December 15, 2024
Isaiah 12:2-6, Luke 3:7-18
Christmas is For Sharing
Today is Gaudete (Gow-de-te) Sunday. Gaudete means “rejoice” and it is the theme of the 3rd Sunday advent candle of joy. You might also note that today’s candle is pink, not purple. Technically, the liturgical color for today is pink. It’s not the only time in the Christian calendar that pink is used. The other is Laetare (Lay-TAH-ray) Sunday always the 4th Sunday of Lent. The pink represents a rose which is a symbol of rejoicing. Today’s theme marks a shift from the last two Sundays which focus on the Lord is coming to today’s theme which says that the Lord is near. The emphasis for today’s liturgical theme comes from the Isaiah reading. Isaiah speaks of drawing from the wells of salvation with joy. Shout and sing for joy that the Holy One of Israel is in our midst.” Isaiah reminds us that our relationship with God is filled with joy.
So why does John the Baptist take the air out of the room? There is no joy in the gospel reading today, it’s filled with admonishment and challenges for the people. The anticipation of the people is that John is the Messiah. He takes that hope away from them too. It’s not me he says, I am not worthy to untie his sandals. In other words, “you think I’m great? Wait til you see the One.” There are a lot of necessary steps in John’s instructions for those seeking to repent. They need to turn their lives around and they need to turn their focus to doing the kinds of things that are pleasing to God. That is certainly a good reminder for us as well. The adherent to the Christian walk is not immune to losing their way in much the same way these faithful Jews have strayed. None of us gets a free pass largely because of John’s requirements for living a faith filled life. It’s no secret that his commands mirror those of Jesus perfectly.
All of this starts with that well known phrase “You brood of vipers.” What does that mean? Well they are very sharp words. The reference is not missed on the pharisees or any other student of the Torah. The viper is Satan and the brood of vipers the children of Satan.
Think back to Genesis 3 where Satan is pictured as a serpent. You can imagine how unsettling this accusation was to a self declared righteous follower of God. John is saying that they are not acting like God’s children, but Satans. It makes me wonder if the ones who the insult was directed to responded with repentance or righteous indignation. John however gives the vipers “an out”. They can avoid the axe at the base of their tree if only they repent and bear good fruit. This is a common theme in the bible where God is the vinedresser, caretaker and Israel is the vineyard. The Song of the Vineyard in Isaiah 5 offers this metaphor. The Lord builds a vineyard and carefully tends it. But the vines stop producing fruit, so God tears up the hedgerow and it becomes barren, a wasteland. Isaiah 10 follows a similar theme and reads, “Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled. / He will clear the forest thickets with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.” Jesus refers to these old prophecies in John 15- “If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.” I guess that’s the long way around to say that the people and the Pharisees in particular knew what John was getting at. We should too.
Especially considering that John 15 passage and the words of Jesus that echo the words of John. A mandate that we bear good fruit. What does that mean? That we make a difference in other peoples lives. Which is the next part of our passage. Simply stated John says to share. He goes on to say don’t steal. Deal with people fairly. Confess your mistakes. Accept God’s grace. Lets cover these in reverse order. Confessing our mistakes is repentance. God’s grace comes in the form of the sacraments- baptism and holy communion. Deal with people fairly. Don’t cheat others, don’t take advantage of them. Be honest in your business dealings. Don’t take things that don’t belong to you.
That leaves sharing. Perhaps the most important of all these things. And the emphasis of sharing is huge this time of year. It’s too bad that the perceived time of sharing is so short.
When our son was in grade school he did some chores and got a little pocket money. It wasn’t a lot of money but it was to him. We went to the grocery store and outside was a bell ringer, you know, like the Salvation Army bell ringer. As we walked into the store he put some of his coins into the bucket. We did our shopping and left with our groceries. The bell ringer gave him a smile as we headed out to the car. When we got in the car Nan said to him, “Do you know what they do with the money they receive in that bucket?” “No,” was Josh’s reply. “They take it and help people who may not have a Merry Christmas,” we told him. “Well if I’d known that, I would have put all my money into the bucket.” What a beautiful thing to say.
Christmas is for sharing. This season affords all sorts of opportunities. We share oftentimes without thinking. I think about this mindset that Christianity has placed upon society, whether its realized or not. There are Christmas (ok so maybe they call them holiday but it doesn’t diminish the intent) office parties, gift exchanges, celebrations. School “holiday” concerts include sacred music, because it’s the foundation of choral music. Christian symbols are a part of secular decor- angels, manger scenes including the baby Jesus, the Bethlehem star, the magi. The Salvation Army isn’t thought of as a religious organization as much as a benevolent group that helps the poor. Business’ get involved with Toy and Joy efforts, there are all sorts of ways to give and help others this month. Without fanfare- that’s our job as Christians, we shouldn’t forget that. And maybe we work harder so that throughout the year, our society doesn’t forget that. We live in a selfish, “me” society where we look out for number one.
The people of Israel apparently forgot rather quickly. They rode that wave of repentance and a fresh baptism, but how long did it last? John told the tax collectors not to take more than they were supposed to.
Zaccheus clearly forgot. The soldiers took advantage of people by forcing them to do things, we know this because Jesus had to remind them. The Pharisees, well they were the Pharisees, they were in their own minds above righteousness. I can’t help but think that they never made a change in the first place. Did any of them even receive baptism from John?
We can’t forget like that and revert back to selfish ways. The act of sharing can’t be just for a season. Granted, winter is especially hard when utility bills go up, people don’t get enough vitamin D, depression and other types of mental illness can flare up. I guess we see more need around us which we should respond to. But if we think about it, the birth of Christ should not be limited to a recognition in December, but every single day. We should rejoice every day that God loved this world so much that he sent his son to it. I seldom follow through with this but we shouldn’t limit meaningful Christmas carols to a few days in the year. Joy to the World could be sung every Sunday! So could, Christ the Lord is Risen Today! I suppose we should say “everyday is for sharing” because on Christmas God shared with us the greatest gift of all.
December 8, 2024
Malachi 3: 1-4, Luke 3: 1-6
Preparations
I know a gal who is in the business of event planning. Think of it as catering taken to the next level. This job is all about preparation, getting things done in advance. Not only is she responsible for the menu, she is responsible for securing a facility capable of hosting a certain number of people. She has to arrange for tables, table settings, seating, sound system, staffing, decorations, the wine list, the swag bags, and probably a hundred more things that I’m not even aware of. Whatever it takes to create a memorable event. I also know a guy who manages a concert venue. He has to book the acts, promote the acts, prepare the green room, or the backstage areas to accommodate the whims and demands of quirky musicians. There’s the bar and food menu (they oftentimes like to create a signature drink that is reflective of a song or an album of the coming band or musician). There is probably a hundred other things that I’m missing here.
In today’s scripture reading we hear the story of one man who has been uniquely called to prepare the way for the coming Messiah- John the Baptist. While is job isn’t as multi faceted as my two friends, the importance of the preparation is crucial. His responsibility boils down to just one thing. But before we get into John the baptizer, let’s look at another person involved in preparation, the prophet Malachi. Malachi is the last book of the old testament and it contains a message not only directed at the Jews, but you hear God speaking through the prophet to all of humanity. This is significant because the book contains the message that a savior for the world is coming. The name Malachi means “messenger.” Not much is known about him, he doesn’t tell us his lineage or where he’s from like other prophets do. He doesn’t tell us who the current ruler is so one must search for clues to discover he is writing somewhere around 400 BC. In today’s reading we have the familiar verses from Malachi that talk of a refiners fire and the fullers soap- this will be the role of the Messiah and the Holy Spirit who will be ushered in by John the Baptist.
I think its significant that John’s work doesn’t take place at or near the temple. In fact, his work is so far removed from the urban setting that he does it in the wilderness. Imagine a spiritual pull that is so strong, people leave the city and go the wilderness. That means it would take people in Jerusalem nearly 14 hours to walk to the Jordan. For perspective it would be like us walking from here to Mt. Hood! But people were willing to do it. This wave of revival had hit Israel and people were going out to be baptized by the hundreds every day. Clearly for him to do this work he must remain out by the Jordan- he doesn’t go home every night. The clue in the scriptures that he lives out there is where it says he ate locust and honey for a diet and he made his own clothing. That’s dedication. If JB was up at Mt. Hood he would possibly live in a snow shelter and eat at the Ratskeller every night. But I’m getting carried away.
That one thing of preparation that he was called to do? He was to preach to the masses that they needed to repent and be cleansed in the waters of the Jordan. The significance of this work cannot be overlooked. Crowds came, tax collectors came, pharisees came, even soldiers came out. He didn’t pull any punches, he was quick to point out how unrighteous these people were living and called for them to repent. He didn’t even hold back against the king, he was outspoken against the sinful relationship that Herod had by marrying his brothers wife. This landed him in jail. But not before he laid to rest the rumors that he himself was the Messiah. The Messiah he said was one whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. He baptized with water, but the Messiah would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit.
Now I’d mentioned Malachi’s image of the refiners fire and the fullers soap. These are powerful images of cleansing. A refinery burns the impurities out of metal, leaving only the best metal that is desired. For example when gold is refined all of the impurities of other minerals mixed in with the gold are removed and only pure gold is left. Similarly, the fullers soap restores cloth to its most whitest.
Beyond bleach white, its dazzling, brilliant white- signature clean. This is the work of Jesus in our lives. Instead of sinful, impure, flawed human beings we are made clean, made whole, released from our sin and made righteous. That’s what the people who ventured out to the Jordan (and us too) have to look forward to from the Messiah. Luke doesn’t give us numbers in his gospel, but it feels like almost everybody went out there- tax collectors, soldiers, the crowds of people seeking a sign from God. Mark is a little more specific- “The entire countryside of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem came out to see him.”
It would seem that John is doing quite successful work, drawing so many people out to repentance and baptism. The thing that confuses me is that when it comes down to it and Jesus is facing crucifixion, what happened to all of them? They scattered, like sheep gone astray. But at least for the beginning moments, the Christmas story moments, the infant king is celebrated. Quite a contrast- shepherds rushing to Bethlehem, compared to his closest disciple denying that he knows him. It begs the question, did they come for the spectacle or did they truly repent and be washed by the waters of the Jordan. I’d like to think that they didn’t travel 70 miles just to be a spectator- they were truly participants in this cleansing.
We too should be true participants. We’re the kind of people who receive Christ like those at his birth, right? The innkeeper who at least had something to offer. The shepherds who came down from the hills to pay the infant honor. The wise men who came from far away following a star to find someone great. And if that’s so then we have a calling to preparing the way of the Lord too. Now calm down, I’m not suggesting you walk to Mt. Hood, or eat grasshoppers. But you can be a part of the preparation. A good starting point is sing like the angels. Heaven and nature sings. A group of us went to Jim’s Market last week and sang Christmas carols. Our role was to be an element of the various activities they had going on that special day. But truly our presence meant much more, because we were sending a message to the people there.
That message was, “Joy to the world, the lord has come; Glory to the newborn king; Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born; Jesus Christ our savior was born on Christmas day; Born is the king in Bethlehem.” Another thing we can do is to live the Advent theme. Each Sunday we light a candle, those candles signifying peace, hope, joy and love. That can be our message as well. Since we’ve been thinking about songs, do you recall the old Burt Bacharach and Hal David song, “What the world needs now is love sweet love” Well we could add to that and say “what the world needs now is peace… What the world needs now is hope…what the world needs now is joy….” Simple preparation for the coming savior!
A word of caution- none of us are called to do what John the Baptist was called to do. That is the work of the Holy Spirit today. It’s the Spirit of God that draws the human soul to repent and to come to God, not the desert prophet. I’m thankful for that to be honest. For one thing- I don’t have to eat locust (although I like honey). Seriously though, I don’t have to call people out. I don’t know what the equivalent of “brood of vipers” would be in today’s language, but I fear it would not be something very nice. So that leaves us with, like I said, the task of preparation. Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
December 1, 2024
Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
The Family Tree
We’ve seen how Jesus’ family tree works through the amazing story of Ruth. The lineage of Jesus goes all the way back to Abraham, grows through Hebrew history to Mary and Joseph of Nazareth, the parents of Jesus. I’m certain many of us have searched our family trees and found out very interesting information about our lineage. Maybe your family came over on the Mayflower, or settled in Jamestown, or fought in the revolutionary war. Or possibly one of your ancestors was the mayor of a town, a noted athlete, an architect or a ship captain. On St. Patrick’s day everyone wants to be Irish, so that might work out for you. Perhaps you were surprised to find that you have ancestors who lived in Africa or Finland. It’s all interesting to discover. But Jesus lineage is quite interesting and the writers of scripture take measures to make us aware of God’s hand at work in the coming of the promised one.
Family trees get me to thinking about real trees, what a great image they are for visualizing your line of ancestors. Picture in your mind a great oak tree with a crown that spreads as wide as it does tall. Then think about the root system which can spread out just as wide. From a theological standpoint roots say a lot about a family tree. What is your family grounded in? How deep do the roots go? Psalm 1 contains the imagery of trees growing by the side of a stream and how the roots move towards the water so they will grow and the tree flourish. “Like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.” That verse reminds me of the Deschutes river
and those mountain alder that grow along its banks. Beyond those trees and shrubs the landscape is pretty desolate. The trees that are rooted beside water will flourish. The family that is rooted in the Lord flourishes. Mary and Joseph had good root systems as told by Matthew’s genealogy in Matthew 1- goes all the way back to Abraham.
The reading from Luke involves trees in a different light. Here, Jesus is talking about his second coming. The fig tree (and the other trees) will be for us a sign. In the spring you see the buds start to swell and the leaves burst forth from the branches when the weather begins to warm. The sign is significant because it displays that in the midst of darkness of the long winter nights, that when you look all around you and see no apparent life in the natural world around you, and that the bitter cold is like you’ve been God forsaken- light and life present themselves in the swelling buds of a tree. From an apocalyptic point of view this is how life can become when Christ’s return is imminent.
The confusing thing about the Advent season is the fact that we’re recognizing something that happened centuries ago and yet much of our scriptural focus is awaiting the coming of the Messiah. We’re waiting for something that’s already happened- once. Or as my friend Magrey DeVega said in his book of the same name, Awaiting the Already. There is comfort in that thought.
The entrance of the Christ child into the world was brought forth by angels voices, of heaven and earth rejoicing, heaven and nature sang! What more joyful singing do we have but in Christmas carols? Resurrection hymns of course, but how many verses of Easter songs do you know by heart compared to Christmas carols? Not to mention the Christmas story that is so familiar. Who among us doesn’t picture Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas explaining the meaning of Christmas by reciting Luke 2? “Born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.” Which circles us back around to the family tree. Bethlehem, the city of David.
The Christmas tree is quite different than the fig tree. But it represents a similar thing. In our family the Christmas tree is a family tree. There are ornaments that represent our family members, in fact our entire tree represents a family member- it’s our Ryan tree and its up year round. When assigned an art project in kindergarten to draw a picture with just one crayon she failed the assignment because she used all of her colors.
When asked why she didn’t follow the instructions she said, “I couldn’t leave all those beautiful colors in the box mama, I had to use them all because rainbow is my favorite color.” I can’t tell you how many people that phrase has inspired, young and old alike. So our tree has colored lights, ornaments of all sorts of color, and rainbow colored garland.
The Christmas tree is a family tree for sure. Whether we went to a tree farm or out into the national forest, it was a family affair. We even took grandma one time. It didn’t seem like a real effort unless we got our Subaru a little bit stuck in the snow- that extra mile up a road in search of the perfect Noble Fir. The memories we created are priceless.
I’m sure you are all aware that the origin of the winter evergreen was a pagan observance. German Christians started the tradition of a Christmas tree in the 16th century. Martin Luther is regarded as a proponent of the practice of placing an evergreen tree inside their home. Prior to this it was a pagan practice to decorate a home with evergreen boughs to symbolize that the earth would bear a new year of growth and harvest. Here’s something I did not know. We just celebrated Thanksgiving, a tradition said to be established by the Puritans (folks from Virginia will argue that the first thanksgiving took place there). The Puritans made it illegal to observe Christmas with decorations citing that it was “pagan mockery.” Fortunately the influx of Germans and Irish helped establish the Christmas tree tradition in America but not until the 1840’s. So it’s quite possible that our ancestors, those main branches of our family tree did not recognize the Christmas tree as a part of their Christmas celebration!
And fortunately for us, despite some of our ancestors, to celebrate Christmas in our sanctuary with this tree. We might even think of it as our church family tree. Which is why we take a part in decorating it, it’s a family affair! We can think about those branches that first formed this tree, and the saints before us. The roots that grew in the tradition of the Methodist Episcopal church. The tradition of hanging the greens, the special colors, the Advent candle wreath.
So we’ve taken the first step, lit the candle of hope in this advent journey. We heard the voices of the prophet, and the words of Jesus to encourage us to be ready for his coming. As you go through your advent devotional and are a part of the advent services, may you experience the hope of what has come and what will come. In the coming weeks we will light the candle of peace and seek the peace that only God can provide. Then a candle for joy- that our season and our lives will be joy filled. This offers us a chance to rid our souls of despair, and gloom, and bitterness. Finally a candle for love. Love for God, love for our neighbor, and loving ourselves. Blessed Advent and Christmas season to you all!
September 22, 2024 Mark 9: 30-37
The Greatest
When I was a kid Mohammed Ali was the heavyweight champion of boxing. I didn’t like him because I thought he was so arrogant. ‘I am the greatest’ was his trademark. I loved it when Joe Frazier beat him, but it didn’t seem to bring him down even a notch. Baseball was the game of choice for most kids back then and our coaches wouldn’t tolerate showboaters or players who were in it for themselves. There’s no “I” in team was often heard. Fast forward to todays sports and it seems everyone’s a Mohammed Ali. In fact Ali would be a toned down version of today’s athletes. The more showboating the better. Even the coaches get into the act. I still don’t like it, call me old school. Our son who is a huge sports fan says its good for the game, its entertainment he says, and the more innovative and over the top, the better in his mind.
Today’s reading shows the disciples treading the waters of self absorption as they argue about who is the greatest. Jesus makes it very clear that there is no room for this attitude in the kingdom of God. I don’t want to get carried away with old stories about my seminary days (I realize I’ve shared a couple with you all), but this one seems especially appropriate. Let me set this up first by saying this. I don’t think it’s right that somebody chooses their own nickname. I mean, a lot of nicknames aren’t exactly the coolest monikers so some people might want to head it off by choosing their own. So they might want to be “jet” or “champ” or “beast.” Otherwise they could end up with “stinky” or “peewee” or “potsie.” There was a guy in seminary who wanted to be called “bishop.” When our professor took roll call he would read the list of names to which most people replied, “Present, or Here.” This guy said, “call me Bishop.” You see, he saw himself as becoming a bishop one day. He wore a clergy collar to school every day (he was the only one who did this). One day professor Nelson took roll and the guy says, “It’s Bishop,” to which the prof replied, “Call me Cardinal.” Everybody roared!
In the age of self absorption, rugged individualism, egocentric thinking and actions here we have a scripture verse that cuts to the core of how we place ourselves in the kingdom of God. If you recall last week I mentioned John 15, the vine and the branches. This imagery, I think, is the most powerful image of the church that we find in the scriptures. That’s because when you stand at a distance you can’t determine where one branch ends and another begins. You can’t readily identify which branch the grape clusters are attached to. The point of that imagery is that in the church you shouldn’t be able to clearly identify which branch (or person) holds onto the fruit. But also, there is the work of another branch which bears the leaves that protects the grapes from being exposed to too much sun. It’s this symbiotic relationship that teaches us what the church should look like, and that there isn’t really a greatest, but rather, we are equal parts working for the sake of the vine, Jesus. As Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28, “Gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man, we are all one in Christ.”
The problem in today’s reading involves the disciples arguing amongst themselves about who is the greatest, or who Jesus likes best, or who has been the hardest worker. We’re primarily talking about fishermen here. I imagine there was a sense of competition in their work, just like any other. Who knew the best place to drop the nets, who could repair a net the quickest, who can pilot the boat best in a storm, who could filet a fish and leave no bones….This rivalry doesn’t appear to let up despite Jesus’ teachings. The gospel of John names the disciple whom Jesus loved, namely himself- John. “Jesus always did like me best!” Ah, no John, Jesus loved everybody.
In order to make his point Jesus turns to a child who is in the room. Now children in Jewish culture were precious, they were considered to be a blessing from God. But as children they had no standing in society, they are on an equal footing with a slave. Not until their coming of age, their bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah did they have any form of status.
What would make this have an even greater impact would have been if this child was an orphan who has no chance whatsoever of inheriting the fathers property.
Jesus is telling them that unless you put this child ahead of you, you cannot be the greatest. This takes on greater significance when you think about a child’s social status on par with a slave. Unless you live your life serving others, you will not be great. Certainly Jesus lived his life this way, becoming a servant to the lowly and outcast. By his very actions Jesus places the child ahead of him in assuming this status among his disciples. The strongest example of this is of course when Jesus washes their feet.
Who are these little ones in the world today? Who would be as children to us as the church and what can we do to serve them? A better question might be, what can children teach us about the love of Jesus? I listen to the preschool children when they are playing outside. They are having so much fun, their play is exciting to them, or simply being outside is fun and exciting. When I’ve looked carefully there is an interesting dynamic taking place. They share, they take turns, they find joy in the simplest of things, as displayed by their cries of laughter. Can you imagine if our world looked like that? In a world that is filled with so much pain, hunger, and death- there is hope in that playground. Now who would we say is the greatest?
Did Jesus choose a child in his example to humiliate the disciples? I don’t think so. Did he sit that child on his knee to show them that they need to be like this child? No. The example of a servant isn’t the child, it’s Jesus. People came to Jesus about their children’s illnesses, their diseases. And he heals them. He shows compassion upon them. They’re not his children, why should he feel any responsibility for them, that’s the parents job. How often does this mentality prevail when it comes to a school levy? We should want nothing but the best for our communities children. I went through a stretch of 10 years across 3 different communities when not a single school bond was approved.
People didn’t seem to care about an asbestos laden middle school or an elementary school without a decent operating heating system.
I digress- Jesus is showing this level of servanthood as a model of mission because his followers will soon be moving beyond the children of Israel and into the Gentile world. They are being sent to care for the lost sheep in the world, and in most cases, to people who are not like them. This is what it takes to be great wouldn’t you agree? Getting out of our comfort zone, going to foreign places, surrounding yourself with strangers. Unfortunately, it’s not going to come with fanfare, or prestige or awards. Quite the opposite really. The early apostles, in many cases, met a fate of violent death. But they were willing because they knew that God would restore their life, they would be in heaven with all of God’s children.
That’s a great image, we are all God’s children. Could Jesus have set me in his lap to teach the disciples this lesson? Essentially Jesus is going to serve me? That’s really humbling. But that’s exactly what he did for all of us isn’t it. Jesus came to serve us all, to wash our feet, to set a feast before us, to sacrifice his life so that we might live. In light of that, none of us have any right to even consider that we are the greatest. We simply are not, we’re flawed, sinful human beings. Even Mohammed Ali, even the “bishop.” Even you and me. But thanks be to God that instead of great, we are forgiven and free. Amen.
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September 1, 2024 Song of Solomon 2: 8-14
A Song of Love
I’ve preached on this text maybe once or twice in my career but as I contemplated these verses over the last couple of weeks, I think I missed the boat when it comes to using Song of Solomon to talk about God’s love. On the surface this book seems to be a celebration of the love between a man and a woman. What I’ve overlooked every 3 years when this passage comes up in the lectionary is that marriage is likely the strongest earthly example of God’s love for us. We acknowledge this in a marriage ceremony using the UM liturgy. Here’s the opening words of a service of Christian marriage- “The covenant of marriage was established by God, who created us male and female for each other. With his presence and power Jesus graced a wedding at Cana of Galilee, and in his sacrificial love gave us the example fo the love of husband and wife.”
Now if you’ve read this book you know that the content on the surface reads like the intimate relationship between two lovers. How did this kind of content make its way in the canon of scripture? Talking about our intimate relationships in a public forum can cause many to squirm. When I went to the Veneta church I quickly discovered that they wouldn’t pass the microphone around during prayer time. They were pretty up front about why they didn’t put a microphone in just anyones hands. It seems there was a woman in the church who loved to share her prayers in lengthy detail. In their 70’s she and her husband took a dream trip to Hawaii. She unashamedly shared that on that vacation they revitalized their love life and for the congregation her prayer request created an awkwardness by sharing too much vivid detail (and I’m gonna leave it right there). That was the day the microphone stopped being passed around. OK I get it.
But the fact remains that the intimacy and spiritual relationship between a couple is a height of love that helps us to understand how deeply God loves us. Not in a physical way of course, but in a way that touches our souls. So how did this song of love make its way to scripture status?
Back in the day there was much debate about this writing. Along came the commentator Rabbi Akiba who said that if the writings of scripture are holy, the song of songs is the holy of holies. The earliest Christians felt just as strongly about it. Origen wrote a 10 volume commentary on the book. In the middle ages there were more things written about this book than any other in the bible! Bernard of Clairvoux in the 12th century wrote 82 sermons on the Song of Solomon without going past chapter 2! These writers focused on the book being about the relationship between God and Israel or Christ and the church. Today, most scholars focus on the intimate relationship between two lovers.
Either point of view can teach us something about relationships and love. My take on the poem is that the two lovers are young, recently gaining the attention of one another. Remember the courting stages when you would do things like write love notes, poems, songs, and create special moments to share with new found love? One of the interesting things about this writing is that it features the womans voice as the primary (maybe the woman is better at poetry than the man?). Anyway when it comes to love and relationship there is an equity seen here that isn’t so prevalent in other parts of the bible. Consider the story of Adam and Eve when they are kicked out of the garden paradise. God tells her that, “her desire will be for her husband and he will rule over you.” This book sets up what will be a new way of looking at relationships but also places women in a different light than the Genesis statement that Jesus will reinforce. Jesus includes women in his ministry much to the irritation of the religious leaders and even his disciples. Indeed, it is a woman who becomes the first evangelist to the Samaritans, it is women who are the first witnesses and the first to testify the risen Christ! I’m wondering if this is the position thought of by Rabbi Akiba, that the nature of the couples relationship is equitable and by that model is truly holy of holies.
At the very least the imagery of this poem seem to be creating a garden paradise where this love will be lived out. The flowers are blooming, the turtledoves sing, the fig tree is in bloom and the grape vines have blossoms. All the sounds and smells- things are beautiful. It sounds idyllic doesn’t it.
Another thing about this poem is the display of faithful love by the couple. In a day when the emphasis on men and womens bodies revolve around sex and sex appeal; in a time when our culture seems to crave the purely sexual part of a relationship. This moves us to the place where people only desire sex and not commitment, that there’s no interest in living in a committed relationship. God’s design for love is different. Love should be in it for the long haul. Isn’t it nice to have a story that paints itself with poetic brushstrokes of desire, devotion, and perhaps most importantly fidelity? We should use this passage more often as a solid reminder!
These thoughts translate into explaining the metaphor as well- that the relationship with God is not meant to be fleeting, a one night stand, on again/off again kind of a thing. God not only desires but blesses our fidelity. Jesus too shows us an amazing amount of devotion- to the degree that he will sacrifice himself so that we can live. No greater love is this that this man lays down his life so that we might live. The passion that is expressed in these verses is an ideal scenario for God and God’s people. The love God has for Israel is so great that it inspires the beloved (which is Israel) to express their passion for God. From Rabbi Akiba’s perspective who was definitely living in a post destruction of the temple era, is that even without the building Israel can find God through their prayers and worship. The holy of holies that is the inner sanctum of the temple, is now found in the passionate devotion to God if they only serve and believe.
Another point of view that this passage might teach us is that our love for God can and should perhaps be voiced creatively and with passion. Do we sing our hymns with passion or do we just mumble the verses? Do we sing out with fervent praise or do we simply mouth the words?
The woman speaking in the passage speaks with clear passion. Passion towards her lover and with imaginative and vivid images of what their love looks like. We can do the same. It’s kind of sad we who once were challenged to write poetry, or do engage in some form of creative writing back when we were in school. But somewhere along the way, most of us leave that kind of thing behind.
Maybe we think its childish or silly. What would your love letter to God look like? Certainly we all have thoughts about what God means to us. Can you find a way to tell Him? I’d like to share a song with you this morning. It’s a song about how much God loves us- cares for us even more than He cares for the birds.
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August 18, 2024 1 Kings 2: 10-12, 3: 3-14
The Wise Choice
Today we hear the very familiar story of God saying to Solomon, “Ask what I should give you.” Can you imagine being asked that? Have you ever thought about how you would respond? Here’s a man (boy really) who’s going to become the ruler of the great nation of Israel. There’s a lot of power involved in becoming king. What is the likely thing one would say? To gain riches and honor? That’s what God gave him anyway after he asked for wisdom. At any rate, today we talk about wisdom and by some misfortunate occurrence you have me to talk about it. I will do my best.
We live in a world today where the gift of wisdom appears to be short supply. One can look at people in all facets of life (business, politics, drivers, lottery winners, young people, old fools and it sure seems that when wisdom was handed out, they (and admittedly we) somehow missed the memo. Those in business and politics seem to have forgone the wisdom and moved straight towards riches and honor. I’m not going to pretend that I haven’t made foolish decisions in life, we all have. But with God’s guidance, I think I’m headed in the right direction.
Solomon started out with the right kind of thinking. He knew his father was a great king. He knew that the reputation of Israel was built on David’s leadership, faith, and wisdom. Had David made foolish decisions in his life? Absolutely! But in the end, he was faithful to God and he listened to priests and prophets. Solomon also acknowledges his youth and inexperience- that he’s gonna need some divine help and intervention. It kinda seems as if he was wise about things before he even asked God for wisdom! There was some inherent wisdom from his parents but now that his father is gone, he sees the opportunity to gain guidance from God.
Isn’t that true that we gain much of our wisdom from the elders in our family? Growing up in Seattle I wasn’t exposed too much in the way of race relations. My neighborhood was white, my school was white, the only time I saw Black folk was when we went to a baseball game (the ballpark was in the redline neighborhood where the Black folks lived). But my mom was intolerant of racist remarks and beliefs. One of my uncles lived in Gary, Indiana. He was one of the most prejudiced people I ever knew, he hated Blacks. They were visiting us and my uncle never held back his feelings on the subject of (fill in blank here with “N” word). My mom kicked him out of our house! All the way from Gary! Dad was in the Korean war and was stationed at Fort Stewart, one of the first integrated military bases in the US. He worked at Boeing and has the distinction of promoting the first Black woman to a crew leader position in the companies history. I have a picture somewhere commemorating the promotion. Now I didn’t know the truth about these two occurrences until I was an adult, but those belief systems were inherent in me at a very young age because of the sharing of wisdom and instruction mostly from my mom.
The wisdom of Solomon is a definitive phrase when it comes to how wise someone can be. Solomon is regarded as the wisest of all people in the bible. “No one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you.” says God. Therefore the wisdom sayings, the proverbs, are attributed to Solomon. The allegory of “Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon,” is attributed to him. Some of the Psalms are attributed to him as well. Beyond his writings, Solomon was a builder, the great temple in Jerusalem was built under his supervision. He was a military leader and a fair and just ruler. The most famous of his acts of wisdom is the story of the two women who both claim that an infant child belongs to them.
We need these kinds of biblical examples as we approach our day to day living, or when we think about the wisest path for our church. Are we on the right path to do God’s will? What kinds of things can we do to build ourselves up? Are we serving this community in the best possible way? Do we have the right insurance for our buildings? In our day to day lives- are we disseminating information in order to find the best truth? Are we swayed by public opinion, do we make decisions thoughtfully and carefully? Now in my finite wisdom I could break these questions down, but I think the best course of action is to go to the source- Solomon himself. The proverbs or wisdom sayings at just as relevant today as they day they were first uttered. Let’s take a look at a few and I’m going to use Peterson’s, “The Message,” which is a modern paraphrase translation to help us apply them.
Proverbs 7: 1-5 1-5 Dear friend, do what I tell you;
treasure my careful instructions. Do what I say and you’ll live well.
My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it!
Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart. Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion.
They’ll be with you to fend off the Temptress— that smooth-talking, honey-tongued Seductress.
Wisdom is personified as a woman in many of the proverbs. There are several reasons for this but the most important in my mind is that in the Jewish household it was the mother who was tasked with teaching the children. They taught the Torah, the commitment to memory of Psalms and proverbs. It’s why I think of my mother first when it comes to the wisdom instilled in me. But there is also wisdom that has evil intent- the temptress. It is the worldly wisdom that is counter to where God wants us to be.
Proverbs 27:7 When you’ve stuffed yourself, you refuse dessert;
when you’re starved, you could eat a horse.
When you’re filled with God’s love and wisdom you want for nothing more. When you’re spiritually empty, you will take anything and everything.
Proverbs 12:9 Better to be ordinary and work for a living
than act important and starve in the process.
Be true to yourself, be authentic, live your life as God wants you to don’t pretend to be something you’re not, none of us are perfect or above others.
Proverbs 15-16 Fools are headstrong and do what they like;
wise people take advice. Fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly;
the prudent quietly shrug off insults.
Don’t be easily offended, don’t fly off at the handle. Hold your tongue and think before your speak. Listen to what others are saying and consider their wisdom, but if they speak foolishly don’t go down to their level.
Proverbs 25:15 Patient persistence pierces through indifference;
gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses.
Be careful in your conversations when others don’t care about your opinion, or of what you say. Good advice for navigating social media where people are emboldened with their words. Respond with gentleness and kindness. Good advice with our day to day interactions at the store, on the street, with neighbors.
Proverbs 26: 18-19 People who shrug off deliberate deceptions,
saying, “I didn’t mean it, I was only joking,” Are worse than careless campers who walk away from smoldering campfires.
I liked this one because we went on a quick camp trip Friday. The fools who say things to hurt others but then shrug it off are inconsiderate and bullies. Hurtful words can sometimes spread out beyond a single person that it is intended to harm and affect an entire community. The kind of people who leave a campsite dirty and with a still burning campfire. We know too well what consequences this can sometimes cause.
Wisdom didn’t disappear with Solomon. Jesus showed us heavenly wisdom that was offered in plain, simple, everyday examples- the natural world around him, farming practices, construction principles, food related matters, and many more ways to get his message across. Some say the parables are confusing, but with our own wisdom and discernment we can figure out how it affects our own understanding. Here’s a challenge for us all- read a parable a day and ponder its meaning for your life. Apply the wisdom of Solomon to yourself and you can apply that wisdom for the world.
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August 11, 2024 John 6: 35, 41-51
Humanity and Divinity
Things change every now and then. When I titled this message a couple of weeks ago it made sense to me, given the text for today. But here’s fair warning- what I’ve come up with to share is more about bread than it is humanity and divinity (although I think you will find a connection here thanks to the inspiration of the Spirit). So I’ve retitled this, “Bread for the World”.
We came across all kinds of bread in our European travel. In some cases the favorite bread of a country is unique to it, in other cases (like with the Croissant), they are universal wherever you go. In Spain there were Empanada’s, the sweet or savory hand pies. They also had pan con tomate (bread with tomato sauce), a way to salvage day old bread. Then we went to Germany and there we found- pretzels of course and pumpernickel. We didn’t have an English muffin while in London but we did have soda bread with our breakfast which was a dry, flavorless white bread. It was a good vehicle to soak up the poached eggs and beans which are part of an English traditional breakfast. In Edinburgh there were breakfast baps. A bap is like a hamburger bun, and they were quite popular. There are highland breads which we did not try like a bannock or more coastal fare like a butterie. Baps were where its at. In Belfast you got two kinds of bread in a traditional breakfast- soda bread and potato bread. The potato bread was bland and very chewy. Finally we experienced Ireland which also had potato bread but Jack had boxty, a potato pancake. My scrambled eggs came with sourdough. In other parts of the world there are tortilla’s and of course pizza crust. Pizza is really popular in Europe and every time we had it the pizza was wood fired- really, really good!
Jesus says “he is the bread of life.” I thought about that a lot as we enjoyed the different foods in all of the countries we visited. The types of national foods varied (we had paella, schnitzel, fish and chips, haggis (well, not me), bangers, and shepherds pie- but there was always some form of bread. The critics of Jesus always seem to go for the literal in these kinds of exchanges- which is strange because a learned Pharisee certainly knows the biblical use of allegory and metaphor. In so many places it plainly reads, “and this is LIKE.” “The kingdom of God is like a banquet, faith is like a mustard seed, God is like the vinedresser…” Jesus says I am the bread of life.
One time at seminary it was communion day at chapel. Every week a different group would be responsible for presiding over the Holy Communion. The group that day came up with the idea that they would use pizza crust and grape knee-hi for the elements. They had everything placed on the altar and they proceeded to consecrate the elements. This was done amidst a chorus of giggles and guffaws. The preaching professor walked out in disgust and the look of panic struck the group in charge (he was also in charge of the chapel services). You could have heard a pin drop going into preaching class that afternoon. All he said was this, “I had no problem with the type of bread or the type of grape juice chosen. What I did have a problem with was the laughing and giggling in a solemn moment.” Lesson learned- Christ will be present no matter what the types of bread or juice or wine, it’s the attitude of the holy moment. This bread or that doesn’t matter.
The eucharist is a time when the human meets the divine. Jesus took two normal elements of the passover meal- bread and wine; and he made them holy. He made the moment holy. In that moment of institution the eucharist was born. It wasn’t the passover, it was different. Jesus commanded that we do this to remember him and the sacrifice he made. It should be a moment when our humanness, our brokenness meets the spirit of God. Through the divine mystery, we are renewed, transformed, made whole, and filled with grace and love. In communion we take in that which is a product of human hands but becomes divine, we take in the spirit of Christ.
Here’s another perspective that I gained in my trip. In art Jesus is typically displayed in two ways. As an infant and on the cross. In old Europe the skyline is dotted with Catholic cathedrals. And so you see Christ on the cross everywhere. You see the holy mother with the baby Jesus everywhere. Jesus symbolizes purity and sacrifice in those images. That shouldn’t be lost on us non Catholics,
The pharisees were confused and lost when Jesus said he was the bread of life. It’s because they couldn’t accept his divinity. He wasn’t bread- like a slice or loaf, pizza crust or a bap- he’s the spiritual sustenance that we all need, the bread of life. Spiritual nourishment. Just like at the well he declared that he was spiritual (living) water, water that if we drink of him, we will never thirst again. I feel the same way about the bread, if we take in the bread that is our spiritual nourishment we will not be hungry.
Manna is mentioned in this reading today. This shouldn’t be lost on us non Jews either. The very word, manna means “what is it? The Hebrews asked Moses that simple question to which he replied, “It is the bread given to you that the Lord has provided.” This manna sustained them through the wilderness. It also shows that God was with them through all that time (something that the wandering Jews seemed to often forget). In the petition from the Lord’s prayer, we ask for daily bread. The rule of gathering the manna was that they were allowed to only gather what they need for that day, their daily bread. Jesus is sometimes referred to as manna. Does this mean that we only take enough of Jesus to sustain us for a day? I think so. We don’t put it up in silo’s or barns, we seek it for today and accordingly we live for today. Sure, we can have plans for tomorrow but things change and our best laid plans may not work out. I think that’s a pretty good rule- to seek the bread of life daily and then just see where that leads us.
When we traveled around Europe we didn’t have a set itinerary. There were things we wanted to see, but we wound up seeing different things. We didn’t plan on the Picasso museum, or Buckingham palace. We wanted to go on the London eye, a giant ferris wheel, but the line was over an hour long. We looked ahead at restaurants with favorable ratings and fare but typically wound up at whatever we happened to pass by. We learned to not be afraid of the detours that time, the weather, or crowds put us on. It made for a trip without expectations, but it turned out to be rewarding and fun.
And so it can go with our day to day lives. Find Christ in what you do. Search for the revealing of the divine in your day. A sunrise, a nudge from the Spirit, an answer to prayer, kind words from a friend or maybe a stranger. These are things that can make your day more holy. Because Christ came to be bread for the world. Include Christ every time you break bread and make sure you share bread with others.