First Reading
Deuteronomy 11:18–21, 26–28
18You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. 19Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 20Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.26See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today; 28and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn from the way that I am commanding you today, to follow other gods that you have not known.
Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 31:1–5, 19–24
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe. (Ps. 31:3)
1In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2Incline your ear to me;
make haste to de- liver me.
3Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe, for you are my crag and my stronghold;
for the sake of your name, lead me and guide me.
4Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me,
for you are my tow- er of strength. R
5Into your hands I com- mend my spirit,
for you have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.
19How great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you;
which you have done in the sight of all for those who put their trust in you.
20You hide them in the protection of your presence from those who slander them;
you keep them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.
21Blessed are you, O LORD!
for you have shown me the wonders of your love when I was under siege. R
22I said in my alarm, "I have been cut off from the sight of your eyes."
Nevertheless, you heard the sound of my plea when I cried out to you.
23Love the LORD, all you saints;
the LORD protects the faithful, but repays in full those who act haughtily.
24Be strong and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the LORD. R
Second Reading
Romans 1:16–17; 3:22b–28 [29–31]
Chapter 1
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous will live by faith."
Chapter 3
22bFor there is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.27Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Gospel
Matthew 7:21–29
21Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' 23Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'24Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell — and great was its fall!"28Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sermon: 2nd Sunday after Pentecost
As a welcome gift almost two years ago when I took this call, I found a plant on my desk. A family in this congregation wanted me to feel welcome on my first day, and I certainly did when I saw that big beautiful plant on the very first desk I would ever use as a pastor. Little did they know, that this beautiful plant would be a huge source of stress, because, as I have said before, I am less of a gardener and more of a killer. Very few green things live under my care. So, this beautiful plant took on a deeper meaning that morning in my office- I thought of it as a metaphor for my ministry. If I could keep it alive, I could be caring and gentle and kind enough to keep my part in the ministry of God alive. I often forget to water the plant, and only remember when I see some of the little leaves curl up and start dropping brown and shriveled on the table. I thought about this text when I read Jesus words of today- Jesus tells us that even the lilies of the field don’t worry because God cares for them. Plants under my care don’t really fit into this understanding of the natural world, because they should be worried. They knock on death’s door about once a month.
These words of Jesus come at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, when he has been preaching to a crowd of people who had every right to be worried. They were living under the thumb of Roman rule, oppressed and overtaxed, working the fields and the seas for a living and never making much of one. They were forced to give much of what they had to tax collectors, and many lived in poverty. The words of Jesus sound a little shallow for that kind of crowd, just as they sound a little shallow for the crowd we have gathered here in this sanctuary this morning. Jesus tells them and us, not to worry about what we will eat, what we will drink, what we will wear. Jesus didn’t know about gas prices that have soared above 4 dollars a gallon. Jesus didn’t know about higher electric bills, what is being called a global food crisis. Jesus didn’t know about the American economy, he certainly never lived through a recession. So those words, don’t worry, sound a little trite to me, because I am not sure if Jesus is quite understanding the depth of things we have to worry about.
When I read this passage for the first time, I must admit, I started to feel myself get a little angry. I want Jesus to be about comforting me in my worry, not about admonishing me not to worry at all! If the plants in my office can be unafraid, and if I am supposed to see the natural world around me as revealing the care of God, I can’t ignore the fact that if this world and those plants knew what was really happening- they would be worried. Global warming, lack of rain... yes, the natural world doesn’t seem worried, but I think it must be just because they don’t know what could happen!
Jesus isn’t unaware of the plight of the crowd gathered around him that morning so long ago. He points to the birds and the lilies because it is in the creation of God that we can find that simple trust in God’s providential care. There is worry that is due, there is trouble today. But, it is the undue worry that blocks are ability to participate with trust and faith in God’s work in the world. It is the worry about those things we can’t control, the sweating the small stuff, that draws our attention inward instead of outward toward God, building walls around our hearts, and sucking the energy out of us. It is those things we can’t control that make us afraid, that break our connection with God and replace it only with fear.
In the letter from Paul to the Corinthians, he admonishes us to be stewards of the mysteries of God. Stewards of the mystery, and the words of Jesus for today feel most certainly like a mystery to me. In spite of the troubles faced by the crowd gathered that morning, in spite of the troubles we see in our own families, in our own bank accounts, in our own neighborhoods, city and world, we are told to strive for righteousness first, to leave our worry behind. We are told to trust in God’s care for God’s creation, not while pretending that there is no trouble surrounding us, not while skipping out in the fields of flowers, but in the midst of all those things that cause us to worry. The mystery is not that things for followers of Christ are always easy, but, rather, that we trust in spite of the fact that things are scary and uncertain. We carry with us the mystery of being able to trust a God who has met God’s people through time, even if the future seems full of trouble. We carry the mystery with us, and we are to share it with all people in all places. We steward the mystery of God, the mystery of God’s care and God’s love for the people of God. We can’t be the stewards God seeks for us to be when we are bogged down by fear and anxiety. We can’t steward the mystery when we are too afraid to trust in the first place.
We steward that mystery by continuing to trust in God’s care for us through time. We steward the mystery of God by learning to trust despite our circumstances. We steward the mystery of God by striving for God’s kingdom even when we are afraid. We steward the mystery of God when we start to recognize that is not us who are in control but God. We steward the mystery when we can share those moments of trust with the people around us. The mystery of God is tied to the cross- that God so loved us that God gave us Jesus Christ, born a baby in Bethlehem, who lived and taught us how to live, who died to forgive our sins and free us from the power of death for all eternity. Worry shuts us down, worry pushes us to ignore the mystery and rely solely on the reality of our own power. Worry dams up the river of God’s grace poured out for each one of us.
That plant in my office is still alive- I watered it this morning. It too is a part of the mystery, because it reminds me that God calls us to new and different places, even when we are afraid. It reminds me not to worry, because in the midst of all things, God promises to be with us, and never to forget us. So, if that plant can trust and live, even with me as its caregiver- how much more ought we trust the God who knit us together in our mother’s wombs? How much more ought we trust the God who took on humanity in order to free us from sin and death on the cross- who died that we might never worry about eternity? Amen.
These words of Jesus come at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, when he has been preaching to a crowd of people who had every right to be worried. They were living under the thumb of Roman rule, oppressed and overtaxed, working the fields and the seas for a living and never making much of one. They were forced to give much of what they had to tax collectors, and many lived in poverty. The words of Jesus sound a little shallow for that kind of crowd, just as they sound a little shallow for the crowd we have gathered here in this sanctuary this morning. Jesus tells them and us, not to worry about what we will eat, what we will drink, what we will wear. Jesus didn’t know about gas prices that have soared above 4 dollars a gallon. Jesus didn’t know about higher electric bills, what is being called a global food crisis. Jesus didn’t know about the American economy, he certainly never lived through a recession. So those words, don’t worry, sound a little trite to me, because I am not sure if Jesus is quite understanding the depth of things we have to worry about.
When I read this passage for the first time, I must admit, I started to feel myself get a little angry. I want Jesus to be about comforting me in my worry, not about admonishing me not to worry at all! If the plants in my office can be unafraid, and if I am supposed to see the natural world around me as revealing the care of God, I can’t ignore the fact that if this world and those plants knew what was really happening- they would be worried. Global warming, lack of rain... yes, the natural world doesn’t seem worried, but I think it must be just because they don’t know what could happen!
Jesus isn’t unaware of the plight of the crowd gathered around him that morning so long ago. He points to the birds and the lilies because it is in the creation of God that we can find that simple trust in God’s providential care. There is worry that is due, there is trouble today. But, it is the undue worry that blocks are ability to participate with trust and faith in God’s work in the world. It is the worry about those things we can’t control, the sweating the small stuff, that draws our attention inward instead of outward toward God, building walls around our hearts, and sucking the energy out of us. It is those things we can’t control that make us afraid, that break our connection with God and replace it only with fear.
In the letter from Paul to the Corinthians, he admonishes us to be stewards of the mysteries of God. Stewards of the mystery, and the words of Jesus for today feel most certainly like a mystery to me. In spite of the troubles faced by the crowd gathered that morning, in spite of the troubles we see in our own families, in our own bank accounts, in our own neighborhoods, city and world, we are told to strive for righteousness first, to leave our worry behind. We are told to trust in God’s care for God’s creation, not while pretending that there is no trouble surrounding us, not while skipping out in the fields of flowers, but in the midst of all those things that cause us to worry. The mystery is not that things for followers of Christ are always easy, but, rather, that we trust in spite of the fact that things are scary and uncertain. We carry with us the mystery of being able to trust a God who has met God’s people through time, even if the future seems full of trouble. We carry the mystery with us, and we are to share it with all people in all places. We steward the mystery of God, the mystery of God’s care and God’s love for the people of God. We can’t be the stewards God seeks for us to be when we are bogged down by fear and anxiety. We can’t steward the mystery when we are too afraid to trust in the first place.
We steward that mystery by continuing to trust in God’s care for us through time. We steward the mystery of God by learning to trust despite our circumstances. We steward the mystery of God by striving for God’s kingdom even when we are afraid. We steward the mystery of God when we start to recognize that is not us who are in control but God. We steward the mystery when we can share those moments of trust with the people around us. The mystery of God is tied to the cross- that God so loved us that God gave us Jesus Christ, born a baby in Bethlehem, who lived and taught us how to live, who died to forgive our sins and free us from the power of death for all eternity. Worry shuts us down, worry pushes us to ignore the mystery and rely solely on the reality of our own power. Worry dams up the river of God’s grace poured out for each one of us.
That plant in my office is still alive- I watered it this morning. It too is a part of the mystery, because it reminds me that God calls us to new and different places, even when we are afraid. It reminds me not to worry, because in the midst of all things, God promises to be with us, and never to forget us. So, if that plant can trust and live, even with me as its caregiver- how much more ought we trust the God who knit us together in our mother’s wombs? How much more ought we trust the God who took on humanity in order to free us from sin and death on the cross- who died that we might never worry about eternity? Amen.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Weekly Texts: 2nd Sunday After Pentecost
First Reading
Isaiah 49:8–16a
The Lord shows motherly compassion for God's suffering people. Even if a nursing mother could under rare circumstances forget her child, God will never forget us.
8Thus says the LORD:In a time of favor I have answered you,on a day of salvation I have helped you;I have kept you and given youas a covenant to the people, to establish the land,to apportion the desolate heritages;9saying to the prisoners, "Come out,"to those who are in darkness, "Show yourselves."They shall feed along the ways,on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;10they shall not hunger or thirst,neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,for he who has pity on them will lead them,and by springs of water will guide them.11And I will turn all my mountains into a road,and my highways shall be raised up.12Lo, these shall come from far away,and lo, these from the north and from the west,and these from the land of Syene. 13Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;break forth, O mountains, into singing!For the LORD has comforted his people,and will have compassion on his suffering ones.14But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,my LORD has forgotten me."15Can a woman forget her nursing child,or show no compassion for the child of her womb?Even these may forget,yet I will not forget you.16See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.
Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 131
Like a child upon its mother's breast, my soul is quieted within me. (Ps. 131:2)
1O LORD, I am not proud; I have no haughty looks.
I do not occupy myself with great matters, or with things that are too hard for me.
2But I still my soul and make it quiet, like a child upon its mother's breast;
my soul is quiet- ed within me.
3O Israel, wait up- on the LORD,
from this time forth for- evermore. R
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 4:1–5
We are servants and stewards of Christ, whose primary responsibility is to be trustworthy. We do not stand over others as their judge but stand under Christ to whom we will be held accountable.Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. 2Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. 3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. 4I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.
Gospel
Matthew 6:24–34
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages his followers to trust in God rather than material wealth.24No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. 25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.34So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Isaiah 49:8–16a
The Lord shows motherly compassion for God's suffering people. Even if a nursing mother could under rare circumstances forget her child, God will never forget us.
8Thus says the LORD:In a time of favor I have answered you,on a day of salvation I have helped you;I have kept you and given youas a covenant to the people, to establish the land,to apportion the desolate heritages;9saying to the prisoners, "Come out,"to those who are in darkness, "Show yourselves."They shall feed along the ways,on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;10they shall not hunger or thirst,neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,for he who has pity on them will lead them,and by springs of water will guide them.11And I will turn all my mountains into a road,and my highways shall be raised up.12Lo, these shall come from far away,and lo, these from the north and from the west,and these from the land of Syene. 13Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;break forth, O mountains, into singing!For the LORD has comforted his people,and will have compassion on his suffering ones.14But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,my LORD has forgotten me."15Can a woman forget her nursing child,or show no compassion for the child of her womb?Even these may forget,yet I will not forget you.16See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.
Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 131
Like a child upon its mother's breast, my soul is quieted within me. (Ps. 131:2)
1O LORD, I am not proud; I have no haughty looks.
I do not occupy myself with great matters, or with things that are too hard for me.
2But I still my soul and make it quiet, like a child upon its mother's breast;
my soul is quiet- ed within me.
3O Israel, wait up- on the LORD,
from this time forth for- evermore. R
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 4:1–5
We are servants and stewards of Christ, whose primary responsibility is to be trustworthy. We do not stand over others as their judge but stand under Christ to whom we will be held accountable.Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. 2Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. 3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. 4I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.
Gospel
Matthew 6:24–34
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages his followers to trust in God rather than material wealth.24No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. 25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.34So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Sermon: Holy Trinity Sunday 2008
When I was in college, someone donated a large sum of money for a local church to buy billboards along a highway in Michigan. They were black with plain white writing on them. They were meant to shock people, and the one I remember seeing on the road I took to head home, said, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” I remember driving past that sign, thinking, really, that settles it? You read it in the bible and that settles it? I certainly didn’t feel settled for me in college, it didn’t feel settled for me in seminary, and even now, if I were to pass by that billboard today, even right after church, I don’t think things would feel settled.
God said it, I believe it, that settles it. Keep that in your mind, just for a moment, as I tell you a bit about where we are in the text for this morning. We are back in the gospel of Matthew, and a bit back in time. Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on God’s people, and they spoke languages they didn’t even know, all telling the stories of what God had done. This Sunday, we are back deep in the after Easter story in Matthew. The 28th chapter of Matthew begins with two women going to the tomb that Easter morning. They arrive and the ground begins to shake, the stone is rolled away, and an angel sits on it. That angel tells them not to be afraid, because Jesus has been raised from the dead, and he is on his way to Galilee. The angel tells these women to rush back and tell the disciples to go to Galilee and meet Jesus, and so the women leave with fear and joy. Jesus meets them as they hurry back to the disciples, and he tells them again, get my disciples to Galilee. I’ll meet them there.
When the authorities hear what has happened, they decide to hatch a plan. They gather large amounts of money, and they pay the guards to tell people that the body of Jesus has been stolen. They promise to protect the guards if the governor hears that the body is gone. This is one powerful story. It is much easier to believe that the body has been stolen, not resurrected.
But, then the women return to the disciples and they begin the long trek to Galilee. This is no easy trip- they must travel for almost 80 miles to meet their Lord where he said he would be. There are eleven there when they see Jesus on a mountain. The text doesn’t tell us what Jesus looks like, the text doesn’t tell us that he was sparkling white, or that he looked like an angel. The text doesn’t tell us if he was hazy, or cloudy, or if he looked just like you or I.
The text doesn’t tell us how Jesus appeared, but the text does tell us what happened to those eleven. Eleven of the disciples made that 80 mile trek, because they believed the story of those two women. Eleven disciples made the trip to Galilee, because perhaps they remembered that this is what Jesus said was going to happen. He was going to die and rise again. They story was not going to end on Good Friday. Perhaps some of those eleven made that long journey to Galilee only because it was what everyone else was doing. We don’t know, the story doesn’t tell us. What the story does tell us, is that they met Jesus on that mountaintop all the way off in Galilee, and they worshipped him. And this is where I think the text we read for this morning is a bit mistranslated.
They worshipped him, that seems clear. But, what comes next is the real clincher. There is no word for some in our text. The gospel of Matthew uses a Greek construction that could imply some, but it doesn’t always. So, the words we read for this morning could very well say, “And seeing him, they worshipped and they doubted.” Seeing Jesus, seeing the resurrected Christ, they worshipped and they doubted. Not just some worshipped and some doubted, but that whole mess of eleven disciples, who had followed Christ, healed in his name, heard his teachings, and denied him on the cross, and now were seeing him alive again- that whole bunch worshipped and doubted. There were none more faithful and none more unsure.
They worshipped and they doubted. These eleven disciples are kneeling at the feet of the resurrected Christ, worshipping him and doubting him. They aren’t sure. They don’t know. They are at the feet of Christ, and they somehow worship and doubt. Not just some of them, all of them. They live in that tension between faith and doubt, joy and fear, and they don’t have to pretend to be anywhere else. They just worship and doubt. All at the same time.
And this is where that billboard on a Michigan highway really misses the point. Because I don’t think doubt and uncertainty are things God wants us to give up. I don’t think the goal of discipleship is to get beyond doubt, I think the goal of discipleship is to learn how to live with it. I think the goal of being disciples is not to pretend that God said it, we believe it, and that settles it, I think the goal of disciples is to be able to live in that tense place where we confess that we don’t know everything that God said, we don’t know how to believe what God said, and that very few things seem settled. That is what worship is like for the disciples at the feet of Jesus, the ones who could see him, and talk to him, and touch him. They didn’t believe it. They doubted it, they doubted it was true, they doubted it was real, they doubted it was worth putting their lives on the line for. They doubted. And they worshipped.
They doubted and they worshipped on that mountain in Galilee, and Jesus gave them a command. Jesus commanded them to go and disciple, Jesus commanded them to baptize and to teach. Jesus commanded them to go and disciple, he commanded those who worshipped and doubted to go and disciple, telling people all the things that Jesus commanded.
The guards at the tomb were paid to say the body had been stolen. Jesus doesn’t give these disciples an answer to that story. Through time, there have been all kinds of ideas about what could have, might have, or probably happened. Jesus doesn’t give an answer to those questions. There are plenty of stories that run counter to the teachings of Jesus, stories that encourage us to trust in ourselves, in our power, in our worth instead of in the words and teachings of Jesus. There are plenty of stories that run counter to the baptismal story, the story that we tell at the font. The story we tell, to stand up to all those other stories, is that here you are reborn, reborn a child of God, baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. You are named and claimed as a child of God, and nothing can erase God’s love for you.
So I understand the doubt. To people outside of our community and to us that are gathered, sometimes this seems more like just a little water poured on someone’s head. To people outside our community and us that are gathered, the stories we tell and the teachings we repeat are just nice ways to think about the world but a bit naïve. Those outside stories are powerful stories. They cause us to doubt that this is the answer to the world’s problems. They cause us to wonder if there isn’t something a bit more flashy that we could get behind.
And, we are in good company in our doubt. We are in good company, because we join with those eleven disciples who stared into the face of the resurrected Christ. We are in the company of those people through time who have given their lives in service to the gospel and still wondered if this was really all it was meant to be. The disciples doubted, Mother Theresa doubted, saints doubted, and we join their ranks. But this great commission was given to us all, those who believe and doubt all at the same time. If we put up a road sign, it wouldn’t say, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” The disciples wouldn’t have put up that sign either. Ours might say, “God said it, I wasn’t sure about it, but I risked to believe it anyway.” Amen.
God said it, I believe it, that settles it. Keep that in your mind, just for a moment, as I tell you a bit about where we are in the text for this morning. We are back in the gospel of Matthew, and a bit back in time. Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on God’s people, and they spoke languages they didn’t even know, all telling the stories of what God had done. This Sunday, we are back deep in the after Easter story in Matthew. The 28th chapter of Matthew begins with two women going to the tomb that Easter morning. They arrive and the ground begins to shake, the stone is rolled away, and an angel sits on it. That angel tells them not to be afraid, because Jesus has been raised from the dead, and he is on his way to Galilee. The angel tells these women to rush back and tell the disciples to go to Galilee and meet Jesus, and so the women leave with fear and joy. Jesus meets them as they hurry back to the disciples, and he tells them again, get my disciples to Galilee. I’ll meet them there.
When the authorities hear what has happened, they decide to hatch a plan. They gather large amounts of money, and they pay the guards to tell people that the body of Jesus has been stolen. They promise to protect the guards if the governor hears that the body is gone. This is one powerful story. It is much easier to believe that the body has been stolen, not resurrected.
But, then the women return to the disciples and they begin the long trek to Galilee. This is no easy trip- they must travel for almost 80 miles to meet their Lord where he said he would be. There are eleven there when they see Jesus on a mountain. The text doesn’t tell us what Jesus looks like, the text doesn’t tell us that he was sparkling white, or that he looked like an angel. The text doesn’t tell us if he was hazy, or cloudy, or if he looked just like you or I.
The text doesn’t tell us how Jesus appeared, but the text does tell us what happened to those eleven. Eleven of the disciples made that 80 mile trek, because they believed the story of those two women. Eleven disciples made the trip to Galilee, because perhaps they remembered that this is what Jesus said was going to happen. He was going to die and rise again. They story was not going to end on Good Friday. Perhaps some of those eleven made that long journey to Galilee only because it was what everyone else was doing. We don’t know, the story doesn’t tell us. What the story does tell us, is that they met Jesus on that mountaintop all the way off in Galilee, and they worshipped him. And this is where I think the text we read for this morning is a bit mistranslated.
They worshipped him, that seems clear. But, what comes next is the real clincher. There is no word for some in our text. The gospel of Matthew uses a Greek construction that could imply some, but it doesn’t always. So, the words we read for this morning could very well say, “And seeing him, they worshipped and they doubted.” Seeing Jesus, seeing the resurrected Christ, they worshipped and they doubted. Not just some worshipped and some doubted, but that whole mess of eleven disciples, who had followed Christ, healed in his name, heard his teachings, and denied him on the cross, and now were seeing him alive again- that whole bunch worshipped and doubted. There were none more faithful and none more unsure.
They worshipped and they doubted. These eleven disciples are kneeling at the feet of the resurrected Christ, worshipping him and doubting him. They aren’t sure. They don’t know. They are at the feet of Christ, and they somehow worship and doubt. Not just some of them, all of them. They live in that tension between faith and doubt, joy and fear, and they don’t have to pretend to be anywhere else. They just worship and doubt. All at the same time.
And this is where that billboard on a Michigan highway really misses the point. Because I don’t think doubt and uncertainty are things God wants us to give up. I don’t think the goal of discipleship is to get beyond doubt, I think the goal of discipleship is to learn how to live with it. I think the goal of being disciples is not to pretend that God said it, we believe it, and that settles it, I think the goal of disciples is to be able to live in that tense place where we confess that we don’t know everything that God said, we don’t know how to believe what God said, and that very few things seem settled. That is what worship is like for the disciples at the feet of Jesus, the ones who could see him, and talk to him, and touch him. They didn’t believe it. They doubted it, they doubted it was true, they doubted it was real, they doubted it was worth putting their lives on the line for. They doubted. And they worshipped.
They doubted and they worshipped on that mountain in Galilee, and Jesus gave them a command. Jesus commanded them to go and disciple, Jesus commanded them to baptize and to teach. Jesus commanded them to go and disciple, he commanded those who worshipped and doubted to go and disciple, telling people all the things that Jesus commanded.
The guards at the tomb were paid to say the body had been stolen. Jesus doesn’t give these disciples an answer to that story. Through time, there have been all kinds of ideas about what could have, might have, or probably happened. Jesus doesn’t give an answer to those questions. There are plenty of stories that run counter to the teachings of Jesus, stories that encourage us to trust in ourselves, in our power, in our worth instead of in the words and teachings of Jesus. There are plenty of stories that run counter to the baptismal story, the story that we tell at the font. The story we tell, to stand up to all those other stories, is that here you are reborn, reborn a child of God, baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. You are named and claimed as a child of God, and nothing can erase God’s love for you.
So I understand the doubt. To people outside of our community and to us that are gathered, sometimes this seems more like just a little water poured on someone’s head. To people outside our community and us that are gathered, the stories we tell and the teachings we repeat are just nice ways to think about the world but a bit naïve. Those outside stories are powerful stories. They cause us to doubt that this is the answer to the world’s problems. They cause us to wonder if there isn’t something a bit more flashy that we could get behind.
And, we are in good company in our doubt. We are in good company, because we join with those eleven disciples who stared into the face of the resurrected Christ. We are in the company of those people through time who have given their lives in service to the gospel and still wondered if this was really all it was meant to be. The disciples doubted, Mother Theresa doubted, saints doubted, and we join their ranks. But this great commission was given to us all, those who believe and doubt all at the same time. If we put up a road sign, it wouldn’t say, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” The disciples wouldn’t have put up that sign either. Ours might say, “God said it, I wasn’t sure about it, but I risked to believe it anyway.” Amen.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Weekly Texts: Holy Trinity Sunday 2008
First Reading
Genesis 1:1—2:4a
This first creation story reached its current form during the crisis of the Babylonian exile of the people of Israel. God, not their captors' god Marduk, was responsible for their existence. God created women and men as rulers over creation, to preserve and protect it. God also rested on the seventh day, hallowing that day forever as the Sabbath.
Chapter 1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the 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. 3Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.6And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.9And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.14And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16God made the two great lights — the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night — and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.20And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky." 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.26Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."27So God created humankind in his image,in the image of God he created them;male and female he created them.28God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." 29God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Chapter 2Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 8
How majestic is your name in all the earth! (Ps. 8:1)
1O LORD our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!—
2you whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of in- fants and children;
you have set up a fortress against your enemies, to silence the foe and avenger. R
3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
4what are mere mortals that you should be mind- ful of them,
human beings that you should care for them?
5Yet you have made them little less than divine;
with glory and hon- or you crown them.
6You have made them rule over the works of your hands;
you have put all things un- der their feet:
7all flocks and cattle,
even the wild beasts of the field,
8the birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
9O LORD our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! R
Second Reading
2 Corinthians 13:11–13
Paul closes a challenging letter to the Corinthians with an appeal to Christian fellowship grounded in the triune harmony of Christ's grace, God's love, the Spirit's partnership.11Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.13The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Gospel
Matthew 28:16–20
After his resurrection, Jesus summons his remaining disciples and commissions them to baptize and teach all nations in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Genesis 1:1—2:4a
This first creation story reached its current form during the crisis of the Babylonian exile of the people of Israel. God, not their captors' god Marduk, was responsible for their existence. God created women and men as rulers over creation, to preserve and protect it. God also rested on the seventh day, hallowing that day forever as the Sabbath.
Chapter 1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the 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. 3Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.6And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.9And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.14And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16God made the two great lights — the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night — and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.20And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky." 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.26Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."27So God created humankind in his image,in the image of God he created them;male and female he created them.28God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." 29God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Chapter 2Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 8
How majestic is your name in all the earth! (Ps. 8:1)
1O LORD our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!—
2you whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of in- fants and children;
you have set up a fortress against your enemies, to silence the foe and avenger. R
3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
4what are mere mortals that you should be mind- ful of them,
human beings that you should care for them?
5Yet you have made them little less than divine;
with glory and hon- or you crown them.
6You have made them rule over the works of your hands;
you have put all things un- der their feet:
7all flocks and cattle,
even the wild beasts of the field,
8the birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
9O LORD our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! R
Second Reading
2 Corinthians 13:11–13
Paul closes a challenging letter to the Corinthians with an appeal to Christian fellowship grounded in the triune harmony of Christ's grace, God's love, the Spirit's partnership.11Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.13The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Gospel
Matthew 28:16–20
After his resurrection, Jesus summons his remaining disciples and commissions them to baptize and teach all nations in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Sermon: Pentecost 2008
Being that I am not particularly gym savvy, I have a personal trainer. Her name is Caitlyn, and I meet with her once a week so that she can show me how to work-out. The first time I met her, she made me work so hard I had to stop because I thought I was going to puke in the middle of the gym. I often refer to her by terrible names, because every time I leave a session with her I kind of hobble away in pain. She is mean. She is tough. But, as I sat around thinking about Pentecost, I kept hearing her words in my mind.
Caitlyn is always pushing me to lift weights that I think are too heavy for a regular person like me. She constantly wants to add more, and every time that I think I have pushed myself as far as I can go, every time I think that my body might actually turn into jello, she tells me, use your breath. Use your breath and push it out. And so I take a deep breath until it fills me up, and when I push it out, those muscles find a little more reserve.
Today, Pentecost, is a day of breath. That Holy Spirit we celebrate on this Sunday is the very breath of God. In the Old Testament that spirit is called ruach or wind, here, in the greek, pneuma can be breath or spirit. It is the force God breathed into Adam in the creation story, it is the spirit that moved over the waters, separating earth from sky, it is the breath that fell from the lips of Jesus as he died. It is the very same breath that came hurtling through the room in Jerusalem, so filling those gathered that they starting speaking languages they didn’t even know, the very same breath that made them feel as if they were on fire as they told the stories of what God had done. The very breath that sent them out of that room, and into the middle of a crowd who heard the word of God in their native language, who understood what God had done.
It is the very same breath that Peter promised would make sons and daughters prophesy, old men and women dream dreams, slaves and free speak God’s word. It is the breath, the spirit poured out on all flesh, that promises all may see and know what God has done, and what God continues to do. Because it didn’t end with the death of Jesus, it didn’t even end with Easter, it didn’t end with ascension of Jesus to sit at the right hand of God, it didn’t end- because God’s very breath is still enlivening us, filling us, helping us to push just a little more, to push the bounds of our hopes and dreams a little farther.
Kelly Fryer is a Lutheran visionary, a person I very much respect. She has written several books. She regularly speaks at conferences. The last time I saw her, she asked us to consider how we know that the direction we are going is where God wants us to go. She asked us to consider how we know that we feel the Holy Spirit. I thought really hard, hoping to come up with something that sounded very spiritual and deep. She said that she knows the Holy Spirit is pushing her somewhere when she feels like she is going to throw up.
And that is because the celebration of Pentecost is not a celebration of a soft breeze, it is a celebration of a wind so hot, a holy hurricane that is more likely to set us on fire than tickle us. The breath of God had those gathered in Jerusalem so filled with God’s dream for the world that the church swelled from a handful to three thousand. They couldn’t walk away from what they had seen, the quiet started preaching, the scared started testifying, the lonely found themselves sharing the love of God with their neighbors. That hot wind fifty days after Easter pushed them out of their safe places, made them push just a little farther, try something just a little more daring, do something just a bit different.
Today, on Pentecost Sunday, the words of my trainer are God’s words for us. Use your breath, the breath of God that Jesus sent to remain with us. Use your breath, because God always wants to push us a little farther. God challenges us to come flying out of our safe places and into the streets, preaching and teaching, dreaming and prophesying about what God has done and what God continues to do in the world around us.
Our problem, as the people of God, is not that we dare to dream. It is that our dreams are too small. Our dreams are perhaps to see someone new in worship every once and awhile, or perhaps to have a balanced budget every few years. Our dreams are that perhaps we’ll see a few more babies, our dreams are for things that might actually happen. Our dreams are small enough that we don’t have to be really disappointed if they don’t work out. Pentecost, dear friends, reminds us that those tiny little dreams aren’t God’s dreams. God’s dreams are so big that they can’t be boxed up, God’s dreams are so big that we can’t even see the whole picture, only tiny glimpses of the movement of the spirit. God’s dreams are that we are so set on fire with the passion, vision, and mission of God, that we can’t hold it in anymore. God’s dreams are for a world filled with God’s kingdom, a world transformed and renewed by the very breath of God.
On Pentecost, we remind ourselves that the church was born from pushing the boundaries a little farther. The church was born from people speaking languages they didn’t know, from people stumbling out into the streets to proclaim the mighty deeds of God. The church was born in excitement, in passion, in dreams and in visions.
Do we really believe that? This Sunday, all decked out in our red shirts, looking at the red plants, the fiery banners, do we really believe that God is all about setting us on fire? Do we really want the Spirit to blow in through this sanctuary and push us into things beyond our biggest dreams? Or, does God seem like he has gotten a little tired out, perhaps more interested in keeping us afloat than in rocking the world around us?
There are times I meet with Caitlyn, and I think there is no way my body can do more than it has done before. There are times I walk into this building and I think there is no way we can do more than we have already done. There are times I look at the statistics about the ELCA, dropping in membership and I think, there is no way God is really interested in transforming our lives. Perhaps God is more interested in waiting with us until the church dies out. But, Pentecost reminds us that the body of Christ, the church can always push more. Jesus Christ promised to send us the spirit, a spirit to set us on fire, to renew us and enliven us and be with us. We can use our breath, use that Holy Breath that is enough to fill dust with life, that Holy Breath that is enough to set people on fire, that Holy Breath that pushes us and changes us and draws us to new life. Use that Holy Breath, and see the world transformed. Amen.
Caitlyn is always pushing me to lift weights that I think are too heavy for a regular person like me. She constantly wants to add more, and every time that I think I have pushed myself as far as I can go, every time I think that my body might actually turn into jello, she tells me, use your breath. Use your breath and push it out. And so I take a deep breath until it fills me up, and when I push it out, those muscles find a little more reserve.
Today, Pentecost, is a day of breath. That Holy Spirit we celebrate on this Sunday is the very breath of God. In the Old Testament that spirit is called ruach or wind, here, in the greek, pneuma can be breath or spirit. It is the force God breathed into Adam in the creation story, it is the spirit that moved over the waters, separating earth from sky, it is the breath that fell from the lips of Jesus as he died. It is the very same breath that came hurtling through the room in Jerusalem, so filling those gathered that they starting speaking languages they didn’t even know, the very same breath that made them feel as if they were on fire as they told the stories of what God had done. The very breath that sent them out of that room, and into the middle of a crowd who heard the word of God in their native language, who understood what God had done.
It is the very same breath that Peter promised would make sons and daughters prophesy, old men and women dream dreams, slaves and free speak God’s word. It is the breath, the spirit poured out on all flesh, that promises all may see and know what God has done, and what God continues to do. Because it didn’t end with the death of Jesus, it didn’t even end with Easter, it didn’t end with ascension of Jesus to sit at the right hand of God, it didn’t end- because God’s very breath is still enlivening us, filling us, helping us to push just a little more, to push the bounds of our hopes and dreams a little farther.
Kelly Fryer is a Lutheran visionary, a person I very much respect. She has written several books. She regularly speaks at conferences. The last time I saw her, she asked us to consider how we know that the direction we are going is where God wants us to go. She asked us to consider how we know that we feel the Holy Spirit. I thought really hard, hoping to come up with something that sounded very spiritual and deep. She said that she knows the Holy Spirit is pushing her somewhere when she feels like she is going to throw up.
And that is because the celebration of Pentecost is not a celebration of a soft breeze, it is a celebration of a wind so hot, a holy hurricane that is more likely to set us on fire than tickle us. The breath of God had those gathered in Jerusalem so filled with God’s dream for the world that the church swelled from a handful to three thousand. They couldn’t walk away from what they had seen, the quiet started preaching, the scared started testifying, the lonely found themselves sharing the love of God with their neighbors. That hot wind fifty days after Easter pushed them out of their safe places, made them push just a little farther, try something just a little more daring, do something just a bit different.
Today, on Pentecost Sunday, the words of my trainer are God’s words for us. Use your breath, the breath of God that Jesus sent to remain with us. Use your breath, because God always wants to push us a little farther. God challenges us to come flying out of our safe places and into the streets, preaching and teaching, dreaming and prophesying about what God has done and what God continues to do in the world around us.
Our problem, as the people of God, is not that we dare to dream. It is that our dreams are too small. Our dreams are perhaps to see someone new in worship every once and awhile, or perhaps to have a balanced budget every few years. Our dreams are that perhaps we’ll see a few more babies, our dreams are for things that might actually happen. Our dreams are small enough that we don’t have to be really disappointed if they don’t work out. Pentecost, dear friends, reminds us that those tiny little dreams aren’t God’s dreams. God’s dreams are so big that they can’t be boxed up, God’s dreams are so big that we can’t even see the whole picture, only tiny glimpses of the movement of the spirit. God’s dreams are that we are so set on fire with the passion, vision, and mission of God, that we can’t hold it in anymore. God’s dreams are for a world filled with God’s kingdom, a world transformed and renewed by the very breath of God.
On Pentecost, we remind ourselves that the church was born from pushing the boundaries a little farther. The church was born from people speaking languages they didn’t know, from people stumbling out into the streets to proclaim the mighty deeds of God. The church was born in excitement, in passion, in dreams and in visions.
Do we really believe that? This Sunday, all decked out in our red shirts, looking at the red plants, the fiery banners, do we really believe that God is all about setting us on fire? Do we really want the Spirit to blow in through this sanctuary and push us into things beyond our biggest dreams? Or, does God seem like he has gotten a little tired out, perhaps more interested in keeping us afloat than in rocking the world around us?
There are times I meet with Caitlyn, and I think there is no way my body can do more than it has done before. There are times I walk into this building and I think there is no way we can do more than we have already done. There are times I look at the statistics about the ELCA, dropping in membership and I think, there is no way God is really interested in transforming our lives. Perhaps God is more interested in waiting with us until the church dies out. But, Pentecost reminds us that the body of Christ, the church can always push more. Jesus Christ promised to send us the spirit, a spirit to set us on fire, to renew us and enliven us and be with us. We can use our breath, use that Holy Breath that is enough to fill dust with life, that Holy Breath that is enough to set people on fire, that Holy Breath that pushes us and changes us and draws us to new life. Use that Holy Breath, and see the world transformed. Amen.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Weekly Texts: Pentecost 2008
First Reading
Acts 2:1–21
Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival that marked the fiftieth day after Passover. Luke portrays the Holy Spirit being poured out upon the disciples before the gathered and astonished people assembled in Jerusalem for the festival. Filled with the Spirit, the disciples were able to witness to the power of Christ's resurrection.When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs — in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:17'In the last days it will be, God declares,that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,and your young men shall see visions,and your old men shall dream dreams.18Even upon my slaves, both men and women,in those days I will pour out my Spirit;and they shall prophesy.19And I will show portents in the heaven aboveand signs on the earth below,blood, and fire, and smoky mist.20The sun shall be turned to darknessand the moon to blood,before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 12:3b–13
Paul is helping the Corinthians understand the relationship between our God-given unity and Spirit-created diversity. The Spirit creates the unity of faith and gives all Christians diverse gifts for the common benefit of all. We need one another's diverse spiritual gifts, because the same Spirit has given them to each person for the common good.3bAnd no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Gospel
John 20:19–23
The risen Jesus appears to his disciples, offering them a benediction, a commission, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
Acts 2:1–21
Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival that marked the fiftieth day after Passover. Luke portrays the Holy Spirit being poured out upon the disciples before the gathered and astonished people assembled in Jerusalem for the festival. Filled with the Spirit, the disciples were able to witness to the power of Christ's resurrection.When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs — in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:17'In the last days it will be, God declares,that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,and your young men shall see visions,and your old men shall dream dreams.18Even upon my slaves, both men and women,in those days I will pour out my Spirit;and they shall prophesy.19And I will show portents in the heaven aboveand signs on the earth below,blood, and fire, and smoky mist.20The sun shall be turned to darknessand the moon to blood,before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 12:3b–13
Paul is helping the Corinthians understand the relationship between our God-given unity and Spirit-created diversity. The Spirit creates the unity of faith and gives all Christians diverse gifts for the common benefit of all. We need one another's diverse spiritual gifts, because the same Spirit has given them to each person for the common good.3bAnd no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Gospel
John 20:19–23
The risen Jesus appears to his disciples, offering them a benediction, a commission, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
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