1st Sunday of Advent

Luke 21:25-36

Near

 

1.  Way In

How was your Thanksgiving?

Did you get enough to eat?

 …nice visit with family and friends?

…enjoy the day your own way?

My family had a nice day at home

started out with the Turkey Trot

… us and more than 400 friends gathered behind the church

4 truck-loads of food for Alpha/Holy Angels

Sarah Steenrod, Darryl Cloud – many other helpers

you did a fantastic job!  Thank you!

home by 10:30

to enjoy the smells of a happy kitchen

1:30 or 2:00 we gathered for a delicious feast

This is the first time we’ve been together since Thanksgiving Dinner at church

last Sunday

delicious food, good crowd

What about before that?

Were you here to decorate the church after worship last Sunday?

Hanging of the Greens

doesn’t it look great?

good job, Worship Committee

be sure to notice the beautiful wall Advent hanging

Marilyn McCarthy made it

you can also see her work featured in the 2010

OPHS (right?) calendar

and we had a nice lunch after that, thanks to Worship Com.

A busy day

on top of all that, we had a congregational meeting after worship

still finished church very close to on-time

So how was this week for you?

Remember the sermon last Sunday?

Were you thinking this past week about who Jesus put in your life?

Did you step outside your comfort level?

I know.  I said maybe this isn’t the week to invite the homeless and poor into your house …

 “I said maybe next year” on that.

but I hope you paid attention

because even if we decide that this isn’t the year

that doesn’t mean Jesus wrote us off

Jesus doesn’t necessarily wait until it’s convenient for us

sometimes…he goes ahead and shows up,

or maybe just shows us something

we need to be watchful – that’s something we hear about at Advent

We sing the carol, Joy to the World, “Prepare him room”

The days are surely coming …

justice and righteousness

there will be signs

be alert

the kingdom of God is near

 

2.  Tell the Story

Gospel reading, Jesus teaching about the last days

signs

skies: sun, moon, stars

earth: distress among the people

they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and glory

What to do?

when you see these things:

stand up, raise your head

for your redemption is near

parable of the fig tree

when the leaves sprout, it means summer is already near

connect the lesson

so, when you see these things I am telling you about happening

you know that the kingdom of heaven is near

Prediction

this generation will not pass away until these things happen

heaven and earth will pass away – but my words are permanent

So be ready

be on guard so that your hearts are not burdened

dissipation, drunkenness, worries of life

don’t try to self-medicate or be distracted

don’t fall into that trap, like others who are not prepared

Be alert

at all times

pray that you will have the strength to escape these distractions

and stand before the Son of Man

3.  So What?

Prepare him room – the kingdom of heaven is near

Second Coming has always been a big deal

disciples thought Jesus would come back within their lifetime

when he says “this generation will not pass away…”

but Jesus has always taught that we should not concern ourselves with when that time will be

“Just be ready”

live every day as if the kingdom of heaven is near

not just to save your hide

not just to bide your time until the “sweet by and by”

but live every day in the way God made us to live

abiding in his word

building up the body of Christ

creating a community of faith

that is ruled by the gospel of Christ’s love and reconciliation

not just so we don’t get caught doing something else

but because that is how God created us to live

Jesus isn’t coming back to bust us

but to save us and take us into himself

Don’t worry about the signs

there are always signs in the skies

falling stars, eclipses,

 constellations seeming to move about as the earth orbits the sun

the people will respond

confused by the roaring sea and waves?

these happen all the time

the tide goes in and out daily

waves never stop coming to the shore

storms and natural disasters?

yes, these are tragic

and claim numerous lives

I would never mean to diminish that

but we need not attach some apocalyptic meaning to every event

don’t let yourselves be filled with terror and fear at these signs

instead:  Stand up, raise your heads, your redemption is coming near

don’t get all caught up

Jesus will come again

in fact, the kingdom of heaven is already near

and we get glimpse of it whenever we prepare him room

And when we get ready – when we prepare him room – we see glimpses

we don’t prepare him room because Jesus needs a clean place to sit

sometimes we have to get Pauly to prepare room in the den

his toys are all over the place

there’s not a place to walk or sit where there’s not something underfoot (or under something else)

seems the whole house sometimes is littered with

Transformers, Hot Wheels, balls, and books

although I don’t mind the books – can’t get enough of those

we need Pauly to prepare room in the house so people can get around

We prepare Jesus room when we get rid of the things that keep us from knowing he’s there – or that he’s coming

distractions, desiring our comfort

My family was among the people out in force on “Black Friday”

I didn’t take the earliest shift

it was around 10am before I left the house

that was after Kazy came back to get me

she had been out since….well, much earlier

I suppose we saved a little money

Christmas and Pauly’s birthday

we were preparing for something

Christmas-related if not Christ-related

but I was hardly “Preparing him room”

But there were some moments in the past week that I was aware of “Preparing him room – for the kingdom of heaven is drawing near”

observing people decorating the church for Christmastide

grateful for the Worship Com keeping up with decorations being fresh and current

Marilyn McCarthy’s banner

mostly, enjoyed seeing how y’all work together on that – like you always do

fellowship at lunch after Hanging the Greens

Thanksgiving Dinner last Sunday night

remember the challenge from my sermon last Sunday?

did you invite anybody else?

did you notice somebody you didn’t know?

did you spend time with anybody new?

examples

Thanksgiving Dinner: did anybody else notice the unexpected family who came in about the time everybody else was through eating?

were we hospitable?

did we prepare him room?

was there anything else we could do?

was there still enough left to send food to Jackson Towers?

Did you notice the Jackson Towers folks who came for dinner?

notice how we are building community with them?

did you know they held 2 food drives for Turkey Trot donations?

what can you do for our friends at Jackson Towers?

How can we prepare him room?

Did you know the Deacons still serve dinners regularly at Alpha Center?

Did you now they are also preparing dinners and games

 at Jackson Towers?

Did you know they are also taking dinner to the volunteers at

Compassionate Care?

Did you know you don’t have to be a Deacon to participate in

these?

Ask a Deacon to let you go along next time

How can we prepare him room?

Notice how our relationship with Central School is growing?

now Munch Bunch

how can you help?

How can we prepare him room?

friends we are working on building relationships

first within these walls

then outside – maybe just across the street

what are you doing about it?

how can we prepare him room?

When we prepare Jesus room

we set aside our differences

claim what we have together

unity in the Body of Christ

shared sense of call to reach out

this is how we prepare room for Jesus in our life and in our world

    So may it be with us.  Amen

Christ the King

Luke 14:8-14

Invite

 

Off-lectionary sermon.

People often ask if we, a clergy couple, ever share or swap sermons.  We don’t.  But sometimes one of us comes across something that fires both of us up.  This is one of those sermons, not shared, but mutually fired up.

 

 

1.  Way In

Around here, Thanksgiving starts today

big feast tonight in the dining room

after Hanging the Greens after church

worship committee providing some lunch

just priming the pump for tonight

don’t forget Thursday morning at 8:30—Turkey Trot

good start to the day

get some exercise in before you settle down to the big feed later

We’ll be at home

Kazy’s mother, Polly, is coming up from Florida on Monday

she’ll be here for Thanksgiving, and through next weekend

Menu

Yesterday Kazy and I talked about our menu

favorites:

turkey, dressing

green beans

mashed potatoes

 Ed and the Fellowship Committee working on tonight’s menu; Church dinner

I’ve seen the list, we are in for the usual delicious dinner

What’s your menu at home?

turkey?  anybody do something different?

dressing or stuffing?

green bean casserole, with cream of mushroom soup and onion rings

sweet potatoes?  marshmallows melted on top?

dessert?   pecan pie, sweet potato pie

all the stuff you need/like or it doesn’t seem like Thanksgiving.  Right?

Imagine for a moment – something more important than the menu

You think I’m looking for a churchy answer, right?

like giving thanks, counting our blessings, remembering those less fortunate

Those aren’t the answers.  But I am looking for a churchy answer

hint: it’s about the guests

2.  Tell the Story (Luk. 14:8-14)

 Background

Jesus was a dinner guest in the home of a Pharisee

it was the sabbath

“they were watching him closely”

of course, Jesus was giving them something to think about

a man suffering from dropsy/hudropikos came in the house

renal disease causing heavy swelling

Jesus asked his hosts if it was lawful to cure on the Sabbath

the Pharisees were silent

everybody knew it wasn’t lawful to do it

Jesus cured him anyway

Then Jesus noticed, in today’s reading, how guests chose places of honor at the table

Ever hear the old conversation starter question, “If you could choose anybody from anytime to dinner, who would you ask?”

people often name historical figures, musicians

usually mention Jesus Christ

would you really?

just remember, he’s not afraid to call you out

which is a good thing

just be aware of this when you invite Jesus home

Culture heavy into exchanging favors

had a lot to do with power

i.e. who owed you a favor, or who you owed a favor

dinner and party invitations were currency in this system

within that system, choice seating was a distinction

head of the table = honor

Jesus calls the dinner guests to consider hospitality

don’t take the head of the table seat if it’s offered

invite somebody from one of the lower seats to sit there

say “Friend, move up higher”

Don’t take the best for yourself, lift somebody else up

this breaks down steps of hierarchy and privilege

he goes on to a lesson about the guest list  (see what I mean about inviting Jesus to dinner? he will call you out)

 don’t pad your guest list with people you owe a favor to

or people you want to be beholding to you

in fact, invite people, who cannot repay you

i.e. people who the culture says have nothing to offer

poor, and the outcast

this is where your blessing is

3.  So What?

when we open up the table to all of God’s people … look who’s around us:

that’s right, all of God’s people

and it doesn’t matter who sits where

head of the table, middle of the table,

 even the kid’s table, because you’re going to move that one up

But Lord, what if we don’t have enough to eat?

but Jesus said

“And you will be blessed” (v. 14)

who has served a meal at the Alpha Center?  (raise your hand – Sondra, Jennifer, Rosanne, Carol B, Carol M, Kay, Diane, Rachel W, Annette … come on, Deacons)

maybe there wasn’t enough food to open an All You Can Eat Buffet

but did you ever have to turn somebody away without anything?

was there always something in the pantry you could use to stretch the meal if you had to

At the Open Door in Atlanta we always had enough

whether it was

150 we served at breakfast or lunch

dinner after worship on Sunday night

500 or so on Labor Day

there was always enough

This is a time for us to think about invitation

consider the ones Jesus spent time with

rich and powerful?

sure, when he was in trouble

but who did he choose to spend time with?

regular people

but always the poor, outcast, sinners, prostitutes, sick, workers, unemployed, foreigners, ones who everybody else hated

who do we invite?

the ones that make us comfortable?

the ones who invited us before?

the ones we have to invite?

what if we really opened it up

did like Jesus

go back to his guest list (above)

Can you imagine this Thanksgiving feast?

can you imagine inviting somebody you didn’t ask before?

is there somebody who’s going to be lonely Thursday?

is there somebody nobody else might think about?

can you imagine a truly Open Table – a truly Welcome Table?

can you imagine?

who would Jesus invite to Thanksgiving dinner?

You will be hearing more about programs and events in the coming months

building relationships, building community

hospitality and inviting

might be breaking some new ground – breaking some old habits

but it also is breaking down barriers and tearing down walls

might be a little scary, a little uneasy

kind of like inviting Jesus to dinner

but think about a first step

is there somebody you can invite to dinner at church tonight?

oh wait, we already turned our reservations in – the tables are already set up

are we going to let that guide our hospitality?

because it’s not always that neat and tidy

so what, bring a new guest, and bring some extra food

you have enough at home

we’ll probably have enough extra here

at the very least, be on the lookout tonight for somebody you don’t know very well

seek them out – Jesus may have put that person there for you

find out something about them

maybe you don’t know them at all

maybe you don’t know them well

maybe this isn’t the year for you and me to invite the poor and homeless into our house for Thanksgiving dinner

but imagine if we did

imagine what it would be like to share a meal

in a place where all we had to offer each other is our presence

just being together, sharing food

without worrying about who looks like what or who belongs

at least give it some thought

maybe this isn’t the year

but next year…

so let it be with us.  Amen

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Isaiah 43:19

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

 

 

1.  Way In

Are you   happy   angry    satisfied    frustrated    excited     confused ?

are you some of each

mostly one or two

Do you wonder what I’m talking about?

maybe I better back up

Maybe you haven’t heard

that Kazy and I are buying a house

and if you haven’t heard before now

it’s because I messed up

you see, my family made a big decision about buying a home

and our decision was a surprise to you

as I told the session Thursday night:

I know the value of process and communication

I have even practiced  both of these

but in this case I didn’t

I let you know after the deal was done

and that’s not a good kind of surprise

Especially in this case – and I am very sorry

because we are buying a house in Piqua

we decided to buy a house in the school district that holds the most promise for our child

and we have decided that that district is in Piqua

I could take a lot of time and tell you about my family’s decision and our thoughts

But all I will say is that I felt the commitment to buy a home as a commitment to the community

the larger community, that I see as only separated by 14 miles of highway

but you don’t want to know about that right now

I have already heard some of your concerns

for me, living 14 miles away, even in the next town is not unusual

I’ve done it in 2 of my previous calls without an issue

colleagues here and in other places do it as well

but it’s not the same for you

you’re used to your pastor living in the manse

or at least in town

you’re not used to your pastor’s spouse being a minister who serves another church in another town

you wonder how I will be able to be part of the community

you are mostly interested in what that means for SFPC: the church and the members of the congregation

So this is what I covenant with you

I will keep the same hours at the office

I will be available to you in the same ways

here in the office

cell phone, e-mail, other ways like FB (you know who you are)

my availability for meetings after hours will be the same

remain involved in community

YMCA (Childcare committee, plus the one I was invited to serve last week)

SCMA (these guys live all over, but their churches are all in Shelby CO)

schools and school activities

Agape, Alpha, Compassionate Care, etc.

work even harder at visiting in your homes

I will listen to your individual concerns

today:

preaching at DLRC at 2:30

attending Hispanic worship at 4pm

but there are other opportunities during the week for you to contact me

and I will  provide an opportunity for a community conversations

otherwise you may contact me anytime

I am used to living in the suburb and working and ministering in the city

in SYR I was involved in the urban areas where my churches were

known and involved there as I was in the suburban neighborhood where we lived and Pauly went to school

in my marriage, at least one of us has always commuted between house and parish

and we have been able to make that work

Just gave you a synopsis of the discussion we had at session Thursday night

I want you to know how proud I was to be at the table with the elders

some of whom were hearing all this for the first time

we acknowledged the challenges in this news

people were honest about their feelings

what made me feel best was that we all stayed at the table

each one took an opportunity to express themselves

the church was well represented

and I am certain that your concern was voiced by at least one of the elders

And I accept the challenge from the Session that:

it will be my responsibility to prove that this arrangement can work

and I pray that you will be encouraged as I begin to do just that

Bridge

So why preach about this?

After all, this format doesn’t give you a chance to respond

but I want to get this news out there

and for as many as possible to hear it from me

as I said, there will be opportunities to talk about this together

There are lots of things changing lately

we live and work differently than some ever believed we would

was a time when not living in the town where you work was unheard of

but we see it more and more

I think the boundaries of what’s considered local are changing

but this may not make change any easier to accept

for some here it may not make much difference where I live

as long as I’m available

for some it may seem like a deal-breaker

so I hope we can acknowledge where we all are emotionally

deal with that where it’s necessary

then move ahead

we can do this

2.  Relate to scripture

Read Isaiah verse

context

we are moving towards Advent

this is a traditional Advent text

God is doing a new thing

every day – since the beginning

God didn’t stop doing new things when he stopped writing the Bible

but every day is a new leg of the journey

and it’s different every day

It’s easier for us to stay comfortable

not take chances on a new thing

to assume:

if it’s new it’s bad

if it’s different, it’s going to mess everything up

I know it’s scary

but we’ve got to step out

and trust that God steps out with us

Bridge

Rear Admiral, Dr. Grace Murray Hopper

b. 1906

PhD Mathematics

led development of COBOL programming language

US Navy ship named for her (USS Hopper)

Quote

“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what a ship is built for.”

I’m not saying that God has pre-ordained our buying a house in Piqua

or that this has any connection with biblical prophecy

God has way more important things to think about

But God’s way is a new way

God’s way never lets us languish in what’s familiar and comfortable

furthermore, I am aware that our decision to buy a house in Piqua comes at an awkward time

today is pledge Sunday

this may seem like a gamble to you

well, as somebody reminded me

I have 1½ years left of a 3 year Designated Pastor Call

and I can do my best to make this work…or not

3. So what

talk about reaction to some changes (pick a few)

“A great invention but who would want to use it?”  President Rutherford B. Hayes after a demonstration of A.G. Bell’s telephone 1877

 

according to a British Parliamentary Committee in 1878, Edison’s light bulb was “good enough for our transatlantic friends…but unworthy of the attention of practical or scientific man (sic.)”

 

“the horse is here to stay, the automobile is only a novelty – a fad”  President of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford’s lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Co.

 

“That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced.” Scientific American 1/2/1909

 

“While theoretically and technically, television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is impossibility, a development of which we should waste no time dreaming.”  Lee De Forest, inventor of the vacuum tube, 1926

 

“Where a calculator like the ENIAC today is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh only 1.5 tons.” Popular Mechanics March 1949

 

“The world potential for copying machines is 5,000 at most.”  IBM, to the eventual founders of Xerox, on how the photocopier had no market large enough to justify production,  1959

 

“With over 15 types of foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big share of the market for itself.” Business Week 8/2/1968

 

“Remote shopping will flop, because women like to get out of the house,”  Time magazine, 1966 – writing off e-commerce before anybody ever heard of it

When I was in college (the 2^nd time – mid 80s) I was a commuter student

lived at home, married with children

used a computer to write papers and other assignments

saw a notice at the library

that I could access the catalogue of the university library collection at home – on my computer

got an access code

took forever, eventually, at my desk, I could search for books in the library

around that same time, I got AOL and was soon able to e-mail

opened up a new world – way of being in touch

who knew that in 2009 people would be saying that

e-mail is becoming passé, even phone calls are going by the way

don’t believe me – get in touch with a teenager or young adult

call them, voice mail will probably pick up, they might call back today

but text them, or FB message

you’ll hear back instantly

Is it right?  Is it what you want to hear?

maybe, maybe not

but it’s a fact

if FB were a country with users as citizens, it would be the 5^th largest country in the world

they thought HS and college students would be the biggest users, followed by young adults

but the fastest growing segment of users are over 40

Don’t get me wrong

none of this will ever replace the power and intimacy of personal contact and connections

but I am telling you that there is a new way of networking and connecting

and it’s on-line

and it is not a fad

there is a fundamental change in the way we connect with the world we live in

and Luddites may have a point – by holding on to low tech ways

but if we want to make a difference for the church of Jesus Christ’s sake

we deserve to use the best tools we can get

would you set out to build an office building with sticks lashed together with rope, notched logs, sod, or adobe bricks?

or would you consult an architect or engineer about the current safest, most endurable, strongest materials to use?

the scriptures are timeless, God’s word is alive and fresh to us as it was when it was first told and later put into writing

and the Good News of the Gospel deserves our very best in telling it

we are paying attention to the best tools out there

working at

keeping office equipment up-to-date

keeping up with curricula, books, topics

and current doesn’t mean expensive

internet technology and access is cheaper than many previous ad campaigns

full years web hosting and e-mail service costs less than many yellow page and other term print ad campaigns

and it’s current

not static and cast on paper

we can change it at a moment’s notice

so if you are in this

interested in making a change, getting connected

come to FFF this Wednesday night at 6

not asking you to be on a committee

not a long-term commitment

I want to brainstorm with you about how we can move ahead

and if you have never attended such a session here

I especially want you to come – just one night

bring your ideas – how do you want to connect

with the church?

with the community?

conclusion  (a free-style wrap up followed)

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 12:38-44

Threads

 

1.  Way In

A gift from my mother

Housewarming gift when we moved to SC

placemats made by my great-grandparents of Gulfport, MS – Horace and Mary Hinds

same fabric as the blanket they made

probably had lots of bolts of these yarns

many similar pieces

but my blanket has a silver thread through it

Scriptures are like these heirlooms from my great-grandparents’ loom

focus on the individual threads

miss the details like patterns, initials, silver thread running

focus on the silver thread reminds me

I was a special great-grandchild

Joseph III, named for Joseph Sr.

who they named after my great-grand’s sister Josephine

reminds me that I was woven into the family

a warm and useful memory for me – like the blanket

Bridge

Like the threads of my blanket and placemats

Bible is full of threads of stories

creation and destruction

birth and death

defeat and triumph

promises made and broken

dwelling on death, we can miss the story of new birth

destruction – creation

broken promises – new covenant

let us look at today’s teaching parable, considering the threads that run thorough this text and everything that God teaches

heroic sacrifice of the widow who gave everything she had

AND Jesus’ teachings about the scribes who exploited the people’s gifts to the church

teachings about sacrifice, pride, and humility

2.  Tell the Story

Jesus taught to beware of the scribes

like to walk around in long robes

and to be greeted with respect, and get the best seats in church and in the marketplace

they devour widow’s houses and say long prayers for the sake of appearance

they will receive the greatest condemnation

They watched as a poor widow went into the Treasury – special room for receiving offerings

put in 2 coins

“mites”, worth about a penny

about 1/64 of a day’s wage

Jesus said that she had put in more than anyone else that day

they have contributed from their abundance

and she, from her poverty

put in all she had

everything she had to live on

3.  So What?

remember about the thread running through scripture

constant concern for the welfare of widows and orphans

condemnation of religious establishment for exploiting the vulnerable

Maybe she could have spent her money better and more wisely

after all, the temple was destroyed a few years later

would she have been better off saving the money?

A story of a new minister

Deacons told her of a single mother of 4 who was tithing from her meager paycheck

they were concerned about her welfare

Pastor went to let her know it’s okay to back off some

As the pastor spoke, the woman cried

“That would take away everything that gives my life dignity and meaning – giving to my church for the ministry of Jesus Christ

this is a story of somebody who knows what giving is about

we don’t give to the church because God needs anything from us

we do have this big building to maintain

but that’s not God’s problem

some of the church’s biggest problems have to do with buildings

maybe that’s why the only house of worship God laid out was the tabernacle – something basic, even portable

but our giving to the church is for us

we give because we need to give to God

need to learn to give – even sacrificially, to God

as God has given sacrificially for us, in Jesus Christ

Jesus’ teaching here

although  he says the widow gave more than anybody

implies the others could have given more

but he’s not critical of the other contributors

the ones he is critical of, actually he condemns them …

the scribes, religious officials

for pretentious practices and exploitation of people

Jesus tells them to watch out for the ones who walk around in long robes

and like the best seats

and demand respect

I’m starting to feel a little vulnerable

robe, fancy seat, called “Rev.”

this is who Jesus is saying to look out for

Jesus condemns empty religious practice

those that are weak and lifeless, destructive, empty and false

of giving to the church from our energy or resources when we can spare it, when we feel like it, on the days when there is so much extra that some sloshes over the top for the church to get

and he reminds us that we can’t always tell by looking

remember there was a scribe in last week’s reading who realized the truth Jesus was preaching and Jesus told him he “wasn’t far from the kingdom of God.”

but he warned against the ones who were exploiting religion for their benefit

the one who got it the most right on that day was the poor widow who dropped in two pennies – an unlikely example of a benevolent giver

 

Jesus condemns the religious practice of the scribes, showy and oppressive.  He lifts up the religious practice of the widow; faithful self-giving without show.

Jesus’ teaching recalls the prophecy that self-serving religious practices are not what the Lord requires.   Isaiah tells of God’s contempt for fasting yet still fighting and quarreling, and for offering worship to God while oppressing others.  “If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry, and satisfy the needs of those in need then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom will be like the noonday.  Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt; you shall be called repairers of the breach.  If you honor the Sabbath, not going your own ways, serving your own interests…Then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth.”

Friends, what we read in this book is are not old dusty words for us to gather around once a week and feel good about how we are not like some of these bad people.

    This book is the living Word of God calling to us over generations and ages because we still don’t have it right.

God is calling us to religious practices that give of ourselves for God and for others in need.  This is a common thread woven through the fabric of the scriptures.   God calls us away from religious practices that only give to ourselves, things done for us, and not for God.

    God is calling me to be careful with the office with which I have been entrusted, to remember the God of my salvation and to remember the vows I took at ordination.

    How is God calling you?  What is God showing you about your religious practices … about your commitment … what you offer

    We have talked this morning about reading the Bible, reading the entire Bible.  And we have talked about religious practices.  Our discipleship is the life resulting from reading the scriptures and our religious practice.

Jesus himself defied simple answers as to whether he was or wasn’t the Messiah–he simply told people to look at the fruit of his ministry and decide if it conveyed truth and power.

Recently, you should have received your stewardship letter and pledge card in the mail.  If not, there are some here today.  As you prayerfully prepare your pledge for 2010, I pray that we will consider our gift to God that comes from our abundance, even sacrificially, not because God needs it, but because we need to give it up.

We need to learn about offering the best we have for God.  And not from what’s left over, but from the very best we have to offer.

Friends, we are a small church.  And we are the right size to wrestle with the transforming truth of the Bible.  This church has a rich and vital history on this corner in the middle of this town.  Through many changes God has saved this church, and God has not saved it for nothing.

We are each woven in the rich fabric which is the First Presbyterian Church – people of God in this church, our lives are inter-twined with the life and ministry of this church over the years.  Each one of you represents a unique color or texture in this fabric, and the whole of it wouldn’t be the same without you.

May we recommit ourselves to God, and may our gift be of ourselves, our lives – the most precious gift we can give through the renewal of spirit, commitment to worship, fellowship, and service for the sake of the Church of Jesus Christ that we serve.  So may it be with us.  Amen.

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

While I was away at University of Rhode Island Parent’s Weekend, Elder Charlie Castle was the guest preacher at First Presbyterian Church.  See you next week.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 10: 46-52

“See”

1.  Way In

Last Sunday, Pauly (5 yr.old son) and I attended a Young Life banquet with Kazy (wife)

in Piqua, Grace Methodist Church

seated with 4 other people – colleagues, acquaintances of Kazy

There were about 150 people there

our table was about like everybody else’s

but Pauly was about the youngest child I saw

and one of our table-mates was blind

Our new friend, call him Bart, was awesome

he told Pauly he was sorry he didn’t bring his guide dog with him

said he was a good dog, and P would have liked him

Bart is a funny guy

kept us laughing – stories about some of his adventures and escapades

Bart has a lot of friends

seemed like most people that came in the room came over to talk to Bart

maybe I was paying attention more than usual, but

a lot of people said, “Hey, Bart, good to see you.”

B. seemed to always reply, “Good to see you to.”

then when they would leave, both would say

“See you later.”

funniest thing: I picked up my giant plastic cup of ice tea (sweet)

took a big sip

in placing it back on the table … I spilled it

big ole cup of ice tea

tea, ice, all over the table

all over the literature in the centerpiece

…as the speaker was describing it

towards the people sitting across from us

I gathered napkins, I could find 3 on the table

servers quickly brought a whole case of napkins to the table

nothing was damaged too bad, nobody hurt, I got some more tea

then I had to laugh – at myself

we were the first, and only, table to have a spill like that

and it wasn’t the 5-year-old that spilled it

in fact Pauly didn’t spill anything all night

it wasn’t the blind guy that spilled it

he didn’t spill anything all night either

it was me – Dad, grown-up, full vision

see? it’s not always like you expect

the ones of us who can see – don’t always get everything

and the ones who are blind – seem to be more with it

Bridge

like Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus

the blind man Jesus and the Disciples encounter today

take a good look at how he

recognizes

calls/acknowledges

leaps up

asks

follows

2.  Tell The Story

Context

Jesus and the Disciples on the way to Jerusalem

Triumphal entry coming up

and you know the rest of the story

arrest, crucifixion

Jesus knows the rest of the story, too

on the way they come to Jericho, and after they pass through …

Narrative

They pass by where Bartimaeus sits and begs

the blind son of Timaeus from Jericho

short passage, but descriptive, and active

e.g., not just a blind beggar, but Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus

        in Greek, Bartimaeus, means “Son of Bartimaeus”

Bartimaeus heard that is was Jesus who was passing by

maybe he heard what people were saying to him, maybe he heard Jesus

maybe he could tell it was him by the way he sounded

B. started shouting

“Jesus!  Son of David!  Have mercy on me”

The ones who were hanging around, sternly out told him to hush

That just made him holler out louder

“Son of David!  Have mercy on me.”

Jesus stopped and told them to bring Bart. to him

the others said to B., “Take heart.  Get up.  He is calling you.”

B. got up, threw his cloak aside, and went to Jesus

Jesus, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Bart., “My teacher, let me see again.”

J., “Go.  Your faith has made you well.”

Immediately …

he regained his sight

and followed Jesus on the way

3.  So What?

Bart. was blind, but he got it

Blind, but not like the ones Isaiah describes “You will indeed listen, but never perceive, and you will look but never perceive.” (Isa. 6:9-10)

Blind, but not like the ones who had trouble ‘getting’ what Jesus taught, “The reason I speak to them in parables is they, seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:13)

About Bartimaeus’ encounter with Jesus

Bartimaeus recognized Jesus, called out in faith

even though he could not “see” him

called him “Son of David”

King of the Jews, Messiah

knew who Jesus was, called out in faith

Our journey begins, or takes a significant turn when we recognize Jesus for who he is and who he can be for us, and call out to him

When Jesus responded, Bartimaeus:

jumped up and went to Jesus (remember, he’s blind)

Jesus asked what he could do for him

B. said he wanted to see – again

“Go, your faith has made you well”

back to faith (when B. had faith to recognize and call out)

immediately, he regained his sight

B.’s response – followed Jesus

grateful response for his healing – gift – grace

he stopped.

even though he was entering his darkest days – Jesus stopped to respond to Bart.

it is Jesus’ nature to care – to stop, and pay attention to Bart., and to us

Discipleship is our grateful response

“Attitude of gratitude”

            (Horace Tribble, The Open Door Community, I was  volunteer and resident)

The Bartimaeus Community – Wales

Bart. is sitting beside the road, as life goes by and he cannot see

when they tell him that Jesus is near,

 he calls persistently calls out to Jesus,

 even though others, including Jesus’ followers,  try to silence him

when Jesus tells them to call him to come

he throws aside his cloak and comes to Jesus unprotected

He tells Jesus he wants to see, and he Jesus grants it

Bart. is transformed into a pilgrim, a follower, a disciple

no longer sitting beside the road, as life goes by

but now on his journey with Jesus

 (“On his way rejoicing”, Acts 8:39)

For us; rather than sitting beside the road,

 listening to the ones who would silence or stifle us …

Jesus is too busy for you, you really don’t matter

let us cast aside what binds us,

or holds us back

 even though it may seem like protection, like Bart.’s coat

maybe it’s more of a security blanket

“I can’t go without that.  I would be too vulnerable.”

like taking the training wheels off of the bike

step out in faith

trust in Jesus

speak from our heart, “even if our voice shakes”

ask Jesus to open our eyes, give us vision

and follow him as a disciple, a pilgrim

When God opens our eyes, restores our sight, give us new vision – even visions …

may we recognize Jesus and how he guides us

may we be persistent, not dissuaded by nay-sayers

this is vision from Jesus, for crying out loud

may we trust in Jesus compassion and promise not to ever leave us alone or abandon us

and let us take an attitude of gratitude, with discipleship as our grateful response to mercy and healing

Example

I was speaking to someone about the last school board meeting

they were reluctant to speak out – share their feelings

some intimidation, esp. at the meeting

a person, known to hold opposing view

had taken an intimidating posture (show them: arms crossed,. etc)

and stood at a place of intimidation (right beside the lectern)

this person knew this opponent

encounters in business and the community

reluctance to insult or speak out in front of them

politeness?  lose a customer?

but the more we talked about it

the more this person seemed to pick up some energy

to realize how this intimidator was keeping them back

keeping them from speaking their mind

don’t you think this is just what he had in mind?

there were many other places he could have stood

… many other postures he could have taken

we need not let intimidators, nay-sayers, contrarians –

need not let these put us off

Conclude

God is always near, and will respond when we reach out in faith, trusting in God’s name

God responded to Bart. in Jesus Christ, asking “What do you want me to do for you?

Bartimaeus asks, ~Rabbouni teacher), let me see again.”

I used to be able to see, but I can’t now

something is clouding my vision, something’s in the way

I remember how beautiful everything was, sunsets, the ocean, my mother’s eyes ….

but I lost my sight

let me see again

Now imagine your Bartimaeus moment:

Jesus stands before you, even though you still can’t see him, and says to you,

    “What do you want me to do for you?”

How do you respond?

even though people are trying to hold you back

be polite, don’t show your feelings

Like Bart., what do you have to cast aside first?

and what do you ask for?

Give a few moments to reflect

Take this Bart. moment with you – reflect on it as you imagine your ministry/calling/vocation

So may it be with us.  Amen.

Sunday’s Second Sermon, at Dorothy Love Retirement Community

John 4:5-26

“Lord Give us This Water”

 

1.  Way In

Talk about my summer as a Day Camp Counselor

in charge of teenagers

a few of them were real “challenges”

Days were structured for younger kids

my group were supposed to be Counselors in Training (CITs)

“between you and me,” they were there pretty much for daycare

parents couldn’t leave them home alone

old enough to have summer jobs, but with their attitude – not highly employable

‘theoretically’ they were there to help the counselors out with the younger kids

they often ended up causing more problems

disappearing

other counselors had to look for them

My “CITs” had some free time around lunch

one day they went missing

looked all over the property

a tip to check the mall across the street (highway, really)

found them at the mall

when they saw me they ran

caught them, rounded them up

back to the office

Called their parents

some really mad

One response broke my heart

“I can’t come until 5, you’ll just have to keep her there.”

“Let her sit in the office, or out front and wait for me for all I care.”

“She’s more trouble than she’s worth, I should never have taken her in.”

I thanked God the call wasn’t on speaker phone

would have hated for the kid to hear what her mom said

even though she couldn’t hear …

the look on her face let me know that she knew what her mother said

she had heard it enough already

hate to think of how often that woman held this fact up over that girl’s head

‘more trouble than you’re worth’

‘should never have taken you in’

and in my imagination these criticisms were more harsh and shrill in the privacy of home

no wonder that girl acted out

no wonder she hung out with whatever crowd paid attention to her

no wonder she broke the rules, stayed in trouble …

her mother treated her like trouble

let her know she wasn’t wanted

no wonder she had no self esteem

… acting out, hoping to get caught

might as well act bad, always told how bad she was

we did the best we could with that girl

although we were upset with her for ‘running away’ from camp and going to the mall

also tried to let her know we still cared for her, even though we didn’t like what she did

Heard Mr. Rogers interviewed

said his program was very likely one of the few times some of his young viewers had a positive image of an adult

one who cared about them

even through the TV screen, he gave kids the idea that he cared about what happened to them

Bridge

St. Augustine said that Jesus loved everybody he met as if that person were the only person in  all the world

In Jesus’ eyes, people found affection looking back at them

Thomas Hobbes, 17^th cent. English philosopher, wrote that natural life was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

surely life in the 1^st century was more so

but when natural life is nasty, brutish, and short

Jesus comes in God’s steadfast, speaking a word of life, truth, and hope

2.  Tell the Story

            When we pay attention what John’s gospel tells us, we notice that the woman is never judged as a sinner.  In fact, she is portrayed as a model of growing faith.  She spends time talking with this man she met at the well and comes to recognize him as the Christ – the anointed one of God.

 

Not only this, she is a witness.  She goes and tells the others in her town to come and see Jesus.

 

We are freed to hear her story in the light of the love of Christ.  The text does not say that she has been divorced five times but that she has had five husbands.  There are many possible reasons for her marital history.  Perhaps she, like Tamar (in Genesis 38), is trapped in the custom of levirate marriage.  Maybe she was 5 times a widow.

Jesus doesn’t dwell on that, he doesn’t pass judgment on her.

 

This is a story about Jesus breaking down boundaries.  Jews were forbidden to have any contact with Samaritans, who were seen as unclean.   Jesus is passing through Samaria on his way from Judea to Galilee.  The most direct route was through Samaria, but there were others ways to go, and many Jews went that way to avoid Samaria.  But Jesus went through Samaria; in fact John’s Gospel says that he had to go through Samaria.

 

It surely was not a shortcut, that was not why he “had to go through Samaria,” there were certainly other roads, other routes.  He didn’t have to go through Samaria for those reasons.

 

We’re not told why he had to go through Samaria.  maybe it was so he could have this exchange, not because he­­ needed it, but maybe because the woman at the well needed it.  Maybe she needed a calling back to life.

When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink, she knew this was scandalous.  He was not even supposed to be talking to her, and he was even asking to share her water vessel.

 

Surely she remembered all the teachings about her nationality being unclean to these good religious folks.  Called an unclean outsider for so long, maybe she was starting to believe that she really was.

Maybe she was like that kid I told you about at Day Camp

            called ‘trouble’ by her mother so much …

            rejected by her mother so much …

            maybe she really started to believe the things she said about her.

 

But Jesus wasn’t having any of that.  He was the one who broke down boundaries – like the one between Jews and Samaritans.

 

In those days, Jewish rabbis were not supposed to speak to women in public.  When the disciples returned they were astonished to find Jesus speaking with a woman.  Jesus broke down the boundaries between men and women.

 

Jesus’ journey through Samaria and his conversation with the Samaritan woman show that the grace he offers is available to all.  Jesus and his ministry will not be bound by social convention.

 

It was the custom for women to go to the well for water in the morning or evening.  We find this woman going to the well in the heat of the noonday sun.  It seems that she preferred to go to the well when the others wouldn’t be there.  Maybe she preferred going alone.  Maybe that way she wasn’t harassed by the other women about how many times she had been married or about the man she was with now.  Maybe she had a story they couldn’t accept or understand.

           

Jesus never judged her.  He offered her the living water, the gift of God.  He treats her as a full human being and offers her his grace.  She responds to this gift with her witness.  This unlikely disciple goes to her hometown and tells everyone about Jesus. 

 

3.  So What?

Jesus encountered a lonely and abandoned woman, and he let her know that she mattered.  He listened to what she had to say, and asked her for a drink of water.  Hel let her know that he knew all about her.  He knew that she had no husband then, and he knew about her having had 5 before.  He doesn’t judge her for this, he understood. 

 

Jesus broke through the isolation and shame that followed this woman wherever she went.  He spoke to her of renewal and refreshment, and promised her living water that would fill her and satisfy her always.

 

This is the same water he offers us, to wash away the shame or guilt we may carry from our transgressions and offer us a drink to satisfy the hunger for love, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

 

When we draw from that well, and drink deeply from the living water that Jesus offers, we are called to go and do likewise.  We are called to go and bring others to that well, and to treat others with the love we know in Jesus Christ.

This isn’t merely a love we show with a sweet smile or a hug – those are good.  But this calls us to a step beyond, even outside of our comfort level.  Christians are called to not accept barriers that separate people – even social conventions.  Where society may think its okay and ignore barriers or walls, leaving them up for security in comfort. For those of us who have decided to follow Jesus, we are called to challenge and break through these barriers.  Even taking it on ourselves to be so bold as to be the first one to break it down, or walk around.

 

In this, we open up new possibilities for relationships in Christian hospitality. After drinking from the well of reconciliation and forgiveness for ourselves, we are called to share that water with others – and let others know what it feels like to be accepted where we have been rejected, to be drawn in where we have been shut out, to feel loved where we have felt turned out.

 

 By accepting others with unconditional love, we talked to her; He asked her to give him a drink. He gave her every kind of affirmation and it transformed that woman. She raced back into the village and said, "There is a man out there at the well that listened to my every word, that seemed to care about my very being."

 

Lord, give us this water always.

 

So let it be with us.  Amen.

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1.  Way In

Connecting example

James and John: 2 of the 12 disciples, Mark tells us they’re sons of Zebedee

Mark 3, Jesus calls them “Sons of Thunder”

these 2 seem to expect quite a bit from Jesus

right away in today’s reading they ask/demand of Jesus:

“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask for”

for one preacher, a divinity school professor, it brings to mind “Sons of Entitlement”

seem to feel like somebody owes them something

When we lived on the east end of Long Island, famous as the playground of the “beautiful people” – exposed to some vacationers with a well-developed sense of entitlement

after all, here they were – rich city people, pumping lots of money into the sleepy little towns and hamlets on the east end

their estates employed people: construction, landscapers, housekeeping, etc.

they spent money in stores and paid lots of taxes

seemed to feel like the locals ought to appreciate them, as I heard a couple of comments

in the grocery store on a busy weekend, I overheard one city person say to another:

“seems like the locals could get their shopping done during the week so it wouldn’t be so crowded in here on the weekend.”

standing in line at the General Store, waiting to place my order at the deli, when a city person-couple came in

“we don’t have to wait in this line,” as they pushed their way right up to the counter

we knew civil servants who constantly dealt with city people who seemed to feel like things just didn’t apply to them

traffic laws, especially parking

zoning codes they treated like annoyances and triflings to be manipulated

Bridge

I was really ticked off when people treated me or others that way –  with their sense of entitlement, or superiority

found myself getting my back up, wanting to say something sarcastic

or cut somebody off in traffic

back to James and John

seeming to feel a little entitled – after all, they were part of the original 12

once again, we have the example of Jesus

receiving their rather fussy and snooty request … an entitled request

… with a much better attitude

dealing with entitlement in a much better way than me

big surprise.  I know

Jesus asks, “What is it that you want me to do for you?”

2.  Tell The Story

Context

After, Jesus …

 Chapter 9

Transfiguration 9:2

Healing 9:14

Teaching about his death and resurrection (9:30), third time since 8:31

Teaching about first and last 9:33

“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all”

Before Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Gospel text

Conversation between James, John, and Jesus

J & J, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever you ask you to do”

Jesus, “What is it you want me to do for you?”

J&J, “Grant us to sit, one oat your right, and one at your left, in glory.”

Jesus’ response

You don’t know what you’re asking

Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?

or to be baptized with the same baptism

J & J:  “Yes, we are able.”

Jesus:

the cup that I drink, you will drink

and my baptism will be yours

but to sit at my right or my left is not mine to grant

When the 10, the rest, heard this they were angry with James and John

Jesus to all of the Disciples

Among the Gentiles, their rulers/leaders lord it over them

they are tyrants

But not with you

whoever wishes to become great must become your servant

whoever wants to be 1^st among you must be slave of all

The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve

and give his life a ransom for many

Bridge

after this, they go to Jericho where Jesus heals a blind man

then Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem

followed by the passion, crucifixion, and resurrection

But for today we have this exchange between Jesus and the Disciples

3.  So What?

James and John are asking for some special treatment

and if he’s annoyed, or put out, he doesn’t show it

not annoyed like me with the examples of entitlement I mentioned before

He wants to hear more about what they’re thinking

what it comes down to is they want to have the glory of Jesus

but they’re missing the rest of what that means

Are you ready for the rest of this?

Are you able

“Oh, yes,” they say, “We are able.”

But they’re just thinking about the glory

The Disciples were all about the glory part of being Disciples

but they’re overlooking the cup

the cup, the suffering of Christ

… the part Jesus himself asks God to take away, if at all possible

“Oh yes, we are able”

like they are all ready and able to take on the part Jesus himself meets with dread

But the difference is in how Jesus treats them

He doesn’t just dismiss them as arrogant blowhards

“Oh yes, we are able, Lord”

… to take on that which you barely accept

the only candidates for followers of Jesus are people

regular people

with human abilities

able to follow, and able to lead

able to learn Jesus’ guidelines for both

able to have devotion and love for others

and able to be arrogant, or ignorant

all the other un-helpful human characteristics

even though, at this point, the Disciples have no idea what they’re getting into

he stays with them, engaging their questions

understanding their wanting the “easy” and “superstar” part

Jesus doesn’t blow off the disciples

even over-ambitious

to the point, sometimes, of arrogance

he sees the possibility within them

these are the ones, the people, he chose

Jesus responds to their blind ambition, and overlooks their shortsightedness, for now

what Jesus resists and criticizes is

complacency, lack of ambition  …  inertia

like when Peter tries to call Jesus down for talking too much about his impending suffering

“Get behind me, Satan.” You’re setting your mind on earthly things, not heavenly things

Jesus can work with passion. he’s got no patience for inertia

Take home

talk about missions we have undertaken…

biting off more than we can chew

still feeling able – encouraged by the gospel

local and reaching out farther

talk about others I have heard from who feel empowered by the gospel

Facebook and Twitter responses

region, Atlanta, Africa!

Let us never be afraid to reach out

even if it seems too much

God will deal with passion

empower and refine it for God’s purpose

it’s laziness, complacency that holds us back

So may it be with us.  Amen

 

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

John 15:1-17

Friends

 

On any given day you can find all kinds of friendship stories

plaques

“Footprints”

saw tracks on the beach

2 sets of footprints, side-by-side

at one point the 2^nd set disappears

God:  “That’s when I was carrying you”

“Friends are chosen family”

how many e-mails do you get about

passing the e-mail along to 10 friends

to let them know how you care

or saying some prayer about them

and you have to do it in 2 days if you want God to answer your prayer by 10 a.m. next Thursday

or with “cute” photo-shopped pictures of baby-talking kittens

that somebody saw and just couldn’t resist sending to everybody in their address book

Today, you can find some wonderful friendship stories in your bulletin

stories of:

appreciation

devotion

being there

support

admiration

selflessness

… list more as they are read

stories about relationships

that’s what it’s all about

At the beginning of my second year as your pastor

this has been my prayer for us – for our life together

developing and deepening relationships

with each other

between you and your pastor

between you and the church

between the church and the community

because everything we do as a church

depends on these relationships

… our faith, and sense of discipleship and mission

of course, these are critical

but they are only mental exercises unless we have relationships

We are not able to live a life of faith outside of a community of faith as a church

we have to be connected with God, in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit

expressed in the Body of Christ: for us, the church

we need each other, Dietrich Bonheoffer

 Our community with one another consists solely of what Christ has done to both of us. I have community with others and I shall continue to have community only through Jesus Christ. The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and His work become the one and only thing that is vital between us.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the living Word of God, the living witness to the scriptures as the guide and rule of our life

and his words to us today come from the gospel according to John

read John 15:1-17

Love one another

the essence of Christ’s teachings to his disciples – and to us

previously (chap. 13), on the night Jesus was arrested, he calls this the “new commandment”

mandatum novum – where we get the name for Maundy Thursday

“Love one another,” for Jesus, this seems to summarize his teachings and his life

Jesus, the Son of God – the one who’s name is love

it is only out of this devoted love in Jesus Christ that we are able to be the church

and Jesus himself calls us to love one another has he has loved us

laying down his life for us

through devotion to God

What does all this mean for us, church?

it’s what friendship Sunday is all about

expressing our love for God in worship together – as the Body of Christ

expressing our commitment to mission – as the Body of Christ/community of faith

expressing our relationship with God through our love for others, as Jesus first loved us – as the Body of Christ/community of faith

some of you shared your friends in Christ with us

the rest of us know who those friends are

and I pray that we will always seek out the Christ in others

friends and strangers

because these are the ones who we are called to be Christ for

loving them as Christ loved us

pouring himself out:

healing

reconciling

befriending

care

so we respond through

mission

outreach: community and beyond

spiritual development

compassion

stewardship of our time and treasure

fellowship

… life together

connection with relational ministries:

Central School: Central Zone, Munch Bunch

Sidney ecumenical community: FUMC Prayer Service, Shelby County Ministerial Assn., etc.

and as we, through the mission of our church, do this for others, we do it for Jesus himself

And now, my friends in Christ,

so may it be with us.  Amen

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

 

As I was putting today’s sermon together, the narrative flowed into a manuscript form better for the thought process than an outline so I kept it that way.  Probably easier for blog readers to read, but not the form from which I am used to preaching.

  

  

World Communion Sunday

Isaiah 2:1-4

What if we never tried?

 

            My father was born in Mississippi.  He and my mother raised my sisters and me there until we moved to Alabama when I was in junior high school.  In later years, after my parents divorced, my father and stepmother started spending more time in Colorado where they have grown to love snow skiing ever since.

            After my father retired around 1999, he and Jamie became year-round residents of Colorado.  My family has been visiting there in the beauty and sport of winter.  My achievements on the ski slopes are nowhere near the accomplished level of my father, stepmother, and teenage sons, but I have a good time and can get down the slopes without breaking anything – yet.

            My father’s house is near Vail, Colorado in an area called Bachelor’s Gulch.  The home is beautifully constructed of lodge pole pine beams, and designed to embrace magnificent views of the mountains and valleys all around.  In the morning you can put on your skis on the back porch, point your skis across the backyard and ski onto the freshly groomed slopes and reach the bottom of the mountain as the lifts begin to carry skiers to the top.

            My father is an excellent cook who enjoys preparing meals for his family and friends.  There are wonderful aromas from the kitchen, and a warmly windowed dining room, where we gather for delicious meals and family stories.  Every year Daddy cooks gumbo for his neighbors who all swear it’s the best food they ever had.

            Daddy and Jamie’s home is a welcome place for visitors.  There have been times that my family, my sister’s family, our aunt and uncle, and friends from Alabama have been staying there all at the same time.  Even with such a crowd we find plenty of beds, bathrooms, and space to feel comfortable.  They offer hospitality and welcome all year.  Every time I call it seems that visitors are there, on their way, or just leaving.

            Our reading from the prophet Isaiah also tells of a house on a mountain.  It’s the house up on the mountain of the Lord, the house of the God of Jacob and Rachel.  I am not saying that this is the same house on the mountain of the Lord about which Isaiah speaks, but the space and hospitality offered in my father’s home in the majestic Rocky Mountains is a place from which my imagination’s image can begin as I read this passage from Isaiah.

            The house on the mountain of the Lord can be imagined as the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. describes, “This is the great new problem of (human)kind. We’ve inherited a large house, a great “world house” in which we have to live together—black and white, Eastern and Western, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim and Hindu—a family…separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace.”

            Isaiah tells of his prophecy of the days to come when the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established as the highest place, and all the nations will stream to this house.  This is the place where the people will gather so that God may teach God’s ways do that we may walk in that path.

            And from this place will go the Lord’s instructions, and God will judge between the nations, arbitrating for many peoples.  God will vindicate or reprove. Settle the disputes, decide the issues.  Then the people will beast their sword into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall the study war any more.

            Isaiah’s prophecy tells of the day when all the people will dwell in the house of the Lord where God’s ways will be learned – ways of justice and mercy.  When God’s ways are followed for settling disputes, humankind’s implements of war won’t be needed.  When that day comes, metal from swords and spears will be made into plowshares and pruning hooks.  There will be no need for war, people can pay attention to providing food and shelter for themselves and their families.

            Isaiah describes a world where people live free from injury and attack at the hands of others.  There will be places of hospitality and welcome, and the people will be fed and clothed from the bounty of God’s creation, freed from humankinds’ tendency to take from one another, hoarding for themselves.

            By now you’re no doubt thinking, “This is all fine, Pastor Joe, it sounds all sweet and churchy.  But what does it mean for me today?”  Thinking again of Dr. King’s message about the challenge for humankind, of how we are to live in this big world house; black and white, eastern and western, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim and Hindu.  He says that we have to live together; we have no choice, although we are separated by ideas of culture, interest, and even religion.  And since we can never live apart, we must learn to live together in peace.

            Can we bring about this change to peaceful world coexistence?  Can you and I change the world today?  What about tomorrow, or next week?  Probably not.  So what can we do?

            Think back to my father’s house with me for a moment.  Think of the place where I described many different people living under one roof, and think of the world like that big house on the mountain in Colorado.  I imagine myself sitting in my room, or at least the one assigned to me that week.  Not that this is like my family, but I can imagine that as my private corner of Dr. King’s world house.   Imagine a place from which I can point out corners of the world where people are behaving badly; a place where I can spot corners of injustice and brokenness, and identify people who are stealing, killing, taking away from others.

            But the text from Isaiah calls the people to peaceful coexistence, and I think back to myself in my corner of the world house.  What about when I stop looking at everybody else and see how I am doing?  Am I doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with my God? (Micah 6:8)  What am I doing with my sharpest tools?  If not actual swords and spears, maybe I’m sharpening the unkind and cutting words, as if they were steel weapons.  Am I sharpening these tools to finely honed edges to carve out criticism or negativity, especially when I feel like my needs are being met?

            Or do I dare put these uses aside?  Do I dare unlearn habits of reaching for weapons first, if not swords and spears, perhaps the sharp-edges of sarcastic words or snide comments?  Maybe they’re not words at all, but passive-aggressive tools like the silent treatment, pouting, or withdrawing into myself.

            Do I dare take the risk of Isaiah’s challenge to fashion implements for feeding and caring from these hard materials, or behaviors?  Do I have the courage to transform these weapons that seem like the best ones to protect me and my interests into tools for reconciliation, friendship, hospitality, feeding, welfare, health, soundness, and safety … characteristics of shalom.

            What can I learn from Isaiah’s message?  What can we learn?  Can we, on this day, commit ourselves to “Let peace begin with me?”  Maybe we can’t change the world today, but we can change the way we act.  And our behavior can impact our friends and neighbors, and even strangers with whom we come into contact.

            I can’t change the government of the U.S. or any other nation today, but I can support the ones who believe in justice and mercy, and I can work to hold the ones we elect or appoint accountable.  Maybe this won’t change the world tomorrow, but what if I never tried?  What if I never did what I could?

            There is a statue in a plaza at the United Nations in New York City, a metal figure of the Isaiah text, “making swords into plowshares.”  This statue stands as a reminder to the delegates and visitors.  Maybe their work or presence won’t change the world today, but what if they never did what they could to work for justice?  What if they never tried?

            “God grant me the serenity to accept those things I cannot change, courage to change those things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”  Reinhold Niebuhr’s familiar prayer does not call us to withdraw in hopelessness, but to seek the things we can change.  In this case, a reminder that we – ourselves, are about the only people we can change.  And we can change our behavior, we can learn to make new tools for ourselves.  What if we never tried to do better?  What if we never worked with our new tools for justice and peace?  What if we never did what we could to wage peace?  What if we never tried?

We can’t change the world, at least not today.

            Can we?

We can’t change our country

            Can we?

Can we change our community, our neighborhood?

            Can we?

            We have to start somewhere

                        And ourselves – that’s a pretty good place to start

            Where can we start?

            What can we do to make a difference for God – right here, right now?

                        Let us not be afraid to try

                        To reach out in our own way

                                    To make a difference to a child, or a grown-up

                                    in our own life, and through the ministry of our church

Let us trust in God’s ways of justice and peace,

            that can make a way out of no way

            What if we never tried?

So let it be with us.  Amen.