April 20, 2025

John 20: 1-18

The Gardener

I love the image of Jesus as the gardener in John’s resurrection story. “Mistaking him for the gardener” Mary thinks that if he tells her where they have taken Jesus’ body, she will go get it! Talk about determination. What kind of images come to mind for you when you think about Jesus as the gardener? Maybe it goes to the hymn, “In the Garden.” We’ll sing that later, but the words of that song are comforting. And he walks with me and he talks with me. Or maybe you think about the one who tends a formal garden. When we went to Europe there were formal gardens outside of some of the castles that we visited. They had topiary’s and ponds, exotic plants, intricate stonework, meticulously manicured lawns, and flowers. At Wimbledon the potted and hanging plants were all being removed that decorated the place during the tournament held earlier that month. But speaking of meticulous- the caretakers of the grass courts can determine how many blades of grass are within a square meter and they maintain them that way for consistency. When Nan and I were dating I took her to the Rhododendron gardens in Eastmoreland, Portland. The colors there this time of year are beautiful and there are ponds filled with ducks, foot bridges, and pathways. It’s a great place. Only later did I find out that she hates Rhodies, but no matter, it’s one of my favorites. I also love walking through a forest when the pale pink Rhodies are in bloom, not the prettiest by any stretch, but they’re wild plants, not hybrids. I’m sure you can picture in your mind your favorite garden (maybe it’s in your own backyard!). 

As a student of the bible, here’s where my mind really goes when I read about Jesus being mistaken for the gardener. I think about the garden of Eden. I don’t think about Adam, who God creates to be the caretaker/gardener of that garden paradise, but i think about the image of God walking through the garden and noticing all the handiwork. “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze…” I suspect they often heard the sound of God strolling through the garden when they lived in there.  

Do you suppose God would walk through Eden, waving a hand changing flowers from yellow to orange. Or nasturtiums going from seedlings to fully grown in an instant. Maybe the roses lack enough morning dew so God adds the moisture. Or deciding to give a tree bracts which bloom white in the spring (then Adam naming it a dogwood). The name likely comes from old english which called it a dagwood tree. A dag meaning a skewer, like is used in cooking. The Cornus Nuttalii is a favorite tree in our region. Isn’t creation a wonderful thing?

In Matthew’s gospel the authorities payoff the guards stationed at the grave to lie about the empty tomb and say that the disciples stole Christ’s body. There are no guards in John’s version, but Mary’s line of questioning parallels the notion of a “stolen body theory.” The point of this storyline is to dispel those kinds of rumors and excuses used to deny the resurrection. It  always makes me wonder why Mary didn’t recognize Jesus, someone who I’m certain she was very close to. Was it because of grief? Or did the countenance of Jesus change when he arose? These are enduring questions. But what changes things is the voice. When she hears him say her name- she knows. 

How often do we read in the scriptures about the power of Jesus’ voice. The voice that amazes the teachers in the synagogue when he was just a boy, the voice that rebukes Satan, the command for demons to leave the possessed mans body, the heartfelt and honest conversation between the woman at the well and Jesus, Jesus speaking the words of the beatitudes, the voice that taught us the Lord’s prayer, the preaching on the mountainside, the voice that calms the seas. 

Sometimes though the Spirit of God must stop up the ears so that we experience Christ in different ways. Think about the two walking home to Emmaus and while walking Jesus joins them. He reveals everything about himself from the scriptures and yet they don’t recognize him until the breaking of the bread. Or Thomas who in his experience doesn’t recognize Jesus until he shows him the scars and offers Thomas to touch him. 

This reminds me of that old camp song, “Have you seen Jesus my Lord, he’s here in plain view.” And the verses tell of different ways in which we see Jesus. When we are looking up at the cross, watching a sunset, sitting around the table with family. We experience Jesus in different ways- as savior, in creation, in the eyes and hearts of neighbors, friends, and family. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the role of the women in the resurrection story for they were the ones who first testified to Jesus’ resurrection. There are several women named in the first 3 gospels but Mary Magdalene is the only one in John’s version. The setting in time foreshadows what is about to happen in this scene. We read that Mary came to the tomb when it was still dark. The other gospels focus on the women coming at dawn, when it is starting to get light. The first 3 writers want us to know that in this moment darkness has been overcome by light. The light is the light of God that reveals God’s resurrection power. But what we heard today is that it was dark. John starts out the story with the darkness of death, and the grim act of body snatching in the night (at least that’s what she believes). Jesus said that he was the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life. Jesus is referencing Isaiah 9:2. On this day Jesus is walking out of the darkness of death and into the light of eternal life. Mary does see enough in the dark to know that the tomb is empty and so she goes to tell the disciples. Peter and John come running to the tomb. By this time it must be light, at least I assume it’s light. They go in and John sees and believes (apparently not Peter) that Jesus has risen. But they go and only Mary remains. 

Alone she stands in front of the tomb weeping and mourning. She then see’s two angels who interestingly enough give no Easter pronouncement. They simply ask why she’s crying. We’ve all been through this. We’ve all mourned over the passing of a loved one. 

We’ve cried our eyes out, questioned and wondered and perhaps felt alone. We cry because we grieve. But the question from the angels is telling. “Why are you crying?” We could fill in the blanks. “He is no longer dead, he is alive! (just turn around and see for yourself). 

Who she sees, or who she perceives is the gardener. Not the risen Christ, but the guy who takes care of the grounds. At this point it would seem that the angels leave, or maybe they remain seated, who knows? But the guy who prunes the shrubbery, cuts the grass, weeds around the tombs is there. Why don’t we image Jesus more often as a gardener? I mean, Paul called Jesus the second Adam. Remember the first Adam? The original keeper of the garden paradise. It’s a beautiful image. There’s no question that we see God’s handiwork in beautiful flowers, in greenery, in trees of all shapes and kinds. We look at those things and say, “God did that.” One of my favorite Easter hymns is “Now the Green Blade Riseth” We’re not singing it today, but when we lived in farm country, that hymn really resonated with me. Across the road we would watch ZH Miley and his son plant wheat seed in the fall. Through the winter it would be a sickly pale green, lifeless almost and often covered cold and frozen snow. But then in the spring, around Easter time it would start to grow and turn a brilliant green, rivaling the grass of Augusta National Golf Course. It became for me a symbol of Easter, of new life, of new beginnings. Yes! The master gardener at work in the world revealing the meaning of resurrection in nature. What was thought to be dead is alive forevermore. Thanks be to God, who gave us the garden and the gardener. Alleluia! 

March 16, 2025

Luke 13: 31-35

God is Like a Mother Hen

This is one of the most interesting images of God that we find in the bible. It is reflective of Deuteronomy 32:11 which says, “like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young..” The instinct portrayed in these two bible images are that of the mother as a protector. The mother bird will protect it’s young til the end. I remember reading a story of the fire at Yellowstone park in 1988 where firefighters were moving through a burned area and they saw the burned carcass of an owl. They paused to look at it when a noise was heard. It was the little owlets under the spread out wings of the mother owl. Her body was a black char but the little ones were safe and sound underneath. Remarkable. She gave up her life in order to protect her young. That to me sounds a lot like Jesus. 

What’s the context in today’s reading of Jesus’ lament? What’s going on that Jesus is filled with such compassion over the people of Jerusalem? The Pharisees (of all people, right?), are warning Jesus that king Herod Antipas wants to kill him. Like father, like son apparently. Herod’s father wanted to kill the infant Jesus because he saw him as a threat, now the son feels the same way. Jesus scoffs at this information because he knows that his time has not yet come and so he plans to continue with his ministry. But life is not that great for the people of Jerusalem who live under Roman rule. There is the unfair taxation, the oppressive Roman soldiers, the demand that the subjects of Caesar must worship him, this is not a good era. No wonder Jesus is lamenting over the Jerusalem skyline, praying for the people. He wants to draw them close to him, but they reject him. 

It’s no mistake that Jesus calls Herod a fox. Naturally our thoughts go to the fox and the hen house. The hen will do everything in its power to scare the fox away. It can ruffle its feathers making it look much bigger than it really is, it can wield its talons and beak to claw and peck, it can fly up to escape the jaws of the fox, and it will battle hard to protect its young. 

Aesop’s fables includes the story of the fox and the hen. In this story, the fox see’s the hen and figures her for an easy meal. But the hen realizes the danger she is in so she pretends to see a dog coming down the road and thinking that he is now in danger the fox runs off into the woods. The moral of the story is that if you find yourself in danger, you need to use your wits and be clever about finding a way out of your predicament. 

Jesus is confronted with danger many times during his ministry. He doesn’t necessarily use his wits to get himself out of trouble, but he uses his knowledge of the scriptures. He also uses wisdom lessons in the form of parables which leads his adversary into being trapped by the truth. The fox in ancient literature isn’t seen as a powerful predator, but more of an opportunist. In fact, in both Hebrew and Greek the word for fox can also be interpreted as jackal, a scavenger. Jesus calling Herod a fox is not a compliment by any stretch. He says, “Go and tell that fox for me…” Do you suppose the Pharisees reported back to Herod and told him that Jesus called him a fox? I don’t think the king would take too kindly to that kind of verbal jab. After all, a fox is a type of dog and dogs were vilified in bible times. They weren’t pets they were scavengers. Let’s not forget that Jesus is in hot water already, not just with Herod, but with the religious authorities too. Herod has already killed Jesus’ cousin John the Baptizer, it’s pretty easy to see that Jesus can be viewed as a rabble rouser. 

Speaking of Pharisees, did you catch the little nuance in the verse, “Some of the Pharisees.” That’s probably a good thing because according to scholars all of them at Jesus’ time would number around 6,000. It’s safe to say that some, at least, could see Jesus for who he really was. John expands on this more than the other gospels. John reports that the Pharisees argued amongst themselves, it was notably Nicodemus who defended Jesus in gatherings, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing…” John 7. Due process, many people don’t like due process. Let’s just hang him. Let’s just put her away in prison, we all know she did it. Jesus’ trial was a kangaroo court, a sham, Jesus became everybodies scapegoat.  

But let’s get back to the lament. Jesus is pouring his heart out for his people. Do you think God laments over the situations of his children, the struggles of you and me, of people everywhere? 

Does God see the wayward souls, the hurting and lost, the poor and the starving? Of course, without a question. What does God do about it? Not necessarily what we would like. What we would like is protection and salvation by our terms. God’s plan is usually quite different from the ones you and I might cook up. Jesus longs to cover the people of Jerusalem under wings of love, under the protection of heavenly grace. But the people are going to reject that cover, they’re going to reject the offer of love. And as we know, they do it in a big way. They scream for Pilate to “crucify him, crucify him!” These are the people that Jesus is praying for. Because they know not what they do, just like their ancestors. Jesus reminds us that the way he will be treated is nothing new. Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones the ones who are sent to it. Zechariah was stoned to death in the temple. It is said that Isaiah was killed in Jerusalem, possibly Micah and Obadiah too. They were killed for basically the same reason- the leaders and/or the people didn’t like their prophecies. Jesus appears to be in the same situation. The people aren’t willing to accept him as the Messiah and so they will not be covered by his wings. 

Could it be that the rejection of Jesus is because of his more maternal approach to them? Jesus wants to cover, shield, and protect them, he wants to be their shelter from everything bad. The people on the other hand want a warrior, they want a Messiah who will be their military hero. They want legions of angels to sweep down from heaven and obliterate the Romans. Jesus makes it clear he is not a warrior when he rides a donkey into Jerusalem. A warrior would come on a horse, a king comes on a donkey. Initially, the people appear to accept him but it doesn’t last long. 

What do we long for in this Lenten season? Do we want to offer comfort and compassion for our enemies, for those who might want to do us harm? Are we willing to risk the rejection of those who oppose us or the rejection of those who are with us because we make the choice to love our neighbor. Or are we hard headed enough to reject the wings of comfort and love that Jesus wants to extend over us? We live in a world of religious and political violence. What does it mean to recognize that Jesus wants all of us under his wings? 

The owlets in the Yellowstone story dutifully hurried to get under the safety of the mothers wings. They must have sensed the imminent danger, as all of the animals of the forest must have sensed. In our humanness, sometimes we are not as willing to recognize the danger we’re in. Like the people who refused to leave the base of Mt. St. Helens (Harry Truman). Despite Jesus calling and longing that we would gather, we opt for our independence. That could lead to our demise. So heed his calling, our savior and redeemer. He was willing to sacrifice himself for us, just like the owl did for its young. 

March 2, 2025

Luke 9: 28-36

    AAA

AAA is a good thing. I say that even though I don’t have it, never have, maybe I’ll get it in the future if I feel I’m not able to change a flat tire or something. But I know of many personal stories where AAA has saved someone at a time when they were stranded. One time we were up at Sun Valley, Idaho for the high school district tennis tournament when our car wouldn’t start. Everyone from our school had left and here we were trying to figure out why the thing wouldn’t start. This guy, a parent from the tennis team up there saw that we had the hood up and we started talking. ‘You’re not going to find a mechanic that’s open up here on a Saturday,” he said. I knew it was an electrical problem but didn’t have the tools or certainly the diagnostics to figure it out. He said, “you have AAA right?” I said, “No, I don’t” “I’ll tell you what, I have it. I’ll call this in on my account and the tow truck will take your car to Gooding.” I would really appreciate that, what a great solution to the problem. Give me your address and I’ll send you a check to cover whatever it costs.” He said, “It’s nothing out of my pocket and besides, once I had car trouble in Gooding and this local person helped me out and I got my car fixed, no charge. Why don’t you just pay it forward.” What a beautiful gesture, pay it forward.

Peter, in today’s story of the transfiguration is offering a solution to a perceived problem. The problem being, here they are on this mountaintop and Moses and Elijah have appeared, Jesus is talking to them, it’s getting late, the disciples are tired. Peter’s solution is to build tents for everyone so that they can all sleep. In effect Peter is like the AAA, he’s ready to fix things for everyone. Problem is, there’s no problem (except maybe for the disciples). Moses and Elijah are heavenly beings, they have no need for a tent, or a sleeping bag, or anything. Jesus is there conversing with them, he doesn’t seem to need a tent either. It’s just the disciples who are tired and they’ve slept without tents!

 I can picture these poor tow truck drivers headed out on a call from AAA, maybe they’ve been asleep, it’s dark, rainy and cold- off they go to help someone who’s run out of gas. Looking at the gauge it says they’re not out of fuel, but the rescuer notices the car is in D for drive. “You have to put the car in Park in order for the car to start.” And away everyone goes. Peter wanted action, he felt the need to do something so his mind was in “drive.” 

What he really needed to do was put his mind in “park” experience the moment, slow down and take in what God was showing him. 

Here’s the real reason that I’m referring to AAA for today’s reading. Not Automobile Assn. of America, but the transfiguration experience being one of Astonishment, Awe, and Amazement. As Christians we should seek membership in this AAA because of what the scriptures reveal to us, what we experience in our prayer lives, how God effects our daily lives, the results of our Christian service- all these things cause us to pause and reflect on how the works of God leave us in astonishment, awe, and amazement. I don’t think the previous verses in chapter 9 show the disciples in a place of AAA. Quite the opposite, Jesus has just revealed what is to be his fate, that he is to suffer, be rejected, and put to death. When Jesus tells this to the disciples, there’s no argument here, no comments at all from them. As far as we know, they just hear it, and that’s that. Then, after the Transfiguration Jesus repeats the statement again. But this time there is a bit of backlash. He is challenged for speaking nonsense.  Instead of Astonishment, Awe, and Amazement, the disciples are filled anxiety, anguish, and acrimony of this statement by Christ (let’s call it aaa). 

I’ve been asked the question by many parishioners, “Why does Jesus only take 3 disciples with him to the mountaintop?” The conclusion I’ve come to is this- these 3 were the only ones who Jesus felt could handle the experience.  And even these 3 most trusted disciples, what do they do? They fall asleep!!  What happens on that mountaintop is that Jesus changed. The word used is transfigured, but simply put, his appearance changed. The Greek word used here is metamorphothe, from which our word metamorphosis is derived. It’s no longer a chrysalis, it’s a butterfly. He changed, and I assume the 3 disciples noticed this change. This change is really hard to ignore given all that’s going on- Jesus becomes dazzling white, 2 men appear (Moses and Elijah), and a booming voice from the heavens. 

How did they know it was Moses and Elijah. Did Jesus call them by name? Did they have nametags, did the disciples just inherently know. Such time spent on speculation is really secondary because the main character of this mountaintop experience is Jesus. He is the subject of the AAA. Every gospel report of the transfiguration is a little different, each author has something in particular that they want to emphasize to make a theological point. What sets Luke’s apart is that some details of the conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah is told to us. “They spoke about his departure (exodus) which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” This really causes me to wonder- Did the 3 disciples at that point finally understand God’s plan? They knew that the Moses story is about God’s faithfulness, they knew Elijah’s story was about God’s faithfulness. Was the revelation clear that Jesus’ story was about God’s faithfulness too, that this was the salvation plan that had been long promised to the Jews through the words of the prophets? On the other hand, maybe they didn’t quite fully understand it. After all, even though the voice from heaven spoke clearly, “this is my son, listen to him,” Luke tells us that they didn’t say anything about what they had seen. 

They didn’t say anything. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to keep quiet about an experience that was filled with astonishment, awe, and amazement? Imagine if you had a mountaintop experience and couldn’t tell anybody. Let’s say that you took a trip to the Holy Land. Walked in the footsteps of the Lord. Then when you get home you don’t tell anybody about it. No slide show, no Sunday sharing, not even with your family and friends- you just have to keep it to yourself. But sometimes (like when you don’t actually have all the info or in this case understanding) it’s best to not say anything, and instead listen. We get the idea that evangelism is all about sharing, talking, teaching…sometimes its about listening. If you think about it, this is a valuable lesson for these three. 

Certainly in the lives of these disciples there will be many times when they share the gospel story with others. But there will also be times when they will need to go to the place of prayer, go to the place where they can listen for the voice of God to direct and guide them. And so it goes for us as well. Today is one of those days, when we come to the table. This offers a moment when in the silence we hear the words, here is bread, here is wine. For you. And we can go away from it Astonished, in awe, and amazed. 

On the mountaintop a change is noted. Or another way of looking at this is that something new about Jesus is revealed. The book of Hebrews says Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So if we hold onto that but then think, Jesus just might reveal himself in new or different way to us. Something that’s profound, something of deeper spiritual understandings. It’s enough to make us want to go back to the mountaintop again and again. And we are astonished that God chooses us to show these things. It leaves us in awe that the beauty of the mountaintop which is in fact the beauty of God. And finally, we are amazed that the brightness and shining light of God shines down upon us. Us! We have been chosen. May we be faithful to the call. 

February 16, 2025

Luke 6: 17-26 

Whoa Woe

A pony express rider rode into town on an obviously worn out and hard ridden horse. He went to the Wells Fargo office and asked the clerk who had the fastest horse in town, he had a critically important message for the governor. The clerk said, “The preacher’s horse is the fastest around.” The rider wakes up the preacher and explains his dilemma. He agrees to loan his horse but offers these important instructions, “He doesn’t respond to normal commands, to make him run you say, “praise the Lord.” To make him stop you say, “Amen.” “Got it,” replies the young rider. “Praise the Lord,” he shouts and the horse is off like a lightning bolt. He’s never been on a horse this fast, “I’m gonna get this message delivered quicker than I thought,” he said to himself. Up ahead he notices what appears to be a ravine. “Whoa,” says the boy and the horse keeps going. “Whoa,” he yells while pulling hard of the reins. The horse keeps charging. “Whoa horse, whoa!!” and the horse and rider come closer and closer to the ravine. Desperate the boy prays, “Lord, please open up the ears of this beast, let him hear my words so that he will stop, I really need your help on this one Lord. Amen.” The horse stops on a dime. The rider is relieved. Danger has been avoided, they didn’t go down into the deep ravine which could have meant a tragic end. Out of gratitude he lifts his eyes to heaven, thankful for answered prayer. “Praise the Lord” he shouts. 

No, sadly enough the focus of today’s message is not about horses. I do like horses, always wanted one, but it never happened. I also wanted a little Ford 8N tractor, didn’t get that either- but I digress. Speaking of whoa as in stop- I can imagine the word whoa (or it’s Hebrew equivalent) going through peoples minds when they heard this sermon from Jesus. Stop, just stop Jesus, this is a really tough teaching to lay down on us rich folk. It’s one of those talks that make one want to slowly crawl away. Think about it, “This is the kind of person I need to be to be blessed?” Poor, starving, hated? 

Is Luke warning them by the words Jesus imparts upon the rich, those with full belly’s? First the listener has to deal with the challenge of being a person blessed and secondly learn to move away from the lifestyle of the woe category. 

Many Christians regard Jesus’ sermon as one of the most important teachings of the new testament, while others dismiss it as a rant that is unattainable by the masses (a clue-most people on the planet are poor). So what are we to do? Take it seriously, or write it off as idealism? You might also notice the setting of this writing. In Matthew this theme is known as the Sermon on the Mount. Luke tells us that Jesus is delivering this sermon on the Plain, a level place, having come down from the mountain after prayer. Could it be that its intentional, Jesus is talking, not down to them, but face to face on the level. Let’s break it down. 

The first thing we find here is that the people who came to hear Jesus, also wanted something from him. They wanted to be cured of their illnesses, their diseases, they wanted the unclean spirits and demons removed from them. If they could just get close enough to touch him, power would come out of him and they would be cured. Now that right there is an interesting statement. Luke as you probably know was a physician and he is very quick to report on Jesus’ healing ministry. Here we get the sense that these healing powers are divine. “If I could just touch the hem of his garment I will be cured.” Remember that womans thought process as told in Matthew 9? By faith she knew this would heal her. Not only do the people in this reading want to hear his words, they want to touch him and be cured of whatever ails them. They’ve received this blessing so now Jesus is going to teach them how they can be further blessed in their lives. 

There’s a popular movement in some churches today called the prosperity gospel. This is the notion that God wants to bless your faithfulness with prosperity and riches. It is the major thrust of most TV evangelists and many of the mega churches in the world (and their preachers happily model the lifestyles of the rich and famous). 

It’s not too difficult to see that the prosperity gospel flies in the face of this teaching. For that reason I consider it to be a heretical theology (I don’t say that very often). Luke is clearly stating that Jesus is changing the long held understanding that it is the rich that are blessed by God ( an understanding that permeates all through the old testament). Some scholars maintain that this is the first instance in Jewish literature that the poor alone are identified as the ones who will be blessed. For those who are poor it’s comforting to know that God sees them. For those who are weak in spirit it offers hope and confidence in a heavenly home. Jesus has first made these people whole again by healing their ills, elevating their social status, and releasing them from demons. Then he tells them how blessed they are for just being who they are. That’s pretty special. 

What about the wealthy? They were there too right? Jesus would have healed their ills too. One could argue that the divine power heals those who want to be healed. Some of these listeners may have clutched hard to their demon of greed. I think however that we presume most of the people gathered here were the poor. And yet, Jesus says, “Woe to you if….” Is he saying it to the poor in case they find themselves rich? Or some of them there fit the category. So there they are and likely thinking, “Whoa, hold it right there Jesus. The Torah teaches us that God blesses in many ways, lots of children, land, social standing. Money is a blessing from God too.  But Luke makes a point of addressing the perils of the wealthy throughout this gospel and the book of Acts. He points out this critical new teaching from Jesus.  For example, Jesus rejects Satans temptation for riches in the wilderness. Mary’s song talks about the poor being lifted up and the wealthy having nothing. These woes in today’s reading. The story of Zaccheus. The story of Lazarus and the rich man. The story of the apostles giving of their wealth to help the poor (Acts). 

The warnings are there because the temptation to make wealth and earthly possessions ones god is so great. Satan knew it and so he attacked Jesus’ human side with the promise of riches. And Satan probably loved that some of those gathered to hear Jesus that day were really more committed to their money than to God. 

The same goes for today when there are so many who claim to proclaim the gospel who are actually putting wealth and “blessings” ahead of the gospel that Jesus teaches here and elsewhere about true blessings and a righteous relationship with God. My colleague Duane Anders phrases it this way- Are you a fan of Jesus or a follower? If you’re a fan then you’re captivated by Jesus, something about him gets your attention. If you’re a follower of Jesus then you’re committed to going with him wherever he leads you and that includes putting the earthly things aside. The fan can worship from afar. The follower goes along with him no matter where the road takes you. 

And now I think I will go back to that horse. You know, the preachers horse, the one that wants to run. Think about the excitement and acknowledgment to be with Jesus, when we would exclaim, “Praise the Lord!” And off we go. We’re moving, we’re running the good race, we’re doing our mission work our ministry, our life as disciples of Christ is taking us to new and wonderful places. Now, we’re not in a position to say “whoa,” when it comes to Jesus. If we’re in it for the long haul we go when he goes. When we say “Amen” it means, let it be so. So I’m thinking that there are those times when we would need to have our Sabbath rest, to pause and spend reflective time of prayer and just being still. We draw in a big breath, hold it, then let it out- Amen. The horse stops and we’re at peace, near to God. No worries, no woes. In good time, we will go again- Praise the Lord. Even if that horse takes us into a ravine, the valley of the shadow of death-we will fear no evil for God is with us. 

February 2, 2025

Luke 4:21-30

Hated for Telling the Truth

Today’s reading is a part of the larger story when Jesus is rejected in his hometown. The leadup to this reading has Luke telling us that Jesus was traveling throughout Galilee, teaching and healing wherever he went. Everyone praised him. He goes to synagogue in Nazareth (as was his custom), and reads a scroll from Isaiah. Dexter shared that part of the reading with you all last week when he shared that Isaiah 61 was a prophecy of Jesus’ mission.  And today, the story continues. It picks up here when a controversy is revealed and his home town people turn on him to the degree that they try to kill him. 

The beginning of the reading contains an intriguing word- fulfilled. “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Clearly Jesus is saying that the prophecy of Isaiah 61 is being fulfilled in himself and is now revealed to all those within earshot (I’m assuming they weren’t present at the River Jordan on Jesus’ day of baptism). Now that’s a pretty bold statement to make, especially when you consider that the people who he is reading this scripture to, know him not as a prophet, a teacher, a healer, the anointed one by God to be their Messiah. No, they see him as the son of a carpenter, they probably saw him working with his father, learning the trade, running around with other youngsters, playing in the street, sitting dutifully in the synagogue every Sabbath. But here as an adult he is claiming that this scripture was written about him. Jesus is essentially saying, “This is the word of the Lord and I’m telling you now that I am the one of whom the prophet foretold. You have heard this word today, it has been heard by you, and you are now witnesses to what I say to you.” Well, this doesn’t go over well at all. Imagine, this carpenter boy claiming to be the savior of the world, really! 

Carrie Underwood grew up in the small town of Checotah, Oklahoma population around 3,500. Her father worked at a paper mill and her mother taught elementary school. 

She often sang at church and for local talent shows but after high shool she decided that a singing career was not a feasible option. She went to college and graduated with a degree in mass communications. She worked at a pizzeria, a zoo, and a vet clinic. How many people who knew her supposed that she would be anything but the girl at the vet clinic, helping them with their sick pets. But then came American Idol and I’m sure you know the story from there. Her fate was fulfilled with her singing. 

There is a huge difference between this story about Jesus and Carrie Underwood- Carrie is a hometown hero in Checotah, Jesus, well, Jesus not at all. This all seems to stem from the statement, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” And I think it’s because his statement didn’t align with their understanding of what this passage meant in terms of the world. They reject him. And to them he must be a false prophet because he didn’t act like they thought he should act. Certainly they’d heard the stories of healing and miracles performed in Capernaum. But he isn’t going to do that for them.  All they can think of him being is a phony, he is just the carpenters son. Since false prophecy was blasphemy, they all knew the penalty for that is death. 

Pastors can find themselves in a similar situation, well not the thrown off a cliff situation, but thrown off the cliff of public opinion. I had a parishioner whose tag line for me when commenting on a sermon was, “You’re meddling again, I don’t like that.” Truth be told, he said it with a wink, he actually did like it because he liked to be challenged in his faith. Which is fair. Do the words of the preacher make you squirm, make you think, make you want to go back and investigate the scriptures more deeply? Bear in mind, a preacher shouldn’t be concerned with swaying the listener to ones own theology but rather challenging the Christian to seek more deeply for themselves. We must follow the path that God lays out before us and there are many paths to God’s kingdom (within reason).  I had another parishioner at that same church who was a retired doctor, a staunch fiscal conservative. 

He told me, “I will listen to someones opinion and seriously consider it if it’s rationally and carefully thought out. Many times I’ve changed my mind about my own understanding and how it effects not just me but the wider world.” That is certainly an admirable trait- to listen. That’s what Jesus wanted of the Nazarites. But, back to the Dr. One example- there was a push in the church to fund a deaf and hearing impaired ministry which would cost money, money which a church with a struggling budget would find difficult to fund. You see, there is a deaf and blind school in that town. Kids come from all over the west to attend it. The proposal was that a sign language person was needed, more large printed materials, better quality sound system, headphones for some to wear. What the Dr. realized was that sure it was a heavy expense, but where else in town could deaf students and their families go to worship? When I left they even appointed a deaf pastor there (which in hindsight was an error of sorts because even more people were unable to hear or understand her). But she still lives in that community and works directly with students with hearing disabilities, a powerful and important ministry. 

That example is the opposite of how the Nazarites responded. What they learned was that here was a Jew, who was favoring the Gentiles and the despised Samaritans. Thinking they were going to see some of that power they are greatly let down when Jesus does nothing. In fact they’re furious. 

It’s a far cry from Matthews gospel where Jesus is presented as one who comes to save Israel, God’s chosen people. Here we have Luke teaching us that human nature, such as it is in any given time period of history, human nature will often choose self righteousness when faced with a challenge to their faith. Think about Jonah, he knew better than God when it came to preaching to the Ninevites. Think about Judas who tried to force the hand of his Lord in order to see the power of God come down upon the Romans and squash them. Think about the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the martyrs of the middle ages who were put to death by other Christians who labeled them heretics. Think about the Nazi’s and their master race effort to eliminate Jews and others. Think about the things being done today in the name of Christianity which condemns and persecutes those who believe even just a little bit differently than they do. 

Down through the ages think of the thousands and thousands of people thrown off the cliff. Jesus is not thrown off the cliff. I’ve heard this passage preached where they say that Jesus became like a ghost and just kind of evaporated through the crowd. The text doesn’t say that. Save those thoughts for some of the resurrection stories. How does he do it? Maybe it was because noone stepped forward who had the guts to kill somebody. Kind of like people on social media, full of bluster and bravado, unwavering in their zeal, unwilling to even consider another point of view. Fueled by the fact that it’s not really confrontational because they’re not face to face. 

It seems that the townsfolk wanted to see Jesus thrown from a cliff, but they couldn’t do it themselves. Maybe they thought in the back of their minds that Jesus really could be who he said he was. “I’m not gonna mess with the son of God” This is a scene similar to John’s story of the woman caught in adultery. When the challenge came to them that if they were without sin they could go ahead and throw a stone, they all shamefully walk away. Or maybe Jesus stared each and every one of them down, “Don’t mess with me,” as he walked away. It kind of makes me wonder if Jesus ever went back to his hometown. 

The townspeople of Nazareth are acting a lot like the older son in the parable of the prodigal son. Instead of rejoicing over his brothers homecoming he shows anger towards his father and brother. Similarly the Nazarites, instead of rejoicing over the showering down of God’s grace upon the Gentiles and outsiders, they reject Jesus’ words among them. May we do all we can to not be that way when God’s love falls upon those who we view as unworthy, sinners outside the church, people outside our faith, and those who are beyond the edge of our acceptability. The prodigal father and Jesus were hated for telling the truth about God’s forgiving nature, and boundless love. I pray that we are not included in that group of haters, but rather we are a reflection of that boundless love. 

January 5, 2025

Matthew 2:1-12

The Grand Illusion

The identity of the magi is unknown. The reason for their insertion into the birth story is also unclear (however there can be much learned from the theological implications). Much of their legacy is created in legend and of course song. The legends have counted their number (3), and even named them.  We often call them (incorrectly) kings, Matthew uses the word magi, which of course is where our word magician comes from. Since they followed the star it is also deferred upon them that they were astrologers, but really, all seasoned travelers and folks of the desert counted upon the stars in the night sky to steer them towards their destination. Like anyone traveling at this time, they would noticed a new star or a comet in the heavens. 

The magi, (generically speaking) were servants of kings, much acquainted in the natural sciences, astrology, and practicing the art of divination. They were valuable to the kings court for satisfying the superstitious nature of their leaders and consequently had great influence upon them. The homeland of these magi is unknown, most scholars say Persia, but there are all sorts of possibilities. When they were given names in the 8th century- Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar; the name origins suggest they came from three different kingdoms! One of the more intriguing theories is that they came from the kingdom of Nabataea. This was an independent kingdom which lied to the south and east of Israel. Herod had trade relations with king Aretas and in fact, Aretas presented his daughter to Herod’s son Antipas to be his wife. Nabataea was considered the Frankincense capital of the world and it also had a rich treasury due to its land producing much gold and silver. 

Back to the star. Is the star in the sky just a grand illusion? A light which points to something significant rather than it being just a fleeting comet? Does God say through this star, “watch me pull a rabbit out of this hat. Pick a card any card and I’ll tell you what you pulled.” 

In other words did God need to speak in terms the magicians would understand? Namely the mysteries of out of place heavenly bodies. The bottom line is that it worked. It got the attention of these foreigners who by their own curiosity or some inner, compelling pull to find out its source, travel maybe hundreds of km to get there. They arrive in Jerusalem, perhaps naturally thinking that the palace of the king would be the place where this star would point to? You see, signs in the heavens like a comet or shooting stars were known and interpreted by those who paid attention to such things.  The magi were the experts of astrology in those times and it was probably more than a bright star but also its alignment with other stars and constellations that guided them to a new king.  Back in December of 2020 Venus and Jupiter crossed paths in the sky creating a much brighter than normal light. If you watched that event then you might remember that the two planets were apart from each other and then as it got darker outside they moved into confluence.  Could that occurrence have been the Bethlehem star? The direction of one or the other stars movement could have directed them from the east to Bethlehem.  It is said that after Caesar Augustus’ death that a comet appeared and Octavius tried to convince people that it was Caesar himself being ushered up to heaven. You’ve probably heard the story of how Mark Twain was born the year of a Halley’s comet appearance and he died the year it returned. 

But the origin of the magi isn’t as important as what God is doing in the world. I would think that the sign wasn’t reserved for these magi, everyone who looked at the night sky saw something different, unusual, or out of place. The same sky that the magi gazed at, the shepherds gazed at as well. It was there for the world to see! And yet, Herod’s own priests and advisors overlooked this thing happening right under his nose, that a king of the Jews has been born and a beacon in the night sky is announcing it! It’s worth mentioning that Herod was aware of Roman thinking that would attribute signs in the heavens as meaning something significant is happening but in this instance he ignores it until travelers come and inquire about it. 

So one of the most significant things here is that the first non-Jews have come to worship the new born king. They’re not shepherds either. In fact, kind of the opposite. They are a type of political elite. The right hand of a king from a neighboring country. What makes it even more interesting is that this lesson comes from Matthew. Matthew spends much of his gospel convincing us that Jesus of Nazareth is the king of the Jews! It’s interesting that he is the one to include this story of Gentile visitors. 

These magi don’t just stop by either. The reading tells us that when they saw where the star had stopped over the place where Jesus was they were overwhelmed with joy. I’d like to think that it was a feeling like they had never experienced before. The magi had probably followed and interpreted the appearance of stars all their lives, but this star it turns out was very special, they were filled with joy. They go into the place where Mary is with the newborn baby and they worship him. Offering their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold to symbolize his kingship, frankincense his deity, and myrrh which foreshadows his death. 

Here’s what I find really interesting about the magi and magic. These people used divination and amulets to do their prophecies and predictions (think of like an ancient ouija board). Archeology has discovered that amulets were used by early Christians as a way to fight off Satan (precursors to prayer beads and St. Christopher medals?). There is an example of one of these medallions in a British museum which depicts the birth of Jesus with shepherds, three magi, and the manger scene. On it is the prayer, “Lord do not give strength to my enemies, for your right hand always protects me.” Could it be that early Christians adapted the story from Matthew and used the tools of a magi? Was their influence wider spread than we think? It gives the phrase “magic of Christmas” a different meaning. 

 We can also acknowledge that the birth story of Matthew is limited to this encounter alone. No angels singing, no shepherds, no prophets proclaiming the Messiah.  We can further ascertain that God is involved in this episode because besides placing a beacon in the sky, God also invades the dreams of these Magi and warns them to return home by another route! So it makes me wonder, were these magicians attuned to God, did their presence with the baby Jesus impact them spiritually? We can’t really know for sure, but the amulets are an interesting twist. I also wonder, did the experience impact their spiritual lives from then on? 

I took our grandson to Washington DC a couple of years ago. We went to the national museum of art and I was fascinated to discover how many portraits there are there of the magi. Some of them depict an entourage of servants and camels in a huge caravan. Some are more intimate with three men and the mother and child. Many of the artists show the wise men in a posture of worship, of humbly kneeling before the king. Some are embellished with cherubs hovering over the place and the halo’s signifying deity on the mother and child. It was quite moving to see them. We skipped the modern art museum, I kind of wish I had seen those interpretations of the magi, I’m sure they had them. 

Some might propose that Jesus had abilities like the magi. Foreseeing the future, prophecy, recognizing signs from the heavens, miraculous power, communication with the dead. What separates Jesus from the rest is that he is not some sort of grand illusionist. His ministry is not done with smoke and mirrors. As the son of God he has heavenly powers, powers beyond the imagination of humans. And that is what draws not only the wise men of his day to him, but the wise of this day and age. Because Jesus’ wisdom speaks to truth. And that should fill our hearts with joy just like it did for the magi. 

December 24, 2024

Christmas Eve

Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-20

Last Sunday I mentioned Handels “Messiah,” and the piece, “He will Lead His Flock.” But of course the most well known music from this work is the “Hallelujah Chorus.” The inspiration for this work comes from Isaiah 9, which we heard earlier. I think the Hallelujah Chorus is one of the most inspirational pieces of sacred music ever written, it is so powerful and it evokes the spirit of Isaiah’s words into  beautiful music. Isaiah begins the chapter with the statement, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” These people are both the Jews of Jesus’ time and the people of God throughout history. So of course, that means you and me. We have walked in darkness, or we continue to walk in darkness, until we recognize or are shown the great light. This is a difficult time of year for so many people. My cousin was telling me how hard it is going to be this Christmas because his dad recently passed away. Then to make it more heart wrenching his mom passed away yesterday.  Their first Christmas without either parent. The song Elvis made famous, “Blue Christmas” is lived out for many, many people every year. It will be blue without you here- 

You can name those people in your hearts. 

Yes, there is a lot of darkness, and pain, and hurt in the world today. We don’t have to look very far either. Walk down Main street of any town and its right there. Look beneath the freeway underpasses, alleys, city streets, in the woods- there you will see pain and hurt.  Open a newspaper, or watch the evening news and they will tell of the terrible darkness in the world. Today is not a day to ignore all this darkness. Truth be told, this is the most important day we have to acknowledge it. That’s because the light that is coming, the reason the light comes is precisely to illuminate the darkness. Without the darkness theres no reason for the messiah to come into the world. Christmas especially comes for those who live in the darkness. Christ comes for the lost and lonely, for the weak and the poor, for the lowly and the holy. 

We might think that Jesus will come for all of these who live in darkness. His Spirit will miraculously enter into the hearts of those who don’t know him. Of course that isn’t precisely how this works. Because it’s our job to bring the light, Like Isaiah or John the Baptist we pronounce the light has come. And that’s why we’re here- to gain inspiration and to “go tell it on the mountain.” 

As we sing these familiar carols this season they remind us of what this night brings us. “To save us all from Satans power when we have gone astray.” “Let every heart, prepare him room.” “So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.” “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinner reconciled.”  “Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine, Love was born at Christmas, star and angel gave the sign.” “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright.” 

So let’s light our candles as we sing. Out of the darkness we see a great light. Let’s light our candles for Jesus, the light of the world.  Merry Christmas everyone. 

December 22, 2024

Micah 5:2-5. Luke 1:39-55

He Shall Lead His Flock

One of the pieces found in Handel’s Messiah is called, “He shall feed his flock.” This is a beautiful piece of music, one of the highlights of the Messiah in my opinion. The words of this song speak to comfort, comfort for the flock in having a Messiah/shepherd to watch over them. Micah speaks quiet words of comfort and peace in this reading today. The passage evokes thoughts of the familiar carol, “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.” What a gift this crazy and hectic time of year for us all. The gift of slowing down, of taking a pause from the hubbub that surrounds us, drawing a deep breath, holding it in, and then slowly releasing it and along with it, all the tension that is held in his. We surrender to God, our great shepherd and trust that we are protected, cared for, and loved. 

One of my great memories of being part of a choir is a song by Joseph Martin, in his Christmas Cantata, “Journey of Promises,” called “He Shall Lead His Flock” which is adapted from Handel’s piece. When we lived in Gooding, Idaho our choir director had the vision to create a community choir and orchestra, drawing from all the churches and the high school in town. It included the LDS church which sparked a huge controversy amongst some of the pastors who labeled the Mormons as a cult. But members of various churches felt compelled to join despite their pastors protests and it was truly a community event. It still goes on today. Martins interpretation was a duet between a male and a female voice. Along with the orchestration, it is a beautiful piece. The coming together of different denominations to celebrate the birth of Jesus shows that Christ’s flock is much larger than many of us would like to think, much larger than we think it should be. 

It’s interesting to me that most of us have no experience or exposure to sheep or flocks of sheep and yet, it is an image that evokes peace and comfort within us. Granted, this is largely due to the beloved 23rd Psalm. 

We know one of the largest sheep ranching families in Idaho and watching the sheepherders bring in the flock at the end of the season was an amazing experience. A crowd of family and friends gathered at the end of the trail and we eagerly awaited the arrival of the flock. Off in the distance we saw a cloud of dust and knew they were coming. Their journey was long, over a 100 miles of desert, foothills, and mountains on sheep trails over 100 years old. The dangers are real in the Sawtooth mountains, shepherds have to deal with wolves, coyotes, mountain lion, and bear. In addition sheep get lost in the heavy forests they travel through. You could see the heartbreak in the lead shepherds eyes when they counted the final tally of the sheep as they were moved into a fenced pasture, knowing that a few were lost or killed along the way. I imagined Jesus as the shepherd counting the sheep as they move through the gate and he would feel the same pain and sorrow. He will lead his flock. 

The other half of the reading today is Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Both women are pregnant, Elizabeth is further along than Mary- 6 months according to Luke. As Mary enters the room the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps! The unborn child it would seem, knows that greatness is in his presence. I’m sure all the moms have experienced the kick of a child in their womb, maybe just a few have felt a leap. Josh was about 6 months along when we went to a Seahawks game. When the opposing QB was sacked the crowd would erupt and Josh would leap. It was not a pleasant experience for Nan. The scripture tells us that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit at that moment. She was just as excited as baby John. She expresses a truth that is proclaimed about Mary to this day, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” It is the utterance of the “Hail Mary.” This launches Mary into her own song of praise known as the “Magnificat”, my soul magnifies the Lord. Mary knew her scriptures because the song is similar to another song, the Song of Hannah. 

The difference between the two is that Hannah prays for her personal situation and seeks God’s blessing of a child (who turns out to be Samuel). 

Mary on the other hand prays for her nation and her people, that they might all be blessed by this great child who she will bear. Jesus lives up that prayer don’t you think? 

The birth story involves people from all walks of life- lowly shepherds, the magi, the priest Simeon and prophetess Anna, the innkeeper, the people of Bethlehem, King Herod, the people of Egypt. Not to mention the angels and heavenly host. But the characters I find most interesting are the shepherds. Why shepherds of all people? Is it just because Jesus will be a shepherd king like king David? There’s an interesting difference between these shepherds and the way Jesus describes himself as a shepherd. The birth story doesn’t mention that the shepherds brought their flock with them to the manger. Certainly they wouldn’t leave the sheep alone either. Maybe they left a shepherd behind? Maybe they do bring them, although they wouldn’t have been able to hurry if they moved an entire band of sheep. Sheep are wandering grazers. They don’t hurry, they typically don’t go in a straight line. I mean maybe they came. But I guess since we don’t know for sure, where do we stand? I like to think that they left in such a hurry, that they must have left someone (the youngest one?) behind to watch over the flock.

With Jesus we do know for sure. He said that even if one sheep is lost, he leaves them to find the one that’s lost. Afterall, Jesus is the Great Shepherd! The ultimate. “He shall stand and feed the flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the great name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure for now he will great to the ends of the earth, and he shall be the one of peace.” Mary in her song expands on these thoughts, “for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

All of this prophecy and imagery is counter to what most people thought the Messiah would be for the Jewish people. He was not a conquerer. He was not a military general. He was not a God who would call down legions of heavenly warriors. He was not going to use violence. He was not going to get mad and get even. In fact, he decried the dictum of “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” A bible phrase that is still misused and abused today, shamefully enough, even by followers of Jesus. 

Instead he’s a shepherd.And he will lead his flock through the ups and downs, the hills and valleys, through good weather and bad, past danger and troubles, he will guide us to still waters and green pastures. Should we get lost or separated from the flock he will find us. That’s the kind of savior who will be born in the little town of Bethlehem. Compassionate and caring. Protective and strong. Faithful and willing. An instrument of peace. 

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.