The 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; 23 who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25 To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:21-31 NRSV)
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." 38 He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. (Mark 1:29-39 NRSV)
“FEVER OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN”
Years ago when I worked at the University of Iowa I was invited by my boss to attend a weekly meeting called Infectious Disease Grand Rounds. At it, doctors would present cases so that they could all learn from them, so they could become better doctors. Once they asked my boss a question about one of our projects and he turned to me for the answer. That was my moment to shine. My boss’s specialty was antibiotics. Another time Dr. Dennison, a pediatric infectious disease specialist presented a case with a cough, giving clues, letting the doctors figure it out as he went along. I figured it out quickly, because I have a laboratory rather than a clinical background, since it was cultured on Bordet-Gengou Agar. He even imitated the unique cough of the disease since it forces the sufferer to inhale sharply and make a “whooping” sound. It was pertussis, or Whooping Cough. I think that was the only time I was ahead of the doctors. Most of the time, though, I just listened and learned. One presentation was on fevers of unknown origin. They are fevers unlike most, which can be traced to a cause like an infection. Dr. Nassif said that he wished he had some colorful way of introducing the topic. I thought of the Peggy Lee song “Fever”.
This morning the Gospel reading has the story of a fever. At the beginning of Mark’s Gospel we are getting pictures of who Jesus is. This is one of those early pictures. He and the other disciples went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. We know nothing about it. They told Jesus about her and he took her by the hand and lifted her up and the fever left her. Then she was able to return to her life as it was before the illness and be hospitable to the guests. We do not know the cause of the fever, but we know how it left her. They brought others who were sick or afflicted by demons to Jesus and he healed them.
That is similar to the passage from Isaiah this morning. We are reminded that God is far above us. The heavens are like a curtain, we are like grasshoppers. God can bring the important things of the earth to nothing. Even the most important has only a brief life and then is gone. And the reverse is true. Because of God’s greatness, because God does not grow weary, God can lift up the faint and the weak. Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. Despite this greatness, God cares about us.
There is an additional picture of Jesus in this gospel passage. He went out early to a deserted place to pray. The disciples were looking for him and found him. They tell him that people are looking for him. His response is not anger at the interruption, but to tell them of his plan to go to other towns, to other people and take care of their needs. Not only does he have the power to heal far beyond that of the doctors of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, he, like Simon’s mother-in-law, lives to serve. Despite his great power, he cares for people.
Things can stop us from doing what we want in life or being able to do something that serves others. This is a simple lesson that we, or others on our behalf can bring our need to God, who has great power to act for us, power to restore us to being well or doing well. The list is long of those things that interrupt our lives, it includes illnesses, attitudes, losses, circumstances that can stop our lives as we know them.
What Jesus did reminds us that there are times we need to be away from all the activity. This was something important for him to do. This was prayer, not merely rest, though it probably restored him in many ways. And yet, when the need arose, he was ready.
Sometimes we need to be reminded when those things that limit us are under our own power. There are times we are kept from some things by our own decisions. Scott Walker is a pastor from Texas who learned this phase from a friend: “Every time you say yes to one thing, you say no to another.”
It has helped him be more thoughtful about such things like invitation to speak in the community. But to say yes to it meant that he would not have a day off, in order to restore his energy from the week and spend time with his family. So in the end he said no thanks. It has helped him consider what he needs to do to make the priorities in his life possible and to decide what are priorities.
God’s power is present in our lives in many ways to restore us, so that we, like him, may continue to bring the Kingdom of God into the world around us. Part of that power might be in helping us understand what is really important and what we can leave behind. Knowing our purpose in life can help us make other decisions. Jesus put God first and others second in how he lived. He responded to needs but was not overwhelmed by them. When Jesus said yes to prayer, it helped him be able to say yes to the people who needed him.
When circumstances, like a fever, afflict us and are not under our control, we can be restored to health and purpose. God does this in many ways. This is one of the stories that emerged from the ten years after the attacks of 9/11. Steve and Liz Alderman were in France on that day. As news came in, they were able to get in touch with two of their three children. Peter, sadly, had been at a meeting on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center. As they mourned his loss, they found out that he had many friends, because they found that he valued people. Steve retired from his practice as a radiation oncologist and Liz gave up her artwork under the weight of grief. Their lives came to a standstill. Eventually they realized the severity of the depression and found that they could either never move again or start to get back to life in small steps. With time purpose came back into their lives. They also became aware of how many people in the world suffered disasters or mass violence without any help. They set up a foundation in Peter’s honor to train physicians in war- and disaster-torn countries around the world to treat not only the bodies of their patients, but also their emotions. In direct ways and through people, God is still healing all around us.
The Scripture readings for today tell us of a powerful God who is also a caring God. Where are we weak? Let us wait upon the Lord and we will renew our strength. When are we sick? Jesus will lift us up. This is so our lives and God’s purposes will continue. Illness and disaster do not rule the world; God does. What does Jesus have for us when he is a guest in our house? Renewed strength, renewed life.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. 16 This is what you requested of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: "If I hear the voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die." 17 Then the LORD replied to me: "They are right in what they have said. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. 19 Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. 20 But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak-- that prophet shall die." (Deuteronomy 18 NRSV)
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching-- with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. (Mark 1 NRSV)
“HEALING EVIL”
As a child I had a nervous stomach. It would bother me from time to time and particularly when I was in college. The summer I was an undergraduate research participant in Madison, it got to the point where I went to the doctor about it. It was at the student health center. I don’t know why, but the doctor explained what she was doing in incredibly great detail. Perhaps they wanted to educate us patients about heath care. The first part she called “subjective” and that was what my complaint was. The other part was called “objective” and that was what the doctor could observe on examination and tests. I thought about that. The physical findings should match the complaint. If they don’t match, the illness might be an unknown or mysterious one, or might be “all in the patient’s head”, that is, imaginary.
The reading from the Gospel tells us more about who Jesus was. But first, the reading from Deuteronomy tells us that Moses predicted long ago that another prophet like him would arise. That prophet will proclaim God’s word to the people because they did not want to see God directly. The prophet will tell them what God wants to say and they are to heed it. It will be the words from God and if a person does not heed those words, that person will be held accountable. But the prophet needed to speak only the words God gave to the prophet. If the prophet spoke words other than the ones God gave the prophet he or she would die.
The Early Church saw that Jesus was that prophet. He was raised up from his people. He spoke the word of God truly. He should be listened to. The Gospel of Mark gives us a picture of Jesus at the start of his ministry. As Jesus began his work of declaring God’s word, this incident happened. He taught in the synagogue in Capernaum, and the people were amazed. He taught in a new way, “not like the scribes”, it says. This is not to say that Jesus was a loud or vigorous teacher, whereas the scribes were pedantic or timid. It is that Jesus not only talks, he does something . He not only tells the people that the kingdom of God has come, he brings it into their midst by what he does. What he did was to cast out the unclean spirit of a man who had come into the synagogue. It is a confrontation in which the evil spirits know who Jesus is and he knows who they are. He commands and it is done. Then the people notice and are amazed at his teaching.
The biblical world distinguished between illness and possession by evil spirits, but it was a simpler world. They lacked the diagnostic sophistication of this modern age. Much of what they would call demonic, we might understand differently. I say this because we need to understand the passage as not commanding us all to go out and cast out evil spirits. There are those who think that evil spirits are imaginary. Now I am not one of those persons who says there are no evil spirits, but I am not one who sees them behind every bush, either. Sometimes there is evil in this world that goes beyond anything that can be easily explained. There is evil that sometimes seems to go beyond this world. Perhaps that is where the demonic element is found. Whether demons are real or not, evil is. Whatever we think of demons, we do have the opportunity to make the world a better place by casting out evil. Evil comes into this world and we can be like Jesus when we help heal the world of it.
Sometimes that is by use of the medical skill and knowledge. In generations past mental illness was seen as some kind of personal or moral failure. It is more hopeful that nowadays it is seen as just an illness of the mind. When it is seen as an illness, then people can seek treatment for it. It is not that they are “bad people”; it is that something is wrong with them. A broken arm does not have the stigma (at least usually) that mental illness does. And much in our world needs healing. One of the professors at the University of Iowa would point out that the Russian dictator Josef Stalin was abused as a child. Some of the folks who heard him would dismiss that idea, since they were still thinking in terms of the Cold War and could not say anything that would make the enemy more human. Now, it really is hard to say anything nice about Stalin; he was a ruthless dictator with a truly evil regime. But, it is not hard to see that what we experience when young shapes how we think and act as adults and think, What could have possibly been different if someone had helped Stalin before he rose to power? How would have history been changed if the evil that was done to him had been healed before he inflicted it on others?
Perhaps where we can begin to heal the world is to start to set it right. There is much in this world that is wrong but not demonic. Sometimes healing evil is in our hands, when we have the opportunity to right a wrong or help someone who is on the wrong path in life get on the right one. It makes the world a better place. Sometimes that is done carefully, quietly, persistently, gently, but other times it might be that kind of confrontation with evil like Jesus had in the synagogue in Capernaum. There was an obituary recently of Stetson Kennedy, 1916-2011. He was unable to serve in the military in WWII due to health so he fought racist terrorist here rather than abroad by infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan and revealing its secrets to journalist and the authorities and in a book. Kennedy first saw racism in how his classmates treated the black people in Jacksonville, Florida, but grew up to do something about it. There are times when we follow Jesus’ teaching by removing evil from our lives, from the lives of others, and our world.
There are other times when we ourselves are in need of healing. That is the time to recall Jesus as the healer. Fay Angus tells the story of a time she found help with fear. She was putting off a medical test both for the discomfort of the test and what it might reveal. She and her husband were in a park, picnicking, watching the family next to them. The children took turns spinning around and falling backward into their father’s arms. The youngest of them was reluctant to do this last part. Finally he did and then he couldn’t stop. He did it over and over. Fay found in this a lesson to trust God with her life and health. Jesus came to heal us from those evil things that limit or harm our lives.
The Gospel tells us that Jesus came into our world to change it. He can cast out its evil. That is a teacher with authority. He does not only give us God’s words, he acts for God around us. He touches our lives. He makes the world a new place. He calls us to follow him into this new world. We follow him into that new world when we oppose evil like he did, and we find it when we let him heal us. It is teaching—with power. It is teaching we can hear. It is teaching that can help us live.
15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. 16 This is what you requested of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: "If I hear the voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die." 17 Then the LORD replied to me: "They are right in what they have said. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. 19 Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. 20 But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak-- that prophet shall die." (Deuteronomy 18 NRSV)
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching-- with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. (Mark 1 NRSV)
“HEALING EVIL”
As a child I had a nervous stomach. It would bother me from time to time and particularly when I was in college. The summer I was an undergraduate research participant in Madison, it got to the point where I went to the doctor about it. It was at the student health center. I don’t know why, but the doctor explained what she was doing in incredibly great detail. Perhaps they wanted to educate us patients about heath care. The first part she called “subjective” and that was what my complaint was. The other part was called “objective” and that was what the doctor could observe on examination and tests. I thought about that. The physical findings should match the complaint. If they don’t match, the illness might be an unknown or mysterious one, or might be “all in the patient’s head”, that is, imaginary.
The reading from the Gospel tells us more about who Jesus was. But first, the reading from Deuteronomy tells us that Moses predicted long ago that another prophet like him would arise. That prophet will proclaim God’s word to the people because they did not want to see God directly. The prophet will tell them what God wants to say and they are to heed it. It will be the words from God and if a person does not heed those words, that person will be held accountable. But the prophet needed to speak only the words God gave to the prophet. If the prophet spoke words other than the ones God gave the prophet he or she would die.
The Early Church saw that Jesus was that prophet. He was raised up from his people. He spoke the word of God truly. He should be listened to. The Gospel of Mark gives us a picture of Jesus at the start of his ministry. As Jesus began his work of declaring God’s word, this incident happened. He taught in the synagogue in Capernaum, and the people were amazed. He taught in a new way, “not like the scribes”, it says. This is not to say that Jesus was a loud or vigorous teacher, whereas the scribes were pedantic or timid. It is that Jesus not only talks, he does something . He not only tells the people that the kingdom of God has come, he brings it into their midst by what he does. What he did was to cast out the unclean spirit of a man who had come into the synagogue. It is a confrontation in which the evil spirits know who Jesus is and he knows who they are. He commands and it is done. Then the people notice and are amazed at his teaching.
The biblical world distinguished between illness and possession by evil spirits, but it was a simpler world. They lacked the diagnostic sophistication of this modern age. Much of what they would call demonic, we might understand differently. I say this because we need to understand the passage as not commanding us all to go out and cast out evil spirits. There are those who think that evil spirits are imaginary. Now I am not one of those persons who says there are no evil spirits, but I am not one who sees them behind every bush, either. Sometimes there is evil in this world that goes beyond anything that can be easily explained. There is evil that sometimes seems to go beyond this world. Perhaps that is where the demonic element is found. Whether demons are real or not, evil is. Whatever we think of demons, we do have the opportunity to make the world a better place by casting out evil. Evil comes into this world and we can be like Jesus when we help heal the world of it.
Sometimes that is by use of the medical skill and knowledge. In generations past mental illness was seen as some kind of personal or moral failure. It is more hopeful that nowadays it is seen as just an illness of the mind. When it is seen as an illness, then people can seek treatment for it. It is not that they are “bad people”; it is that something is wrong with them. A broken arm does not have the stigma (at least usually) that mental illness does. And much in our world needs healing. One of the professors at the University of Iowa would point out that the Russian dictator Josef Stalin was abused as a child. Some of the folks who heard him would dismiss that idea, since they were still thinking in terms of the Cold War and could not say anything that would make the enemy more human. Now, it really is hard to say anything nice about Stalin; he was a ruthless dictator with a truly evil regime. But, it is not hard to see that what we experience when young shapes how we think and act as adults and think, What could have possibly been different if someone had helped Stalin before he rose to power? How would have history been changed if the evil that was done to him had been healed before he inflicted it on others?
Perhaps where we can begin to heal the world is to start to set it right. There is much in this world that is wrong but not demonic. Sometimes healing evil is in our hands, when we have the opportunity to right a wrong or help someone who is on the wrong path in life get on the right one. It makes the world a better place. Sometimes that is done carefully, quietly, persistently, gently, but other times it might be that kind of confrontation with evil like Jesus had in the synagogue in Capernaum. There was an obituary recently of Stetson Kennedy, 1916-2011. He was unable to serve in the military in WWII due to health so he fought racist terrorist here rather than abroad by infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan and revealing its secrets to journalist and the authorities and in a book. Kennedy first saw racism in how his classmates treated the black people in Jacksonville, Florida, but grew up to do something about it. There are times when we follow Jesus’ teaching by removing evil from our lives, from the lives of others, and our world.
There are other times when we ourselves are in need of healing. That is the time to recall Jesus as the healer. Fay Angus tells the story of a time she found help with fear. She was putting off a medical test both for the discomfort of the test and what it might reveal. She and her husband were in a park, picnicking, watching the family next to them. The children took turns spinning around and falling backward into their father’s arms. The youngest of them was reluctant to do this last part. Finally he did and then he couldn’t stop. He did it over and over. Fay found in this a lesson to trust God with her life and health. Jesus came to heal us from those evil things that limit or harm our lives.
The Gospel tells us that Jesus came into our world to change it. He can cast out its evil. That is a teacher with authority. He does not only give us God’s words, he acts for God around us. He touches our lives. He makes the world a new place. He calls us to follow him into this new world. We follow him into that new world when we oppose evil like he did, and we find it when we let him heal us. It is teaching—with power. It is teaching we can hear. It is teaching that can help us live.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." 3 So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. (Jonah 3 NRSV)
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." 16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea-- for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. (Mark 1 NRSV)
“READY OR NOT”
Years ago I did some computer programming. It was simple, very simple compared to nowadays. It usually did something with lab data. This was for mainframe computers that filled a room with printers the size of a piano. The personal computer was years away. I used BASIC, FORTRAN, PL/1. Those are antiques nowadays. My pride and joy was a program that computed Fibonacci Numbers. The Fibonacci series is the sum of the preceding two numbers: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, and so on. There was a mistake in the program:
Do i = 1 to 200
Put page edit
Next i
As the program started I realized the mistake. The commands were out of order and would send 200 sheets of blank paper flying out of the printer. Fortunately there was a cancel button. In the computer lab many such programs were written (on punch cards!) and some had mistakes and did not do what the programmer wanted. And so the consultants had some basic guidelines. One was K.I.S.S. “Keep it simple, stupid.” The more complicated a program was, the harder it was to find and fix mistakes. It is a valuable lesson in many other ways.
God comes into our world whether we are ready for it or not. Many times this is in the form of God wanting us to do something. The readings from Scripture for today have that theme. The word of the Lord comes to the prophet Jonah. It is to proclaim judgment to the people of the city of Nineveh. He is not ready for that and so runs away. But God stops him. That is where the great fish comes in. He ends up on a boat, then overboard, then saved by the fish and returned to land. And the word of the Lord comes to him a second time. The message is the same. This time, though, he is ready and goes to that land, the land which is Israel’s enemy and preaches. It works; the people hear it and turn to the Lord and they are saved from judgment. Sometimes God has to lead us into being ready to serve God.
The Gospel reading is of the time Jesus came to Galilee and proclaimed the good news of God. Simon and Andrew were by the sea and Jesus tells them this amazing thing: “Follow me and I will make you fish for human beings.” They responded, very much unlike Jonah, immediately. They were fishermen and Jesus used an image that would be unmistakable to them. It is pretty simple. Just as they used to go gather fish so now they would be gathering human beings into a community of faith, centered on Jesus. James and John do likewise and so the disciples come to follow Jesus with this simple idea. They saw in Jesus someone, not only worth following, but worth dropping all they had, giving up all they had, to do it. They will follow Jesus and bring others to follow Jesus. It was simple.
For two thousand years the church has followed Jesus. It has grown more complicated. The first Christians proclaimed the gospel to the world around them. They, men and women, were fishers of people who, in turn, became part of the people of God. With time, these lands became filled with believers. Then people became Christians as they were born into Christian families, brought into the church through Baptism. The emphasis was shifted to teaching people about their faith, not in proclaiming the good news to those who were unfamiliar with it. There was no unbelieving world around the church. The times have changed and the number of people who have no church or no faith has grown. The church is no longer the center of things. In fact, in some places it is a minority. Perhaps it is time to rediscover the way the gospel can be shared with the world. The church sometimes needs to remember K.I.S.S. It is simple. God has a message and entrusts it to the servants of God.
It is time to remember what Jesus calls us to. It is a way of life in which faith is not just knowledge or status but an approach to life. Brian McLaren was asked to introduce a famous speaker at a conference of pastors. He was prepared until he found out that there had been a mistake. He was supposed to interview Dr. Peter Senge from a remote site by satellite teleconferencing. He prepared for that and was delayed due to technical problems. At last it was on and he asked the speaker what he would like to say to five hundred Christian ministers. He said that he asked a manager of a bookstore on a college campus what books were selling and he said that after the business administration books they were ones on spirituality and in particular about Buddhism. Dr. Senge asked the assembled ministers why they thought that was. McLaren turned the question back on Senge who said this, “I think it’s because Buddhism presents itself as a way of life, and Christianity presents itself as a system of belief. So I would want to get Christian ministers thinking about how to rediscover their own faith as a way of life, because that’s what people are searching for today. That’s what they need most.”
What the speaker was getting at was that the Christian faith is more than a set of beliefs. It is a way we live following Jesus. It is a group of people, the church, and also people acting. It is an institution, but also a movement. Sometimes we forget that, especially when we only think about preserving the institution or our traditions.
All this talk about how the world is changing might frighten us. The future comes whether we are ready for it or not. Much has changed but there are some things that have not. God still loves the world and wants to be a part of it. God has called men and women to follow Jesus and serve others in his name. The plan that God has for the world is still the same as when Jesus proclaimed the good news of the kingdom and the disciples left their nets to follow him. What does the world need? What are people searching for? What do we have to give it?
We begin by rediscovering outreach. The church does not exist for itself. It is like those first disciples, called to proclaim the good news, that they have found Jesus. It can reach the lives of others in amazing ways, as Elizabeth Sherrill found years ago when traveling with Brother Andrew who was noted for meeting with groups of Christians behind the Iron Curtain. Elizabeth and her husband John were planning on following the old advice to travel light when they found Brother Andrew packing a large suitcase. It turned out is was clothes to be left behind for those whose faith had cost them positions and employment in a Communist society. She discovered that thing don’t mean much until they’re shared.
God called Jonah and the first disciples to serve God. The disciples responded immediately to that call but Jonah came to it late. But behind it all was God, wanting a message to go forth into the world. It is simple. What we have, even our faith, is to be shared with others. Let us seek to give what the world needs. The times are changing but God’s love for the world does not. God wants to bring the world to God’s own self. We can bring the message to those who need it. We can catch them. It is as simple as that.
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." 3 So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. (Jonah 3 NRSV)
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." 16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea-- for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. (Mark 1 NRSV)
“READY OR NOT”
Years ago I did some computer programming. It was simple, very simple compared to nowadays. It usually did something with lab data. This was for mainframe computers that filled a room with printers the size of a piano. The personal computer was years away. I used BASIC, FORTRAN, PL/1. Those are antiques nowadays. My pride and joy was a program that computed Fibonacci Numbers. The Fibonacci series is the sum of the preceding two numbers: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, and so on. There was a mistake in the program:
Do i = 1 to 200
Put page edit
Next i
As the program started I realized the mistake. The commands were out of order and would send 200 sheets of blank paper flying out of the printer. Fortunately there was a cancel button. In the computer lab many such programs were written (on punch cards!) and some had mistakes and did not do what the programmer wanted. And so the consultants had some basic guidelines. One was K.I.S.S. “Keep it simple, stupid.” The more complicated a program was, the harder it was to find and fix mistakes. It is a valuable lesson in many other ways.
God comes into our world whether we are ready for it or not. Many times this is in the form of God wanting us to do something. The readings from Scripture for today have that theme. The word of the Lord comes to the prophet Jonah. It is to proclaim judgment to the people of the city of Nineveh. He is not ready for that and so runs away. But God stops him. That is where the great fish comes in. He ends up on a boat, then overboard, then saved by the fish and returned to land. And the word of the Lord comes to him a second time. The message is the same. This time, though, he is ready and goes to that land, the land which is Israel’s enemy and preaches. It works; the people hear it and turn to the Lord and they are saved from judgment. Sometimes God has to lead us into being ready to serve God.
The Gospel reading is of the time Jesus came to Galilee and proclaimed the good news of God. Simon and Andrew were by the sea and Jesus tells them this amazing thing: “Follow me and I will make you fish for human beings.” They responded, very much unlike Jonah, immediately. They were fishermen and Jesus used an image that would be unmistakable to them. It is pretty simple. Just as they used to go gather fish so now they would be gathering human beings into a community of faith, centered on Jesus. James and John do likewise and so the disciples come to follow Jesus with this simple idea. They saw in Jesus someone, not only worth following, but worth dropping all they had, giving up all they had, to do it. They will follow Jesus and bring others to follow Jesus. It was simple.
For two thousand years the church has followed Jesus. It has grown more complicated. The first Christians proclaimed the gospel to the world around them. They, men and women, were fishers of people who, in turn, became part of the people of God. With time, these lands became filled with believers. Then people became Christians as they were born into Christian families, brought into the church through Baptism. The emphasis was shifted to teaching people about their faith, not in proclaiming the good news to those who were unfamiliar with it. There was no unbelieving world around the church. The times have changed and the number of people who have no church or no faith has grown. The church is no longer the center of things. In fact, in some places it is a minority. Perhaps it is time to rediscover the way the gospel can be shared with the world. The church sometimes needs to remember K.I.S.S. It is simple. God has a message and entrusts it to the servants of God.
It is time to remember what Jesus calls us to. It is a way of life in which faith is not just knowledge or status but an approach to life. Brian McLaren was asked to introduce a famous speaker at a conference of pastors. He was prepared until he found out that there had been a mistake. He was supposed to interview Dr. Peter Senge from a remote site by satellite teleconferencing. He prepared for that and was delayed due to technical problems. At last it was on and he asked the speaker what he would like to say to five hundred Christian ministers. He said that he asked a manager of a bookstore on a college campus what books were selling and he said that after the business administration books they were ones on spirituality and in particular about Buddhism. Dr. Senge asked the assembled ministers why they thought that was. McLaren turned the question back on Senge who said this, “I think it’s because Buddhism presents itself as a way of life, and Christianity presents itself as a system of belief. So I would want to get Christian ministers thinking about how to rediscover their own faith as a way of life, because that’s what people are searching for today. That’s what they need most.”
What the speaker was getting at was that the Christian faith is more than a set of beliefs. It is a way we live following Jesus. It is a group of people, the church, and also people acting. It is an institution, but also a movement. Sometimes we forget that, especially when we only think about preserving the institution or our traditions.
All this talk about how the world is changing might frighten us. The future comes whether we are ready for it or not. Much has changed but there are some things that have not. God still loves the world and wants to be a part of it. God has called men and women to follow Jesus and serve others in his name. The plan that God has for the world is still the same as when Jesus proclaimed the good news of the kingdom and the disciples left their nets to follow him. What does the world need? What are people searching for? What do we have to give it?
We begin by rediscovering outreach. The church does not exist for itself. It is like those first disciples, called to proclaim the good news, that they have found Jesus. It can reach the lives of others in amazing ways, as Elizabeth Sherrill found years ago when traveling with Brother Andrew who was noted for meeting with groups of Christians behind the Iron Curtain. Elizabeth and her husband John were planning on following the old advice to travel light when they found Brother Andrew packing a large suitcase. It turned out is was clothes to be left behind for those whose faith had cost them positions and employment in a Communist society. She discovered that thing don’t mean much until they’re shared.
God called Jonah and the first disciples to serve God. The disciples responded immediately to that call but Jonah came to it late. But behind it all was God, wanting a message to go forth into the world. It is simple. What we have, even our faith, is to be shared with others. Let us seek to give what the world needs. The times are changing but God’s love for the world does not. God wants to bring the world to God’s own self. We can bring the message to those who need it. We can catch them. It is as simple as that.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" 5 and ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. 6 The LORD called again, "Samuel!" Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever." 15 Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." He said, "Here I am." 17 Eli said, "What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you." 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, "It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him." 19 As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the LORD. (1 Samuel 3 NRSV)
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." 46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." (John 1 NRSV)
“CALLED AWAY”
Communication has changed. There is a two-day workshop I’m hoping to attend soon and registered for it. I got confirmation for the event. They sent GPS coordinates. It will be at N 43 56.016' W 089 34.507'. Those are precise. Remember when they used to send a map? Those funny little pieces of paper with lines? Directions? Those words which tell you where to go? On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, I remember stopping once, years ago, and asking for directions on the way to preach in Henrytown. I asked an Amish man. He was very nice but not that helpful. He said I should turn at the old Miller place. I didn’t know where the Millers live now, let alone where they used to live. Other forms of communication have changed as well. A few months ago I was watching a “Columbo” episode. Remember him? He was the detective, played by Peter Falk, who kept coming back to ask questions (“Just one more thing.”) until he caught the murderer? Well, in this one, he stopped at a pay phone and called the precinct, saying that he was not able to get to the phone until then. “Not able to get to a phone.” It almost sounds quaint. Most people now are never away from a phone, as they carry theirs with them at all times.
There are many changes, many genuine improvements. I remember party lines, and when phones were on the wall and only came in black, and when you had to rent the phone from the phone company, and when there was only one phone company. What were they telling us, “Reach out and touch someone?” Now there are so many ways to communicate it is almost baffling. We do not even need to talk on the phone; people can send pictures, even send words, across the miles. Communication has changed much over the years. Even how much we talk has changed.
The passages from Scripture for this morning are about God calling. God does not always use the phone. The first is the familiar story of Samuel. Since he was a gift from God to parents who were childless for a long time, his parents, Elkanah and Hannah, gave the boy to God in service at the Temple. Samuel was in the Temple and heard someone call his name. He assumed it was the old priest Eli and he went and asked him what he wanted. He had not called him. Then it happened again and again, and, no, Eli still had not called him. Eli finally figures out that the voice that is calling Samuel might be the Lord’s and instructs him how to answer. The voice calls again and Samuel answers, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” And he becomes God’s prophet as God tells him the word that he is tell others for God.
The Gospel reading is of how some of the first of Jesus’ disciples were called. Jesus told Philip to follow him and when Philip saw Nathanael, he told him that they found the Messiah, Jesus the son of Joseph from Nazareth. Nathanael has doubts. He figures the Messiah should come from a place with a better reputation. He is not impressed by Nazareth. When Jesus meets him he already knows him. He knows that he is outspoken and knows that Philip spoke to him. He is impressed by this, but Jesus tells him that this is nothing. He will see greater things than this. He might even see heaven opened and angels coming and going.
Both of these incidents give us a picture of how God calls people to service. What they have in common is that they heard God’s voice and obeyed. God starts all this. Also, their service included giving others the message they have received from God. And their messages will do tremendous things. Samuel will give a message that will make all the ears in Israel tingle. Also the disciples of Jesus will see things they have never seen before, will see heaven come to earth. And God knows both Samuel and Nathanael. This message is to them. Both Samuel and the disciples would be speaking for God, sharing the good news of the gospel. This call will change the direction of their lives. God begins by giving it to us. It is God’s plan that we share it, like Philip shared it with Nathanael.
While how we have communicated has changed over the years, we still do it for many of the reasons people long ago did. It still needs to help us in some way. Much of it is routine, sometimes important, sometimes not, Where are you, pick up this or that from the store, when should we be there? How do I get there? What should I do? My grandmother didn’t talk on the phone if it was long distance. I don’t know if she thought it was special, or expensive, or associated it with bad news. But it is how we get news, especially news from far away, and it is someone telling us something.
Phyllis Hobe talks about a dilemma she encountered when a florist mistakenly delivered five azalea plants. She wanted to keep them, but reluctantly she set about the task of figuring out how to share them. A friend suggested that she share them with a local nursing home. When she brought them in she found that some of the residents wanted to plant them in the courtyard and take care of them. She also found joy in sharing. It is God’s plan that we share the goodness we have found, or the goodness that has found us, with others.
There is something, for me, that texting, sending words over the phone, will never replace, as important as that can be at times. It is the voice. Behind the voice is a person. Behind the text is a person, of course, but it is so much clearer with a voice. Samuel and the disciples were called by a person, God, not an organization or a set of principles or rules, or sense of duty. They began their ministry because God wanted them to do something. This is not impersonal; this is deeply personal. It is that God who created us wants to continue to guide and shape our lives. It is not that we just want to hear about Jesus; it is that we want Jesus to know us. It is that God wants to touch us, and we want to touch God, as Mary Lou Carney was babysitting for three-year-old Michael, the son of a neighbor. He sat in her lap, reading a Christmas picture book together. He asked her if she could find the baby Jesus. She nodded. Then he asked the question more loudly. She said “Yes.” He grabbed her index finger in his little hand and put it down on the picture of Jesus in the manger. “See,” he said, making me actually touch the tiny likeness of the baby Jesus. “You found Him.”
Much has changed in our world, including how we communicate with others. But God still calls women and men to serve God. That has not changed. God still has a message for the world. It is that the Savior of the world has come. That has not changed. It is that God knows us and cares for each of us deeply. The calling is to share that message. That calling started the disciples into a ministry which changed the world. It is a calling which will change our lives. Amen.
1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" 5 and ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. 6 The LORD called again, "Samuel!" Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever." 15 Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." He said, "Here I am." 17 Eli said, "What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you." 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, "It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him." 19 As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the LORD. (1 Samuel 3 NRSV)
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." 46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." (John 1 NRSV)
“CALLED AWAY”
Communication has changed. There is a two-day workshop I’m hoping to attend soon and registered for it. I got confirmation for the event. They sent GPS coordinates. It will be at N 43 56.016' W 089 34.507'. Those are precise. Remember when they used to send a map? Those funny little pieces of paper with lines? Directions? Those words which tell you where to go? On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, I remember stopping once, years ago, and asking for directions on the way to preach in Henrytown. I asked an Amish man. He was very nice but not that helpful. He said I should turn at the old Miller place. I didn’t know where the Millers live now, let alone where they used to live. Other forms of communication have changed as well. A few months ago I was watching a “Columbo” episode. Remember him? He was the detective, played by Peter Falk, who kept coming back to ask questions (“Just one more thing.”) until he caught the murderer? Well, in this one, he stopped at a pay phone and called the precinct, saying that he was not able to get to the phone until then. “Not able to get to a phone.” It almost sounds quaint. Most people now are never away from a phone, as they carry theirs with them at all times.
There are many changes, many genuine improvements. I remember party lines, and when phones were on the wall and only came in black, and when you had to rent the phone from the phone company, and when there was only one phone company. What were they telling us, “Reach out and touch someone?” Now there are so many ways to communicate it is almost baffling. We do not even need to talk on the phone; people can send pictures, even send words, across the miles. Communication has changed much over the years. Even how much we talk has changed.
The passages from Scripture for this morning are about God calling. God does not always use the phone. The first is the familiar story of Samuel. Since he was a gift from God to parents who were childless for a long time, his parents, Elkanah and Hannah, gave the boy to God in service at the Temple. Samuel was in the Temple and heard someone call his name. He assumed it was the old priest Eli and he went and asked him what he wanted. He had not called him. Then it happened again and again, and, no, Eli still had not called him. Eli finally figures out that the voice that is calling Samuel might be the Lord’s and instructs him how to answer. The voice calls again and Samuel answers, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” And he becomes God’s prophet as God tells him the word that he is tell others for God.
The Gospel reading is of how some of the first of Jesus’ disciples were called. Jesus told Philip to follow him and when Philip saw Nathanael, he told him that they found the Messiah, Jesus the son of Joseph from Nazareth. Nathanael has doubts. He figures the Messiah should come from a place with a better reputation. He is not impressed by Nazareth. When Jesus meets him he already knows him. He knows that he is outspoken and knows that Philip spoke to him. He is impressed by this, but Jesus tells him that this is nothing. He will see greater things than this. He might even see heaven opened and angels coming and going.
Both of these incidents give us a picture of how God calls people to service. What they have in common is that they heard God’s voice and obeyed. God starts all this. Also, their service included giving others the message they have received from God. And their messages will do tremendous things. Samuel will give a message that will make all the ears in Israel tingle. Also the disciples of Jesus will see things they have never seen before, will see heaven come to earth. And God knows both Samuel and Nathanael. This message is to them. Both Samuel and the disciples would be speaking for God, sharing the good news of the gospel. This call will change the direction of their lives. God begins by giving it to us. It is God’s plan that we share it, like Philip shared it with Nathanael.
While how we have communicated has changed over the years, we still do it for many of the reasons people long ago did. It still needs to help us in some way. Much of it is routine, sometimes important, sometimes not, Where are you, pick up this or that from the store, when should we be there? How do I get there? What should I do? My grandmother didn’t talk on the phone if it was long distance. I don’t know if she thought it was special, or expensive, or associated it with bad news. But it is how we get news, especially news from far away, and it is someone telling us something.
Phyllis Hobe talks about a dilemma she encountered when a florist mistakenly delivered five azalea plants. She wanted to keep them, but reluctantly she set about the task of figuring out how to share them. A friend suggested that she share them with a local nursing home. When she brought them in she found that some of the residents wanted to plant them in the courtyard and take care of them. She also found joy in sharing. It is God’s plan that we share the goodness we have found, or the goodness that has found us, with others.
There is something, for me, that texting, sending words over the phone, will never replace, as important as that can be at times. It is the voice. Behind the voice is a person. Behind the text is a person, of course, but it is so much clearer with a voice. Samuel and the disciples were called by a person, God, not an organization or a set of principles or rules, or sense of duty. They began their ministry because God wanted them to do something. This is not impersonal; this is deeply personal. It is that God who created us wants to continue to guide and shape our lives. It is not that we just want to hear about Jesus; it is that we want Jesus to know us. It is that God wants to touch us, and we want to touch God, as Mary Lou Carney was babysitting for three-year-old Michael, the son of a neighbor. He sat in her lap, reading a Christmas picture book together. He asked her if she could find the baby Jesus. She nodded. Then he asked the question more loudly. She said “Yes.” He grabbed her index finger in his little hand and put it down on the picture of Jesus in the manger. “See,” he said, making me actually touch the tiny likeness of the baby Jesus. “You found Him.”
Much has changed in our world, including how we communicate with others. But God still calls women and men to serve God. That has not changed. God still has a message for the world. It is that the Savior of the world has come. That has not changed. It is that God knows us and cares for each of us deeply. The calling is to share that message. That calling started the disciples into a ministry which changed the world. It is a calling which will change our lives. Amen.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Baptism of the Lord
1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1 NRSV)
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." (Mark 1 NRSV)
“CREATING A FAMILY”
Among my friends are some younger folks who have recently started families. When I have been in contact with them, they often have stories of the things their children have done and said. Some are touching and some are hilarious. One friend and his wife had a son and then they adopted a girl from a part of the world the offers little to orphaned children. It is a brave thing to bring children into the world. It is also very brave to make children who need parents your own. The song by John McCutcheon, “Happy Adoption Day”, captures some of this feeling:
No matter the name and no matter the age
No matter how you came to be
No matter the skin, we are all of us kin
We are all of us one family.
Adoption, like birth, makes real families. Adoption makes real families with all their quirks and joy, struggles and love. Adoption sets lives on a new path.
The reading from Genesis is of the beginning of creation. God spoke and the world came into being, starting with light. It is how everything starts, is placed into motion, including eventually, our lives. Present at this was the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. The Spirit is the agent behind creation. The light was good and that ended the first day. It is the birth of the world.
That same spirit was present at Jesus’ baptism. It, too, is a beginning. It is the first thing in Mark’s Gospel that Jesus does. And it is unusual. He goes out to John’s baptism which called people to repent from their sins. Only Jesus has not sinned. He does not need to repent, we do. John said that the one was coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit, and now he is here, only first he stops to be baptized. This is not because he needs it, but to show us something. He receives what we need. It is a way of saying that Jesus, the Son of God, became human and lived as we do. And something happens that points out what baptism is about. The Spirit descends on Jesus and a voice proclaims that he is God’s beloved Son. Once he hears those words, then his ministry can begin. Whatever else happens, he can begin with these words.
We also see something from this event. We join Jesus in God’s family in baptism. We receive the Spirit in the waters of the sacrament. We are adopted into God’s family. Jesus is the Son of God; we become God’s children by adoption. We become like him. We can hear those words about us when God claims us, by God’s promise and Spirit in the sacrament. God makes us into a family in which each person is special, loved, and finds what he or she needs.
Scott Walker is a pastor in Texas who tells this story of what it means to be in a family. He mentioned a young man who was not athletic enough to play football so went out for the marching band where he played the trombone. It was his way of supporting the team. His parents supported the son. They never missed a single football game when he marched with the band or a band concert, either. They parents, it turns out, are deaf from birth. The young man concludes: They’ve never heard my voice. They’ve never heard a single note from my trombone. But they’ve always been there for me.” We become part of a family in which we are valued.
We not only become part of a loving family, we hear words spoken about us, over us. Those words can inspire us. Those words draw us together.
Those words from heaven are important because they tell us who we are: We belong to God and to each other. We are a family, when things go well or when they don’t go well. We are on the journey, like any family, together. In all the circumstances of our lives we remember the words.
Jesus was baptized to show us that he is with us in our lives. And we are baptized to share in the life that he has. We can hear God’s words to him as words to us because we share that life. It creates a family. May this blessing, the Prayer of St. Teresa, remain with you as you continue to find your place in God’s family:
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be confident knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. Amen.
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." (Mark 1 NRSV)
“CREATING A FAMILY”
Among my friends are some younger folks who have recently started families. When I have been in contact with them, they often have stories of the things their children have done and said. Some are touching and some are hilarious. One friend and his wife had a son and then they adopted a girl from a part of the world the offers little to orphaned children. It is a brave thing to bring children into the world. It is also very brave to make children who need parents your own. The song by John McCutcheon, “Happy Adoption Day”, captures some of this feeling:
No matter the name and no matter the age
No matter how you came to be
No matter the skin, we are all of us kin
We are all of us one family.
Adoption, like birth, makes real families. Adoption makes real families with all their quirks and joy, struggles and love. Adoption sets lives on a new path.
The reading from Genesis is of the beginning of creation. God spoke and the world came into being, starting with light. It is how everything starts, is placed into motion, including eventually, our lives. Present at this was the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. The Spirit is the agent behind creation. The light was good and that ended the first day. It is the birth of the world.
That same spirit was present at Jesus’ baptism. It, too, is a beginning. It is the first thing in Mark’s Gospel that Jesus does. And it is unusual. He goes out to John’s baptism which called people to repent from their sins. Only Jesus has not sinned. He does not need to repent, we do. John said that the one was coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit, and now he is here, only first he stops to be baptized. This is not because he needs it, but to show us something. He receives what we need. It is a way of saying that Jesus, the Son of God, became human and lived as we do. And something happens that points out what baptism is about. The Spirit descends on Jesus and a voice proclaims that he is God’s beloved Son. Once he hears those words, then his ministry can begin. Whatever else happens, he can begin with these words.
We also see something from this event. We join Jesus in God’s family in baptism. We receive the Spirit in the waters of the sacrament. We are adopted into God’s family. Jesus is the Son of God; we become God’s children by adoption. We become like him. We can hear those words about us when God claims us, by God’s promise and Spirit in the sacrament. God makes us into a family in which each person is special, loved, and finds what he or she needs.
Scott Walker is a pastor in Texas who tells this story of what it means to be in a family. He mentioned a young man who was not athletic enough to play football so went out for the marching band where he played the trombone. It was his way of supporting the team. His parents supported the son. They never missed a single football game when he marched with the band or a band concert, either. They parents, it turns out, are deaf from birth. The young man concludes: They’ve never heard my voice. They’ve never heard a single note from my trombone. But they’ve always been there for me.” We become part of a family in which we are valued.
We not only become part of a loving family, we hear words spoken about us, over us. Those words can inspire us. Those words draw us together.
Those words from heaven are important because they tell us who we are: We belong to God and to each other. We are a family, when things go well or when they don’t go well. We are on the journey, like any family, together. In all the circumstances of our lives we remember the words.
Jesus was baptized to show us that he is with us in our lives. And we are baptized to share in the life that he has. We can hear God’s words to him as words to us because we share that life. It creates a family. May this blessing, the Prayer of St. Teresa, remain with you as you continue to find your place in God’s family:
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be confident knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. Amen.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
First Sunday after Christmas, Year B
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. 62:1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. 2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. 3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. ( Isaiah 61, NRSV)
22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." 33 And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-- and a sword will pierce your own soul too." 36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. (Luke 2 NRSV)
“LOOKING THE PART”
There are certain things about Christmas that look right or not. The ground without snow on Christmas Eve this year just didn’t look right to some of us. The TV commercial the other week with Santa in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts just doesn’t look right. We expect Santa to look a certain way. Imagine the three kings without their crowns. Those who have a certain role in things need to look like what they are supposed to be. We might say that they need to “look the part”. It helps when our doctors look like they are living healthy lifestyles. Especially when it comes time for them to give us advice. I ran across an interesting illustration of this. A young man in the funeral home business was doing relatively well but did much better one year. His secret? Because people tend to see distinguished public figures as more trustworthy, he added some gray to his hair with hair coloring. Artificially, he made himself look more like a funeral director.
The reading from the prophet Isaiah tells us about the appropriate clothing and appearance for redemption, which is also fitting for the Christmas season. It is in the garments of salvation. It is joyous, like the attire for a wedding. It is a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord. All this is the righteousness the Lord is causing to spring up, like green shoots from the ground.
The Gospel reading is of the time the infant Jesus was brought to the Temple to be presented. The firstborn male was considered to belong to God, but could be “bought back”, so to speak, with an offering. Joseph and Mary were there to make that offering. A man at the Temple saw Jesus and proclaimed that he could now depart this life in peace for he had seen the Messiah. How could he have seen that? What did Jesus look like? Only the Holy Spirit could have told him. Seeing Jesus took the eyes of faith and he said that once he had seen him he had seen the salvation prepared for the nations. And there was a woman, a prophet, named Anna. And when she saw Jesus, she, too, saw how God was bringing salvation to the world in him. What most people saw was a baby, but what these people saw was God’s representative on earth, sent to show God’s love and bring salvation.
As we begin this new year, we look forward with hope. We also think about the past one. This year has been one of numerous loud controversies. There have been ones about debt ceilings and candidates and unions and the new stadium for the Vikings, but one of the more unusual ones is about a football quarterback named Tim Tebow. He plays for the Denver Broncos and has led the team to a year that was beyond all expectations. A few people were even calling it miraculous for a while. He is noted for often dropping to one knee to pray during games. This has caused controversy among those who think it is too flashy or too religious. The critics do not discourage him. By all accounts, though, Tebow is a nice guy, sincere in his faith. He has helped his father with missionary work and, in an era of professional athletes constantly in the news for trouble with the law and vulgarity, Tebow behaves with decency and modesty and integrity. What he professes, he lives. He wants to share with others how important his faith is to him. He is not silent about it. I do not doubt that he has a sincere faith. To many he is the picture of faith. One concern I have is whether people can see the faith. Many can see his actions, even imitate his actions, the outward visible behavior, but there is more to life than that. Faith is also an inner quality. That is the reason for Tebow’s actions. It is both, not just the outward appearance. Do those who imitate him also share his faith? Another concern is that much of the excitement is focused on football. Maybe the role of faith is bigger than sports. Faith has to do with all of life. It is not a game.
What does faith look like? It looks the part. It lives according to the values it claims. Faith, like that of Anna and Simeon, looks at signs of good things to come. It brings confidence to those who have it. It sees what God is doing around us. It looks like hope, which we consider at the start of this new year. We do not know how it will turn out, whether it will be a great one or a disastrous one. Elizabeth Sherrill tells the story of when her grandmother gave her a set of linen towels with tiny seahorses embroidered on them for her “hope chest”. She did not know what that meant and asked her what one was. For her grandmother hers was a source of hope in rural South Dakota as she was growing up. She could look into it when the land was covered with snow or afflicted by drought. It spoke to her of a better day to come. Elizabeth never had one like that for furnishing a house but wants one for furnishing the soul, making hope something inside us, instead of inside a trunk in an attic, to give hope in moments when we need it the most. Faith is a way of seeing life. It is one that looks at the gifts God has given us and considers how they can enrich our lives. It looks forward to God being present with us in the future, whatever that future holds. It looks beyond what is superficial.
Faith also perseveres. It continues on against difficulty. It is not accidental but is a deliberate way of life. It is not only when our team is winning or things are going our way, but is present in all of life’s conditions. Fay Angus tells how she saw this one day while serving as a volunteer at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. She was serving hot chocolate and doughnuts to some of the many high-schoolers from all over the country who participate in the parade in their marching bands. One of the great fears of the parade organizers is rain. As drizzle started she asked one young man from Alabama what he would do if it started to rain. He answered that he would get wet and keep on marching. It was a lesson to her on how to live when our plans do not always go the way we want them to.
What does faith look like? It looks like a baby if that baby is Christ. He brings hope of salvation and joy. Salvation and joy that we can wrap ourselves in. That tells us that God is with us. Faith looks like hope, confidence in God’s goodness and plan for us. It looks like perseverance, watching until it comes. It has deep roots that will sustain us in the new year and will keep us moving forward. As we go into the new year, let us do so with hope. Let it be around us like our clothing. So we can pray Marie Barton’s prayer:
While bells are ringing midnight-clear,
Three gifts I ask for this New Year:
Faith is the pilgrim staff I crave
To keep me strong, to keep me brave.
Hope is the candle’s pinpoint star
To lead me on the path afar.
Love is the mantle I would wear—
Heart-warming garments lined with prayer.
Father God, with these priceless three
Enrich the days Thou sendest me!
Amen.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. 62:1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. 2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. 3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. ( Isaiah 61, NRSV)
22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." 33 And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-- and a sword will pierce your own soul too." 36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. (Luke 2 NRSV)
“LOOKING THE PART”
There are certain things about Christmas that look right or not. The ground without snow on Christmas Eve this year just didn’t look right to some of us. The TV commercial the other week with Santa in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts just doesn’t look right. We expect Santa to look a certain way. Imagine the three kings without their crowns. Those who have a certain role in things need to look like what they are supposed to be. We might say that they need to “look the part”. It helps when our doctors look like they are living healthy lifestyles. Especially when it comes time for them to give us advice. I ran across an interesting illustration of this. A young man in the funeral home business was doing relatively well but did much better one year. His secret? Because people tend to see distinguished public figures as more trustworthy, he added some gray to his hair with hair coloring. Artificially, he made himself look more like a funeral director.
The reading from the prophet Isaiah tells us about the appropriate clothing and appearance for redemption, which is also fitting for the Christmas season. It is in the garments of salvation. It is joyous, like the attire for a wedding. It is a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord. All this is the righteousness the Lord is causing to spring up, like green shoots from the ground.
The Gospel reading is of the time the infant Jesus was brought to the Temple to be presented. The firstborn male was considered to belong to God, but could be “bought back”, so to speak, with an offering. Joseph and Mary were there to make that offering. A man at the Temple saw Jesus and proclaimed that he could now depart this life in peace for he had seen the Messiah. How could he have seen that? What did Jesus look like? Only the Holy Spirit could have told him. Seeing Jesus took the eyes of faith and he said that once he had seen him he had seen the salvation prepared for the nations. And there was a woman, a prophet, named Anna. And when she saw Jesus, she, too, saw how God was bringing salvation to the world in him. What most people saw was a baby, but what these people saw was God’s representative on earth, sent to show God’s love and bring salvation.
As we begin this new year, we look forward with hope. We also think about the past one. This year has been one of numerous loud controversies. There have been ones about debt ceilings and candidates and unions and the new stadium for the Vikings, but one of the more unusual ones is about a football quarterback named Tim Tebow. He plays for the Denver Broncos and has led the team to a year that was beyond all expectations. A few people were even calling it miraculous for a while. He is noted for often dropping to one knee to pray during games. This has caused controversy among those who think it is too flashy or too religious. The critics do not discourage him. By all accounts, though, Tebow is a nice guy, sincere in his faith. He has helped his father with missionary work and, in an era of professional athletes constantly in the news for trouble with the law and vulgarity, Tebow behaves with decency and modesty and integrity. What he professes, he lives. He wants to share with others how important his faith is to him. He is not silent about it. I do not doubt that he has a sincere faith. To many he is the picture of faith. One concern I have is whether people can see the faith. Many can see his actions, even imitate his actions, the outward visible behavior, but there is more to life than that. Faith is also an inner quality. That is the reason for Tebow’s actions. It is both, not just the outward appearance. Do those who imitate him also share his faith? Another concern is that much of the excitement is focused on football. Maybe the role of faith is bigger than sports. Faith has to do with all of life. It is not a game.
What does faith look like? It looks the part. It lives according to the values it claims. Faith, like that of Anna and Simeon, looks at signs of good things to come. It brings confidence to those who have it. It sees what God is doing around us. It looks like hope, which we consider at the start of this new year. We do not know how it will turn out, whether it will be a great one or a disastrous one. Elizabeth Sherrill tells the story of when her grandmother gave her a set of linen towels with tiny seahorses embroidered on them for her “hope chest”. She did not know what that meant and asked her what one was. For her grandmother hers was a source of hope in rural South Dakota as she was growing up. She could look into it when the land was covered with snow or afflicted by drought. It spoke to her of a better day to come. Elizabeth never had one like that for furnishing a house but wants one for furnishing the soul, making hope something inside us, instead of inside a trunk in an attic, to give hope in moments when we need it the most. Faith is a way of seeing life. It is one that looks at the gifts God has given us and considers how they can enrich our lives. It looks forward to God being present with us in the future, whatever that future holds. It looks beyond what is superficial.
Faith also perseveres. It continues on against difficulty. It is not accidental but is a deliberate way of life. It is not only when our team is winning or things are going our way, but is present in all of life’s conditions. Fay Angus tells how she saw this one day while serving as a volunteer at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. She was serving hot chocolate and doughnuts to some of the many high-schoolers from all over the country who participate in the parade in their marching bands. One of the great fears of the parade organizers is rain. As drizzle started she asked one young man from Alabama what he would do if it started to rain. He answered that he would get wet and keep on marching. It was a lesson to her on how to live when our plans do not always go the way we want them to.
What does faith look like? It looks like a baby if that baby is Christ. He brings hope of salvation and joy. Salvation and joy that we can wrap ourselves in. That tells us that God is with us. Faith looks like hope, confidence in God’s goodness and plan for us. It looks like perseverance, watching until it comes. It has deep roots that will sustain us in the new year and will keep us moving forward. As we go into the new year, let us do so with hope. Let it be around us like our clothing. So we can pray Marie Barton’s prayer:
While bells are ringing midnight-clear,
Three gifts I ask for this New Year:
Faith is the pilgrim staff I crave
To keep me strong, to keep me brave.
Hope is the candle’s pinpoint star
To lead me on the path afar.
Love is the mantle I would wear—
Heart-warming garments lined with prayer.
Father God, with these priceless three
Enrich the days Thou sendest me!
Amen.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
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