Worship for Sunday, May 22, 2011

May 22, 2011

The Fifth Sunday in Eastertide

Morning Prayers

• Mighty God,
  in whom we know the power of redemption,
  you stand among us in the shadows of our time.
  As we move through every sorrow and trial of this life,
  uphold us with knowledge of the final morning
  when, in the glorious presence of your risen Son,
  we will share in his resurrection,
  redeemed and restored to the fullness of life
  and forever freed to be your people. Amen.
  
  O God, your Son remained with his disciples after his resurrection,
  teaching them to love all people as neighbors.
  As his disciples in this age,
  we offer our prayers on behalf of the world
  in which we are privileged to live
  and our family and neighbors with whom we share it.
  
  
• Hear now our silent and spoken prayers (you are invited to state your prayer concern in one word or one name, or to remember them in Silence)
  
  
• Open our hearts to your power moving
  around us and between us and within us,
  until your glory is revealed in our love of both friend and enemy,
  in communities transformed by justice and compassion,
  and in the healing of all that is broken. Amen.
  
  
  Guide us in the path of discipleship,
  so that, as you have blessed us,
  we may be a blessing for others,
  bringing the promise of the kingdom near
  by our words and deeds. Amen.
  
  Receive these prayers, O God,
  and transform us through them,
  that we may have eyes to see and hearts to understand
  not only what you do on our behalf,
  but what you call us to do
  so that your realm will come to fruition in glory.

Living and gracious God,
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
you have brought us out to a spacious place
where we are called to live as those redeemed.
Empower us by your spirit to keep your commandments,
that we may show forth your love
with gentle word and reverent deed
to all your people, in the name of Jesus, our Christ. Amen.

1 Peter 3:13-22

^15bAlways be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; ¹⁶yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.

¹⁸For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, ²⁰who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.

²¹And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

And a verse from Chapter 4: …they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.

“He Descended Into Hell”

Ours is not a creedal church--that is to say that we do have a creed, but not one of the historic creeds.

It’s not that we have anything against the creeds, it’s just that our denomination was formed in a time when creeds and confessions of faith were used to split Christians apart from each other rather than bring them together. “If you don’t say the Westminster Confession of Faith. You’re going to hell!”

And so, we say, “we have no creed but Christ.” When someone joins one of our congregations, we ask, “do you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and Savior of the World?”

Say yes, and you’re in!

So, we don’t say the creeds very much--even though we might all agree that they’re good teaching tools, but you won’t come across them much in a Disciples of Christ congregation.

And, even if you did, there’s that pesky line in the Apostolic Creed that hangs up even folks who say the creeds frequently--“He descended into Hell.” (that’s what’s in the traditional version--the one in the Chalice Hymnal is, “he descended to the dead.”

That phrase just doesn’t come easily, does it? It sure doesn’t for me!

Another thing about Disciples is we don’t have Bishops. In fact, in our early years, it was said of us that we didn’t have Bishops--instead, we had Editors. Back then, if you had a second class postal permit and a mailing list, you could be pretty powerful in the Disciples of Christ.

It so happens, that about one hundred and sixty years ago, two of our “Editor Bishops” had a massive knockdown drag-out battle--in print, of course--as their respective newspapers came to opposite views on the passage I read for you a few minutes ago.

One was named Jesse Ferguson--a pastor in Nashville, TN. One of his readers wrote in and asked if it were possible to read First Peter 3, where it says “He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison,” as understanding that Jesus preached and still preaches to those in Hell. As in, “Do we get a second chance to be saved?”

And, Rev. Ferguson wrote back in his next issue of the paper that yes, you could draw that conclusion by that verse, and in the next chapter, in which Peter writes that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached both to the living and the dead!

Well, incensed by this, the most authoritative of our founders, one Alexander Campbell, took issue with this--and spent an inordinate amount of energy in rebuking Rev. Ferguson’s so-called “post-mortem Gospel” as dangerous and heretical. That word heretic-heretical-heresy isn’t used much by Disciples because we value freedom of thought and inquiry. And the Rev. Alexander Campbell devoted several years to ruining the ministry of Rev. Ferguson.

Do you know why he thought that the idea of Jesus preaching to the dead was dangerous?

He said, among other things, that if people thought they might get a second chance at heaven, they’ll stop coming to church.

Now, I ask you, did you come here this morning because you fear an angry God will relegate you to Hell, or did you come to celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit in this place, and because when two or more of us gather, that Jesus is in our midst?

I do not go to church in order to get my “get-out-of-hell” card. Now some cynical folk might say that I go to church because they pay me to! Maybe so.

No, I go to church because that’s where I find folks who care about me and count on me to care about them, and where I can sing God’s praises, and where people greet me with the peace of Jesus Christ, and where I can celebrate him at the Lord’s Table.

Hell doesn’t enter into it.

Let’s look at Hell, for a minute or two--I promise it won’t be too scary.

In the Old Testament, there are three Hebrew words used for hell: Sheol, which is just the place of the dead--neither good or bad--just dead; the depths, or the pit. Whenever those words are used--especially in the Psalms, they always depict God as rescuing whoever is in the pit or the depths.

Psalm 139 so comfortingly notes that nowhere--Nowhere--is beyond God’s reach. (If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths of Sheol, you are there.) Nowhere is beyond God’s reach. And dare I say, no one is beyond God’s reach

In fact, you could say that the whole of the Hebrew scriptures is the story of his chosen people running away him--and he always runs after them and brings them back into his loving arms.

Jesus uses the word Hell. Except, in Greek, he said Gehenna. Gehenna was Jerusalem’s garbage dump which was constantly on fire. Rob Bell writes “if someone asks you if you believe in hell, you could say, ‘well, I believe my garbage goes somewhere!’” There’s also the Greek word ‘Hades.” It carries the same meaning of Sheol. The place of the dead.

So, what are we to make of this very interesting passage? Christ preaching to the Spirits in prison (hell)? The gospel proclaimed to both the living and the dead?

By the way, contemporary studies look a lot closer to Jesse Ferguson’s interpretation than Campbell’s. And, in the end, I have to confess that I don’t have the answer to this idea of a Post-Mortem Gospel.

But, I think it does tell us something about the character of God.

God doesn’t quit. God doesn’t give up.

You remember the parable of the lost sheep? Sure you do. The shepherd leaves 99 sheep alone in the wilderness to run after the one that wandered off.

God doesn’t quit. God doesn’t give up.

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to see that a team of US Navy Seals had killed Osama Bin Laden--the most wanted man in the world. I confess that there was a part of me that wanted to shout and dance and turn cartwheels. But then my better nature thought of this passage and I had a vision of God saying, “He’s my child too.” And I thought, “God is not done with Osama.”

But, that doesn’t let me off the hook. This passage begins with an admonition to always stand ready to give an account of the hope that is within you--but do it with gentleness and reverence. God doesn’t want us to give up just because he won’t! We are called to always be ready to share our hope with others--or, at the very least, invite them here so that they can encounter Jesus Christ in this bunch of people.

Kate and I are getting free Showtime for 3 months, and we’ve been watching a series called “The Borgias,” about a powerful family in Rome at the turn of the 16^th century.

One of t5he more intriguing characters is that of Girolamo Savonarola, a monk who was one of the early street preachers. He’d stand on his balcony and holler at the people who gathered about the fires of hell and wrathful judgment of a angry God.

Have you ever seen one of those kinds of street preachers? That’s not what Peter is saying about giving an account of your hope. The verse goes on, that we are to give an account of the hope within us--but to do it with gentleness and reverence. Because every person you encounter is loved by God and called to that same hope that is within you. Every person you meet is someone beloved by God and made in God’s own image. Our God.

And our God doesn’t quit. God doesn’t give up.

Our God is a risky relentless God who never gives up on us--or anyone else. Throughout the Bible, we see that failure isn’t final. God’s hope and love are extended to all.

God doesn’t quit. God doesn’t give up.

Not even on hell.

If God’s own son came because He so loved the world, what does it say about Hell when Jesus goes there, too?

God doesn’t quit. God doesn’t give up.

And for that, thanks be to God.

He descended into Hell.

Thanks be to God, he descended into Hell.

I’d love to know what you’re thinking.

Offertory Invitation

Who we are, what we do, and what we have is never separated from God. In God, we live and move and have our being, and so the gifts that we offer are also connected to and infused with God’s spirit. Who can contain God’s spirit? What will you offer today to the whole of creation to further the mission of the church in the world?

Offertory Prayer

Generous and loving God, we remember. We remember the others who have encouraged us. Many people have taught us. We have been forgiven. We are loved. We admit that we haven't done it all ourselves. In a way, this offering is a response to all that has come before us. We pray that this money will be used to encourage, to teach, to forgive, and to love in Jesus' name. Amen.

Benediction

Go now into the world.
Search for the God who is not far from each one of us.
Offer to all who ask an account of the hope that is in you--with gentleness and reverence.
Keep your conscience clear as you live the commandments in love.

And may God greet your prayers with constant love;
may Christ Jesus give you life through his own life;
and may the Spirit of truth abide with you and within you, always.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Worship for Sunday, May 8, 2011

Easter 2

Luke 24:13-35

Call to Worship

L: Where shattered hearts are made whole,
where wounded souls are healed,
where life is stronger than death:
P: there, the stone has been rolled away.

L: Where the lonely become our friends,
where a stranger is welcomed home,
where hope is stronger than despair,
P: there, we find Jesus walking.

L: Where closed wallets are opened,
where the anxious find serenity,
where love is stronger than hate:
P: there, Jesus is opening our eyes.

L: The stone has been rolled away!
Jesus is our companion on the journey!
Our eyes are opened to the needs of others!
P: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Alleluia! Christ is with us!

God of the ever-living Christ Jesus, our words of thanksgiving are indeed not enough. The poverty of our best sentences, and the inadequacy of our sacred music, frustrates our attempts to worship you as you deserve. We say we extol you, we praise you, we glorify you. Gladly we sing out our love and adoration for you. Yet we have not expressed even a fraction of the wonder that throbs in our hearts. O God of Jesus and our God, you are that holy Beauty that will always leave us gasping, yet never leave us unloved. All glory be to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen!

Morning Prayers

A Litany for Mothers

On this day when we remember our mothers, let us offer our prayers to Jesus, the son of Mary.

Because on this earth we are all sons and daughters of Eve, let us pray for the whole world and the church universal, that we might behold each other as brothers and sisters. Lord in your mercy.

Hear our Prayer.

As Rebecca gave birth to Jacob, and in so doing she gave birth to a whole nation, let us pray for our own nation, and for all in authority. Lord in your mercy.

Hear our Prayer.

As Rachel’s son Joseph was mistreated, beaten, and wrongly jailed, we pray for all in this world who are in trouble of any kind. We pray for the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, and the victims of war and all who live in terror’s wake. Lord in your mercy.

Hear our Prayer.

As Hannah, the mother of Samuel, went to the House of the Lord to pray with earnest integrity, we earnestly pray for those in this community. . . Lord in your mercy.

Hear our Prayer.

As Naomi took Ruth into her home, we pray for those who act as surrogate, spiritual mothers. We pray with gratitude for all those who give the gift of love and nurturing. Lord in your mercy.

Hear our Prayer.

As Elizabeth gave birth in old age, and as she saw her son John the Baptist carried off to persecution, we pray for all those who are sick, those who are suffering, and those with any need, especially. . . Lord in your mercy.

Hear our Prayer.

And, as Mary stood by the cross and watched her son die, we pray for the dead and the dying. Lord in your mercy.

Hear our Prayer.

Lord Jesus, who wishes to gather your people as a mother hen gathers together her brood, we offer to you our prayers. Accept our gratitude for all who mother, bless all who mother, and give all mothers your comfort and strength. And help all of us, brothers and sisters, to be your family on earth, as we shall be in Heaven. Amen. (R.C. Morley)

Luke 24:13-49

¹³Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.

¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,¹⁶but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷

And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?”

They stood still, looking sad.

¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”

¹⁹He asked them, “What things?”

They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.

Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.

²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.”

²⁵Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?”²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

²⁸As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.

²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.”

So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.³²They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

A passenger in a taxi leaned over to ask the driver a question and tapped him on the shoulder.

The driver screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up over the curb, and stopped just inches from a large plate glass window.

For a few moments, everything was silent in the cab, and then the still shaking driver said, "I'm sorry, but that scared the daylights out of me."

The frightened passenger apologized to the driver and said he didn't realize a mere tap on the shoulder could frighten him so much.

"No, no, I'm sorry," said the driver. "It's entirely my fault. Today is my first day driving a cab. For the last 25 years, I've been driving a hearse."

For the two Disciples walking down the road to Emmaus on that Sunday evening, it was, unfortunately a dull and ordinary first day of the week. They walked along with no particular expectations. Any expectations they had for something grand had ended on Friday on a hill outside Jerusalem. Crucifixion, however else you want to look at it, was pretty much final. No one they’d ever heard of had survived one, and so it was with Jesus.

And, so they walked. As prepared for an encounter with the Risen Lord as, well, say a hearse driver who’s taken up taxi driving. And then, when Jesus does appear, he really doesn’t, because they don’t recognize him.

They were, in the words of T.S. Eliot, “maintain[ing] themselves by the common routine, Learn[ing] to avoid excessive expectations.

And that, is the Human Condition.

The maintenance of the common, ordinary routine. Trying not to get too excited--not to soar too high, lest you are disappointed by the inevitable slam to the earth which is certainly coming.

A few years back, a movie was made about the real-life kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr.

At one point in the story, the ringleader of the kidnappers is sitting on the sofa with his mother, watching television. Out of the blue, he asks her, “momma, what do you do when you realize that all your dreams have passed you by?”

She answers, “Oh, honey, you just get used to it.”

You just get used to it.

Thoreau wrote that most of us lead lives of quiet desperation.

And Cleopas and her companion (it is widely held that Cleopas was likely woman’s name) are doing just that. It’s all over--the movement that would change the world had ended on a cross on Calvary. There would be no freedom, no ousting of the Romans. No reform of the Temple excesses, no…nothing.

Quiet desperation, indeed.

But, something happened as they made their way along the road to Emmaus. The Human Condition was altered. Interrupted. Revised.

A stranger suddenly joined them on the road, and asked what was up.

Luke tells us they stood still, looking sad. Not only would they have to endure the loss of the great hope for Israel--even the great hope for all humankind--but they were going to have to spell it out for this nosy stranger.

But, they only have to hit the highlights and this stranger begins to fill in all the gaps and before you know it--they had arrived at their destination. They invited him in to eat, and when he broke the bread, their eyes were opened--and they knew it was him--a true companion, a word which means at it’s root, “someone with whom to share bread on a journey.”

These sullen and forlorn disciples have gone from the depths of despair to the height of emotion. They have moved from a dead Savior and a dead movement to the height of joy in the space of an afternoon.

There’s only one problem. There is no Emmaus.

There’s no record of a town being in the place where it should be. No archeological record of the village. It simply doesn’t exist.

. But, it seems that this is like the way that the Nez Perce tribe in the west begin a story. They always start with this sentence, “I do not know if this is exactly the way it happened, but I know it to be true.”

The lack of a location for Emmaus--among other things-- has led one of the premier Jesus experts of our time--John Dominic Crossan--to write, “Emmaus never happened.”

But, before you get too bent out of shape about it, he follows that statement with this one, “Emmaus always happens.”

Emmaus never happened. Emmaus always happens.

What we know of Emmaus is this story. What we know of Cleopas and her companion is this story. Nowhere else to be found

And yet, I believe it with all my heart. I’m just not going to let the facts get in my way.

Look at the verbs in verse 30: “took, blessed, broke, and gave.” Sound familiar?

I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I know it to be true.

Frederick Buechner, in his treatment of "the Road to Emmaus," asserts that Emmaus was not so much a place as a state of mind. “The state of mind is escape-escape from pain, loneliness, longing, sorrow, bewilderment, grief. It is the place where we spend much of our lives, the place in our lives where we are likely to say, ‘Let the whole thing go to hell, it makes no difference anyway.’ The road to Emmaus is that place where we go to escape whatever it is we need to escape-whether it is our job, our ornery friends, a demanding, ungrateful family, or that horrible gnawing grief over life and love lost.

The road to Emmaus is the way. That was the first name for the church, "The Way." The church when it is half true to its promise, is a group of people on a road where, wonder of wonders, the risen Christ meets us.

He will meet us when we are down and out--at our lowest point--when all hope seems lost.

He will meet us when we study the scriptures--which Jesus unpacked for Cleopas and her friend on the road.

And, he will meet us when we gather around his table when we stop our lives with bread in front of us--which we take, bless, break, and give to feed our weary souls.

Again, I don’t know what happened on that road and at that table so long ago. But I know this to be true: Emmaus always happens. Jesus is made known to us in the breaking of the bread. Thanks be to God, he is our com-pan-ion.

Offertory Prayer

God of our life journeys, you can turn our despair into joy, our sorrow into recognition of your living presence. Thank you for your love that conquers even death! As Jesus did with the bread, we pray that you will take our lives, bless them, break them open, and use them as gifts to others to convey your transforming life. Use these gifts that we bring for your gracious purposes in this, your world. Amen.

Benediction

Go out into the world in peace--

May you find Christ in every companion you meet,

And may all your meals and travels be sacramental--

May you recognize Christ in the breaking of bread--

No matter at what table it is you find yourselves.

Amen

Worship, April 17, 2011

Worship for Sunday, April 17, 2011

Palm Sunday

Matthew 21:1-11

We have gathered here, week after week, sharing a common quest for a deeper faith and a deeper experience of the divine. I invite you now to close your eyes and let go of the things that distract and concern you. Listen! The time is drawing near. Jesus is preparing to enter Jerusalem. How will we greet him? Will we follow him all the way to the Cross? The power of Jesus is that he lived what he taught, even when it led to his death. He lived with an abiding awareness of God, radiating the light of God in all he said and did. But that light was too much for the world. There are forces today, as there were in ancient Judea, that conspire to put it out. Where are we in this drama? What are we willing to risk to follow Jesus?

(Silent time.)

As we extinguish this light, we acknowledge the darkness and pain of grief, illness, and disease in the world.

(A candle is extinguished.)

Let us pray.

Loving God, there are so many choices before us every day. Choices offered by our friends, our families, our culture, our own past. Some of them encourage the well-being of the earth, ourselves and our neighbors; others are destructive. Help us to distinguish between them. May we learn from the choices of Jesus and embody compassion, justice, and inclusion in all we say and do. Amen.

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Prayers of the People

Challenged by the living Word of God, let us pray for strength and wisdom.

Eternal Word, who sustains the weary with a word, give us resolve during this Holy Week, the coming Three Days, and the Easter season that follows them, to continue our journey of conversion and renewal as we follow Christ on his way to Calvary. Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

Comforter of the Troubled, let your face shine on your steadfast servants and all creation, grant peace and tranquility to all the world, especially to the peoples of the Middle East, Libya, and Japan, and those here in our own country and communities, that they may know dignity, justice, and true happiness. Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

Just Ruler of All, your son was mistreated and wrongly persecuted by the secular and religious authorities of his day. Grant that out government and our church leaders hear your Word, heed your call, and recognize that your presence among us in the poor, the helpless, and the marginalized. Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

Source of all Consolation, have mercy on us for your creation is troubled. We pray for all those distressed by the loss of companionship, health, or life; grant the liberation of the captives, the healing of the sick, and the reward of eternal life to your faithful servants. We pray especially for those we have named, and for those we recall now, in our hearts. Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

Giver of All Blessings, we give you thanks for the lives of all those who have passed and whose lives have been sources of grace and blessing for us. Grant dignity and relief to all the dying and to all who grieve. Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

Source and Summit of Grace, we give you thanks for the Holy Communion we will soon share, the gift of your presence. Lord, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

May we always know that you are near at all times and in all places. We pray in the name of Jesus, and by his grace. Amen.

Matthew 21:1-11

¹When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.

³If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” ⁴This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, ⁵“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; ⁷they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.

⁸A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” ¹¹The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Message: Holy Weak-ness

Imagine the most terrifying show of military force possible--think May Day in Moscow during the Cold War.

Only this show of force was in Jerusalem in the year 30, and the season was the holiest of observances of the Jewish people--Passover. Jerusalem’s normal population would swell to more than a quarter million as observant Jews from the whole known world descended on the Holy City to celebrate the liberation of their ancestors from slavery in Egypt.

There they were, filling the streets with a celebratory air--it was a magnificent time to be Jewish and in Jerusalem.

And then, suddenly, the earth shook as a procession approached from the West. And the Roman legion--6,000 strong--made their way through the narrow streets. Hundreds of horses, leagues of chariots and thousands of foot soldiers marched through the city, followed by the guard of Pontius Pilate, bearing him on a sedan chair.

But this is not a royal trip to advance the Governor’s relationship with his people. There are no “royal waves” as the legion passes the stunned citizens. There is only the aspect of power, and the abject fear of the public toward this occupational army. This was a show of force--lest these Jews decide to really recreate their freedom from their oppressors. And this was not about keeping the peace. This was highly organized and executed terrorism.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a shaggy carpenter’s son has managed to climb onto a pair of donkeys and ride in from Bethany, east of Jerusalem. He slowly makes his way along the streets, swaying as the donkeys clumsily walk together along the way.

To keep the dust down, the crowds that have gathered to see this comical sight are throwing their clothes on the ground and others threw down palm branches. And they all started shouting out, “Hosanna! Hosanna!” which means save us. Hosanna to the son of David--that term being another title for the Messiah.

Now, did it happen this way? Well, it could have. Sources from outside the scriptures are clear that the Roman Governor and his legion of 6,000 would parade into the city during the Passover preparations to strike fear into the hearts of the residents and visitors--just to let them know that the people may have been freed from the Egyptians, but they were going to be under the Roman thumb for a long, long, time.

The Roman Occupation of Israel lasted nearly 200 years, beginning in the 64^th year before the birth of Jesus. So, by the time these events would have taken place, Rome had occupied the nation of Israel for 97 years. That meant that the people had never known a time when they weren’t belittled and humiliated on a daily basis by soldiers of a foreign government.

Can you imagine that? Can you imagine a family sitting around the fire in their home, and the kids say, “Grandpa, tell us the stories of how we were free before the Romans came.”

And Grandpa would say, “Well, I can only tell you what I was told…”

And once a year, every spring, the people would celebrate that time when God led them to freedom from slavery in Egypt. And of course, the Romans would put on a show of force like nothing you could imagine--just to let them know…

If America were occupied by a foreign power--and I don’t want to hear any catcalls about America being occupied now--and that this President or the previous President aren’t legitimate. We can’t possibly known what it would like to live under the thumb of a foreign power. But if we did…can you imagine the kind of significance that Independence Day might have?

Well, in the midst of this celebration and the show of force of the Roman legion and governor, on the east side of the city, a lone prophet rides in on a donkey, and the people treat him as if he were a king.

Contrast one donkey with the hundreds of horses and chariots on the other side of town.

Contrast a lone homeless man on that donkey with Pilate in all his splendor carried by four strapping soldiers.

What this is--this scene which is recreated in all four Gospels--is satire.

It’s high comedy! Peasants shouting at a prophet--“Save us!”

One procession was about the empire of Rome.

The other was about the empire of God.

Jesus’ very planned and intentional Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem was a protest much like a march during the civil rights movement in the 60s. In a wonderful statement of sarcasm, Jesus staged his march into the city on a donkey without chariots, armor, or weapons. It is always amazing what you can accomplish with sarcasm.

You know, if we were being true to this, we would not call it the triumphal entry into Jerusalem--we would call it the anti-triumphal entry.

Barbara Brown Taylor in The Christian Century, writes:

“When I listen to the most devoted followers of Jesus, they tell me what it costs to love unconditionally, to forgive 70-times-seven, to offer hospitality to strangers, and to show compassion for the poor. These are essential hallmarks of Jesus' ministry, which no followers of his can ignore… What I hear less about from Jesus' followers is what it costs to oppose the powers that be, to upset pious expectations of what a child of God should say or do, to subvert religious certainty, and to make people responsible for their own lives. Yet all of these are present in his example too”

Maybe the way we should celebrate Holy Week is to adopt the Holy Weak-ness of Jesus.

Maybe we should stage our own protest--trust me, there’s plenty of injustice to go around.

Maybe we should go down the block and convince a landlord to fix the plumbing, or repair the roof on a sub-standard rental property.

Maybe we could make sandwiches, and go hand them out in the neighborhood.

Palm Sunday is not about the beginning of a week of atonement for sins, it is about protest against injustice in the empire.

I’d love to know what you are thinking. Amen.

Call to Offering

In this week ahead we will be asked to walk the hard road of faith

and face the full cost of discipleship.

The sacrifice we are called to share involves true commitment and devotion.

In that Spirit, may we share freely our gifts, tithes and offerings.

Offertory Prayer

Loving God, as Hosannas fade to cries of despair,

may these gifts be used for peacemaking that settles strife

and justice-seeking that creates all good hope. Amen.

Benediction

This is a vision of the way it can be, the way it should be—
Shouts of welcome, a joyful procession, a community celebrating together.

The same vision is offered to us today:
We can welcome Christ into our lives;
We can celebrate his transforming power.

How swiftly things changed back then,
How swiftly we, too, can be distracted.

May we hold fast to his vision of goodness—
Peace from the practice of justice,
equality from the practice of respect.

As this week unfolds,

We will let ourselves be overtaken by God’s love
We will pour it back out into the world.

Worship, May 1, 2011

Worship for Sunday, May 1, 2011

Easter 2

John 20:19-31

Morning Prayers

Let us pray: Gracious God, when you were preparing your disciples for that time when you would be leaving them, you shared with them words of hope and promise. And even better, you said that you gave them the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Helper. In this Season of Easter, we are trusting in your promise that your Holy Spirit will indeed come, just as the Spirit came upon those first Disciples when you breathed on them in the upper room.

Come Holy Spirit, bind up the brokenhearted and for those who have been entrusted with the responsibility of caring for our resources.

Come Holy Spirit, come and remind us what it means to be your disciples in the midst of turmoil and adversity.

Come, Holy Spirit, come and bring peace to our world, and strength and wisdom and courage to the leaders of our nation, especially our President Barack, our Vice-President Joe, ourSenators Sherrod & Rob, and our Representative, Jim. Give them wisdom, justice, and mercy.

Come, Holy Spirit, come and heal the sick and the sick of heart. Bring healing and comfort to us.

Come Holy Spirit, come and surround First Christian Church as we go through this time of significant transition facing our congregation.

Come Holy Spirit, come and surround us in our uncertainty, in our pain, in our questions, in our frustrations, and in our fears.

Come Holy Spirit, come and surround this great church as we seek to find unity in the midst of our diversity and what it means to walk side by side as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Come Holy Spirit, come and empower and equip your church, so that we can be the church that you have created us to be.

Come Holy Spirit, Come. Amen.

John 20:19-23

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.”

"Heavy Breathing"

Those of you who have been a part of a graveside service that I have perfomed know that I begin with a handful of dirt. I recall the second creation story, in which God scoops from the earth the mud which he forms into the shape of the first human being. I then go on to add that when our breath is no longer in us, that we are returned to the earth from which we came.

That image of God breathing life into the nostrils of the limp and lifeless form of a man is a haunting one--and it should be. It's a reminder that without the spirit--the breath of God, we are nothing.

And that's the same image given by our readings for today when Jesus breathes on the Disciples and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. Let's face it, the church--such as it was on Easter night on the first Easter-- was in shambles. This frightened little band had locked itself in the upper room and was fearful of anything that might be outside. After all, if they could kill Jesus, who know who might be next? They were sullen, depressed, and ready to give it all up and go back to fishing.

And suddenly, Jesus appears. Now, this is something new. They'd seen Jesus heal the sick, even raise the dead. But the pre-Good Friday Jesus had never once walked through walls, or beamed in like on Star Trek. This was big!

And then, Jesus changed the landscape of the church forever by re-creating creation. By, breathing on the Disciples (and thereby the whole church) and giving them the Holy Spirit, Jesus re-enacts that initial act of creation in which God breathed life into the human race. Luke writes that the Holy Spirit comes upon the church in a mighty noisy rushing wind in on the day of Pentecost, but for John it happens before that--right here--when Jesus breathes.

Oh, and by the way, in Greek, there's one word--(pneuma)--which is translated, breath, wind, and spirit. The breath of God is the wind, and the spirit.

And by breathing on the church, Jesus empowers it for mission and ministry. Jesus specifically empowers the church to forgive sins. That's good, because forgiveness is very hard. And by entrusting the church with that authority, he is not so much giving the church papal powers as he is giving them the task of taking God's ways into the world in the name of Jesus. He sends them out in mission to take the radical ways of the kingdom of God to the whole world.

I have shared with you my assertion that the disciples of Jesus were a bunch of world-class idiots. Scratch that. That's an insult to idiots everywhere. They'd have to have a promotion to idiot.

Right here, folks, is where they get the promotion.

So we see what the Spirit is.. The Spirit is the Breath of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.
When you or I breath on someone, we give them a blast of Carbon Dioxide, a gas which if inhaled at high concentrations can cause asphyxiation and ultimately death. But when the Crucified and Risen Lord Jesus breathes on someone, they get a blast of the Holy Spirit, which in any concentration causes conversion of life, the ability to change the world in the name of the breather, peace of mind and heart, and ultimately eternally happiness.

The Orthodox theologian Joost Van Rossum, sees the two stages of giving of the Holy Spirit as the mark of a “gradual process” of the giving of the Holy Spirit - a process which continues until now. You could use the metaphor that He comes as a tidal wave or like the tide. For VanRossum, John 20 merely marks the beginning of the process.

To this problem various understandings can be taken mostly falling into two categories, symbolic and literal.Some do not consider this symbolic, but rather a literal breathing of the Spirit. Others do consider this symbolic, in that it anticipates the sending of the Spirit at Pentecost. Jesus was play acting to prepare them for the real coming.

Jesus also charged the disciples saying, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Did Jesus give the authority to the disciples to forgive sin? No that would contradict with Luke 5:21, where Jesus said only God forgive sin.

I agree with Van Rossum. This is a literal trasfer of the Breath of God, which continued at Pentecost, and continues today--every time we celebrate the waters of baptism. Every time we lift our voices in song. Every time we pray for God to fill us with the Spirit and the ability to be the church.

It's appropriate that we look at this lesson today--the day on which we receive the reports of the small groups who met to examine the New Beginnings reports and consider where and what God is calling us to do and to be. We began this day praying for the Spirit of God to come upon us and bless us in the work of the church.

When we gather downstairs and enjoy our meal, let's not speak in terms of “I want...” or “we need to...” Let's see what happens when we set out to discern which way God's wind is blowing--and let it catch our sails.

I'm sure I'll find out just what you're thinking. Amen

Offering Invitation

Let us offer a bold witness to the world with our gifts and with our lives, so that peace may be with our generation. Let us worship God with our offering.

Offering Dedication

Come, Holy Presence, and grant us peace, for we are anxious about many things. Let us see anew the marks of your Lordship. Let us meet anew the bold faithful witnesses who have gone before us. Come, Holy Presence, and ease our paralysis of doubt and caution. Grant us this day peace and certainty that you walk among us, that you are risen, that you invite us to follow boldly where you have walked. Come, touch us afresh, for we are needy. Come, prepare us for the challenges and joys of this week.

In the name of the Risen Christ. Amen.

Benediction