as we are called saints numerous times in Scripture. See Ps 31:23; Ps 31:4;Rom 1:7
This is what we are - saints! Sinners who have not yet given up and thrown in the towel.
Real alive, vibrant, passionate, gutsy human beings who struggle to make faith “ a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of life” (P. T. Forsythe) and not just a little frosting on the cake.
The Beatitudes are our marching orders.
“poor in spirit” - humble enough to laugh at our own foolishness and not claim to have all the answers.
“mourn” - feel the sadness of life and grieve deeply.
“meek” - Not weak, but strong in a gentle way.
“hunger and thirst for righteousness” - who desire something more than the easy life.
“merciful” - compassionate; walking with those who suffer; the luxury of doing good.
“pure in heart” - living from the inside out; genuine; trustworthy; real.
“peacemakers” - something every one wants and seems to evade us all.
“persecuted” - to be a saint is no easy calling; it will mean conflict; dangerous calling!
God calls us to be saints and God is with us, empowering us in this calling. Nothing can keep us from being happy; Nothing can keep us from enjoying the luxury of doing good, loving justice, and walking humbly with our God!
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“Rejoice And Be Glad”
“I’m no Saint!
I’ve made some mistakes.
I’d do some things differently.
I’d not do some things I did, and do some things I didn’t do.
I’m no Saint!” Gerald Ford as he was being considered for appointment to V. Pres.
Most of us do not consider ourselves to be saints. In fact, it is almost an insult to be called a saint. It means you are not in touch with real life. As the agnostic Robert Ingersoll describes, you are someone who is “...not quite sick enough to die nor healthy enough to be wicked.”
This is a gross contradiction! A saint is someone who is very human.
A saint is someone who wants much out of life but refuses to crush life to get it. Who is passionate enough to not hurt others as he/she drinks deeply of life.
A saint is someone who dares to live as a human with an eye towards heaven. Who can be “poor in spirit” because he/she doesn’t have to pretend. Who can be “meek” because he/she doesn’t have to always be right. Who can be” merciful” because he/she doesn’t have to judge others. Who can “hunger and thirst after righteousness” because he/she doesn’t have to have all the answers all the time.
A saint is a very human person who can “rejoice and be glad” amidst persecution, suffering, grief or pain because he/she lives on earth with an eye on heaven; and the love of God which comes from above.
“Enjoy The Luxury Of Doing Good”
We usually think of a saint as someone extraordinary. A St. Francis of Assisi, a Maximillian Kolbe - the catholic priest who took the place of a condemned polish Jew at Auschwitz and was canonized a saint in l971, or a Mother Teresa. A Raoul Wallenberg, Martin Luther King, or Dietrick Boenhoffer.
We don’t often think of ourselves as saints. Yet this is what we are - all of us!
Or at least it can be said we are called to be saints! We are called to live out our faith in the places where it makes a difference in our lives and in the lives of others. Even as we are called saints numerous times in Scripture. See Ps 31:23; Ps 31:4;Rom 1:7
This is what we are - saints! Sinners who have not yet given up and thrown in the towel.
Real alive, vibrant, passionate, gutsy human beings who struggle to make faith “ a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of life” (P. T. Forsythe) and not just a little frosting on the cake.
The Beatitudes are our marching orders.
“poor in spirit” - humble enough to laugh at our own foolishness and not claim to have all the answers.
“mourn” - feel the sadness of life and grieve deeply.
“meek” - Not weak, but strong in a gentle way.
“hunger and thirst for righteousness” - who desire something more than the easy life.
“merciful” - compassionate; walking with those who suffer; the luxury of doing good.
“pure in heart” - living from the inside out; genuine; trustworthy; real.
“peacemakers” - something every one wants and seems to evade us all.
“persecuted” - to be a saint is no easy calling; it will mean conflict; dangerous calling!
God calls us to be saints and God is with us, empowering us in this calling. Nothing can keep us from being happy; Nothing can keep us from enjoying the luxury of doing good, loving justice, and walking humbly with our God!
Monday, October 20, 2014
Oct.26 2014 Reformation Sunday
John 8:31-36
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
“The Three Principles Of The Reformation”
Faith alone - by grace through faith we are saved,
Word alone - The freedom we have to believe according to the dictates of our conscience, bound only by the Word and guided by the Holy Spirit.
The Priesthood of all believers - we are all priest called to serve God in our living.
“FREE INDEED”
Reformation Sunday is a powerful Sunday which reminds us of how great our God is, and how good it is to be loved by God!
Our reformation is to discover the truth that Jesus is hidden everywhere, even where we expect him least. It is also to recognize change as the driving force of God’s Word.
God’s Word is an instrument of change and will, if we let it, change the way we look at things. It “is the source of all that is creative in the life of the Church.” (Luther)
It sets us free to be new and different people. People who put love at the center of life and let nothing keep it from doing its thing.
There is a place for good works. (In spite of what Luther said and experienced in his day.) Deeds done because of faith. James is a good book. (In spite of what Luther said.) Faith must be active in love.
We are to be little Christ's who go about doing good, not because this is the way to earn heaven but because this is the way to show that we are free from the fear of losing heaven and to show not only that we love God, but that God first loved us
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
“The Three Principles Of The Reformation”
Faith alone - by grace through faith we are saved,
Word alone - The freedom we have to believe according to the dictates of our conscience, bound only by the Word and guided by the Holy Spirit.
The Priesthood of all believers - we are all priest called to serve God in our living.
“FREE INDEED”
Reformation Sunday is a powerful Sunday which reminds us of how great our God is, and how good it is to be loved by God!
Our reformation is to discover the truth that Jesus is hidden everywhere, even where we expect him least. It is also to recognize change as the driving force of God’s Word.
God’s Word is an instrument of change and will, if we let it, change the way we look at things. It “is the source of all that is creative in the life of the Church.” (Luther)
It sets us free to be new and different people. People who put love at the center of life and let nothing keep it from doing its thing.
There is a place for good works. (In spite of what Luther said and experienced in his day.) Deeds done because of faith. James is a good book. (In spite of what Luther said.) Faith must be active in love.
We are to be little Christ's who go about doing good, not because this is the way to earn heaven but because this is the way to show that we are free from the fear of losing heaven and to show not only that we love God, but that God first loved us
Monday, October 13, 2014
Oct. 19, 2014 19th Sunday of Pentecost
Matthew 22:15-22
15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him (Jesus) in his talk. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Hero'di-ans, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him a coin. 20 And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21 They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 22 When they heard it, they marveled; and they left him and went away.
“A Loaded Question”
A loaded question is one that has more hidden then revealed.
A loaded question doesn’t deserve a straight answer. In fact it can’t be answered straight.
The issue at stake in this text is not simply the payment of taxes; it is the issue of the plurality and priority of the claims on one’s life and substance.
The issue at the heart of the text is how much are we willing to struggle with our faith as a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of life. How much are we willing to struggle with putting our faith into action in love.
The answer Jesus gave left them with the struggle to be responsible for their own answer. And to determine where the hypocrisy was in their lives.
Each of us has the responsibility to determine as best we can where the hypocrisy is in our lives and then work at being more genuine, more truly human. This is the struggle of faith. To determine what is Caesar and what is Gods. That is, what priorities are going to claim our life and all its substance. How are we going to live?
If the image of Caesar is on the coin, then the counterpart to that which Jesus leaves unsaid, is that Gods image is on us! All of life is to be lived in gratitude to God who created us and sustains us with His love.
‘No Pat Answers”
Life isn’t black or white. It is made up of the shades of gray. It is not just having the answers; it is living with questions, struggles, even dilemmas. When ever we ask a question which begs a “yes” or “no” answer, we are either setting a trap or evading the struggle which is necessary to grow.
Jesus didn’t answer such questions. When closed minded people asked him a closed question, he gave them a riddle or a parable which made them come up with the answer.
It also showed their hypocrisy.
It is a dangerous thing to be closed minded. It just might keep us from ever getting close to the Kingdom of God.
To be in step with Jesus Christ today is to struggle to be open with the issues which touch our lives...abortion, divorce, homosexuality, alcoholism and drug abuse.
It is to be open to the changes which are always a part of life.
It is to dare put people before principles, as Jesus did.
Healed on Sabbath
Ate with tax collectors and sinners
Talked to an adulterous woman in public
Went to the home of Zaccheus
To be in step with Jesus is to have a relationship with God which is real and alive and changing. A relationship of faith which is a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of my life. A relationship which has room for failure and is open to surprises. To live with Jesus is to have the surprise of our lives, not just once, not just once in a while, but many times as Jesus opens us up to the joys of life in Gods Kingdom.
15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him (Jesus) in his talk. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Hero'di-ans, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him a coin. 20 And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21 They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 22 When they heard it, they marveled; and they left him and went away.
“A Loaded Question”
A loaded question is one that has more hidden then revealed.
A loaded question doesn’t deserve a straight answer. In fact it can’t be answered straight.
The issue at stake in this text is not simply the payment of taxes; it is the issue of the plurality and priority of the claims on one’s life and substance.
The issue at the heart of the text is how much are we willing to struggle with our faith as a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of life. How much are we willing to struggle with putting our faith into action in love.
The answer Jesus gave left them with the struggle to be responsible for their own answer. And to determine where the hypocrisy was in their lives.
Each of us has the responsibility to determine as best we can where the hypocrisy is in our lives and then work at being more genuine, more truly human. This is the struggle of faith. To determine what is Caesar and what is Gods. That is, what priorities are going to claim our life and all its substance. How are we going to live?
If the image of Caesar is on the coin, then the counterpart to that which Jesus leaves unsaid, is that Gods image is on us! All of life is to be lived in gratitude to God who created us and sustains us with His love.
‘No Pat Answers”
Life isn’t black or white. It is made up of the shades of gray. It is not just having the answers; it is living with questions, struggles, even dilemmas. When ever we ask a question which begs a “yes” or “no” answer, we are either setting a trap or evading the struggle which is necessary to grow.
Jesus didn’t answer such questions. When closed minded people asked him a closed question, he gave them a riddle or a parable which made them come up with the answer.
It also showed their hypocrisy.
It is a dangerous thing to be closed minded. It just might keep us from ever getting close to the Kingdom of God.
To be in step with Jesus Christ today is to struggle to be open with the issues which touch our lives...abortion, divorce, homosexuality, alcoholism and drug abuse.
It is to be open to the changes which are always a part of life.
It is to dare put people before principles, as Jesus did.
Healed on Sabbath
Ate with tax collectors and sinners
Talked to an adulterous woman in public
Went to the home of Zaccheus
To be in step with Jesus is to have a relationship with God which is real and alive and changing. A relationship of faith which is a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of my life. A relationship which has room for failure and is open to surprises. To live with Jesus is to have the surprise of our lives, not just once, not just once in a while, but many times as Jesus opens us up to the joys of life in Gods Kingdom.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Oct. 12, 2014 18th Sunday of Pentecost
Matthew 22:1-14
1 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, "Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."
“The Parable of the Wedding Feast”
Two points stand out in this text.
The first is summarized by the words of Dr. Helmet Thielicke:
“Christian satiation is worse then hungry heathenism.” Indifference and complacency are both dangerous to faith. They take the life out of it.
The second is pointed to by the words of Nietzsche: “If you expect me to believe in your Redeemer, you have to look more redeemed.” God expects to see something different in our lives because we have been to his banquet.
We are shocked and surprised by the treatment of the one who came to the feast without a wedding garment. We do want to have our cake and eat it too. As Dr Helmut Thielicke says, “We seat ourselves at the banquet table without a wedding garment when we allow our sins to be forgiven but still want to hang on to them.” p. 190
When we have no intention of being changed by God’s grace!
God’s intention is to change us into God’s likeness - like it or not. If we refuse to be changed; we will not be welcome in God’s Kingdom. Make what you can of that!
1 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, "Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."
“The Parable of the Wedding Feast”
Two points stand out in this text.
The first is summarized by the words of Dr. Helmet Thielicke:
“Christian satiation is worse then hungry heathenism.” Indifference and complacency are both dangerous to faith. They take the life out of it.
The second is pointed to by the words of Nietzsche: “If you expect me to believe in your Redeemer, you have to look more redeemed.” God expects to see something different in our lives because we have been to his banquet.
We are shocked and surprised by the treatment of the one who came to the feast without a wedding garment. We do want to have our cake and eat it too. As Dr Helmut Thielicke says, “We seat ourselves at the banquet table without a wedding garment when we allow our sins to be forgiven but still want to hang on to them.” p. 190
When we have no intention of being changed by God’s grace!
God’s intention is to change us into God’s likeness - like it or not. If we refuse to be changed; we will not be welcome in God’s Kingdom. Make what you can of that!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Oct. 5, 2014 17th Sunday of Pentecost
Matthew 21:33-46
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
“The Parable of the Wicked Tenants - A Wake up Call to God’s Love”
The setting of the parable of the wicked tenants is the “running oral controversy” Jesus is having with the religious leaders of his day. For Jesus the vineyard is Israel and the rebellious tenants are its leaders, who are trying to “seize the inheritance” for themselves. They are cast out and the vineyard is given to other tenants, who will give God the fruits in their season. These other tenants are the tax collectors and harlots who will enter the kingdom ahead of the religious leaders.
When asked, “what should the owner do with these tenants?”, they give the right answer. The right answer that is, for them. Not the right answer for God. For God is not satisfied with judgment, ever. Not even with them. God does not delight in judgment, ever! This is not God’s nature and it is not God’s liking. Judgment is always second to mercy and its purpose is only and always to prepare the way for love and grace to flow, full and free. This is why Jesus tells this parable - to try wake the people up to Gods love, not Gods judgment.
We need this shock therapy to wake us up and remind us of our role in Gods Kingdom. We are not owners. We are tenants, stewards, servants, who are to ”give God the fruits in their seasons.” This means we are not to “set our minds on earthly things”, but on “heavenly things”. This is a real struggle for all of us. It means we have to let go of trying to have it all, and be a servant to the least and the lowly. It means we have to carry our faith into our daily lives in ways which make a difference even for those who do not know the One we follow and are not interested in our religious beliefs. It means we have to walk the walk, at all costs!
“Produce The Proper Fruits”
The Kingdom of God will always belong to someone, yet it is owned by no one.
We are tenants, not owners. And the bottom line for a tenant is the crop produced.
Jesus is saying to the leaders of his day that “ the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and be given to a people who will produce the proper fruits” because:
They were adding to the burdens of the people rather then lifting their burdens.
They were more interested in being religious then in being merciful.
They were quick to cast the first stone as they judged others but could not
see the sins of their ways.
We, the Church, stand with the tenants. We are to produce proper fruits. If we don’t, we too will have it taken away from us. This is not a threat. This is part of Gods promise! God expects much from us because God has done much for us. We are blessed so we can be a blessing.
The fruit God is looking for in our lives is that we love one another as God loves us.
This does not mean sweet sentimentalism but strong compassion.
It means “That inner disposition to go with others where they hurt, where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken.” (Nouwen) It means to give up judging others, to stop measuring our meaning and value with the yardstick of others, and thus to become free to be with them and allow God to be the judge. “Love does not insist on its own way.”
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
“The Parable of the Wicked Tenants - A Wake up Call to God’s Love”
The setting of the parable of the wicked tenants is the “running oral controversy” Jesus is having with the religious leaders of his day. For Jesus the vineyard is Israel and the rebellious tenants are its leaders, who are trying to “seize the inheritance” for themselves. They are cast out and the vineyard is given to other tenants, who will give God the fruits in their season. These other tenants are the tax collectors and harlots who will enter the kingdom ahead of the religious leaders.
When asked, “what should the owner do with these tenants?”, they give the right answer. The right answer that is, for them. Not the right answer for God. For God is not satisfied with judgment, ever. Not even with them. God does not delight in judgment, ever! This is not God’s nature and it is not God’s liking. Judgment is always second to mercy and its purpose is only and always to prepare the way for love and grace to flow, full and free. This is why Jesus tells this parable - to try wake the people up to Gods love, not Gods judgment.
We need this shock therapy to wake us up and remind us of our role in Gods Kingdom. We are not owners. We are tenants, stewards, servants, who are to ”give God the fruits in their seasons.” This means we are not to “set our minds on earthly things”, but on “heavenly things”. This is a real struggle for all of us. It means we have to let go of trying to have it all, and be a servant to the least and the lowly. It means we have to carry our faith into our daily lives in ways which make a difference even for those who do not know the One we follow and are not interested in our religious beliefs. It means we have to walk the walk, at all costs!
“Produce The Proper Fruits”
The Kingdom of God will always belong to someone, yet it is owned by no one.
We are tenants, not owners. And the bottom line for a tenant is the crop produced.
Jesus is saying to the leaders of his day that “ the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and be given to a people who will produce the proper fruits” because:
They were adding to the burdens of the people rather then lifting their burdens.
They were more interested in being religious then in being merciful.
They were quick to cast the first stone as they judged others but could not
see the sins of their ways.
We, the Church, stand with the tenants. We are to produce proper fruits. If we don’t, we too will have it taken away from us. This is not a threat. This is part of Gods promise! God expects much from us because God has done much for us. We are blessed so we can be a blessing.
The fruit God is looking for in our lives is that we love one another as God loves us.
This does not mean sweet sentimentalism but strong compassion.
It means “That inner disposition to go with others where they hurt, where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken.” (Nouwen) It means to give up judging others, to stop measuring our meaning and value with the yardstick of others, and thus to become free to be with them and allow God to be the judge. “Love does not insist on its own way.”
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Sept. 28, 2011 16th of Pentecost
Matthew 21:23-32
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
“Changed Into His Likeness”
“It is not easy to ‘change our minds and believe’ something we don’t want to believe.
We do it slowly, cautiously, reluctantly, if we do it at all. Most of the time we try not do it at all.”
All too often even our religious beliefs help us to not change our minds and believe something new and different. To not get “a new heart and a new spirit.” Ezek. 18:31
Going to church is meant to be a change agent in our lives. So we can “be of the same mind as was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.”
Phil. 2:5-7
We are not to just live in the past and stay locked in our old paradigms. We are to be ‘guided in the way of salvation’ and say yes to what is yet to be. This also means we will have to say no to some of what has been.
For the fact is, “the absolutes of yesterday become the obsoletes of today.”
There is only one absolute - “God is love!” Everything else is relative and up for grabs.
To say yes to love is to say yes to change as a way of life; change into His likeness!
“No = Yes”
The parable of the two sons is a biting parable which confronts the people of Jesus day - and us, who are trying to be religious, moral, good, and God fearing - with the disturbing truth that it is not enough to just talk the talk. It is necessary to walk the walk. That means we may have to do something we don’t want to do, something we are not inclined to do, something we even say no to, then have a change our heart, and go do it.
It is better to say no and mean it then to say yes and not mean it. In fact, we cannot say “yes” without also saying “no”. No is an important little word which establishes our identity, gives us dignity, and opens the door to our choosing to say yes.
To say “yes” to God is to never be free again to go our own way and do our own thing without a second thought as to what this means to others. It is to live out our words in how we handle our money, our time, our gifts, our energy. It is to be deeply aware that what God asks of us is not easy, yet it is full of grace and love, which makes it more then worth while.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Sept. 21, 2014 15th of Pentecost
Matthew 20:1-16
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
“Gods generosity far exceeds Gods fairness”
God is more generous than we want God to be.
God is more generous than we want to be.
God is so generous it seems unfair to us.
To complain about the pay is to miss the joy of having labored long and hard in the Kingdom. It is to miss the emptiness of “ standing idle in the market place.”
God calls us, invites us, urges, to get involved in Gods Kingdom on earth. There is something God needs doing that no one can do like you.
Riddle: “What do you have that nobody else has?”
Answer: “You!”
Your slant on things;
your way of doing things;
your creative thoughts;
your twist on things.
To turn this loose is to try something which has never been tried before. Make what you can of that!
“Is God Fair?”
No! God is not fair. God is generous!
None of us deserve God’s love; all of us are loved by God. The good, the bad, the indifferent. This parable drives home the truth of the old hymn, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” All have sinned and fall short. All enter by grace alone!
The challenge for we who enter Kingdom work early is that God’s generosity (grace) can easily seem unfair when we are not included. We are included but when we work so hard we subtly and not so subtly begin to think that we deserve it. That is the great danger of being religious!
What we need to remember is that no matter how religious we are, no matter how long we have labored in God’s Kingdom it is “By grace we are saved through faith. It is not a work...lest anyone should boast.”
“The Unfairness Of Grace”
Jesus is lucky there were no unions around in his day. He would have been in big trouble. Even though the master in this parable did no wrong. He acted with generosity toward the late comers, and fairness toward the rest. This was his right and privilege.
There is something inherently unfair about grace. It doesn’t try to be just, but merciful; fair, but forgiving, equal, but special, uniform but unique. Our God is a God of grace!
We can never predict what God will do and we can never limit who God will do it with.
It is a privilege to be hired at the first hour. These are the lucky ones who know the joy of living in the kingdom. Idleness is not a blessing.
Norman Cousins in “The Anatomy Of An Illness”, says there are two things necessary for longevity of life: creativity and meaningful involvement with others.
We who have never known what it is to be without a God we call Father (Mother); who have never known what it is to not be forgiven, loved, cared for; who have never known what it is to be “lost in a haunted woods, children afraid of the night who have never been happy or good.” (Auden) We are the lucky ones. And we dare not forget it nor resist God’s graciousness towards the less fortunate.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Sept. 14, 2014 14h of Pentecost
Matthew 18: 21-35
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
“The Echo of Forgiveness”
Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith. Without it there is no faith.
Forgiveness does not seek to cover up the wrong; it is not soft, blind or unconcerned about evil; nor is it soft on justice. Forgiveness never looses sight of the person behind the act; the person who is in need of help.
The limit to forgiveness is the degree to which we have been forgiven. And that is much!
Only the person who receives forgiveness can pass it on;
only the person who passes on forgiveness really receives it.
Forgiveness begins with being forgiven.
Forgiveness is an echo. It does not originate with us and it does not end with us.
We forgive as we have been forgiven.
”My Rights And God’s Mercy”
To live with mercy as the heart beat of our lives means that what is loving, forgiving, merciful, and thus life giving, comes before just being right.
“If there is anything which keeps us out of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is our own goodness and rightness which forgets how much mercy we have received, and refuses to pass it on.”
“Principles, as important as they are, are never as important as people. To stand on principle when people are hurting is a gross sin in the Kingdom of Heaven!”
“It really doesn’t make much difference, if any, if we play bingo in church. That really isn’t much of a concern in the Kingdom of Heaven. What is of great concern, is whether or not our lives are being lived out in a style where mercy is integral to our living. Where we live not to ourselves and we die not to ourselves, but to the Lord who has forgiven us much!”
“To Be Forgiven Is To Be Forgiving”
Forgiveness is not an option in the Kingdom of Heaven...it is a requirement. We cannot choose if we are going to forgive or who we are going to forgive or not forgive...we are to forgive as we have been forgiven!
There also is to be no limit on our being forgiving, for there is no limit on God’s forgiving us. And once we give it, we are not to take it back any more then we are to withhold it to get our pound of flesh.
Forgiveness - showing mercy - is at the center of everything God is about, even justice and judgment and it is to be at the center of our lives too.
:
“When somebody you’ve wronged forgives you, you’re spared the dull and self-diminishing throb of a guilty conscience.
When you forgive somebody who has wronged you, you’re spared the dismal corrosion of bitterness and wounded pride.
For both parties, forgiveness means the freedom again to be at peace inside their own skins and to be glad in each others presence.”
Frederick Buechner “Listening To Your Life”, p. 305
Forgiveness is something we all need and we all need to give, for without it there can be no meaningful relationship in our lives and with it nothing can stop us from creating a new future out of pasts failures and unfairness. It is, as Lewis Smedes says in his book “Forgive ANd Forget”, “...love’s revolution against life’s unfairness”
for “When we forgive we ride the crest of love’s cosmic wave; we walk in stride with God.” and then anything can happen!
Forgiveness makes “done things undone.” There is no revenge to be had; no grudge to be satisfied; no left over wrong to be righted. That has all been forgiven and when something is forgiven it is undone! That’s how powerful forgiveness is, if we only dared believe it and live it.
To be forgiven and forgiving is to live believing that we can have a common future even with our enemies and even with those who have treated us unfairly. It is to live believing in forgiveness, which is “...love’s revolution against life’s unfairness.”
Lewis Smedes “To Forgive and Forget”
“Forgiveness is love’s toughest work, and love’s biggest risk. If you twist it into something it was never meant to be, it can make you a doormat or an insufferable manipulator.” Lewis Smedes“ To Forgive and Forget” p. xii
Forgiveness opens up new possibilities and offers health and wholeness - salvation if you please - to me and to the one who hurt me. For “when we forgive we ride
the crest of love’s cosmic wave; we walk in stride with God. And we heal the hurt we never deserved.” Lewis Smedes“To Forgive and Forget”, p.152
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
“The Echo of Forgiveness”
Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith. Without it there is no faith.
Forgiveness does not seek to cover up the wrong; it is not soft, blind or unconcerned about evil; nor is it soft on justice. Forgiveness never looses sight of the person behind the act; the person who is in need of help.
The limit to forgiveness is the degree to which we have been forgiven. And that is much!
Only the person who receives forgiveness can pass it on;
only the person who passes on forgiveness really receives it.
Forgiveness begins with being forgiven.
Forgiveness is an echo. It does not originate with us and it does not end with us.
We forgive as we have been forgiven.
”My Rights And God’s Mercy”
To live with mercy as the heart beat of our lives means that what is loving, forgiving, merciful, and thus life giving, comes before just being right.
“If there is anything which keeps us out of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is our own goodness and rightness which forgets how much mercy we have received, and refuses to pass it on.”
“Principles, as important as they are, are never as important as people. To stand on principle when people are hurting is a gross sin in the Kingdom of Heaven!”
“It really doesn’t make much difference, if any, if we play bingo in church. That really isn’t much of a concern in the Kingdom of Heaven. What is of great concern, is whether or not our lives are being lived out in a style where mercy is integral to our living. Where we live not to ourselves and we die not to ourselves, but to the Lord who has forgiven us much!”
“To Be Forgiven Is To Be Forgiving”
Forgiveness is not an option in the Kingdom of Heaven...it is a requirement. We cannot choose if we are going to forgive or who we are going to forgive or not forgive...we are to forgive as we have been forgiven!
There also is to be no limit on our being forgiving, for there is no limit on God’s forgiving us. And once we give it, we are not to take it back any more then we are to withhold it to get our pound of flesh.
Forgiveness - showing mercy - is at the center of everything God is about, even justice and judgment and it is to be at the center of our lives too.
:
“When somebody you’ve wronged forgives you, you’re spared the dull and self-diminishing throb of a guilty conscience.
When you forgive somebody who has wronged you, you’re spared the dismal corrosion of bitterness and wounded pride.
For both parties, forgiveness means the freedom again to be at peace inside their own skins and to be glad in each others presence.”
Frederick Buechner “Listening To Your Life”, p. 305
Forgiveness is something we all need and we all need to give, for without it there can be no meaningful relationship in our lives and with it nothing can stop us from creating a new future out of pasts failures and unfairness. It is, as Lewis Smedes says in his book “Forgive ANd Forget”, “...love’s revolution against life’s unfairness”
for “When we forgive we ride the crest of love’s cosmic wave; we walk in stride with God.” and then anything can happen!
Forgiveness makes “done things undone.” There is no revenge to be had; no grudge to be satisfied; no left over wrong to be righted. That has all been forgiven and when something is forgiven it is undone! That’s how powerful forgiveness is, if we only dared believe it and live it.
To be forgiven and forgiving is to live believing that we can have a common future even with our enemies and even with those who have treated us unfairly. It is to live believing in forgiveness, which is “...love’s revolution against life’s unfairness.”
Lewis Smedes “To Forgive and Forget”
“Forgiveness is love’s toughest work, and love’s biggest risk. If you twist it into something it was never meant to be, it can make you a doormat or an insufferable manipulator.” Lewis Smedes“ To Forgive and Forget” p. xii
Forgiveness opens up new possibilities and offers health and wholeness - salvation if you please - to me and to the one who hurt me. For “when we forgive we ride
the crest of love’s cosmic wave; we walk in stride with God. And we heal the hurt we never deserved.” Lewis Smedes“To Forgive and Forget”, p.152
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sept. 7, 2014 13th of Pentecost
Matthew 18: 15-20
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
On Being Forgiving
A very dangerous passage which could lead us to the worst of all sin - spiritual pride and self-righteousness. Need to approach this passage with a deep sensitivity to our own “faults” and an equally deep awareness of the grace of God who forgives me for my secret as well as my confessed sins.
We are not given permission to be piously judging and condemning; we are reminded to be accountable to each other and not be indifferent about that which causes disharmony in our lives and relationships. Love is the fulfilling of the law, as Paul says.
These words are easy to misinterpret. So dangerous it would almost be better if they had been lost and we didn’t have to deal with them. They seem to give us a power and authority we dare not exercise. A power and authority which runs contrary to the spirit and will of Christ. A lot of bad has happened because of these words.
What ever else we do with them we must interpret them in the light of the strong and clear call to be forgiving rather than condemning which echoes throughout the Gospels. This means we don’t make things black and white; rather we struggle to work at the dynamic of reconciliation and do not settle for anything less. We remember how often forgiveness is necessary - not 3 times but 77 times! We are not into controlling people but in setting them free to live in the grace of a loving God.
Nothing makes any sense in the words of our Gospel UNLESS...unless there is something to the power of love to overcome all things.Then, maybe, just maybe, it is possible that all things do work together for good for those who dare to love. Love in the sense of deeply and genuinely wanting the best for all. This is the ideal of Christian love.
The challenge is to help a person find his/her truth and live in it. It is the challenge of tough love. Love enough even to cut them off...kick them out...not to destroy them but to help them come to their truth and want back in again. Want to be loved again. This is the format of AA - and it works!
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
On Being Forgiving
A very dangerous passage which could lead us to the worst of all sin - spiritual pride and self-righteousness. Need to approach this passage with a deep sensitivity to our own “faults” and an equally deep awareness of the grace of God who forgives me for my secret as well as my confessed sins.
We are not given permission to be piously judging and condemning; we are reminded to be accountable to each other and not be indifferent about that which causes disharmony in our lives and relationships. Love is the fulfilling of the law, as Paul says.
These words are easy to misinterpret. So dangerous it would almost be better if they had been lost and we didn’t have to deal with them. They seem to give us a power and authority we dare not exercise. A power and authority which runs contrary to the spirit and will of Christ. A lot of bad has happened because of these words.
What ever else we do with them we must interpret them in the light of the strong and clear call to be forgiving rather than condemning which echoes throughout the Gospels. This means we don’t make things black and white; rather we struggle to work at the dynamic of reconciliation and do not settle for anything less. We remember how often forgiveness is necessary - not 3 times but 77 times! We are not into controlling people but in setting them free to live in the grace of a loving God.
Nothing makes any sense in the words of our Gospel UNLESS...unless there is something to the power of love to overcome all things.Then, maybe, just maybe, it is possible that all things do work together for good for those who dare to love. Love in the sense of deeply and genuinely wanting the best for all. This is the ideal of Christian love.
The challenge is to help a person find his/her truth and live in it. It is the challenge of tough love. Love enough even to cut them off...kick them out...not to destroy them but to help them come to their truth and want back in again. Want to be loved again. This is the format of AA - and it works!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
August 31, 2014 12th of Pentecost
Matthew 16:21-26
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
“Life Without Limits?”
The challenge for all of us is not only to try figure out what God’s will really is;
it is also to be willing to suffer rather then lose our integrity. The secret of life is that it has to be lost to be found; it has to dare suffer to be real and have integrity.
As a poet once said, “Life is a sum of habits disturbed by a few thoughts.”
When we try make it be easy we lose what it really is - as Henry James has said -
“Life is effort, unremittingly repeated.” It is not without limits.
Life without limits, without a purpose beyond having it bigger and better; without struggle, commitment to something beyond my own happiness and economic security; without denial, without the struggle which comes in loosing oneself in being an instrument of love in a world of hate; life without integrity and responsibility, servant hood and compassion is no life at all! It is indeed very thin!
“Get Behind Me Satan”
Peter had the best of intentions at heart when he tried to talk Jesus out of the way of suffering. He had no intention of being an evil temptation.
Peter wanted suffering eliminated from Jesus life. We all would like to see the same.
Suffering is so costly; it hurts so much, demands so much, takes so much.
Helmut Thielicke has said the problem for Americans is that we don’t know how to deal with suffering. We regard it as something “which is fundamental inadmissible, distressing, embarrassing, and not to be endured.”
What Peter and we do not understand is that suffering belongs to the very nature of this world and to the very nature of Jesus - the suffering servant who emptied himself.
To be caught up with the will of God is to take on suffering as a part of loving. The only way to eliminate suffering is to eliminate love. Love makes sense out of and gives meaning to life, even suffering.
“...life without any kind of suffering would be no life at all; it would be a form of death. Life - the life of the spirit like the life of the body- depends in some mysterious way upon the struggle to be...suffering-as-struggle belongs...to life’s foundational basis and goodness...A pain free life would be a life-less life.
We suffer because we are human and out of our suffering comes our capacity for compassion. For ‘suffering integrates us into life and makes us more fully and truly ‘alive’.”
Douglas John Hall, “God And Human Suffering”, pp. 57-66
I
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
“Life Without Limits?”
The challenge for all of us is not only to try figure out what God’s will really is;
it is also to be willing to suffer rather then lose our integrity. The secret of life is that it has to be lost to be found; it has to dare suffer to be real and have integrity.
As a poet once said, “Life is a sum of habits disturbed by a few thoughts.”
When we try make it be easy we lose what it really is - as Henry James has said -
“Life is effort, unremittingly repeated.” It is not without limits.
Life without limits, without a purpose beyond having it bigger and better; without struggle, commitment to something beyond my own happiness and economic security; without denial, without the struggle which comes in loosing oneself in being an instrument of love in a world of hate; life without integrity and responsibility, servant hood and compassion is no life at all! It is indeed very thin!
“Get Behind Me Satan”
Peter had the best of intentions at heart when he tried to talk Jesus out of the way of suffering. He had no intention of being an evil temptation.
Peter wanted suffering eliminated from Jesus life. We all would like to see the same.
Suffering is so costly; it hurts so much, demands so much, takes so much.
Helmut Thielicke has said the problem for Americans is that we don’t know how to deal with suffering. We regard it as something “which is fundamental inadmissible, distressing, embarrassing, and not to be endured.”
What Peter and we do not understand is that suffering belongs to the very nature of this world and to the very nature of Jesus - the suffering servant who emptied himself.
To be caught up with the will of God is to take on suffering as a part of loving. The only way to eliminate suffering is to eliminate love. Love makes sense out of and gives meaning to life, even suffering.
“...life without any kind of suffering would be no life at all; it would be a form of death. Life - the life of the spirit like the life of the body- depends in some mysterious way upon the struggle to be...suffering-as-struggle belongs...to life’s foundational basis and goodness...A pain free life would be a life-less life.
We suffer because we are human and out of our suffering comes our capacity for compassion. For ‘suffering integrates us into life and makes us more fully and truly ‘alive’.”
Douglas John Hall, “God And Human Suffering”, pp. 57-66
I
Sunday, August 17, 2014
August 24, 2014 11th of Pentecost
Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
“Saying More Then We Know”
“The genius of the poet is that he says more than he knows.”
The genius of faith is that it says more than it knows - always!
God is unsearchable and incomprehensible; grace goes beyond human understanding and logic. Faith is believing more then we can ever know.
Peter was saying more then he knew when he confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The words came strangely to his lips from beyond his own understanding. It is so also with us, as Luther wrote long ago: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in my Lord Jesus Christ or come to him...”
Faith is not having all the answers to the riddle of life; not never having to doubt again; or be perplexed about things; or afraid; or confused; or ever having to feel lost again. It is not a magical formula which takes away all the hurt, pain, and fear out of life.
Faith is the God given capacity to hope when all looks hopeless; laugh when much is heavy; dance when there is little reason to dance; pray when God seems far away and not tuned in. It is the God given capacity to list all the reasons why there is no God, and yet...and yet believe in God!
“Faith is a power and passion in authority among the power and passions of life.
P. T. Forsythe
It is the sure and certain hope that God is for is, not against us. No matter what!
“What If...
What if what is really important is not what we think about Jesus but what Jesus thinks about us? What if what is really important is that we let Jesus tell us who God is and who we are in God’s eyes, and let God love us with a love which will not let us go, let us down, let us off - ever!
What if the main point of it all is not that we love God but that God loves us!
How incredible this truth is!
Faith is not our doing! It is God’s doing in us.
It is more important to be doing the works of God then to be talking about them.
Our challenge is not to figure out who is saved and who isn’t. Our challenge is to let the great and precious promises of God not only live in our hearts but live in our world through us. To be who we say we are - the people of God who live by grace and want to pass it on.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
“Saying More Then We Know”
“The genius of the poet is that he says more than he knows.”
The genius of faith is that it says more than it knows - always!
God is unsearchable and incomprehensible; grace goes beyond human understanding and logic. Faith is believing more then we can ever know.
Peter was saying more then he knew when he confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The words came strangely to his lips from beyond his own understanding. It is so also with us, as Luther wrote long ago: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in my Lord Jesus Christ or come to him...”
Faith is not having all the answers to the riddle of life; not never having to doubt again; or be perplexed about things; or afraid; or confused; or ever having to feel lost again. It is not a magical formula which takes away all the hurt, pain, and fear out of life.
Faith is the God given capacity to hope when all looks hopeless; laugh when much is heavy; dance when there is little reason to dance; pray when God seems far away and not tuned in. It is the God given capacity to list all the reasons why there is no God, and yet...and yet believe in God!
“Faith is a power and passion in authority among the power and passions of life.
P. T. Forsythe
It is the sure and certain hope that God is for is, not against us. No matter what!
“What If...
What if what is really important is not what we think about Jesus but what Jesus thinks about us? What if what is really important is that we let Jesus tell us who God is and who we are in God’s eyes, and let God love us with a love which will not let us go, let us down, let us off - ever!
What if the main point of it all is not that we love God but that God loves us!
How incredible this truth is!
Faith is not our doing! It is God’s doing in us.
It is more important to be doing the works of God then to be talking about them.
Our challenge is not to figure out who is saved and who isn’t. Our challenge is to let the great and precious promises of God not only live in our hearts but live in our world through us. To be who we say we are - the people of God who live by grace and want to pass it on.
Monday, August 11, 2014
August 17, 2014 10th of Pentecost
Matthew 15:21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
“Great Is Your Faith”
The Canaanite woman wanted something of the goodness of God’s grace in her life too. She persisted until she got it. She took the rebuke, came back for more, and hung in there until Jesus could only do what he came to do - bless her.
It is often our vulnerability, our deep needs, which lead us into the arms of a loving, gracious God. It is also our persistence - our faith which will not give up - which sees the worst in life redeemed and turned into blessing.
Expect to have something of the goodness of God’s grace in your life - and don’t give up until it happens!
“A God Of Grace”
There are no favorites with God. God loves all equally much. He is a God of grace. It sounds like Jesus is saying there are favorites, but he isn’t. He is identifying his ministry- he is not excluding anyone.
The miracle here is not just the healing; her faith is a miracle.
God’s grace comes to us in Word and Sacrament. AND in acts of kindness, compassion, and friendship experienced and shared in the human experience.
i.e. Don Quixote: When he looked at that cheap and gaudy woman through the spectacles of his grace, he saw a splendid woman. He said to her, “It’s all right even though everyone says you’re all wrong. When, she embraced that grace and began to feel it’s power, she became what Don Quixote saw.
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
“Great Is Your Faith”
The Canaanite woman wanted something of the goodness of God’s grace in her life too. She persisted until she got it. She took the rebuke, came back for more, and hung in there until Jesus could only do what he came to do - bless her.
It is often our vulnerability, our deep needs, which lead us into the arms of a loving, gracious God. It is also our persistence - our faith which will not give up - which sees the worst in life redeemed and turned into blessing.
Expect to have something of the goodness of God’s grace in your life - and don’t give up until it happens!
“A God Of Grace”
There are no favorites with God. God loves all equally much. He is a God of grace. It sounds like Jesus is saying there are favorites, but he isn’t. He is identifying his ministry- he is not excluding anyone.
The miracle here is not just the healing; her faith is a miracle.
God’s grace comes to us in Word and Sacrament. AND in acts of kindness, compassion, and friendship experienced and shared in the human experience.
i.e. Don Quixote: When he looked at that cheap and gaudy woman through the spectacles of his grace, he saw a splendid woman. He said to her, “It’s all right even though everyone says you’re all wrong. When, she embraced that grace and began to feel it’s power, she became what Don Quixote saw.
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