A Level Playing Field

Sermon Luke 6:17-26 February 17, 2019 Ordinary Time

A Level Playing Field

Every Sunday we are presented with four Scripture verses as part of what is called the lectionary. An Old Testament passage, a psalm, an epistle lesson, and a gospel lesson. Ministers have a choice of which one to choose to preach on. This Sunday every one of the Scriptures has something negative to say. Each one is about woes, or judgment, each one is about the challenge of faith. The words of blessings and woes from Luke are important for us. They are important as we, children of God, are learning our part and place in the realm of God.

We all want to find a place where we can fit in.

We all want a chance at life to feel as though we’ve made it.

We all want to belong to something worthwhile.

We all want a sense of confidence, a sense of purpose, a glimpse of joy and happiness.

Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place.

He stood beside them on equal footing.

They came to hear him,

to touch him,

to be healed and

cured by him.

They came because they knew power flowed from him in such a manner that it healed all those around him.

Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place…his disciples, a great crowd of them, and a great multitude of other folk from all over the country.

He came down to level the playing field. He came down to provide an opportunity for everyone to have a fair and equal chance of succeeding.

So, according to Luke,

Jesus teaches his great crowd of disciples

in the midst of the great multitude.

Jesus is talking to the disciples and teaching them in front of a giant group of other people. It was the way Jesus did things-a lot. He was always finding situations to be ‘teachable moments’.

I’m sure the disciples would have preferred Jesus pulling them aside and having a few more private lessons than these public moments.

You know the kind when you were a kid standing in a mall with a group of your middle school buddies and your P.E. teachers looks around and decides that this is the moment in front of everyone else at the mall who came to shop and she proceeds to give you a life lesson for all to hear…well, that’s how Jesus is speaking here.

He is speaking to the group of followers that have committed to be with him through all things. So, far they’ve been faithful to all his teachings and have been in awe of his power to save and to heal.

Some of them are perhaps thinking they’ve lucked into a sweet deal following him…it could boost their future and their success if they keep close to him…he’s becoming a really popular guy.

It really was amazing how Jesus was so filled with love that the compassion flowing from him was powerful enough to heal.

Jesus knew though that a life of following him required an understanding of what faithful living was all about.

Faithful living is full of blessings and full of woes.

Faithful living is a level sacrifice.

Faithful living is a call to action.

Faithful living is a life of responsibility within the community of faith and in the world.

Jesus was being ‘on the level’ with the disciples about how to live a life that gives them and ALL people an opportunity to have a fair and equal chance of succeeding.

Jesus points out from the first words of blessing that the poor have a special place in the realm of God. And this realm of God is not heaven talk but here on earth talk.

Remember God sent Jesus into the world as Emmanuel-God with us-in other words God brought heaven to earth in the presence of Jesus. With Jesus we are carrying not only the power of his resurrection within us-the power to be lifted from the grave of tumult and despair-but we have the joy of heaven-the wonder of creation-the kingdom of God carried around to shine for the world. Pretty cool stuff.

According to Luke the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those who are hated, are not metaphors for spiritual conditions but they are the plain truth of human conditions and Jesus has an affinity to place them on the level plain alongside him.

Hearing these words are still our challenge today as disciples of Jesus.

We have to ask ourselves what we value as part of our faithful living.

Are we among those who value the poor,

the hungry,

those living with loss,

those who are despised?

Or are we afraid of them not knowing how our relationship with them might impact our way of living and being church?

There were days when churches had dress codes and dues to pay in order to belong. There were times when people were turned away from churches because they weren’t good enough. There were days when people were told where they were allowed to sit in church. Some were told to sit in the balcony or in the back of the church. There were days when people were told who was allowed to speak in church. There were days when all the rules applied and grace took second place in the church.

And so with hearts of gratitude we come to days like today when we are reminded of the words of Jesus according to Luke.

Words that challenge us.

Words that make us uncomfortable.

Words of woe that put us back on the level of faithful living.

Words that stir us up

to provide level playing fields in all areas of living.

Words that cause us to rise up and walk into to controversial zones.

Here are words from a wise preacher from 2015…(Don Broad)
We oppose oppression when the Russians do it. Or the Chinese, or the Cubans. And certainly Isis. Suppose it's the giant corporations? Or the drive to make greater and greater profits? Are the Hispanics in our midst getting their fair share? What about Haitians? Do you really think someone can raise a family on the minimum wage? If you ask yourself questions like this, and you should, and you find your temper starting to rise, or if you find you are trying to justify your own special privilege or advantage, it's a pretty good sign that the demons are still around. So go back to square one and start all over again. Take no short cut. Be honest with yourself, ruthless if need be. Love is a serious business. The love that Jesus lived does not come easy. You have to work at it. But it's worth the effort. It drives out the demons.

Let me share this story of the ‘dangerous coat’.

During the womens’ suffrage movement, coats with pockets were considered dangerous. So there was a rule that women were not allowed to have coats with pockets.

Today we never have heard such a thing that a coat with a pocket could be a dangerous thing-

but then,

then,

it was very scary to the ones who made the laws.

Listen to this poem:

Someone clever once said,

women were not allowed to have pockets,

in case they carried leaflets to spread sedition

which means unrest to you and me.

A grandiose word for commonsense,

fairness,

kindness,

equality,

so ladies, start sewing dangerous coats

made of packets and sedition.

We need these words from Jesus as a church and a community of faith to get to the heart of the truth of the gospel message, the realm of the kingdom of God.

 We need these words to set us out in mission.

To put us back in discernment.

To reflect again on how we as a church, a community of faith use our wealth of resources and gift and talents.

How do we act together for the sake of the needs of all people?

Are we working with the other communities of faith to draw all to Christ and to share in the common love that Jesus offers.

Or are we out to be the most popular and to make sure everyone likes us.

Jesus says woe to those who seek popularity.

The Message put it this way-“popularity contests are not truth contests-look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors. Your task is to be true, not popular.”

We are disciples of Jesus. He loves us. We are the church. Jesus loves us. We have work to do and these are our marching orders.

We all want to find a place where we can fit in.

We all want a chance at life to feel as though we’ve made it.

We all want to belong to something worthwhile.

We all want a sense of confidence, a sense of purpose, a glimpse of joy and happiness.

Jesus comes down with us and stands on a level place. Let us trust his presence. Amen.

Prepare for Love

Sermon Luke 3:1-6 December 9, 2018 Advent 2C

Prepare for Love

As I prepared for this second Sunday in Advent I had no idea the events of this week would unfold. My plan was to share the usual story of John the Baptist crying in the wilderness.
But, with the loss of one very young man and his funeral that followed, I found myself back questioning God,
one,
more,
time.

I share a story today about a man who was a little unusual. A story about a man with a mission. John the Baptist was called on by God to be the one to announce the coming of the Messiah. He was the one who cleared the roads for the parade. He was the one who put the orange cones down and the flashing big arrow sign to merge left. He knew how to manage a crowd and get them to do what they needed to do.  

When he spoke, folks got it. 

They could hear his words about sin, about repentance, about redemption, and about renewal. In other words, he had the language that was different from the religious leaders in order to reach the common day crowd.

His language to the people of his day made sense to them and they were quick to respond. The crowds that John the Baptist spoke to understood sin the way he described it. The crowds John the Baptist spoke to understood forgiveness the way he showed them. And the crowds John the Baptist loved through the cleansing waters of baptism changed them forever. The crowds were ready to receive the love of God through Christ when he showed up.

It makes me wonder what language am I using?
What language is the church using?
What manner of speaking are any of us religious people using with the crowds of today?

I wonder if this season of Advent might need to be the season we return to the ways of John the Baptist.
It is clear that even though he was quirky, he was attentive.
Even though he was different, others paid attention to him. 

Even though he appeared as if he should be locked up, everyone loved him.
They loved him because he spoke to them in a manner they could understand.
He spoke to them with words they were willing to hear.
He spoke to them as one of them.
He spoke with authority not to lord it over them but as someone who knew what they were talking about.

I wonder if we, the church, have lost our language?

I’m beginning to think that the message of the coming messiah needs to be repeated as in the days of old.

The message of the love of God through Christ isn’t bringing people in to the current religious institutions.

Perhaps, the raw message of love, forgiveness, and cleansing through the waters of baptism are getting lost in the language of church.

If it’s true that our church language is missing the mark for the current generations, what language can be heard?

I am no longer part of the current generation. I have aged out of it. I also am deeply steeped in church language and find myself using words that are unfamiliar to those who are not part of the church group.

So how do we return to the message of the coming messiah this Advent?
How do we learn from John the Baptist this year to make the message of sin, repentance, & cleansing baptism something that the crowds come running to?

We, the church people, start by not criticizing the crowds who have chosen to leave church, or to never enter.
We stop saying that church and the Bible and the story of God is no longer relevant.
We start by picking apart the message that is there, studying it, dissecting it, until we are at the raw material.

We become comfortable with our own doubts.
We become at ease with our own questions.
We let go of absolutes.
We let go of our own know it all attitudes.
We release our need to be in control.

We start from the beginning this Advent. 

We start with the crowds of John the Baptist and hear the message for the very first time. From this new listening, we can move through Advent and arrive at the manger with the same awe as the shepherds and the Wise Men.

The language of love is the language most important today.
How we share it, speak of it, and live it are what makes the difference in the lives of others.

The raw truth of the gospel message is what hope is all about.
The raw truth of sin,
the fact that none of us have lived perfect lives,
none of us are pure,
none of us can honestly say we love everyone,
is the message of grace.

The raw truth of forgiveness, is that it is hard.
It is hard to forgive and it is hard to be forgiven.
Yet. It exists and it is real, and it is the greatest truth we need to hear today.

The raw truth of the cleansing waters of baptism is that we ALL get a fresh start. 

There is not a single person on this earth removed from the gift of a fresh start.  

I honestly believe if we share the truth and the depth of what we believe and what we don’t believe then the raw faith that we possess will come through and we will be renewed.

Let’s see if this year we can preach like John the Baptist to the crowds and draw them into the wonder of the love of Christ.

Let’s take heart, be at peace, know that we are loved and that we too can love. 

Because that IS the raw message. 

Let’s prepare to love.
Amen.

We Believe

Sermon 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 February 10, 2019 Ordinary Time

We Believe

By the grace of God, I am what I am.

There are times when we are firm in what we believe, and there are times when our belief is fragile, and faltering.

Our foundational statement of who we are in God is the beginning of what we believe, how we speak it, and why we live it.

In this chapter, actually in the whole letter to the Corinthian church, Paul is making his case for the church to live and act like the church of Jesus Christ. He is especially concerned about the fundamental teachings and actions of the congregation there. Specifically, he is concerned about what is at the heart of the gospel message being conveyed.

Paul is reminding the congregation that they have received the message of the gospel. Which for Paul, the message received was much more than a text, or an email, or even a handwritten letter of information. A received message for Paul is a life changing event.

When Paul describes ‘the good news I proclaimed to you, which in turn you received’, he witnessed people recognizing a new power within them by the love of Christ in them. He witnessed himself completely transformed into a new way of living-an about face change of life and

change of motives and

change of foundational beliefs and

change of relationships with others-a radical new way of faith.

We believe the sky is blue, that roses are red, and a loved one can say, I love you.

We believe these things not just because someone told us that it is true.

We believe not just because we have said it over and over again.

We believe these things not just because it feels good to believe it.

We believe these things are true because we have experienced the blue sky, the red roses and someone saying, I love you.’

We know what it is for us to experience these things and

so it is out of our experience that we tell others.

And that is how the gospel message is passed down from generation to generation.

Out of our experience we have told the good news about Jesus and so we have come to believe.

Neibhur would call that experience revelation. Something has been revealed to us and it is remarkable to get our attention and to transform us within because of the experience.

Paul wants the church of Corinth to remember the Jesus that died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. We take this belief for granted because we have said it in the Apostle’s creed all of our life. But, these words are more than vain repetition, they are words that the church has staked its life on through the centuries. Paul makes this point here that the death and resurrection of Jesus is at the heart of the message of the gospel.

The fundamental understanding that God did indeed raise Jesus from the dead then brings the conclusion that God will indeed raise those who died in Christ as well.

This is the fundamental hope of the Christian church and is lived through the witness of those who have testified this to each generation as they grow in faith. Paul says to them, ‘God raised the Lord, and will also raise us by his power.’ (6:14)

What we believe shapes us.

It shapes how we act.

It shapes our ethics.

It shapes every way of our life.

That is why it is important to be reminded of our foundational beliefs,

what we were taught,

what we are teaching,

what we are saying is the core of our faith.

Paul states to the Corinthians the foundation of faith in Jesus is based on his death, burial, and resurrection.

This core belief is a call to action to live in a new way.

It is a call to action to live in the hope of new life given in Christ Jesus.

This new life empowers those who believe to live out the message of Jesus.

This new life gives strength and courage to act on it in all of life.

Those who went to the extreme to live the gospel message like Jesus lost their life for the sake of the poor and the sake of love. Bonhoeffer for one.

Think back to your first experience in the church.

Think back to one moment you remember about God.

Think back.

These moments shape us.

They shape our faith.

These moments whether positive or negative were foundational to our faith journey.

All of us stand as the link to how the gospel message is transmitted.

We are the mirror through which others see Jesus.

Perhaps, then the most important thing we can do as the church is to help each other articulate what the gospel message is for others to hear.

How has the message changed our lives?

How has the message shaped our decision making?

How has the message made a difference in how we treat others?

How has the message determined how we vote, or buy things, or handle our finances, or how we take of our kids, or the earth, or our pets, or…?

Has it made an impact on any of these things?

Let us be certain of our foundation of faith. Let us be assured by the words of the gospel. Let us be renewed by our core beliefs. Let us be called to action to a new way of living in this present day!

For it remains there will be times when what we believe is firm, and times it is fragile, and it is faltering…

…I am that I am but by the grace of God. Thanks be to God! Let faith, hope and love abide. Amen.

Relentless Love

Sermon 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 February 3, 2019 Ordinary Time

Relentless Love

Faith, hope and love abide, these three, and the greatest of these is love. Today is a wonderful day to hear these words. Today we are gathered as God’s people for the purpose of celebrating and rejoicing in our common unity as the body of Christ.

We gather each week for the purpose of following God’s command to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. We gather each week to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each Sunday we gather is our mini Easter-we remember and we rejoice in the reality of the resurrection that brings us to new life. Not new life in the future but new life now and in the days to come. That’s what God commands, that we receive what we have been given-love come down from heaven for us-and we live it and pour out the love of God through Christ just as it was poured out for us.

Perhaps Sunday mornings have turned more into routine for us than it has a burning desire to be with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Perhaps, Sunday mornings are days we need Sabbath at home, we say, because we work so hard during the week, or we have commitments that take us away from Sunday. Sundays gathering in the Lord’s house can be a challenge. In today’s world it is a greater challenge than at any other time in the Christian church. There has never been more competing elements with the church on Sunday and it is harder and harder for families and others to get away to get to church.

The apostle Paul knew how important the church was to God. He understood how Christ as the head of the church had intended that it would be the binding together of all God’s people to live as he lived and to draw the world back to God. Yes, the church is Christ’s body. It has a serious purpose in the world. It’s not around just to hang out drinking punch and eating cookies in fellowship. It is a place where love is received and love is given and love is taken out into the world.

We’ve heard more than ever that we can be a Christian out on the boat watching the sunset and being drawn into the spiritual awe of creation. And boy, is that true!

We also know the church wasn’t created for us to be entertained, but for us to worship, to be fed, to be renewed, to be encouraged, strengthened, so we can get out there and tell God’s story and live God’s love.

That’s why this chapter of love is so important.

It’s not a chapter for brides and bridegrooms-although, it really does a good job of describing what we need in a marriage.

This chapter was written to the church.

The church people were already doing what drives us crazy about church people now. There were the bossy ones, the ones who knew everything and tried to tell everyone how much they knew and how smart they were. There were manipulative ones, who smothered you with kindness and praise to get you to see things their way and get you to team up with them. There were the judging ones who decided exactly how to behave in church and what to wear and who could even be allowed in.

Paul was beside himself when he saw and heard what was going on in this brand new church that was to be a witness to the love of Jesus!

He freaked

and wrote this letter to help the church people get a grip about what was most important.

One of our great gifts is to read these letters and discover that perfection in the church from the get go was a challenge and was just down right non-existent.

Yes, Jesus trusted us to be his body in the world-but we needed a lot of help then and now.

These wonderful words of love are for us.

Because, our most powerful assurance about Christ and his church is that it is still standing today.

Maybe, its not as big and powerful or its not as entertaining or interesting as we think it should be.

But it’s Christ’s church and it goes on forever,

it is relentless.

Just as relentless as his love for us and the world.

One of the greatest opportunities of the church is to walk with one another through all the circumstances that come into our lives.

Relentless love is looking around during the hard times, the sad times, the troubled times, the brokenness, diseases, loss, and feeling of falling apart, and realizing that love is what provides the power and the strength, the resolve, and the will, the binding together to hang tough and to go the road together.

Love may not look like what we expect it to look like,

but it is that deep within urge,

tummy turning,

watery eye making stuff that

becomes the glue that holds us all together.

This love that God gave us through Jesus is nipping at our heels,

it is chasing us,

pursuing us,

it is running after us seeking to tackle us and cover us up until we can rest and be at peace and receive it.

This love of Jesus is like the grip of grace, a giant hand of God ripping through heaven and grabbing hold of us and refusing to let go.

It thrusts through heaven onto our soul, claims us and calls us by name and binds us forever with him.

We are here together because God wants us here.

We are here together because God’s love is making it possible

for us to come again and again

to hold each other up in good times and hard times.

We are here together because Jesus fills us with the joy to want to see each other and be reminded that there is love here…

Faith, hope and love abide, these three, and the greatest of these is love. Amen.

Stir it Up!

Sermon Hebrews 10:19-23; 24-25 January 26, 2019 Presbytery of Eastern Virginia (PEVA) assembly, theme: new mission statement-“We build bridges across divides to deepen connection to Christ and one another to serve the world.”

Stir it Up!

It always happens on those mornings when time is essential. Just as the kids are told to hurry and get dressed, a voice emerges, “Why?” In an attempt to be a good parent, all the reasons about how important it is to get dressed are presented. How wearing pajamas to school is not acceptable. What we need to do is just get dressed and get in the car. And the voice is not satisfied, “Why?” So, again, we try our best to say what is important and how we must do this thing called getting dressed. And in desperation the child’s voice says, “BUT, Why?” And in desperation the parent in us yells, “Because, I said so!”

Probably the hardest thing to do in life is to explain the why of something when we really don’t know the why. Why aren’t we allowed to where pajamas to school or work or church? Perhaps, it’s because of rules, or tradition, or culture, or…we really don’t know why, so we say-‘because, I said so’.

In the life of the church, we get so used to doing and being. We get so used to what we do over and over again and how we do all things, but we get stopped dead in our tracks when we are asked why we are the church? And like the exasperated parent with the child we stomp our feet and yell, “because, I said so!”

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews was deeply concerned for the church there.

The church had become stuck.

It had forgotten the why of its being.

It was losing its sense of purpose and people were becoming inattentive, disagreeable, disenchanted, and mostly disengaged from one another.

It was a tough time in the life of the body of Christ in this first century community.

The writer of this letter comes along with some challenging words and some serious admonitions.

Sometimes the things we least wish to hear are things we most need to change our ways of thinking and living.

Sometimes we need a voice to stir us up and to move us forward.

Sometimes we need a reminder of whose we are and why we are.

Perhaps, the early church had the same issues we do today.

Perhaps, they were complaining about the outdated music, or the sermons that were irrelevant, or the Bible stories didn’t fit their modern culture.

Perhaps, they were having trouble reaching the younger generation.

Perhaps, they were complaining that the other churches didn’t care enough about them. Perhaps they felt left out of the bigger churches.

Perhaps they felt the churches in Rome or Corinth or Ephesus were getting all the attention and weren’t helping them.

Perhaps, the burden of keeping things going was just too much.

Perhaps, this idea of being the church just wasn’t worth it anymore.

Perhaps, they were just bored.

They suffered decreased attendance and a lack of zeal-the newness of being church had left them and the descendants of those first generation followers of Jesus just didn’t get it anymore.

Boy, can we relate to that?

Every generation needs a chance to ‘get it’ again.

Every generation needs to stop when they hear themselves say, ‘because I said so’.

Every generation,

every generation

needs a reminder of their why before any of the enthusiasm, wonder, joy, and the power of love and good works can occur.

Why are we followers of Jesus?

Why, Jesus?

In verse 19 we hear, ‘Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain…since we have a great priest…”

This is why!

The glorious promises of our grounding are here in these words-we have confidence by the cross of Jesus to be reconciled to God-we have a great priest!

The chasm of separation has been crossed. The divides from our connection to God have been bridged by Jesus.

Not only has Jesus spanned the chasm to return us to God, but Jesus has spanned across all generations to draw us into life and into love and good works.

That’s our why!

Wow!

To be connected

to be drawn to God

who draws us together

in one another

as the body of Christ-

what could be more wonderful than that?!

 If this is old and boring news, then let’s hear it again, as if it is fresh (like a first love or a first kiss) and we are hearing it for the very first time…

You see, Friends, there comes a time when an important truth becomes clear. When this truth emerges from the clouds of darkness, when it comes into focus, it reveals the path forward. It renews our souls and it revives our spirits in ways we have not known before.

With clarity the truth that Jesus loves us washes over us and seals us forever.

We are grounded in the truth of Christ’s confidence. We approach God with faith. We hold fast in hope. We help one another in love.

I love this Greek word ‘paroxysmos’ because it means encouragement. Yet, it can also means to pester, to push, to provoke, to stir it up!

And sometimes if we’re apathetic we need a stir it up to get us on the move again.

Every generation needs to stir it up, to be inventive, to be provoked into being the people of God to love and good works.

As the presbytery council, we struggled with our why.

We all know and recognize we are followers of Jesus, but why and why are we a presbytery here with these most wonderful churches, ministers, elders and members?

Why, has God determined we are the church here in this place and in this 21^st century.

And so, in retreat and in prayer and discernment, we discovered the power of God within us to show us not just who we are but why we are. And the way became clear that God has called us through Jesus Christ to span the divides with love and good works, to build bridges as we deepen our faith, and learn from each other and together go out and serve the world beyond us. We believe this is our why for PEVA. We don’t know the details of how and what it looks like-that’s what we can do together as we ask the why of our commissions and committees, as we ask the way of our congregations. God will make the way clear and the path will be revealed.

Allow God to stir it up in us! May we rejoice with a little provocation from the Spirit.

There are several things planned for our participation that can assist us in our faith, hope and love. There are retreats in spirituality planned, educational opportunities, leadership experiences. All of these things are there to help us bridge the divides of our geographic and relational realities. They are there to help us get to know our neighborhoods. We can trust these opportunities and learn to take risks together. As we get to know each other more and more we recognize our opportunities to build alliances and partnerships. The opportunity to discover the truth of our why even allows us to appreciate the moments we disagree or experience conflict or face the onslaughts of brokenness. 

Because as we are sealed through love, we learn to live it in the most challenging ways.

We build bridges across divides to deepen connection to Christ and one another to serve the world, came out of this need to know our why as PEVA. We honestly believe our lives together are vital for the church of Jesus Christ to the next generation.

We are stirred up to love and good works.

We are excited about the future and confident in the present.

We trust our connections with each other as we move forward together.

If we can all agree that we love God and one another, 
then 
let us consider this as our encouragement 
to meet together 
to work for good deeds,
and to serve the world. 
We have these things in common,-
faith, hope and love-
let's begin to live what we believe.

Not because I said so, but because we are followers of Jesus, and we see the Day approaching. Amen.

See and be Radiant

Sermon Isaiah 60:1-6 January 6, 2019 Epiphany, Communion

See and be Radiant

The people are in retreat, living in exile, away from all they know, when Isaiah writes these words of hope.

The words are strong.

They are powerful.

The words make us act and

do not let us think about anything

but responding to them.

Arise! Shine! Your light has dawned.

There is no room for reflection. There is no room for sorrow.

There is no room for what is-but only room for what is commanded-Arise! Shine!

I wonder about times that demand a look to the stars. Times that call us to rise up. Times that call us to be aware of the Presence of the Lord upon us.

Would we respond to these words of praise and words of worship, words of glory and words of joy?

Or do we dwell in the darkness of times and refuse to be lifted out of it even for a moment?

Some would scoff at the idea of ringing in the wonder and awe of the presence of God in moments of history where there has been turmoil, injustice, horror, pain, tragedy, and worse, great loss.

Think of history here in this nation of the stock market crash, the depression, the civil war, the fight for independence. All those moments in history where the people were divided in allegiances, where they were divided in ethics, where they were divided in principles. There has always been moments of conflict and turmoil.

Perhaps, it is these moments that are the darkest for us.

These moments when the world around us, and the community in which we live, and the way of our own lives, are caught in indecision, caught in a disruption of what we know. When the way is not clear, when the answers are not easy, when the situations have no simple outcome, perhaps these are really our dark times.

It is in these times we beg for clarity. It is in these times we would appreciate some sudden insight or understanding.

It is in these times we need Epiphany. The Presence of the Lord shone upon us!

Isaiah offers the people in exile more than hope. He proclaims a promise. He provides them with a command of God’s promise.

Sometimes when we face trauma we need an outside source to direct our ways because we are unsteady on our feet.

There are times when the power of God comes to us through the wisdom of others who walk with us holding us and helping our feet move forward.

God gave Isaiah a proclamation to tell the people to rise, shine for the presence of the Lord has risen upon you. And what a wonderful way to start the New Year with a proclamation such as this!

For the magi, otherwise known as the men of wisdom-Wise Men, there was a moment when the important truth of the prophecy came clear and they were propelled to discover this truth as they followed a star to Bethlehem.

Their response to the truth revealed to them is our revelation of truth too.

God has been revealed to all people of all nations and no one is excluded, all are invited to the presence of God.

Actually, the presence of God shines within all humanity.

Wow.

If that is true,

then we may begin to see one another differently.

If that is true,

then even those whose principles and ethics are different from mine deserve to be heard-

if God’s light shines in them

and God’s light shines in me…

then perhaps a moment of clarity can come to each of us…

So, on this celebration of Epiphany, what is the truth that God is proclaiming in us today?

What truth do we need to suddenly become clear to us?

What sudden insight or understanding can we look to God to shine down upon us?

The Tanak (the Jewish Bible in contemporary English) describes the words in verse 5 this way-

As you behold-you will glow, your heart will throb and thrill.

I love these words and I honestly believe these words are for us today.

We need to hear the proclamation from Isaiah and believe it is for us.

We will glow and our hearts will thrill and rejoice.

Again, you may think this is frivolous thinking.

Perhaps, you may think this is something to scoff at because it is an idea beyond where you, I, or we are in this moment.

But, I have this crazy belief in the truth of God’s words for us and I dare share that with you today.

You may be here today hoping for a check list,

or a task list,

or a guide book with instructions on how to actually live this out.

But, we don’t have a 1,2,3, schedule for us today.

We don’t have the usher, acolyte, mission, brush your teeth version of duties to put the promise of God’s truth in practical practice.

It would be great if we could walk out of here with a list of dos and don’ts.

If only church didn’t make us think and just told us what to do.

If only church would just tell us what to memorize for the heaven test and not put us on a journey of faith.

If only church would give us stickers we could put on the people we can like and not like instead of telling us all the time that God loves everybody-that’s just too hard.

But, the crazy truth of God’s words is that they do come down to us and shine on us and we are stuck with that and well…there it is…

We are God’s people bound together through the love of God sent to us in Christ.

God’s light is upon us and we cannot escape it.

Therefore, as we learn to live into this light, we grow brighter together, and we grow stronger for those around us.

God’s act in us is to build,

to restore,

to bring together.

Our aha and our epiphany is to recognize God has provided us with all we need to accomplish God’s act in this place.

As we move into the newness of 2019, we can move into this year with confidence that God is with us in every minute of it.

We do not need to be afraid of the things that will transpire.

Each of us will glow!

Know the truth that the

Presence of the Lord has shone upon you.

See and be radiant.

The nations will walk by your light.

Shine, dear friends, shine!

I close today with this poem from Jan Richardson as she says it best:

Constellation: A Blessing for Women’s Christmas

Consider that the heart holds its own constellation.

Consider that it has a secret chamber radiant with unspent light.

Consider this when you cannot find that one star,

that dream that compels you to the road.

When every last thing seems to have disappeared into dark,

consider that you cannot always know how you bear this brightness

but that it holds you and is not wasted or lost.

See how we share this sky,

how it stretches above us beyond every border,

how every day turns each of us in steady revolution through morning, night, morning again.

Or think of it like this:

that every heart is its own voyage,

sending its vessels out,

drawing them back again,

never by the same way they went

but still somehow making for home,

that place that shimmers now in welcome

with all the gathered light you had thought you could not see. Amen.

Lifted Up!

Sermon Luke 1:39-55 December 23, 2018 Advent 4C

Lifted Up!

Listening to the words from Mary they resonated over and over again…’lifted up’…lifted up kept singing high above all the other words…and then I realized a song from many years ago…

Alan Jackson came to the US in 1890 to New York. He wrote over 9000 published hymns and tune beginning in 1896. This is one of his hymns that was sung in the tiny Christian church I attended as a youth. It’s strange how some things stick with you. It’s strange how words from old bubble their way back into our memory. It’s not really the verses but the refrain that got stuck in my brain…

I was sinking deep in sin
Far from the peaceful shore
Very deeply stained within
Sinking to rise no more
But the Master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry
From the waters lifted me
Now safe am I

Love lifted me, love lifted me
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me
Love lifted me, love lifted me
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me

All my heart to Him I give
Ever to Him I’ll cling
In His blessed presence live
Ever His praises sing
Love so mighty and so true
Merits my soul’s best songs
Faithful, loving service too, to Him belongs

Love lifted me, love lifted me
When nothing…

In these days of Advent these words have been rolling around in my head with the song of the Magnificat…yes, love lifted them…and so love lifts me too. 

Today is a day to be lifted up!

As I was reading the story of Mary and Elizabeth it occurred to me that their lives intersected at a moment when they realized their lives would never be the same again. It’s not every day that someone is visited by an angel and given a prophecy. It is not everyday that someone who has felt disgraced among her people can feel lifted up among her people.

This fourth Sunday of Advent is a reminder of our very present opportunity to live the promise of Christmas in the present moment.

It is on this Sunday when we can be drawn into the power of the love of God with us in our waiting and with us in our hopes for the future.

This is the Sunday that we witness the lowly lifted up and the women who have been cast aside praised above all and called blessed.

Shame and disgrace no longer hold a place in God’s world. Those who would be disgraced by society, God has declared them blessed for today and for future generations!

So, this beautiful story of two women coming together in the waiting-the advent of something new-of the new birth of their babies, provide us a window into the waiting world.

Most of us know what its like to live in anticipation. We have experienced interviewing for a new job in the hopes of getting it. In our waiting for the answer we begin to actually live as if we have received the job. We make plans for a move and for what life will be like with the new experience. We begin living in the present the hope of the future.

That’s what Advent is about-we live today the truth of tomorrow.

Mary and Elizabeth had a choice of living in the disgrace of the world around them or living in the present truth of the glory of God to come through their sons.

How are we still bending to the world around us?

How are we allowing the words of the world claim over who we are?

How are we succumbing to the shouts of the crowds to subdue the truths we possess within us?

Mary and Elizabeth are perhaps the finest example of living out the truths God had placed within them. They had the strength and the fortitude to live with faith even though they knew the world was about to turn upside down.

In this season of Advent are we able to find the strength and the fortitude to live with faith knowing the world will turn upside down?

Our world as we know it today, maybe not yours, but mine; maybe not mine, but yours, is about to change forever.

How does that look in the face of God?

How does that look in the face of my neighbor?

How does that look in the face of the person sitting next to me in the pew?

You see when we witness the birth of Jesus again this year-the world will turn upside down-or so we hope-so we believe-so we live.

We believe the words Mary sings as if they are as true today as they were yesterday and 2000 years ago.

If we don’t believe them to be as disturbing as they were then, we have lost our hope and faith in Jesus to bring about the upturning of our world.

We need the song Mary sings to lift us up!

We need to be lifted up because we too have suffered.

We need to be lifted up because we too have been lowly and disgraced.

We need to be lifted up because we too are living from one fear, one breath, one moment to the next.

We need to be lifted up because we too know that our lives are about to change.

Mary sings the Magnificat because she chooses faith in the present and begins to live the promise of God’s Incarnation as if it has already happened.

Perhaps, today’s message is for us to live the promised blessings now. Perhaps, each moment we breath can be our moment of song.

Let us begin with the words of Mary-My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior…

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and it will be too late to choose how Christmas will arrive for us. 

The plan of Advent every year is to walk each day of it as if Christmas has already come.

Be lifted up, 

friends, 

God rejoices in you, 

let us rejoice in God. Amen.

Christmas Eve Meditation 2018

Christmas Eve Meditation 2018

Preface to the opening of worship:
We are here because we have heard a promise of
peace and we have faith its day will come we have heard a rumor of justice and we
have faith its day will come we have heard a whisper of hope and we have faith its day will come we have heard a hint of love and we have faith its day will come we have heard of the birth of the
Christ-child and we have faith his day is here. Welcome to Christmas Eve.

We are arriving at the space of where heaven and earth intersect.
It’s here where we listen to those familiar words that bring us comfort. The story one more time brings us hope.

If we hear it again, then perhaps it will be true for us again throughout the coming year.
Perhaps, it will be true that peace and love exist.
Perhaps, it will be true that God loves us.
Perhaps, it will be true that God really did come down in love for me and for you and for everyone we know and do not know.

Because tonight we choose to believe even if every other day of the year we choose not to believe. Because tonight the mystery of the amazing love of God enfolds us all.

Tonight, the angels are singing for the shepherds and they are singing for us. They are
telling us that Jesus Christ is born, they are telling us that we must go to Bethlehem and
we must see for ourselves that Jesus Christ is born today.

Tonight, we choose to believe the power of God to save us from ourselves and from the
warring, raging world.

Tonight, we come down to receive this Savior who was born into an unwelcoming world to teach all of us to become welcoming people for one another.

Tonight, we choose to believe that God has enough power to bring heaven to earth so the
whole world will be filled peace.
We will become instruments of peace because the Prince of Peace has been born in us today. And this year, perhaps for the very first time, we really believe it and so we choose to live this truth from this day forward.

Tonight, there is the intersection of humanity in suffering and despair with the wonder
and joy and celebration of new life arriving and eliminating all suffering, releasing all
despair and bringing everlasting life. Bringing the fullness of joy born in each of us as we
share life with one another-this is everlasting.

You see, each time we visit and see the face of another person we experience in that the
visit a moment of the Holy with us. 

This moment when we touch the face of another we touch the face of God,
for God is with us and in us.
The Prince of Peace has been born in us this night.
There is an eerie power of peaceful presence in times such as these.

And so on this most wonderful night of nights as we witness the intersection of heaven
and earth through the touch of God come down in the incarnation-Jesus Christ born to
us today-perhaps, you as well as me are wondering if there is a touch from God for me?

And yes, dear friends, God is here for you and for me.
Believe the words, trust the story,
allow the mystery
to enter in.

God is here!
Jesus Christ is born in us today! Amen!

Go Where You Go

Sermon Ruth 1:1-18 November 4, 2018 Ordinary Time Communion. All Saints.

Go Where You Go.

Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. “Be still,” they say. “Watch and listen, you are the results of the love of thousands.”

How many of us know the name of our great grandmother? How many of us have known our great grandmother or heard her stories? Thinking back that far gives us a reference point for thinking about the woman of Scripture today, Ruth.

Ruth became the mother of Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of David, who became king. Her story became the redemption story not just for one family but for all the people of Israel.  Her story has been spoken for thousands of years and we know all about her. We care about her, we love her, and we too speak her story because in it we too find redemption and we find ourselves.

We stand upon the ground facing the day ahead of us. 

The day can be filled with obstacles and challenges that seek to prevent us from having the strength to go forward and do the things that need to be done. 

Yet, we remember we are not alone when we stand. 

We remember we are standing on the shoulders of several generations who have overcome obstacles. 

We remember their strength as they forged their way in a new country. 

We remember their resilience as they fought against disease, famine, injustice, and discrimination.

You look at me and say, but my ancestors were Irish or Italian. 

It seems that in every age when people have come to this country in droves escaping from places where they have been suffering they have been rejected, disliked, and discriminated against. 

The Irish were not to be trusted and could not find work. They were poor and could not find housing. No one would dare allow their child to marry, let alone, be seen with ‘one of those’. 

These large influxes into our country over the years, the German Catholics and Lutherans to the Midwest, the Irish and Italians to New York, the Cubans and South Americans to Florida all came to be greeted with great animosity at first. 

But, as the century went on, these very diverse people became the interwoven fabric of our nation and who we are as a people. If our family has been in this country for more than three generations we have a powerful legacy to learn about. We have the shoulders of those people to stand on. We have the shoulders of those people to push us up and get us on our way.

Ruth was a Moabite, the enemy of the Israelites. 

The irony of Scripture is it turns our understanding of things upside down. 

God will always come and open our hearts to receive love and to receive acceptance no matter who we are or how we are. God will stand us on our head with stories that force our hardened hearts to open to grace. This story of Ruth is exactly one of those life changing opportunities.

Ruth becomes the saving grace for Naomi and for all the generations who follow her. 

Ruth becomes this one person whose resilience and faithfulness to a person and God she doesn’t know sustains Naomi through her grief, bitterness, and emptiness. 

Do we know anyone in our story like that? 

Perhaps God is calling us to be that person for the generations to come. 

Who are the nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren of our future or our present? 

Perhaps, without even knowing it, they are already standing on your shoulders as you pray their way in the world. 

Perhaps you are building their story of resilience and strength long before you will hear how you were an instrument in their life. Looking back allows us to look forward.

Looking back to Ruth and her response to Naomi allows us to look forward to our responses to others in our life story.

Naomi had gone to a distant land in the time of famine, a land of her enemy, to survive. There she was met with one disaster after another. Her reliance on her own abilities and her anger at the God of her birth only brought her bitterness. 

But can we blame her? I don’t think so. 

We are all too much the same. 

Often our circumstances cloud our perspective. 

We make quick decisions in our heightened anxiety, 

we assume things are urgent 

and require immediate responses-we react,

 knee jerk, 

freaking out, 

kind of action. 

We shove everyone we love out of the way, 

while we try to fix our own problems 

and leave room in our heart for no one.

God’s grace is amazing because it is often extended to us through unsuspecting carriers of grace. 

God finds circumstances or people to extend grace even if they themselves do not know God. 

There are angels unaware everywhere. 

An open heart is open to the unexpected 

and can receive the gift freely. 

Ruth refuses to receive the rejections from Naomi and chooses to live by her name. 

Ruth means woman friend or companion. 

Three times Naomi tries to make Ruth go away and three times 

Ruth proves her love and her faith. 

According to Jewish tradition three times is the test of faithfulness.

Where you go, I will go, 

where you lodge, I will lodge, 

your people shall be my people, 

your God my God. 

It is her faithful heart that saves the generations to come. 

It is her story that is the story that opens our hearts and changes us. 

It is her story that gives us strength to be the shoulders for the ones who come after us.

Friends, we are standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. Be still,” they say. “Watch and listen, you are the results of the love of thousands.”

Let us be the same. Let us be the ones who extend grace unsuspectingly to change the hearts of those we have yet to meet. We have a story to tell, keep it alive, keep telling it. Amen.

Reverend Monica Gould

PCUSA