October 16, 2011

October 16, 2011

Morning Prayers

Let us remember before God all who labor in the faith and love of Jesus Christ and all in every danger and need.

For this gathering, and for the people of God in every place.

Lord, have mercy.

For all peoples and their leaders, for candidates for public office, and for mercy and justice in the world.

Lord, have mercy.

For good weather, abundant fruits of the earth, and peaceful times.

Lord, have mercy.

For doctors, nurses, and hospital staff, and for all who work in healing others.

Lord, have mercy.

For the sick and the suffering, travelers and refugees, prisoners and their families, and the dying and dead.

Lord, have mercy.

For our city and those who live in it, and for our families, companions, and all those we love, and those for whom we pray in silence.

Lord, have mercy.

Loving and true God, who raised your Son from the dead, hear our prayers and make us imitators of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen

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.

“What Is Your Reputation?”

Many years ago whi8le I was serving as a hospital chaplain, Kate and I began looking for a Disciples congregation to join. In Lexington at that time, there were thirteen churches and so we had our pick.

We were told in particular to beware of two different congregations which had “bad reputations.”

One had been bearing this “bad” reputation based on something that had happened 79 years before. Can you imagine that? 79 years before, the elders moved the pastor’s belongings out to the street in the middle of the night--and people still remembered.

The other church had gotten its bad reputation only months before with a vote it had taken opposing the candidate for General Minister and President. The word of that vote got around pretty quickly, and within days, this church had a bad reputation.

And so, I ask you today, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Mansfield, Ohio: What is your reputation?

Before we can get to that answer, we need to look at our text for today.

The book before us, 1 Thessalonians, is an example of apocalyptic thought, though not apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature would be the books of Daniel and Revelation, while this letter of 1 Thessalonians only suggests what is full blown in Revelation.

The Thessalonian letters are very much shaped by apocalyptic thought, in which it is held that there is a fundamental distinction between the forces of good and the forces of evil. They envision an “old” age ruled by the forces of evil, and a “new” age ruled by God. They envision an imminent judgment in which God will bring an end to all the evil forces.

Before that imminent judgment occurs, the followers of Jesus Christ must straddle the two ages or two worlds. They must exist in the old “evil” age, but live according to the spirit of God’s new world ways. This will bring about a clash between the old and the new that will result in persecution.

Thessalonica was a stronghold of idol worship. The cults of the Roman gods were the center of social networking in that city. You weren’t anybody if you didn’t “belong” to one of the Roman temples.

Alan Segal writes that “no truly committed Christian could maintain idol cult membership. Thus Christianity was subversive to the basic religious institutions of society.”

And so Paul writes to encourage continued faithfulness to an already faithful church. In many ways, it’s a simpler, plainer version of the book of Revelation.

Revelation, for all its bizarre imagery and numerology, has a very simply message: keep the faith, and everything is going to be alright.

And here in 1 Thessalonians, that’s exactly what Paul writes to the church suffering under persecution and disenfranchisement.

I want to lift up four points from this particular passage as it relates to the early church and to ours.

First: “We always give thanks to God…and mention you in our prayers constantly.”

It mattered to Paul and to the early church to pray for the churches--so much so that Paul makes note of it in his letter, offering both thanksgiving and petitions before God.

You need to know that your church leaders pray for you. Our Elders pray for this congregation and its members, and I give thanks every day that you have called me to be your pastor. My prayer is that all of you will also be in prayer for our church and seeking God’s direction for us.

Second: “…the gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit…”

When Paul preached at Thessalonica, it wasn’t just words that were heard, but an encounter with the risen Christ.

My prayer is that every Sunday in this place, we encounter the risen Lord--in song, in bread and wine, and in the love we have for each other. Remember, when we invite our neighbors to come to church, we’re not asking them to just occupy the pews, but rather inviting them to encounter Jesus Christ.

Third: “…in spite of persecution you received the word with joy…”

The Thessalonians were under fire from the culture around them and experienced estrangement from family and friends and even torture, and yet, they did not turn away from Jesus Christ--knowing that if they endured sufferings as Jesus suffered, they would share in his glory.

We live in difficult times, and our church is in a thorny place--though I could not call our situation persecution. Yet we are called to be joyful even in the midst of difficulty. We must continue to be joyful amongst ourselves and to the world around us. I wish more of you could see the joy that goes on with the Saturday Community Breakfast, as we put the gospel into concrete action. We need to translate that joy to inviting our friends and neighbors to encounter Christ in our worship.

Finally: “…you became an example to all…”

Here’s where the reputation part comes in. The church at Thessalonica was so amazing in their faith that the whole Mediterranean world knew of it. Their reputation of faith under pressure was so widely known, that Paul write they didn’t even have to speak of it.

And so, what is our reputation? How are we known to those around us? I can tell you this--the other Disciples churches in our Regional Church know of you. They know you to have good lay leadership and a hopeful and positive outlook.

But what is our reputation in our community? What do people in Richland County know of us? Do they know us at all, or are we the best kept secret in Mansfield?

I’m not going to answer those questions. Instead, I’m going to ask, how would you respond?

Offering Invitation and Prayer

As one wise soul once said, “If we are to give unto God what is God’s and give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, there will not be much left for poor Caesar!” Everything is of God and belongs to God, so what we give now is a thankful response for blessings of creation.

God of Wisdom, we rejoice that you have provided us with numerous examples of generous giving. We obediently share this offering in full knowledge that all of our resources and assets are ultimately a gift from you. Help us to use them wisely and to share them generously. We pray in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life, so we may live abundantly. Amen.

Benediction

Go in peace,

- and may God's love surround you and fill you;

- may the Spirits power support and guide you,

- and may the grace of Christ our Lord shine in all that you say and do,

both now and forevermore. Amen

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Morning Prayers Gracious and loving God, whom we have long called Father and are still learning to call Mother,we come before you today as a people who are hurting. Jobs are scarce. Money is tight. And sometimes we don’t seem to know what to do. We ask you to bless us with good things, but that you will also make us mindful of the riches we already have. Riches of shelter, food, and family. We pray for our families, o God. These are times where children of all ages are at risk on many fronts. Help us to seek your protection and guidance as we raise our children. We pray for your church, O God. You have blessed us in so many ways over the years and we can never pay you back, Help us to grow in generosity so that your church can bless the world. We pray for the troubles in the world around us. We especially pray for your children in Israel and Palestine. We don’t claim to know how peace is possible there, O God, but pray your grace and peace be upon them. May all your children know peace. We pray for healing--for those names we have called out loud, and for those we now lift in silence. Give your healing touch, o God to all who grieve. Help them to know your presence and feel your comfort. We lift these prayers to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Philippians 2:1-13 1If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. 9Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

“The Emptied Church”

Tony Campolo is one of my heroes. He’s a sociologist and Baptist preacher who works hard to remind the church of its commitment to justice and the poor. He’s also the best preacher I’ve ever heard, and I am indebted to him for much of this sermon. Max Weber, the father of modern sociology, states that with power comes the ability to coerce. For example, the county has power over me when it comes to paying my property taxes. If I don’t pay them, the county can take away my property. That’s power and coercion. If I see the lights spinning behind me in my car, I pull over and follow every instruction given to the letter. Why? The officer in that car has a gun, and I don’t want to give her reason to use it! That’s power and coercion.

Authority is different. Authority is earned. When the District 6 Disciples’ pastors gather on Tuesday morning, Dr. Harold Hopkins will join us. Harold is our District Elder, meaning he has pastoral responsibilities for all the ministers and churches in District 6. When Harold speaks, we listen, because Harold has authority. Harold has zero power or the ability to coerce us, but he has authority that has been earned by his years of service to the church, and his gentle and kind ways through which he has nurtured all of us.

That’s authority. Jimmy Carter speaks with authority. Agree with his politics or not, when he speaks, people listen. Not because he was a governor or president, but because he has earned the authority he has by building houses and digging wells and countless other acts of self-emptying over the years.

Jesus was said to be one who spoke with authority. And here in Philippians, we see how he earned it. According to Paul, he didn’t see equality with God as something to be grasped. That word that is translated “grasped” is meant to evoke memories of the first humans, Adam and Eve, who did think equality with God was something to be grasped, and they grasped at the fruit in order to become like God.

Jesus, however, did not want to take the shortcut. He was in the form of God, but in order to carry out his mission on earth, he emptied himself. And that’s primarily what we want to talk about--the emptying of one’s self”--or kenosis, which is the Greek word for it. To convey this mystery, Paul uses first of all the words "emptied himself," which refers especially to the reality of the Jesus becoming human.

"The Word became flesh" (Jn 1:14). God the Son became one of us. It means rather, as Paul wrote, that "he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped," but "though he was in the form of God,” as the true Son of God, he assumed a human nature without glory, subject to suffering and death, in which he could live in obedience to God, even to the ultimate sacrifice. In becoming human, he did not wish to belong to the powerful; he wished to be as one who serves. "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve" (Mk 10:45). He lived out what Paul wrote here about putting the interests of others first--ahead of his own.

We see in the Gospels that Jesus’ earthly life was marked by poverty from the very beginning. This was clearly set out in the story of his birth, when Luke observed that "there was no room for them [Mary and Joseph] in the inn," and that Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger (cf. Lk 2:7). From Matthew we learn that already in the first months of Jesus' life, he experienced the life of a refugee--to Egypt and back (cf. Mt 2:13-15). His life at Nazareth was lived in extremely modest conditions; his father was a carpenter (cf. Mt 13:55) with whom Jesus himself worked (Mk 6:3). When he began his teaching, his situation continued to be one of extreme poverty, as he himself bore witness to in a certain way by referring to the insecure conditions of life imposed by his ministry. "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head" (Lk 9:58). That’s what it means to empty one’s self--to be able to have it all, but to choose not to have anything at all, in order to carry out the mission of good news for the poor and lowly of the world. And, as Paul writes, because he chose this lower path, he is given the name above all names that shall be called Lord by all people. He could have chosen power, but instead chose service and humility, thereby earning authority. And it looked like, at least on Good Friday, that power won. The coercive power of the Roman Empire appeared to have beaten down love and humility. But on Easter morning, the resurrection proves that loved beats power every time. Jesus earned his authority on a cross--but the cross didn’t have the last word.

I’ve been wondering the past few weeks if we have the authority to speak to the community at large about the gospel. I wonder if we lack authority because we have not emptied ourselves and done more for the poor. Maybe the Community Breakfast isn’t enough. There are 89 other mealtimes in a month.

Maybe we need to continue to look further beyond ourselves in order to earn the authority to speak in our community.

Maybe our families need to look for ways in which they can empty themselves so that their kids can understand what a life lived in Jesus Christ looks like.

Maybe we all need to look beyond our thresholds to see how God can use us in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed--in other words, not just by what we say, but what we do.

In fact, the authority to speak can only be earned by the example of what we do. Mother Teresa of Calcutta spoke with authority. She once gave an address to students at Harvard University about the value of chastity. Can you imagine that? Ann aged nun lecturing Harvard students about sex! How do you think they responded? With a standing, thunderous ovation. Why? Because she spoke with authority, earned on the streets of Calcutta by caring--emptying herself--for lepers and others whom the world would rather forget.

We are never going to be Mother Teresa. She was an extraordinary individual with a unique calling. But we can be the best us we can be. Maybe in our families this week we can think of one thing--even a small thing we can do to empty ourselves in some way. To put others’ interests ahead of our own. It’s not in our nature to do, but with God’s help, we can. And maybe all of us can find ways not just to empty selves, but but to have emptied (not empty!) church as well. Then maybe we’ll be heard in Mansfield, and beyond.

What do you think?

Offering Invitation & Prayer

We are invited to the harvest. There are many workers needed and the reward is the same: to be present for the purpose that God gave us. Our offerings help us to do that. What a joy it is to know we are a blessing to God’s ways. Come, for the work has begun! God, we are thirsty, give us drink! Only you can satisfy our thirst by baptizing us with the spirit of abundant life. We find ourselves full of gifts to share, but often unaware of what to do with them. With this money and our time and talent, we pour ourselves into the vessel of your Word, Jesus, and water with which we thirst no more. Thank you, it is great to be in this place! Amen.

Benediction

In the power of the Holy Spirit we now go forth into the world, to fulfill our calling as the people of God, the body of Christ. Go in peace - love and care for one another in the name of Christ and may the blessings of God, known to us as Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer be with you, both now and forevermore. Amen

Worship September 18, 2011

September 18, 2011 Matthew 20:1-16¶ "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 1 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

"Fairness Doesn't Enter into It"

Kate grew up in a family with four children, and from the way she tells it, her mother’s life’s work seemed to be enforcing strict fairness among the four of them. If one got a toy for Christmas that cost seven dollars, everyone’s toys must cost seven dollars. If one kid needed something for “back to school,” then everybody got the equivalent amount spent. Even into adulthood, when her children had children of their own, she kept to strict spending guidelines to make sure everything was fair. Once, when they decided to forgive some debt that some of their children had borrowed from them, she and my father-in-law sent checks to the other kids for equivalent amounts. After all, what’s fair is fair.

God bless her, Kate tries to do the same with our kids and even with the dogs. If Toto gets a biscuit, then Buster has to get one, too. After all, you can’t play favorites. Even Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer,” says that if you have a favorite dog, you are not a pack leader!

Which brings us to the scripture for the day. The parable that Jesus tells here in Matthew and only in Matthew’s gospel fits hand in hand with the parable of the Prodigal Son. You remember the one about the Prodigal Son. Father has two sons. The Younger one wants an early distribution of the inheritance, takes Dad’s money, spends it on prostitutes and booze, and then shows back up at home. Meanwhile, the older son--the good son--has remained at Dad’s side doing whatever Dad wants. When the younger son returns, Dad throws a grand reception and the older, “good” son goes nuts, because what has happened is patently unfair!. The message here is that in the kingdom of God, you don’t get what you deserve, but rather you get what God has for all--grace and pardon.

Today’s parable is a little different. A man goes out to hire laborers. He hires some at first light, others at 9:00, noon, 3:00. and 5:00 and sends them all to work in the vineyard. At the end of the day, he pays the last one’s hired a full day’s wage. In fact, he pays all of them a full day’s wage, which is upsetting to the ones who were hired at first light. They thought they should get more because they worked longer. But the landowner says to them, didn’t I pay you what I promised? Why are you jealous of my generosity?” The long-tenured workers expect more for being there all day, and the good son expects the reward from his father for being the good son. And both are miffed that the ne’er do wells and Johnny-come-latelies are getting more than their fair share of the pie. Pies are only so big you know, and there’s only so much to go around.

And yet, these parables are very different from each other because they are told to different audiences. The definition of a parable is a story told to convict the hearer. And so, to find the real meaning of the parables, we have to look back and see to whom the parables are told. The Prodigal Son appears only in Luke, and is told by Jesus to the Pharisees and Scribes who complained that Jesus was spending time with “tax collectors and sinners.” The Pharisees were the holier-than-thou folks who sought to make ritual purity a matter for everyday living, as opposed to just for Temple worship. The Scribes were the lawyers--the folks who every bit of the tradition, both from Moses and the Rabbis--that is the Torah and the Talmud (the oral Torah.). The point of telling the story of the Prodigal Son to the most religious people of the day was this: You may do all the right things and observe all the right practices like the Good Son, but that doesn’t mean you’re more important to God, who loves all his children no matter what they do., or don’t do.

But to whom is this parable told and when? It comes right after Peter asks if the disciples will get a special reward in the kingdom of God. After all, they’d left everything and walked with him and eaten with him and stayed with Jesus--and not in the nicest places, mind you. Three years of following Jesus ought to have an upside, don’t you think? A special reward for the closest friends? And so Jesus tells this parable to Peter and the twelve and the message is clear. This parable is told to teach Peter that the kingdom of heaven is not earned, it is generously given.

Everything is a gift. Even the work in the vineyard itself was a gift for which the all day workers should have given thanks. On New Year’s Day, 1957, I did not exist. I had no body. I had no being. I had no more way of making myself an alive entity than those day laborers had ways to make work. As soon as I stay in touch with the fact that my sheer birth is windfall, that my life has been given to me as an incredible gift, then something deeper becomes the way that I look at this whole mystery of existence. If it ever stays with us that life is gift and birth is windfall, then we can begin to be generous with our lives exactly as God has been generous with God's life.

Fairness doesn’t enter into it; fairness is we get what we deserve. But no gift can truly be deserved, much less fair.

There is an old Talmudic parable about a farmer that had two sons. As soon as they were old enough to walk, he took them to the fields and he taught them everything that he knew about growing crops and raising animals. When he got too old to work, the two boys took over the chores of the farm and when the father died, they had found their working together so meaningful that they decided to keep their partnership. So each brother contributed what he could and during every harvest season, they would divide equally what they had corporately produced. Across the years the elder brother never married, stayed an old bachelor. The younger brother did marry and had eight wonderful children.

Some years later when they were having a wonderful harvest, the old bachelor brother thought to himself one night, "My brother has ten mouths to feed. I only have one. He really needs more of his harvest than I do, but I know he is much too fair to renegotiate. I know what I'll do. In the dead of the night when he is already asleep, I'll take some of what I have put in my barn and I'll slip it over into his barn to help him feed his children.

At the very time he was thinking down that line, the younger brother was thinking to himself, "God has given me these wonderful children. My brother hasn't been so fortunate. He really needs more of this harvest for his old age than I do, but I know him. He's much too fair. He'll never renegotiate. I know what I'll do. In the dead of the night when he's asleep, I'll take some of what I've put in my barn and slip it over into his barn." And so one night when the moon was full, as you may have already anticipated, those two brothers came face to face, each on a mission of generosity. The old rabbis said that there wasn't a cloud in the sky, a gentle rain began to fall. You know what it was? God weeping for joy because two of his children had gotten the point. Two of his children had come to realize that generosity is the deepest characteristic of the holy and because we are made in God's image, our being generous is the secret to our joy as well.

Life is not fair, thank God! It's not fair because it's rooted in grace. The kingdom is not about fairness, but about grace. What might you be thinking?

August 28, 2011

August 28, 2011

Romans 12:9-21

Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other.

Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer.

Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home.

Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them.

Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying.

Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead associate with people who have no status. Don’t think that you’re so smart.

Don’t pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good.

If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people.

Don’t try to get revenge for yourselves, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. It is written, Revenge belongs to me; I will pay it back, says the Lord. Instead, If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. By doing this, you will pile burning coals of fire upon his head

Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.

+++

On October 2, 2006, immediately after I began work as you pastor, an unspeakable tragedy occurred in Nickel Mines, PA in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Amish country. A man who was angry with God over the death of his infant daughter decided he would make God pay for that death with the deaths of some of his children.

The man burst into an Amish schoolhouse, shot 10 little girls, killing 5 of them before killing himself.

The world was horrified by the news, and strangers form around the globe sent $4.3 million to the Amish community to help cover their medical bills. Now, Amish folk do not have medical insurance, and so what they did with the money after paying medical expenses was shocking. They gave money to the emergency services who came to help, and they gave a large portion of the money to the family of the man who’d brought violence to their children.

But, even before the money arrived, in fact, on the very night of this tragedy, members of the Amish community went to the murderer’s home with food and consolation to the widow. But the most important thing they brought with them--forgiveness. The stunned world watched this play out as television cameras captured the Amish making their way to the man’s home with casseroles and pies.

The whole world turned its eyes to Nickel Mines. The world has become accustomed to bloodshed and slaughter--we see that all the time. But what fascinated the world was this notion of repaying evil with good. The whole world had a whole new “f” word to deal with--forgiveness: as foreign a word as most folks will ever know, spoken in a strange language--the language of love.

What a mixed-up world those Amish live in! They don’t even know when to be angry or vindictive. To be fair, one of the Amish men told a reporter that it’s easier to forgive an outsider for murder than to forgive each other for petty offences. One Amish woman explained that she thought it must be much harder to the mother of a murderer than to be the mother of a victim.

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the Nickel Mines tragedy and the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, I have to confess to you that that “f” word is often foreign to me, too.

When I heard of Osama Bin Laden’s death, I was ill at ease. Sharon Watkins, our General Minister and President put it so well:

The death of Osama Bin Laden gives rise to conflicting emotions. There’s a kind of relief – even gladness – that he’s finally out of the picture. There is a sense of completion that a goal, long set, is now accomplished - maybe that’s partly where the celebrations have come from. There’s renewed sadness as memories of 9/11 come flooding back - I can’t imagine what it’s like for the people who lost loved ones in the attacks, who live with these memories every single day. There’s renewed gratitude for the people who were the first responders on 9/11. Gratitude for those who stepped up to answer their nation’s call to respond in the various ways, right or wrong, our leaders have felt necessary.

In the midst of these conflicting emotions, we hear Jesus say, “If anyone strikes you…turn the other cheek,” and “love your enemies.” And here today, we have Paul saying much the same thing--but perhaps even more powerfully. Paul quotes from Proverbs 20 & 25 when he advises to repay evil with good.

Now, I know that this is not the most realistic thinking. You may note correctly that you are neither Jesus nor Paul. You may note that we live in an extraordinarily different time than did Paul and Jesus, and such things as turning the other cheek, loving enemies and doing good to those who do us evil is simply unrealistic.

I agree. We live in quite different times. Jesus said what he said in the context of a people being burdened and belittled by an occupational army from Rome. And Paul was writing to a church which was under constant persecution from the Roman Empire. Yes, our time is different from theirs.

But the feelings of hatred, violence and love are no different. And we have the power to respond to whatever the world gives us with love in the name of Christ. We have the power to recognize that we don’t have to answer in kind when we are injured.

When we do answer in kind, Woody White, a United Methodist Bishop calls this line of thinking, “Christian, But…” thinking and we all have done it. There are times when being a Christian is impractical, inconvenient, illogical, even embarrassing--I’m a Christian, but.

As in, “I’m a Christian, but you didn’t see the way that blankety-blank cut me off on the 30!

I’m a Christian, but that woman cut in line in front of me a Kroger yesterday…

For Jesus and Paul, Christianity is not a thinking religion (well it is, but it doesn’t end there). Christianity is a doing faith.

Paul uses very active verbs in this passage long before he gets to the enemies part. Listen to these verbs:

Love - Genuine

Hate - Evil

Hold - Good

Love - One Another

Rejoice - Hope

Show Hospitality - Strangers

Some years back, former President Jimmy Carter wrote a book entitled Living Faith, in which he wrote about his personal faith journey and how it has influenced his life.

In it he wrote, “"To me faith is not only a noun, but also a verb." He went on to say, "In Christian tradition, the concept of faith has two interrelated meanings, both implying fidelity: confidence in God and action based on firm belief."

Carter was writing nothing new. Jesus said it long ago, and Paul wrote it down quite plainly. Living out our faith in concrete ways has two effects.

First, it reminds us of whom and whose we are. Secondly, this helps us see that genuine love is not just being nice to people. Secondly, genuine love has a moral orientation toward the good. When we show love toward someone, we are moving them toward God's goodness. To love someone is not simply to cater to specific likes and dislikes of that person. It is rather to act toward them in ways that help them experience more of God's goodness.

From time to time, it will appear that evil is winning battles all around us, but the Nickel Mines tragedy reminds us that Jesus Christ has already won the war, and each act of love is one more step in the triumphant march.

What do you think?

August 21, 2011

August 21, 2011

Pentecost + 10

Morning Prayers

Loving God, we are grateful for the opportunity to gather here and be together; to share in our love for you and each other, knowing that we belong.

We thank you for the temperate weather we have had of late, but we ask you to remind us of those for whom the heat is not just an annoyance.

We pray for all who serve, and ask you to bring them home safely to their loved ones.

We pray for the people of Syria and Libya, and those wherever violence and oppression reigns.

We are concerned about those who are sick and hurting, both the names we have called out and those whom we call now in silence.

You know our hearts, O God, but we take this silence to pray for ourselves and those things and people close to us.

We pray in Jesus name, and by his grace. Amen.

Matthew 16:

¹³ Now when Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “ Who do people say the Human One is? ”

¹⁴ They replied, “ Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. ”

¹⁵ He said, “ And what about you? Who do you say that I am? ”

¹⁶ Simon Peter said, “ You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. ”

¹⁷ Then Jesus replied, “ Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because no human has shown this to you. Rather my Father who is in heaven has shown you. ¹⁸ I tell you that you are Peter. And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it. ¹⁹ I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anything you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. Anything you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven. ” ²⁰ Then he ordered the disciples not to tell anybody that he was the Christ.

+ + +

I read this week about a history professor at Augustana Collge who gives his students this assignment: they are to write a two-page paper on the history of the United States using no references of any kind--just write what they know. The students think he’s trying to determine their knowledge of historical facts, but he’s really looking for an ethos, a philosophy of what America is about in the way that they write about the history.

I was taken with that idea, and wondered if it would translate to the church.

What if I asked you to write a history of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)? What idea would guide your writing of that history?

Would it revolve around baptism? Baptism is important to us, and in our history. The story goes that Alexander Campbell--one of denomination’s founders--even baptized himself by immersion when he became convinced that that was the way of the Bible. And Baptism continues to be important to us, and now we welcome for membership all baptized persons--no matter what the method or age when it was performed. You could easily write a history of our denomination (as well as this congregation) based on the study of Baptism.

Might it possibly be based on a study of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, or the Eucharist? It’s is with great pride and joy that I have the privilege of standing behind that table with our Elders and proclaim that this is an open table--free to all as an invitation and gift from Christ.

The same Alexander Campbell was kicked out of his Presbytery for being a “latitudinarian.” He would let anyone come to the table in an age when people were interviewed by their pastors--an if deemed worthy--given a token which would admit them to the service of communion.

Again, Campbell saw this as a gross miscarriage of justice and theology. How could we mortals fence off the communion table of Christ?

Looking at that same issue of communion, Campbell looked at the frequency practiced by many churches. Some churches would have communion only once a month--or even less frequently. Why? Because they had no pastor on a regular basis--the circuit rider was the order of the day.

What Campbell, Barton Stone, and their followers did was to, in the words of one Disciples’ historian, create a revolution in congregational worship. Again, looking to the Bible, they determined that the Elders of a congregation were empowered by God through their office to preside at table, and even preach.

Telling our story from the perspective of the table would be a good way to tell it.

You could tell our story from the standpoint of freedom--how our congregations and Regional Churches and General Church relate to each other by means of covenant and not hierarchy. Disciples congregations have the freedom to do whatever they want--but our covenant with the whole church would guide them in that way.

Another way would be to look at our Disciples of Christ affirmation of faith (p. 355)--an affirmation of who we are (not a creed)--and it hints at all of these themes. Let’s read it together:

As members of the Christian Church,

We confess that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.

In Christ's name and by his grace

we accept our mission of witness

and service to all people.

We rejoice in God,

maker of heaven and earth,

and in God’s covenant of love

which binds us to God and to one another.

Through baptism into Christ

we enter into newness of life and are made one with the whole people of God.

In the communion of the Holy Spirit

we are joined together in discipleship

and in obedience to Christ.

At the Table of the Lord

we celebrate with thanksgiving

the saving acts and presence of Christ.

Within the universal church

we receive the gift of ministry

and the light of scripture.

In the bonds of Christian faith

we yield ourselves to God

that we may serve the One

whose kingdom has no end.

Blessing, glory, and honor

be to God forever. Amen.

At the heart of this affirmation is the first sentence--we confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

And we call that the “Good Confession.” If you’ve ever joined a Christian Church or Church of Christ--this is all we ask. It comes to us as a part of our history--but also from today’s scripture.

In our early history, the historic creeds were used to define membership. Do you believe this creed, or that one? If you don’t sign here stating that you believe this creed, then you can’t belong here.

Disciples have never had anything against the creeds per se--they can make excellent teaching tools. But when you use a document not from the scriptures to keep people out, you misuse the creeds, and also do damage to the body of Christ.

Again, going to the bible. Our forebears found that this simple confession faith by Simon Peter was sufficient then, and for all time.

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

It’s interesting to note where this takes place. Caesarea Phillipi. A very weird place for a Jewish Rabbi to take his disciples. Rick Morley notes that “At one time, the town was called Banias, and Herod Philip changed it’s name to honor the Caesar…and while he was at it, himself too. It was the global cultic center of Pan worship. Remember Pan? The goat god? It was believed that he was born in a nearby, creepy looking cave, called…the Gates of Hell.”

And Pan worshipers used that cave--the Gates of Hell--to sacrifice, you guessed it, goats.

And Jesus says that upon this rock I will build my church and the Gates of Hell will not prevail. That’s a poetic way of saying deathy has no more power over the church.

But, what is the rock? Or whom?

Our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters hold fast to the idea that the rock is Peter, and that the church was built around him and particularly in the city of Rome. That’s where Catholics believe that Peter ruled as Bishop, and that those in his succession have authority over the whole church--as in, the Pope.

Protestants, however, have an entirely different way of looking at this. In a discussion with a Catholic friend some years back, he got upset when I didn’t follow his reasoning about Peter and the Popes

He asked, “Are you saying that I can’t believe that the Pope has all authority in the church?”

I said, “No, but I’m saying that I can’t.

We believe that rock on which the church is built is not a human being, but rather the confession itself. Jesus acknowledges that this confession is itself a gift from God. And is the Solid Rock on which the church is built.

The word Christ means “anointed one.” Given by God for the salvation of the world. And Jesus refers to himself as the Human One, or Son of Man, to confess that he is the Son of the Living God, tells us that he is also divine--man and God at once.

When Peter makes this confession of faith, it is the first time that anyone has acknowledged that Jesus is the Messiah--the Christ. It was a signal to the disciplkes and those around Jesus that there could be no turning back. Once you’ve acknowledged that the Messiah is in front of you, how can youturn away.

Alyce Mackenzie writes: “Peter's confession is also ours. And so is his commissioning. We share Peter's identity as flawed disciples who sometimes, in pressure situations, let Jesus down. We share in his identity as disciples forgiven and empowered by Jesus to face whatever trials and sufferings lie on the path ahead.”

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

That’s how you begin to write the history of our church.

What do you think?

Offering Invitation

All of us need "motivation," that which causes us to get up and get moving, to do something. We need a "motive," a reason for acting, or a power that propels us forward. The word, "motive" comes from a old french word we still use in English - "motif." A "motif" is a theme that gets repeated over and over, such that it sinks from the head to the heart.

As you return your offering, ponder what theme is being repeated in your life, what motif is moving not just your head but also your heart, what motivating power is guiding not just your heart but also your hands and feet.

Make your act of giving a personal prayer to the One who is the source of your truest motivation, the power behind what you do that’s right, the real theme that moves your life in Christ.

Offertory Prayer

O God, as people of the Christ, followers of your son Jesus Christ, our savior, we return to you a portion of what you have first given us. Multiply the gift, O Lord. In His name, we pray. Amen.

Benediction

Go with confidence into the days ahead,

trusting in God’s unfailing love and faithfulness.

God will not abandon you,

for you are the work of His hands—

His own creation—

and His love endures forever.

So go in joy to love and serve the Lord!

Sunday August 14, 2011

August 14, 2011

Pentecost + 9

Morning Prayers

Like the Canaanite woman, let us shout to the Lord for mercy and offer prayers for all in desperate need.

For the people of God in every place.

Lord, have mercy.

For all nations and their leaders, for those who serve, and for mercy, justice, and peace in the world.

Lord, have mercy.

For students and teachers, and all those returning to school.

Lord, have mercy.

For travelers and those on vacation, and for safety from violent storms.

Lord, have mercy.

For dogs, and all domestic and wild animals.

Lord, have mercy.

For the sick and the suffering, prisoners and their families, foreigners and outcasts, and

all in danger and need.

Lord, have mercy.

For those who rest in Christ and for all the dead.

Lord, have mercy.

For our city and those who live in it, and for our families, companions, and all we love.

Lord, have mercy.

God of infinite love, who heals those who call on you, have mercy on us sinners and grant our prayers for all the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Matthew 15:10-28

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd near and said to them, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ It’s not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person.”

¹² Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said?”

¹³ Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be pulled up. ¹⁴Leave the Pharisees alone. They are blind people who are guides to blind people. But if a blind person leads another blind person, they will both fall into a ditch.”

¹⁵ Then Peter spoke up, “Explain this riddle to us.”

¹⁶ Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? ¹⁷ Don’t you know that everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? ¹⁸ But what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight. ¹⁹ Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults. ²⁰ These contaminate a person in God’s sight. But eating without washing hands doesn’t contaminate in God’s sight.”

²¹ From there, Jesus went to the regions of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, “Show me mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” ²³ But he didn’t respond to her at all.

His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away; she keeps shouting out after us.”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.”

²⁵ But she knelt before him and said, “Lord, help me.”

²⁶ He replied, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.”

²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off their masters’ table.”

²⁸ Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith. It will be just as you wish.” And right then, her daughter was healed.

ᚒ

“Even the Dogs...”

Everything seems to be run by opinion polls, these days. I knew a state legislator in Louisiana who would never answer a question on a particular issue unless he had polling data. He was a terrible legislator and leader, but he kept getting elected!

Look at the public opinion polls for our national servants, and it looks pretty bad for them. Presidents never seem to have positive job approval ratings about them according to the polls—and I don't care which President you're talking about. None of them ever get really high marks.

Congress, bless their pointy little heads, are always lower in job approval ratings than the President—again, no matter who's in charge of the House or Senate.

And so, my interest was piqued this week when I saw a poll by a group called Public Policy Polling which sought to gauge Americans' views on God's job approval rating. Yes, they took a poll on God. Well, you'll be happy to know that God has a higher opinion rating than either the Congress or the President. Seems 52% thought God was doing a good job in running the universe.

71% thought he did a good job in creating the world, though only 50% thought God was doing well in managing nature and natural disasters.

Everybody's a critic.

It occurred to me that Jesus never acted based on opininon polls—and his favor was up and down all the time.

Take today's lesson. Jesus begins by alienating the Pharisees. To be fair, he never had a high approval rating from them. And then he goes off into foreign territory and upsets a Canaanite woman—calls he names. These incidents are related—and not just by Jesus' low approval rating.

Jesus ticks off the Pharisees by going after one of their favorites things—ritual purity. In the world of the Pharisees—and don't think ill of them, they were just trying to be most religious people—like us? Anyway, in their world, you remained pure by eating only the right things—no shrimp, no pork (those are the high points)--and preparing them the right way and preparing to eat the fight way. You had to wash your hands in just the right way—in several places in the Gospels, Jesus is confronted concerning his disciples failure to wash their hands properly before eating. Now, this wasn't about washing up like we do—they had no sense of microbes of any kind. Any deviation from these was considered an abomination. While technically, that would only affect going to the temple, for the Pharisees all of life was to be kept as holy and pure.

But Jesus blows his approval rating by declaring that it doesn't matter how or even if you wash your hands or even what you eat. It isn't what goes into a person that makes one acceptable to God, but what comes out of a person.

It isn't how you wash or what you eat that defines what kind of person you are, what kind of life you live. If your life demonstrates God's love by what you say and do—that's way more important.

And then, Jesus makes his way into the regions of Tyre and Sidon and encounters a local woman who is insistent that Jesus heal her daughter. She's so disruptive that the Disciples try to get Jesus to get rid of her.

Jesus answers her—which gives her instant standing—or if you look at it terms of honor and shame (which proper society was based on), he sunk to her level. Imagine that! An unknown woman from another culture addresses the Rabbi as Son of David (and by extension King). A woman. And a foreigner all rolled into one. A double whammy.

Jesus, despite her addressing him as Son of David, pushes her to the outside margins by declaring he is only there for Jews. What was his approval rating with that woman in that moments? What do you think his job approval rating was with the Disciples?

She persists.

He replies that it would be wrong to give the children's (Jewish people) food and give it to the dogs.

Dogs. Jews called Canaanites dogs because, like dogs, they'd eat anything.

Take a second and think about what Jesus is saying to this woman. He is calling here a female dog—and the word for female dog in his time would ring about the same as our word for female dog would in ours.

And she responds, not with hatred, but with great wit—and in Jesus eyes—great faith. Even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the table.

And Jesus tells her she has great faith—a phrase that Jesus is stingy with. He tells the Disciples that they have little faith 3 times in Mathew—but never great faith about anyone but this woman.

And while Jesus' job approval rating went up in her eyes, I bet it went down in others who saw this spectacle.

But this incident is a beautiful illustration of the teaching Jesus has just made. Outwardly, this woman has nothing about her that is "clean." But she has two things in her heart that make her right with God: her unwavering, nagging, persistent care for her daughter; and, her unwavering, nagging, persistent trust that Jesus can cure her daughter. And these two things cause Jesus to undergo a change of heart himself.

So what about us? What can we take away from this passage?

It seems to me that we can become pharisaic about our faith, as well. We can think that because we go to church regularly, attend Sunday School, give to the church that we are pretty good people. But we can do all these things and still be rotten to our neighbors and our family. Does being a Disciple of Jesus Christ make a difference that the people we encounter in the world can see?

Does being a Disciple force us to look beyond ourselves our own kind to include the outcasts—the Canaanite women of the world? Who would those outsiders be? The kid on your block that just doesn't fit in? The foreign born couple that live on the next street? The single mom who's at wits' end just trying to keep her family afloat? The Gay folks who are just kind of invisible in our town?

It seems to me that how we treat those around us matters more than what we do in here. Because I bet that what matters more than our approval of God is God's approval rating of us.

What do you think?

Offering Invitation

Jesus told the woman she had great faith. We, too bring our great faith, made even greater by our gifts.

Offertory Prayer

Like the woman in Canaan, many in our community have their world consist of fear, despair, and loneliness. We pray that as we present these gifts they may be used so your presence may be felt and comfort given to all of those who need your loving hand. Amen.

Benediction

Mat the God of creativity be with you on the smooth paths;
Companion Jesus be with you in the storms;
Awakening Spirit be with you at all times.
Amen.