IPLC Sermon Blog

Sermon on Lent 5C- March 21, 2010

2010-03-25T14:09:00.001-07:00

The Holy Gospel According to John 12:1-8…

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ²There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. ³Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ⁵Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor? ⁶(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) ⁷Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

The Gospel of the Lord…

Have you ever stood on a threshold? I remember when I ate my breakfast on the very first day I was going to be in the office here at IPLC. I was completely terrified, and at the very same time, so excited I was barely able to make it through an entire meal sitting down. I was ready to do the work I had been training for years to do, I wanted to stretch my legs and run right into the work of ministry, and at the same time, I was pretty sure I was going to fall all over myself at every turn.

How many of us have waited for that first day- the first day of a new job, a new marriage, a new move. How many of us have stood on the threshold of retirement, a brand new ministry, or a calling to work that seems beyond our capabilities? These thresholds carry every emotion you can imagine with them- excitement, but fear, hope, but sadness, dreams and visions, but perhaps a nightmare as well.

Today, we stand on a threshold, and we stand here with our ancestors of faith through time. This is the last Sunday of our Lenten season, and so on this day, we say goodbye to the season of repentance and renewal, and look forward to journey to the cross. It is both exciting and scary, standing here. But we don’t stand here alone.

We hear the story of our ancestors as they waited in exile in Babylon. They were not home, and yearned for a new thing- and the prophet Isaiah reminded them of their history- of their journey through the red sea, as they stood at the edge of water, seeing its depth spread before them and heard at their heels the gallop of pharaoh’s army. God brought them through that sea, rescued them from their oppression, led them to the Promised Land- led them home. But now, many years later, they wait in exile, captured by and army and brought out to a place that is not their own. So they stand on the threshold of a new future, a new thing that God is doing, a thing that they can barely perceive, let alone trust. A path is going to be made in the wilderness, a river is about to flow in the desert. And they stand on the threshold of a future so unbelievable that it is almost a dream.

But it isn’t just these wandering Israelites who stand on a threshold, our very Savior waits in that place before the wheels begin turning and death comes closer than any of his friends ever could have imagined. We find him this day at his friends’ house, dining with Martha and Mary. We know these sisters, and we most certainly know their brother. Lazarus dines at the table with them, lest we imagine that death does not fill the room. Lazarus, the friend Jesus wept over, shares this meal with him, Lazarus who is barely out of the tomb in which he was buried, Lazarus who lives because Jesus called him out of death, sits at the table with Jesus, the one who will soon be in his own tomb. The air must have been heavy.

Standing a threshold can make you do crazy things. Sometimes when I find myself in this palce, see something opening in front of me, everything makes me cry. I’ll hear a song, sing a hymn, get an email or hear a kind word, and I just start crying. The edginess of a threshold makes us so vulnerable, so open to feeling the in-breaking of the kingdom that we often find ourselves tearing up. Martha, the sister who plans, finds herself on this threshold preparing another meal. She’s done this before, and she’s complained about it. My guess is, she serves by feeding. But her sister, well, Mary has always been the wild card, in our text for today, she is how she always has been. The meal is interrupted, because this sister Mary comes into the dining room, carrying with her a bottle of perfume that would have cost a year’s wages from an average person, and she breaks it open, uncorks it and pours it on the feet of Jesus. We don’t know if she does it because she is so thankful her brother is alive again, we don’t know if she can see a death that is already being planned for Jesus in Jerusalem, we don’t know if she is just so amazed at who Jesus is that she decides to go all the way down the road of vulnerability and show her love for him the most extravagant of ways. But, in that room with her brother only one foot of out of the grave, Mary pours a year’s worth of wages on the feet of her savior, undoes her long hair, and wipes his feet tenderly with each strand. And the entire house is filled with the fragrance of Mary’s sacrifice.

Standing on the threshold of what is unfolding before them, Mary does what Jesus will soon do over a meal with his friends, tying a towel around his waist and washing their feet. He will remind them that when we love each other, we serve each other. We’ve been told to love one another, because Jesus loved us.

There is a profound weightiness to both of these texts, and a choice. In Isaiah we hear the story of what God has already done, how God has already set the people free, led them through the wilderness, saved them from the oppression and the army of Pharaoh. God has made a path for these wanderers where there never was a path before, and now, as they struggle in exile in Babylon, God says that they ain’t seen nothing yet. You ain’t seen nothing yet. Because a new thing is unfolding, and standing on that threshold, these faithful people can decide to cling desperately to the past, remembering only what God has done, or they can walk boldly into the future, trusting that this new thing is so far beyond their wildest dreams that they can’t even imagine what God has in store for them.

And at the dinner table with a man who is hardly back from the grave, with his two sisters, Jesus says the very same thing. As oil is poured over his feet, and his feet are caressed by the hair of a woman who loved him and whom he loved, Jesus reminds us that we ain’t seen nothing yet. Death is coming, Jesus’ burial is coming, faster than we can imagine, but we ain’t seen nothing yet. Because this is going to be a different kind of death. A death that is beyond our wildest dreams, because God is doing a new thing.

We confront these thresholds all the time. And we get to see the past- the stories of the people of faith who have gone before us, the stories of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, the stories of the Israelites, but also, the stories of the people who used to sit next to us in this very sanctuary, the faithful departed- our mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers and friends. We get to hold on to that past, to the way we have seen God’s hand moving among us and through us, and we stare faithfully into the future, a future that we can barely dream of because God is doing a new thing, here among us, in the midst of us, making ways in the wilderness, making streams in the desert.

Sometimes it seems to get worse before it gets better, and in the next weeks we’ll experience that together. We’ll hear the cries of Hosanna as Jesus comes into Jerusalem, but we’ll also hear the cries of crucify him. We’ll see the joy and the hope and feel the fear and the anger.

And in all of it, in the unfolding on Jesus’ passion, in the unfolding of spring, in the movement of our lives, we remember that the threshold of a new season, a new place, a new future, is grounded firmly in what God has already done. In God’s unfailing love and grace. We are grounded in a past faithfulness and look toward a future that is so full of life it is like a dream. A future where paths become clear, even in the wilderness. A future where water flows like rivers, even in a desert. The past, the future, the faithfulness and the promises of our God all find us in this present moment. Right here, people with a past and people with a future, who have the gift to live in the midst of both of these things today. And as the psalmist says, then, on the thresholds of this life, then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy, they said among the nations, the Lord has done, is doing and will do great things for them. Amen, and thanks be to God.

Sermon on Lent 4C- March 14, 2010

2010-03-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Holy Gospel According to Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32…
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. ²And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."
³So he told them this parable: ^11b"There was a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. ¹³A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. ¹⁴When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. ¹⁷But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands." ' ²⁰So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' ²²But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe — the best one — and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.
²⁵Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. ²⁷He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' ²⁸Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!' ³¹Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"

The Gospel of the Lord…

Last week we heard a parable with three characters- a vineyard owner, a gardener and his fig tree. It was supposed to surprise us, wake us up, cause us to scratch our heads and ask, is that what Jesus was trying to say? This morning is no different, but perhaps a little harder. Because this morning we confront one of the most well-known and beloved parables found in our holy texts. The parable of the prodigal son.

It is a parable of grace, a parable of forgiveness. It is a parable of homecoming, where fathers hike up their robes and run down the block in order to wrap their arms around their children. We’ve seen it in pictures, most of us have heard it or even taught it in a Sunday School lesson. Which, I must tell you, makes this quite a parable to preach. I’ve heard more than a few sermons on it, and some preachers have gotten a little caught up in presenting this parable as something bright shiny and new, because we just know it too well. They preach it from every angle, from the older brother’s perspective, from the younger brother, from the father, from the other hired hands. One writer even suggested preaching from the perspective of the fatted calf!

I’m not going to try and be that creative with you today. I’m just going to tell you some stories, because what I am most struck by is the way this parable lives among us. So today, we will begin with some modern day parables.

I was called to jury duty this week. I spent most of Monday cramped up in a chair waiting to be called to a courtroom. It was tedious. I was bored. And then, they called panel 21. Along with many others, we filed through the criminal court building and into a courtroom. It was there I saw him. The defendant. He looked like he could be a child. Young. Too young, really. His suit didn’t fit well. It was too big, just like his crime. Accused of murder with a deadly weapon. I made an audible gasp when the judge read the charges, and then I couldn’t stop staring. What happened to you, I thought? What happened to you that brought you here, in a suit that is too big, accused of murdering someone? Don’t you just want to go home? Do you feel so lost, sitting there? Can you even imagine that someone might run down the road, hike up their skirts and flat out run to envelope you in their arms?

Then a chaplain friend of mine called me this week, shook up by a new case. It was the case of a young man, only our age, who had suffered his fair share of depression, who couldn’t go on even one more day. So he took a bottle of pills, and left a note. But not just one note, another handwritten note stuck to his bedroom door to make sure that the hospital knew he had a do not resuscitate order. But what he couldn’t see in the midst of his pain was who was going to be left behind, that his own father would find him and would hold his hand as he lay in a coma and beg him to open his eyes and come home. Perhaps there was no one to help him come to himself, no one to remind him that there was one more place to go as he sat in the midst of the muck and the mire that was all he could see in this life.

I think this is why this parable sticks with us. We can see ourselves and our neighbors in everyone in the text. We have been lost, lost like all of these characters. We have been lost in giving everything away, in being extravagant and lavish in our love and our trust only to face the disappointment of someone we love squandering all we have in dissolute living. We have woken up one day only to find ourselves living among the pigs, so far gone that we don’t know what happened to the grand lives we had planned. And, we have all been standing outside the door, watching the feast and celebration wondering if there really was a place for us, or if the party was always going to be about someone else.

What is supposed to surprise us about this parable? Perhaps that it lives among us, even now. We know what is like to see ourselves and each other lost in the midst of this world, and we know what it means to be found and captured by grace and mercy. Sometimes I am utterly overwhelmed by how much is lost in this world, how many people walk around like the living dead, wishing that someone would even offer them even the pods that the pigs were eating in order to help them feel alive again. Sometimes I am utterly overwhelmed by how often we are so sure that we have gotten where we are all on our own, and the idea of helping one another, of trying to offer a hand to someone in need seems like it somehow throws off the balance of the world, it is just too unfair. But most of all, I am utterly overwhelmed that the father keeps on running down the road, keeps on sharing his inheritance, keeps on giving us the means to try it all on our own, knowing full well that the deepest life is always at home, in relationship with him and with one another.

When we open our eyes to see God’s word living among us, it makes it even harder to remember the beginning of this story. Because our text for today begins as the answer to a question. Jesus is welcoming and eating with some sinners, and so the gathered crowd of religious leaders starts to grumble. And so he tells them three parables- one about a lost sheep, that the shepherd cares so deeply for he is willing to leave all the other 99 sheep out in the pasture in order to find this one. And then he tells the parable of a lost coin, one woman’s tiny coin when she already has nine others, a little coin that she turns her entire household upside down to find. And finally, he tells this story, our parable for today, about three people, and I think more than just one brother who is lost.

And, I wonder, if Jesus sat among us now, if he would tell us other stories. Perhaps a story about how somewhere in this city there sits a man who is young and broken and facing the possibility of a conviction for murder. Or perhaps the story of somewhere in this city where a father is leaning over the bed of his son, wishing that he had the chance to come home again. But it doesn’t end with just the lostness of this life, in our biblical parables or in the world around us.

Because each one of these stories ends with a celebration, a shepherd that rejoices when he finds his sheep, a woman who throws a party for all her neighbors when she shakes out the cushions and finds her coin, a father who kills the fatted calf, invites his hired hands and his friends to celebrate because life has come out of death, what was lost has been found.

We don’t know how this story ends, the best parables never tell us. We don’t know if that older brother waits outside with a scowl on his face and envy in his heart. We don’t know if that younger son becomes a different man because he has been wrapped in this kind of lavish love. I don’t know what will happen to a boy on trail or a family who has lost a son. But we do know that God is a God who searches diligently for us, who will find us no matter how far away we have gone, who will find us even when we are dead in order that we might have life. And we know that our God keeps on throwing parties, keeps on running down the road even when we are far off, keeps on inviting us to the table, because there is always room, there is always a place, there is always abundant grace and mercy to be shared. We had to celebrate and rejoice, he says, because the one who once was dead has found life, the one who was lost, has been found. Amen, and thanks be to God.

Sermon on Lent 3C- March 7, 2010

2010-03-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Holy Gospel According to Luke 13:1-9…
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? ³No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. ⁴Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them — do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
⁶Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. ⁷So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' ⁸He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

The Gospel of the Lord…

Several weeks ago I had one of those moments, that I am sure has afflicted many who listen to the radio in their car. I listen to the radio nearly every time I am in my car, and as most of us know, for many days in the last months pretty much all we heard about what the earthquake and tragedies in Haiti. It was disturbing. I heard reporters start crying as they attempted to describe the devastation. I heard the desperate voices of Haitian Americans describing their numerous and often unfruitful attempts to contact loved ones. But, my moment came a few days after the earthquake as I heard reports about the response of religious leaders. Churches, including ours, jumped to the forefront of providing relief. We, as Lutherans raised millions of dollars to help the efforts of disaster relief. We joined with Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, and others in responding to the crisis with our efforts. But our response was not the only response. Which leads to my moment. I’m driving along, and I hear that there are some religious leaders out there who are explaining the earthquake as a direct consequence and God’s condemnation for Haiti and Haitians. Their religious practices, which are surely devil worship and voodoo, led to this earthquake, God’s wrath has come down on them. These leaders proclaimed that the Haitians got what they deserved because they made a pact with the devil a long time ago.

I had to pull my car over and pray. I was ashamed that this voice was rising above the proclamation of grace in action provided by so many people of faith. Having heard the cries of children searching for parents, having seen the pictures of bodies lying on bodies, I was angry. You don’t get to put these words of condemnation in the mouth of God.

But this isn’t a new question, because we hear it in the mouths of the crowd gathered around Jesus in our text for this morning. We don’t know much about the events they are describing, but we know that they were both jarring and tragic. Pilate has apparently ordered the death of some Galileans, mingling their blood with sacrifice. And, a tower has fallen, killing 18 people unexpectedly. It is hard to make sense of the why questions. Why were these innocent people murdered? Why did a tower fall on that day at that time? Why did some survive and not others? We heard it in the news reports and the cries coming out of Haiti. Why did some die and others live? Why were there aid workers and missionaries killed, aren’t they good people? What did they do to make this happen to them?

It is when we start coming up with answers that we often end up doing more harm than good. It is when we see the tragic pictures of homes destroyed and people in pain and wonder what they did to bring this destruction upon themselves, and forget that God is sitting in that rubble with them, with a heart that was the first to break. It might be human nature to wonder why bad things happen, and it is probably equally our nature to seek to blame each other rather than live in the pain and the suffering with our brothers and sisters who struggle.

But, Jesus doesn’t give us answers to these great questions. Instead, he asks us to consider our own lives, are they worse sinners, those that have experienced deep pain and tragedy in this life? The answer is no. But, if you don’t repent, you will die as they did.

I read these words about a million times this week. I read them backward and forward, because I wanted to hear promise. And it just sounded like a harsh warning. Unless you repent, you will perish. Ouch.

Tragedy has a way of making us think about our own mortality. I was in college in Michigan when the twin towers fell on 9/11, but within minutes both of my parents were calling me, wanting to make sure I was okay. Hundreds of miles away, seeing those buildings crumble made most of us wonder how long our lives will last. Churches, including mine, were packed that day, as people of faith gathered to pray. Repent or not, the one thing we try to get comfortable talking about here in this sanctuary is that we know we are going to die. None of us can live forever, and sometimes death comes too soon. And it is scary, and it makes us think about how we live today.

So, Jesus tells a parable. Every time that we confront a parable in our gospels, we should be prepared for a shock and surprise, because these stories aren’t fables. When we hear them we are often meant to think that we are one person in the story only realize that who we thought we were doesn’t always end up garnering favor. These parables are supposed to wake us up.

The parable is about a vineyard owner, his gardener and a tree. The landowner goes out to the tree, looking for figs, and finds none. Not a one. He calls over the gardener, cut it down, I have waited for three years, and still nothing- why does it waste the soil? Cut it down! The gardener, quick to reply, asks for just one more year. One more year of putting manure on the roots, one more year of tending, one more year of making sure this little tree gets plenty of water and sun. And the parable ends. We don’t know what happened after that one more year.

It sounds like Jesus is giving a little shout out to his old cousin John the Baptist, the one who lived on the riverbank and ate locusts and honey calling people to repentance. John warned those gathered crowds that if they didn’t get their lives in order, the coming messiah was going to take an ax to their root system. There were also a few tough lines about unquenchable fire. This might be what makes us read this parable and think it is all about judgment. Repent, or die.

But I don’t think that is what this is about at all, and I think that is the most surprising part. I don’t think this is about threats, I think this is about promise. One more year, the gardener says. One more year, and I refuse to give up. One more year, and I am going to do everything in my power to give this fig tree life. One more year.

It isn’t a threat, repent or die, it is a promise, repentance leads to life. Letting go of the sin and the sorrow that drag us down, being generous of spirit and heart, speaking peace and doing justice, reaching out hands of mercy to brothers and sisters who experience tragedy in this sanctuary and around the world, these are the beginnings of life that bears fruit. These are the signs that this is a good year for figs.

I have been approached on several occasions by street evangelists. Every so often I’ll be walking around, minding my own business, and suddenly there will be someone in front of me, thrusting tracts into my hands with some serious worry about my salvation. If you die tonight, what will happen to your soul? They look at me afraid and concerned.

Perhaps they don’t know that it isn’t fear that will keep me awake at night wondering what will happen. What should be keeping us awake at night is the sheer promise of the gift of life, one more day, one more minute, one more second to proclaim love and forgiveness to the world. One more minute to love boldly. One more second to say we’re sorry. One more moment to choose life, real life, in grace of God. One more hour to spend telling the story of what that gardener has done for us. Amen.

Sermon- 18th Sunday after Pentecost

2009-10-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Gospel According to Mark 10: 2-16

2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ 3He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ 4They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ 5But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 6But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” 7“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,* 8and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’
10 Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’
Jesus Blesses Little Children
13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

This text is the background for the first sermon I ever preached in this congregation three years ago today. I’ll be the first to tell you that things haven’t gotten any easier! I imagine that none of you are surprised to read this text in the bible- whether divorced, single, married, or some place in between, this text isn’t a secret. I am the child of divorced parents- and I remember hearing these verses read in church and thinking, my parents are in trouble. It seemed that they did not do what God wanted.
Now, it would be easy to spend a little time in the Hebrews text for today, even in the text from Genesis, but the words of this passage from Mark sound out in our sanctuary in such a way that they just beg for us to look deeper. They are the elephant in the room this morning. Let me begin by saying that we wade into this text with some fear and trembling, knowing that each one of us brings an experience to God’s word this morning that is significant. I bring the pain of divorce as I experienced it as a five year old girl. Some of you bring the pain of divorce in your own relationships, or in the relationships of children or loved ones. Too often this text has been used as more of a weapon than a tool. Instead of looking deeply into what Jesus might be saying, holding it gently, this text can become a way of knocking people upside the head. Don’t get divorced. As if that is the only answer to the complicated question of human relationships. To the complexity of our human experience God does not answer with a simple yes or no. Always, always, we read our texts as they are wrapped in grace. So with grace at the forefront of our minds let’s dig a bit deeper.
Our text begins with the Pharisees coming to Jesus once again. Now, it was only a few weeks ago that we remember these Pharisees coming to Jesus to ask a different question. They are a set of religious leaders who are intent on bring the community back to the law. To the Pharisees the ignorance of the law has led to the brokenness of their community, anything but the law puts the people in danger, and moves them further away from the religious structure of the day. And when the Pharisees come to Jesus, we often see a little glimmer of bad intent in their question. They don’t really want to know the answer. They just want Jesus to say the wrong thing, so that the one who says he came to abolish the law, who flagrantly ignores parts of what is so important to these Pharisees might get into some trouble. So, these Pharisees approach Jesus to ask him a question- is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?
Simple answer- yes. Moses wrote the law, so it is lawful. These Pharisees obviously know the answer- they are teachers of the law! But, it is even trickier to answer than at first glance. First, the Jewish community was divided on the interpretation of the law. Some suggested that a man could only divorce his wife if she committed adultery. Other communities suggested that it was permissible if she did anything that displeased him. Rarely, if ever, could a woman divorce her husband. And, not only that, but we ought not forget that only a few chapters ago Jesus’ own cousin, John the Baptist, lost his head after condemning the King for divorcing his wife in order to marry his brother’s wife. So, this question of divorce has a lot riding on it.
So we have this question hanging in the air, and it appears that Jesus isn’t ready to give a simple answer. Is it lawful to divorce? Why doesn’t he just answer yes or no? Why not give a simple answer to this simple question? Apparently, because it isn’t so simple. When faced with this tricky questions Jesus has a way of leaving the question behind and bring scripture to the foreground.
So he tells them the story from the beginning when God created. God made all of creation that they might be joined together. And the hardness of heart buried deep within that creation got in the way, and Moses wrote for the people the commandment. What God has joined together, no one should separate. That’s all Jesus tells those questioning Pharisees. The rest comes later.
Many of us have heard these words used as a way to explain who should and shouldn’t be allowed to get married. I don’t think Jesus is saying much about that here, actually. He is saying some pretty difficult stuff, especially for us who are so frequently touched by divorce.
But, let’s keep going. Alone with the disciples Jesus goes even further, saying that whoever divorces and marries another commits adultery.
Geez. We could do some textual backflips and try to make it seem like Jesus wasn’t really saying what he said. I don’t think that is fair to this text. We can just say it is bound in time and walk away. Or we can even say that if something like this exists in scripture than this is not the kind of community we want to be a part of. But, imagine with me that Jesus is saying something difficult about divorce. And here’s what I think he is saying:
Divorce hurts. Divorce hurts. As the child of a divorce, I can tell you, Jesus is right, it hurts. Divorce hurts and God cares. Divorce is literally the ripping apart of two that have become one. And when we rip apart relationships it just plain hurts. I don’t care if you are married in a church, in a courtroom or in another kind of ceremony that seals your union- when we unite in those intimate ways with the person most important in our lives, when that relationship breaks, when that vulnerable, intimate relationship is ended it hurts. It hurts and God grieves.
I think the greatest lesson we can gather from this text is not about divorce being a yes or a no, but about divorce being something that goes against God’s intention for our creation. Anyone who has been touched by divorce knows this to be true. This is not what a family would choose, this is not what partners would choose. But it happens, and when it does, we come with deep grief, and deep pain. Knowing this is not how anyone wanted it to be. Now, please hear this, divorce is not tied to salvation. Divorce is not even tied to God’s love for you. You need not be concerned about your salvation, because that is a gift of grace through faith. And because we know that God loves us, despite ourselves, even when we break covenantal relationships with each other, we can hear this text with new ears. When our community is broken, especially when our community is broken by divorce, God deeply cares. God’s care for the most vulnerable, for children, for widows, for those plunged into the vulnerability of life by the act of divorce, God deeply cares. Jesus deeply cares. What has been brought together can only be broken by the most painful of actions.
But beyond the question of divorce, Jesus seems a bit more confused and distressed by the hardheartedness that wins the day. Men are permitted to divorce their wives when something better comes along, casting these women out with no safety net because their hearts are hardened. The disciples ignore the plight of children being brought to Jesus in order to receive a healing touch because their hearts are hardened. What Jesus cares most deeply about, in our text, is those who are left out, those who are most broken, most vulnerable, most alone. The work of God through Jesus is always to bring unity, to bring healing where things and people have been torn apart.
When we come to the table together, we are broken and we are hurting, we are divorced and we are married, single and in committed relationships, we are men and we are women, we are children and we are adults. God cares, God cares deeply for us, whatever we bring to the table, because that is who God is. Jesus cares for the most vulnerable above all else, seeking to heal what is broken in our world and in our lives. And because of that deep care, we are able to eat of one bread and one body, we take the flesh of Christ into our own flesh, and we are recreated, healed, and united. Our hard heartedness might fall away, for just a moment. That we might see in this bread and wine the one who is most concerned, who is most grieved by our brokenness, who is most with us in our pain and in our struggle. The one who can never be torn from us, because we have been joined to Christ in baptism. And what God has brought together in this, no one, even ourselves, can ever separate. Amen, and thanks be to God.

Sermon- 17th Sunday after Pentecost

2009-10-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Gospel According to Mark 9:38-50

38 John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone* casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ 39But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. 40Whoever is not against us is for us. 41For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
Temptations to Sin
42 ‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me,* it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell,* to the unquenchable fire.* 45And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell.*,* 47And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,* 48where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
49 ‘For everyone will be salted with fire.* 50Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it?* Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’

$7,909.62, 24 hours, not one single set of verses read together. This is the stuff of Salvation on the Small Screen, a book written by an emerging church Lutheran pastor named Nadia Bolz-Weber. She is challenged to spend 24 consecutive hours watching Trinity Broadcast Network, a 24 hour cable channel dedicated commercial free, inspirational programming.
$7,909.62 is the total of all the items offered for sale on this commercial free channel. Dvd’s, bibles, even Faberge style eggs. 24 hours is the challenge. Recording her responses and the responses of family and friends fill the pages of her book. She calls her task- Christian Fear Factor.
Now, I lived my own little share of Christian Fear Factor in college. I grew up Lutheran, along with all that might mean. No one ever told me growing up that I needed to ask Jesus into my heart, we didn’t talk a lot about the devil, Sunday texts were always from the lectionary, not to supplement a sermon series, I never heard the phrase spiritual warfare until college. I could talk up and down about saint and sinner, I knew pretty much all the words to A Mighty Fortress, I was a big fan of Martin Luther.
So, I pack myself up, and for a reason I still don’t truly understand, I drove down to Hope College, a small Christian Reformed school in West Michigan. I am one of the few Lutherans on campus, and everyone else seems to know music I’ve never heard before, in fact, they seem to know a Jesus I’ve never met before. They can pull verses out of the bible like no tomorrow. And, because I’m in college, and because I have always had a bit of a rebellious streak, I decide that I’m going to be the liberal Lutheran voice on campus.
All of this sets the scene for an evening during my senior year. We had worship three times a week, and a big worship service on Sunday evenings. I’m there, with all my friends, none of whom are Lutheran, and most who think I’m a little off my rocker. Worship is great, I’ll give it that. The huge worship space is packed. It is energetic and enthusiastic. People are there because they really love Jesus. Worship ends, and another student taps me on the shoulder. Brooke, he says, I just have to tell you, God’s laying this on my heart, I’m worried about your salvation.
Wait. I’m Lutheran. We aren’t a people who can worry about our salvation. We can’t do it, because we know once we start we’ll never stop. So we give all the stuff of salvation over to God. That’s what my people do- we trust in grace alone. We don’t worry.
For the writer of Salvation on the Small Screen, and for myself, I must tell you, I would really like to get some of the disciples from our gospel today with me to say, “We saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he is not with us!” I’d like to get a little Joshua response from our Old Testament lesson and say, “They don’t get to prophesy! Lord you must stop them!”
For those of us that gather here Sunday after Sunday, my deep hope is that we are Lutheran for a reason. It isn’t just because this is the closest church and we don’t want to have to walk too far on a Sunday morning. I hope that in this place we have found a way of seeing God that seems true, that bears the fruits of the spirit, that soothes our souls and connects us with something bigger than ourselves. I’m a Lutheran pastor because I love being a Lutheran- I love living into the questions, I love that we don’t know all the answers, we have such a deep theological tradition that I really can’t imagine being anything else.
The disciples and I are of the same tribe. They are nine chapters into the gospel of Mark, and even if they keep getting confused and they always seem to be one step behind, they aren’t going anywhere yet. They are following Jesus, even when he keeps telling them things they don’t want to hear. They want to be with him, maybe even be like him.
So, no surprise, when someone starts casting out demons in Jesus’ name they are the first to put a stop to that crazy business. You don’t get to do that unless you are with us, you don’t get to do that unless you are one of us. I mean, how is Jesus supposed to know that these demon casters are even good theologians? How is he supposed to know that they are worthy of the ability to cast out demons? We must remember, only a few scenes earlier in our text, the disciples themselves couldn’t cast a demon out, so how can these outsiders be doing the business of disciples?
It’s pretty scary when we get a glimpse into the methods God will use to bring about the kingdom. It’s pretty scary to look straight in the face of someone who is worried about my salvation because I’m a bit too liberal, and realize that God is going to use him, just like God uses me to bring about God’s purpose for the world. God is going to use the Lutherans and the evangelicals and everyone else in between, and that is a hard truth, because it means that those holes in our theology? They are getting filled by someone else. Those thin parts of our tradition? Someone else might be getting it a bit closer to right than us.
But, that does not mean that anything goes. I can tell you, if you leave this sanctuary this morning and start quizzing people at work about their salvation, you’ve probably missed the point. Because, there are consequences, and Jesus makes them all sound pretty harsh. Cut off your hand, pluck out your eye, cut off your leg. Put a millstone around your neck and jump in Lake Michigan. Cause a little one to stumble, and it would be better to lose your tongue than continue on that path.
This is the part I would rather ignore. Jesus just sounds harsh. He is demanding and serious, and not warm and fuzzy and holding babies like last week. There is fire and salt, and body part plucking. Jesus sounds like he should be the first one in line to tell that renegade demon caster that he better get with them or he is against them. Jesus is not kidding around when it comes to sin, and the stumbling of believers.
This is serious stuff, the stuff of sin and relationship to one another. The stuff of God’s kingdom and the ways that we break our relationships with others and with God. How serious? Serious enough that we ought to be cutting off those parts of ourselves that cause others to stumble, serious enough that we don’t just pretend everything is okay, we know that we get it wrong again and again and again. Law and gospel is the stuff of our lives- and the law is not a teeny tiny blip on the screen- we ought not live in ways that break down our neighbors, that silence them and cut them off from God, we ought not teach in ways that break relationship with God, or reinforce sins of injustice. But along with that law, we always see gospel. The Gospel of freedom, the gospel of promise, the gospel that is our salvation.
God uses all of us, broken sinners with incorrect teaching and broken relationships. God uses us, even when we seek to silence one another. Knowing who God is, and how far God will go, and who gets to be in the circle with us, it is pretty scary stuff. As in the book of Numbers, the Lord has put the spirit on you, on me, on our friends who disagree with us, and on disciples who just don’t get it. And for that, with fear and faith, we say, thanks be to God. Amen.

Sermon- 16th Sunday after Pentecost

2009-10-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

The Gospel According to Mark 9:30-37
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ 32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Who Is the Greatest?
33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.

“You faithless generation- how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you?”
They were afraid. They were afraid, and they seem to be afraid pretty much all the time. Perhaps it is because it was only one scene earlier when Jesus said that to them, ‘how much longer must I put up with you?’ At every turn, these twelve disciples just don’t understand. They just don’t believe. They just can’t figure him out. And Jesus is starting to get a little short with them. How much longer must I put up with you?
He is talking about dying again. They still don’t understand, it is a bit of a refrain in the gospel of Mark. Jesus tells them what is in store, and they don’t really know what he is talking about. But, surely they remember him yelling at them only moments earlier, when a little boy lay sick and possessed by a demon, foaming at the mouth and writhing on the ground. The disciples can’t cast it out. They don’t know why. Jesus makes it look so simple. And then Jesus is stern with them, and they still don’t know what they have done wrong, and it just gets more confusing and so they stop talking.
Well, that is not exactly true. They stop talking about Jesus dying. They stop asking questions. When they don’t understand, instead of confessing him to be the Messiah like Peter last week, those gathered disciples remain silent. They are afraid to say anything, because they seem to keep landing on the wrong thing. They are afraid to ask Jesus, because he seems tired of their questions and they never seem to get it right.
So, because the dying stuff seems to be the most confusing, the disciples choose to take the silent approach. But, they aren’t ready to remain silent on all questions. In fact, on their walk from Galilee to Capernum, they are having a pretty heated argument- about who is the greatest.
Bizarre, right? I mean, who among us walks with a friend and lists out all those things that make us the greatest? We’re smart, charming, earn a good salary, volunteer for the right committees, have a happy family, find time to go to the gym… this is not the way we have been raised to talk about ourselves. Who among us wonders if they are the greatest? But, argue on this point those disciples do.
Who among them is the greatest? We don’t know if they resolve the argument, or if they are each harboring one really great comeback to defend or assert their position when Jesus asks them what they have been talking about. Silence. When it comes to telling Jesus what is knocking around in their heads, nothing seems to come out of their mouths. Maybe because they are afraid again. Afraid to ask the wrong questions, say the wrong things, not get it one more time.
It is easy to get afraid these days. There is a fair amount of fear going around in the larger Lutheran church. Not too many weeks ago, the greater church made some decisions regarding sexuality that are pretty tough for some to swallow. As I heard speakers at that churchwide assembly, many of them cried because it felt like the church they knew has been ripped away from them. But, other speakers would come to the microphone and cry because it felt as if the church they loved left them high and dry once they thought about bringing their same sex partner around to worship.
The fear has been building for a long time. Fear for some that the church will split in half, that we won’t be the people we have always been. Fear for others that they just can’t take another no, they just can’t take another disappointment, they just can’t deny their call to ministry and their sexual orientation anymore.
The fear is building. Some people are talking about leaving, some churches are wondering if they can still be a part of the ELCA anymore. The fear is building. Some are talking about death. The death of our faith. The death of the ELCA. Some say it is inevitable. Others suggest that we have just taken the first step toward being the church Jesus calls us to be.
When the fear builds, it seems like some of us get a little silent, and start the wrong conversation. We start talking about which churches are the most accepting, which churches are the most progressive, which churches are stuck in the past, which ones are inevitably going to leave. Urban, rural, suburban, inner city. The lines get drawn. Who is happy and who is sad? Who is angry and who rejoices? Who is the greatest at welcoming? Who is the greatest at remaining true to the gospel?
We might not be willing to say it out loud, but a lot of us are talking about who is the greatest among us, and we’re missing the point. It isn’t about who is growing and who is dying. It is easy to spend our time talking about growth rates when we’re just plain afraid. It is easy to make lists and congratulate ourselves or think longer and harder about snappy comebacks for those who disagree with us.
Ordering ourselves when we are afraid is the easiest of things. Marking our territory, making a list of who is in and who is out makes the fear a little less poignant, a little less severe. Congratulating ourselves or wondering if now is time to walk away doesn’t help us to live into the fear, it just makes its boundaries even more clear.
Jesus tells those disciples, that all the ordering, all the one-upping, all the self-congratulation, it really isn’t the main thing anymore. The main thing is being a servant. The main thing is being last of all, not first. The main thing isn’t self-congratulation, but self-service.
They sit around him, and Jesus takes a child and puts it in their midst. It seems like it must be a pretty cute scene, right? A baby held in the arms of Jesus, welcomed into the circle. But it isn’t meant to be cute. It isn’t meant to be cuddly. Children, in the ancient world, were the most disposable of commodities, they often didn’t live into adulthood, and weren’t of much value until they could serve the family. So Jesus isn’t giving these disciples a lesson in loving babies, he’s giving them a lesson in seeing the world through new eyes. If they are looking for Jesus, they ought to be looking to those on the outside of the circle. That’s where he is going to be. That’s where God is going to be.
The fear turns us in on ourselves, but Jesus isn’t having any of that. Those left out in the cold, those who can’t see God anymore, it is in their company that Jesus is going to be hanging out. Because that is what he does- that’s the kind of God he is. Not the God of the self-congratulators, but a God of the losers and the broken.
After the votes made by our larger church, many wept openly. I was certainly getting out the Kleenex myself. I couldn’t help but cry for my brothers and sisters who finally feel like they have a place here. And I couldn’t help but cry for my brothers and sisters who were walking out. Who couldn’t stay with us anymore. It isn’t about ordering who won and who lost. It isn’t about that at all. It is about seeing the fear and the uncertainty in our future, and living in the midst of all of it. Holding our brothers and sisters in pain and in joy, and being a community with all of them. Finding Jesus in the midst of all of them. Not because anyone is the greatest, but because all are broken, and need a God exactly like ours. A God who hangs out with the lost, the ignored and the broken, who is found always with the last and the least. Amen, and thanks be to God.

5th Sunday after Easter Sermon

2009-05-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Today is a day of incredibly rich texts. We hear from 1st John about love, love that conquers all, centered in a life that is full of the spirit. We love because we have been loved, we love because when we dare to love each other, we encounter the God that we cannot see. We love because God is love, God is the love that we breathe in on a bright spring morning, and the love that shelters us in the storm. And then we read the gospel of John and hear the words of Jesus reminding us just where that love comes from- a love that abides in us, not as a threat, but as a promise. God abides in us, Jesus hangs around inside of us. We cannot do anything apart from God, because God is all around us, inside each one of us, cleansing us and helping us to bear fruit.

There are so many possible sermons today that we could be here for hours, just reveling in these texts. A friend of mine tells the story that in one congregation, if the pastor got on a bit of a roll, tried to preach on everything , the congregation, instead of shouting amen, would start to shout, can’t preach it all pastor! In order to prevent your eyes from glazing over, we’re going to spend our morning carrying these rich texts from this fifth Sunday after Easter with us as we encounter the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch.

We have dropped into the book of Acts pretty far into the narrative. It is after Pentecost. The spirit of God has descended on the people, and they have received these crazy tongues of fire. They have been sent out literally burning with the Holy Spirit. And things are getting a little intense. They have been called to go and spread the gospel to the entire world, and at times that world is not prepared for the message they are bringing.

Philip and his colleagues have been preaching and teaching and doing some miracles. They have been waiting tables and feeding people, and the spirit of God has been moving. But there is severe persecution of this budding church. Only a chapter earlier in the book of Acts, Stephen, a contemporary of Philip and another apostle has been stoned to death because of his words. Saul who will soon encounter God on his journey has not yet been renamed Paul and seeks to kill and destroy the church and all who profess to be Christians.

It isn’t a safe time, but the spirit continues to push these apostles out into the world to spread the news. Philip has been sent to Samaria, and we all remember stories of those low-down, no good Samaritans. It was a Samaritan woman that met Jesus in the heat of the day at the well, it was a Samaritan man who unexpectedly stopped to help the one left beaten on the side of the road. Not much was expected of Samaritans, and to imagine that Samaritans would become believers was almost like a pipe dream.

And yet it happens in the book of Acts. Philip’s preaching has people falling on their knees, demons running for the hills, the paralyzed walking and the sick leaping for joy at their cure. He is, without a doubt, rocking the pulpit. You might want to consider him the Billy Graham of his generation. People know his name, they flock to him in order to see miraculous signs and hear amazing preaching. People were receiving the spirit left and right.

Yet then we hear that in a dream, God tells Philip to leave Samaria. He is to go south, on a wilderness road. It is important to note here that whenever you see the word wilderness in our biblical text it usually designates a place you don’t want to be. The wilderness is usually a place of desolation, a place of temptation, a place full of danger and uncertainty. Our famous preacher has a dream, and in that dream he is sent out on a road of danger and desolation. Had it been you or me, I imagine we might have had something to say about such a call. People in Samaria are converting like crazy, Philip is growing in fame and reputation, and if I were him, I’d really be into staying put. But Philip doesn’t even appear to bat an eye, just packs his things and heads out to where God is calling him. Perhaps he had heard that passage from John- knew without God he couldn’t do anything and so he was ready to follow God’s lead and not his own. Perhaps he had heard about Jesus being the vine, pruning him, abiding with him in order that he might bear good fruit. Philip was preaching, teaching and doing miracles, but it appears that he knew better than most of us- he knew that this life he was leading wasn’t going to lead up to much unless he kept listening and doing the work of God.

So here we are, with famous preacher Philip on a wilderness road in the middle of the day. And suddenly a chariot comes by. Inside it is an Ethiopian eunuch. He is reading the scripture, something usually done aloud, and Philip hears him. This is the wilderness road moment, it is the moment when being called makes sense, as that chariot rolls by, and Philip hears the book of Isaiah being read, it all comes together. He is here for this very reason, and without pausing for a breath, Philip is at the door of that chariot and asking that Ethiopian if he understands what he is reading.

“How can I, unless someone guides me?” he says. And now, let’s pause here for a minute. We have Philip, super preacher extraordinaire, on a wilderness road and now inside the chariot of this Ethiopian eunuch. We have an Ethiopian Eunuch who is a treasurer of the queen, considered only half a man and not allowed into the temple because of his disability. He’s reading scripture, but he is not sure he understands what he is reading. They talk, Philip sharing the stories of Jesus Christ, the eunuch asking the questions no one has answered for him before.
And here is the most amazing part of the story. On that journey, as they talk and ask questions, as the spirit moves between them, on that dry, desolate wilderness road, they come upon a pool of water. The chariot stops. The eunuch looks at Philip and says, “what is to keep me from being baptized?”

This is the million dollar question for that eunuch on the road, and for us gathered today. Just last week we celebrated four baptisms. In the coming weeks we will celebrate even more, as we rejoice with families in this congregation who are ready to make promises to their children around our life together. They are going to bring those babies and toddlers to the waters of baptism- and the question we have to ask is, “what is to keep them from being baptized?”
For that travelling eunuch we know what was to keep him out of those waters. He wasn’t even allowed in the temple because the world considered him a half man. He wasn’t from Jerusalem, wasn’t even a Jew by birth. He didn’t understand the scripture, he wasn’t in the in-crowd, and honestly, he was a sinner to boot. For those of us that gather at these waters, the same is true. We’re lost sinners, broken, and breaking, people who seek to follow Christ and get lost on the way every time. What is to prevent us from being baptized? I’ll be the first to tell you, everything. Everything is to prevent us from being baptized, because it is in baptism that we become a part of God’s eternal family. It is in baptism that we call ourselves Christians, it is in the waters of baptism that we believe we find salvation and freedom. What is to prevent us? Everything. All the things we do to turn our backs on the promise, all the sins we have committed and are going to commit. Everything should keep us out of those waters.

But what that Ethiopian Eunuch discovered on that wilderness road, and what we discover in baptism, is that it isn’t about us. If we were the ones doing the work, than everything would stand in our way. If we were the ones who had to live up to the promise, than everything would be against us. What is to prevent us from being baptized? What is to prevent us, when we know it isn’t about us, but it is about God? Nothing stands in our way, nothing blocks us from the waters of baptism, because we aren’t the ones doing the action. It is God. God meets us in the water and God’s promises wash over us, despite ourselves, regardless of ourselves. God meets us in the water no matter who we are- liars, lepers, famous preachers, lonely people, broken people, sinners. God meets us in the water and there is nothing to stand in our way, because of who God is. The promise is for everyone. The promise is bigger than we could ever imagine. The promise of grace is wildly inclusive.

The eunuch goes away from that place rejoicing. He rejoices wet, covered in waters of baptism, he rejoices because his questions were answered. What is to prevent him from being baptized? What is to prevent him from becoming a part of our eternal family? With God, with radical inclusive grace, nothing. Nothing. So let’s rejoice. Let’s rejoice with wonder at this gift. Let’s rejoice because love has triumphed again. Love has conquered death. Love has covered us with water and called us God’s own. Despite ourselves, only because of God. Amen, and thanks be to God.

Long Time, No Sermon!

2009-05-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings, friends. Yes, it has been a long time since a sermon has graced our page. The fault falls to no one but myself! From now on I will try much harder to make sure that sermons are posted quickly after they are preached. Again, always feel free to post comments or email me any time- feedback and textual struggles are much appreciated!
Peace-
Pastor Brooke Petersen

Weekly Texts: Baptism of our Lord

2009-01-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

First Reading
Genesis 1:1–5

In 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.

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 29

1Ascribe to the LORD, you gods,
ascribe to the LORD glo- ry and strength.
2Ascribe to the LORD the glory due God's name;
worship the LORD in the beau- ty of holiness.
3The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders;
the LORD is upon the mighty waters.
4The voice of the LORD is a pow- erful voice;
the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor. R
5The voice of the LORD breaks the cedar trees;
the LORD breaks the ce- dars of Lebanon;
6the LORD makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
7The voice of the LORD
bursts forth in lightning flashes.
8The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilder- ness of Kadesh. R
9The voice of the LORD makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare.
And in the temple of the LORD all are crying, "Glory!"
10The LORD sits enthroned a- bove the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king for- evermore.
11O LORD, give strength to your people;
give them, O LORD, the bless- ings of peace. R

Second Reading
Acts 19:1–7

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism." 4Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." 5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied — 7altogether there were about twelve of them.

Gospel
Mark 1:4–11

4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And 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. 6Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He 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. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And 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. 11And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Sermon: Epiphany

2009-01-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

I am a fan of Christmas cards. I seem to get my fair share around this time of year, and I am always interested to see what will be portrayed on the front cover. Will it be fuzzy little lambs looking lovingly at a manger holding the Christ child? Will it be a more artistic expression of Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus? Will it show pictures of their journey to Bethlehem, or just a star shining in the heavens? Will it say peace, joy or love? Will there be off in the distance those three camels pulled by three men coming to visit that tiny stable?

Christmas cards don’t really portray what happened after that holy, silent night. Because things are starting to heat up, and it certainly doesn’t feel like Christmas to see the darkness on the covers of those cards holding our annual Christmas letters. Traveling from the east, following a star, are wise men, the magi, sometimes called kings, coming to worship this greatest of Kings and bring him gifts. We really don’t know how many there are, we assume three, we don’t really know where they have come from, or what they might do in their spare time in some far off land. We don’t know much about them really, but we do know that they are coming to find a baby that has been proclaimed to them in the stars. And yet, it isn’t as simple as the Christmas cards would have you believe, because something terrible is happening. We can feel it in the words of the gospel, in the secret meetings between Herod and his priests, and meetings under the cloak of darkness with these wise men. We can hear that darkness sneaking in as the gospel tells us that Herod is afraid, and all of Jerusalem with him. When Herod is afraid, the people quake with fear, because Herod always reacts to his fear with death.

Herod calls these wise men into a secret meeting, and he tells them, go search diligently for this child, the child seen in the stars and then come back, and tell me where to find him. It seems like such a good plan. He will let these travelers do the work, find this child king, that he can’t really be sure of anyway, and then, without hesitation, he can find this child, he can kill this child, and all that he is sure of, all his power, will still be his. No one can take that away from this crafty, wily Herod.

Not really the stuff of Christmas cards, is it? A little too cloak and dagger to make it into our annual Christmas letters, but it serves as an important reminder. The birth of Jesus Christ shook the world from its moorings, the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God, was meant to change everything, to redeem us, to enliven us, to teach us how to live, it was meant to be the stuff of thousands of Christmas cards, to proclaim a new era, a reign of peace and love and justice and mercy. The birth of Jesus Christ was meant to turn everything upside down, and when the world gets shaken, there are people on the top who end up on the bottom. When the world gets shaken, the pieces do not fall as they always have, and that can cause some painful reminders of the power of sin. Because the journey of these wise men is just the beginning. Joseph will be warned in a dream, and he and Mary will flee to Egypt, because Herod is on a murderous bend. All the baby boys will be killed by Herod’s hand. The cries of lament and loss will be heard in that town and everywhere. It isn’t the stuff of woolly lambs and bright shining stars, is it?

Those wise men, those travelers from the east, they finally find the son of God, nine miles away from their first stop. They find him in that manger, not in the palace of Herod. And, when they do find him, when they do discover him with his mother in that stable, it is the stuff of epiphanies, because they fall down and worship him, filled with the greatest of joys. They are so filled with joy that our text can barely do their emotions justice. Everything changes. They encounter the living, breathing God, wrapped in swaddling cloths. And that joy, it is enough, that encounter, it is enough to lead them home in a new way. To see that child is king is enough to erase the secret meetings, to foil the plans of King Herod, to lead these wise men in an entirely new direction. When the world gets shaken, things don’t end up where they have always been, and sometimes that road home, that road back to the life you have led, it goes in an entirely different direction.

Life sometimes feels a bit like the journey of those wise men. We feel that pull, that desire within us to search for something beyond ourselves, to find God in the midst of this confusing and sometimes treacherous world. That search often leads us on journeys we never imagined, finding us in places where we never dreamed we would be. But, when we encounter the living God, we have no response but to fall down in worship, because what we find is so big, so glorious and so utterly beyond our imagining that there is nothing but praise for the One with whom it all began. But that journey is often fraught with missteps, with finding ourselves in places we don’t want to be, not sure about where to go. It can find us wrapped up in our own sin and the systematic sin of a world that is being shaken, even now, by what God has done.

But, we also remember that sometimes our journey can seem more like the journey of Herod. We don’t want to be moved, we don’t want to risk losing all our comforts for what this new birth might mean. We don’t want to imagine a different world, because it seems too big and too scary and too risky. We don’t know how to live in a world that is changing, a world that is being upended, a world that is ruled by a king who is the embodiment of justice and love and peace.

I have found myself in both of these characters. Seeking God, and being afraid to find God. But, no matter where we are, we hear the prophets words for this feast of Epiphany, “Arise, Shine, your Light has come!” What God has done can’t be undone. Whether we are afraid of what it might mean, or whether we are ready to lay all we have an all we are at the feet of this child king, God has already done all the work, broken through the veil between heaven and earth, and come for us. Journeyed to us, because we keep losing our way.

The feast of epiphany brings to us one of the most familiar stories of our gospel. It is the feast of light, when we celebrate that God’s light has come. God’s light has already begun shining, setting us on fire. God’s light has a way of illuminating even the darkness of what happened after our Christmas story. It has a way of illuminating the parts of ourselves that can be found in all these characters. So, no matter where you are, arise and shine, for your light has come! Amen, and thanks be to God.

Weekly Texts: Epiphany

2009-01-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

First Reading
Isaiah 60:1–6

Arise, shine; for your light has come,and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.2For darkness shall cover the earth,and thick darkness the peoples;but the LORD will arise upon you,and his glory will appear over you.3Nations shall come to your light,and kings to the brightness of your dawn.4Lift up your eyes and look around;they all gather together, they come to you;your sons shall come from far away,and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.5Then you shall see and be radiant;your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,the wealth of the nations shall come to you.6A multitude of camels shall cover you,the young camels of Midian and Ephah;all those from Sheba shall come.They shall bring gold and frankincense,and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 72:1–7, 10–14

1Give the king your jus- tice, O God,
and your righteousness to the king's son;
2that he may rule your people righteously
and the poor with justice;
3that the mountains may bring prosperity to the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4Let him defend the needy a- mong the people,
rescue the poor, and crush the oppressor. R
5May he live as long as the sun and moon endure,
from one generation to another.
6Let him come down like rain upon the mown field,
like showers that wa- ter the earth.
7In his time may the righteous flourish;
and let there be an abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles pay tribute,
and the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. R
11May all kings bow down before him,
and all the nations do him service.
12For the king delivers the poor who cry out in distress,
the oppressed, and those who have no helper.
13He has compassion on the low- ly and poor,
and preserves the lives of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he re- deems their lives,
and precious is their blood in his sight. R

Second Reading
Ephesians 3:1–12

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — 2for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, 3and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.7Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Gospel
Matthew 2:1–12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:6'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for from you shall come a rulerwho is to shepherd my people Israel.'"7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Sermon: Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T06:57:00.000-08:00

Stressed out over the sheer amount of things to be done to prepare for this night, I called a dear friend a few days ago. “Settle down,” he said, “Christmas Eve sermons basically write themselves.”
My dear friend is usually right, but not this year. Christmas Eve sermons do usually write themselves, as we read the same story every year, we light candles the same way every year. We talk about what we are going to eat and the gifts we are going to open in the same way every year. So the message seems to stay the same year after year. But not this year.
Not this year, because something has changed. Perhaps there is some grace in this change, but most of us come to this night a little bit off kilter. More people than ever before have come to my office this year complaining that they just can’t seem to get in the holiday spirit. It doesn’t feel quite like Christmas, no matter how hard they try, no matter how many times they listen to Christmas songs, buy presents, or bake cookies. More people than ever before have stopped by the office because they have lost jobs this year and can’t afford to buy presents for their kids, and they don’t know what to do. More people have stopped by because they are afraid they are going to lose their homes this year, they’ve lost their livelihoods already. So this year, Christmas Eve doesn’t write itself because it feels like a different kind of year. A scarier year, a year that is ending without things nicely wrapped up. With our financial lives in turmoil, with friends and loved ones unemployed and losing their homes, this year ends a little messy, with people we see everyday tightening their belts and bracing for a coming year that might get even worse.
The story of this night is the same, but our hearing of it this year is different. Caesar Augustus, the most powerful man in the all the world, orders that all people shall return to their homelands to be registered and to pay a tax to the empire. There in Bethlehem these two outsiders, Mary and Joseph, can’t find room in those dark streets, so they stumble into a stable, and prepare for the birth of this most mysterious, most wonderful, most special child. I wonder if in that stable Mary remembered the words of the angel only months before, the angel who came to her and told her that she was with child, that she would give birth to the son of God, and that most of all, despite everything, that she ought not be afraid, because God was with her. I wonder if she carried those words in her heart, that hope of God’s future as they entered that humble stable and prepared for this most important birth, even if it wasn’t what she imagined, even though she was far from her family, I wonder if Mary remembered those words, if she could still hear that angel’s voice, “do not be afraid…”
Do not be afraid, we hear those same words only moments later, as angels fill the skies over shepherds watching their flocks. These outcast, lonely, shepherds not counted in this great census, doing their everyday work on an everyday kind of night. They are the first to hear tell of this good news, as the heavens break open and their everyday life is filled with an incredible light. Unto you, nameless shepherds, is born a savior in the city of David. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid.
And so those shepherds hurry off, leaving their flocks to fend for themselves, because they have heard the greatest of news. In the middle of their everyday life, everything is drowned out by the good news, the gospel in flesh, that God has been born among them. That everything has changed. That the world has been turned upside down, and that they, who are at the bottom of the social world, they who work in the fields, they who live in the fields, they who are so far from the powerful emperor who began this story, they are the first to hear this news. They are the first to rush off with great haste. They are the first to rejoice because it is all true. They are the first to write the Christmas eve sermon, to rejoice at what God has done. In the middle of the every day.
This year is different. Christmas doesn’t write itself. Some of us come to this night in knowledge of our desperate need for this story. Understanding our most desperate need for hope. Perhaps we have become cynical, hearing stories day after day of unending greed in the people around us and even in ourselves. Perhaps we come to this night scared because things appear to be getting worse instead of better- we have realized that we can’t secure our own future, no matter how hard we try, because things happen beyond our control. Perhaps we come to this night with the deepest of sadness, because there is someone missing at the table, there is one stocking that won’t be hung this year. Perhaps we come to this night tired, just tired of the piles of stuff that fill our lives and the pull of all those things that grasp for our time. Christmas didn’t write itself this year, we don’t just fall into the spirit. We very well might enter into another year with more sadness, more despair, more darkness, more cynicism. What we need is that greatest of hopes, that reminder that we need not be afraid, because a baby has been born to shake the world from its moorings, a baby has been born to offer us hope, hope against cynicism, hope in the goodness of the world, hope that God will always be with us, will be with us so much that God will be born among us, hope that sadness and grief and pain and anger can’t have the last word, because God has so wrapped us in love that God was born among us. Born in that little child, born on that holiest of nights so that we need not be afraid.
On that cold, dark night, God met the people with the greatest of promises, in the midst of their fear. In the midst of a census meant to count them and tax them, in the midst of an oppressive rule and questions if God was even with the Israelites anymore, in the midst of greed and corruption and violence, in the midst of every reason to be afraid, God is born to two outsiders in a stable in Bethlehem. God’s reign is announced not in halls of power, but in fields among the lowliest. God’s reign is testified to by outsiders, not by kings and princes. And they go no longer afraid, no longer afraid because the promise is real. God is with us.
Tonight, born in the city of David is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Emmanuel, God with us. Tonight all that we are in bondage to, all the fear and the cynicism, all the hopelessness and the anger, all the pain and the things that separate us from each other and from God, on this night we are told that in the midst of all that we bring, God meets us. God lives among us. God has come to set us free. We do not know what the next year will look like. We do not know if we will hear more stories of pain and despair, we don’t know if those stories will be our own. But on this night, we do know that God’s reign has been proclaimed among us. That God is with us. That despite our fears, despite our lack of the Christmas spirit, despite all we might bring to this snowy evening, God’s reign has already begun. Jesus Christ has lived that we might have life. That we might, like Mary, ponder these things in our hearts. That we mi ght, no matter what surrounds us, that we might hear God’s word, “Do not be afraid.” Amen.

Weekly Texts: Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

First Reading
Isaiah 9:2–7

2The people who walked in darknesshave seen a great light;those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.3You have multiplied the nation,you have increased its joy;they rejoice before youas with joy at the harvest,as people exult when dividing plunder.4For the yoke of their burden,and the bar across their shoulders,the rod of their oppressor,you have broken as on the day of Midian.5For all the boots of the tramping warriorsand all the garments rolled in bloodshall be burned as fuel for the fire.6For a child has been born for us,a son given to us;authority rests upon his shoulders;and he is namedWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7His authority shall grow continually,and there shall be endless peacefor the throne of David and his kingdom.He will establish and uphold itwith justice and with righteousnessfrom this time onward and forevermore.The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 96

1Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2Sing to the LORD, bless the name of the LORD;
proclaim God's salvation from day to day.
3Declare God's glory a- mong the nations
and God's wonders a- mong all peoples.
4For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised,
more to be feared than all gods. R
5As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols;
but you, O LORD, have made the heavens.
6Majesty and magnificence are in your presence;
power and splendor are in your sanctuary.
7Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD hon- or and power.
8Ascribe to the LORD the honor due the holy name;
bring offerings and enter the courts of the LORD. R
9Worship the LORD in the beau- ty of holiness;
tremble before the LORD, all the earth.
10Tell it out among the nations: "The LORD is king!
The one who made the world so firm that it cannot be moved will judge the peo- ples with equity."
11Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy at your com- ing, O LORD,
for you come to judge the earth.
13You will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with your truth. R

Second Reading
Titus 2:11–14

11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Gospel
Luke 2:1–14 [15–20]

2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,14"Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Weekly Texts: All Saints Sunday

2008-10-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

First Reading
Revelation 7:9–17

9After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10They cried out in a loud voice, saying,"Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"11And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12singing,"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdomand thanksgiving and honorand power and mightbe to our God forever and ever! Amen."13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" 14I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal ;they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.15For this reason they are before the throne of God,and worship him day and night within his temple,and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.16They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;the sun will not strike them,nor any scorching heat;17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 34:1–10, 22

I will bless the LORD at all times;
the praise of God shall ever be in my mouth.
2I will glory in the LORD;
let the lowly hear and rejoice. R
3Proclaim with me the greatness of the LORD;
let us exalt God's name together.
4I sought the LORD, who answered me
and delivered me from all my terrors.
5Look upon the LORD and be radiant,
and let not your faces be ashamed.
6I called in my affliction, and the LORD heard me
and saved me from all my troubles. R
7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear the LORD
and de- livers them.
8Taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are they who take ref- uge in God!
9Fear the LORD, you saints of the LORD,
for those who fear the LORD lack nothing.
10The lions are in want and suffer hunger,
but those who seek the LORD lack nothing that is good.
22O LORD, you redeem the life of your servants,
and those who put their trust in you will not be punished. R

Second Reading
1 John 3:1–3

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Gospel
Matthew 5:1–12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.7Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Sermon: Reformation 2008

2008-10-29T12:05:00.001-07:00

I am the kind of Lutheran that loves this church so much that I pre-ordered my ticket to see the Luther movie in the movie theater. I can’t pretend that I didn’t cry when I saw Luther post those theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg. Our celebration of Reformation makes me proud to be a Lutheran, proud to have a heritage of reform, proud to be a part of a church grounded in growth. I love that this church was formed by a man wanting to put the scriptures into the hands of the people. I love that we believe that in those scriptures we could find a real truth. A real life. A real freedom.

The days are coming says the Lord. So begins our reading from Jeremiah for this morning. The days are surely coming when our celebration of reformation will be just a distant memory, when we will be finished with our constant reforming, when the Spirit of God will have had her way with us, and we will finally reach that place where we become our most full selves, the body of Christ in the world. The days are coming, but even on this day, those days seem far off, too far off.

I went to a small religious college. It was there that I came face to face for the first time with an altar call. It was the first time someone told me that I needed to ask Jesus into my heart. I had never heard of this before, growing up Lutheran, I was baptized, I went to church camp, I went to confirmation classes, I missed the memo about asking Jesus into my heart. I was also quite confused when I saw many of my friends asking Jesus into their hearts all the time. They would have big moments of conversion, then something would get in the way, they wouldn’t feel as close to their faith anymore, they would do a few things that definitely fell into the sin category, and there they would be again, marching down the aisle of the church and asking Jesus back into their hearts.

The days are coming says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people. I will put my law within them, I will write it on their hearts, I will be their God and they shall be my people.

That’s the funny thing about our hearts, on this celebration of Reformation, we remember that God has promised to be with us, to wash us in grace. There is no rhyme or reason to why God has chosen to be in relationship with us. Most of us haven’t asked for it, and if we have, we certainly have trouble living as if that is the truth. We are sinners, but called saints by a God who has made an unbreakable covenant with us, has written the law in hearts, has made us God’s people, has invaded our hearts, filled them, shaped them so that they can only be called the shape of God. Walter Brueggeman says, “this covenant is given by God without reason or explanation, God wants the relationship with the people and resolves to have it. So God declares that he will write himself into the people.” It isn’t about us asking, it is about God doing. God comes down, and fills us with God’s very presence. We don’t have to keep asking, we just have to feel into those places where God already is. It isn’t about our work, it is about God’s.

We need this reminder of reformation, because it reminds us of the shape of our hearts. We don’t need flashy programs or new ideas, the covenant has been written into our hearts, we are made in the shape of a God that is constant through time, a God who has promised that we will be in relationship with him regardless of ourselves. God has wormed into our hearts, written herself upon them, and we cannot get out of this relationship without cutting out part of our own hearts.

That’s where Jeremiah and John seem to meet. Because Jeremiah tells us about the law written on our hearts, and Jesus in John’s gospel promises us that it is the writing that will set us free. It is the inscription inside of us, that gives us freedom we can’t get from anywhere else. It isn’t about heritage or ancestry; it is about what God has done and continues to do. The celebration of Reformation, for as proud as it makes us to be Lutherans, isn’t the point. The point is what God has done, where God has gone, how far God will go to be in relationship with us, to set us free from all the binds us, from all those things that hold us prisoner. We are in constant reformation, because those sinful natures keep getting in the way, keep telling us that there is something that will be more satisfying that will give us more than a relationship with God.

We are the people that both Jeremiah and Jesus are speaking about. We are the people of God, we are the ones who receive this promise. We have been grafted into this everlasting covenant. We are the ones that God loves with such depth that nothing can separate us from that love. And yet, we are also with that gathered crowd in our gospel wondering how we could ever be slave to anyone or anything. We are the ones who will listen to the freedom of the gospel and then wonder if there is something a little less difficult out there to give us the same results. We can’t imagine that we have ever been slaves, that there are forces and sins that have such a deep hold on us that we can’t even see it anymore.

Today, we will celebrate with six young adults as they affirm the promises made in their baptisms. They will stand before us and decide for themselves that they are a part of this holy family. But, confirmation is not the end, it is only another beginning. Just as we seek constant reformation in our church, we also seek constant reformation in our lives. Because for as much as we desire to live into the freedom of the gospel, to taste the free gift of grace, sin gets in the way. We do not live as we ought. We forget these promises, we ignore God’s law, we turn off the voice inside of us that urges us to live as God’s faithful people. It is in that relationship with Christ that we are set free. It is in the love that God has for us that we are set free. We exchange all the pain, all the ugliness, all the sin and the sorrow, all those things that bind us and break us down, we exchange all of it, for a relationship with God. For a return to the way we were made. And it doesn’t end on one day. It doesn’t end with one promise. It is difficult work, coming back again and again and falling down only to be covered with grace.

The truth of Reformation is that God is always doing a new thing, always within us, always with us, always covering us with grace. We will be made free. We don’t ask God into our hearts, God is already there. God desires to be in relationship with us, even as we break our end of the bargain, even as we ignore what God has done and continues to do. This is a new kind of covenant, one that cannot be broken, and so it doesn’t count on us. It counts on God. Amen.

Weekly Texts: Reformation Sunday

2008-10-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

First Reading
Jeremiah 31:31–34

31The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt — a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 46

1God is our ref- uge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,
and though the mountains shake in the depths of the sea;
3though its waters rage and foam,
and though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
4There is a river whose streams make glad the cit- y of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be shaken;
God shall help it at the break of day.
6The nations rage, and the kingdoms shake;
God speaks, and the earth melts away. R
7The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
8Come now, regard the works of the LORD,
what desolations God has brought up- on the earth;
9behold the one who makes war to cease in all the world;
who breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the shields with fire.
10"Be still, then, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth."
11The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. R

Second Reading
Romans 3:19–28

19Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.21But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For 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.

Gospel
John 8:31–36

31Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?"34Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Sermon: 23rd Sunday after Pentecost

2008-10-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

If you don’t know that there is an election in exactly 16 days, than you must be living under a rock. Whether it is local or national news, we are fully immersed in the political world these days, hearing about who we should vote for, who we shouldn’t vote for, and why one candidate over the other should have our vote. For any of you that watched the most recent presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain, you heard plenty about a little guy from Ohio named Joe, who happens to be a plumber. Both Obama and McCain offered different explanations for what they would do for Joe the plumber, leaving many of us to think, who the heck is this Joe guy? But, at the base of all the promises to Joe was a question about taxes. Who will raise them for him and who will lower them? Who is being real about the taxes we are going to pay and who is trying to pull the wool over our eyes?

You can barely turn on the television without confronting someone who says that they are the person who is going to lower your taxes. And then, we arrive at church this morning, imaging that perhaps here we will get a break from hearing the back and forth, and what do we find Jesus talking about? Taxes.

Even if you haven’t read much of the bible, it would still be a surprise if you hadn’t at least a blurb of this passage before. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, give to God what is God’s. For some, these words have been the warrant to head off to the hills, establish their own compound and stop paying taxes. For others, it has been a big green light to keeping a strong barrier between their political and religious lives. There are two extremes to this text, and it seems that we often head towards one or the other, leaving the middle to those who are just confused. We find ourselves trying to identify as citizens of this country, all the while know that we are citizens of a very different kingdom, the kingdom of God, where things like the economy, the structures of power and privilege, and the very day to day of life are often completely different from what might be filtering out of Springfield or Washington, DC.

Jesus is confronted by a gathering of Pharisees and Herodians. They are odd bedfellows to say the least, the Herodians were those who defended and supported the rule of the land by Herod- direct and open supporters of the Roman occupation. This tax that they come asking about was an annual tribute tax sent to Rome, a total of one denarius for each person. This was, by no means, the largest of the taxes paid by the people. They also gave tithes to the temple, paid customs taxes as well as taxes on the land. The people who worked the land were forced into subsistence farming by these taxes, taking home only about 1/3 of the production of the land. So the question isn’t really about all taxes, it is about this particular tax, a tax that was supported by the Pharisees and collected by the Herodians.

So these two sets of leaders come to Jesus and begin with some false flattery. And then comes the big question- is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar? This was the trap- either to make him lose favor with the people, oppressed by these taxes, or to cement him as a political threat, a teacher who was encouraging the people to openly defy the occupation. Either way, he was set to lose.

Which leaves us to wonder, how would we answer that question? Is it lawful for us to pay taxes? Are we first citizens of this country or world, or are we citizens the kingdom of God? Where do we have our primary allegiance? Can we really do both?

Jesus asks them for a coin, a coin bearing the face and title of Caesar. Most likely, it also included an inscription about Caesar’s divinity, he was considered descended from God to rule the people. And so Jesus tells them to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.

Our greater church has a lot to say about this, but what I find most helpful is from our social statement on church and society, “The church must participate in social structures critically. Not only God but also sin is at work in the world. Social structures and processes combine life-giving and life-destroying dynamics in complex mixtures and in varying degrees. The church, therefore, must unite realism and vision, wisdom and courage, in its social responsibility. It needs constantly to discern when to support and when to confront society's cultural patterns, values, and powers.”

We’ve already given our allegiance, and it is an allegiance proclaimed in baptism. We are made children of God, marked with the cross of Christ, people who are called to live into the kingdom of God, making it manifest in the world. We are citizens of a kind of kingdom that is different than the one of this world, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t also, at the very same time, live in a country that both blesses and oppresses. That is what structures do- God can be found in them just as sin can corrupt them. We are citizens of both, living in the tension that this life creates. Do we pay taxes, of course. But, we don’t understand our money to come from anywhere but the hand of God. It isn’t a choice between Caesar or God- it is all God’s. What we give to Caesar, is still God’s. All we have and all we are is God’s, and so our primary allegiance will always be to that creator.

But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t pulled in all kinds of directions and our allegiance is sought after by all kinds of structures. We can ignore them, tell ourselves that they have no place and talk consistently about the evils of the world. Or we can whole heartedly fall into them, telling ourselves that our faith is relegated to only one teeny, tiny part of our lives. Either way, we lose. If we see the world around us, the political structures that have been set up, the secular world as evil, we miss the chance to discover our God hidden among the brokenness of the structure of the world. If we pretend that our faith is only something that effects us on Sunday mornings, we miss the incredible opportunity to bring our God into places that are hungry for what God is all about.

And so that is where we find Jesus’ answer to this tricky question. Somewhere in the middle. It doesn’t provide us with an easy answer, and I still find myself feeling a little uncomfortable when I see my tax dollars spent on things that I find grossly negligent of the needs of the world. But I give to Caesar what is Ceaser’s, remembering that in all reality, it is already all God’s. We are first and foremost, members of the kingdom of God, made children of God through baptism, taught to live in a world where we are marked by love and trust, hope and generosity. We can’t pretend it isn’t tricky to make our way in a world that doesn’t often reflect the gifts of God’s kingdom, but it is where we find ourselves. And regardless, we trust that because it is all God’s, because every breath and day are blessings of our God, because all we have and all we are is a blessing from God, that we are people of a different kind of kingdom. We are people of God, called to live in a broken world, called to proclaim a different kind of life. We live in the middle of the tension, in the already and not yet of the coming of the kingdom of God. Jesus gives us no easy answer, but instead a blessing to try it on our own, to be citizens of the kingdom of God while participating in the political structures of the world. We can’t separate the two, we can only live into the mystery, knowing that when we search, when we question, we will always find God. Amen.

Weekly Texts: 23rd Sunday after Pentecost

2008-10-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

First Reading
Isaiah 45:1–7

Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,whose right hand I have graspedto subdue nations before himand strip kings of their robes,to open doors before him — and the gates shall not be closed:2I will go before youand level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronzeand cut through the bars of iron,3I will give you the treasures of darknessand riches hidden in secret places,so that you may know that it is I, the LORD,the God of Israel, who call you by your name.4For the sake of my servant Jacob,and Israel my chosen,I call you by your name,I surname you, though you do not know me.5I am the LORD, and there is no other;besides me there is no god.I arm you, though you do not know me,6so that they may know, from the rising of the sunand from the west, that there is no one besides me;I am the LORD, and there is no other.7I form light and create darkness,I make weal and create woe;I the LORD do all these things.

Psalm 96:1–9 [10–13]

1Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2Sing to the LORD, bless the name of the LORD;
proclaim God's salvation from day to day.
3Declare God's glory a- mong the nations
and God's wonders a- mong all peoples.
4For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised,
more to be feared than all gods. R
5As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols;
but you, O LORD, have made the heavens.
6Majesty and magnificence are in your presence;
power and splendor are in your sanctuary.
7Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD hon- or and power.
8Ascribe to the LORD the honor due the holy name;
bring offerings and enter the courts of the LORD. R
9Worship the LORD in the beau- ty of holiness;
tremble before the LORD, all the earth.
[10Tell it out among the nations: "The LORD is king!
The one who made the world so firm that it cannot be moved will judge the peo- ples with equity."
11Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy at your com- ing, O LORD,
for you come to judge the earth.
13You will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with your truth.] R

Second Reading
1 Thessalonians 1:1–10

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:Grace to you and peace.2We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. 6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Gospel
Matthew 22:15–22

15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" 21They answered, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Sermon: 22nd Sunday after Pentecost

2008-10-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

When we read this parable at my text study this week, the pastor reading it finished by saying, “The gospel of the Lord?” And I definitely find myself in that camp this week, digging desperately into the words of Jesus read this morning and imagining that somewhere, buried in there, is some good news. I just couldn’t see it at first glance, and it didn’t get any more apparent the tenth time through, but I think there is something, buried within the text that speaks to us this morning.

Yesterday we held a wedding here at Irving Park. Only months ago I was planning my own wedding, so I feel for the king in this parable. People aren’t sending in their RSVP cards! And he is hosting a very important wedding, the wedding of his son. The invitations have gone out, he has killed the oxen and the fat calf. The tables are spread with the most decadent of food. So his servants go out to the get the guests, the a-list guests. And instead of straightening their ties and heading to the king’s feast, they turn their backs to return to their fields and their offices. They go back to the day to day of their lives and ignore this most important of invitations. The regular work of living crowds it out. And, so when the servants return without guests, the king sends them out one more time, to tell them what is in store for them. And they still don’t come. They ignore the invitation.

So he starts again, this time with a new slate of guests, anyone that will come off the street, good and bad, the people you would never expect at the table, and those that have been there all along. And so the wedding hall is filled. Just filled with guests.

Let’s just stop here. If this is another allegory, than we can fill in the cast of characters. Jesus is telling this parable to those same chief priests and elders we’ve been following the last few weeks. So we have to imagine that the banquet is being hosted by God, and that the invitation keeps going out, again and again, and those people in power keep ignoring it, because they are too caught up in the day to day of the temple, in the day to day of doing what they have always done, never stopping to consider that they might have gotten it all wrong. And because the invitation keeps getting ignored, God invites everyone to the table, and that means that the table gets filled with tax collectors and sinners, prostitutes, and addicts and every other character you can imagine. The party will go on, and if the invitation is ignored, God is still hosting it, and anyone can come.

So I get that. I mean, we talk about that all the time around here. We want our church to be the kind of place where all people will feel welcome, where the table is open for everyone. But, we’d miss a lot of this parable if we imagine that we are always ready to skip down the sidewalks to church and answer God’s invitation. I know that for years, I ignored God’s invitation to ministry. I thought I had some better things to do, maybe ways to make a bit more money. But that nagging call kept getting in my way. I kept feeling God tugging on my heart, and the world kept looking more and more broken to me. But God’s invitation isn’t just to pastors- God’s invitation is to all kinds of places and all kinds of situations. Sometimes, God’s invitation is to the celebration of new ministries, sometimes it is to bring new life to places where there is only death, and sometimes, God’s invitation is just to come to the table. The invitation is just to come into the community, to be born anew here, to be grafted into a new family. And that invitation is too often ignored. It gets crowded out. For the people in our parable, as Dr. Elton Richards suggests, the choice isn’t between good and evil. It isn’t as if the invitation was to the king’s banquet and the people instead chose unsavory activities. The choice was to do the good work of the land or to go to the king’s banquet. Both are good choices. And we get confused if we consider that those things that beg for our time, that cause us to crowd out God are going to be choices between good and evil. They won’t be that apparent. They might just be the choices between the everyday and the new life in Christ. And if our stomachs aren’t growling and our hearts aren’t broken, than we might not have that hunger for the kingdom of God. We might just be satisfied with the everyday. And so we’ll turn away from the invitation and go back to those things that will never be quite the spread of the banquet.

But the parable isn’t over yet. Because now the new slate of guests are feasting and celebrating, and then the king notices a man who isn’t dressed like the rest. He isn’t wearing a wedding robe. He has shown up, gotten his plates full of food, feasted with the rest of the guests, but he looks different. Now, here is what I know about wedding attire in this ancient community- when a celebration was being held, the people would wear longer, usually white robes. You did not attend this kind of celebration wearing the everyday cleaning out the garage kind of stuff. If you could not afford this kind of robe, you would borrow one from a neighbor. It was inconceivable to consider showing up at a celebration not wearing the right kind of attire. There are even some scholars who suggest that the King most likely provided robes for those in attendance. So to not wear a robe, means that you refuse to join in the rejoicing. You have only contempt for the host and the occasion.

Again, the guest has refused the invitation. Yes, he has shown up. He has taken his appropriate place at the table. But he isn’t interested in the celebration, he just wants the face time. Perhaps he just wants people to see that he is there, but he doesn’t care for the king or for the celebration. He doesn’t want to change even his clothing.

We believe the invitation is open to all. That God’s table is open to all. The love of God that we celebrate here is available to all. God’s love for us cannot be denied, it cannot be changed, it cannot be removed. But, we can refuse to be changed. We can refuse to let grace to change us. We can come here Sunday after Sunday, maybe even a few other days during the week, and we can hear the words and shake the hands, and all the while keep blocking up our hearts and refusing to let God in. Grace is free, but it does not leave us where we are. God expects more from us than just showing up. God expects us to do something, to respond somehow to the invitation.

This is a tough parable. But at its core is that invitation- the invitation to the banquet, the invitation to the celebration. We can ignore it, we can turn away, we can even show up and refused to be changed. But in all of this, we are not living into our full potential as children of God. We are settling with less than the best, with things that will never satisfy the same way. The invitation is open, to come to the table, to rejoice with God, and to be changed. How will we respond? Amen.

Weekly Texts: 22nd Sunday after Pentecost

2008-10-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

First Reading
Isaiah 25:1–9

O LORD, you are my God;I will exalt you, I will praise your name;for you have done wonderful things,plans formed of old, faithful and sure.2For you have made the city a heap,the fortified city a ruin;the palace of aliens is a city no more,it will never be rebuilt.3Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;cities of ruthless nations will fear you.4For you have been a refuge to the poor,a refuge to the needy in their distress,a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,5the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;the song of the ruthless was stilled.6On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoplesa feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.7And he will destroy on this mountainthe shroud that is cast over all peoples,the sheet that is spread over all nations;8he will swallow up death forever.Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,for the LORD has spoken.9It will be said on that day,Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.This is the LORD for whom we have waited;let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 23

1The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not be in want.
2The LORD makes me lie down in green pastures
and leads me be- side still waters.
3You restore my soul, O LORD,
and guide me along right pathways for your name's sake.
4Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil;
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. R
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. R

Second Reading
Philippians 4:1–9

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.2I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel
Matthew 22:1–14

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' 5But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.11But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14For many are called, but few are chosen."

Sermon: 21st Sunday after Pentecost

2008-10-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

Twice we hear about a vineyard in our readings for today. Twice we hear about a disappointing vineyard. First, from the prophet Isaiah, God plants a vineyard on hill, clears it of stones, plants it with the choicest of grapes. But that vineyard doesn’t turn out the way God desired, God does not get what God expected. There is no justice, there is only bloodshed. There is no righteousness, there is only rubbish. And then we hear the parable spoken by Jesus this morning, right on the heels of our texts for the last two weeks. It is the same leaders of the temple that were asking about authority last week, it is the same crowd that caused them to fear. Now Jesus tells another parable, this time about a vineyard. The people hearing his words would have remembered Isaiah’s vineyard, the one that did not yield what God expected.

For those of us that have heard this parable before, it might have been explained as a simple allegory. The tenants are those wicked leaders, the servants sent by that landowner are the prophets- so those wicked leaders beat them and send them away. Then, God finally sends God’s son, Jesus, and those wicked leaders kill him. Even the end of the parable says that those leaders, who were seeking to destroy what Jesus had been building realized with great anger that he was talking about them. They had been ignoring and silencing those people God sent. But if that is the only layer of this parable, then the sermon should end here. Because that means this parable is stuck in a time we no longer live in, and it doesn’t have anything to do with us.
I think that there is so much more to the parable of the vineyard than just a condemnation of those leaders that sought to oppress the people through their power. I think there is much more in this parable that speaks to us this morning- because in so many ways we have become those wicked tenants.

Every morning over the last week I turned on NPR, and I was bombarded with stories about the bailout. There were people appalled that we are giving money to those rich people on wall street, there were people who said that if we don’t do this, if we don’t bail out the market than the sky is going to fall, credit will grind to a halt, and we will find ourselves in the middle of the grapes of wrath. Economists have been saying for months that things have gotten as bad as they are going to get, and then another morning rolls around and someone is telling us that things have actually gotten worse. We’re in real trouble.

And we are. We’re in trouble bailing out wall-street, and we’re in trouble if we hadn’t. We’re in trouble, because things have gotten so far out of control, we have been tilling the land for so long, we have become so obsessed with credit and the access to credit, that we have become completely separated from the one who really owns the land. Like those wicked tenants, we have forgotten who owns the land on which we live, the one who owns those things for which we labor, our primary relationship is not with the giver, the landowner, our primary relationship has shifted to the stuff that is produced. And it is one big risky, frightening disappointment, isn’t it?

Brian Stoffregen suggests that the parable of those wicked tenants is most about our inherent selfishness. We don’t want to accept that God has authority over us, that what we have, all of it is from God, it isn’t from us. It isn’t about us. When we hear that God asks us to live differently, to shift our primary relationship from the stuff of the creator to the very author of creation, that is a threat to our very economic lives. When we start getting crazy and throwing around words like stewardship, suggesting that in order to free ourselves from this obsession with money and credit and things, we ought to give that first ten percent of time and talent and treasure to the one who blessed us with them in the first place, it is then that those selfish attitudes start to boil up within us, and we find ourselves considering that it might be easier to get rid of God than to give back some of the things of this life. Instead of returning the profits of the land to the landowner, those tenants start to believe that those profits are their own, that they deserve them, that the own them, and so those servants coming to take them away are really coming to steal what is rightfully theirs. So they beat them, and stone them, and finally they kill the last one.

When we start to use words like stewardship, I know that for some of us, our minds start to wander, and we begin making mental grocery lists or imagining what we are going to order for brunch. But, we would be fools if we didn’t talk about money this week. It is all anyone is talking about, our leaders voted for a seven hundred billion dollar bailout. Things have gotten so bad that we need to spend seven hundred billion dollars for a hope that things will improve. I can’t even comprehend how much money that is. I can’t even wrap my mind around that many zeroes.

You know, this is a hard lesson for me. But, here’s the gospel truth. Credit is all rubbish. It isn’t hope. There isn’t true power in credit. There isn’t true power in the stuff of the land. That is what those tenants didn’t understand, and that is the force we have to fight. That stuff isn’t going to save us. That stuff isn’t going to make us truly secure. It just can’t. The profits of the land will just make us more and more anxious, more and more afraid that someone is going to come and take it away from us. When our primary relationship, when the thing that is most important to us, when we invest all our hope for the future in the profit, than it is going to keep falling apart again and again and again.

But here is the hope my friends. As Paul writes from prison to the Philippians, all those gains, they are nothing compared to what we have found in Christ. That’s the good news, and I promise that it is deeper and stronger than anything you’ll hear from wall street. We are just stewards, managers, of the blessings of God. All creation, all profit, all abundance, comes from the hand of God, and we are just those who hold it for now. And we can white knuckle grip the profits of the land, we can kill the messengers who suggest a new way of living. We can keep putting all our hope and all our faith in money and the market and credit. We can care more about the produce and the profit than about God our landowner. And it will keep spiraling out of control. Or we can reimagine a different kind of market, a different kind of world. We can reimagine a world where our grip on the stuff of this life is not as white knuckled. When the profits and the credit and the money are all just blessings from God, not God himself. We can reimagine a world where the thing we desire most is not a relationship with creation but a relationship with the creator. A relationship not with the stuff, but with the one who knits us together in our mother’s womb. Friends, our attitude has to change. And, I don’t have any simple answers. I struggle to get there myself. I don’t know how to always be generous, how to always be good stewards. But I do know that we aren’t there now. That things are not as they ought to be.

But we can begin. We can begin by seeking to grow in our stewardship of the abundant blessings of God. We can seek to grow in our ability to let go, to give back, to loosen our grips on the profits. I know it is scary. I know it is threatening. But on the other side of the release of all this stuff, there is freedom. Freedom to live without anxiety and fear. I know the argument sounds weak. Give up some of what you have, give it back to God the landowner, and you will find a freedom that you will never get from wall-street. But, I promise that it is true. Because it is all loss, it is all rubbish compared to what we have found in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Weekly Texts: Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-09-08T11:54:00.001-07:00

First Reading
Genesis 50:15–21

15Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers said, "What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?" 16So they approached Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this instruction before he died, 17'Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.' Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, "We are here as your slaves." 19But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. 21So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 103:[1–7] 8–13

[1Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless God's holy name.
2Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all God's benefits—
3who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases;
4who redeems your life from the grave
and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy; R
5who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle's.
6O LORD, you provide vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7You made known your ways to Moses
and your works to the chil- dren of Israel.]
8LORD, you are full of compas- sion and mercy,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; R
9you will not al- ways accuse us,
nor will you keep your an- ger forever.
10You have not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor repaid us according to our iniquities.
11For as the heavens are high a- bove the earth,
so great is your steadfast love for those who fear you.
12As far as the east is from the west,
so far have you removed our transgres- sions from us.
13As a father has compassion for his children,
so you have compassion for those who fear you, O LORD. R

Second Reading
Romans 14:1–12

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.5Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.7We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.10Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11For it is written,"As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,and every tongue shall give praise to God."12So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Gospel
Matthew 18:21–35

21Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" 22Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.23For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, 'Pay what you owe.' 29Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' 34And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Sermon: Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-09-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

It’s Rally Day. Fall is arriving in short order, we’re kicking off ministries, we are throwing open the doors, we are parading around the neighborhood and getting excited about what this church is all about. I can’t get enough of Rally Day. This is the Sunday when hopefully, as Paul writes to the Romans, you are ready to wake up. Get up, shake off the lazy days of summer, and wake up.
Rally Day is exciting, and we’ve tried to make it even more exciting. But, then Jesus has to give us the words for this morning, and if I were you, and if I was really awake and listening carefully, then I would high-tail it out of here before we have to start acting like Jesus is telling us to. If another member of the church sins against you, if you have been involved in the church in any way, you know as well as I do that it isn’t if another member sins against you, but when that member chooses to do it. Because this place, for as exciting and amazing as it is, is chock full of sinners and we’re in the business of adding more. Even as we seek to be the kind of people who center our lives around the teachings of Jesus, we know that the church is also often a place as full of relationship with God as it is with broken relationships between its members.
What Matthew writes about in our reading for this morning is not a checklist for success. It isn’t going to help to solve all kinds of congregational conflict. But, as we hear these words of Jesus we are reminded that we don’t give up, we keep on loving despite the circumstances even as we continue to add sinner after sinner to our community.
So here’s how it works. Step one, when someone sins against you, confront the person who has sinned against you. That’s all well and good, but we know that in the church or any other place, it always seems a lot easier to talk about that nasty old sinner to your neighbor, the person you share a pew with, your friends, because confronting the people who have hurt us never feels quite as good as making them look like the sinners they are to the people they know. This first step is meant to save the relationship, to stop the cycles of pain and rumors to name the places where a relationship has been broken and to heal the wound, rather than to let it fester. Step two, if that relationship is broken, if that first conversation doesn’t work, then you go and get a couple witnesses, and you try again. And if that doesn’t work, then you tell the church. And, if still, after all this work, the relationship is still broken, if there is still that painful wound festering between the two of you, then you bring it to the church. And, finally, if they still won’t even listen to the church, if you have faithfully and with an open heart gone to the individual, brought in the witnesses, and then opened it up to the church. Then, and only then, do you get to treat them like a gentile and tax-collector. Whew.
You get to treat them like a gentile or a tax-collector. You get to let them be to you and outsider, thrown out of the church and ignored. You let them be out this community. You don’t give them an invitation to come back, because with a three strikes and you are out rule, they’ve already had their three chances.
At least, at first glance. At first glance we hear treat them like a gentile or a tax-collector, and if you are anything like me you want to whiz through steps one through three and move right into banishment. Except that this is Jesus speaking, and if we know anything, we know that he is always eating with, drinking with, hanging out with gentiles and tax-collectors. In fact, he is with gentiles and tax-collector so often that it makes some of the other characters in our story uncomfortable. So maybe Jesus isn’t giving us a three steps and you can give up method here. Perhaps Jesus is asking us to confront that person that has talked about us, that person that is sarcastic and rude, that person that hurts us for no reason we can understand, that person who is just plain difficult to be around, perhaps Jesus is asking us to confront that person three times, to open the wound to the air, to try and find some healing, and when that doesn’t work, when that person just won’t meet us halfway, instead of giving up, Jesus is asking us to keep on loving, to keep on inviting, to keep on letting that person back into the fold because something has to change eventually.
Something has to change eventually, because God promises that when two or three gather that God is there. Now, that isn’t just any old random two or three people, Jesus tells us that when the offended, and the offender, and a witness or two get together, that God is going to be there. That is the promise. That God is going to cover up that wound that festers between God’s two children with God’s very being. And God is going to keep on coming down, getting in the mix of it all, and God is going to keep healing, because that is God’s business.
God never gives up on us, no matter how broken our relationship gets. God doesn’t give up on creation no matter how broken it gets. God doesn’t give up, and we ought not either. Love is what unites us, love is what sustains us, love is what binds us. And if we really are going to get ourselves mixed up in God’s business, than the first thing we have to have going for us is the desire, the passion, the goal of proclaiming forgiveness.
Today on Rally Day we do more than just get excited about the upcoming year, this year we dedicate a new baptismal font. We dedicated this font and we read the words of Jesus for this morning, because it is in the waters of baptism that we are forgiven, that we die to sin and rise again as children of God. It is in the waters of baptism that we remember that God never gives up, that God keeps meeting us, that whenever we gather with some water, a little bit of bread and some wine, God is there. Peace among members is not a precondition, because God promises to be with us regardless.
No matter how good or bad we are at it, our job is to proclaim forgiveness. Our job is not to bandage the wounds and pretend we don’t see them. Our job is to wash our wounds in the power of God’s love, to be vulnerable enough to tell each other when we are hurt, to keep on coming back, to keep on trying to heal what is broken because God is with us. Our job is to proclaim forgiveness in the waters of baptism, because God promises to be in them, to wash us, to wash our shame and our pain and the cleanse those wounds that we carry. This font is the symbol of the kind of love that goes beyond the grave, the kind of love that will hang on a cross and still proclaim forgiveness, the kind of love that does not give up on us. So let them be to you as a gentile or a tax-collector. Let them be to you those people that are never too far gone, never too far away to be a part of this community again. Let them be to you those people that we don’t give up on. Let them be to you as baptized children of God, daughters and sons of the author of creation, part of the family of the church. We’re still going to get hurt, relationships are still going to get broken. Pain is still going to be a reality in this very sanctuary, but God is still going to be with us. God is not in the business of giving up, God will not lose you, brothers and sisters, because forgiveness, reconciliation, and love proclaimed in the waters of baptism are God very promise.

Weekly Texts: Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-08-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

First Reading
Jeremiah 15:15–21

15O LORD, you know;remember me and visit me,and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.In your forbearance do not take me away;know that on your account I suffer insult.16Your words were found, and I ate them,and your words became to me a joyand the delight of my heart;for I am called by your name,O LORD, God of hosts.17I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,nor did I rejoice;under the weight of your hand I sat alone,for you had filled me with indignation.18Why is my pain unceasing,my wound incurable,refusing to be healed?Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,like waters that fail.19Therefore thus says the LORD:If you turn back, I will take you back,and you shall stand before me.If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,you shall serve as my mouth.It is they who will turn to you,not you who will turn to them.20And I will make you to this peoplea fortified wall of bronze;they will fight against you,but they shall not prevail over you,for I am with youto save you and deliver you,says the LORD.21I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 26:1–8

1Give judgment for me, O LORD, for I have lived with integrity;
I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered.
2Test me, O LORD, and try me;
examine my heart and my mind.
3For your steadfast love is be- fore my eyes;
I have walked faith- fully with you.
4I have not sat with the worthless,
nor do I consort with the deceitful. R
5I have hated the company of evildoers;
I will not sit down with the wicked.
6I will wash my hands in inno- cence, O LORD,
that I may go in procession round your altar,
7singing aloud a song of thanksgiving
and recounting all your won- derful deeds.
8LORD, I love the house in which you dwell
and the place where your glo- ry abides. R

Second Reading
Romans 12:9–21

9Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Gospel
Matthew 16:21–28

21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." 23But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."24Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?27For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Sermon: Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-08-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

In January we were a part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration at Irving Park Baptist church. Many of our neighborhood congregations took part in the celebration, and between music and dance, we read excerpts from King’s writings. There was a line read that afternoon that has stuck with me since that day, even if sometimes I have trouble understanding what it might mean. “When our days become dreary with low hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Our reading from the book of Exodus for today tells the story of that long bend. The Israelites have made for themselves a home in Egypt, forced there by famine in their homelands, making for themselves a place because Joseph served Pharaoh. But then a new Pharaoh comes to power, one that does not know Joseph, and that new king is afraid. He is afraid of losing his power, and he is afraid that these people will rise up, join the enemies of Egypt and take power from him. So he subjects them to great injustice, making them slaves to the Egyptians, making their lives bitter with hard service. But that arc only bends one way- and so even under this oppressive rule, the Israelites continue to grow numerous. Their bitter life will not stop them from living, and so the Pharaoh comes up with a new plan.
The Pharaoh calls into his throne room two of my favorite characters from the Old Testament, Siphrah and Puah. These two women are midwives- people who help to bring life into that dark world of hard labor. They go to women as they are giving birth and they help to usher that new life out of the darkness and into light. So they come into Pharaoh’s palace, and he tells them that they have a new job- when they go to these women, when they see that the baby is a boy, they are to kill him, but they can let the girls live. Surely, this will keep the Israelites from growing in number- how could they overcome this kind of oppression?
What Pharaoh doesn’t know, is that Siphrah and Puah are no ordinary midwives, they are actually extraordinary. They are called by God to the ministry of life, and no power structure will bend them away from the work they are called to do. So with fingers crossed they leave the presence of Pharaoh, and they quietly go back to the work they were called to, the first women to engage in civil disobedience in the story of God’s people. They are extraordinary, brave, courageous women, doing the most ordinary of tasks, bringing life into the world.
The Israelite people will not be kept down, and they continue to grow in number. Pharaoh, confused, calls Siphrah and Puah into his chambers- demanding they account for all these boys wandering around. They tell the Pharaoh that it’s a genetic issue. These Hebrew women just deliver in a snap! They can’t get there in time to fulfill Pharaoh’s orders.
We know how the rest of the story goes. We’ve seen the movies- baby Moses is born, hidden away in a basket and sent down the river. He is found and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. The universe arcs toward justice, or perhaps irony. But, those two names, Siphrah and Puah are forgotten. Those two extraordinary women who would not be denied their call, who would not do injustice in the name of God, those two extraordinary women get lost to the record books, but it was those two women who allowed that baby to be born. It was those two women who refused to compromise who set in motion the circumstances that allowed for the birth of the prophet Moses.
There are plenty of forces in this world that try to remind us that we are nothing if not ordinary. There are plenty of forces in this world that try to convince us that what we see around us is as good as it gets. But, we, friends, we know better. We know that we are riding that arc toward justice, because that is what our God is all about. We know that we are more than ordinary, because we are made in the image of our God, and we are set to do extraordinary things. Because God continues to use us to bring about God’s kingdom, we are more than ordinary, even if our names our lost to the record books for all time.
As has been said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Who were those women to defy the greatest power they had ever known, held by Pharaoh? They were children of God, destined to do amazing things, destined to be a part of that arc towards justice. Their names are not famous, but their deeds changed the history of a people.
So as we hear their story this morning, we must ask ourselves, who are we? Who are we to deny that God has called us to extraordinary things? Who are we to imagine that we are not to shine with the glory of God? Because day by day, as I watch the story of this congregation unfold I see that arc towards justice. Day by day I see cracks in the huge walls of oppression. Day by day, I see you raising up children who will do extraordinary things. Only weeks ago I watched more than one hundred children dance down the aisles of this sanctuary as we ended magic mushroom, and I saw in their joy, in their spirits, that in this place, extraordinary things are being done. A program that was started by a few people thirty years ago has raised up thousands of children, girls and boys who know that no matter what the world tells them, God loves them. I see you stepping forward in faith and daring to believe that this congregation can have an impact on this neighborhood, supporting a free clinic in this neighborhood when people were saying it was only going to serve drunks and addicts and the bad element. I see you supporting an afterschool program focused on children in this neighborhood that people say aren’t worth our time or our energy, because they are poor or they come from difficult circumstances. And I tell you, somewhere those two Hebrew midwives are saying, well done.
So who are you? In your ordinary work, you are an extraordinary child of God. We are called to do more than we can imagine in ways we can only dream of- but we are called to lives of extraordinary service. I can’t tell you when it will feel like you are standing at the foot of Pharaoh, but I can tell you that time will come. And when it does, when you are afraid and facing that tough choice, I hope you will hear the voices of those two forgotten women, Siphrah and Puah, reminding you that made in the image of God, you are extraordinary, and you are standing in a world that arcs toward God’s justice. Amen.

Weekly Texts: Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-08-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

First Reading (Semi-continuous)
Exodus 1:8—2:10

Chapter 1
8Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." 11Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.15The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live. 17But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 18So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?" 19The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them." 20So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live."
Chapter 2
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. 2The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. 3When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. 4His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.5The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said. 7Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" 8Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 138

1I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before the gods I will sing your praise.
2I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name, because of your steadfast love and faithfulness;
for you have glorified your name and your word a- bove all things.
3When I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength within me. R
4All the rulers of the earth will praise you, O LORD,
when they have heard the words of your mouth.
5They will sing of the ways of the LORD,
that great is the glory of the LORD.
6The LORD is high, yet cares for the lowly,
perceiving the haughty from afar.
7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe;
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.
8You will make good your pur- pose for me;
O LORD, your steadfast love endures forever; do not abandon the works of your hands. R

Second Reading
Romans 12:1–8

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Gospel
Matthew 16:13–20

13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Sermon: Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-08-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

The first sermon I ever preached in this sanctuary was from a text talking about divorce. I remember thinking as I wrote that first manuscript, geez… it really can’t get worse than this. What am I supposed to talk about? I can imagine God having a quiet chuckle thinking about what I was going to find in a text in the middle of August in 2008, because if it was up to me, I would want to take a bottle of white-out and cover up all the pages of your bibles that hold Matthew 15: 10-28. I don’t like the Jesus we confront in our text for this morning, in fact, I think this passage makes him sound like someone I certainly wouldn't want to know.
Jesus and the disciples are in the district of Tyre and Sidon, when this Caananite woman comes wandering into the picture. The people who live in this region aren’t Jewish, they worship Phoenician gods, and so they are pagans. The Canaanites were descendents of Canaan, a son we hear a bit about in the old Testament. He was the son of Ham. According to the story, after the great flood Noah got a little drunk. He laid naked in his tent, and Ham walked in. Seeing his father’s nakedness, he tells his brothers in a half joking fashion, and those brothers, appalled that their father is lying naked, cover him. Waking, Noah is so angry at what Ham has done that he curses Ham’s son, Canaan, making him the slave to all these brothers. Later in the book of Genesis, God gives Abraham the land of Canaan, then in Dueteronomy, tells Joshua to kill the people and take their lands and their cities.
This woman carries all this with her- historical slavery to the Jews, curses on her people and her land. She is the victim of long-held racial prejudices, she is ignored and despised by good Jewish people. So when we find her screaming about some sick daughter, following Jesus and the disciples around, it doesn’t seem surprising that she appears a little off her rocker. That she won’t be quiet, that she keeps following them crying out for help.
And this is where I don’t really get Jesus’ response. He doesn’t do anything. He doesn’t say anything. In fact, this is the only time in the entire gospel that Jesus does not respond to someone’s cry. He ignores her. How can the Jesus I know do that? The disciples ask him to please tell her to go away, with her carrying on the way she is. And Jesus says, you know, my ministry is for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He doesn’t send her away, but he doesn’t bless her either, because she is far outside of his ministry to the lost sheep of Israel.
Now let us remember what Jesus is all about- so far in our gospel we know he is all about the lost, he is all about the kingdom of heaven, he is all about healing and eating with tax collectors and sinners. He is all about challenging the in-group, in the face of incredible opposition. So is he just having a bad day? Because to me, this seems like a great teaching moment- when he can tell those disciples, well, my friends, you might think that this woman is outside of our ministry, but she is certainly not, because no one is. She is a child of God just as you are, so get out of the way and send her down because I have a healing ministry to get going. This, of course, is not what we hear from Jesus. In fact, the text seems to get even worse. This woman falls at the feet of Jesus, and she begs him to heal her daughter, sick, even dying and possessed by a demon. And Jesus says to her, “it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
Is this a misprint? Because I can’t figure out how that could ever be a nice thing to say. I can’t even figure out how Jesus just fed a crowd of 5,000 people with a couple loaves and some fish, and now he is calling this woman a dog and telling her there isn’t any food left. This just doesn’t square with who Jesus seems to be.
And I am not the only one who seems a bit stuck on this point. Scholars have battled with this passage, trying to figure out a way for Jesus to be meaning something nice. Some suggest that he was really just trying to prove a point, calling this woman a dog to her face so that those slow to learn disciples would really understand that all people are included in the kingdom of God. Others suggest that perhaps he was saying these terrible words to her in order that she could learn more about who she was, she could learn to stand up for herself even in the face of abuse. Others suggest that Jesus was trying to make a point, speaking out against prejudice to all who would hear this text. And others suggest that Jesus was tired, having a bad day, annoyed with all the miracles he was doing. The writer of the gospel of Matthew just doesn’t tell us. The writer doesn’t include a conversation later with the disciples where Jesus explains what he was doing, all we have are the words recorded in our lesson for today.
I battled with this text all week. I sat in my office and tried to figure out what to say. And I came home and fell asleep thinking about what Jesus was doing here. I think the problem is that I don’t know if I buy any of those other explanations. But then, I realized, perhaps we don’t have to.
I’m Lutheran by background and Scandinavian by heritage, so I know that in my upbringing the mark of strong person, the mark of a good leader was to stick it out no matter what kind of decision you made. Good leaders don’t change course. They don’t make mistakes, they don’t go back on their word and try something new. This kind of thinking happens in the church all the time. It happens in our jobs, when we know we’ve really screwed something up, and rather than turn around, we plow forward in order to save face. Or in our families, when we have made a bad decision, or done something hurtful or unfair, and rather than admit that we were angry, or tired, or scared, we just keep on enforcing that decision even if it doesn’t make any sense. We see it in politics. We see it in churches. Good leaders don’t change course, because it means that the first course was wrong.
And that is where I found some good news. Because, right there, in that messy passage in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus changes course. Without shame, without anger, he is challenged imagine something new. This woman teaches him something new. This woman asks him to consider that his mission and ministry might be a lot bigger than he first imagined. It isn’t just to the lost sheep of Israel, it is just as much to the poor, broken, pagans in Canaan. It is to the people that no one could have ever imagined were included.
Our call to ministry- ministry in the church, ministry in our jobs, ministry in our families, is marked by love for God’s people. As one writer put it, just when we think we’ve seen the limits of God’s love, that love grows. I think this woman in our text for today taught Jesus something. I think she taught Jesus that his ministry was bigger than he could ever have imagined, that it extended to the ends of the earth, past those places where good Jewish people could be assured God’s love did not go. So, we, too, can find something here. Faith points us down strange roads, and sometimes we are forced to change course. This woman, cursed since the time of Noah, alone, afraid, kneels at the feet of Jesus and reminds him of who she is. Because she is no dog. She is a woman of great faith. Faith that was profound enough to teach Jesus something. She, despite being cursed and ignored, reflects to all those wandering through her land, the face of God. Amen.

Weekly Texts: Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-08-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

First Reading
Isaiah 56:1, 6–8

Thus says the LORD:Maintain justice, and do what is right,for soon my salvation will come,and my deliverance be revealed.6And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,and to be his servants,all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,and hold fast my covenant — 7these I will bring to my holy mountain,and make them joyful in my house of prayer;their burnt offerings and their sacrificeswill be accepted on my altar;for my house shall be called a house of prayerfor all peoples.8Thus says the Lord GOD,who gathers the outcasts of Israel,I will gather others to thembesides those already gathered.

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 67

1May God be merciful to us and bless us;
may the light of God's face shine upon us.
2Let your way be known upon earth,
your saving health a- mong all nations.
3Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the na- tions on earth. R
5Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
6The earth has brought forth its increase;
God, our own God, has blessed us.
7May God give us blessing,
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe. R

Second Reading
Romans 11:1–2a, 29–32

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. 29for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, 31so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. 32For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Gospel
Matthew 15:[10–20] 21–28

10Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: 11it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." 12Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" 13He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." 15But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." 16Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."21Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon." 23But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." 24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 27She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Sermon: Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-08-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

I’m from Northern Michigan, so I grew up on the waters of Lake Michigan. Now, Lake Michigan is not a turbulent sea, but it does have its fair share of storms. Plus, it is cold and sometimes scary, which led me, as a child, to both love spending time on our boat and also find myself gripped with fear every time I had to make that first step on to it.
Now for any of you with some boating experience, you might be aware of the problem with keeping one leg on land and one leg on the boat. Even if you are conflicted or scared, decision time doesn’t work to well if you are trying to make it as your legs drift farther and farther apart. There is a rather famous family story in the Petersen household of the time I did just that. I would often get scared as I made that leap into the boat, but on this particular late summer day, fear paralyzed me. So as I stood with a leg on the pier and a leg in the boat, things started to move farther and farther and farther apart. I could hear my Father yelling at me- get in or get out, but it was like everything was in slow motion. Until, of course, reality came speeding at me and I dropped, fully clothed into the chilly waters of Lake Michigan.
So when I hear this familiar story from the gospel of Matthew my heart goes out to the disciple Peter. He and the other disciples have been in the boat all night, following Jesus’ command that they push off and go to the other side. Jesus is not with them, so they have been in this rickety old boat all by themselves. The night has not been calm, their tiny craft has been battered back and forth by the waves. The rain has poured in, they were smack in the middle of a big storm. They aren’t closer to where they are going and they are far from where they have been. And so they are afraid. And I hear that. They are afraid because they waves aren’t getting any calmer and their boat isn’t getting any closer to dry land. They are afraid because they have been left on their own, and Jesus doesn’t seem to be interested in calming this storm.
So in the middle of the pouring rain, they look out on the water, and they see a figure walking towards them. And, now, if they didn’t know what fear was, they really know what it is all about because surely a ghost is walking on the water towards them. What was bad has now moved quickly into worse, because not only is there a storm but there is a ghost headed in their direction. So with one voice, those wind-battered, rain-beaten disciples cry out in fear.
And then they hear,“It is I, do not be afraid.”
Do they recognize his voice? Can they tell it is Jesus? I imagine they are looking back and forth at one another- squinting their eyes, wiping the rain from their faces in hopes of getting some confirmation, the man walking on water is Jesus. Always quick to respond, Peter cries out, “You know what- if it is you, Jesus, if it is you, call me out onto the water- make me walk to you.” And that ghostly figure says, “come.”
In this story, Peter is often cast as the hero or the antithesis of what it means to be a person of faith. As a hero, we flock to Peter because when faced with making the decision between land and water, Peter chooses water. Plenty of people hold up Peter as the man who had enough faith to trust that God could do anything, even make him walk on water. He is a hero because he dared to do the impossible believing that God would save him. And, at the same time, Peter is often cast as the disciple we don’t want to mimic. Yes, we might follow him out on to the water, but, we, we would have enough faith to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and not waver. Peter just lets fear get the best of him, he lets the wind and the waves take over and he doesn’t believe. So, we don’t want to be anything like him, because we want to be people of faith, who don’t doubt, who don’t take their eyes off their savior.
But the people I really wonder about in our text for today are the people who I would have been huddled with, the rest of those disciples in the bottom of the boat. Because sometimes I really can’t make that tough decision between boat and water, and I end up finding myself feeling more and more stretched apart. I want to be like the risk taking Peter who was willing to jump out of the boat and rush towards the ghostly figure of his savior- but I often find myself feeling as if I am in the bottom of the boat- not sure if the person I hear calling me is Jesus, or something else entirely.
Churches are often built to look like the interior of ships. The nave, or central part of the church, comes from the latin word for ship. It makes sense to me, because sometimes I wonder if we aren’t like those disciples paddling until our hands are calloused and bruised in order to get to where the Lord has told us to go. I wonder if we aren’t like those disciples, rain soaked and tired as we navigate our way through this life. And some of us find ourselves feeling a lot like Peter on that fateful morning, ready and willing to take a leap of faith, to run towards the place where Jesus is calling us, because we have all the hope and the passion and the faith that our God can make us do things that defy what seems possible. And some of us find ourselves shaking on the bottom of the boat, because we don’t know whether that guy out there is seeking to do us harm or good.
But wherever we are, in the bottom of the boat or skiing on the water, what we know from our text is that the rains and the wind don’t cease. Peter walks towards Jesus, takes that giant leap of faith, and the rain doesn’t stop, the waves don’t get any smaller. That leap of faith starts to seem like a bad decision when he realizes that his step didn’t calm the storm. He begins to sink when he looks around him only to discover that even for taking a giant step of faith the world around him didn’t appear to change much. The wind and the rains don’t cease for the people of God, and the perspective is much the same in the boat and out of it.
I don’t think the faith we are looking for is found exclusively surfing the waves. I don’t think the kind of faith we are searching for is only in the bottom of the boat. I think the kind of faith we are looking for is in that decision time between staying on land or getting into the water. Because whether we are hanging back in the boat or running at full speed towards Jesus, he is still coming towards us. He is still meeting us in the middle of the storm, as we continue to push forward trying to get to where he told us to go. He is still coming towards us when we are rain soaked and wind beaten. He still meets us, calls out to us, and tells us not to be afraid.
Because the rains still come down and the winds still push us in every direction, no matter how we try to get to him. The waves are not stilled, the winds are not silenced as we decide between boat and water. We still carry fear in our hearts whether it keeps us stuck in our ship or leaves us sinking in the waves. But, because of who our God is, God keeps coming to us. God keeps meeting us in our boat, keeps climbing in, sometimes dragging one of us behind, but keeping us together, despite the storm. God keeps coming down, because that is what God does. We can’t get to God, God gets to us. We can’t get to God, we can’t calm the storm, but our God can. Our God can meet us no matter how bad the circumstances, can whisper to us, do not be afraid, and can finally calm the storm that has been sending us in every direction.
And so that leaves us with only one thing left. To look around in our boat. To see what God has done. And to fall down and worship, seeing that it was never a ghost coming towards us, it was the very son of God. Amen and thanks be to God.

Weekly Texts: Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-08-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

First Reading
1 Kings 19:9–18

9At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."11He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 15Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. 18Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."

Psalm 85:8–13

8I will listen to what the LORD God is saying;
for you speak peace to your faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to you.
9Truly, your salvation is very near to those who fear you,
that your glory may dwell in our land. R
10Steadfast love and faithfulness have met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11Faithfulness shall spring up from the earth,
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12The LORD will indeed grant prosperity,
and our land will yield its increase.
13Righteousness shall go be- fore the LORD
and shall prepare for God a pathway. R

Second Reading
Romans 10:5–15

5Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that "the person who does these things will live by them." 6But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say?"The word is near you,on your lips and in your heart"(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."14But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Gospel
Matthew 14:22–33

22Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."28Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Sermon: Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-08-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Unemployment reached a four-year high this last month, as employers cut another 51,000 jobs, according to the latest report on the economy. If you don’t hear the word economy at least once a day, you don’t turn on the television, read the newspaper, or surf the web. It seems like the economy is going down the tubes, and fast. Unemployment is up. Oil prices are higher than they have ever been. Government budgets are being slashed, leaving people unable to get the services they need. It is a mess.
It seems kind of natural to me that we talk about the economy with a little fear in our voices. This church runs on the gifts of its members- so the state of the economy certainly keeps me awake at night. People keep talking about less, less, less, we have to cut back, we have to scrimp and save, because things are bad now, and they are going to get worse. The stock market is down, banks are failing, we don’t know where our money is safe. The economy is like a big, mysterious force that defies our understanding or explanation. We just react to it.
This morning our gospel is one of those famous bible stories. A very similar story appears in all four of our gospels. The only miracle to make it on the pages of every single gospel. Some of the details might be a bit different, but the shape of the story is the same- a bunch of hungry people are out in the wilderness with Jesus, and there isn’t enough food to go around. So out of a measly offering a few loaves and some fish, an abundant meal is served, and all the people, thousands of them, leave satisfied.
But the story begins a little differently in the gospel of Matthew. Because in this gospel, Jesus goes the wilderness because he has just received terrible news. John the Baptist has been beheaded. John the Baptist, his friend, cousin, the prophet that proclaimed Jesus’ divinity, he’s dead. Jesus leaves and goes off to a deserted place. Do you know that feeling? Because I do. That feeling when you just have nothing left, when you want crawl under the blankets and wait until it is a new day. That feeling that comes over you when it seems as if the world itself has become one big disappointment, and there aren’t any good options left. That feeling when someone dies, or when you face tragedy, or when the world just overwhelms you. I imagine that is what Jesus was feeling after his friend dies- sadness and despair, and so he goes off to a deserted place.
And even in the pain of the loss of this friend, the crowds still follow Jesus. They follow him into his lonely place, and they themselves are sick and hungry. I imagine Jesus is scraping the emotional bottom, but what does he do? He sees that great crowd, thousands of people, and he has compassion for all those sick, sad, lost people, and he goes to them and he heals them.
But this isn’t the only picture in our story. Because after Jesus heals these people, night begins to fall. They start to look a little hungry. Their collective tummy starts to growl. So the disciples come to Jesus asking him to send these people to the villages so they can get some food. But Jesus doesn’t send them away. He looks at the disciples, and he says, “you feed them.” You, underline, exclamation point, you feed them. But with what? They don’t have anything. How can they feed a crowd of 5,000 men, plus numerous women and children? How can their nothing feed this huge something?
This gospel story is about a lot of nothing. That is, at first glance, the state of this gospel economy. Nothing- no energy, just sadness. Nothing- no food, no drinks, just a few loaves and some measly salty old fish. A whole lot of the bottom. A whole lot of not much. Jesus, the disciples, and all these hungry people are in the wilderness, that scarce desolate place, and they are speaking the language of scarcity.
I know that language, and I know you do, too. The language of scarcity is so pervasive that it feels like it is almost normal. We don’t have enough, time, money, energy. We don’t have enough to give anything, because there is only so much. We know the economy of scarcity, and it isn’t just about jobs and gas prices. We are pulled in 100 different directions, we are pushed and tugged, and sometimes we really do have nothing left. I have certainly thought that on plenty of days. People, church, the world, keeps trying to take from us, and in an economy of scarcity, we are forced to protect what we have.
But, when we look a little deeper, when we focus our eyes on the whole gospel story, the economy starts to shift. The disciples bring those loaves and those fish to Jesus. There isn’t much there. It really is a sad little offering spread out before thousands of people. But Jesus takes that nothing, and looking up to heaven, he blesses that tiny little offering, and the disciples pass it out to the crowd. And miraculously, that nothing, those tiny fish and loaves become more than something, they become a feast to feed thousands, a feast that leaves all the people loosening their belts because their stomachs are so full, a feast that leaves behind 12 baskets of broken bread.
With God, the economy isn’t based on scarcity, because God’s economy is based on extravagant abundance. Sometimes it feels like a miracle, when God takes our nothing, our little bit of time, our little bit of energy, our little bit of commitment, and makes it into something that can only be described as divine. In an economy of scarcity, we hold on to what we have until we have enough that we can be sure it is okay to share. We hold on to our time and our energy and our money because it just wouldn’t be right to give it away until we are on a full tank. But, in an economy of abundance, God seeks to use even our little nothing. God seeks to use us even when we aren’t at our best. The story didn’t start with 12 baskets of bread, it started with five loaves and two fish. In an economy of scarcity, the person baking that bread and the person catching those fish would have kept them to feed their own rumbling stomachs. Some people say that the miracle in this story is that heavenly power multiplied those loaves like magic in the hands of Jesus. I agree that heavenly power multiplied those loaves and fish, but I wonder if that heavenly power wasn’t focused on the 5 loaves and the 2 fish, but if that heavenly power was focused on the more than 5,000 people sitting in the grass. I wonder if that heavenly power was what inspired them to throw in a loaf or two as the basket came their way, because even if they didn’t have much, surely the person next to them should get a fish sandwich. I wonder if the miracle was that in an economy of scarcity, in an economy we know just as well as that gathered crowd, if the miracle is that for those hungry people, for those disciples, for those hearing this story, suddenly scarcity felt like a whole lot more. The story of not enough became the story of more than enough. The story of keeping for oneself became instead a time to share in order that all might eat and be filled. This is a miracle worth printing on pages in all four gospels. Not enough, when we look up towards heaven, suddenly becomes more than enough. Enough that we can’t do anything but give it away rejoicing because the economy has shifted. Amen and thanks be to God.

Weekly Texts: Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

2008-07-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

First Reading
Isaiah 55:1–5

Ho, everyone who thirsts,come to the waters;and you that have no money,come, buy and eat!Come, buy wine and milkwithout money and without price.2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,and your labor for that which does not satisfy?Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,and delight yourselves in rich food.3Incline your ear, and come to me;listen, so that you may live.I will make with you an everlasting covenant,my steadfast, sure love for David.4See, I made him a witness to the peoples,a leader and commander for the peoples.5See, you shall call nations that you do not know,and nations that do not know you shall run to you,because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,for he has glorified you.

Psalm (ELW)
Psalm 145:8–9, 14–21

8The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9LORD, you are good to all,
and your compassion is over all your works. R
14The Lord upholds all those who fall
and lifts up those who are bowed down.
15The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD,
and you give them their food in due season.
16You open wide your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17You are righteous in all your ways
and loving in all your works. R
18You are near to all who call upon you,
to all who call up- on you faithfully.
19You fulfill the desire of those who fear you;
you hear their cry and save them.
20You watch over all those who love you,
but all the wicked you shall destroy.
21My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD;
let all flesh bless God's holy name forev- er and ever. R

Second Reading
Romans 9:1–5

I am speaking the truth in Christ — I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit — 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. 4They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; 5to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Gospel
Matthew 14:13–21

13Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." 18And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Sermon: Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

2008-07-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

One of the smartest decisions Josh and I have made together was to purchase this little gadget. This week I used it to take me to a tiny little church in Elgin. I didn’t even have to know the address, I just press a few keys, and the gps takes me where I want to go. It talks to me, I can even use it to make phone calls. This little gadget does almost everything I could ever need.
However, it gets a little confused when I ask it to take me to the kingdom of God. Apparently, that is not a location in its database. The closest I can get is somewhere called Kingdom City, Missouri. I can’t get into my car and drive to the kingdom of God, because it isn’t as simple as finding Zion Lutheran Church in Elgin. I can’t drive to it, walk to it, but sometimes, as in our parables for this day we run right smack into it, when we weren’t planning on finding it at all.
The parables we hear from Jesus this morning are all about this kingdom of God. In fact, if Jesus had been following most rules about preaching, he would know that he used way too many images to describe this kingdom of God. Jesus says that the kingdom is like a mustard seed, like the yeast in three measures of flour, the kingdom is like a treasure buried in a field, like a pearl of great price, like a net thrown into the sea. With all that Jesus says the kingdom is, I don’t find myself ready to answer Jesus’s question- “have you understood all this?” The disciples say yes. I say, honestly, not really. The kingdom of God is like all these things, and yet I find myself grasping for what the kingdom of God is like for me. Or where I can find it, or even how to begin.
Because what most of these images tell us is that the kingdom of God is so often hidden. The kingdom of God is like the tiny mustard seed. You drop it on the ground and you can’t find it again. Here. This is what the kingdom of God is like. You can’t even see it from where you are sitting. Or this, the kingdom of God is like the measure of yeast. Again, how can we tell someone that doesn’t know that this is what the kingdom of God is like?
The kingdom of God is like the tiniest of seeds, like the small measure of yeast. It is like a tiny gathering of people hoping to change a neighborhood. The kingdom of God is found in the smallest of beginnings, but with God, a mustard seed becomes a great tree and a small speck of yeast leavens a loaf. The kingdom of God rests on that dreamy naïve belief, the belief that somehow, despite all evidence to the contrary, God is using the smallest of things, the people gathered in this place to bring about the kingdom of God in the world. The kingdom of God rests on the power of God, the power to create out of the most hidden incredible and amazing glimpses of the way we know the world was meant to be.
But these are not the only images Jesus presents us with this morning, because he speaks not just of this small hiddenness of the kingdom, but of the ways that we find that kingdom. Sometimes, we stumble into the kingdom like a man who has been plowing a field. Suddenly, that plow strikes against something solid, and when he bends down the remove it from his path, he realizes that what he had discovered is a treasure. A treasure buried in a field, a treasure that no one knew about, that no one had seen before, and suddenly here it is, right in front of him, and so he buries it, and he sells all that he has to own that field because he knows that there is a treasure buried there. It is as if the treasure has found him, because that too can be what this kingdom of God is like, like something you stumble into. Like trying to follow a map that doesn’t quite show you where you are going, and suddenly you stumble upon what you had been looking for. Like trying to satisfy your deepest longings with all the things of this world, until one day you wake up and realize that the hole inside is in the shape of God, and it is the only thing that can fill you. The kingdom of God is like a treasure buried in a field, a treasure you didn’t even know you were looking for until you found it, and now, it is the only things that matters.
And sometimes, we come upon the kingdom of God because we have been searching desperately for it. Sometimes we come upon the kingdom of God because we need it, and we know what it is worth, and it is the only thing we can hold on to and trust in a world that is filled with more questions than answers. The kingdom of God can be like the fine pearl, that thing we have been looking for since before we could put words to it, and when we find it we pay whatever we have to possess it. The kingdom of God can be the end of the search or the beginning of it.
The kingdom of God doesn’t come with fanfare. It is best described by insignificant seeds and the work of the everyday. The kingdom of God sometimes comes as a surprise and other times as the culmination of a journey that began at our baptism. The kingdom of God has always been found in humble beginnings. In a baby in a manager. In a table where bread is broken by sinners and saints. In the healing of the sick.
I stand before you this morning because I believe the kingdom of God is the most significant force in our world. The kingdom of God found in the gospel is a kingdom of freedom, whether you search for or stumble upon it. It is only the tiniest of things that is the right size to burrow into your heart and change it. It is only the tiniest of things that makes a space inside of you and continues to grow until you can’t remember when God’s work wasn’t the center of your life. There are moments when I am not sure if the tiny kingdom of God is growing, or if it is being beaten back by the tragedy and the evil of this world. And, then, it seems that I will stumble right into it- I’ll see it as we pour water over the head of a baby in this sanctuary. I’ll see it at the bedside of the sick, as family gathers around the usher one they love from this world to the next. I’ll see it in the love that grows among the people of this place, people from different walks of life, people who need each other whether they ever knew it.
The kingdom of God, the tiny, sometimes hidden, kingdom of God shapes the lives of God’s people. Sometimes we stumble into it, sometimes after a long search we realize it has been with us all the time. Amen and thanks be to God.

Weekly Texts: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost

2008-05-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

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.

Sermon: 2nd Sunday after Pentecost

2008-05-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

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.

Weekly Texts: 2nd Sunday After Pentecost

2008-05-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

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.

Sermon: Holy Trinity Sunday 2008

2008-05-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

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.

Weekly Texts: Holy Trinity Sunday 2008

2008-05-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

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."

Sermon: Pentecost 2008

2008-05-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

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.

Weekly Texts: Pentecost 2008

2008-05-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

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."