Worship for Sunday, July 3, 2011

July 3, 2011

Pentecost + 3

Prayers of the People

All who are weary and heavy burdened, come let us offer prayers to our God and Father.

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

Lord, have mercy.

For all nations, peoples, tribes, clans, and families.

Lord, have mercy.

For mercy, peace, and justice in the world, and for our armed forces everywhere. For our national leaders--Barack, Joe, Sherrod, Rob, and Jim.

Lord, have mercy.

For all those in danger and need: the sick and the suffering, the poor and the oppressed,

prisoners and their families.

Lord, have mercy.

For the dying and the dead.

Lord, have mercy.

For all those captive to sin.

Lord, have mercy.

For ourselves, our families, our companions, and all those we love--whether named aloud or remembered in silence.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord of heaven and earth, hear the prayers we offer today, teach us the secrets of your

heart, and give us rest from our trials; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

¹⁶“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ¹⁷‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; ¹⁹the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” ²⁵At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

“The Easy Yoke”

Here we are, today, stuck in the middle between the patriotic fervor of the culture around us, and the easy Yoke to which Jesus calls us.

While patriotism is important to us, it was not terribly important to Jesus. I ran across an address by our denomination's founder, Alexander Campbell some time back on patriotism.

Patriotism, it is conceded, has no special place in the Christian religion. [Jesus Christ] never pronounced a single sentence in commendation of it. The reason is, I presume to say, that the world was his field, and as patriotism is only an extension of the principle of selfishness, he deigned it no regard; because selfishness is now the great and damning sin of [hu]mankind. Still, the very test of morality is self-love. We are commanded to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, neither more nor less. And in his enlarged mind and heart, our neighbor is every [one] in the world. Charity, it is said, begins at home, but at home it does not stay. It goes abroad, and radiates its blessings according to its strength, to the utmost domicile of [humanity]. But few [men] can extend their charity, in its special currency, beyond their village, their parish, or their church. Still, when the frozen Icelander or the sunburned Moor comes within our sphere of doing good, we will, as we ought, pour into his wounds and bruises the soothing and mollifying ointment of Christian benevolence.

Campbell saw patriotism as a kind of selfishness--and, as a patriot, I might want to argue with that a little bit--but he has a point. Anytime we hold ourselves too close and keep our "sphere of doing good," as he calls it, too small, we are missing Christ's point. God calls us to look beyond our borders and boundaries.
Today's lesson is not primarily one about patriotism, but about burden.

Jesus’ time was filled with burden.

The Roman occupiers financially burdened the people as well.

The poor were burdened with sacrifices they could not afford.

The Pharisees were making sure that no one violated the Sabbath--even at the expense of human life.

And in this mix, Jesus steps up and calls out to all who are burdened, all who have broken down by the demands religion--come to me, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke--but it’s an easy yoke.

Most yokes of that day were designed to pair two animals to work together. Now, I have told you in the past of my reluctance to be compared to a sheep, and while livestock is not my thing, this yoke thing isn’t so bad.

Why? Because, to use the metaphor, If my shoulders are against one side, it’s Jesus on the other. Jesus will bear all of the burden that we give to him.

On this weekend of celebration in freedom, Jesus calls us to real freedom--a freedom not bound by national lines or borders, a freedom not earned but bestowed by the loving grace of God. And it is a freedom which transcends ideology.

I’ve told you before about my trip to Cuba a few years back. We went to study the church, there, as it was thriving despite the heavy hand of the communist government. The faith of those wonderful people showed in every aspect of their lives as they celebrated Jesus Christ and his yoke.

But, I have to tell you, I felt a gnawing something not quite right. It fixed itself when I was back in the U.S. I wanted to shout out Walter Scott’s poem, “this is my own, my native land!”

But God continually reminds us that the call is to take care that our love of country doesn't become nationalism--which is a patriotism that excludes all others. Nationalism can take the good of patriotism and make it a burden that does not ring of freedom.
Yes, God called one nation in ancient times--but called them to be a light unto all the nations--to be a mirror to God’s love so that it would shine on all.
The lessons are continual throughout the scriptures. We are called to color outside the lines, like God does, and remember, as Paul tells us, that our citizenship is in heaven.
Even in the midst of struggle, this is a story of good news. There is healing and wholeness for strangers, and peace for those who welcome them, and an easy yoke for all who respond to the savior’s loving call. What do you think?

Offering Invitation

My yoke is easy and my burden is light. We give, not because we must, but because we may. May we give generously to the kingdom’s cause.

Offertory Prayer

Lord, we commit these gifts to you. We commit them and our lives to your glory and your work. Loving and generous God, we ask that you use these gifts to stretch our hands beyond these walls and into your world. 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 Jesus

- and may the love of God fill you,

- the wisdom of God guide you,

- and the strength of God support you and comfort you, both now and forevermore. Amen

Worship for Trinity Sunday/Fathers' Day June 19, 2011

June 19, 2011

Trinity Sunday

Call to Worship

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

Glory be to the Father who created the world and all that it is in it.

Hear O People of God, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

Glory be to the Son, who was with God and was God and who became flesh and lived among us full of grace and truth.

Hear O Servants of God, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

Glory be to the Spirit, the living water,

and dwells within us and all who call on God's name and who helps us and guides us day by day

Come - drink from the well that springs up to eternal life

and give praise and thanks to our God who is One.

Prayer

Lord God, you who create us - and redeem us - and sustain us - we rejoice that you have chosen us to be your own and that you visit us and dwell with

us and open to us the way to abundant life. By your Word the heavens and the earth were made. By the bounty of your mercy in Christ Jesus we have been born to new life. Your Spirit fills the whole world with your loving kindness and gives us the power we need to be your witnesses. Bring us closer to you and to one another and in our prayer and our thanksgiving, our hearing and our speaking, and our giving and receiving make us more completely yours. We ask it in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Spirit, one God, now and forevermore. Amen

Commissioning of Otter Campers

We of the congregation are sending you to Camp Christian Today so that you may grow in faith as Jesus grew in his faith.

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and people.

We hope you will grow in the spirit of God…

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We want you learn the lessons of nature:

Look at the birds of the air, and consider the lilies of the fields, and do not be anxious.

Have fun, and remember those whose gifts make it possible to attend, and pray for us as we will pray for you.

We always thank God in remembrance of you, in every prayer. Go in the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Spirit.

We pray for these beautiful children today, that you will bless them with fun and fellowship this week. May all that they do be to the good of their bodies, minds, and spirits. We ask you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayers of the People

We thank you God for how your Wisdom calls to us, for how your Spirit speaks to us, for how your Word reaches out to our souls. Grant O God that each of us may have a growing faith and a deepening love, that we may confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that he is alive within us.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray today for all Fathers--with thanksgiving for those self-sacrificing men who believed enough in your future to bring children into the world. Lift them up and bless them, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We also pray to you for those named in our updates, we pray both in thankfulness and in intercession, for healing for them and for those we now name in silence...Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, we pray for all nations, that there may be an end to all injustice, poverty, persecution, and especially for a just reconciliation between nations at war. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for each person in this congregation today, with personal worry, heartache, pain or distress, that these be given recovery of courage and peace of mind: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Most loving God, source of all grace, light, and peace, restore to all people the joy and health of Your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and evermore. Amen

Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.

And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

“Not Alone”

As I have told you before, Trinity Sunday is somewhat problematic for Disciples pastors and preaching. My colleagues in other denominations are happily explaining away the traditional doctrines of the Trinity. Telling stories of monks who admitted not understanding it, but accepting that their superiors understood it, that was good enough for them. Expounding at length on the paradoxical meaning of one God in three persons.

Not me. Not most of our Disciples pastors. Like Alexander Campbell before us, we're heretics when it comes to doctrines of the Trinity. Trinitarian doctrine is an idea that demands to be served, whereas good theology serves the people who are trying to understand God. Good Theology serves to make it easier to understand God--not merely ideas about God.

So, why, you may be wondering, why am I standing here on Trinity Sunday, trying to explain this to you.

I'm wondering the same thing, actually.

The classical doctrine of the Trinity may or may not be helpful, but we need the Spirit.

I could not do what I do and pray with people for healing and wholeness without a sense of the ways in which God is known to me. God is my Father/Mother--creator of all that is. God over us.

God the Son is my redeemer--God like us who is for us and with us.

And God the Spirit is within us--the very air we breathe, as close to us as our own heartbeats.

Jesus’ followers in the Gospel of Matthew didn’t understand these things--they weren’t able to make sense out of anything they’d experienced of late.

Their Lord had been arrested, tried, executed, and come back to like, and now what? The text says they worshipped him--but some doubted. Not just Thomas, as John reports, but some--plural--doubted.

That’s not surprising. They were confused and disoriented. Now what?

Jesus tells them that they are to go out into all the world and make disciples of all nations. The Greek word used here--eqnasin ethnasin--doesn’t mean nations in the way we think of them. Not countries with sovereign governments. No, it means others--as in not us, not Jews. Ethnasin--ethnics.

Jesus is telling his little band of fishermen and a political activist and a tax collector that they are to go to people not-like-us and teach them about himself.

These men were all Jews, and they knew their Bible. They knew that God had promised Abraham that all the tribes of the earth would one day be brought into God’s family through Abraham and his children.

But, as Tom Long points out, it’s a lot easier to take when it’s written in the prayer book than personally strapping on your sandals to go get this thing accomplished yourself.

Telling the disciples--this confused and unsettled little band that they were to go out to all the world and herd all the foreigners of earth toward God in the name of Jesus would be like standing in front of you today and saying, “go out into all the world and cure cancer, clean up the world, evangelize the unbelievers, oh, and while you’re at it, make world peace.”

And that is the point. They (and we) are being asked to do something absolutely impossible, which means we can only do this by throwing ourselves completely on the mercy of God, and leaning on his strength.

All authority, Jesus says, is not ours, but his. And therefore, we are not commanded here not to utilize our own strength and resources, but throw ourselves entirely on Jesus Christ, in whom God has invested power, and who is willing to always be present to the church.

That’s the real meaning of the Trinity. God the Father--the creator--is over all, God the son--the redeemer--is God with us and for us, and God the Spirit is God the sustainer--God within us. One God know to us in many ways, and beyond being contained by any names or descriptions we my try to use.

And the point is not in understanding God, but rather in knowing and experiencing God.

This is Fathers’ Day. A day in which we give thanks for our Fathers, and those of us who’ve been blessed to be Fathers can quake in our shoes and pray that we’ve be Good Fathers. Fathers’ Day is not a holiday I look forward to--because I’ve never thought of myself as a good father.

Some people are natural parents, but not me. My children are 28 and 22 and I’m still growing into the role.

If I’ve been a good father at all, it is only to the extent that I have thrown myself on the strength and mercy of God the father, whose Son walks my path with me, and depending entirely on the spirit of God within.

Fathers, don’t lean on your own strength, but trust in God. Remember that you have been baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Spirit. That wasn’t just something the preacher said to fill up the silence. There’s power in those words and in knowing to whom you belong.

It occurred to me this week that we have a remembrance of our baptism every year on the church calendar day called the “Baptism of Our Lord” in January. Sometimes, we get our hands wet and say “I am baptized!”

We should maybe spread that activity around a little. Maybe we should do that on Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day--we could put our hands in the water and remind ourselves, “I am baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit”--so that we can apply the power of that memory to the awesome responsibility of parenting.

Maybe we should remind ourselves of this constantly. What activity that you do can you think of that wouldn’t be bettered by leaning ourselves entirely on our relationship with the fullness of God known to us as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer? Let us give thanks today that by virtue of our baptism, we fully belong to God in life, in death, and in life beyond death.

Let’s celebrate this together. Repeat after me:

I am baptized!

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit,

I am baptized!

Thanks be to God! Amen.

Offering Invitation

Giving is a matter of worship, not a business transaction. Let us prayerfully offer our gifts to the Lord’s work.

Offertory Prayer

Almighty God, we gather in the name of the one to whom all authority is given – Jesus, our Christ. As we offer you this money, you ask us to renew our commitment to be your faith-filled disciples. May our lifestyles reflect a desire to be in mission for others. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.

Benediction

And now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Spirit guide and protect you, now and each day forward.

Amen.

Worship for Sunday, June 12, 2011

Pentecost Sunday

First Lesson (from Acts 2)

When the day of Pentecost had come

They were all together in one place.

Suddenly, a Sound came from heaven

like the rush of a mighty wind

There appeared to them tongues, as of fire

distributed and resting on each of them

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit

and began speaking in other tongues

All were amazed and perplexed,

asking, “what does this mean?”

It shall be on that great and manifest day

that all who call on God shall be saved.

Those who welcomed the message were baptized,

and three thousand were added to the church.

Prayers of the People

(sung response: Lord Send Out Your Spirit)

God our Father and Mother,
let your Spirit surprise us
with fire and vigor,
and make us young and new again
as for the young Church.
Let your Spirit renew our days,
our loves and our lives,
bring us tenderness and joy
as well as openness to one another
and the courage to stand up
for all that is right and just.

(Lord, send out your spirit, and renew the face of the earth…”)

God of all the earth’s peoples, we pray for peace, and for hope.

Fill us with the courage to reach out in love to those who are hurting,

those who are dying,

those who need your healing touch--both those whose names we have called out,

and those we recall now in silence

(Lord, send out your spirit, and renew the face of the earth…”)

Be with those in power, especially our Governor John, our Senator Kris, and our Representative Jay, that they will know your wisdom and mercy,

(Lord, send out your spirit, and renew the face of the earth…”)

We bring these spirit-filled prayers to you in the name of Jesus, the one who breathed that spirit on his first disciples, and pray that he will do so again. Amen,

1 Corinthians 12.3-13

^3…no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. ⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

¹²For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.¹³For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

“Many Gifts, One Spirit”

Anybody here ever had trouble with your shoulders? Some people have bursitis--I know at least one of our members who is suffering with that. Some have arthritis, others have tendon problems. About 15 years ago, I was having trouble with my shoulders--especially the right one, and I went to see a doctor about it.

He asked me a lot of questions, like how used my arms, and how I put on my jacket, and what did I do for a living.

I told him that I was a minister, and he asked if my work ever called for me to raise my hand over my head.

I answered, “we’re not that kind of church.”

He didn’t get it. I thought I was being hilarious.

Around the same time, I was in the church office and answered the phone--always a dangerous thing. A woman on the other end wanted to know what kind of church we were.

She asked, “Are you a Pentecostal Church?”

“Yes we are,” I answered, wanting to have a little fun. “We believe in the Holy Spirit which ignited the church on Pentecost so long ago and still ignites and enlivens the church today.

“But,” she continued, “are you a Charismatic Church?”

“Well,” I went on, “the word charisma means “gift” in Greek, and we believe that God, through his Spirit, gives each Christian gifts for the common good of the church. There are gifts of service, teaching, administration, music--everybody’s got gifts...”

The woman was really getting frustrated at that point and finally asked, “do you speak in tongues?”

“No, “ I said. “We’re not that kind of church.”

Click.

Twenty years ago, my friend, professor, and mentor Michael Kinnamon was a candidate for the office of the General Minister and President of the Disciples of Christ. The biggest controversy of the day is whether or not Gay & Lesbian folk belonged in the church. Michael said quite frankly that everyone belongs in the church, and if you’re going to bar the door against folks you think of as sinners, then he’d take his place outside the door with them.

He got a lot of mail during that time. He told me that much of the correspondence began this way:

“Dear Dr. Kinnamon, the Holy Spirit has told me that I am to oppose your election as General Minister and President because of your welcoming stance toward gays…”

But some were also positive:

Dear Dr. Kinnamon, the Holy Spirit has told me that I must give you my whole hearted support in your candidacy…”

To Michael’s credit, he never gave any credence to either kind of letter, because of his understanding of how the Spirit works. He pointed out several things about the Spirit of God and its operation that I want to work with for a few minutes here. I can’t find any of his addresses from that year, but I remember a few things he pointed out which have stayed with me for all these years.

First. The Spirit of God always comes to the church as a body. Whether you’re taking about the way that the Gospel of John tells it or the way Luke tells it in Acts 2, the spirit’s operation is always in community. In John 20, the Disciples receive the Spirit when Jesus appears to them in the upper room and breathes upon them--all of them-plural.

In Acts 2, which we read a bit of this morning, the Spirit of God comes upon the Disciples--also in the Upper Room--en masse, filling them with the gift to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. And, that’s exactly what they did! There were people from all over the known world there to hear--in their own language--the Good News.

Second. The Spirit, while giving diverse gifts to the people of God, only does so for the common good. Our lesson today from Paul’s first Corinthian letter makes that clear. Gifts may be given in different manifestations--wisdom, discernment, teaching, and even faith itself--but all are given so that the body can breathe in that one Spirit of God and work together.

There are churches in the world who maintain that you have to speak in tongues in order to be a Christian. Paul would say that’s absurd! We don’t all get the same gifts because we are not the same.

IN the section that follows this lesson, Paul writes about the diversity of the human body--noses are not feet, and eyes are not hands. If our body parts were all the same, we could do nothing. It’s the same with the body of Christ. We work together because we are different--but we work together. If we claim a gift that divides the church, then that gift becomes suspect, which is the third point.

Third. Spirits and gifts must be tested for the ultimate criterion, which is love. Kinnamon pointed out 20 years ago that there are two great teachings on the Spirit and gifts--this one in 1 Cortinhians, and again in 1 John, where the church is taught to test Spirits to make sure they are from God.

Each of those passages are followed by the two great teachings in the New Testament on love. 1 Corinthians 13 is sometimes called the love chapter, in which Paul describes the nature of the gift of love, and that of the three great gifts of the Spirit, the greatest is love (the other two are faith and hope). Love doesn’t insist on its own way, love forgives, believes, endures. The other gifts mean nothing without love.

1 John 4 begins by admonishing the church to test every spirit, and then goes on with the wonderful lesson which begins, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is known by God and loves God.”

It’s no mistake that spiritual gifts and love go hand in hand.

So, what does that mean for us?

First, we must be open to the leading of God’s Spirit. We should enter these doors every Sunday by praying, “Come, Spirit, Come, and open my mind and my heart to your leading.” And we should leave here praying, “what would you have me do for your kingdom, now, Lord? Whose life do you want me to touch with your love, today? What gift have you given me that can change the life of another of your children?”

And secondly, all that we do and say needs to fit under the umbrella of love. We are beginning our Home and Away team processes, and this is so important. If you signed on to one of the teams, then you probably have a passion for the direction think we should go. But that’s knot what these teams are about. These teams are about the wind of God’s spirit--looking for the doors that God will open--for the Common Good of the church. And when these teams come back to us, we need to greet them with love, and be open to God’s stirrings in our hearts.

Years ago, when Kate and I were members of South Elkhorn Christian Church in Lexington, KY, I was serving as an Elder there. During that time, we made radical changes to the way in which we conducted the business of the church. And one of the older members of the church was very unhappy about it. And he registered his complaints loudly at the next board meeting. And just as we thought he was going to resign from the board or even the church, he said, “as much as I hate these changes, I love all of you even more.”

That’s the kind of church we are. May we all be so open to the Spirit with great love. What do you think?

Offering Invitation

Giving is itself a gift. We all have been given much by God, let us return a small portion of our treasure to the work of his realm.

Offertory Prayer

Giver of all, We return to you a portion of what you have given us for the common good. Change us so that we may open to your service with all that we are. Amen.

Benediction

In our worship
God has poured out on us again
the fire and the storm-wind of the Spirit.
May the Spirit move us
to take the risk of committing ourselves fully
to God and to each other.
May God give us the courage to change
ourselves and the Church we love,
that we may be living signs to all the world
of God's goodness and presence.

May almighty God bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit

Go, and let the Spirit
keep your hearts afire with God's love.

Sunday Morning, June 5, 2011

The Seventh Sunday in Eastertide

In our joys and our sufferings let us give glory to God. And let us offer prayers for all

persons in the world, to keep them in God’s name.

For this holy gathering and all who enter our circle of faith.

We praise you, O living God.

For our church leaders, and our Home and Away teams,

and all the holy people of God in every place.

We pray your guidance and presence.

For President Obama, Vice President Biden, Senators Brown and Portman, Representative Portman, and the leaders of all the nations and peace in the world.

We pray for wisdom, mercy, and justice.

For this city and the community around us.

We pray your healing touch.

For all in any pain and all who sorrow.

We pray for your healing and comfort.

For the dying and the grieving.

We pray for your comfort and peace.

For ourselves, our families, and those we love.

We pray you search our hearts, and fill us with your love.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, who does infinitely more for us than we can ask or

imagine. Hear our prayers for all your creation and gather us in the embrace of your

abundant and life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Lesson Acts 1:1-11

Ac 1:1 ¶ In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning

2 until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

3 After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me;

5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

6 ¶ So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"

7 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.

11 They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Sermon "Let’s Get Busy"

When I was a kid, I loved to watch Superman--not the Christopher Reeve Superman (I was no longer a kid when he came around). I watched the George Reeves Superman. Anybody else watch that stuff?

It was the cheesiest thing I can ever remember. It was the place where we got the phrase, "Look, up in the air--It's a bird! It's plane! It's--Superman!"

And then you'd see this really cheap special effect which consisted of a matte shot of George Reeves in tights lying on a board with clouds going past him.

And the people would stand there in awe of this obvious and hokey effect.

I liked it because I knew it was cheesy. I knew that the people were idiots who couldn't put two and two together that Clark Kent and Superman were one and the same. And how moronic they looked staring into space at this tacky effect that wasn't all that special.

It was the people that captured my attention.

But, the Superman people kept trying. A few years later--well, several years later, they came out with the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. The tag line for that first one in 1978 was, "You will believe that a man can fly."

They wanted you to know that this one wasn't to be as cheesy the TV show. But I never could believe that a man could fly.

And George Reeves had nowhere to go after Superman. It's hard to be mortal after being Superman. He killed himself in 1959.

And Chris Reeve, well, he was just a mortal, too.

And there are still idiots looking up at the sky.

Some of the original idiots looking up at the sky were Jesus' disciples in the Acts reading. There they are--looking up into the sky--it's a bird, a plane, it's--the Son of God!

From a religion standpoint, Luke writes it that way so that Jesus' place would be understood by everyone who heard it. Jesus wasn't just any religious figure--he was the religious figure.

No doubt those early disciples would have understood Jesus as rising to heaven as an actual place in the understanding of cosmology in the biblical world. There was earth--flat and 4 corners, sky, and heaven beyond it.

That's why I like Salvador Dalí's painting of the ascension. Jesus is not rising into outer space, but rather into the nucleus of a giant atom—becoming one with everything. Uniting heaven and earth.

Because the point of this scripture is missed if we focus strictly on geography and space travel rather than our own spiritual journeys. In a way, the story of the ascension is similar to the story of the creation of the first woman from Adam’s rib – that story is not about male hierarchy or anatomy, but about unity and intimacy.

And this story is about us. The point of the story is found, I believe, in the angels’ challenge, “why do you stand looking up at heaven?” And, this is a very important point. The heart of this passage is that we have work to do here in this lifetime, in this precious and unrepeatable moment and life and in this beautiful world.

Bruce Epperly (the speaker at the Scott Lectures in Bethany this year) writes "This world is not the front porch to eternity, nor is it worthless in light of eternity. Rather, our life is in the here and now. Heaven is heaven and earth is earth, and both are beautiful!"

We are called as Christians is to heal and change the world – this world. It has been said that there are some people who are “so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.”

Such was the temptation for the disciples – to gaze at the heavens, to wait for a Second Coming, and forget that their calling is to live faithfully in this life as God’s partners in healing the world.

One of the strangest things driving some in the church is looking upward to the heavens for a way out--looking to the consummation of history to take over the present. Its reward is only found in the next world—looking up. It encourages uncritical support of the nation of Israel, as some believe that a fully restored nation of Israel will hasten Christ's return. And it has spawned a wildly popular series of books, which, frankly, has left me behind. It views God’s world as only evil. It sees demons in those with whom we disagree, and looks for a divine rescue operation from life’s problems. It pores over symbolism in the Bible and grabs dates for the end of time out of the air--most recently, two weeks ago! I’m still here.

The first disciples looked into the sky after asking Jesus if now was the time to restore the kingdom. They were still looking for a dramatic overthrow of the Roman empire. But there was no sudden divine rescue operation to overthrow the oppressors, to set the people free, to restore the kingdom to Israel. Instead, Jesus turned to them and said: “It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which the Father has set by his own authority. But you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and to the furthermost parts of the world.” They were to proclaim the coming kingdom and they were to be the kingdom. They were to pray “your kingdom come” and they were to let the vision of the kingdom set their agenda. They were not to be waiting around for the kingdom, qualifying themselves for future entry and busying themselves with recruiting drives so that others might one day enter, too. They were to live out the life of the kingdom, to let God reign, now and to allow that life and love to extend to the ends of the earth, to all people now.

We are that community of disciples. We are the life of the kingdom. We are the people of the vision. We are, for here and now, the fulfillment of the promise yet to reach its completion.

We do not need to look up to the heavens to find meaning and fulfillment. If we stand around looking up at the sky for Superman or a flying Jesus, we'll miss that heaven is right here in this wondrous moment. God is here in our lives and God has given us everlasting life right where we are. For us, this means companionship with God in life and beyond death – a loving adventure in God’s justice and love in discovering, proclaiming and sharing the love of Jesus Christ in this world, not looking for him to rescue us from it. This is the day that God has made and we can do something beautiful for God and with God, in prayer and worship, ministry in this community and beyond, service to others and actions which move beyond our corporate efforts to individual actions– and in living faithfully today, God’s eternity is ours.

God's eternity is ours. Today. Here, and Now. What do you think? Amen.

Invitation to Offering

God’s generous nature knows no bounds. God is constantly in a state of giving to us all that we need. Give from that place inside you where hurts are taken seriously and where the church can properly respond with compassion and love.

Offertory Prayer

Holy One, we bring these gifts from the depths of our being, praying that, together with the gifts of others, our gifts may make a difference in the world. Bless these gifts and use them and the gifts of our lives for your mission. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Benediction

You are charged with the ministry of Jesus Christ to be his people in the world.

Let’s get to it. Amen.

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.