Quest TEST

Christ The King

2009-11-21T17:09:00.001-08:00

In seminary, I had a professor who admitted to an interesting habit: He would read the last chapter of a mystery first, and then he would go back and start the book from the beginning. We, quite naturally, objected. We said that knowing how the story was going to end would ruin the whole book. What enjoyment could you get if you knew how the story was going to end? His response was interesting: he said it all depended on what you wanted from the story. If you wanted the big surprise of “whodunit,” well, then you needed to read the story the way it was written. But if wanted to enjoy the craft of the artist, then you needed to read the last chapter first. When you know how the story is going to end, you can watch the way the writer weaves the various threads together to form the finished product.
Thinking about it in that way, reading the last chapter first kind of makes sense. Granted, it is a different way of reading, a different way of enjoying the book. It may not be the way most of the world reads books, but just because it is different does not mean it is wrong.
Now, there is something else about reading the last chapter first – and this may sound a little odd – but there is something comforting about it. No matter what is going on in the story, you know by the last page of the last chapter, the story will have reached its resolve. It may sound obvious, but since you know how the book will end, you know that the book will have to get to that end. So you can comfortably watch what happens in the book, knowing it will all work out.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do this in life? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to know exactly how life is going to work out; to know the last chapter? You know we try to read the last chapter. We read horoscopes to give us some insights into what is going to happen. We have all kinds of ways to try to predict the future. Ten years ago, there was all kinds of anxiety about Y2K. Many people thought they had read the last chapter and that everything was going to end when we entered the year 2000. I guess even one of the local Mega-church pastors was telling people that they needed to be prepared for the end to come in 2000. Now, we have movies and books telling us that we need to worry about the earth ending in the year 2012. (Dec. 21st of 2012 to be exact.) And so the anxiety continues.
This is the interesting thing about what the world puts out there as the last chapter of the story: In just about every story we hear from the world, the last chapter involves pain, death and destruction. Bad things happen and few people, if any, are able to escape. But so often, the last chapter, as told by the world, involves total destruction, complete annihilation of all. And I think the really sad part of this is that the world just eats this stuff up! I don’t know why, but people just seem to go crazy over all of this stuff!
And people have been going crazy over these end of the world scenarios for centuries! I once worked with a guy who kept quoting the Bible, especially the Book of Revelation and kept talking about The New World Order. He kept telling me about how “they” were trying to create one world currency and how “they” were keeping track of us by our debit cards. Truthfully, I felt that if “they” needed to keep track of everything I did, “they” must surely have a boring life! But he kept it up. He was totally worried about the whole New World Order thing. He also kept pulling Bible verses to back up what he said. Finally, I had to put a stop to this. I asked him, “Did you read the end?” He stopped and looked at me. I asked him again, “Did you read the end?” He asked, “End of what?” “The end of the story? Did you read it?” I asked. “In the end, God WINS!”
This seemed to have no effect on him. Well, almost no effect; he did stop talking to ME about The New World Order. But I am willing to guess he still will not use a debit card.
As people of faith, we should be more like my seminary professor than like my coworker. We need to remember that God has written the last chapter. We need to have faith that we can trust in the true word of God. Through our faith, we know how the story will end. We know that the last chapter has everything to do with love and nothing to do with death. In faith, we know that Christ vanquished death and that eternal life reigns.
Today, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. Today, we celebrate the end of the story. Today, we celebrate the victory of Christ over death. The feast of Christ the King gives us strength and comfort in the same way that reading the last chapter can give us comfort. No matter what we see, we can be sure that Christ will emerge victorious.
We do not need to worry about asteroids striking the Earth. We do not need to worry about Yellowstone exploding. We do not need to worry about total chaos breaking lose in 2012. We do not need to worry about these things because these things are not the end of the story!
Knowing the ending opens us up for all kinds of possibilities for us! Knowing the ending gives us the comfort of knowing that we really can’t mess things up too badly. Knowing the ending means that we have the freedom to be out and about in the world. If we trust that Christ is King and believe that Christ will reign victorious, then we can be comforted in knowing that no matter what is happening, that God the creator is still in charge.
Christ the King marks the end of the church year. It is important for us to remember at the end of the church year the promises that God has made to all of us. It is important that have faith that what we see now is not how the story ends. It is important for us to know that God has more in store for us! Remembering that God has already written the end, allows us to enjoy the way the story of our lives unfold. Remembering that God has already written the end allows us to appreciate the genius of our creator God.
Today we celebrate Christ the King, the end of the story. Next week, we begin our wait for the birth of Christ, we wait for the story to begin. But in all things, in our times of celebration and our times of waiting; we need to remember we are people of the promise. We have the promise of life, love, and joy in abundance.

Pentecost 20 Year B

2009-10-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Mark 10:35-45

I think one of the downfalls of having a background in psychology is that you become a watcher of people. Whether you like it or not, it just becomes something you do. And you don’t just watch people, you pay attention to what they are doing and try to figure out just exactly why they are doing what they are doing.

Take kids for instance. I used to direct an after school program. No matter what we were doing, if it involved a line, all the kids would try to get to the front of the line. If we were going outside, there would be a push to be the first one by the door. It we were going to have a snack, there would be a push to be the first one by the window. It didn’t matter what, there was always the push to be the first one in line.

This behavior confused me. If we were all going to be going outside, then why was there such a rush to be the first one? We always had enough snacks for everyone. Why would there be such a rush to be sure to be the first to get one? What was so important about being the first person to get something?

Well, I was thinking about this while swerving in and out of traffic while trying to get to the Meridian Mall. And while I was driving, I started thinking: Why was I rushing? Why did I need to get ahead of everyone else? It was not like the mall was going to disappear at a certain time; it would still be there. So why was I rushing? It really struck me as weird. Why was I putting so much effort into rushing, pushing, and trying to get there first?

Now, not to be so hard on myself and on the kids, but trying to be first does make some sense. When things are limited, trying to get there first makes real sense. If you are not one of the first, you may not get what you want. I don’t know if you remember, now what is many years ago, the whole big uproar over Cabbage Patch Kid dolls. I remember people getting into fights just to get one of these things. People would wait in line for hours and then push and fight just to one of the few dolls that were available. If you wanted one, you had to be first.

I guess we want to be first because we want our own part of the limited supplies that there are. And not only do we want a part, we want the best of it all. We want to be first so we can have the best seat in the house, the best gaming system, or the best new gadgets there are. We want to be first so we can get the best. And really, wanting what is best is quite natural. If you have the best, you tend to live better; you tend to live longer. Having the best is not a bad thing.

So when we look at James and John in today’s gospel reading, we can understand what they are trying to do. They really are not doing anything that is all that unnatural. They wanted to be assured that they would have the best places, the places next to Jesus. I guess it would be like having front row seats at a concert. To sit at someone’s right and left would be to have your status publicly acknowledged. To sit at someone’s right and left would be to say that these people are “second in command.” By sitting on someone’s right and left, you get to bask in the light of the person who is sitting at the head.

John and James wanted these positions. They wanted to be seen as those who were in power. They wanted to bask in Jesus’ light. They were like the people waiting to the Cabbage Patch Kids, they wanted to be there first so they could get the best. Although they wanted to be in positions of power, they really didn’t seem to understand the whole message of Jesus.

But not too surprisingly, the other disciples didn’t seem to understand the message either. The others become angry with James and John. I am guessing the reason the others were angry was because they had not thought of asking first! When they heard James and John’s request, their thought was probably, “Why didn’t I think of that!” The other disciples didn’t want James and John to get the best positions, so they got angry with the two. But, you know, the other disciples didn’t understand Jesus’ message either.

Our reading for today follows the stories of bringing the children to Jesus and the rich young man. In these past stories, Jesus was showing them, and showing us, that in the reign of God, things are not always as they seem. The young children are the ones Jesus tells should be brought to him, and all the wealth in the world cannot buy our salvation. What we see is not what is real.

The reign of God that Jesus has been trying to show is the reign of abundance. In the reign of God, the blind see and the deaf hear. The ill are made well and the poor hear the good news. The reign of God is not filled with Cabbage Patch dolls or other things that will parish. The reign of God is unlimited!

The request of James and John, and the other disciples’ response to this request, shows us just how much they believe in a limited God. The disciples were constantly with Jesus. They saw how Jesus healed, how Jesus taught. They heard Jesus tell that the reign of God is at hand. But even with all of that “proof,” the disciples still didn’t get it. Even with all they had seen with their own eyes, they still believed that the world of limitations that they saw around them was the world of reality. Even though they saw the abundance poured out through Jesus, they persisted to believe in the world of scarcity.

Our whole economy is powered by our belief in scarcity. Our prices are set, based on how scarce an item is; whether this scarcity is real or perceived. Because this belief in scarcity surrounds us, it is hard for us to think in any other manner. However, Jesus presents us with a different worldview, a radically different worldview.

So often we say that Jesus presents a radically different view of the world, but have we really considered how different this is? Jesus does not view the world from a viewpoint of scarcity. Jesus does not see the limits that we impose on the world. Jesus functions within a worldview of abundance and tries to pass this view on to his followers. He tells them that whoever wishes to be great must become a servant and whoever wishes to be first must become a slave to all. We have been given a choice: if we wish to be first, we must become a slave, if we wish to be great, we must become a servant.

Have you ever been someplace with a caterer? Often the staff is allowed to eat. But when do the servants eat? (Or maybe I should call them “waitstaff.”) Do they eat first? Do they eat before the people at the party? No, they would eat after the party is over and all of the people left. It is then that they can eat. But lets think of something else. What would happen if the servers knew that the way they were serving the food would result in there being no food left for them to eat? What would happen then? Would the servers truly serve? Would they give all they were supposed to give or would they hold some back some food for themselves? To truly serve, there needs to be the assurance that there will be enough for all. After the guest have eaten their fill, the servers need to be the assurance that there will also be enough left for them. If there is not the assurance of abundance, the servants will hold back food for themselves and not truly serve as they should. Because we are human, we can only truly serve when we have the assurance that there will be enough. When we are assured that there is an abundance, it is then that we humans can serve with a loving heart.

Jesus calls us to be servants. He wants us to go out and serve with a happy heart. When he calls us to drink the cup that he drinks and to be baptized with his baptism, Jesus is calling us to God’s reign of abundance. In these words, Jesus is calling us to give our lives in the service of others. If we believe that God is limited, like Cabbage Patch dolls, we will have trouble giving our life, but Jesus shows us that we have life in abundance. In the reign of God, there is so much life that death does not even have the final say. Although Jesus was killed on the cross, death did not have the final word. In the reign of God, abundance of life will always have the final word.

What is interesting is that Jesus does not say who will sit at his right and left. Jesus says that is for God to decide. So who does God choose to sit in these coveted positions? Well, when Jesus is crucified, who flanks him on the cross? Is it his disciples? No, when Christ is undergoing the ultimate humiliation, the two who are on his right and left are two criminals. Two recognized sinners are placed in the positions of power! God’s love for us is so abundant that even the criminals are included! In God’s reign, even the sinners are given positions of honor!

We can be servants because we know there is an abundance. We can be generous because Christ shows us that scarcity is an illusion. The world of God is not a Cabbage Patch kind of world! It is a world where leaders are servants. It is a world where the powerful are lowered and the lowly are raised up. It is a world where the killed becomes the savior who brings eternal life. The world of God is the world where the place of honor is reserved for you and for me. The world of God is where all are wanted, all are cared for, all are loved. We don’t need to rush, we don’t need to be first, we don’t need to grasp for whatever we can get. The God love has placed a world of abundant love right in our midst! We just need to look with the eyes of faith.

Obama Derangement Syndrome

2009-10-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Pentecost 19 Year B

2009-10-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Mark 10:17-31

“Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’”

Ok, there has GOT to be a mistake here! Someone, somewhere, must have made a translation error. I am sure the verse went something like this, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You’ve worked so very hard to get all of your money. You deserve to give yourself a treat. Go out on a shopping spree so you can show the world how much you have been blessed. And then, when you are comfortable, you can come and follow me.” That HAS to be the translation. The Bible says that Jesus loved the guy! When we love people, we don’t want them to be poor, do we? But there it is, “go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor...” That is what Jesus says to those whom He loves.

I find it interesting that even people who claim to interpret the Bible literally will drive expensive cars and live in expensive homes. They seem ever ready to jump on the “literal” meaning of the Bible, except where it becomes difficult. And I should not be so quick to lay judgment upon others; aren’t we all like that? (I say this at the risk of tarnishing my liberal reputation) I heard Dr. Laura once say that we would all like to have OTHERS have a Biblical morality. We think it would be great if others followed all the rules in the Bible and followed all the Ten Commandments. But when it comes to us, we would like to have a little wiggle room. Ok, we would like to have A LOT of wiggle room! Living life is not easy. And trying to follow all the injunctions of the Bible is not easy. So it just seems cruel to lay all of these injunctions on top of a difficult life! If Jesus really loved the guy, Jesus would have been willing to let the young man spend all of his money, and Jesus would have made all of the man’s water into wine just to help ease the burden!

But that is not what we are told happened. Jesus loved the man, and in loving him, Jesus told the man to sell everything and give it to the poor. Then, after he sold everything and had nothing left, then, and only then, should the man come and follow Jesus. These are very uncomfortable words. And as I said before, words that even the most staunch Biblical literalist finds ways to avoid.

The effect these words of Jesus have should be very similar to the effect of last week’s gospel reading. We should be jarred by them. They are not what we would expect to hear and they should cause us to sit up and take notice.

Does Jesus really want the man to become poor? This seems kind of silly. He sells all he has and in the process becomes poor. It seems to kind of defeat the purpose. And yes, you would be right. But, Jesus, being the great psychologist that he is, knew how to make a point.

See, when talking to people, if you want to make a point and don’t want to offend people, you use a HUGE example. This allows people to get involved in the story and does not make them feel like the example is directed specifically at them. So in this case, Jesus is using the example of selling EVERYTHING to make a point.

So what is the point that Jesus is making? Well, once the man sells everything and gives it to the poor, it is then that Jesus tells the man to come and follow. Does that mean that Jesus wants us all to be poor? No. But it does mean that Jesus wants us to be in a state where we are ready to learn.

Have you ever tried to teach something to a “Know-It-All?” It is really difficult! Nick tells me stories about a guy where he works who will ask a question. Then, when Nick tries to answer it, the man says, “No, that is not right!” Nick wants to scream and say if the guy already knew the answer, why was he asking questions! Whether we want to admit it or not, we quite often approach our faith in this manner. We will go to God in prayer about something, but we already have the answer in mind. So when the answer comes to us, we are very ready to say, “No, that is not right!” We want God to answer our prayers, but we want them answered in the way that we already figured out!

I am sure the man in the gospel reading had some idea in mind when he asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. I am sure he had some kind of “To Do” list and was looking for Jesus to verify his ideas. I am sure he was not so much searching for truth as he was looking to have his ideas verified. But that is not what happened! In bringing his question before Jesus, the man had his world rocked! After his encounter with Jesus, I am sure the man would not look at the world in the same way again.

What Jesus told the man, in effect, was, “Everything that you consider to be important, is not!” Think about this! How would you feel if Jesus told you that the sacrifices you made raising your family were not important? How would you feel if Jesus told you that the money you contributed to charity was not important? How would you feel if Jesus told you that the time you donated to the homeless was not important? In all of these things, what you did was a good start, but was not enough? What YOU did was not important! How would that make you feel? I would guess it would probably make most of us feel pretty bad. And in the gospel reading, we see this very response; the young man went away grieving.

Now this seems cruel, and would be except for one thing: We are told that Jesus loved the young man. Jesus was not doing this to the man to be cruel to him, he was telling this to the young man because Jesus loved the man!

So, there has got to be some clues here to help us. If we look, we see that Jesus does have a plan for the young man. The young man, after removing all those things that he, the young man, thinks are important, can finally open himself up to those things that are truly important. It is only when the false idols, or maybe we could call them “False Securities” are gone that the man is finally able to follow Christ!

We are pretty self-reliant people. We want to be in control even if that control is an illusion. We want the lists and we want the ironclad contracts. We want to know exactly what we have to do to get into God’s good graces. We want to know just how many sins we can commit, or what type of sins to avoid, so we can be issued a heavenly harp upon our death. We want to be sure we have it all sewn up before we die. We don’t want to leave it up to chance! This was the mindset of the young man: How could he use his money to assure his place in Heaven?

And Jesus jarring response is the loving truth: You can’t use your money to assure a place in Heaven. Money can buy you a seat on the Heavenly Bus just as easily as it will allow a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Our money, our possessions, our talents will NOT assure us a place in the Eternal Kingdom.

So, what is our assurance? Well, for God, all things are possible. We have been given money, and gifts, and talents to use for the promotion of God’s reign on earth, but these are not what assures us of Eternal life. It is our faith in Christ in all things. It is our faith that if we release these things that we hold so dear and allow God to work through our lives, that we will find the life we have been looking for. It is in our faith that God will provide for our needs that we find the truth.

How is our wealth holding us back? I am not just talking about money here! We may have a wealth of insight. We may have a wealth of strength. We may have a wealth of caring. How are we holding onto these things as a means of ensuring that we will receive Eternal Life? How do we trust that God will not abandon us and just go out and give it away? That is not an easy question, is it? But that is the ideal Christ places before us. Christ wants us to be as extravagant with our gifts has God has been in giving us gifts! Our gifts are to be used and shared!

We have been assured eternal life through our Savior. We do not need to be searching for ways to save ourselves. Christ saves us through faith, which opens us for a whole realm of possibilities!! Do we wish to hang on to those things that we feel are important or do we want to follow our faith and find the true treasure?

This is the challenge placed before the man in today’s gospel, and this is the challenge placed before us. But we have one advantage! We know that Christ is raised from the dead and has saved us by his blood! This is the good news of the Gospel! This is the true treasure we can hang onto, even while we share it!

Pentecost 18 Year B

2009-10-03T15:11:00.001-07:00

Mark 10:2-16

Isn’t it fun to watch little kids? They are so interesting, and in many ways, so predictable. I have a little thought experiment for you. There is a plate of candy sitting on a table. Now, there is a little kid in the room and you tell the kid to not touch the candy. To make it even more interesting, you say, “Now, don’t touch any of that really yummy candy!” Then, after saying that, you walk out of the room. I am sure all of us would agree that the kid will go about doing whatever the kid was doing previously and will not, no matter how long the kid is left alone, touch the candy.

Who am I kidding! We know that the kid, no matter how good, will eventually go over and take a piece of the “really yummy candy!” That is just the way kids are. The moment you tell them “no,” it is then that they want to do exactly what you told them not to do.

And even though we are adults, I think we are still guilty of this behavior. I have seen people in stores handle things while standing in front of a sign that says, “Please Do Not Touch.” I have seen people graze their way through a grocery store knowing that they will never pay of the things they have eaten. We are told, “No, we should not do this,” but we still knowingly break the rules.

Does this behavior make us horrible people? Does it make us terrible people? Does it make us “BAD?” No, nothing of the sort! So what does this behavior make us? Well, it makes us human. Part of being human is to see how far we can push the rules. Don’t believe me? It this weren’t so, we wouldn’t need police; we would all know that rules and not break them. But because we are human, we always push the rules.

And if anyone would understand this, it would be God. God knows we are going to push the rules. Heck, more than that, we will knowingly break the laws God has given us. God has given us freewill and in the use of freewill, we WILL go against wishes of God. That is just a simple statement of life.

So, because kids, and adults, are going to break the rules, does this mean that we totally abandon all laws? Because just about everyone ignores speed limits, does this mean that we never have speed limits? Well, of course not. We have rules and laws in place because it is a good thing to do. Rules and laws keep us safe. Rules and laws make life easier to live. Rules and laws are a good thing. Rules and laws make our lives better.

But we still have the problem of breaking the rule. Well, there are the possible consequences such as getting an upset stomach from eating too much candy or burnt fingers from touching the hot pan on the stove. There are also other consequences such as the anger and disapproval of the parents or possible fines. But even with all the consequences, I think we would all agree the world would be a better place if we would all just follow the laws and the rules. But, alas, being human, we just aren’t going to always follow the rules.

Is God going to abandon us if we don’t follow God’s laws? Or should God just stop making rules and laws and allow us to do whatever we want? Of course the answer to both of those questions is, “No.” God will not abandon us if we don’t follow God’s laws. God wants us to follow God’s laws and rules, these make life more enjoyable, but God will not abandon us. And God is not going to stop expecting the best of us. Just as we expect the best for our children, God expects the best from us. But God is not going to abandon us if we fall short of the goal. Just like we would not abandon our own children if they fall short, God will not abandon us.

This is the lesson we are to learn from today’s scripture readings. God has great plans for us, but when we fall short of these plans, we are not abandoned. God wants what is best for us, but when we don’t live up to these plans, God does not leave us dangling. Although God wants what is best for all of God’s children, God loves us enough to have some contingency plans.

Jesus tells us that divorce was not part of God’s plans for us. God does not want our relationships to fall apart. I am sure we have all seen some pretty messy divorces and I am sure we can agree that a world where divorce was not necessary would be a pretty wonderful thing. But I think we would also agree that in some situations, divorce can be quite a blessing. Although we may not want to see marriages end, in some cases, the best thing that can happen is for a marriage to end and for the people to continue their lives apart. Divorce is not what God wants for us, but because we are human and we have freewill, divorce is given to us. Divorce, even though it is not the ideal, is still a gift.

God knows that we are not perfect. God knows that we are going to wander away and try to do things our own way. God knows that even though we are given an ideal, because of freewill, we will fall short of that ideal. And in God’s goodness, we have that out. But Jesus also reminds us that this is not what God had wanted for us. Just like we do not want our kids to get into trouble, and we would like for our children to listen to us, God wants us to pay attention and to learn. But when we fall short, we are not abandoned.

Now lets do a quick jump to the end of the gospel reading. At the beginning of the reading we have all this talk about divorce and adultery, all this really deep stuff. But suddenly, at the end of the reading, we are talking about children. "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” The shift is almost jarring. However, it is this jarring shift that should make us think.

The children are brought into the picture to help us to gain perspective. How do we love and care for our children? We set up rules, we set up laws. We provide expectations and we send them on their way. We know that our children will make mistakes, but we also know that our children will learn from their mistakes. We would hope that our children would listen and learn, but we also know that our children will have to experience life in their own way. We would hope that we could pass our knowledge on to our children, but we know that our kids will go out and find the truth themselves.

And as jarring and disjointed as this shift may seem, it does make sense. God has a vision for our lives. God has a dream for our lives. But God also knows that we, just like we know our children will do, will go out and experience life. We will run over God’s law and we will experience the pain of our mistakes. But in the midst of our experiencing of life, we are given the assurance that because we are the beloved children of God, we can still come to Christ, and we will still be accepted with open, loving, arms. "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them…” That is what Jesus is saying to us. God would prefer we follow God’s plan for our lives, but when we take the candy from the candy dish, we can rest assured that we are still loved and accepted.

We are the children of God and we are all accepted. Even if we fall short, God is there for us. Even when we flaunt God’s law, God still calls us to the table. God is the ultimate parent; we are loved more than we can ever know. We are called to the table in love, and we are called to spread that love to the world.

Pentecost 14 Year B

2009-09-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

James 2: 1-17

One time, I was at a conference where the speaker was talking about Welcoming Congregations. He said that he has never met a congregation that did not consider itself welcoming. He said that every congregation, when asked to describe themselves, would say that they were “Welcoming.” It wouldn’t matter what the emotional temperature of the congregation was, they always saw themselves as warm and welcoming.

Truthfully, I don’t think he is too far off. Most people would not want to think of themselves as cold an aloof. And also, I don’t think that the congregations were lying, they probably truly think they are warm and welcoming. And for every congregation out there, there is probably a group of people who, upon entering the congregation, feel warmly welcomed.

Knowing that most congregations will say they are welcoming, when I interview in a congregation, I will purposely ask the question, “How would you describe your congregation?” But I always put a stipulation on the question; the people have to describe the congregation without using the words “warm” or “welcoming.” It is interesting to watch the wheels turn as they process what this actually means. Most congregations are quick to toss out the old saw that they are a “Welcoming Congregation,” but often they cannot go beyond that to tell me exactly what they mean by “welcoming.”

Being welcoming is such an interesting concept. Being welcomed is how we know that we are part of the group or how we know if we are outsiders. If we enter a new place and we feel truly welcomed, we know that this is a place for us. If we find a place that is “nice” but not welcoming, then we know that this is not the place for us. How a person is welcomed has a lot to do with whether a person will return or will stay away.

Welcoming is also an important concept for us as Christians. It is in how we welcome those who are new in our midst that we show the world the love of Christ. And it is in how we welcome those whom we have disagreements and anger that we share Christ’s love with each other. When we are welcoming, as Christ would welcome, we are letting people know that they are part of the “in group,” part of Christ’s promise. But if we give a cool welcome, we also send a message that Christ’s love is not for these people.

In the epistle reading for today, James talks about how we live out our faith in our lives. He especially focuses on how and who we welcome. Do we welcome only those who fit our stereotype of a “good” person? Do we only welcome those whom we know? Do we reach out in warmth and love to those whom we may not find comfortable? Or do we just treat them with cool kindness.

Christ welcomed all people to his table. He welcomed the rich and the poor. He welcomed the noble born and the lowly. Jesus called as his disciples the simple fishers, the tax collectors, and the physicians. Jesus did not only pick those who were well healed or the most respectable. Jesus knew that all people needed to be welcomed, needed to feel part: Needed to belong. This is the example that we are given and the example we are to follow. But how do we do this? How can we know?

Something that may help us to assess how we can go about welcoming is to look at our Vision Statement. You may not have noticed it, but it has been on our bulletin for some time now! If you look you will find it right on the bottom. It says, “To spread the joy of Christ’s love through prayer and Christian action.” What that statement is, is the guide for all of our actions as a church. In everything we do, we should be asking ourselves if these actions are in keeping with our vision statement. From the way the ushers greet people to the way the building looks should be influenced by this statement. How is the way we welcome people an expression of our Vision Statement? How is the way we welcome each other an expression of our Vision Statement? Is the way we are presenting ourselves to the world in keeping with our vision?

But something else that would help us to be truly welcoming Christians is to have a true understanding of ourselves. Who are we as a congregation? What are our concerns for ourselves and for our community? What do we present to a nonbelieving world? These are important questions. If we do not look at them intentionally, they will just be answered haphazardly. If we are not intentional about answering the questions about WHO and WHOSE we are, we are saying that these questions are unimportant and the world will notice. But if we intentionally answering these questions, we become more comfortable with ourselves and in return, can become more welcoming.

We are called to reach out beyond our own doors and beyond our own comfort zones. We are called to reach out to the people of the world who need to find the love and support of God. In seminary, we were always reminded that the church is NOT for the people who are within the walls; the church is a body that is to reach out to those beyond the walls. As Christians, we are called to bring the light to even the darkest corners.

James reminds us that we probably are not going to find people who “look like us” in these dark corners. We are going to find those people who are different. But even those who are different need to know about Christ’s love; maybe even more so! Would we rather have our sanctuary sing with a multitude and variety of voices or echo in emptiness? If we want it to sing, we need to look at all aspects of our church life. We need to look at our worship. We need to look at ourselves.

This won’t be easy, but we will not be alone in the process. We have Christ, the great leader, teacher, and Savior. We have the Spirit guiding and encouraging us. We have our Lord God creating a way for us to go!

We are called to be a place of rest, a place of sanctuary, a place of growth, and a place of peace. We are called to be a place of joy and a place where people can find joy. We are Christians and we are called to be welcoming, love filled presence to the world.

Pentecost 13 Year B

2009-08-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

James 1:17-27

Be doers of the word.

Such a simple statement. Be doers of the word. This really shouldn’t be something that needs to be preached upon. But from pulpits all over the world today, preachers will be extolling their congregations to not just be hearers of the word, but to be doers of the word.

This should be the thing that we are about. We should be about living out our faith in the world. All who claim the title of Christian should be living out their faith just because of who they are. The past week at work we have been surrounded by people dressed in green and white and living out the live of an MSU student. I jokingly commented about a Michigan State shirt, that of course Michigan was a state and that the woman was standing in the state. And this woman looked at me like I was a nut! For these people, being a Spartan was just who they were and just a natural expression of their being. To be otherwise would just be weird.

So too, for us Christians, our faith should just be so much of us that we cannot help but live out the word. Not that we need to be wearing tee shirts emblazoned with Christian slogans all the time. But we should be putting the teachings we have learned through our faith into action in our lives.

Now, lest we get confused, we need to make sure we get the order of events correct. Again, I will use the MSU people as an example. You would all find it kind of odd if I were to tell you that getting accepted to MSU was dependent upon how much MSU clothing you could wear, right? You would find it silly to think that if you totally tattooed yourself green and white that you would get the top scholarships, right? That just seems silly to say. But some still believe that the teachings we find in the book of James is the rule book on how to get salvation. Some believe that we have to DO all of this stuff before we can finally be accepted.

Well, that is not the case.

The folks that are arrayed in green and white are so proudly displaying the school colors because they have ALREADY been accepted! They are part of the group! So they display the colors as a means of spreading their excitement. In the same manner, we do not live the word in the world to earn Christ’s salvation, we have been assured of that salvation in Christ’s death and resurrection, and we have further been assured of that salvation in our baptism. Our salvation is a given. Christ is not going to take it back! So when we are called to go out and be doers of the word, we do it to share with the world the joy that we have found!

So, if we are to be doers of the word in the world, what would that look like? James gives us some ways. We are to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, [and] slow to anger.” That is some good advice. We are to bridle our tongues and be sure that when we speak, that we are to be careful of our words. You know, if we could all just do that, the world would be so much better. So often we are so very quick to become angry and then to speak. We are so quick to speak without listening to what the other is saying.

But whether we like it or not, when we claim the title of Christian, we are also claiming to be the voice of God in the world. When we claim the title of Christian, we are claiming to be the heart of God in the world. When we claim the title of Christian, we are claiming to be the arms of God, reaching out to send the unending love of God into the world.

When the world encounters us, what does it find? What does it find about Christianity as a whole? Is this the image that Christ would have been proud to die for? Is the worlds view of Christianity that of love or that of intolerance? When the world encounters the Episcopal Church, does it find love, care, and joy or does it find judgment and oppression? How ‘bout us as a congregation? What does the world think about us? What do visitors think about us? What does Swampland think about us? A difficult question would be, “Does Swampland even know we exist?” If not, they why not? How can we as a community built in the love of Christ be doers of the word? We don’t need to be a megachurch to be a mighty church. We have been promised God’s love and care in our actions. But we need to be more than just hearers. We have done great things, we have helped families in need, but can we be doing more? And finally, each of us; we need to ask ourselves, “What are we doing to be doers of the word?” Are we content to just sit and listen, or are we willing to be out in the world. Are we willing to be doers of the word?

I often feel bad doing sermons like this. I feel bad because I am not able to give you a clear cut, three point plan on how to be doers of the word. It would be nice if I could, but I don’t think it really is my place to tell you. You see, we each have our own unique talents and gifts. We each have our own unique way of living the word and doing the word. We each have our own special way and our own special voice.

And as a congregation, we each have an important part to give. We are all inspired by the Spirit to reach out. What I find sad is that so often we forget that our inspiration most often IS from God and that we can act boldly upon it! We begin to second-guess our actions and then fall into inaction. We go from being doers to being listeners. When we are generous in giving, and when we are generous in love, James tells us that we can trust that that impulse is coming from God. We can trust that we are being grown into the first fruits. Or to use more modern language, God is forming us into the best we can possibly be.

We are the beloved, accepted, redeemed children of God. That is something that will not be taken from us. The love of God surrounds us, fills us, and sustains us. And it is through this love that we go out and be doers of the word in the world. My prayer is that you feel this love of God so strongly that, like the MSU students, you cannot keep it to yourselves; you just have to let it out! And when you feel that urge, DO IT! Let the love of Christ show throughout your life!

Pentecost 12 Year B

2009-08-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

John 6:56-69

Well, did you feel it? Did you feel the axis of the Earth shift? Events of the past week have caused a rift in the cosmic fabric that may NEVER BE REPAIRED! People are appalled! APPALLED I SAY! And why? Why are the ducks going to be flying north this fall and south next spring? Why? Well, it seems that Michelle Obama emerged from Air Force One wearing… oh, it pains me to say it…wearing SHORTS!

Yes, after listening to the news from the past week, you would think that she did something horrible like show up in public with her dress stuck in her pantyhose or something. But all she did was act like a normal human, on vacation, in Arizona, in the summer. But because she decided to do something a little different, a little change on what was expected, she was plastered all over the TV and internet.

The words flew across the ether, “No other First Lady ever wore shorts as she emerged from Air Force One before.” That is right, no other has. This might be a difficult new teaching for us to learn. Now, I am sure no one is planning on moving to a different country just because of this one event, but there are probably a few who are thinking of changing parties. The SHORTS INCIDENT was the last straw.

Lately, this seems to be the mentality of the world: As long as things are going our way, we will stick around. But when the tide starts to change, we go off looking for a new place. But really, we don’t want a new place; we just want to continue to live in the old place. We don’t want a new place; we want the good old days. Whenever I hear that phrase, “the good old days,” I think of a line in a song by Billy Joel. He says, “The ‘Good Old Days’ weren’t always good and tomorrow’s not as bad as it seems.” But so often, we, as a people want to go back to those “Good Old Days.” But the truth is, for the most part, we really DON’T want to go back. Are we really willing to go back to the days of no cars, phones, central heating, or central air-conditioning? At first glance, it may seem nice, but I don’t think we really want to go back. That is the problem with life. We are caught in this horrible bind: We don’t like change because it is scary, but staying still will become stagnant and eventually kill us. We are caught in this internal tug. We like the thought of what is new, but we are frightened. We like the comfort of what is expected but if we have too much of it we will find it boring.

Really, this is not a new situation to our times; it is similar to the situation the disciples find themselves in in today’s gospel reading. The people are anxious: they are looking for a new teaching. They are following teachers all over the place. They find a teacher they like and they begin to follow. But when that teacher says something that is controversial or goes against their personal belief, they pick up and find a new teacher. That is why the disciples are concerned. They have been getting a big following! But Jesus has been saying things that have been causing discontent among the masses. The disciples probably want Jesus to tone back the rhetoric. They probably were pulling Jesus aside saying, “Hey Jesus, you are doing well with the talking points we agreed upon, why are you going off topic! You are losing the people!”

But Jesus didn’t stick to the talking points just because they were “easier.” He continued to speak the truth, even if it made people uncomfortable, even if it made some people turn away. Jesus would not silence the truth; he spoke the truth even if it meant his own safety would come into jeopardy.

But Jesus leaves us with a bit of a problem and not much of a solution.

The problem is: How do we know what is true teaching and what is false teaching?

This is a really difficult one and a problem that has plagued faith forever. Do we accept the uncircumcised as Jews? Do we accept the Gentiles as Christians? Do we accept women as teachers and leaders in church? Do we accept women in the pulpit? Do we accept people of color? Do we accept those who are divorced? Do we accept those who are gay? Do we accept those who have had abortions? Do we accept those who are different than us?

I truly believe that both sides of these arguments are acting in good faith and are doing what they feel God is calling them to do. I think the Pharisees were not out to dupe the people, but were trying to lead the people appropriately. But there seems to come a time when the will of God seems to run !smack! into the will of God! So at that point, what are we to do?

History seems to point us in the direction of what NOT to do. In the Gospel reading, Jesus asks the disciples if they wished to go away. In so many words, “Do you believe that I can see you through this? Or do you wish to turn your back on me and follow a new teacher?” Jesus does not want us to just pick up and leave. Jesus wants us to stay with the teaching, no matter how difficult it may seem.

But, we are not just to stand in place, the crowds did not stay in the same place, they moved, they followed. We are to remain in contact with Jesus. We are to remain in prayer and community. We are to gather in groups to learn and to grow. When we turn our backs, we become isolated, we remove ourselves from the work of the Spirit within the corporate body. When we remain - when we stay connected - when we keep the lines of communication open, we grow. It is part of the tradition the Anglican Communion: that we can gather at the table, even though we may not be able to agree on theology. That even though we may not be able to know exactly what God wants of us, we can still come together as a family. This is a very good psychological thing. If you can share a meal together, you are more likely to be able to reach a compromise acceptable to both. But when people turn their backs, the work of Christ peoples’ lives become so much more difficult.

Probably the most difficult part of this teaching is how do we discern what is a correct teaching and what it a false teaching. Not all difficult teachings are right nor are all easy teachings false. And using our feelings on the matter is not necessarily accurate, either. Many were feeling like the words that Jesus was speaking were wrong. But these words, as uncomfortable as they were, were the new message that was being sent to the people. The uncomfortable message was the message that Jesus wanted the people to hear and to follow.

We have dealt with difficult teachings in the past. At one point, women were not allowed to preach. At one time, those who were divorced were not allowed into the pulpit. At each of these times, there was much discord and people declaring the demise of the church. But you know what? We are still here!

There will always be changes. Even something we hold as dear as the church will have changes. Even our interpretations of the Bible may change. But we are not to turn our back on the community. We are not to turn our backs on those who disagree with us. Christ calls us to keep our faith in him and to not turn our back. Christ calls us to hold fast to our faith, even though we may not understand what is happening. But as long as we remain faithful, and as long as we keep working to understand, as long as we remain engaged, we can trust that Christ will be there.

Pentecost 11 Year B

2009-08-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

John 6:51-58

A few years back, I asked a group of high school students if it was possible to be a Christian in isolation. To my surprise, most of them said, “Yes, it is possible to be a Christian in isolation.” They did not see the need for a community. They did not see the need to have others of faith surrounding them. To them, it was enough to just say you were a Christian and have some vague idea of what that meant.

Being a Christian is not something we can just do without thinking. Jesus said that his yoke was easy, but it is still a yoke! Being a Christian in the world requires presence of mind and a willingness to forego some of our own needs for the needs of others. The strength to forego our own wants and needs is rarely, if ever, found in a single person. The strength that we find to be about the work of Christ in the world is what we find when we gather together in community.

Jesus tells the people that he is the true bread and the true blood. When we eat this bread, we will find eternal life. This is not like the bread of our ancestors; they ate the bread and they died. But if we eat the bread of life, we will abide in Christ and Christ will abide in us. When we look at the manna that the Israelites found in the wilderness, each family went out and took enough bread for themselves. Although this was a gift from heaven, it was still a pretty private matter.

But today, Jesus is talking to the crowds of his time and to us in our time. He is calling us to gather around. He is not saying to go out and each person get their own part of the bread, or even a portion big enough for their family. He is calling us to gather around Him as the bread of life. When we gather around him, we will find not only food, but we will also find eternal life. This is a call to community. This is a call for us to be aware of the needs of those around us, not just our own needs.

If we remember back about a month ago, we started down the trail that brings us to Jesus proclaiming that he is the Bread of Life. And how did we start? We started with 5000 sitting down and sharing bread and fish. We started with the gathered community coming together and sharing what they had to help the needs of those who did not have. We had a congregation that would make a Megachurch pastor proud gathering around Jesus to share food, to share stories, and to share life! Jesus brings this group of people together and through their hearts being opened, the multitude is fed. This is not the action of single person, this is a combined action of all the people. This is the action of the church gathered together.

Jesus calls us all to gather around him. He calls us to take part of him and to abide in him. When we abide in Jesus, this is not just a “Jesus and Me” moment; this is us recognizing that we are part of something bigger. We are not just eating a small wafer and getting a sip of wine; we are gathering around a table that encircles the world. We are sharing a story and a faith that has endured.

Jesus calls us as a community, as a congregation, as a people, to eat his flesh and drink his blood. When we gather around the table, we are gathering in faith. We are gathering with the world. We are not gathering with the thought that “I’ve got mine, go get your own.” The blessings we find through Christ are not blessings that we are to keep for ourselves alone. When Christ tells us to eat his body and drink his blood, he is calling us to send the invitation to the world. Because we have been blessed, we are called to be a blessing to others. If the 5000 hadn’t opened their hearts and their lunch bags to those around them, the miracle would have stalled.

I really try not to get too political from the pulpit, but what I see happening with the Health Care Reform has really gotten me steamed. As Christians, we are called to share what we have. We are called to give. Those who are blessed are called to be a blessing upon others. I cannot for the life of me picture Jesus telling the people to shout down those who are trying to help.

Maybe what we need is to have the people in the Town Hall Meetings sit down in groups on the ground and meet each other. Have the ones who have a lot get to know the ones who have little. It is much harder to tell a person that their pain does not matter when that person is staring you in the face. Jesus knew this, which is why he had the 5000 sit in groups. It is harder to waste food or to hoard food when you have someone who is starving sitting right next to you.

The system is broken and needs to be fixed; I think we can all agree on that. But shouting down any idea that is presented and calling others names like Hitler is neither Christian nor productive. We, as Christians, are called to serve others. We are called to see where there is suffering in the world and then look to see how we are blessed so that we may share these blessings. We are called to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

We are called to be part of community and our community as Christians starts here at St. Swithins’s in the Swamp but it doesn’t end here! Bread that isn’t shared gets moldy! We are not called to be a community in isolation; we are called to be out among the people. Our garage sale this past weekend was one such way we relieve that isolation. We have invited the community to come in and see what we are all about. It is a great way to get to meet the community and to have the community meet us. But I hope that this is only a start, I think we need to have a garage sale every month! JUST KIDDING! But I am sure the Spirit is just pushing us to find other ways to be out among the people. If we feel this place and these people are important, then how do we spread this good news to others?

We are told that God so loved the world. And we know that Christ came for all people. Christ is the bread of life but this life is not limited to us, it is here for all! It is my belief that we cannot be Christians in isolation. And it is my belief that we as a congregation cannot exist in isolation. Christ came to bring us life and blessings and sends us out to spread this blessing to the world.

Pentecost 10 Year B

2009-08-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

John 6:35, 41-51

I had a professor in college who would often talk about “Holy Uncertainty.” He would say that the most sacred place we could be was in the state of searching. When we become certain of our faith, it is then, at that point, that our faith begins to die. But as long as we were uncertain, we kept on searching. And as long as we were searching, we would be continually challenged and delighted by the wonders God had in store for us. When we became sure of our faith, we stop asking questions, we stop looking, we turn our heads away from what we see; opting to protect our “sure thing” at the cost of any new insight.
When we are certain of something, that certainty colors our whole world. If we are certain that a country is evil, everything that country does is then seen, by us, as being evil. If we believe someone is manipulative, then every action the person does is seen as manipulative. And if we believe someone is loving, then that person’s actions will be viewed through the lens of love. Usually, our view of a person or situation has more to say about us than it does about that person or situation. Holy Uncertainty helps us to travel though life with our eyes wide open. We can see the world for what it is, not what we think it is.
Certainty is a big part of the problem in the gospel reading for this morning. The people thought they had Jesus all figured out. They were certain of who he was. "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, `I have come down from heaven'?" The people had Jesus nicely pigeonholed. They were certain of who this man was. But now he was telling everyone that he was the Bread of Life! He was equating himself with God. Jesus was publicly proclaiming blasphemy and was pretty much making a nuisance of himself. Some of the people may have even considered he to be an embarrassment.
The people had Jesus plopped into a category. They were sure of their assumptions. And so when Jesus started to say things that were contrary to their assumptions, it got them upset. Instead of welcoming the new information, they actively fought to disregard it. It was easier for the people to disregard the information instead of moving into the area of Holy Uncertainty and learning from Jesus teaching.
How do we fight to disregard the voice of Jesus in our lives? Are se so sure of our faith that instead of having a vibrant, living faith, we end up with a cold, dead faith? Do we stop looking for the face of Christ in the world because we know exactly where in our community and in our world, we should find Jesus?
This is a very easy habit to get into. It is so much easier to have our concept of Jesus nailed down. It makes Jesus predictable. But it does not open us up to Holy Uncertainty. When we think we know a situation, we don’t have to spend a lot of time and energy learning new things. However, when we don’t learn new things, our life becomes flat and lifeless. When we think we have it all figured out, we miss the subtle, and not so subtle, nuances.
A simple example of people missing out on something because they believe the4y are certain of what is going on has been happening at work. We have a promotion called a “Treat Receipt” going on. With this receipt, the person can get a drink at about 50% off. I have asked people if they were familiar with the receipt, and often, the answer I get is “I’m not collecting those.” That answer let me know that the person had no idea what I was talking about and was already certain of what was happening. When someone told me, “I’m not collecting those,” I replied, “The correct answer would be, “No, I’m not.” So I told the person about the receipt and the person was excited about getting a treat in the afternoon. Her certainty could have cost her an afternoon smoothie.
Granted, this is just a small example, but it makes you wonder: How many of life’s simple pleasures do we miss just because we assume we already know what is happening. How many friends have we never met? How much beauty have we just passed over? How many gifts have remained unopened just because we assume we already know what is in the box?
When I look at all the troubles that are currently befalling the Anglican Communion, what I see is a bunch of people who think they have Jesus all figured out. They are certain of Jesus and are certain of what they think Jesus would do. Since they are certain of what Jesus would do, they are not open to any new revelation of the Spirit. Just like the people in the gospel reading, people today seem to be sure of their faith and so are not interested in opening themselves up to the uncertainty of a new teaching. They seem to fight against something that might change their life. It is easy to talk about maintaining Holy Uncertainty, but the problems we see with the Anglican Communion show us just how difficult it can be to enact it in our lives.
So how could moving from our place of certainty into Holy Uncertainty help us as a congregation? What are those things that we are so certain about that could actually be prevent us for experiencing the delights of life? What are those things that we are so certain about that could be preventing others from experiencing the delights that can be found in being part of the community of St. Swithin’s In The Swamp? In what ways are we shying away from those things that we may feel are unsafe? In what ways are we missing out on God’s gifts for our lives?
I think this is important for us to consider. This congregation has had its ups and its down during its history; but it is still here! And because we are still here, I take that to mean that God still has plans for us. Maybe God is asking us to trust in the Spirit and move from certainty into Holy Uncertainty. Maybe God is asking us to move beyond the usual and venture out into the unusual. We don’t know. But I do believe that if we start going to wrong way, God will steer us into the direction we need to move. But just like the people of the gospel, we need to realize that Jesus will often surprise us with the uncertain.
What we believe we know may not necessarily be the truth. Jesus did reach out to the respectable people, but he also seemed to make a special effort to reach out to those who were uncertain. Jesus reached out to the prostitutes and tax collectors. He touched the lepers, even risking becoming ritually unclean. He earned the wrath of the “respectable” people by reaching out to those who were not quite respectable.
Even the disciples were not necessarily the most respectable. They were not the elite of society; they were more likely the workers. They were the unexpected people. But these “Uncertain” people are the people that Jesus called and the people that Jesus around the table. These are the people for whom Jesus is the “Bread of Life.” Really, these uncertain people are us.
Christ would have been better off going with the tried and true, the certain; but that is not what Christ does. Christ uses us! As uncertain as we are. And Christ calls us to move beyond the tried and true. Christ calls us to move beyond our assumptions and find those surprises in life. Christ calls us to reach out, beyond the dead faith of certainty and live life in the wonder of “Holy Uncertainty.”

Pentecost 9 Year B

2009-08-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

John 6:24-35

I had a bit of a problem with the sermon today. All the commentaries I read talked about how the people in the crowd were just so dense. Here they were, crowds of people who had just been fed the day before, asking Jesus for another sign. Most of the commentators questioned how the people, who had just seen a major miracle, could ask Jesus for a sign. How could these people have witnessed a major miracle but still not get it?
These commentaries caused a bit of a problem! Today’s gospel reading is a continuation of last week’s reading. In the reading last week, we had the feeding of the 5000. Last week, I discussed how this could have been a miracle of producing a whole bunch of food, or it could have been a miracle of moving people to look beyond themselves and share their belongings with others. I opted for the belief that the miracle was how Jesus helped people to move beyond thinking only of themselves and to start reaching out to those around them.
But here is where the problem comes up: We can’t talk about major miracles and people responding to major miracles when, to the people in the crowd, nothing close to a miracle happened. If you think about it, to most people in the crowd, all that happened was that some food was shared. If we look at the miracle from the perspective of last week, the people in the crowd did not see some great miracle. All that they saw was some people sitting around sharing food. It is only when we look at the whole event that we can truly realize the scope of the miracle. So, since the people didn’t see a miracle, they only saw food being shared, we cannot really get on their case for asking for a sign. This is the interesting thing about miracles; so often, when we are right in the midst of the miracle, we don’t really notice them happening.
When you look back at your life, can you find the miracles there? Can you find the miracles that at the time seemed to be just a random event? I know that when I look back, I can find all kinds of miraculous events that are only evident now. At the time, all these “everyday miracles” really didn’t register at all. At the time, they were just the events that made up my life.
To the people of Biblical times, the feeding of the 5000 was not some big event; as I said, it was just people sharing food. To them, Jesus probably didn’t seem to do anything at all. But that is the way of God. Someone wiser than I once said that coincidence is how God stays anonymous. If we look at the world, God seems to choose to work within the constraints of our world.
If we think about it, we are lucky to NOT live in a world of huge miracles. Part of what makes life livable is that life, for the most part, is predictable. The laws of physics work. We don’t have to worry about the things around us doing things they shouldn’t. We can sit here and not worry about the character of the wood suddenly changing and having the roof cave in or the floor cave in. If we lived in a truly miraculous world, that would become a problem. We don’t worry about water suddenly becoming solid. Although it may sound like fun, having water suddenly become solid would also cause a problem. Thankfully, our world is predictable.
If you think about it, the only time in our life that the world is truly miraculous is when we are babies. In order to grow and mature, we need to be able to predict life; at least somewhat. And if we think of God as a caring parent, we would know that God would want us to grow and mature. So in that sense, too, it would not be very caring for God to suddenly change the laws of physics back in Biblical times either. So although it would be easy to follow the commentators and call the people in today’s gospel reading clueless, to do this would just be harsh.
What we do have in today’s gospel is a mirror of ourselves. Like those who were fed, we float through life with miracles happening all around us. And like those who were fed, we are part of miracles without even realizing it. But, if we were one of those other people in the crowd, on of the people who went out into the wilderness without bringing food, to find someone willing to share their food would be a miracle. Finding someone willing to risk his or her own hunger to give you something to eat would be a miracle. To the world, it may just look like a chance occurrence, but to the person who received the food, it would be a miracle. Is it a coincidence? Or is it a miracle?
I guess this is where faith comes in. Faith is seeing the miraculous in the everyday. Faith is finding the hand of God in what some might consider coincidence. In looking for miracles in daily life, some may say we are creating miracles where none exists, but another way to think of this that we are recognizing the miracles that are happening every day, right under our noses. We are recognizing the people whom Christ has placed into our lives to help us when we need help. We are recognizing the people whom we are called to reach out to. We are recognizing that we have been blessed to be a blessing to others.
We have Christ in our lives. We have the Bread of Life as our Savior. The blessings we have in life come from God and we are called to share those blessings with others. The miracles of life come from God to lift us, to feed us, help us through life. We have the signs of Christ love all around us. We have family, friends, and our family of faith who constantly shower us with miracles. We are fed with the living bread, which is Christ himself, and we are called to spread that miracle to the world.
I have a challenge for you all: Over the next week, look for those miracles in your life. Look for the hand of God at work. Is a coincidence merely a coincidence? Or is it a God trying to remain hidden?

Pentecost 8 Year B

2009-07-26T04:13:00.000-07:00

John 6:1-21

Someone once said, well, probably many someones, that you can find anything in the Bible. Well, this morning we have one such example. Here, in today’s gospel reading, we have an example of one of the first church potlucks. Yes! Potlucks are Biblical!

Now, some of you may think that I am being a bit sacrilegious here. Why would I describe the feeding of the 5000 as something as mundane as a potluck? This is supposed to be one of Jesus’ big miracles! Over 5000 people fed with only five loaves and two fish! For Jesus to have made this happen is incredible!

And truthfully, on that last point, you would be correct. For Jesus to have fed 5000 with just five loaves and two fish would be incredible. In fact, I had a comment from a colleague who asked how to teach about the gospel reading without making Jesus seem like a magician. If we get caught up in the whole “miracle” thing, all we get is Jesus as a magician. But if we can expand our understanding, we can move beyond Jesus just being a magician and meet the Jesus who is the man who can change our lives and the world.

Looking at a humble potluck can really help us to see what a miracle the feeding of the 5000 really was. Making food appear is a magic trick, or maybe something from Santa Clause. Feeding five thousand people really incredible.

Potlucks bring out the best in us. We bring what we can. We make the best that we know. Each person brings what they can, and takes what they need. OH NO! Potlucks are communistic! But really, isn’t that what a potluck is? Those who may have a bit more bring a bit more. Those who do not have as much bring less. But in the end, everyone leaves the potluck full. It does not matter that some may have contributed more to the feast than others, what is important is that each contributed what they could and that all people shared.

Using the image of the potluck may not seem appropriate for the gospel reading, though. In the gospel reading, all we have is one person giving up his lunch. We are only told that boy gave up his food, not that everyone shared. This sounds more like a banquet than a potluck. In a banquet, one person provides the food and everyone else eats. If the boy is the only one providing the food, then it is a banquet. And since we know that five loaves and tow fish cannot possibly feed that many people, to have a banquet, we would have to make Jesus into a magician. But if we really think about the Biblical times, what happened is probably closer to a potluck.

During Biblical times, there weren’t a bunch of restaurants and stores around. Now, that may seem obvious, but we need to think of how that would change life. People who were traveling would not just be able to stop of at McDonalds or Speedway to get something to eat. If someone was traveling and got hungry, that person would either need to find something, kill something, or have brought something along. Getting caught out in the wilderness without food could be a deadly mistake. So I think we could be fairly safe in assuming that the boy with the fish was not the only one without food. Probably there were many people who had brought food with them.

But also, we need to think about this situation from the point of view of a person in the crowd. If I have some food and I look around and see thousands of hungry people, I am not going to be very likely to get out my food. If I pull out a sandwich or something, I may get mobbed by people trying to grab if from me. So, in fear of losing what little I have, I am going to keep the food that I have hidden way.

So this is the problem that is before Jesus: Lots of hungry people, and a lot of food being kept hidden away. But no one wants to share for fear of getting stampeded by the crowd. How is a Savior supposed to get the people to share?

Jesus gets the people to sit down! (I know you were all saying, “Well of course!”) Actually, this is a very good idea on many levels. Sitting helps to keep peoples’ anxieties in check and also, when people are sitting, they can’t stampede! But also, if people are sitting in groups, they are probably sitting in small circles and can see each other. It is so much harder to deny someone when that person is sitting there right next to you. It is difficult to eat something when there is someone starving looking on. It is also easier to share when you have an example to follow. And it is easier to share when you feel that what you are sharing will have some effect. Giving even a large amount of food to over 5000 people will not make much of a difference, but giving some of my food to the person sitting next to me will help that person.

When we look at the situation in this way, the gospel reading is much more about a potluck than a banquet. The people brought what they could and they shared it with the people around them. No one there was expected to feed all of the people. Each person was just asked to do what they could. And when those who could help, did, in fact help, suddenly all the people were fed with so much left over.

The gathering of the scraps at the end of the story may seem like a bit of showboating, but it is very important. What this shows to all of us is the incredible blessedness that we have been given as a people. Separately, we may not feel like we have much of anything, but when we are brought together and we give of what we have, and we trust and follow the lead of our Savior, we find that we have more than we could imagine! When we are willing to share, we can do so much more than we could ever do alone. The potluck is such a wonderful lesson for us. No matter what, there always seems to be something for everyone.

As a child, I went to a very large church, so the church potluck was not something that I really experienced until I was in college. And I still remember my reaction to all of the food. I was a camp counselor and there was a church having a potluck at the camp. The church invited the whole camp staff to their picnic and to share their food. We didn’t have anything to bring, but we were welcomed anyway. What amazed me is that we all ate and there was still enough food for a small third-world nation. Just having everyone bring a bit made a feast possible!

I think this is something that we need to remember, the miracle was not that Jesus did something magical and made all the food multiply; the miracle was that the people came to realize that they were if fact highly blessed and chose to share that blessing with those who were around them. The miracle was that the people followed Christ’s example of generosity and generously shared what they had with the people they encountered.

How are we being called to share? How has Christ gifted us? How is Christ calling us to share these gifts with others? We are not being called to change the world, but we are being called to change our little corner of the world. We have been called and we have been blessed. Now we are to go out and be a blessing to those whom we may encounter.

Pentecost 7 Year B

2009-07-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

I seem to apologize a lot for my sermons. Like today’s sermon, I feel this need to apologize because it just seems way to personal for me. But I guess that is the way of scripture; they speak to us, no matter where we are in life. Even the same passage of scripture can have new depth depending on what is happening in life.

So we have the gospel reading for today. Jesus and the disciples were out and quite busy. The disciples were in need of a rest so Jesus tells them to go out and get away. Take a break.

I am sure that taking a break sounded pretty good to the disciples, they had been working hard! But there was a problem; the hassles of the world would not leave them alone. As whey went away to take a break, the people continued to follow them. The people, with their needs, wants, and desires, would not leave Jesus and the disciples alone.

I don’t think that I am alone when I say that often I feel like the disciples. Often life just seems to be too much. There is always something that needs attention. There is always another fire to put out. We try to get away from it all, but, unfortunately, all of the problems just seem to keep following us!

The thing that we need to remember about this story from the gospel is that even thought the crowds were pressing in, Jesus still wanted the disciples to rest. He didn’t see the crowds and then decide to tell everyone to get back to work. No, when the crowds continued to press in, Jesus took care of the needs himself. He knew that rest was important to the disciples so Jesus himself continued to heal when the disciples went off to rest.

Granted, we need to pay attention to life, but we also need to remember that even if we weren’t around, the world would continue to spin. God uses us to carry his love into the world, but we are not alone in the work. We aren’t even the chief managers. God wants us to do what we can, surely, but God is not going to expect us to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We may feel like it is up to use to make sure that the crowds are cared for, but quite often, Jesus is telling us to rest.

As we can see in the gospel reading, the one who does carry the burden of healing those who come is the one who will later carry the weight of the sins of the world on his shoulders. We see that when the disciples are told to relax, Jesus continues to heal. Any good manager knows that wearing your workers to a frazzle is not a good thing. Jesus would know this too! Actually, God knew this to be true and that is why one of the Ten Commandments tells us to keep holy the Sabbath. The purpose of this commandment is to not only provide a time to worship and to thank God, but also to provide a time for rest. This is a time of renewal, a time to be restored, a time to regain our strength and health.

This time of renewal is a gift of a caring God! Far too often I think we look upon the Sabbath commandment as a burden and not as a joy. So many stipulations have been placed upon the Sabbath that is had become another form of work! It would be like saying you need to sleep but then saying that you had to go to bed at 10:30 pm, even if you were tired earlier or even if the movie wasn’t over until 11 pm. Sleep is good, but so is finishing your movie! We can see that if we place too many stipulations on even a good thing it can become a burden. Unfortunately, for many people, this is how keeping holy on the Sabbath has been interpreted. So many rules have been placed on it. We feel we cannot keep all the rules so we pitch the whole thing.

But keeping holy is about worship, rest AND knowing our place in the world. Resting keeps us happy and healthy, but it also lets us know that ultimately it is not our place to hold the problems of the world. We can only do so much and then the rest we must leave up to God. In the gospel, there was only so much the disciples could do, to ask them to do more would be to wear them out. So Jesus told them to “come away.” Even though there were people who still wanted to have their needs healed, Jesus told the disciples to rest.

I often feel that I can’t rest because things will not get done. And I am pretty sure I am not the only one who feels this way. Those of us who feel like the work of the world has been placed squarely on our shoulders need to pay special attention to this week’s scripture. We are called to head the commandment to rest just as the disciples were expected to rest. We need to do what we can, but then we need to back off and allow Jesus to continue with the crowds.

The crowds will always be there. The needs will always be present. We could wear ourselves to a frazzle. But wearing ourselves to a frazzle is not how we show our faith in Christ. Faith is being able to back away when we hear the call to rest, knowing that our Savior continues to work.

This is a hard thing for us to do, but then again, no one ever said that faith was going to be easy! But that is the way of God. We are called to go out and to work among the people, but we are also called to take time to rest and to restore. We are called to lead, but we are also called to follow. We are called to use our strength to work for the kingdom, but we are also called to take time to back off trusting that God will provide as is needed.

Sometimes I think it would be nice if the Bible just gave us hard and fast rules, but it doesn’t; life is not hard and fast and the Bible helps us to survive in the world. God would not insult us by giving us a schedule like having to go to bed at 10:30 pm every night. The Bible gives us tools for dealing with the world. We are told to give, and we are told to receive. We are told to be in community and we are told to be alone. We are told to be workers in the vineyard and we are told to be at rest. How we grow as Christians is in working through these situations and finding the fit that works for each of us. And that fit will be different for each of us. But part of our life is finding how we deal with these ebbs and these flows.

The one thing that we can be sure of is that whether we are working too much or resting too much or whatever, Jesus is there with us. We can trust that Christ will continue to work on into the night, even when we may be too tired to go on. Ain’t it great we have a God that loves us enough to send us to bed when we don’t have the sense to go there ourselves?

Pentecost 6 Year B

2009-07-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Rev. Benton Quest

Ephesians 1:3-14

If you watch televangelists or listen to the prevalent feelings about what it means to be a Christian, you will hear lots of ways to NOT be a Christian. Some people will say if you think abortion should be legal; then you cannot be a Christian. Some would say if you are divorced; then you can’t be a Christian. Others may say if you condone homosexuality then you aren’t a Christian. And still others would tell you that unless you tithe, then you definitely are NOT a Christian. But I think we need to have a different standard. I think we hold dearly to the concept of scarcity, then we really shouldn’t call ourselves Christian.

If we look in the Bible, one of the words we don’t often find is the word “scarce.” The words we find much more frequently are words like “abundance,” “lavish,” “riches,” and “generosity.” God is described as lavishing gifts upon the people and providing for them abundantly. And this ultimate act of love and generosity was the gift of Jesus and the gift of forgiveness we receive through his life, death, and resurrection. Nowhere do we hear about God rationing out love or holding back when God bestows gifts. When God gives a gift, God gives these gifts in abundance.

So, if God gives us gifts in abundance, where is my new wardrobe? Where is my new iPod? Where is my HUGE house? And if I am going to have a huge house, WHERE IS MY MAID! Where are all of these things? How can we believe in the generous abundance of God when all we hear about is lack and want. No job. No new cars. No iPhones! If God is the God of abundance, then where is all the stuff!?

Well, I hope you can tell that I am having some fun with you here. But still, isn’t this the way we tend to look at things? We tend to buy into our society’s belief that we need to possess more and more. We are told that unless we possess the most or the best, then we are not acceptable. This is the vision of life that is continuously placed before us through TV and advertising. We are only as good as our possessions. And our possessions must be better than anyone else’s. This is the way of the world, but it is not the way of God. God’s way is not to just sit there and amass the most; in God’s way, amassing the most does not make sense. God’s way is that of sharing all that we have because we know that there will always be enough.

In my opinion, it is our fear of scarcity that holds us back. It is our fear of scarcity, not only of our money and things, but of our time, that prevents us from being the people that God intended. If we look at the epistle reading for this morning, the one thing that should jump out at you is the total description of abundance that we hear. “…freely bestowed.” “…richness of his grace.” “…lavished upon us.” When Paul speaks of the gifts of God to the people of Emphasis, there is nothing skimping about it. When God bestows gifts upon us, God gives big time!

If we are not seeing the abundance of gifts in our lives, one of two things is happening. The first possibility is that God has chosen to not bestow any gifts upon us. But really, you should know by now that I am not going to endorse this option. I truly believe that we are all richly blessed in more ways than we can ever imagine. So if God is not leaving us high and dry but we still do not see the abundance that is in our lives, then there is the second possibility, and that possibility would be that we are just not looking in the right place.

One of the fun things about gifts is that they are often a surprise. If a gift wasn’t meant to be a surprise, why would we spend so much time wrapping and disguising the identity of the gift? Why would we hide the gift away until the time it is to be given? Part of the fun of the gift is the opening of the gift and the surprise that we find. In the same way, gifts from God can also be surprising. Gifts from God may also be packaged in a way that is not always readily apparent. But it is in finding the gifts in our lives and opening them that we find the surprise and the joy!

When we look at our lives and see scarcity, what we are not doing is seeing the gifts of God. What we are doing is buying into the lies of our world. We are believing that all of our lives have to do with the stuff we have. And so often, we get caught up in the tales of the “stuff” that we miss the great blessings and gifts that we truly have! The God who would bless us with the abundant blessing of forgiveness found in Jesus, wouldn’t want us to live a life of need and want. But what we may think we need and what we truly need are often two different things.

One of the more interesting images of Hell is found in C.S. Lewis’ book The Great Divorce. In this book, Hell is a very small place, and it is populated with people who have everything that they could ever want. They have lavish homes, wonderful cars, everything! The only problem is that they are entirely alone. Their search in life for all the things to make them feel fulfilled didn’t do anything for them except separate them from the very things that could help them to be blessed; each other. So they are left in death trying to find fulfillment in all the stuff they so earnestly sought for in life.

In a similar way, our belief in scarcity and the search for things of the world to fill in that scarcity often drives us away for those very things that can give us the abundant, enriching life that God desires for all of His children. We may not be blessed with things, but if we search, we find that we are blessed with an abundance of gifts that are beyond price. We have friends, family, and people who care about us. We have talents and skills. We have all kinds of surprises and events that bring joy to our lives. When we think about our lives, do we say, “When I got my new car, then my life changed”? Probably not. More likely, we may say something like, “When I met my husband or wife, then my life changed.” Or “When we had children, then we knew we were truly gifted.” Or possibly, “When I learned a new skill or talent, then my life opened to so many new possibilities!”

If we look, we can see that the things that make our lives abundant are not things at all! They are the wealth of people, places, and experiences that we have. And even more so, it is not keeping these abundances to ourselves; the more we share them, the richer we become. If we, as Christians, truly believe in the abundance of God, then we know that we can reach out with the gifts that we have been given, knowing that our God of abundance will not leave us high and dry. We have been given an abundance so that we can share that abundance among others.

Our God is not a God of scarcity. Our God is a God of Abundance! We, as followers of Christ, have been given many gifts, but we are not to keep these gifts to ourselves. As Christ’s followers, we are called to share as our Savior shared. To love as Christ loves. To spread our abundance to the world. We may think this is impossible, but that is the world speaking. In God, we have gifts beyond counting. It is just up to us to find these gifts and share them with the world.

Pentecost 3 Year B

2009-06-21T04:12:00.000-07:00

Pentecost 3 Year B June 21, 2009 Mark 4:35-41 The Rev. Benton Quest

I find verse 38 in today’s gospel reading to be really interesting.
The disciples are being tossed by a storm, a storm that is threatening to swamp their boat. Through all of this tossing, Jesus is asleep. The storm becomes worse and worse, and finally the disciples get so frustrated that Jesus is not waking up and doing something that THEY wake Jesus and demand that he do something!
If we pay attention to the words the disciples use to wake Jesus, they are also pretty interesting. The disciples don’t gently shake Jesus to wake him, no! They rush in and ask/demand of him, “Do you not care that we are perishing?”
The sense that I get is that the disciples felt Jesus should be doing something! Jesus should right there making everything all right. And when Jesus was not right there, taking care of the storm, the disciples thought that Jesus didn’t care. The storm did not seem to bother Jesus; he just kept sleeping. But it was this apparent lack of bother that seemed to make the disciples upset.
Do we feel the same way? Do we wonder why Jesus is not jumping in and making things better? Do we wonder why Jesus is not jumping out of the hold of the ship, taking care of the storm we experience in life before the storm can even rocks us? Do we feel that if Jesus really loved us, he would protect us so that we would not have to deal with any storms in our lives? Do we want to scream, “Do you not care that we are perishing?”
Somehow, it seems we get the idea that we should never have to weather any storms in our lives. Maybe we think that if we just believe in Jesus, nothing bad will ever happen. We may want to think nothing bad will happen. But unfortunately, in our lives, there will be rain and there will even be storms. Storms are part of the human condition. We cannot get away from them. And if we know anything about Jesus, he never takes us away from the human condition. However, even if Jesus will not pull us out of the human condition, he does help us through our human condition.
So the disciples are riding out the storm and they are convinced that they are about to die. Everybody is running around screaming and Jesus is just lying there sleeping. Why isn’t Jesus upset? Shouldn’t Jesus be worried that the boat was going to sink and his mission on earth was going to be sunk? Jesus shouldn’t be sleeping! He should be up and concerned like everyone else! But he is not up; he is quietly sleeping.
Sometimes I think we get upset for no apparent reason. We worry about things that we have no control over. We fret over the future even though we cannot control the future.
The disciples were worried over the weather. They were worried about something over which they had no control. We can assume, being good fisherpeople, they did all the things any good fisherperson would do to protect their boat and crew. But after all of that, there was not much else they could do. After they did what they could, then it was up to the forces of nature. After they did all that they could do, all that was left to do was to trust in the one asleep in the hold.
Trusting the one asleep in the hold is hard! If Jesus is asleep, can he really know what is going on? Can we be sure that Jesus has our best interest at heart if he is snoring away? Maybe Jesus can only intervene when he is awake?
We, like the disciples, often get so caught up in the things of the world that we lose our bearing; we get so caught up in the things of the world that we forget that we can place our entire lives into the care of the Lord.
So, what did the disciples do when they were so caught up in the problems of the world that they forgot to have faith? Well, they did what any good Christian should do! They yelled for Jesus to help them! They actually prayed to Jesus! Granted, Jesus was right there with them, but in their distress they called out to Jesus.
And when Jesus heard their call, what was his response? Well, Jesus probably woke up, rubbed his eyes, stretched, and then he rebuked the storm. He said, “Peace! Be still!” And with that, the storm quieted and there was dead calm.
Now the next thing Jesus said we really don’t have too much information on. If we read it one way, Jesus sounds angry and frustrated. But if we read it another way, Jesus sounds more like a bemused parent. I tend to believe that Jesus said it more as the bemused parent. I believe this because we are told that the disciples were filled with awe, not embarrassment or shame.
As the bemused parent, Jesus rebukes the storm but does not rebuke the disciples. Jesus hears their
plea and then calms the storm. Jesus does not become angry with the disciples or chide them for their lack of faith; he just calms the storm.
We could guess that the storm was not going to sink the boat. We are led to this because the storm was not something that was even worthy of Jesus’ attention. But we can also see that when the disciples brought their troubles to Jesus, he respected their fear and doubt and helped them through.
When we encounter storms in our lives, I would hope that we could just know, in the core of our being, that Jesus will be there to help us. When problems seem so unconquerable that we panic, I would pray that we could sit quietly, knowing that God was present. When we have done all we can do and it still appears that a wave is about to break us apart, I would hope that we could look at the storm and know that God is bigger than all of it.
However, if we are not “Super Christians;” if we begin to worry and panic; we can rest assured that Jesus is not asleep. We can be assured that Jesus is aware of our problems and that our problems are not too big for him. We can bring our cares and concerns; we can even yell, “Do you not care that we are perishing,” to Jesus knowing that Jesus may rebuke the storm, but Jesus will not rebuke us for our lack of faith.
The one who died for us will either calm the storm outside or calm the storm within. But no matter if the storm ceases or the waves destroy the boat, our safety as Children of God has already been established. The death of Jesus removes our need to fear death. And Christ’s resurrection assures us of eternal life.
We can hope that in our lives the storms would cease, but you know, the storms will always be there. We can hope that we would always be safe in our ship, but sometimes our ships may sink. We can hope that the storms would be calmed, but sometimes the storm continues to rage and it is us who need to be calmed. But no matter what happens in the storm, our Savior is always with us. With Jesus, we can trust that no matter what happens here and now, God’s perfect love will prevail.

Pentecost 2 Year B

2009-06-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

Pentecost 2 Year B Mark 4:26-34 June 14, 2009 The Rev. Benton Quest

One of the really cool things about scripture is just when you think you have it all figured out, a new and exciting interpretation suddenly appears.

I think I may have said this before: Often as I look at a reading for Sunday, my thought is, “Oh, this is the ‘Good Samaritan’ story,” or “This is the ‘Turn the other cheek’ reading.” And this Sunday, my thought was, “Oh! It is the Mustard Seed reading!” And for those of you who know how I feel about mustard, you know that I had to wrinkle my nose a little bit. But then I began to read the story; and also read what some of the commentators had to say about the reading. It was then that I realized that I had overlooked something in the reading. Well, maybe not overlooked, but I found a new understanding of the reading that I had not considered before. I am always impressed that there always to be something new hiding in the scriptures.

In the past, I had looked upon this reading as having something to do with my faith. It was my and my interactions with God that were important. You know, “If I just plant my faith in God, it will grow into a really, really big faith.” It was about me doing things and then having God make them grow. And, all in all, I think we could look at this reading with this understanding and not be too far off. I think it is a good thing to place our trust in God, and it is my belief that God will make our faith grow and flourish. But this time when I looked at the reading, I began to understand more.

Let’s think about this whole growing process. The first thing that must happen is the seed must end up in the dirt somehow. The seed needs to get planted. In some cases, this planting is intentional. Growing up in Iowa, I was well aware of the large planters that were drub through the fields to plant corn. Another intentional method is planting gardens. We go through the work of digging holes and placing the seeds into the holes. Then we carefully place the dirt on top. These are very intentional ways of planting. We place the seeds exactly where we want them.

But there are also other ways to plant seeds. Squirrels hide their acorns underground. Now many of the nuts that are hidden underground are forgotten by the squirrels and begin to grow. The burying of the acorn was not for the purpose of planting a tree, but a tree is the end result. These seeds are not planted in any particular manner. And they are not planted with any particular intent. But even so, they do produce trees. There are some other types of seeds that don’t even get planted. The “helicopter” that fall from some trees just need a patch of fertile land to alight upon. No particular plan, just a lot of seeds and the hope that one will find a hospitable place to land.

Now the second step in growing something may seem almost too stupid to mention, but it is the place that many people get tripped up. Not only does the seed need to be planted, but the seed needs time to grow! This whole growing and changing process needs time! There is really nothing that we can do to speed this process along. All we can do is provide the optimum conditions. The optimum conditions help the seed to grow quickly. But even with conditions that are not optimal, the seed can still grow.

Then we come to the final step in the growing process; the produce must be harvested at the right time. If we harvest too early, the crop may not be edible. But if we harvest too late, the crop my rot on the vine. We want to harvest at that right time, when the crop is perfectly ripe for picking.

So we can compare God’s work in the world to the process in which plants grow from seeds into mature plants. We can also see how we are to be God’s people in the world, how we are to not only plant the seeds of our own faith, but how we can help plant seeds and help with the harvest.

We plant many seeds in many ways. We actively plant seeds by bringing our children and grand children to Sunday Worship. We actively plant seeds when we pray in our homes with our families. We also actively plant seeds when we volunteer to help, not only in church but in the community. We actively plant seeds when we invite others to join us on Sunday for worship. It is in these ways that we place seeds of God’s love into others lives. And it is in these ways God can grow the seeds to bring love and life to those we know.

Sometimes, however, seeds get planted when we don’t even realize we are planting them. I remember a letter my cousin once wrote to me. She remembered a time when I was with her as a little girl and how much that time meant to her. She said she remembered the time that I was pointing out the stars to her. I remembered that time. I thought I was just pointing out stars and I thought she was enjoying learning about the constellations. What she told me was that she had no idea what I was pointing out, she didn’t have her glasses on! She just enjoyed the fact that I was spending time with her and paying attention to her. I thought the important thing was the stars, she told me that the seeds that were planted were the seeds of time.

Sometimes we may not be called to plant the seeds but to prepare the ground. We may be called to prepare the soil so that someone else may plant the seed. How we act in the world helps to prepare the soil. When we claim to be Christian and act in the ways of love and kindness, we prepare the soil of others’ hearts to the message of the gospel. But when we claim Christianity and then act in ways that are judgmental and hateful, we help to harden the soil of others’ hearts and make it all the more difficult for the message to take root.

But I think the hardest part of this whole process is the waiting part. We want things to happen immediately. We want to see the seeds that we have planted grow and produce fruit right now! We have difficulty waiting. We may plan something and then be disheartened when there is not an immediate growth in membership or in giving. But this is not how we should look at things. We can plant seeds and we can work to make the ground fertile, but only God can make the seeds grow. We need to remember that although we may plant seeds, we may never see them grow. What we need to do is to do what we can do and then trust in God, and in God’s time, those seeds will grow into a bountiful harvest.

Another part of the process where God can use us in assisting with God’s will is in the harvest. We need to be aware that there are seeds growing all around us: seeds we may have planted and also seeds that others have planted. And these seeds are maturing to ripeness constantly. If we are too preoccupied in looking only at the seeds that we have deliberately planted, we may miss seeing the other plants that are ready for harvest. We may be too busy looking down, that we do not look around and see all the harvest that is ready to be picked. Or we may be so intent in looking at one spot that we may miss the seeds that have fallen elsewhere. When I look around, I am shocked at the places where things have grown! Just look at the cracks in the pavement. Or look at the gaps between bricks in some buildings. Things are popping out all over! The same can be said about our world. The seeds of God are being planted all over and are constantly reaching maturity. If we limit our sight to those places where we think things should be growing, we can so easily miss the places where things actually are growing!

Are we missing those seeds that are gowning in our community? Are we missing those seeds that are growing in our places of work? Are we looking for the fruit of God wherever we go?

Are we planting seeds wherever we go? Are there people who heed to hear the word? Are we reaching out to all whom God has placed before us? Are we spreading the seed of God’s love like the trees with the helicopters; spreading the love far and wide in the hopes that it will find a place to grow?

We have done a good job in planting seeds. We have given to other and we have invited others to join us. We can take joy in that. But we also need to realize that the fields to plant are immense and that the harvest is bigger than we realize. We can take joy in what we have done, but we also need to be challenged to extend our reach even further.

We need to trust and believe that in God all things are possible. In God, seeds will be planted and seeds WILL grow. We need to trust that even if we don’t see the seeds grow, others will be there to gather the harvest that we have sown. We need to trust that God will give us the eyes of faith to see the harvest that is right under our noses and the faith and courage to go out and gather the harvest. The harvest is plentiful, we just need to go out and gather it in!

Pentecost 2009

2009-05-31T04:45:00.000-07:00

Pentecost

Acts 2:1-21

Happy Birthday Chruch!

You may or may not know it, but Pentecost is usually looked upon as the birthday of the church. It was the time when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and sent them out into the world. Jesus was born, died, had risen. These were important things, but they were not the event that marks the birth of the church. It was this sending out into the world that truly made the church. If the disciples had not gone out, if they would have just stayed in the upper room, the church would have died. It was in being sent out that the church was born.

The disciples were sent out into the world, but the Holy Spirit did not send the disciples out into the world unprepared; when the Holy Spirit sent the disciples out; the Holy Spirit gave them a gift. The gift that was given was pretty dramatic! After the Spirit descended upon the disciples, the disciples were no longer speaking in their own native language, after the gift of the Spirit, the disciples were able to speak in the languages of all the people who were listening.

I have always thought this was a good example upon which to base the church. This story shows that the church – from its very beginning – was based on more than just keeping the Good News about Jesus to itself. The church was to be about bringing the Good News out to the people of the world. The disciples could have just stayed in their room and reminded themselves of how great it was to have Jesus, the Son of God, as their savior. Or they could have just talked to their friends about Jesus. But the church was to be so much more. The church was to be a beacon to the world! The church was to spread the news of Christ to the Nations.

During Pentecost we get do all of this talking about speaking in tongues. But for most of us in mainline denominations, the whole concept of speaking in tongues seems to be itself, speaking in tongues. I was never very comfortable with the whole “speaking in tongues” thing. It just seemed too weird to me. I know that there are other Christian brothers and sisters that take speaking in tongues very seriously, but I couldn’t understand what good it would do to be uttering things in a language that nobody seemed to be able to understand.

Well, I think this shows part of the limit in my thinking. If I were to stand up here and speak to you in French, Greek, or Sign Language, it would help none of you. You could sit there for hours, even days, and not get an idea of that I was saying. But we need to remember that the disciples were not just talking to themselves, they were out talking to the people of the city.

This still doesn’t seem to have an effect on us. If we walk to the neighbor’s house, we could speak English to them and they would not have too difficult a time understanding us. Why do we have to get this lesson in speaking in tongues?

This question was bothering me until I remembered a commercial I had seen on television. You may remember seeing this commercial; it had gotten a lot of play in its time. It involves a mother and a daughter trying to have a conversation. The mother asks the daughter why the cell phone bill is so high. The daughter responds with “WTBD?” The mother says, “What’s the big deal? Who are you texting 50 times per day?” To which the daughter says, “IDK, my BFF Jill?” It then dawned on me; this girl was speaking in a different language! Children today have a new language. They not only text in a new language, they have a new way of speaking and a new language of music. They have a whole different way of communicating with the world and with each other.

I had always been told that speaking in tongues was some kind of Spiritual language or some ancient language, but maybe we need to think about tongues as the language of those around us. Within the church we have a language of ritual; we have a language of faith. We have a language of music and we have a language of holiness. And this language has worked for a long time. But now, we cannot assume that everyone speaks the same language. We cannot assume that the things we take as basic to the understanding our faith are even part of peoples’ awareness. Even people who may claim to be Christian may no longer speak our language.

An example of this comes from a colleague of mine. He had performed a wedding and had someone come up afterward and tell him how wonderful the service was. The person was especially impressed with a certain prayer that was used in the ceremony. When questioned as to which prayer this was, the person said, “Oh, the one about ‘Our Father in Heaven’” and then questioned if my colleague had written it himself.

It is a different world out there, different than the one that we grew up in.

Now some would say that all we need to do is to keep doing what we are doing and trust in the Holy Spirit to open the ears of the hearers so that they may understand. This sounds good, and I do trust that the Holy Spirit can truly open peoples’ ears so they can hear what was said, but it seems to be too difficult. What seems easier is for us to listen to see how the Spirit may be moving us in new ways of speaking. How might the Spirit be asking us to change?

This thought of changing may be scary to some. Some may hear this and think that I am suggesting a wholesale dismissal of church traditions. And if I were to do that, I know that Bishop Eddie would be pounding on my door demanding an explanation. No, learning to speak a new language need not be that radical.

I saw an example of speaking a new language while I was in New Orleans a few years ago. St. Anna’s Episcopal Church in the French Quarter had a seeker service every Wednesday evening and this service was very well attended. I will have to say that music during the service had a definite “seeker” quality to it. But that was it. The service had bells, incense, and prayers. The service had all the trappings of a high Episcopal service. It was all there. Now what made it a new language were the explanations that were given in the bulletin. Each action was accompanied with the meaning of the action printed out for the seeker to read. In doing this, the congregation spoke the language of the seekers who attended the service. The congregation did not assume the seekers would know the language of the liturgy, and they did not assume the seekers would automatically learn the language. But they also didn’t totally abandon their language either. Following what I would consider the lead of the Spirit, they spoke the worship service in a manner that the truths which were present in the liturgy would be understandable to those who attended. In the reading from Acts, we are told that the people understood the words of the disciples. We can guess that the disciples were not watering down the message nor changing the message. What we need to see is that the message was being spread in a manner that the people in the city could understand.

The Holy Spirit still calls us as the church to reach out to the world. The Holy Spirit still gives us the gift of tongues. The Holy Spirit still calls us to use this gift in the building up of the community. Speaking in tongues doesn’t need to be something that we are afraid of. Speaking in tongues doesn’t need to be something for those other Christians across town. Speaking in tongues means being aware of those who are around us and finding new ways to help them to understand. Speaking in tongues means finding new ways to speak the truth we have been given.

The gift of the Spirit was given on Pentecost all those years ago, but it is also something that is here today. The Holy Spirit was present in the upper room but it is also present, right here in Swampland MI. The disciples went out, speaking the truth in the language of the people. Let us also go out and spread the truth to a world that needs to hear.

Easter 7 Year B

2009-05-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

Easter 7 Year B John 17:6-19 May 24, 2009 The Rev. Benton Quest

Well, we have reached the end of the Easter season. Get a good look at the white paraments because next week they will be red, then once more white for Holy Trinity Sunday, and then they will be green for a whole long time as we enter the Sundays after Pentecost.

As far as the story of Easter goes, we are in a weird time: Christ has ascended into Heaven but we have not had the Holy Spirit show up on the scene yet. So we are in a lull. The apostles were also in a lull; not really sure what was going to happen next.

So it is interesting that this gospel reading from John was chosen for today. In this reading we overhear Jesus praying to God on behalf of the disciples and on our behalf also. In this reading, we overhear Jesus’ hopes, dreams, and desires for not just the disciples of Biblical times, but for his disciples of all times, us included. In this reading we also overhear Jesus’ prayer for the gifts of God to be bestowed upon us. It is a great thing to have someone pray for you, but when that someone is Jesus himself, how could we ever doubt that these prayers will be answered?

First off, before we hear anything else from Jesus’ prayer, we should hear his pride. Jesus is proud of his disciples. He states that right out, “I have been glorified in them.” That seems odd: One will betray him, one will deny him, and all will abandon him. And even though Jesus knows all this will happen, Jesus still says he has been glorified in the disciples. How can he be glorified in a group of people who don’t seem to get anything right? They seem to bungle everything. They never seem to understand. And yet, Jesus is proud of them, more than that, Jesus is grateful for them.

When I think of pride like this, I think about the movie, The Music Man. If you have not seen the movie, a man comes into a town claiming he will create a boys band. Well, the man can’t play a note of music and usually leaves after selling all the instruments but before ever giving any a chance to play. But this time he gets snagged by true love and decides to stay. When the band finally does play, they sound awful! The kids can’t hit any of the notes. But the parents loved it! They were so proud that their children were playing in a band. To the parents, it was not how good the band sounded; what was important was that the kids were trying.

I think it is the same with Jesus: He knew that the disciples were not going to get it right, but the fact that they were even trying to get it right was pleasing. Thomas Merton, a Catholic monk, stated it wonderfully when he said, “. . .the fact that I think I am following God’s will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please God does in fact please God.”

In his prayer, Jesus is proud of his disciples. Jesus is also proud of us. We really cannot be any more bumbling than the disciples were: If Jesus was proud of their efforts and said that he was glorified in them, then we can also be assured that he is also glorified in you efforts to be faithful.

There is a Jewish song, sung around Passover, called Dayenu. The gist of the song is that along each step of the Exodus, the Israelites should have been grateful for what God had given them, but, in fact, God had given them more. Having brought the Israelites to Mt. Sinai would have been enough, but the God gave them the Torah. Having the Torah would have been enough but then God gave them the Land of Israel.

At this point in Jesus’ prayer, we could say, “Dayenu.” Having Jesus proud of us and of our efforts would be enough, but Jesus gives more. Being able to glorify Jesus would have been enough, but there is still more to come.

Jesus prays for God to protect us through God’s name. And he also prays for God to join us together as Jesus and God are bound. I think we forget this. Jesus is asking this of God for our sake. Now, do you really think God is going to say, “No” to Jesus? Or do you think God is going to say, “yes, but only for a little while”? Of course not. But we act as if God were not there to protect us and unify us. We let our fears get in the way of actions. We allow our comfort or discomfort to dictate our actions in our neighborhood and in our our world. We forget that we can act boldly because God is there to protect us.

And again at this point, we could say, “Dayenu,” that would have been enough, but still, Jesus continues. Jesus states in his prayer that we do not belong to the world, as he did not belong to the world. WHAT? We do not belong to the world as Jesus didn’t belong to the world? From what we know, Jesus never owned a house, a donkey, a boat, or even a tent. From what we know, Jesus had little more than the clothes on his back and the sandals on his feet. We can see that Jesus is patently wrong here. We are of the world. We have cars, houses, furniture, iPods, computers, pets, lawn mowers... These things of life only briefly tempted Jesus and he got over that. We not only are tempted by the things of this world, we often give into that temptation whole-heartedly.

So, was Jesus lying when he said that we did not belong to the world? No, I think it would be better to say that Jesus values the direction we are facing much more than our position on the road. This praise, praise about not belonging to the world, was given originally to the disciples, people who bickered over who would have the position of the most power and people who clung to their dream of an earthly kingdom. These were not people who were models of simple living. And still, Jesus says they do not belong to this world. Through Jesus, the disciples are lifted above the world they could see. Through Jesus we are lifted above the life we see.

We are protected through God’s name and we are lifted above the concerns of the world; and we bring glory to Jesus, to that we could say, “Dayenu,” that is enough. But Jesus does not stop. He continues praying. We are not to exist for ourselves but for the good of those in the world. Even though we are surrounded by a world that would not hear the Gospel; even though there are people who would have us limit our love to those who fit nicely into certain categories; even though we may want to shrink back into a corner and keep away from anything that appears to be defiled, Jesus sends us out into the world.

We may say that going fearlessly into the world, extravagantly loving and caring, is just too much. We may think that this commission is just too big for us to do. We may feel we could never live up to such expectations. But to think this way is to forget who is praying for us! This is Jesus, God incarnate praying for us! This is Jesus, the Son of God intervening for us! This is The Word, the one present at the beginning of time, who is proud of us. We could not ask for a better source of encouragement! And if Jesus is the one praying for us, we can rest assured that the task is not too much for us.

So we are between the Ascension and Pentecost. But this is not the time to sit back and wait. Now is the time to trust in Jesus. Now is the time to trust in the promise. Now is the time to spread the news of love and forgiveness we have received through Jesus.

Just to have Jesus proud of us would have been enough. To have God protect us would have been enough. To bring glory to God would have been enough. But we have Jesus praying for us. So we go out into the world knowing that if Jesus is behind us, we cannot possibly fail.

Easter 6 Year B

2009-05-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

Easter 6 Year B John 15:9-17 The Rev. Benton Quest

I started to write a sermon and I really made a big mistake! Major mistake! And this mistake caused me all kinds of problems. I was wondering why I was having such a tough time writing a sermon about love. A sermon about love shouldn’t be that hard, right? But then I went back and looked at what I wrote. I saw it! I was breaking one of the major rules of life. Now I don’t remember who it was who told me this rule, but I remember immediately seeing the truth in the statement. And just what was this great piece of truth that I had forgotten and that was messing up the sermon? That truth was: The opposite of Love is not Hate, it is apathy.

So often when we hear Jesus talk about love, I think we give ourselves a bye. We figure that we must love someone because we don’t hate that person. And this is a very easy way to let ourselves off the hook; as long as we are not actively doing something to hurt a person we must not hate the person. And since the opposite of hate is love, then if we are not hurting the person, we must be loving the person.

Now that may sound a little simplistic. And you are probably saying to yourself, he has finally gone off the deep end; how can he seriously expect us to believe this. Well, I expect you to believe it because I have seen such things happen within myself.

You see, this whole process I have explained does not happen on the conscious level; it is something that is happening much deeper, beyond our conscious processing. And it is in this deeper layer where most of our self-delusion happens. I truly believe that most of us probably wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves if we knew that our actions were causing people actual harm, even people we don’t really like. And actually going out of our way to hurt someone requires an investment in time and energy. As someone once said, “Hate is too strong of an emotion to waste on someone you don’t like.”

But apathy is something different. It is true neglect. To be apathetic toward someone, you really don’t have to do much at all. One of the people I work with at my new job has gotten this down to an art form: I can say something to her and she will respond with “Oh” and turn her back and walk away. Truthfully, I would rather have her make some kind of snide comment or something. Her total apathy is more hurtful than any mean comment.

What my coworker is showing I would call “active apathy” which almost sounds like an oxymoron. We can still probably weasel out of being actively apathetic. Probably most of us have too much “breeding” to do something like that.

But there is the more insidious of the forms of apathy, and that is the apathy that is part of our culture. We tend to ignore things until those things become a weight on us.

I heard someone on the radio once say that he hoped gas went over $5 per gallon and stayed there. He said it was only then, when we feel the pinch of our money, that we would finally do something about our nation’s energy obesity. It would be nice to think that we would see what our addiction to oil was doing to the world and work on lessening that addiction, that would be the loving thing to do, but we only begin to change when it directly effects us.

Another form of apathy as the opposite of love would be our nation’s addiction to drugs.

We hear so much about the problems in Mexico lately. What we may not realize is that many of the Mexicans’ problems come from the rampant use of illegal drugs here in the United States. The people who use the drugs may say that they love the people in Mexico and would not want to cause them harm, but their continued use of drugs would say otherwise. I am not trying to pick on people with addictions, but I am trying to point out the apathy that it takes to place a needle into your arm, knowing that people died in order to produce the substance you are about to shoot.

No, Jesus asks much more of us. As followers of Jesus we are asked to love. The author Leo Bescaglia would say that love is an “E” motion; that would be “Energy in Motion.” When we love, we do things. When we love, we put our energy in motion. Love is not just some nice touchy-feely kind of thing. Love takes some work and some energy. I always hear that from couples that have been married for a long while. If we know that love in a marriage is going to take work, then why should we expect love in the world to be any different?

When we think about love between two people, we know that there will be sacrifices: Someone may have to do without so that the other can get what he or she needs. If one person is making all the sacrifices and the other is just reaping the benefits, would we call that love? I highly doubt it. In a family, if one child is showered with gifts and the other is left with hardly anything, would we call that love? No, in love, both parties are seen as equals. In Love, if there is an inequality, we would expect the one who has been benefiting more to back off from the one who have been giving more.

In our society, we are very unloving people. We tend to take and not think very much about those who are supplying our wants. And this is not to say that we are bad people. This is to say that we are unaware people.

Part of loving is knowing about the beloved. I know that Nick loves antique glass and has an affinity for American Presidents. I also know those signs that tell me that he is tired and that I should leave him alone for a while. It is in knowing these things that I can show my love for him. I can find gifts that he would like or even give him the gift of some solitude when he needs it. It is in knowing these things that helps me to show my love.

As Christians, if we want to show our love to the world, we need to become aware of the world around us. We need to know what the world wants, what the world likes, and what the world needs. We need to be willing to sacrifice some of our comfort so that others may become more comfort. We need to give a little of ourselves to that we can ease some of the demands on the world. And we also need to be willing to give so that we can spread our good fortune to others.

Jesus commands us to love one another. Not to “Not Hate” one another or even to just ignore one another. We are commanded to LOVE one another. And John in the epistle reading pushes us to love everyone! If we say we love the Father, then we must also love the child. God so loved the world, you know! So we are called to love the world also. And this requires some action on our part.

Christ loved us enough to give himself as an atoning sacrifice. Even when we were not deserving of this gift, it was given. And even though we will probably never be asked to show that level of love, we are still asked to be mindful of our place in the world and to follow our savior by showing the world God’s love.

To quote the old song, “The WILL know we are Christians by our love!” Let’s not just tell the world that we have the love of Christ, let’s show them!

Easter 5 Year B

2009-05-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

Easter 5 Year B Acts 8:26-40 The Rev. Benton Quest

“My, God certainly cooks in some strange pots!”
I had a professor in seminary who would look out over his classes and kind of shake his head. Then he would say what I just said, “My, God certainly cooks in some strange pots!”
The first time this would happen, most of us were kind of taken aback; that was not a very nice thing to say! This was seminary! People were supposed to be nice here. But that was his comment, and to it he would stick. And every class he would say the same thing.
But, you know, after some thought, and really getting to know the people in my classes, I came to realize the truth in that statement. We really were a strange set of pots. In my class, we had a homicide detective, a patrol cop, a newspaper journalist, some folks who just graduated from college, me, a psychologist, some teachers, a few nurses, a lawyer, and hog farmer. We came from all walks of life from all parts of the country. The only thing that really was a common denominator was that we all felt a call to be workers in the church.
And, for the most part, all of us are still working in some aspect in the church. We were not the best, the most righteous, or even the brightest. We were just everyday people. Yes, we were a strange set of pots. But it was with this set of pots that God chose to lead the church.
When I look out upon you today, I see a strange set of pots! I see all kinds of pot! Some of you are pressure cookers; you can function well when the pressure is on. Some of you are saucepans; ready for any purpose that is needed. And some of you are specialized pans; not for everything, but what you do you do extremely well!
You are the kind of people that Christ draws together to spread the word to the world. Christ calls all kinds of people to bring the message to the world. Not just the famous or powerful, but the meek and the humble.
Today’s reading from Acts demonstrates God’s love for strange pots quite nicely. Phillip, a deacon, was preaching to a large group of people when God pulls him away from the crowd and tells him to go along the wilderness road. I would assume that Phillip had no idea what God had in mind but Phillip got up and went.
The person Phillip encountered was probably as different from Phillip as just about anyone could be. There are a couple of translations of the word “Ethiopian.” One is from the country of Ethiopia. Another is that of being darkened by the sun. Either of these translations would lead us to believe that the Ethiopian was very dark skinned, very different from Phillip. The Ethiopian was also a eunuch. Without going too deeply into this term, we can assume that his sexuality was different from that of most other people. The Ethiopian was also the head of the treasury in the queen’s court; in other words, he was of the nobility. He was almost totally different from Phillip, but Phillip was sent to him.
It would seem odd that Phillip would be pulled away from the large crowds and be sent to this one man, but to think that would be shortsighted of us. Some scholars have speculated that the Eunuch is responsible for the spread of Christianity into Africa. This one man, so different from those around him, so different from the people who would be found in Jerusalem, is the one used to spread the message to the people in Africa.
What I think is interesting to note is that when Phillip started talking with the Eunuch, he started with the passage that the eunuch was reading. If we look at that text, it is Isaiah’s song of the suffering servant, a passage that can readily be applied to the suffering of Christ. That seems like some pretty heavy theology to jump into and I probably would have liked to start with something easier, but one of the truths we can derive from this is that we are called to begin our outreach not from where we are but from where the hearer is. We need to meet people where they are, not wait for them to change, to be “good enough” or “worthy.” All that we need is that the person simply be open to listen. AND I believe that if we meet folks where they are, they will be open to listen.
This truth seems to have been borne out in the relative lack of success of early foreign mission efforts. Instead of going to uniquely different cultures and sharing Christ within those cultures, the missionaries often felt that they had to “civilize” the culture – that is – to change the entire structure of the lives of the peoples they wanted to reach. They wanted to “westernize” them and then preach Jesus to them as if Jesus somehow uniquely belonged to a certain class or culture.
There are churches today where people are expected to get their lives in order and only then would the people be considered worthy of acceptance into the body of Christ. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Instead, perhaps, we need to learn and understand something of the culture we want to reach, and once we connect to them in their familiar surroundings and their lives, then we can bring Christ to them: The Christ whose love transcends culture, the Christ who died for ALL people, the Christ who gives himself for us at the table. When we understand those who are different than us, we can bring Christ to all people, even those we talked about last week, the sheep that are not of this fold.
God cooks in all kinds of strange pots, and it is in all kinds of strange pots that we often find the tastiest food. But when we limit ourselves to the tried and the known, we may get fed, but it is not very satisfying. But when we go out, when we move beyond our comfort zones, it is then that we begin to experience the wonders of life.
Phillip could have stayed where he was, or he could have forced the Eunuch to follow a preconceived plan, but then the message of Christ in all of its richness would not have been shared. Phillip could have waited for the Eunuch to show up, but Phillip was sent to the Eunuch. Phillip could have turned the Eunuch away because he was so very different, but God sent Phillip directly to this man, just the way he was.
We have been called and we are sent to spread the good news of Christ’s love to others. We never know, we may be sent to the exotic people of Cascade or maybe to those even farther away, like Bernard! We don’t know. But the one sure thing here is that WE ARE BEING SENT! God has started something great here with St. Swithia’s in the Swamp, but I don’t believe it is supposed to end here. And we can sit here and talk it to death, but I think I will finish now so we can continue with worship and then get out into the world to spread Christ’s love to all those people God should happen to have us meet!

Easter 4 Year B

2009-05-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Easter 4 Year B John 10:11-18 The Rev. Benton Quest

Today we have another of the Bible reading that has its own title. Although these are some of our favorite readings, they also present a problem: All we have to do is say something like “The Prodigal Son,” or “The Good Samaritan,” or “The Good Shepherd” and people say “Oh! That one!” and draw their conclusions and move on. And when I say this, I am not counting myself out of the group; clergy are just a capable of glossing over these readings as anyone else.

So the challenge becomes: How to make a story such as The Good Shepherd live again? It didn’t become a favorite because it had nothing to teach us, but it often becomes tired just because of the message and the repetition.

In times of difficulties, this passage has special meaning. It is a great thing to know that we have a good shepherd that is watching over us. As anyone who has been around sheep would know, sheep are not very bright; they do a whole lot of things that can get them in trouble. But in the person of the shepherd, the sheep have someone that will watch after them and keep them safe. Even if the sheep don’t realize that the shepherd is watching, the shepherd is still there watching after the sheep and keeping them safe.

We also have the promise of Christ as our Good Shepherd. Even if we do not realize it, we have the promise of Christ to watch over us and to care for us. We have the promise of Christ’s voice to speak to us and to even lay down his life for us. In the midst of fear and uncertainty, we are reassured that we are not traveling through the world alone. Christ knows us! And through our faith and our baptism, we know Christ.

This is all good stuff. But this is also a very American way of looking at things. I say “American” because, quite frankly, we tend to be a very self-centered people. We like this because we can feel the protection of Jesus and have peace in our lives. But there is something kind of weird in the reading, something about other sheep. “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.”

What are we supposed to think about this? There are other sheep out there; other sheep who need to hear the sound of the Shepherd’s voice. How are these other sheep going to hear? How is the shepherd going to speak to them? Humm…. I wonder.

We have seen over the past couple of weeks how Jesus comes to the people and gives them what they need to believer. The risen Christ came to Thomas and allowed Thomas to see him and to touch him. The risen Christ came to the disciples and ate with them to prove that he was alive and real. Jesus comes to his sheep in the way that they need; not only so the sheep will hear the Shepherd’s voice, but so that the sheep will UNDERSTAND the Shepherd’s voice. Christ has shown us that he does not present the message in only one way, and then hopes that everyone will understand; no, he keeps presenting the message in whatever form is necessary so that his followers may come to understand and believe.

What we seem to forget is that over the past weeks, Jesus provides us with an example of this fluidity of forms. The message the risen Christ presents does not change; the message is that Jesus is alive and active in the world, but what does change is the method in which the message is presented. Jesus tools the message to the different people he is trying to reach.

There is still a big problem here: How will these other sheep hear the words of Christ? Since Christ’s ascension, he is not walking on the Earth, he is going to have difficulty finding all those other sheep. This is similar to the problem we discussed last week; how do we see Christ in the flesh here today? And if we remember, the other sheep will hear Christ’s voice the same way we hear Christ today: The Church (with a capital “C”) in the world. Christ’s voice will be heard by the other sheep when we go out and spread that word!

If we take this challenge seriously and try to apply it to our lives, we have a few challenges before us. The first challenge is making sure we really do know what the message is! If we do not understand the message, then how are we to spread the message? Since we are the hands, the heart, and the voice of Christ in the world, we become the representation of The Shepherd to the world. I would hope that we would want to present the very best of The Shepherd to the world. To know the message, we need to continue to study the message. Coming to church each Sunday is a beginning, but it is continued study and conversations with others that help us to learn the truth.

The second challenge is to go out and find those other sheep! When the risen Christ walked the earth, he did not just wait for people to find him, he went out and actively sought people. He was where the people were and it was there that he presented his message.

Where are the people who need to hear The Shepherd? Where do we find them and how do we bring the message to them. How do we present the message so that others can understand it? Jesus tailored the message for the various people who were listening, how do we make the message accessible to the people we encounter? As you may have guessed, this is one of the things that keep me awake at night. We have something wonderful in Christ, so how do we spread this message?

If we listen to some, we would be led to think that only the good and special sheep, I mean people, are acceptable: That we only need to invite those people who are of proper moral character. But what we need to remember is that the sheep are NOT in the Shepherd’s flock because of anything the sheep did or didn’t do. We don’t hear about Shepherd choosing only the best sheep or the prettiest sheep or the best-behaved sheep. In fact, the Shepherd seems to go out of his way to keep those sheep that are a little more “difficult” safe and in the flock.

And it is these sheep, these sheep who are outside the flock that Jesus calls us to go to. We are to be the voice of the shepherd to these sheep. We are to reach out to them. We are to speak to them. We are to love them with the love the shepherd showed to us!

That is what we often forget, we are part of the Shepherd’s flock, not by anything we did, we are part of the Shepherd’s flock because of the Shepherd’s love for us. The Shepherd gave his life for us, but the Shepherd also gave his life for those who are not here among us. The Shepherd calls us to the table, but the Shepherd also calls those who are outside our walls.

We, the church, are Christ’s presence in the world. We are called to be Christ’s voice in the world. We are called to spread Christ’s love to the world. This is not an easy thing, but it is not up to us alone. Even while we are called to be the voice of the Shepherd, we are also being protected by the Shepherd. Christ has called us, and now Christ sends us. The Good Shepherd is not just here for us, the Good Shepherd is here for all

Easter 3 Year B

2009-04-25T16:44:00.001-07:00

Easter 3 April 26, 2009 Luke 24:36-48 The Rev. Benton Quest

I think I can say with little argument that we humans don’t do faith very well. That may not be what you would expect to hear in a church, but I think it is the truth. We do not like to rely on faith; we want to rely on our senses. We want to touch, hear, taste, see something before we invest our faith in it.

I have an example. Imagine you are going to go out and buy a car. Now, are you going to buy this car on faith? No! you are going to go out and sit in the car. You are going to go out and kick the tires, try the air conditioning, and beep the horn. You didn’t just plunk down your money because the car salesman said, “Trust me!” No, you will want to make sure the car is the real deal before you invest your money.

You see, we want to be sure. We want to experience things with our own senses before we put our faith into them. We want proof before we invest our time, our talents — our faith in something.

This is not something new to our time and to our society. This need for proof has been around for eons. In scripture we see many examples of this need for proof. Last week we heard the story of Thomas. Thomas was not asking for much, he just wanted to touch Jesus. He wanted to see for himself that Jesus was alive. He was not going to trust the words of the other disciples. When the others said, “Trust me!” Thomas said, “I want to see with my own senses.”

In today’s gospel reading we have another example of the disciples wanting proof. They are skeptical of the reports from the road to Emmaus. The disciples didn’t want to believe when they were told, “Trust me!” They were not even going to believe what the prophecies of the past had said. They were not going to have faith in any of this until they could experience the risen Christ with their own senses.

I think Jesus could have been upset about this. These disciples were his trusted friends and companions. These were the ones that Jesus had spent the last years of his life preparing. And what happened when their faith was tested? What happened when things did not go as the disciples had planned? You know it! The disciples lost their faith and went into hiding. Not vary brae of them, huh?

If I were Jesus, I probably would have given up on them. I probably would have just given up and tried somewhere else with some better people. But Jesus doesn’t give up. Jesus gives his disciples another chance to see and believe. Jesus appears to his disciples as flesh and blood. Jesus appears with the wounds of the crucifixion still on his body. And to further reinforce that Jesus was truly alive, he asks for food and eats it! Now I know -- as anyone who reads the National Enquirer knows -- Ghosts don’t need to eat! So in eating, Jesus was giving his friends the proof they needed to believe that he was not a ghost. In eating, Jesus was giving the disciples the proof that he had, in fact, been raised from the dead.

So although Jesus would have liked his disciples to believe through faith alone, he didn’t abandon them. When the faith of the disciples wavered, Jesus provided them with the proof they needed.
Well gosh…that was nice of Jesus, wasn’t it? And isn’t this similar to what we talked about last week? When the disciples needed proof, Jesus was there giving them proof in flesh and blood. Jesus gave the disciples what they needed to believe. Jesus gave the disciples the proof that would strengthen their faith.

But that was way back then, what about now? What about us here today? Where is our proof? This is not fair! The disciples knew Jesus before his crucifixion and they still needed proof to believe. How can Jesus expect us to believe? We have not had the privilege of walking with Jesus and learning from Jesus. How can Jesus expect us to believe? Where is the proof that our senses need?

Well, Jesus appeared to his disciples as a body. Jesus appeared in their midst as flesh and blood. And to prove that this body was not a ghost or an apparition, Jesus ate at the table. This was the proof Jesus gave the disciples and this was the proof the disciples needed to solidify their faith.
That was in the past; so just what does Jesus give to us, his disciples, as proof now?

As in the past, Jesus shows us his body. Jesus shows us his body with all of its scars and injuries. Jesus comes among us and eats with us. This body, with all of its scars and injuries, is the church. This body is the people who greeted you on the way in. This body is the people sitting next to you. This body is you! And this body is me! We are the body of Christ alive and living in the world. We are the hands, the ears, the heart, and the words of Christ in the world. When we gather as a community, we strengthen and nourish each other. We eat at the table and are renewed! We are not left alone but are surrounded and supported by the community of the congregation.

So Christ uses us as his body in the world. We are his flesh and blood; we are his hands and heart. But Christ teaches us one more lesson. Christ didn’t wait on the road to Emmaus. He didn’t wait for the disciples to just wander by and find him sitting there. No, he went to them. The risen Christ went to his disciples. Christ presented himself as proof to strengthen their faith.

In the same way, we are called to bring the body of Christ to the world. We are strengthened here in the congregation but are called to go out and bring the love of Christ to those who surround us. We are called to show the living Christ to our friends and family. We are called to show the living Christ to our co-workers. We are called to show the living Christ to the lost and alone.

Moving beyond our walls is scary, but it is our highest call. We have seen the risen Lord in those around us and now we are called to bring the proof that Christ is alive to the world. We cannot just say, “Trust me!” and expect people to come flooding into our sanctuary. We need to be the proof that helps their faith to grow.

We are not alone in this process of going into the world. We have seen the risen Christ! We have the support of the gathered Church. We have the strength of the Spirit! Christ provides us with the proof and then sends us out to be proof to others. We can show the world that we are not a ghost but a vital and alive force in the world. There is a big world just primed to believe, but they need to see. Let’s go out there and show them!

Easter 2 Year B

2009-04-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Easter 2 Year B April 18, 2009 John 20:19-31 Rev. Benton Quest

The gospel story for this Sunday always seems to leave me with an uneasy feeling. I guess part of the reason is that I have often been in Thomas’s place. I have been the one left feeling unsure when all those around me have been so sure about what was happening. Now if you have never felt that sense of being left out, then you are truly blessed and you can go get a cup of coffee or something. But I think most of us have been in Thomas’s place at least once or twice.

I guess what bothers me the most is the way Thomas is commonly portrayed in society. The phrase “Doubting Thomas” is a byword of our language. We hear the words “Doubting Thomas” used in such a way as to make it seem as if there is something wrong with having doubts. Some theologians would have us believe that Christ was angry with Thomas for his lack of faith and that part of today’s gospel story is Jesus rebuking Thomas for his lack of faith. Maybe that is what bothers me: the concept that any feeling of doubt we may have is wrong and is shameful.

Are we bad Christians if we have doubts? I guess some would say “yes.” Some people would have us believe that doubt is a sign of sin in our lives. Some would say that if we had true, strong, faith, then we would have no reason to doubt. Some would say that doubt is a glaring flare marking our moral shortfalls. So I guess by that standard, then I have been a bad Christian; I have had doubts about Christ’s presence in my life. Like Thomas, I have questioned Christ’s presence among the living. At times I have doubted all the stories and promises I have heard from others.

The problem with thinking of Jesus as rebuking Thomas is that it doesn’t make the situation any better. The interpretation of Thomas as a “bad Christian” does not help the situation in any manner. We all have problems in our life. We feel troubled about the problems in our lives. We want to bring these troubles to Christ but feel we can’t. And why can’t we? Because we feel that in the midst of our problems we will be told that we are not good enough Christians. Because we doubt Christ’s presence, we are not good enough to bring our troubles to Christ.

When we hear these judgments and feel the pressure to be stoic in our suffering, it only heaps more trouble onto us. Not only is life difficult, but it is now our own fault that we are suffering. It almost feels like we have to have all of our problems solved before we can bring our problems to Jesus.

When we stop to think, having to solve our problems before we can bring them to Christ is pretty silly. If we could solve our problems ourselves, we wouldn’t need to bring the problems to Jesus. If Thomas could believe, he wouldn’t need to see. Thomas was in need. We are in need. Jesus does not come to rebuke us for our needs; Jesus comes to help us in our need.

That is the major point we are to take from this reading: Jesus comes to us in our need to help us. Jesus does not rebuke our need. Jesus does not punish our need. Jesus fills our need. Jesus showed his hands and his side to the other disciples so they could believe; Jesus also shows these wounds to Thomas so he may come to believe. Just as the other disciples needed to see to believe, (remember, Mary had told them about seeing the risen Christ and the disciples did not believe), so too Thomas needed to see to believe.

But what about that comment Jesus makes about seeing and believing and those who believe without seeing. Isn’t that kind of a slap in Thomas’s face? I guess we could look at it that way. However, we could also see these words as a truism. It would be better to believe and not see, but usually we don’t work that way. We usually need to see before we believe. So even though it would be better if we could believe without seeing, Jesus still comes to us and gives us what we need to be able to believe. So instead of a rebuke, Christ’s words are actually the loving words of a concerned teacher.

I stick with this interpretation because it works. I have found the Bible to be very psychologically sound. Jesus is very good at bringing out the best in people; we find this throughout the gospels. Now we know that to attack someone when they are down is no way to help bring out the best in someone. Wouldn’t our creator know the same thing? Wouldn’t our creator know that we need support in our times of fear and doubt, not rebuke and reprimand? So the story of Thomas has noting to do with how “bad” Thomas was and has everything to do with how good God is.

So how does God come to us when we are doubtful? Christ is no longer here for us to probe his hands and side. How then are we to see and believe?

This is a tough thing. This is the world we exist in. Jesus has not physically walked the earth in over two thousand years. How is the world supposed to pace their finger in the wounds in Jesus’ hands? How is the world supposed to place their hand in Jesus’ side? In our situation now, how is the world to see and know?

This is the situation of the second reading for today. The most of the people John was writing to, in his epistle, had not seen Jesus, risen or otherwise. So, because they had not seen Jesus, John was telling them the story. John was sharing with them the truth as he knew it so that the message of the risen Christ could be shared; even with those who have not had first hand experience. In sharing the message, John is making Christ real to those who are around him.

We too bring Christ to the world when we share the message. When we tell others of the life we have found in Christ. When we share the blessings we have found in life. It is when we share with the world that the world experiences Christ. It is when we share that the world gets to touch Christ’s wounds. It is when we extend love and forgiveness that the world feels love and forgiveness.

Often our personal experience of Christ is like Thomas’s; we are lost and we want proof that Christ is near. However, if we think that our feeling of being lost is bad, we will not seek out that which can help us. Christ still gives us what we need, but that gift is found in the gathered congregation. It is when we are together, when we are a “y’all”, that we can reach out and touch Christ and have Christ reach out and touch us.

The sad thing is that quite often when the world hears the word “Christian,” they think of anger and judgment. I have friends who cannot see how I can call myself a Christian when all they see are people who are much more concerned about hatred than about love.

This hurts me and it should hurt us as a community. I truly believe that the world wants to see Jesus and to touch Jesus. But what they are seeing and what is being presented to them is something that is wrong. What the world keeps presenting is a Jesus that would have nothing to do with Thomas. What the world seems to keep presenting is a Jesus that would only allow Thomas to see him after Thomas had finally become good enough.

For many people, the only Jesus they see is the Jesus of judgment that is presented on television. But I hope we know that Jesus was so much more. The Jesus we know is the Jesus who would die for us. Who was raised for us. And who would present his wounded hands to us to we may believe.

Our call is to present the Jesus of love to the world. Our call is to give to the world what it so desperately needs, the true message of love and understanding that we ourselves receive through Christ. Our call is to live out our baptismal call and share a living love to a world in need.

It would be nice of we all could believe without seeing, but we are people and we have our doubts. Jesus came to the disciples to address their doubts. We have the Bible to help address our doubts. But sometimes, we may be the only Bible some people will ever read. And if we don’t bring the message to the world, who will.

Easter Year B

2009-04-12T03:58:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday Year B Mark 16:1-8 April 12, 2009 The Rev. Benton Quest

I said last week that the season of Lent is full of contradictions. People yelling “Hosanna” and then screaming “Crucify Him!” Losing your life so you may find it. Searching for sin so you may life in the light of forgiveness. All kinds of weird stuff. So why should we think that just because we have reached Easter the situation should be any better?

This Sunday we have a gospel reading that most people will probably claim to know. It should be a “no brainer.” It is Easter and the gospel reading should be about the resurrection. And for the most part you would be right. But there is a problem with the story. Let’s look again at the last line of the reading: “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Not only is this the last line of the reading for today, it is the last line of Mark’s gospel!

This abrupt ending to the gospel has caused some problems over the years. People have actually written alternate endings to the gospel; endings where the women tell people. But that is NOT how the original gospel ended. The gospel ended with the women having an all too real response to this seemingly impossible experience. The alternate endings are signs of the Church trying to tidy up the loose ends and make the whole thing clean and neat.

But Christianity is not a clean, neat faith. Christianity is a faith that is real and earthy. Jesus was a real person. He lived in the world of his times and experienced the troubles of his times. He was temped and he questioned. He felt the pains and the pleasures that are a part of this life.

Jesus did not associate with the clean, neat people. He was out in the countryside. He was roaming from town to town. He would at times dine with a High Priest, but he would also be found with the prostitutes and the tax collectors. Jesus was earthy. He would probably have been labeled a hippy if the term had been around then.

And Christianity is not a “let’s all be happy kind of faith.” Well, I may have misspoke there. It is a “let’s all be happy kind of faith.” But not just “let’s be happy,” no, “let’s all be truly happy!!!” Christianity teaches us that true happiness does not come from what we have, but from a deep knowledge that we are totally loved, loved beyond our understanding.

Christianity is a faith that is not to be kept in the marble sanctuary of the churches, it is a faith that belongs in our jobs, in our homes, in the skyscrapers, and in the foxholes. Christianity is not a faith for the saints, it is a faith for real people.

I am glad that the gospel ends the way it does. We can see that the women who found the empty tomb were just like you and me. They were not some kind of superhuman. They encountered something they could not describe and were freaked out by it!

But what is so great about this story is that we do know that the message go out. We don’t know how it was spread, but we know that the women did tell someone. We don’t need to have the revisionist come and try to tie up the loose ends, we can just look and know that the story spread. And what is also great is that we can see that Christ rose from the dead, not for those who are superhuman, but for those people who get freaked out and run in fear. Christ rose for the earthy people of the world. Christ rose for those who are not perfect.

Now, there is another odd thing going on in the gospel reading for today. The young man in the tomb, we never are told who he is, tells the women to tell the disciples “AND PETER” that Jesus will see them in Galilee. Wasn’t Peter one of the disciples? Why would he need a special invite? Well, Peter was the one who denied knowing Jesus. And having denied Jesus, Peter was probably feeling quite guilty. But by having the special invitation issued especially to Peter, Peter was being told that he was not excluded from what was happening but was forgiven and included.

All Lent we have been talking about looking at ourselves and our congregation openly and honestly. We have been taking an honest appraisal of our lives and trying to find the stumbling blocks. We have been coming to the realization that even when we fall short, Jesus is there to strengthen and encourage us. And so this continues today! The risen Christ is here for us all! Christ is here for those who are too afraid to speak his name in public! Christ is here for those who have denied Christ by their words or their lives! Christ is here! Not in some clean, sanitized way with all the loose ends tied, but in our real world with our real situations with all of their real tangles.

I remember Easter sermons that I have heard that have almost put me to sleep. It bothered me. Easter is THE reason we are Christians! Our God knows what it is like to be human. Our God knows the trials and the pain we go trough. Our God knows the doubts and troubles we have. Our God knows us better than we know ourselves. And amid all of this, our God loves us, and forgives us, and calls us! Our God calls us to the table to feed us and sustain us. Our God calls us to the joy that is life in Christ. Our God calls us, not because of our shortcomings, but in spite of our shortcoming. Our God calls us because in our God we can find a love that is unknown anywhere else in the universe!

The love we find in the world is conditional. We are only loveable if we are good enough, or rich enough, or righteous enough, or attractive enough…The love we find in the world has strings attached. But the love we find in Christ has no strings. It is freely given. Period. It is freely given to those, like Peter, have abandoned Jesus. It is freely given to those, like Mary, Mary, and Salome, who go running off in fear and misunderstanding. It is freely given to those, like you and me, who get tied up in the strings of life.

Contradictions: From the beginning of time our lives have been full of them. But among the contradictions we have a savior who stands strong. Neither life nor death can hold him! He has taken the worst the world can deal and has emerged victorious! Even if we feel the need to run in fear, we need not feel ashamed. Our God is there. Our God forgives. And our God will carry us through.

Good Friday Year B

2009-04-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Good Friday

Cold, dark, wet, raining. A wind drives the rain against him. He would like to place his hand up in front of his face and block the rain but he cannot move his arm. There were people around before. Some where here as friends, others were here to taunt. But now, neither can be found. A group of women huddle together and every now and then a mournful eye is turned his direction. But still their presence doesn’t help.

He would like to appreciate their presence. He would like to draw some strength and courage from their courage but he can’t. It has been too long. He has not had any sleep in over 24 hours. He has not had anything to eat in over 12 hours. The cold rain splashes against his body and chills him to the bone.

He begins to shudder as his body gives a futile effort at creating warmth. As he begins to shake uncontrollably, pain rushes through his body. He wants the shaking to stop, he wants the pain to stop, he wants to be anywhere else but here. He closes his eyes in the feeble hope that this might be a dream. But, no, when he opens his eyes, he can still see the rain and the clouds.

Breathing has become difficult. The weight of his chest keeps pushing against his lungs. If he could only stand, if he could only take the pressure off of his aching shoulders, his throbbing wrists. But every time he tries to stand, an electric jolt of pain races from his feet, up through his leg, and on to the top of his head. And with the searing flash of pain, his knees buckle and he falls back down, sending agony through his arms, through his wrists, and collapsing his lungs even more.

The rain does provide some blessed relief to the angry wounds that score his back. The water gently washing away the dried blood that began to pull at the wounds. The cool water takes some of the sting away. But it is a two edged sword, the cool water causes his body to convulse in a wave of uncontrollable shaking.

The women are still out there. The men on either side of him have quieted. A centurion stands at his post looking bored, making sure no one tries to rescue the condemned. And still the rain falls…

Where is God? How can God allow so much pain to be endured? In the past, thoughts of his Father brought comfort and hope. In the past, God had seemed near. Now…He cannot even feel the stir of his Father’s love in his aching heart. Maybe it all was a dream. Maybe it all was an attempt by his brain to stem off the pain he was feeling.

A chilling thought crosses his mind, “Father! Where are you? Why are you not here? You can make this pain go!” A feeling of utter abandonment begins to descend upon him. The pain of this one thought is almost more than he can bear. The pain of this one thought is greater than the whips, the spikes, the thorns, or the rain. He cries out in a loud voice, hoping to be heard above the rain, the wind, the storm. “My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me?”

Then the thought crosses his mind, “Why must I die?” That thought has a chilling effect on him, even greater than the rain that splashes against his skin. “Why God? Why must I die?” He frantically searches the land for an answer. He looks at the small group of women huddled together. They seem to be lost in their own search for comfort. The cloth of their meager clothing clings to their bodies. He looks to the centurion. The centurion is looking down to the ground, almost as if embarrassed to have witnessed the painful outburst of the condemned. His search now becomes frantic. Why is he here? This has to have some meaning! This pain cannot be just empty pain!

He continues to search. To hold his head up causes the thorns to gouge his back, each movement of his head tears at his already painful flesh. But he must find a person; he must find a reason. The rain runs off of his hair and into his eyes. It stings. He blinks to clear the water. He searches the muddy fields surrounding the hill on which he has been lifted.

Wait! There is something there in the distance. He strains to see. It is a person! He strains to see who is standing there.

Suddenly you realize that his eyes are locked on you! You look back. It hurts to see the body racked in pain. But you have to look, that gaze compels you to look. But as you look into those eyes, as you look at the face of him, the one condemned, you are surprised to see the expression change. As he finds your eyes and searches your face, a calm comes into his eyes.

You feel a searing heat from those eyes. Suddenly the rain doesn’t feel so cold. The wind doesn’t feel such a chill. There is love in those eyes, love for you! You hold this gaze, not wanting to let it go. Those eyes become the whole world. Those eyes soothe all your pain. From the face of one suffering the distress of the whole world comes a look of healing, understanding, and love.

Then it strikes you, SUFFERING! He is suffering! Suffering for YOU! All the pain, all the loss, all the abandonment that is embodied on that cross; all of that is for YOU! All of that is because a love greater than you can understand surrounds you.

And still, his eyes hold yours. His eyes soften momentarily and there is almost a smile that crosses his face. You feel that all the worry and pain of life is meaningless in the presence of this love.

And then…

And then… He grimaces in pain. His face contorts in pain. The rain pelts his body and yours. A shudder shakes his body and a moan of understanding escapes from you lips. The wind whips and the lightening flashes…

Palm Sunday Year B

2009-04-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Palm Sunday

Lent is quite the season of contradictions. We reflect on our death so we can truly live. We look at those things that hold us trapped so that we may find freedom. We cry out “Hosanna!” at the beginning of a service just so we can cry “Crucify Him!” at the end. Contradictions, we are surrounded by contradictions. But it is just these contradictions that help us to grow. It is just these contradictions that help us to see the places where we are not living, just merely existing.

Today we are confronted with one of the most jarring of contradictions: We are faced with the people doing a complete about face to Jesus. We are faced with the crowds shouting “Hosanna.” But this is at the beginning; this is when things are going well. However, when the times get difficult, the people stop shouting “Hosanna” and quickly change their tune. They go from shouts of “Hosanna” to screams of “Crucify Him!” Possibly one of the most jarring changes in the whole lectionary.

Now, of course, we know that if we were around in Biblical times, the words of “Hosanna” would never leave our lips. We would continue to proclaim Jesus as Lord no matter what was being said by those others. We know that we would never add our voices to the chorus of “Crucify Him!” And we can say that because we have 2000 years of perspective and interpretation behind us.

But have we really learned much in those 2000 years? In what ways do we as people, as a faith community, and as individuals cry out the words “Crucify Him!” when we should be singing out “Hosanna?”

We cry out “Crucify Him!” whenever we choose the way of our comfort, pleasure, or security over the vision of Christ for the world. We cry out “Crucify Him!” whenever we choose to let others take the blame for our failures, shortcomings and mistakes. We cry out “Crucify Him!” when we choose to exploit the shortcomings of others for our own benefit. We cry out “Crucify Him!” when we fail to honor and celebrate the Christ that is in every individual we encounter.

Our culture cries out “Crucify Him!” when it can justify spending $10 million on office remodels while taking trillions of dollars from taxpayers who are having difficulty just paying their mortgage. (Remember when “trillions” was a nonsense word?) It cries “Crucify Him!” when those in the positions of power and majority actively work to take rights away from those who are weaker and in the minority. Our culture cries “Crucify Him!” when it sees other people and cultures as just a means to boost its own standing in the world.

It is harder to see how we as a faith community may be crying “Crucify Him!” This would seem totally at odds with what we would think. We would think that, as people of faith, we should always have “Hosanna” on our lips. But to think this would be naive. Church history is full of stories of one group attacking another group because “They don’t follow the true faith.” Even various groups who claim to be Christian have been known to attack each other; just look at the Protestants and the Catholics in Northern Ireland. The Episcopal Church and the Southern Cone. And just the other day, I had a Pentecostal person ask me if Episcopalians were Christians.

And, of course, we personally cry “Crucify Him!” When we fail to recognize the dignity of those around us, we crucify the Jesus that is in that person. When we belittle or gossip, we crucify the Jesus that is found in each person. When we take our family and friends for granted, we call for Jesus to be placed on the cross just as the crowds did so many years ago.

Man, this can seem really depressing! I guess this is part of my Lutheran background coming through. But I believe that it is only in seeing how we have fallen short of the ideal that we can fully comprehend the immense gift we have been given! If I have so many houses that I cannot remember the number, the gift of another house will hardly register. But if I am living on the streets, the gift of a house is miraculous. If we believe we can do no wrong, then the gift of forgiveness is just and empty box. But if we realize that we are capable of sin in so many different ways, then the gift of Christ on the cross takes on its full significance.

That is the miraculous thing about the Passion and the Cross: Jesus remembers our “Hosannas” and forgives our cries to “Crucify Him!” Jesus lifts up our strengths and places our weaknesses behind us. We are loved as a parent loves a child, and are forgiven and guided into the way of righteousness.

I am sure the calls of “Crucify Him!” were painful to Jesus. I have to wonder why Jesus didn’t just give the whole thing up and poof back to heaven. I would want to say, “People, I am doing this for you! Can’t you have a little gratitude?” But Jesus didn’t. Even while the people were calling for his crucifixion, Jesus was willingly going to his very painful death for just those people.

And even though we, as a people, as a congregation, and individually continue to call for Christ to be crucified, Christ still gives us the gift of forgiveness and asks us to share that gift with those around us.

This is the miracle, the gift and the challenge. The miracle is that the one who was truly God and truly human would suffer on behalf of those who turn their back on him. The gift is the full and total forgiveness that the cross and resurrection brings to us. A gift that allows us to move boldly beyond our shortcomings and to move boldly into the world. And the challenge is to take this gift of forgiveness and extend it to all those we encounter. To realize that as Christ looks beyond our sin, we, too, should look beyond the sins of others.

Knowing that we have the forgiveness of Christ should not become an excuse to wallow in our shortfalls. Knowledge of our forgiveness should become our challenge! Can we go out and love as Christ loved? And even if we can’t, we know that we will be welcome back to hear the message and to be sent out again.

We can have a time like Lent because we know that the stumbling blocks we find in our lives are already forgiven by our God. God knows our shortcomings and loves us and forgives us anyway! Even when we may be saying “Crucify Him!” with our lives, God hears the “Hosanna” that we sing in our heart.

Our Lenten journey is nearing its end. But we are not at Easter yet. We still have Good Friday and the grave. But we can courageously walk this path because we know that our Savior goes before us to lead the way. And we know that even if we fear to follow, our Savior is there to forgive us, to renew us, and to encourage us.

Contradictions: Life from Death. Forgiveness from Humility. Strength from Weakness. Our Lenten journey continues. But through it all, we know we have a Savior who will not leave us stranded on the cross.

Lent 3 Year B

2009-03-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Lent 3 Year B

John 2:13-22

Wow! We are almost half way to Easter! Can you believe it? I love this time of year when we can actually start to feel things warm up and with the warmth, there is that rush of energy. And as we approach Easter, we start thinking of Easter Morning worship. I love all the flowers. I love sounds and the smells. And I love seeing families gathered together to come to worship.
I know for many families, Easter morning worship is especially important. It is a time for families to come together and a time to put on one’s best. We tend to dress better for Easter than for other worship services, and that is great! I especially love when the little children show-off they new Easter outfits. (Easter picture idea)
Usually, with all the extra people in worship, the Easter offering tends to be bigger. More people in worship usually equals more people putting money into the collection plate. I am pretty sure the vestry is not opposed to more money coming into the church!
But what would you think if, in the midst of all this normal activity on Easter Sunday, a madman from the street came running into the church? He comes running through the fellowship hall, throwing coffee cakes everywhere. Grabbing the collection plates tearing up all the checks and money. Smashing all the flowers and throwing the dirt on everyone’s new clothes. AND GET THIS! This nut expects us to believe that he was sent by God to destroy all of this and now he expects us to follow him!
Why would this madman come into our sanctuary and create all kinds of disturbances when nothing particularly unusual was happening? Why would he ruin our Easter celebration, the celebration where we were honoring and worshipping God and Jesus? What would provoke this madman to destroy so much?
So often, I think we hear the story of the cleansing of the temple and don’t give it much thought. We think it was a good thing for Jesus to be doing. He was getting all those evil people out of the temple. They were being offensive so then needed to get out of the temple. But we fail to consider what actually happened on that day back in Biblical times.
John, in the gospel, tells us that the Passover was near. Now all good Jews would go to the temple in Jerusalem for Passover. With all these people around, the temple would be quite busy. (We could think of this as the family coming home for Easter.) And the moneychangers? They served a vital function in the temple; the people could not use the coins of the Romans in the temple because the coins had the face of the emperor on them and that was considered a graven image. So for coins to be given in the temple, the Roman coins had to be exchanged for other coins. So the moneychangers were providing a service vital to the temple. With out the moneychangers, there would be no donations to the temple. With Jesus disrupting the moneychangers, there would be not offerings given at the temple on that day.
The same would go for the people selling animals. The pilgrims that traveled to the temple would have difficulty in bringing livestock to the temple. So the sellers were providing a valuable service for the pilgrims, they provided animals for the required sacrifices. With the disruption of the people selling the animals, no sacrificial animals would not be available and the people would not be able to make their Passover sacrifices.
Now, imagine the anger, dismay, offense you would feel if someone came into our midst and began to trash our church here at St. Swithin’s in the Swamp. We would probably not be too happy with the person. Actually we would probably be trying to prevent the guy from leaving while someone was busy calling the cops.
Now, transfer this feeling onto the people of Jesus’ day. Imagine that you have traveled a long distance, across the desert, to get to the temple. You packed up your family and a good chunk of money so you could worship properly at the temple. Now also imagine, that after going through all of this, the whole worship service was disrupted by some madman brandishing a whip. I think you can get a feel for what it was like to be one of the people in the temple when Jesus came running in with his whip.
Why should Jesus do this? Why would Jesus want to disrupt the excitement and the worship that was part of the Passover festival? If you think about it, tearing up the temple is not a very good way to win friends and attract followers. If I were to come running in here on Easter brandishing a whip and tearing things apart, you would be looking to send me to a mental hospital -- or jail -- rather than cheering me on for doing God’s work.
To use such shock tactics, Jesus had to be quite sure of himself. He had to know what he was doing was going to cause some big problem with some people. But he also would know that his actions were sending the message that a different way of interacting with God was in the works.
At the temple, people would present their sacrifices to the priests and the priests would make the sacrifice for the people. It was through the priest that the people would have access to God. Through his actions, Jesus was telling the people that there was a new authority. The temple and the priests and the Pharisees were not the authority any longer. The institutionalized practices in the temple were no longer to be looked upon as the only way to God. A new way was literally crashing through into their midst.
The practice of ritual sacrifice was turning the temple into something that it was never meant to be. In order to fulfill the requirements of the law, the temple was becoming a place of commerce. In order to gain God’s favor, money needed to be changed and animals needed to be bought.
But Christ was redefining the temple. No longer would animal sacrifice need to occur, Christ himself would become the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. No longer would an animal be sacrificed on the hope that the sacrifice would be pleasing to God. Christ was the ultimate “Lamb without blemish,” the truly pleasing sacrifice to God. Jesus, in a way that was pretty hard to ignore, was ushering in a new age.
As we continue on our Lenten journey, have we stumbled over some of those things that get in our way of finding God? Have we discovered the merchants and moneychangers that prevent us from being in the presence of God? Have we found those things that seem necessary but in actuality only preserve our distance from the one thing that is truly important?
Finding these things in our life is one thing, clearing them is another! We can understand the resistance the people had in the temple, we can understand how we would feel if the madman were to rush through our congregation. Be we need to realize that the madman is Jesus, the one we claim to follow! The madman is presented as an example we are to follow! The madman gives us an example of how we can start anew.
Now this can be scary, Jesus is running through the temple doing a fair amount of damage. We may not really want to have this kind of damage done to us! How can this be helpful? But we need to remember that Jesus is NOT destroying the temple, he is clearing the things that are getting in the way of the temple functioning properly. When Jesus comes to help us clear the temples of our lives, it may feel like our lives are being destroyed. However, we need to realize that Jesus did not hate the temple, and Jesus does not hate us. In trying to clear the temple, Jesus was returning it to its true purpose. In clearing our lives, Jesus is once again trying to return us to our true purpose. Just like we may not understand and fear the madman in the temple, we may be confused by the actions of Jesus in our lives. But this clearing is only for the best.
This clearing is not something that we must do on our own, though. In the temple, we can assume that the people didn’t even realize that the merchants and the moneychangers were getting in their way of experiencing God. It was when Jesus came whipping through, that change began to happen.
Jesus will help us! If we ask, Jesus will help us to find the places where the things of life are coming between us and our experience of God. But I have to warn you! When Jesus starts to clear your temple, you may not like it! When Jesus starts to clear the way for a true relationship with him, we may rebel at the things that are disrupted. Yet, if we remember as with the temple, the discomfort of the disruption is only temporary. After the disruption comes the transformation of our lives. After Jesus clears our lives, we will find that the sacrifice has already been made in Christ and that it is a truly pleasing sacrifice to our God.

Lent 2 Year B

2009-03-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

Lent 2 Year B Mark 8:31-38

While reading the gospel lesson for today, a thought about my family came to my mind. I grew up in a family where there were acceptable emotions and unacceptable emotions. Now I don’t think I am especially weird in this; in fact, I think this is the case in most families. In my family, it was ok to be happy, but it was not ok to be sad, angry, or upset. Happy was a feeling we could share, but to express any of those other feelings was met with social censure.

Now it may seem odd that the gospel reading would bring this memory to mind. It may seem like it has come from left field. And, quite frankly, that was my feeling when it first went through my mind. But being a psychologist at heart, I decided to follow the thought through.

What dawned on me was that the same dynamics that occurred in my family were occurring in the gospel reading. The merry band of Jesus and the disciples were going along having a great time until Jesus drops a bomb. “Oh, guys, did I forget to mention? I will be persecuted, have to go through great suffering, and eventually be killed.” Talk about sharing something that is NOT at all happy and joyful.

So how does Peter respond to this? Does Peter take in the gravity and truth of what Jesus is saying and reflect on how this will impact his life? Does Peter see the truth of Jesus’ statement and appreciate the strength it took to make such a bold proclamation? No, Peter does not want to hear such things. Peter does not want to hear that the life he is currently living can be so quickly changed. So instead of hearing the truth of what Jesus is saying, he pulls Jesus aside and basically tells Jesus to shut up.

Now, Jesus could have paid attention to what Peter was saying. Jesus could have thought, “Maybe Peter is right. Maybe I just need to have an upbeat attitude and things will be better.” Or Jesus could have thought that maybe he shouldn’t say anything because to say something unpleasant is causing Peter to have a bad day. But Jesus didn’t do that. Jesus didn’t let Peter’s fears get in the way of his mission. Even if it was something that the disciples did not want to hear, Jesus does not let that stop him from saying what is important.

We have some interesting dynamics going on here. These are dynamics that we all deal with on a daily basis. Peter’s point of view is that of not wanting to deal with difficult situations. Peter does not want to hear that anything bad can happen. It is a kind of superstitious thinking: As long as nothing bad is said, nothing bad can happen.

However, Jesus has a different kind of dynamic going on. Jesus wants to tell the truth to prepare his followers for what is to come. Jesus is not saying this to rain on their parade but to help the disciples to deal with the valleys in life that are bound to occur.

But Peter does not want to hear this. Peter wants to think that everything will continue on just wonderfully. Peter does not want to hear what Jesus has to say. The problem is that even if Peter did manage to stop Jesus from speaking, it would not stop the situations from happening. Jesus was going to be persecuted and eventually killed. Whether Peter believed that or not was not going to change a thing.

I think our faith can often have this dynamic about it. I know that I especially feel it during Lent. Lent is the time when we hear Jesus talking about being persecuted and being killed. Lent is the time that we are to look at our own sins and realize that we often fall short of the mark. Lent is the time when we want to pull Jesus aside and rebuke him for all the negative things he is saying. Lent is just not a “happy feelings” kind of season.

Often we hear from people who hold faith up as this ultimate anti-depressant. They will say that all anyone needs to do is just have faith and everything will be great. If you feel bad, it is just because you do not have enough faith. You will hear tell that if you have enough faith, then you will have a new house, a new car, everything you ever wanted. And if you lack these things, then it is an outward sign of your lack of faith. You will hear people talk about how if you just have enough faith, then everything will be wonderful. But no matter who we are or how much we believe, something bad will come into our lives.

Because we have difficulties in our lives doesn’t mean that we are lacking faith. As it has been said: Into every life a little rain must fall. We just need to remember that because there is some rain in our lives doesn’t mean that we are doing something wrong. It also means that we should not feel ashamed of these difficulties. These are not signs that we are doing things wrong. Actually we may be doing everything right, it is just that there will be difficulties in our lives.

Jesus’ response to Peter shows us that we are to face our difficulties directly and honestly. We are not to pretend that there are no difficulties. We are to truthfully acknowledge the difficulties that are present.

And if you have learned anything about my sermons, you should be expecting a big “HOWEVER” about now. So here it is!

HOWEVER!

We are to follow our savior and take hope in our savior. Our savior met ridicule, rejection, and even death. He met them all straight on and honestly. But these trials didn’t keep him down. Even death did not keep him. He overcame the trials of life. He overcame death and the grave. He overcame the worst the world had to give him. He met these challenges honestly and through faith overcame them.

And this is the example he gives to us. He asks us to follow in faith. He asks us to honestly face the difficulties that are before us but to continue on in faith. Yes, Jesus does call Peter “Satan,” but we need to remember that Satan was the tempter. Peter was tempting Jesus to deny the reality of his fate. Jesus was telling Peter to get behind him because that is the proper place for a follower.

Peter was running out in front of Jesus. Peter had other plans. Peters plans probably sounded pretty tempting. But Jesus told him to get behind. Jesus told Peter to follow. Jesus was telling Peter that the proper place for a disciple following in the footsteps of the leader.

When our lives become challenging, it is really easy to want to run in front. It is easy to want to deny the difficulties. It is easy to want to tell Jesus what should be happening. But Jesus tells us to get behind and to follow. The one who called us into the family of God continues to look after us.

Unlike my human family, in the family of God, we can acknowledge that there are difficulties in life. We can acknowledge that things may not be going the way we would like. But we can also acknowledge that we have a savior who will lead us and support us.

We may not want to acknowledge the difficulties. We may not want to deal with the tough times. But we are not left alone during these times. Like I said last week, during Lent we are asked to go on a journey. Life, too, is a journey. The one thing that we can count on, as in our Lenten journey, our journey through life will lead not to a full tomb, but to an empty tomb with our Savior waiting to hold us in his arms.

Ash Wednesday

2009-02-24T06:37:00.000-08:00

Ash Wednesday Feb. 25, 2009 Matt 6: 1-6, 16-21 The Rev. Benton Quest

What are you doing here! How can you consider yourselves good Americans and be sitting in this church on this day of all days! Quick! Before anyone notices, leave!

In America, we are the society of staying alive. We are the society of staying young. We do all kinds of things to deny the fact that we are going to die. We work out. We have face-lifts. We go to the tanning booth. We dye our hair. The thought of death is something we in America try to avoid. We want to hear sermons that are uplifting and make us feel good. Frankly, I like to preach sermons that are uplifting and make people feel good.

But on Ash Wednesday, preaching the uplifting sermon is a little difficult. I read one commentator who said that Ash Wednesday is the most uncomfortable day of the church year. It is a day that we try to avoid. The service is not happy. The songs tend to be in minor keys. We leave the church with a big black mark on our heads. That black mark reminds us, and all those who see us, that no matter how hard we try to avoid death, eventually this body will give out.

The whole point is that on Ash Wednesday, we have to face our own death, and let’s be honest; facing our own death is not very pleasant. As I said before, we live in a world that is into denying that death even exists. As such, to proclaim that “You are dust and to dust you shall return” is a subversive act. We are going against everything the advertisers are trying to tell us.

Ash Wednesday causes us distress because it rubs our face in our mortality. In our observation of Ash Wednesday, we come face to face with our sin and with our death. And this is not just our physical death, although that is difficult enough to deal with. But we also have to deal with how our sin, our forgetting that we are created in God’s image, has brought death to the joy that could be in our lives: The joy that Jesus came to bring to our lives.

Another thing we are forced to do on Ash Wednesday is to look squarely at our limitations. We live in the Lone Ranger, I-can-do-it-all-alone, kind of world. In our society of today, it is not respectable to need help. Yet Ash Wednesday reminds us that when left to our own devices, we can give up self-will as easily as we can give up death. When we choose our will over the will of God, when we choose things over people, when we refuse to be the wonderful creations which God has made us to be, it is at that time that death has already cast a shadow over our lives.

Then finally on this day, this Ash Wednesday, we are asked to repent, literally to turn around and head back to God. We don’t like to think about repentance because to turn around means that we are headed in the wrong direction. To turn around means that we are doing is not OK, what we are doing is NOT WORKING. To have this made obvious and place in as a large black mark on our forehead is uncomfortable to us but unfortunately, that is the point of the day.

Actually, the point of Ash Wednesday is not to make us feel bad, not to make us feel no good, not even to make us feel guilty! The point of Ash Wednesday is to help us to realize that we cannot make a go of life alone. That to truly live life we must rely on God. We must turn our hearts over to God. We must live our lives for God.

In our readings for today we hear of God’s expectations for us, God’s followers. God doesn’t want us just to make just a show of repentance; God wants more. God wants us: heart and soul, mind and body. God wants us to look beyond what is here before us and look to what is more important, more enduring.

It is in the realization that we are mortal that we begin to touch the immortal. It is in gaining a fuller understanding of those things which are finite, that we can begin to understand infinity. It is in knowing that our life will come to an end that we can begin to understand what it means to have eternal life. When we look at a dear loved one, we know that that person will eventually die. We know that the body that we see before us will eventually cease to function. We know that that person is mortal. However, we also know that the love that is shared between you and your loved ones will never die. Because Christ has loved us, our love will continue. We can hold our loved ones in our memory and when the great day arrives, the day of the reign of God, we can again hold them in our arms. It is in realizing the mortality of the person that we can look beyond and grasp the immortal.

Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are indeed mortal. It reminds us that all we see must come to an end. It reminds us to be aware of what is around us. The prophet Joel tells us to change our way of living. He says to rend our hearts, not our clothing. We are to change our whole way of being, not just make superficial gestures. We are to return to the Lord.

This is our call during this time of Lent; this is our call on this, the most uncomfortable day of the church year. Christ is here, calling us, calling us from beyond the grave. Calling us to turn around, turn back from the ways of the world. Calling us to turn around and follow him. It is only through him that we can find our righteousness. It is only through him that we can find our life.

Well, you didn’t leave. You stayed. That is good. I can’t guarantee an easy journey through Lent, but there is one thing I can guarantee: That even though there may be much talk about death and the tomb, when we get to the end, we won’t find the tomb full. We will find the tomb empty and the risen Christ waiting to greet us.

Transfiguration Sunday

2009-02-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

Mark 9:2-9

You know, there is a new disease going around? It is known as SAD.

Many of you are probably thinking, “SAD? What is so new about that? Isn’t SAD the disorder where the sufferer is irritable, distracted, edgy, and often depressed? New? Isn’t it that disorder that is highly prevalent in the north at this time of year? Well, yes, you would be right if I were talking about SAD as in Seasonal Affective Disorder. But I am not talking about Seasonal Affective Disorder; I am talking about another disease, this disease also has the initials of SAD, but in this case they refer to Spiritual Affective Disorder.

Why these two diseases get confusing is because they both have the same symptoms. The person with Spiritual Affective Disorder will also feel irritable, distracted and edgy. The person with Spiritual Affective Disorder may also feel depressed. And like Seasonal Affective Disorder, Spiritual Affective Disorder is also highly prevalent in society.

Now another thing that is really interesting about these two disorders is that they are treated in almost the same way. In Seasonal Affective Disorder, the person must stay out in the light of the sun – that would be S-U-N – to get better. When the person gets enough light, then the person begins to feel better and has a generally better outlook on life. To treat Spiritual Affective Disorder, the person must stay in the light of the Son – that would be S-O-N. By staying in the light of the Son, the person gains a radically different outlook on life. When people are in the light of the Son, their whole lives are changed.

In today’s gospel reading, we have a case study for the successful treatment of Spiritual Affective Disorder. Previous to our reading, we have the situation where Peter is having trouble. Jesus is explaining to the disciples how he, Jesus, was going to have to suffer and die. After hearing this, we see that Peter begins to exhibit the key symptoms of Spiritual Affective Disorder. Peter gets irritated with Jesus. Peter acts impulsively. Peter seems very edgy. Peter is defensive and tries to tell Jesus that the plans are all wrong. And if we remember the story, it is at this point Jesus rebuked Peter.

I don’t know if you noticed this before, but Jesus is a very good psychologist. And being a very good psychologist, Jesus knows exactly what Peter is suffering from. Of course! Peter is suffering from Spiritual Affective Disorder! And since Jesus is a very good psychologist, in fact the best psychologist that ever was or ever will be, Jesus knows exactly what Peter needs! That’s right! Peter is suffering from Spiritual Affective Disorder. So therefore, what Peter needs is a good dose of light from the SON!

So Jesus takes Peter, James, and John, three of the original disciples, (Andrew must have been out gathering more people!) up onto a mountain. And while they were on the mountain, Jesus was transfigured. Jesus was made to shine brighter than the sun – that would be sun, S-U-N! And we can see from Peter’s response that this light from Jesus was enough to do the trick: Peter is cured! Peter goes from being defensive and edgy to being happy and rejoicing! Peter is totally changed. Peter is so eager to celebrate this moment that he wants to live on top of the mountain.

But just as with Seasonal Affective Disorder, there is a downside to the treatment of Spiritual Affective Disorder: for neither disorder is the cure permanent. In Seasonal Affective Disorder, the person needs continual light. The longer a person stays out of the light, the worse symptoms become. The same holds true for Spiritual Affective disorder: The longer we stay away from the light of the SON, the worse things in our life can look. The longer we close our lives to the light of Christ, the worse things tend to look.

I think one of the things that makes Spiritual Affective Disorder so SAD is that when we get it, although we may look for light, we often do not look for the right kind of light. What is unfortunate is that with both of these disorders, the wrong kind of light can be bad for us.

I know that sometimes about this time of year, I can feel a little bit of Seasonal Affective Disorder setting in. In trying to help myself feel better, I have tried going to a tanning bed to get some really concentrated light. What is unfortunate was not the kind of light I needed. I needed some natural sunlight, not the overly intense light of the tanning bed. Granted, the light did feel good, but it was not the right kind of light. Unfortunately, in the end, I usually ended up getting burned.

When we are dealing with Spiritual Affective Disorder, quite often the same thing happens; we go off looking for a way to light our lives but go after the wrong kind of light. We neglect the true source of light and go looking for other sources. And as with the tanning bed, these other sources usually end up burning us. We may look for that light in other people, but other people will let us down. We may look for that light in alcohol, but alcohol will leave us in a deeper hole than when we started. We may look for light in honor and respect, but honor and respect only last as long as peoples’ memories. These things may seem like sources of light, and granted, they feel good when they are there. But when we search out these things to lift our Spiritual Affective Disorder, what we end up feeling is burned. We go looking for light, but like Peter, James, and John, the light we need is right in front of us!

This is the wonder of the Transfiguration; the glory of Jesus was shown to the disciples, but that glory is for us too. This was not some future glory for Peter; this was glory that was right then. Peter goes a little crazy when he sees the glory of Jesus, but then he again sees the light of Jesus and finds his bearings. It is also the same for us; this is glory for us NOW. When we lose our bearings, we can look to the light of Christ and find our way.

Now, the light of Christ does not go away from us, but often we turn away from the light. And when we turn away, we again find ourselves in the dark and searching. God says that the disciples are to listen to Jesus, but eventually they forget. Even Peter, who saw the light directly, returns to his fear. And when Peter’s fear returns, he too looks for a light elsewhere. Peter becomes afraid and fears for his safety. Yes, this is another false and dangerous light: safety. Peter denies knowing Jesus because he feared for his safety. If others knew Peter was a follower of Jesus, Peter was afraid that he too might be killed. Instead of staying strong in the light and faith in Christ, Peter seeks out the false light of safety, and ends up getting burned.

The true light of Jesus does not burn us. The light of Jesus, it does not blind us. Even though we are told that Jesus’ garments shown like the sun, the disciples were dazzled, but not blinded. The light of Jesus actually helps us to see the world more clearly. Peter was moved by the wonder of the light, but he was not blinded.

Now, there is one thing that is very different about Spiritual Affective Disorder. In Seasonal Affective Disorder, the light makes us feel better, and that is about it. But when we follow Jesus, the light that we experience transforms us. Peter, James, and John were transformed by being in light of the transfiguration. I don’t think they realized it at the time it was happening, but their experience provided a base from which they could later preach, teach, and evangelize. The story of the transfiguration provides us with a base also. Again we hear the voice of God speaking: “This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to him.” It is this Son, the Son of God, that lights our way and transforms our lives.

The one thing that I find sad about Spiritual Affective Disorder is the fact that we don’t have to suffer from it! Jesus wants us to follow him and to follow his light. Jesus gives us spouses, parents, friends, and congregations to guide us. The light that we truly need is right here, it hasn’t gone away! But still we go searching for light elsewhere. Like Peter, we lose our light and become irritable and edgy. And we may go searching for the light out in the world. But we need to remember that we have the light in our baptism. We share the light when we gather as the community of St. Swithin’s. We are strengthened by the light when we gather around the altar. And we then take the light of Christ out and share the light with the world.

Epiphany 6, Year B

2009-02-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Sixth Sunday After Epiphany Year B Mark 1:40-45 February 15, 2009 The Rev. Benton Quest

I think we have a theme going on in our gospel readings of late. Pretty simple: Jesus goes someplace; heals someone; word gets out that there is healing going on; people come to get healed; and Jesus runs away. It’s kind of nice when you first look at it. Jesus is healing people and that seems like a nice thing. But then Jesus high-tails it off to the wilderness just when others show up for help. It is at this point that I get a little angry. It is kind of like those Christmas “Door Buster” sales: The stores promise you a great deal, but by the time you get there, the deal is gone! That is SO frustrating! And I am sure the people who were coming out to find Jesus for healing were feeling pretty frustrated also.

Why didn’t Jesus just hang around and heal the people? Wouldn’t that be a good way to attract followers? It would be kind of like giving them a free coupon or something. Heal them and then they stick around! Makes great marketing sense to me! So if it is such a good idea, why doesn’t Jesus do it?

When I think about this whole situation, I remember what a piano teacher once said to me. I love the Bach Two-Part Inventions and really wanted to learn how to play them. My teacher kept telling me that I needed to practice! He said that the only way to truly own the pieces was by practicing. He then said that even if he had pill that would allow me to play the Two-Part Inventions, he would not give it to me. The commitment to practice and the discipline of practice would give the music its fullness and richness that would never be there if it were just bestowed. I think we can hear that is some synthesized music. It is perfect in timing and intonation but it sounds flat; it is lacking depth and nuance. It is lacking life.

Now I cannot prove this, but I think Jesus’ method of “Hit-and-Run” healings is an attempt to not just bestow some kind of synthesized faith on the people. Jesus did not want his followers to have a flat, dead, faith; he wanted them to have a rich, full, living faith. I believe Jesus could have had the people form two lines and just run down the middle, high-fiving them all and curing them all. Or if that were too strenuous, then he could have just waved his hand or something and cured them. But what would that have given them? They would have been cured, but would they have a deep and enduring faith?

From Biblical times until today, people haven’t changed much. We still want an instant cure to whatever ails us. All we have to do is turn on the television and find all kinds of devices and gadgets to give us what we want instantly. We can get instant weight loss. Instant credit. Instantly wonderful children. Instant language acquisition. Instant relief of pain. Find instant love. No, we really haven’t changed. Whatever we want, there is someone on TV telling us how to get it instantly. The problem with all of these “instant” methods is that they give us what we want, but usually we are not emotionally ready to properly use the gift.

I am sure we are all aware of people who have used fad diets to lose a ton of weight, just to gain it all back. We have all also heard stories of people who have won the lottery, just to spend it all foolishly and end up poorer than before they started. And there is a reason why drivers’ licenses are withheld until kid are 16 years old. A gift that is given when the person is not ready to receive it can be dangerous.

I think Jesus did a “drive-by” healing but then left when the crowds would show up was that those who were streaming in to be healed were not yet ready to be healed. Jesus presented the people with a goal, to be healed, but the people were not yet ready to receive it. Kind of like promising a kid a new car when had gotten his license and has show that he is responsible to drive. The gift of the car is still a free gift; it is just that the gift would be dangerous if the child were not ready for it. And a good parent is going to not give the gift until the child is ready.

Now, I know I am moving out into the land of thin ice, here. Too often we interchange the meanings of “being ready” and “earning.” What I am talking about here is not earning. We do not earn the loving gifts of God. If we had to earn God’s gifts, then they would not be gifts at all, they would be payment. The paycheck I get for making coffee is not a gift, I did something and I am getting paid for it. I earned that paycheck. However, the love we find in our lives, that is a gift. As we mature, we recognize more and more that we are surrounded by love. We gain the maturity to treat that love with respect and care. We gain the maturity to not abuse that gift we have been given. In my own life, it seemed that love would never find me, but as I matured, I found that love was there. It was not something that I earned, it was something that I grew to understand.

We don’t know why Jesus chose to heal the people he healed and to avoid those he avoided. Our faith leads us to believe that Jesus would do what is in the best interest of us all. I am sure that if it were for the best interest of the crowds following Jesus, he would have healed them all. He could have healed them all. That Jesus chose to not heal the people must lead us to believe that it was not in the best interest of the people to be healed at that time. Here is where it can get confusing. I am not saying that the people who were healed were any better, or the people who were not healed were any worse. What we must assume is that it was not the proper time for this to happen.

I think this may be one of the hardest things for us to learn. We need to keep looking for Jesus and following Jesus, but if we are not finding the miraculous, that does not mean we have been abandoned or that we are bad. It means that in the infinite wisdom of our Savior, the time is not right. We need to trust that the one who gave his life for us looking out for our best interest. We need to trust that the gift has not been withdrawn, but is being held until the time is right.

As people, we want the easy way. I know I really wanted to pill to allow me to play the two-part inventions. But if you think about it, there is really only one time in our lives where our every need is anticipated and everything is given to us. That would be when we are babies. If we were to be given everything we wanted when we wanted, we would never grow and mature. We would never mature to understand the fullness and depth of life. If every time we asked for something in prayer and it would just appear, we would develop a flat, lifeless, Santa Clause kind of faith. I would hope we can see that there are times when God withholding what we ask for in prayer is, in fact, a gift.

We have a loving and concerned Savior. We have a “hands on” kind of God. We have a loving parent that may not give us everything we want, but will definitely give us what we need to grow to our fullest faith potential. Our task is to continue to seek our Lord, and to trust that we will be given what we need for the journey.

Epiphany 5 B

2009-02-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

Epiphany 5 year B

Mark 1:29-39

I’ll tell you, this week’s gospel reading really has me thinking. When we pair it with last week’s reading, it presents a challenge and a dilemma.
What we have in this week’s reading is Jesus in the home of Simon. When he gets there, he finds that Simon’s mother-in-law is sick and goes to heal her. Last week we had Jesus healing the man possessed by demons. Whether out and about or in the privacy of someone’s home, Jesus is doing what Jesus does. Jesus does not have one persona in public and another in private. And it is here that the challenge and the dilemma come into play.
The actions of Jesus challenge us to live our faith “out loud.” The way Jesus went about his life did not leave any room for questions. From the moment he was baptized, the world became aware that this man was different than what had come before. When Jesus cast out the demons in the story we heard last week, we can assume that did it out in the open because everyone was talking about it. And in today’s reading, Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law, in the quite of her home. Jesus doesn’t drag her out into the street to get more notoriety, he just simply heals her.
But the dilemma comes with the way I was raised and with the way many of us in main-line denominations were raised: If you are like me, you were raised to not draw a whole lot of attention to yourself. And you were also raised to not bring up religion in “polite” company. It was the whole “Religion and Politics” thing; these were just topics that were not discussed. But in the gospel lessons of the past two weeks, we have Jesus not only talking about religion and politics in public, but living religion and politics. And not only living it, but also unapologetically living it. This kind of thing just makes the skin of this Roman Catholic raised boy crawl!
Now, another thing that makes my skin crawl is this whole living our faith “out loud” that Jesus is showing us. I have had many occasions of being cornered by people who were “Evangelizing.” I want to set this type of evangelization apart because I think it is what comes our mind when we think of evangelization and, if you are like me, just the mention of the word is scary. I had been backed into a corner and told that I was damned to Hell (and I’m not talking about Hell, MI here!) if I didn’t accept Jesus. I had been trapped in an airplane, stuck between the window and the person who was bound and determined to save my soul, for over four hours. I’ve been told that if I don’t speak in tongues, then God really has not saved me. So when I think of “Evangelization,” these are the thoughts that go through my mind. And the thought of living my faith “out loud” can be mighty scary.
So, how can we work to create a life where our faith is as integral a part of us as our hair color? How can we create a life where our faith is as apparent as our eye color? How can we create a life where we can witness to our faith without the need to shove it into people’s faces? This is the challenge AND the dilemma of our gospel reading.
When I hear the word “Evangelism, ” or hear of a faith being “Evangelistic,” what comes to my mind are what could be referred to as “Pentecostal Pep Rallies.” Now, this kind of worship may be fine for some people, I just find them uncomfortable. I don’t think that this means I have any less faith than the Pentecostal folks, it just means that I have a different way of expressing my faith. Neither way is right or wrong, they are just different.
But the unfortunate thing is that when it comes to living our faith in the world, the usual example we call to mind is that of people similar to the person who had me trapped on the plane. Again, though, growing up in a mainline denomination, this “in your face” kind of evangelizing was not for me. I found it annoying and didn’t want to be annoying to others.
So again here is the dilemma: We have the example of Jesus living his faith “out loud” in the world. We have Jesus living his faith “out loud” around his friends. We have this example of Jesus fully living his faith in all he did. We are told that we are to follow our Savior and live as he lived. But for the life of me, I cannot be like the other Evangelicals that I see.
Now it would be nice if we could just be left off the hook. Since how society defines evangelism is really not the Episcopalian way, then we just don’t have to do it. We will leave that for others.
Unfortunately, that is not the way it goes. Jesus calls each one of us. Jesus calls you and me to be out spreading the word of love and forgiveness to a hurting world. Jesus calls us each to the table and then sends us out. Jesus calls us! And that is what we need to remember.
It didn’t matter where Jesus was or whom he was with. Jesus was authentically himself. He healed in the temple because that is what needed to happen. He healed in Simon’s home because that is what needed to happen. He did what he needed to do, and he did it in the way that only he could do.
Likewise, we each are called to be authentically ourselves. If you find the “Pentecostal Pep Rally” uncomfortable, that is ok. Your way of spreading the news of God’s love will be low-key. If you enjoy and are moved by loud and boisterous worship, that is ok too! There are people out there that you will reach. We each have our own way of spreading the gospel to the world. The important thing is that we get out there and do it! As there are all kinds of people, there are all kinds of way to spread the message. What works for some will may not necessarily work for others. And that is ok, that is the way it should be.
Jesus did not let the social conventions of the time get in his way. He taught, preached, and healed. He lived the love of God and showed that love to the world. And he calls us to be out in the world. We are to reach out in our way. We reach out through things like making prayer shawls. We reach out when we bring food for those in need. We reach out when we smile instead of getting angry. And we reach out when we use our skills and talents to ease the burdens of those around us.
We each have our way of reaching out, and God can use us to be God’s hands and heart in the world. We just need to be willing to move beyond ourselves and make ourselves vulnerable to the working of God.
This is the challenge of being a Christian. To be so aware of the love we find in Christ flowing through our lives that others can’t help but see this love and want to find it for themselves. This is not some lofty goal, it is highly attainable. We are called to this by Jesus, and Jesus will be there to help us through.

Epiphany 4 Year B

2009-01-31T18:54:00.000-08:00

Epiphany 4 Year B Mark 1:21-28

I have a somewhat shocking confession to make: I find it embarrassing to be called a Christian. It is not that I am embarrassed to believe in Christ. Not at all. I am just embarrassed by what the word “Christian” has come to mean in our society.

Now, of course there are people on both sides of this whole Christianity debate. There are people who find the word “Christianity” being bastardized by the Fundamentalists, and there are people who find the word “Christianity” being bastardized by the liberals. There are two sides to every argument, and even though I tend to fall on one side of this argument, I also truly believe that both sides are acting in good faith.

But this is where we run into a big problem: How can both sides be right? How can well meaning people come up with diametrically opposed ideas? How can groups on opposite sides of a topic both claim to have THE Spirit inspired interpretation? One group has got to be right and the other has to be wrong. Right?

This is not a new topic. This topic has been around for as long as there have been people of faith. Our gospel today presents us with an example of this challenge.

Jesus is in the temple healing. He is out there doing the will of God. The problem is that he is doing this on the Sabbath. Now, I am sure to the one who was healed, there was no problem of Jesus healing on the Sabbath. But we have another group of people who are wondering what is going on. Who is this man who is doing nasty things in the temple? Why is he driving out demons on the Sabbath? This is a new teaching! But the people have to wonder, is it a teaching that they can trust?

For the people of Jesus’ time, the teaching of their scripture, what we call the Old Testament, was interpreted to mean that no work was to be done on the Sabbath. This was the fundamental understanding of the commandment to “Keep the Sabbath day holy.” It was what was taught for years and there was no reason to doubt it. But here was this man, working on the Sabbath! This guy was commanding demons on the Sabbath! What’s up with this??

We generally assume that the people were impressed with Jesus’ teachings. We assume that the comment of “What is this? A new teaching – and with authority!” Was said with awe and reverence. But what if it was said differently? What if it was said with disgust and skepticism? What if the word that was spread quickly over the whole region was not a word of admiration but a word of contempt?

To many in Biblical times, what Jesus was doing in the temple was fundamentally wrong. What Jesus was doing was against everything the people had been taught and every tradition the people had. To many in Biblical times, Jesus was a heretic and was deserving of death. These people were not bad; they were just blinded by the world.

In our world today, we have a bunch of different teachings. Many of these differences can be found within the Episcopal Church. We have people saying that ordaining women is heresy. But right here at St. Swithen’s there has been a woman priest. We have people with differing opinions on abortion. We have a whole lot of fuss going on not only in the Episcopal Church but within the Anglican Union over homosexuality and the ordaining of gay people. With all of these people, people of good faith, at odds with each other, how can we know what is the proper teaching? How can we know what is new revelation? How can we tell if we are following God’s will or just doing what makes us feel comfortable? How do we know if we are hearing a new teaching with authority or if this is some kind of heresy?

When we look back on the story, we can easily figure out which side we should be baking; of course we should be following Jesus. But if we were to put ourselves into the shoes of those in the temple, would we believe Jesus had a new teaching or would we believe that Jesus was trying to push a personal or political agenda?

One of the unfortunate things about the Bible, or maybe it is a fortunate thing, is that we are not given clean-cut answers. We just can’t read a passage in the Bible and immediately know what it means. What makes this a fortunate thing is, if we are conscientious about growing in our faith, the Bible forces us to gather together to study and to learn. To get a more complete understanding, we need to come together in community and in Bible study. It is when we join together that the Holy Spirit can truly function.

But we still don’t have the answer: If someone were to walk into our midst -- right now -- and start teaching a new teaching, and started to teach it with authority, how would we know if this teaching was something new from the Spirit or just someone trying to advance their own agenda? Just because the teaching is “with authority” does not necessarily mean it is from God. We have a history littered with dead bodies from people who taught with authority. However, I doubt we would say that their teaching came from God.

We also cannot just go with the rule of majority, either, when deciding if something is a new teaching or heresy. Our past should show us that the majority can be just as heretical as a solo person. For many years, scripture was interpreted, and still is interpreted in some locations, to keep women and people of color from positions of power. Scripture was used to empower certain groups while disenfranchising others. I would hope that we would see this also as false teaching.

One of the most important things that I learned in seminary is to use scripture to interpret scripture. What is meant by this is pretty simple: When trying to find the interpretation to a piece of scripture, does the interpretation you are defending make sense?

Hopefully, it took some effort to think of Jesus as being a heretic in today’s gospel. It just doesn’t make sense. We can look throughout the New Testament and see Jesus healing people, showing compassion on people -- lifting up the poor and lowly. Being compassionate was just a part of Jesus. And since Jesus is God incarnate, then being compassionate is part of God.

Another thing we learned in seminary is when there is a discrepancy in the scriptures, the New Testament takes precedence over the Old Testament. As I have said, the law of the Old Testament was interpreted to forbid healing on the Sabbath. But the actions of Jesus show us that healing on the Sabbath is not only acceptable but to be encouraged. So in this situation, we are to take the New Testament interpretation as the more appropriate interpretation.

I am taking the time to do this to give you all some tools. The Episcopal Church does not take too many political stands, but asks its members to pray, study, and discern the will of God in each situation. When you are confronted with a moral quandary, or we as a congregation are facing a challenge, we need to look back at our faith and our scriptures. We need to ask, “What would Jesus do?” We need to consider if the interpretation is consistent with the words and actions of one who died for the sin of the world? Is the interpretation consistent with the actions of the one who calls us all to the table and feeds us with his own body and blood? It the interpretation consistent with the kindness and compassion we see Jesus demonstrate throughout the New Testament? If our interpretation does not seem to make sense with the example we see coming from Christ in the New Testament, then we need to further question the interpretation.

We have no problem with Jesus casting out demons in the temple on Sabbath because this is something that seems natural and right for Jesus to do. Even though this goes against the Old Testament law to keep the Sabbath holy, for Jesus to have acted in any other way would have seemed wrong. Through Jesus’ life and actions, the people of Biblical times were given a new teaching and this teaching had the authority of the Son of God.

The teaching of the Holy Spirit did not end when the Bible was written down. The teaching continues. But it is up to us as a people to weigh the teaching and to see if it is consistent with the scriptures and to discern as a community how we are to apply these new teachings. It is not always an easy task, but it is a task God will equip us for. In asking questions, seeking clarity, and searching for the authority, we will meet new teachings with insight and with enlightenment.

Epiphany 3 Year B

2009-01-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

Epiphany 3 January 25, 2009 Mark 1:14-20 Rev. Benton Quest

You know, serving God will really mess up your life.

I had a professor in seminary who said that “Go in peace, serve the Lord” was an oxymoron. If we truly serve the Lord, there is no way we could go in peace. And if we remained at peace, there was no way we could serve the Lord. This line of thought is born out in our readings for today. Today we are hearing about God’s call and how this call really messed up peoples’ lives.

You may think it strange that I would say that these calls messed up peoples’ lives. We get so used to hearing the stories that we forget to consider the people who are in the stories. These people had lives, families, jobs: they had all the same things we have today. They had to keep a roof over their heads. They had to earn a living. Probably the last thing any of them wanted to do was to go traveling, telling people to repent.

But God had a different plan. God had plans to use these ordinary people in extraordinary ways. Being used in extraordinary ways is great, except for one thing; when God calls, our lives tend to get totally messed up.

I just love the story of Jonah. Mostly what people think about is the whole whale thing. But the whale thing was such a small part of the story. Jonah’s story is so much bigger.

We actually do not know a whole lot about what Jonah did for a living, but he must have done something. Even so, we know that out of nowhere, God called to him. God called Jonah and told Jonah to go at once to a city called Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a really nasty place, kind of like Detroit. But God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell the people to repent.

Well, Jonah didn’t want to tell the people in Nineveh to repent, so he went as far as he could from Nineveh, to a place called Tarshish. But God had different plans. God used storms and giant fish to finally deposit Jonah on the shore of Nineveh. And when Jonah finally gave in and told the people of Nineveh to repent, the whole city put on sackcloth and ashes. We are told that even the animals put on sackcloth and repented.

You can bet that all of this traveling around probably messed up Jonah’s life. Also, Jonah’s beliefs got pretty messed up too! Jonah didn’t want to tell the folks of Nineveh to repent because he didn’t want God to save those people, people who he thought were horrible and nasty. Jonah knew that God was merciful, more merciful than Jonah himself. If God forgave the Ninevehites, maybe Jonah himself would also have to forgive. So Jonah didn’t want the people of Nineveh got off easy. He didn’t want to tell the people to repent because he didn’t want them to repent and he didn’t want God to forgive them. But even in spite of himself, Jonah spread the message. Although it caused some messiness in his life, God used Jonah to bring the message to the Ninevehites.

In the gospel, we again see where God was messing up peoples’ lives. Simon, Andrew, James, and John were going about their daily lives. We are told that Simon and Andrew were still out fishing when Jesus called; while James and John were mending their nets. We can assume that it was a normal day for each of them and that none of them though, “I think I will leave my fishing business and follow some roaming preacher,” when he woke up that morning. But that is exactly what happened; they each left their jobs, their livelihoods, their employees, and their families, to follow Jesus. Their lives went from some form of predictability to a total mess.

So why did God make their lives a total mess? Is it some kind of cruel joke on God’s part? Did God wake up one morning and say; “Things are getting too predictable for those folks down there, let’s mix it up a little”? Did God look down on these folks and decide that they were just relying too much on themselves and needed to learn a lesson? Was God just playing games with them? No, God had something special in store for the men in today’s readings.

From what we can tell, none of these men were exceedingly special. Yes, they were special in the way we all are special but they were not “off the scale” kind of special. They were just everyday people. But God had something special planned for them. Through these people, God had planned to bring a word of peace, forgiveness, and salvation to many. These men were walking away from their livelihood. These men were walking away from the means of providing for their families. These men were walking away from what we could consider a fairly hefty investment in nets and labor. Unlike Jonah, Simon, Andrew, James, and John didn’t need to be nudged; they just picked up and followed. They heard the call and responded.

What kind of followers are we? Are we the kind that drops everything or are we the type that needs a little nudging? Do we give in to the will of God or do we drag our feet trying to do things our own way? I know that personally, I tend to be more like Jonah than like the disciples. I know that I really don’t want my life messed up. I would be very content to stay where I am, (well, with a few changes) and not follow any call. I look at people like the disciples and think that following a major call is really good for them, but that is not for me.

However, it seems like when I try to just stay put, or even go running in the opposite direction, God is there, nudging me in another direction; God is there, leading me in the direction of God’s will. Have you felt this? Have you felt God stirring within you; moving you to places and things you had never considered? I think we rebel because we are frightened. Or, like Jonah, maybe we rebel because we do not want God to work for the people other than ourselves. I don’t know. But I do know that we do rebel.

What is funny is that in rebelling, we are forgetting one of the great truths of life: God is with us through all things. It is not us who are doing the changing in the people we encounter, but God working through us. Jonah speaking the word of repentance did not cause the people of Nineveh to repent. Actually, he did as little as possible to spread the message of repentance. But God, working through Jonah, caused the message to be spread throughout the whole city.

But we need to remember that quickly following does not guarantee that all will go smoothly either. The disciples did quickly follow, but their lives still got messed up. They too had to rely on God working through them. Still, in either case, God did work through the people in today’s lessons and God will work through us. We may not be called to tell a city to repent. We may not be called to devote our lives to following a traveling preacher. We may not be called to do “Home Run” kinds of things. We may just be called to spread God’s love to those we work with or to share our belongings with those who are in need. We may just be called to hit a pop-fly to get someone on base. It doesn’t matter the size of the call, what does matter is we are each called by God to follow.

I had another professor in seminary that would say, “It is not if God calls you, it is when God calls you.” When God calls us, how will we respond? I would hope we would respond quickly and gladly. I would hope that we would drop whatever we are doing and lovingly follow. I would hope that we wouldn’t run the other direction. But whatever happens, we do not need to be afraid of the call. No matter what happens, we know that God is with us; God is caring for us and strengthening us. And we know that no matter what happens, God will never leave us. Our lives may get messed up. Our expectations may get changed. We may be asked to abandon our nets and move to other lands. Or we may be called to talk to the people we work with or go to school with. But whatever the case, we can be sure God will hold true and be there to lead us and strengthen us.

Epiphany 2, Year B

2009-01-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

Epiphany 2 Year B John 1:43-51 January 18, 2009 The Rev. Benton Quest

I think today’s gospel reading is one of the more challenging lessons we read throughout the lectionary cycle. Today we encounter Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. Jesus is out putting together his group of followers. This should be a great lesson for us if we want to go out and bring the gospel of Christ to the world: How would Jesus go out and find people?

Well, in reading this gospel lesson, the key sentence that jumped out at me was “Come and see!” This is the invitation that Jesus gives; it is the invitation that Jesus used to draw his followers to him and it is still as applicable to us today as it was all those years ago.

When we think about this invitation, we first need to ask ourselves, “Who is it that offered the invitation to ‘Come and see’”? Well, that is a fairly easy one, it was Jesus, the Master, the Teacher, and the Messiah. Jesus made this invitation, but it was not only made to Nathaniel, Jesus has made this invitation to believers down through the ages. Jesus invites all believers, and that would include you and me, to “Come and see” “Come and see” where life in Christ can and will lead you. “Come and see” the miracles that Jesus will do in and through you.” “Come and see” where a journey, undertaken in faith, can and will lead. Jesus calls Nathaniel, and all his followers, to “come and see.”

Since we now know who is making this invitation, the next question would have to be, “To whom was the invitation offered?” Well, it was offered to Nathaniel, a plain and simple man and quite the skeptic. When Philip told Nathaniel that they had found the one foretold by Moses, Nathaniel scoffed and responded, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” But Jesus was not prevented from seeing past the skepticism and “simplicity” of the man. Jesus saw the true man. Jesus saw him, invited him, and called him to be a part the greatest ministry in all of history. Jesus invited this simple skeptic. Jesus gave the invitation to one who was not of high rank or noble birth. Jesus gave this invitation and this invitation rings down through the ages to us. Simple as we are; skeptical, doubtful, sinful, and rough around the edges as we are, Jesus sees beyond the here and now of our lives and sees our future; our future in his love and presence.

If we continue to think about this phrase, “Come and see”, I would hope we would begin to wonder how applies to each of us as people. Do we respond to the invitation; opening ourselves to the amazing things that God is doing in our midst and in the world? Do we keep our eyes, ears, and minds open to the possibilities that can be found in Christ? Or do get so wrapped up in the ordinary everyday world? Do we lose sight of the possibilities and power that are promised to each of us just by responding to Jesus’ invitation to “Come and see!”? Do we only look to the creation and forget about looking to the creator?

As a congregation who is called to keep putting that invitation out there to others in Christ’s name, how are doing? Do we offer the invitation only to certain people? Are we selective? Do we look for people who think, or act, or look, or believe, or worship like us? Or do we look beyond the moment, beyond the outward and worldly appearances? Or do we see the presence of Christ and that potential in everyone we encounter?

If we are selective in offering the invitation, then we are not understanding the ministry and teaching of Christ. If we are only reaching out to those certain few, then we need to recommit ourselves to reaching the lost, the hurting, the hungry, the disenfranchised, the “outsider”. There is room on this journey and at Christ’s table not for a select few, but for everyone.

Imagine if someone in your past had been selective in offering the invitation --- would you be here? Would you be on this journey with Christ? I’m not sure if I would be; but I encountered people like Bishop Gibbs and others who invited me to “come and see.” I encountered people who continued to walk with me and did not cast me out when it was discovered that I was something less than perfect. I found people, who like Jesus, were able to look beyond the simple skeptic and see the potential that lives within.

But there is another question that still needs to be asked: Just what was Jesus inviting Nathaniel to “come and see?” What great thing did Jesus have for Nathaniel that would be worth Nathaniel turning his whole life upside-down for? Jesus says that Nathaniel “will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." If you ask me, that is kinda weird.

What I think Jesus is trying to say to Nathaniel is that what Jesus has to offer is more that can be imagined. Simple words cannot express the wonder that a life spent in service to Jesus can bring. That is accepting Christ’s invitation to “come and see,” Nathaniel was going to embark on something that his previous life could not even imagine.

If we extend the invitation for someone to “come and see” what is here at St. Swithan’s in the Swamp, what will they find? Will they find life as usual? Or will they find something beyond what their previous life could have prepared them for? Will they find the tried and the comfortable? Or will they find the exciting and the energizing? If we invite people to come and see, will what they find be worth the trip?

As I hope you do, I find the love of Christ to be inspiring and life giving. But for many, Sunday worship is just another chore in a long list of things that are demanding of a person’s time. Worship becomes something that saps life instead of restoring life. If we want to invite people to come and see, then we need to be sure that when they get here, they can find the love that Christ is all about.

The easiest way to do that? Daily step out and look at the world with the eyes of faith. Trust in the journey that is set before you. Coming and seeing is not a one time event, it is something that continues throughout our lives. And if the journey seems to be troubling, continue on knowing that God will not abandon you. Share the good things you have seen in Christ with those around you. If you can’t find any good thing that you have in Christ, ask God to open your eyes; they are there, it is just that sometimes we become blinded by the world. And always know that Christ calls you to the table to be fed, nurtured, and energized.

Christ’s table is a big table! Big enough for all to attend. If you feel lost, then please, come to the table and see. And if you know someone who needs to hear the good news, then invite them to the table, invite them to come and see!

Epiphany 1, The Baptism of Jesus

2009-01-10T12:38:00.001-08:00

Epiphany 1 Mark 1:4-11 January 11, 2008 Rev. Benton Quest

You know, we really have a nice sanctuary here. It is comfortable. It is dry. It is clean. It really is nice. We take pride in this sanctuary and I think we are right in doing so.

Often when we think about the church, what we think about is this building. We think that the walls that surround us and the roof that covers us is the church. When we think about church, we think about this place. But in today’s gospel, we are asked to stretch our understanding of what church is and how we are church.

We start out with the description of John, out in the wilderness. John -- with the weird diet and the strange clothes. John -- who is calling the people to repent and then calling them to forgiveness. Surrounded by all these weird descriptions of John, we might not catch what is really odd about this story. The thing that is really odd is that John is in the wrong place.

In Biblical times, repentance and forgiveness is not something that happened in the wilderness. We have come to accept the whole baptism of Jesus out in the wilderness as commonplace because we have heard the story so many times. But in Biblical times, all this baptizing was not something that would be happening in the wilderness; repentance, forgiveness, and baptizing were things that were supposed to happen in the Jerusalem temple. The temple was a nice, even awe-inspiring place. People traveled from far-flung lands to come to the temple. The temple was the center of worship during biblical times. So it would be extremely odd for the promises of forgiveness to be happening outside the temple, out in the wilderness.

But this is where the baptizing was happening and this is where all the people were heading. The people were heading away from the established church, the established message, to hear the preaching of a man ranting in the wilderness. They were abandoning what they knew to go in search of something more.

And in this is odd place, away from the temple, is where we also find Jesus. We find Jesus, out in the wilderness, away from the established comfort of the temple. Jesus is not in the temple, following the way of the priests and Pharisees; he is out with the crowds, following the one ranting in the camelhair clothes. This is our Savior and Role Model -- outside of the established traditions. This is our savior and role model -- out in the untamed wilds.

If we are to be followers of Jesus, then is this reading telling us to totally abandon the church and the worship life of the community? Is it telling us to completely forget about what we have here? Is it telling us to abandon this building? This sanctuary? This denomination? I don’t know, I guess we could look at it that way. But before you all get up and leave, there is also another way we could look at the reading.

I think we often get overly comfortable with our lives. We get overly comfortable with our surroundings. We take the buildings, homes, cars, of our lives as our entitlement. We feel that it is our right to feel full and warm. We also get overly comfortable with God. We take the radical, frightening, life changing love of God for granted. We assume that it is something that is our due. In many ways, we have become complacent with the love of God; we forget that God’s love is not something that can be tamed.

By moving out into the wilderness, we leave all of our old assumptions behind. We cannot assume we will remain dry. We cannot assume we shall always have food. We cannot assume there will be walls to protect us. By moving out into the wilderness, John was telling the people that they would have to change their expectations. By moving out into the wilderness, John was showing people that the old way they had come to know, though not necessarily wrong, was not the way of the future that was dawning.

It was here, out in the wilderness; out in the new, that Jesus appeared. And with Jesus’ appearance, this concept of changing expectations was solidified. Jesus, at the start of his ministry, abandons all the usual trappings of a leader and teacher. He leaves behind the temple and all the assumptions that are made about the temple. He leaves behind the assumptions of the day that repentance and forgiveness happened in the temple. He leaves all these assumptions behind and goes out into the wilderness. He leaves all these assumptions behind and gives his would-be followers a new set of perspectives.

These actions should not surprise us. Jesus has been presenting us a new perspective his entire life. A great leader born in a stable. The Son of God worshipped by shepherds. The King honored, not by those of his own country, but by those who have traveled from distant lands. We just celebrated Epiphany and Christ being recognized by the magi. The ones whom we would expect to recognize Jesus were oblivious, but those from outside knew Jesus for what he was. From the very beginning, Jesus was not what was expected.

Even though we are followers of Jesus, many of us have followed Jesus our whole life, we need to listen anew to the call to go out into the wilderness. We need to move beyond that which is known and comfortable. We need to examine our faith and find where the walls that we have erected to keep us secure are keeping others out.

In Biblical times, not everyone was allowed into the temple. People were kept out due to their station in life, due to their sex, or due to their nationality. People were only allowed into certain parts and were excluded from others. But out in the wilderness things were different. Anyone and everyone was welcome. No one would be turned away. John’s call to repentance was for all people, not just to those who were acceptable in the temple.

And it was out into the wilderness that Jesus came to be baptized. In coming out into the wilderness, Jesus was telling those who would follow that his call was not limited to those who were acceptable to the temple folk, but that his call was to all people; not only the temple folk but those unacceptable in the temple. Not only those who were respectable, but those who were on the edges of society. Jesus was telling the people that he came not just for those who were inside the walls of the city, but also for those who, for whatever reason, found themselves on the outside.

As Christians, how have we been doing? Have we ventured out into the wilderness to find the people there? Have we followed our savior out to find those who may be on the edge of our society? Have we accepted those who the powers have told us are unacceptable? Or are we content to stay in the walls of the temple, both literally and metaphorically? Are we content to know that we have forgiveness even when there are those who do not feel welcome to come forward and receive this forgiveness? Are we ok, knowing that for some people, the word Christian is comparable to words such as “bigoted,” “cruel,” or “intolerant?”

I believe the actions of John, and Jesus’ response to John’s actions, tells us that if we are to truly follow Jesus, we cannot be content to just sit back. We cannot be ok with people hearing the message that the love of God is for some but not for others. We cannot stay inside the walls while others are forced to stand outside. If we are to truly follow Jesus, we too need to go out into the wilderness.

Who do we consider our “Ideal” new member? What makes this person “ideal” and others “not so ideal”? Are we willing to expand what we consider “ideal”? Can we challenge ourselves to move beyond what is common and expected?

By going out into the wilderness, Jesus was challenging what was accepted. He was challenging his family, his community, and his tradition. He was protesting the subtle and not so subtle divisions that had been established. He was saying that there was a new understanding.

We are the ones who benefit from this new understanding. We are the ones who were once outside the walls. We are the ones who were less than ideal. We are the ones who needed to find forgiveness in the wilderness. But this understanding was never intended to stop with us. We are to continue to move out into the wilderness. We are to bring the message to the people. We are to challenge the traditions that hold people back. We are to challenge our family and community when they are limiting the love of God. This is what Jesus did. Are we willing to follow?

Second Sunday of Christmas

2008-12-30T18:45:00.000-08:00

Matt. 2:1-12

Joe Carpenter sat in his living room. He was exhausted. At times things seem to move so slowly and then at other times life seemed a whirlwind. Now he was looking forward to a simple quiet evening after the whirlwind of the past couple of weeks.

The baby has started to sleep through the night, which has made life much easier. When the baby was waking up at all hours of the night, Joe had trouble making it through work during the day. The regulars to the shop understood, but there were always those who would complain. But now he was starting to get some sleep and that has been making things much better.

Joe had to chuckle to himself, Mar had been getting more sleep, too! Her mood has improved greatly! They really loved their little boy, but he has made life difficult! Things that they used to take for granted, like going out, now had to be planned. And some things were just no longer possible. This little person was depending on them! They had to make sure his needs were taken care of. But when Joe would look into little Jacob’s eyes, Joe knew that things could never be the same. And really, that was alright, Joe would do anything for his little boy.

Joe was just about ready to fall asleep in the Lay-Z-Boy when there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it Mary,” Joe yelled as he walked toward the door. “Who could be here now?” he thought to himself, “It’s late!”

Upon opening the door, Joe was surprised to find three people standing on his front porch. They were dressed as if they were going to a party and they were all carrying presents. These were beautiful presents with shiny paper and big bows. Before Joe could even ask what these people wanted, the woman in front said, “We want to play with Jacob. Can we come in and play with him?”

To say that Joe was surprised would have been an understatement. Actually, Joe couldn’t think of anything to say. To his great relief, his wife, Mary, was standing on the landing of the stairs and said, “Sure, come on up!” And with that, the three people proceeded up the steps.

When Joe got to Jacob’s room, he found Jacob sitting on the floor amid the three visitors. Jacob was laughing and cooing and the visitors were enjoying their time with the little boy. The gifts the strangers brought were opened but laying aside. The real gift in the room was the sheer joy and love between the little boy and the visitors.

As Joe watched the scene, he felt a little guilty. He realized that although he loved Jacob more than he could imagine, he also was a little upset at the time and the things he had to give up for Jacob. Joe was looking forward to getting back into his old routine and back to where things were comfortable. But these people sitting on the floor were opening his eyes to a new reality.

Joe thought that after Mary had Jacob, then things would settle down and return to normal. But things were not returning to normal, the changes were just beginning! Things were not going to ever return to normal. These strangers, sitting here on the floor, were showing Joe a reality he had never even dreamed! The gift was not in a return to normal, the gift was here! Sitting on the floor! Smiling and laughing with the visitors! How easy it would be to forget this simple idea. How easy it would be to consider Jacob just more work, more demands on his time. It would be easy to focus on the things that life with Jacob prevents. And still, life with Jacob brings so many blessings! As Joe watched the strangers and his son, yes! HIS SON! playing, he began to laugh and join in!

What a sight! Jacob, laughing and giggling, his mom and dad, and three strangers; all rolling around on the floor, amid wrapping paper and bows; all enjoying the wonderful love of each other and the wonderful gift of a tiny baby. Anyone who happened to walk by the room at that moment would have thought them all quite mad. But the person who was looking into the room would not have understood; this was not a joy you could just watch, this was a joy you had to live! And live it they did!

Well, eventually Jacob began to yawn and Mary told the guests that it was time for Jacob to be going to bed. Although they did not want to leave, the guests reluctantly went down the stairs. Joe saw them to the door and thanked them for visiting and invited them back anytime. As the strangers walked away, Joe noticed the sky and the stars; they just seemed more vivid than usual. But man, it was getting chilly outside so Joe waved one last time to the guests and closed the door.

As Joe made his way to the Lay-Z-Boy, Mary was walking in from the kitchen with two cups of coffee. She handed one to Joe and then sat down on the couch. She didn’t say much but just look as the steam rose from her cup.

Finally Joe said, “That was certainly odd.”

Mary looked up from her cup and looked squarely into Joe’s eyes. “Yes, it was,” she said. “But it was wonderful too. I have a feeling that with Jacob now in our lives, we will have many more odd and wonderful experiences.”

Joe sat thinking about this. Did he really want his world to change? Did he really want more odd and wonderful experiences? A part of him only wanted things to be normal and boring. But for things to return to normal and boring, his precious son Jacob would be gone too. No that would be too much.

Joe looked up from his coffee and noticed Mary was still looking intently at him. He could read her question in her eyes, was he up to this challenge? Was he sorry Jacob come into their lives? Was he ready to be immersed into the odd and the wonderful? The expectation in Mary’s eyes weighed heavily on Joe. He set his coffee down and got up and sat next to Mary. He kissed her lightly on the eyelids and he felt the tension in her body melt away.

“Yes, my wonderful wife,” Joe said quietly, “this is going to be a wonderful journey. And I suspect you are right, too, in that this will be an odd journey. But God gave us the gift of this child to love and the gift of each other. With all of this going for us, how can we fail?”

And with that, Mary looked up at Joe and smiled. Joe felt the comforting weight of Mary’s head on his chest and thanked God for all the blessings that surrounded him. But just before he was about to drift off, he heard the doorbell ring. Mary stirred and looked at Joe. Joe looked back. The doorbell rang again.

Joe looked at Mary and said, “Do you want to get it this time or should I?”

Christmas Eve Sermon

2008-12-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

This is the Christmas Eve Sermon. Sorry for the manner it is here. I really didn't want to retype it so I am being lazy. When the music is cued, the song is Stille Nacht by Mannheim Steamroller. This is probably my favorite sermon. You can click on the pages to enlarge them for easier reading.

First Sunday After Christmas

2008-12-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

John 1:1-18

“I’ll be home for Christmas/ You can count on me…”

I think we all know that song. A sad song, really. You also probably know that the song was written during WWII and was one of the top requested songs on the USO tours. I think what that song touches on is our desire to be “home” for Christmas. Whether that is at home with our parents or home with the kids. Christmas seems to pull us back to that place where we feel comfortable and welcome.

What is so sad though, is that as soon as the day of Christmas is over, everything of Christmas seems to get tossed out. Trees come down. Decorations are stored away. Stores put out Valentine’s Day décor. Christmas decorations have been out since Halloween, and now it seems like we just want to pack it all away and be done with it. I have always wondered why we wait so long for Christmas to come, and then once the day has passed, we just toss it all out and move on.

I think it has to do with that feeling of wanting to be home. We really want that “at home” feeling at Christmas. It may not necessarily be a brick and mortar home that we are looking for, but it is the comfort that represents home. Just about any Christmas movie you can think of plays on that feeling. The character may search, but eventually the character finds this “home.” Scrooge has to learn that he cannot find home in his money and George Bailey needs to learn that home is not in some far off country, but right there in Bedford Falls. That search for the ever elusive “home” is what drives the characters. And although in the movies the main character always finds their way home, quite often, we do not. So maybe the long lead-up to Christmas and then quickly moving on to the next event represents first our continued longing to find our home and then our frustration when we don’t find it in the trappings we see around us.

But really, what does it take to make a home? Is a home a place or is it something more? I used to own a home and loved Christmas there. Yes, I miss not having the roaring fire in the fireplace, but there are these really neat DVD fires that even play Christmas music! My fireplace never did that! And I missed having the big Christmas tree and a place to set the twenty-odd nativities I have collected. I even missed not being able to decorate outside. All those things were nice, and all of these things I enjoyed, but those things didn’t make the house a home. What made my house a home were the people that were there and also the cats and the dog that shared the place with us. It was not the place or the things; it was the people and the relationships.

Unfortunately, our society tells us that what makes Christmas is the stuff. There is a line from one of my favorite movies, A Christmas Story, which seems to sum the whole thing up: The mother, seeing the kids about to descend upon all the presents under the tree, says, “Now wait for Christmas to start.” The assumption is that Christmas could not occur without the presents. Our society tells us that Christmas is about the stuff and we tend to believe it. So we get out the stuff earlier and earlier. We want our stuff to make us feel at home. And then when it doesn’t live up to its promise, we pack it all away and move on.

But you know, the thing that the world tells us isn’t really what Christmas is about. Christmas is not about stuff. Yes, Christmas is about gifts, but not the gifts we see advertised in the Sunday newspaper. Those gifts are the things that seem to leave us wanting. But there is another gift, and that is the gift that defines Christmas. That defining gift is God: God in the form of a human who came to earth to be with us. As John says, “The word became flesh and lived among us.” Or we might say, “The word became flesh and made a home among us.” The gift that we are given at Christmas is the gift of Christ himself. And it is in Christ that we can find our true home.

Now, with all this talk about stuff, it may seem like I am saying that we should just ditch everything of this world. And there are some branches of Christianity that teach that we need to give up everything in the world. But in the gift of the birth of Jesus, we see that world is not something that is despised by God. God made the world and God became incarnate in the world. The world is a gift to us. But also, while the world is a gift to us, it is not to replace the giver of the gift, God. The things of the world are given as an enhancement to our relationship with Christ, not as a substitute to that relationship. But so often, we get sidetracked. We forget the true gift and work to fill our lives with what we think will give us that feeling of home. But in the end, we are left feeling empty.

The word become flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory. The word came to create a home for us. The word came so that we could feel at home. The word came to bring us grace and forgiveness. And isn’t that what we want when we go home? Don’t we want to know that we are accepted, loved, and forgiven even with all of our faults? Jesus came into the world to bring this to us! When we turn to Jesus, we are, in fact, moving toward that perfect home.

Is Jesus welcome into our homes this Christmas? Do we have room in our lives for the little baby in the manger? Do we have room in our lives for the man he would grow to be? Are we able to clear away the trappings of life and let the true light of Christmas shine into the darkness of our lives? Or are we so busy trying to find our own home that we miss the home we have been given?

I’ll be home for Christmas/ If only in my dreams…

If only in my dreams… I think that sometimes the whole Jesus coming to earth thing may feel like a dream. Maybe we think that it is too good, God couldn’t have done this for us. The love, the forgiveness, the grace, the glory! These are not dreams! These are the reality of our faith. All of these things are the Christmas gift that we are given in the birth of Jesus. These are all the things he brought when he came to live among us. These are the gifts we receive through our baptism.

The actual day of Christmas is over. And for many it is time to pack away all of the Christmas decorations for next year. But when we put the nativity back in the box, don’t put the Christ child away too. Jesus, the word, became flesh for us. The relationship established that night is still here for us. That draw we have for home can only be filled in our Savior. As we search for our place to call home, don’t be so quick to move on to the next promise of comfort. Christ our home has come to be with us. Let us clear a place in our heart where that peace of home can grow.

Advent 3 Year B

2008-12-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

Advent 3 Year B John 1:6-8, 19-28

Ok, I have a very deep and profound truth to share with you. If I had heard this truth earlier in my life, it could have literally saved me hundreds of dollars! Are you ready? Ok, here it is: Owning an instrument does not automatically mean you can play it. If this were so, then I would almost be able to be my own orchestra. I would be able to play the drum, the piano, the hammered dulcimer, the harmonica, the penny whistle, the fife, the Jew’s harp, and, oh yeah, the recorder.
That is a list of the instruments that I either own or have owned. My piano is currently trapped in a house in suburban Chicago, something to do with a remodeling project that went wrong. But the others I have somewhere. The problem is that although I have the instruments, I am not really able to play them. Granted, I can hammer, toot, or pluck out something on most of them, but as far as really playing them, I’m not so hot. I guess if I buckled down and really practiced, I may actually be able to play something. But as long as I just let the various instruments sit there, I will not get any better.
Then, of course, there was my attempt to sidetrack the whole process of learning. I was trying to figure out what it was that people did when they did something like playing the piano. I wanted to know what was going through the head of the person playing, what were they thinking. My one piano teacher said, “I don’t know. My fingers just go to where they need to be. It is not like I actively think about it.”
So, why is it that my piano teacher does not have to think about playing the piano, but for me it is an almost painful endeavor? The simple answer is practice. The more I would practice, the better I would get. The more I would practice, the more automatic the playing became. I didn’t become better by just owning a piano, or a dulcimer, or a recorder, I had to pick up the instrument and practice it. And it could not just be some kind of haphazard kind of practicing; I had to put a concerted effort into the practice.
Now I guess the one instrument that makes me feel the most guilty is my dulcimer. A member of one of my former congregations made this instrument especially for me. It is a beautiful instrument. The person who strung the dulcimer told me that it should be around for generations. But even though it was beautiful gift that was made for me and given to me, it really does me no good unless I take it out and intentionally practice.
I have spent this time talking about my various instruments neither to show off nor to air my personal shortcomings; I did it as a metaphor for our faith. We have been given the gift of salvation through Our Savior Christ through his death and resurrection. Like the dulcimer, it is a gift that has been made special for each of us. And like the dulcimer, this gift of salvation will last for generations. The salvation we find in Christ is ours no matter what we do with it, but how we, quite literally, “practice” our faith makes a lot of difference.
I am sure the person who gave me the dulcimer would be saddened to know that I am not making full use of the wonderful gift I had been given. It was given so I could make music with it and get the most enjoyment out of it. In the same way, I am sure it saddens God when we do not make the most of our faith and salvation. Making the most of our faith is what we are told to do in today’s epistle reading.
When we first look at this reading, it looks like some kind of “pie in the sky” sort of thing. Be joyful always? Pray continually? Give thanks in ALL circumstances? This has got to be a joke, right? How can we possibly always be joyful? How can we possibly pray continually? It has got to be impossible to give thanks in all circumstance. But that is what we are told to do! So if we are told to do it, there must be some way we can, in fact, aspire to this which seems impossible.
Well, just like we can practice an instrument, we can, and should, practice our faith. We need to work on building a strong, secure faith. A faith that can be joyful in the midst of troubles. A faith that can pray even when prayer is difficult. A faith that will allow us to give thanks in ALL circumstances. A faith that has a strong and sure foundation. We have the gift and the promise of salvation, but just like an instrument, unless we practice using this salvation, we will not be able to get the full benefit.
How we get the full benefit out of our faith is by practicing joy, prayer, and giving thanks. It is really that easy. All we need to do is do it! We need to practice being mindful of the blessings that we have and practice being joyful. Like learning an instrument, at first it will seem odd and feel a bit uncomfortable. But as it become more and more of a habit, it will suddenly become second nature.
Our lives actually are made up of a series of habits. It is these habits that allow us to go through the day without having to think about every little thing. It’s our habits that help us to get out the door on time in the morning. It is our habits that help us to not fall flat on our face. As we practice something, as in an instrument, we learn to make it a habit. It is in learning the habit of prayer, joyfulness, and thankfulness that these things become something that happens at all times. And in having these happen all the time, our outlook on life and the world will change.
You may have seen done this before, if so, I am asking you to try it again. What it is is an experiment in awareness. The ushers will be passing out some dot stickers. What I am asking you to do is to place these stickers in places where you will see them and notice them. Each time you see a dot, take a brief moment and briefly look around you. Thank God for those things you see in the world. Thank God for the house, car, building you are in. Thank God for the life you have.
Not only will this help you to develop an attitude of prayer and thankfulness, it will also help you to develop a disposition of Joy. Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is something that can change depending on if you find a parking spot close by or they have the sale item in stock. Happiness is a transitory state. Joy is a way of viewing the world as something that is wonderful. Joy is a filter through which we look at life. When we develop an attitude of prayer and thankfulness, joy will naturally find its place in our life.
As with my dulcimer, our salvation is a free gift that was made especially for each of us and is given to us. But also as with my dulcimer, salvation doesn’t do much for us if we don’t practice it and then go out and use it. God has given us the gift of salvation not so it can sit on a shelf and look pretty, it was given so that we could use it and enjoy it. And the more we use it, the more it becomes a part of who we are. John spread the word in the wilderness, not because he wanted to make a scene; he spread the word because faith that was within him just had to let it out.
As we approach the celebration of Christmas, let us consciously work toward an attitude of prayer and thankfulness. And as we approach the celebration of Christmas, let us watch how the spirit of joy builds in our life. And as we make prayer, thankfulness, and joy a habit in our lives, watch how ways that God brings new life into our existence.