FaithIsland: Recent Episodes
Pastor Mitch
Whenever someone says, "no one lives on an island alone" - at OSHi, Aiea we are living proof. We live on an island, but we are never alone. We welcome you to journey with us as we follow Jesus - through this life - finally arriving at the life to come. Aloha ke Akua!
Jesus reaches through the waves and the wind as we start to sink and pulls us into His arms and sets us inside the boat. He sets us back into a community that watched us try to walk on water. He does not yell at us and say, "what were you thinking?" He knew what we were thinking. He knows us inside and out so it's not a surprise.
So why put us back among people that saw us make fools of ourselves? The church is not perfect, or even practically perfect. It is a community that gathers around The Cross and who in many and various ways have all cried out with Peter, "Lord, save me!" And across the spectrum of our faith and our doubt, Jesus does save. The greatest churches are not the largest or prettiest - the greatest are the ones who know the power of the Law and the Gospel and trust in the forgiveness of God.
Last week I said St. Paul was, "Bald-headed, bowlegged, strongly built, a man small in size, with meeting eyebrows and a rather large nose." We don't know what the Prophet Isaiah looked like - except his lips - sounds strange, but we know exactly what his lips looked like.
Isaiah got a divine invitation. A couple of angels showed up and escorted him to a temple where the candles were flickering, the incense was thick with holiness and the smoke stung both the eyes and nose. When Isaiah looked up - high above him, was the Creator of the heavens and the earth - and his robe filled the enormous temple. He was surrounded by winged creatures shouting back and forth to each other. And when Isaiah realized where he was, he cried out, "I am done for! I am foul mouthed and the people around me are foul-mouthed. I have seen God - and no one who sees Him can live." Then one of the angels touched his lips with a red hot coal taken from the fire and said, "it's okay now." God then asked, "who will go?" And with charred lips and a quiver in his voice Isaiah said, "Me, I'll go - send me!" God said "GO!"
The hardest part of Isaiah's ministry was after God said "GO!" - God said very few would listen to him. That must have been soul-crushing. To be THE prophet of God - sent to proclaim the good news - and almost no one would listen. God said he had to go anyway. A remnant would hear and be saved - and the rest would not be able to claim God hadn't given them one last chance. Isaiah spent the rest of his ministry looking into the eyes and souls of those he preached to - wondering whether they heard or not.
When we think about Easter's empty tomb it should lead us to ask, "If God could bring His Son back from death, what else could He do?" That is where our hope comes from as we realize God has a plan and purpose for us beyond just existing.
St. Paul suggests you remember your baptism - the day God called you back into His family and breathed life into you again. He may have been "bald-headed, bowlegged, strongly built, a man small in size, with meeting eyebrows, and a rather large nose" - but he knows what he is talking about. And more than anything he wants you to be so excited about the Gospel that your life is filled with "grammar totally out of whack, split infinitives, verbs and nouns exploding all over the place, dangling participles and incomplete sentences" because your life in Jesus is just like that Parable He told where you are out mowing the lawn and come across a suitcase full of the most precious things on earth with your name on it and a little note that says, "love Jesus" - and you get to be the most generous, loving, forgiving, life-filled person in the world - in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Why do you pray? What are the reasons behind prayer? It's one thing to say a "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest..." at mealtime or "now I lay me down to sleep..." prayer before we close our eyes. But that's not the kind of prayer we're talking about today. The kind of prayer St. Paul is talking about is the kind where we are so angry, so frustrated, so hurt, so lost that words completely fail.
Do you remember the last time you prayed one of these prayers? You might not have even thought of it as a prayer - you just shouted or cried or went silent. And whatever you were praying about or for or against was something so far out of your control that it was like a blow to the stomach that knocked the wind out of you and left you gasping for air.
Now think about why you prayed. And why you prayed to God. And what you thought He could do. And why you trusted Him.
In Matthew 13, Jesus packs a bunch of parables together - all of them about Jesus' favorite subject: The Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom is right here. The Kingdom isn't some far off place you go to when you die, the Kingdom is at hand - among us and beyond us, the now and not-yet. It is the wheat growing in the midst of weeds, the yeast working its magic in the dough, a pearl growing. It comes and goes in the twinkling of an eye - so pay attention so you don't miss it.
This Kingdom knows no geographic boundaries, political parties, single language or culture. It advances not through power, but acts of love. This Kingdom arrived, not with a trumpet's sound but a baby's cry. It is not about vanquishing enemies but forgiving them. And the Savior did not arrive on the back of a war horse but a donkey. The two most important events in the Kingdom take place three days apart - the first on a cross and the second at an empty grave.
There is still more to this Kingdom - a day when tears will be wiped from every eye, swords will get beaten into farming tools, justice will flow like a river down a mountain and righteousness like a never-ending stream. And on that day people from every tribe and tongue and nation will live together in peace - and there will be no more death.
Like it or not, this parable challenges much of what we think is our job as the church. The parable says God is the judge - not you, not me, not kings or presidents or pastors. If anything, it says we might be able to get rid of thorny weeds, till the hardpacked dirt, put up a few scarecrows to keep the birds away. That is something the church can do.
This tells me what God's real job description is. The heavens and the earth will be totally destroyed - and yet we will not be. God not only set eternity in our hearts - but He also sent His Son to redeem us so "we would not perish, but have life everlasting."
When Jesus said, "All ye that labor and are heavy laden," He saw the rich man worried about someone stealing his stuff, the poor man on the sidewalk with the sign that says, 'anything helps,' the mom working 70 hours a week to care for her family, the bride on her wedding day, the old man who sits in front of the TV missing his wife, the teenager trying to figure out what happens after high school, the child who spends each night listening to her parents fight. Jesus sees all of us.
And if we get nothing else from this passage - God never tires of being called upon for help. It turns out, it's God's self-chosen job to love us.
And if you are beginning to know, even just a little bit, about what it means to be saved - for Jesus to forgive your sins and cover you with grace - if any of His stories make sense to you - especially the prodigal son, the lost sheep, the bleeding woman, the hungry people who got fed, the thief who got saved at the 11th hour - maybe you can point someone else, who is carrying a heavy load - to Jesus.
Did you ever feel like sacrificing a goat because of something you did wrong? How about buying an indulgence for you or a family member? Crawling on your knees up every stair at St. Peter's Basilica saying a prayer on each one? Walking across Spain on the Camino Santiago. Or moving into a monastery, forsaking all material possessions and promising to remain silent the rest of your life? And even if you did all of these - how would you know it was enough?
Sinners need something only God can give – and God has given it… Psalm 32 says, "Blessed are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." King David continues, "While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer - but then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the guilt of my sin."
What if heaven was created for us even before the first person was born? What if you have already been forgiven of all of your sins so there is nothing left you have to do to get in? What if death - which is the enemy - is really just a momentary transition from where you are right now to where you were born to live forever?
Have you ever thought about how audacious it was when Jesus told us to call God "abba" which is not "father" but a much more endearing title like "dad" or "papa." Well "Abba" was even more audacious when He said we were loved and forgiven. No hesitation. No sales talk. No "just four easy payments of only..." God said you are enough. You are forgiven. You are unique and unreproducible. You are exactly who He knew you would be. You have permission to take a deep breath and exhale because it's all going to be okay because of Jesus
My hope in heaven is not "unprecedented." If it was - I could still hope - but my hope might not end so well. This is where faith comes in. Faith is not hope. Hope is "fingers crossed, lucky rabbit's feet, wishing on a falling star." Faith is having just enough evidence that whatever you are hoping for is possible. Where does that evidence come from?
If you always wanted a child - and have not been able to have one - Hannah and Sarai know what you are going through. If you've ever lost a child - Rachel knows your pain. If you've ever done something you aren't sure you can be forgiven for - Kings David and Solomon and St. Paul would like to take you for coffee. If you were ever outside the church looking in - wondering if they would accept you - Ruth and Rahab have good news they want to share.
The evidence we need is found in the tears and prayers and struggles and sins of our ancestors. Sarah's laughter, Hannah's outrageous prayer, Mary's labor, David's Psalms, Peter's boasts, Thomas' doubts. For us to have something more than hope - it can't be unprecedented. Someone has to have gone before me so I can follow in their footsteps.
King David, after his great sin that would have brought him and the nation down if it had not been for God's grace - wrote these words in Psalm 51, "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings - the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
God didn't want all the sacrifices - but they were necessary for us to see the cost of our sin. A metaphor - a story - but a powerful one. A thousand year's later St. Paul connected the dots when he wrote these words in Hebrews 10, "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am - it is written about me in the scroll - I have come to do your will, O God.' "
Only one sacrifice was ever necessary - and as we look into the eyes of our Jesus on the cross - we see the love of God - and know that we are forgiven and free. Now we give from the heart - sacrifices of thanksgiving - and the BBQ is just a place for friends and family.
I love that what Gamiliel said, "You may find yourself fighting against God." And how would you know? It is as simple as "last one standing wins." If God is God - then "He will build His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it." I know we love those old Sunday School stories - Shadrach, Meschack, Abednego and the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lion's den, Moses crossing the Red Sea, Joshua fighting the battle of Jericho - because our side wins and the other side loses and we get to say, "nanny, nanny, boo, boo" - our God is bigger than your god."
But God doesn't always work that way. The entire book of Lamentations - where the people of Israel are in captivity and crying out for God to rescue them - God just patiently listens until the nation has learned its lesson and are ready to be restored. There was never a doubt that God had the power and willingness to rescue them - the only question was timing. In Lamentations 3:22 Jeremiah says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him."
When the world talks about god Apollo or god Zeus or goddess Athena - or says there isn't a god or that god is nature or god is a universal consciousness - those are not fighting words. We do not need to take up our swords and be like Hulk and smash everything. Either Jesus is God and He died and rose again and will eventually take us home - or He isn't, didn't and won't. We're in it for the long game - like Jeremiah.
You are filled with the Spirit to receive God's love. Being the church reminds us God promises to always be with us - even when we feel we don't deserve His love and forgiveness or aren't up to the work He has set before us. The Spirit keeps breathing into us - reviving us and bringing us back to life because a life - especially one that is unique and unreproducible as yours - should never be wasted.
Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit before they went out to change the world because there is nothing worse than a bunch of people without candles or flashlights running around in the dark - bumping into things, bumping into each other and not getting anywhere. But there is nothing better than a bunch of people with candles or flashlights helping people find their way in the dark. Once the disciples had the Spirit - it was time to push back the darkness.
Back in the old days when you hiked Diamond Head - there were no lights in the tunnel part. One time I forgot my flashlight and had to wait until someone came along so I could follow them. The next time I remembered my light - and it was my turn to lead the way.
Every time Ascension Day rolls around, I hear Jesus say, "you know the way to the place I am going." And I do. I know who Jesus is. I can't fully comprehend what that means - but I know enough to know if I want spend eternity with Jesus - the only way is to follow Him home.
And this gets back to our calling. Rarely can we change all the things we think need to be changed to make us happy - whether we're talking about changes to our body or changes to the world or changes to the people around us. We aren't in charge of everything - and even if we were, we can tell people what to do - but they aren't any better at changing things than we are. As Bob Goff said, "Most people need love and acceptance a lot more than they need advice."
The one thing we can do - the one thing that is within our power - is to learn to accept the people and events and even ourselves when change isn't possible. Change is a process. "How many times do you want me to forgive my brother?" Peter asked Jesus. And Jesus basically responded, "to infinity and beyond." And that goes for us too - "how many times can I be forgiven - especially if I keep doing the same, dumb things?" "To infinity - or at least eternity - and beyond" Jesus replies.
How many times has a new experience led you to new questions? And new questions led you to new answers that challenge how you thought about life. When we were children - if we read and listened to our teachers and ran and played and talked - our minds were constantly stretched so to absorb all the new stuff we were experiencing. Then came the hard part - processing and figuring out what was good and what wasn't - what we needed to remember - and what we could forget.
This is the way of life. If we are to be healthy - we cannot stop learning and growing and experiencing until the day we die. And as followers of Jesus - our faith requires us to add another dimension to sort all this so we can not only apply it to our life - but also so we can we talk to others about Jesus.
Unless we have some context - all those doctrines, fancy words and Greek and Hebrew verbs aren't going to make sense. Sometimes, in fact most of the time, we aren't going to fully understand what God is trying to tell us until the moment comes that translates it for us. It's not about us being smart or holy - it's not even about us wanting to know things. Sometimes you have to be in the moment - whatever moment that is - for God to speak to you and you be able to understand what He's saying. And that moment requires some prep work which is why we worship and study the Bible and pray.
God never wastes anything. All of our stories - adventures - failures - questions - doubts - they all are woven together and used by the Holy Spirit to bring us along in our faith. When I get the chance to talk to people - and hear their story - I can see God at work in each wrong turn and dead end but also the moments where they're flying down the road with the top down and the wind blowing their hair without a care in the world. God is always with us - not just in the dark moments.
If you have ever experienced the loss of someone who was close to you - someone you loved and perhaps even said, "I don't know how I could live without you..." - you know what Mary was feeling.
It's these flashes of honesty that Ezekiel is talking about in our Old Testament Lesson. The Lord asks, "Can these bones live?" Elijah answers, "Oh, Lord God, you know." I love how Elijah turns the question back on God. I would have said, "I have no idea! - but, if these dry bones are my family and friends - the people I don't want to live without" - I would add, "but I hope so!"
St. Paul says, "if we only have hope in Jesus for this life - we are to be pitied more than anyone" - and he's right. If all we're doing is fooling ourselves - pretending there is something after this life - we should not only be pitied, we should be ashamed of ourselves.
Black is a color. White is a color. But light and darkness are completely different. Darkness - especially deep darkness - only hides what is actually there. When the darkness is complete - you discover the table, the chair, the marbles on the floor. They were always there - the darkness didn't make them go away - you just couldn't see them.
You can't see light - but you see what it lights up. I suppose light is visible - but if it doesn't illuminate anything - if there isn't anything to see - light doesn't serve a purpose. If you were out in the deepest part of space - and a beam of light went past - you would only know it because one moment it was pitch black and the next it's wasn't. But what do you need light for if there isn't anything to see?
Would you rather see nothing clearly - or know even though something is there and you can't see it - there is someone who can see it and will keep you safe? This is the question we need to answer.
What Isaiah and Jeremiah want you to know is - the worst thing in your day, your week, your month or even the worst thing in your entire life is not the last thing. Did you get that? Like daughter Zion, we can be tempted to give up - to think we've been forgotten - if we were ever remembered in the first place. Like her, we might even write "it looks like...you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure" in our diary, and then lay down our pen and close the book.
Fortunately our story does not end with our sin or hurts or pains or losses. God will not allow those things to be the final words of our life. Psalm 139 says, "your eyes, O God, saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Some people think that means we have no freedom or choice in our lives - God is pulling the strings and we're just puppets. But if that were true - why would God let us sin in the first place? One of the hallmarks of Lutheran theology is Eternal Foreknowledge. God knows what we are going to say and do - and He lets us choose for or against Him, for or against our world, for our against us - but always places within our grasp everything we need to know He is still here - still loves us - and won't give up on us. Divine love always conquers divine justice because of the cross and empty tomb.
What does it take to move you from apathy to action? You know those late night commercials with children and animals in need? Or St. Jude's hospital? Which commercials do you have to leave the room otherwise you would max your credit card and empty your bank? What news stories get you out of your chair and onto the street or into a school or gathered with a group of people setting forth to make things right?
For Jeremiah - it was no longer just The Woman's suffering - it became personal. Because I want you to be able sleep tonight, I will not read or even summarize the verses. As the Narrator watched this pain and suffering and loss unfold he could not remain on the outside - he stepped forward - his words softening - his eyes crying - his suffering visible.
At first, Jeremiah found himself praying for The Woman. Then he found himself being a pastor to The Woman. He went from narrating her sins - to walking beside her - crying out to God for her and searching for a way for her to be redeemed. Jeremiah became a pastor instead of a prophet.
500 years ago someone supposedly asked Martin Luther what he would do if he knew he was going to die tomorrow. Luther replied, "I'd plant an apple tree." When they asked why he would do such a crazy thing - he said, "it was on my list for today." Luther was saying - if it was important enough for me to do - then it doesn't matter whether I get to enjoy the fruit or not - someone will - and that is enough for me.
As believers - our life is always about buying a piece of land or planting an apple tree because we are theological optimists. Our hope is not naive - nor is it the easy way out as some suggest. In fact, it is the hard way out. C.S. Lewis, in his work, The Problem of Pain, notes, "love may cause pain to its object, but only on the supposition that the object needs alteration to become fully lovable."
The Woman of Lamenations represents all of us. We are so proud of being God's people - all the things we said and did in Jesus' name. We are the chosen - the saved - the redeemed. And yet if we step outside of our churches and put down our crosses and Bibles and prayers and see ourselves from the world's view - what do we look like? Are we the Bride of Christ - or the Bride of Frankstein?
There could be no book of Lamentions if there were no God. If there is no God, no grand plan, no purpose or reason for our existence other than being an accident of time and space - then lamenting makes no sense. If you cry out, "Why?" - the answer is "Why not?" If you ask, "How can this be?" - the answer is, "why shouldn't it be?"
But the response changes if there is a God, a grand plan, a purpose, a reason. If - as Christians claim - the Book of Revelation is not just a hopeful vision - but rather an actuality that is already real in God's timeline even if it hasn't happened in ours yet - then a lament is not only perfectly acceptable - but necessary. "How can this be?" - we ask. And we expect God to answer. And the most important part of the grieving and mourning process is the waiting for that answer.
I normally don't like to spoil the ending - but in this case, I must. As dark and smelly and loud as it is going to get when we ask God, "how can this be?" - there is a reason to stick around until the end.
We are paying the price of our sin - and the sin of our family and neighbors and community and the strangers we've never met. "Everything happens for a reason" - and our reason is sin. I get that we don't like it. And it's possible we aren't as guilty as others. But we are guilty. That's what this day is all about. And sitting by the river, refusing to sing while we wait for God to fix things - isn't going to help.
It's a day of penitence. A day to be honest about who we are as fragile, mortal creatures. We lament the condition of the world - and our own condition. We think about the sins which brought us to where we are today. I'll go first - I'm sorry for all the things I ever said that hurt or offended you. I'm sorry for not being the person you needed me to be. Hebrews 5 says the pastor has to first confess his sins and receive God's forgiveness before he can hear the sins of God's people and speak to them God's word of forgiveness. Something I need to take to heart.
There is a very tiny speck of light in all this darkness. There is a muted echo of the word alleluia wafting in the wind. There is the smell of incense as our prayers rise to God. There is still the promise of our laments turning into songs of joy.
We don't know when Peter, James and John finally told everyone what they had seen and heard on that mountaintop. Once Jesus was dead, there was no sense in keeping the secret anymore.
I know most of us like to think if we had been there - if Jesus had told us He was going to die and rise again after three days - we would have believed Him. We would have been standing outside the tomb with a "welcome back" banner, some cake and maybe some presents. But the truth is - I doubt it.
When I pour the water over the head of a child - do you believe it actually washes away their sin and makes them a child of God - that simple water and a few words are enough to cheat death? When you taste that little wafer and sip the wine - do you actually believe it's the body and blood of Jesus - that mysteriously the wafer and wine are now also Jesus in the flesh - emptying you of your sin and filling you up with God's love and mercy? When you hear God's Word read - can you tell it's different than all the other words in the world that get read?
To say that God is a mystery is in a way saying you can't quite nail Him down - that there is something more to Him and His Word and Sacraments that no matter how hard we try - we can't fully comprehend - and so we must take them on faith. And I suppose, if we want to take the metaphor just a little further - Pontius Pilate and the Roman soldiers couldn't nail Jesus down either - they tried - but He just got up out of the grave and went back to loving and forgiving and healing and raising others from their graves.
The prophet Micah says: "What does the Lord require of us? Act justly, love faithfulness and walk humbly with your God."
Such acts are not easy for us mere mortals - which is why we tend to build buildings, install stained glass windows and make pews more comfortable - those things are easy. Did you hear Jesus' words in the Gospel lesson? "If you don't want to be near me - I won't judge you because I didn't come into the world to judge - I came to save - and besides, I don't need to judge you because the stuff you have surrounded yourself with and the words you speak will judge you."
How close do you need to be to Jesus? The church has never, ever saved anyone. The church can't save anyone. No building, music, pew, program, pastor or DCE has ever saved a single soul. The only one who can save you is Jesus. The Bible is very clear on this - if you want to be saved you hold on to Jesus - who is and always has held on to you.
The manger in Bethlehem, the miracles, the crucifixion, the empty tomb - that is God holding on to you with all His love.
If you read the Bible - you will find every argument and complaint and disappointment vocalized by people like Ricky Gervais and the Atheist social media darlings. As Solomon said - there isn't "anything new under the sun." These individuals and others who rail against the "God they don't believe in" are not the enemy - nor should we treat them as such. They are the mission field.
I have come to love a God who accepts and acknowledges that I will have doubts and days when my words fail. I am beginning to understand and accept a God who refuses to micro-manage my life, my community or my world. And I am whole-heartedly in love with a God who can love you and me and even those who deny He exists.
The worst thing about depression and darkness is you know you need to get into the light - but you just don't have the energy. Newton's first law, "a body in motion tends to stay in motion - but a body at rest tends to just give up." That's my paraphrase.
Last Monday was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Two of his quotes I love are: "Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase" and "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." Finding Nemo paraphrased that when Dory said, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."
There is nothing more powerful than the light of a new dawn when you have been surrounded by darkness all night. There is nothing sweeter than the love of a friend who stands beside you when your life is falling apart. There is nothing more important than the words of forgiveness spoken by someone we hurt. There is nothing more important than Jesus
Being a disciple is not about what you know or can prove or even how much you believe. Faith is something we can make sound a lot easier than it really is. When we say someone has faith - it doesn't mean they don't have doubts or fears. You know those clear, glass walkways at the Grand Canyon or Tianmen Mountain in China or the CN Tower in Canada. I know engineers spent a lot of time and the contractor a lot of money to make sure they are totally safe - I have faith in their work - but I'm still not going out on one.
A disciple is known for the risk they are willing to take. They know there are bad people in this world - that everyone is dying, there may not be a monster under the bed but he might live down the street, there are babies in cancer wards, little boys and girls living without fathers and mothers, elderly people living alone. They accept all that as true. The leap of faith - the risk - is they are willing to make is in spite of all these terrible things - there is a God who loves the world and is working through His people to bring light into the darkness and hope into a hungry void that doesn't want to let go of its victims. That is a risk!
The simplicity of baptism is a deeper story than we will ever understand. We tried to become like God - not just His image but His power - and we failed - that's the Creation story. Since we could not become God - God became like us - that's the Christmas story. Jesus got baptized and walked this earth showing everyone how to forgive and love and live - all things we should know but forgot because we are still obsessed with becoming God - that's the Lenten story. Not a surprise, but turns out we weren't big fans of God showing up and living a holy life - as any two year old can say, "I do it myself" - so we nailed Jesus to a tree - that's the Good Friday Story. The only thing you can do with a dead body is bury it - Jesus didn't have His own grave so He borrowed one and they put Him in it on Friday afternoon - and that gave everyone time to think about what it means when God is dead - that's the Holy Saturday Story. That should be the end of the story - but it's not. Turns out when you bury God - He just gets up and walks out of the tomb - and instead of running around smiting everyone because they killed Him - He forgives people and loves people and says He will never die again - which is the Easter Story.
God doesn't stop there. Even after Jesus went back home to heaven, He continues to hold out His nail-scarred hands through His church - crying out, "Peace be with you" to anyone and everyone who is willing to listen. He calls you by name. He forgives you. He resurrects you. And one day He will take you home to heaven so you can experience life - your life that was supposed to be before sin messed things up. That is your Story and it all starts with your baptism.
Do you know how I know someone really loves me? When I am sweaty and stinky and look like I haven't showered in a month and someone says, "give me a hug!" And I respond, "I stink!" And they say, "so what - give me a big hug anyway!" - that's when I know they love me. They don't love me only when I smell good or do the right things or act a certain way - they love me for who I am.
We always picture the magi showing up in these really expensive robes and jeweled crowns and smelling like the perfume section at Sephora - but how would you smell - what would you look like if you spent four months wandering through the desert? I'm kind of thinking they were as ripe as those stinky shepherds on Christmas Eve. It wasn't about them - it was about Jesus - the Baby who came to bring life and light and maybe some air freshener.
The first time I remember hearing about postpartum depression was when a famous singer - someone who is my age and who I listened to when I was in high school - left her baby with the babysitter, got in her car and drove off with no real intention of ever coming back. Because she had a loving family and they didn't give up - she got the help she needed and worked through the depression. She noted what drove her away was when all the dreams and romanticism surrounding having children and being a family didn't happen the way it was supposed to.
Being faced with the sinful reality of why God had to send His Son into our world is something the world tends to leave out during all the Christmas festivities. It's a complicated compartmentalization - with all the death and destruction on one side of the news and Santa and his elves on the other side. We work so hard at believing that if we get the right gifts - spend enough money - eat enough cookies - drink enough egg nog - all the bad stuff will just go away. And when it doesn't - the world settles into a severe postpartum depression - leaving the baby behind with a sitter and driving off with no intention of coming back until the next Black Friday sales.
And that is why we came back this morning. To be among people who understand what we’re going through - because they are going through it as well. We aren’t any different than the people who aren’t here to day - it’s just we might be a little more honest about it. We came to make sure Jesus was still here - that His defiant light of hope was still shining. We can go back to our families, our phone calls, our presents, our dinner, our dinner and trees and lights - but also our problems, pains, hurts, anxieties and challenges. But maybe we aren’t quite as afraid or anxious because we know “the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not, will not ever over come it.”
We will get to go home someday where there is no more darkness or any of the other things that make this life so hard - but until then we have just enough light, just enough faith, just enough peace and just enough love to see us through this life
We aren’t Mary or Joseph - but we are cancer survivors, prodigal sons and daughters, the sick and the dying, the lost and the lonely, the anxious and the hurting, the wondering and the confused. We are imperfect - and yet unique and unreproducible at the same time.
Your imperfect story - all the things that were in your control that you messed up - and all the things that were out of your control that tore your life apart - that’s where this tiny Baby’s story begins. God meets you where you are - He doesn’t expect you to be or do anything different until the Gospel starts its work in and through you.
The miracle of Christmas starts with a story of two imperfect people whose lives were changed by a little baby. It’s no different for us.
The angel tells Joseph to take Mary as his wife, name the baby "Jesus" and that's it. It's not a lot of information. There may have been more - but Matthew didn't write it down. One of my questions is: how is Joseph supposed to explain all this to his friends and family? And that may be the point - it's not up to us to explain God. The greatest explanation comes in us following and trusting Him - even when we aren't completely sure where we're going or how we're getting there.
Traditional weddings include, "for richer or poorer, sickness and in health, till death us do part..." As crazy as this story is for Joseph - what would have happened if the Angel let him see the "the long journey to Bethlehem, the "no vacancy" signs on the inns, the stable birthing room, the shepherds, the visit of the wisemen, the need to escape to Egypt from the evil King Herod, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents." There is so much Joseph can't see - so much he doesn't know - and yet he agrees to take Mary as his wife and name the baby Jesus. That's faith.
Curiosity is a curious thing. It killed the cat - but it also inspired the greatest inventions of our time. If you have ever seen an Alfred Hitchcock movie, you understand when he says: "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." Likewise, quite often we discover the anticipation of something is far better than whatever we were anticipating. Why THIS Child?
Babies get born every day - and the anticipation around their birth is always exciting. But for over 2,000 years much of the world has been celebrating one particular Baby's birth and on Christmas eve we sing, "Christ, the Savior, is born..." It seems strange that a Baby can save us. Even though most of us haven't had our second or third iced tea yet - and these questions are a little heavy we need to ask - what do we need to be saved from? How can a baby do that? How does this saving take place? And how do we know when we're saved?
There is still light and holiness and love and hope - but the darkness presses in and threatens to vanquish them. We hear John's Gospel every Christmas, "the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it." God promised He is going to return - no more darkness, death, sin or pain. But we wonder if that's true.
We light a candle each week - a little more light pushing back the darkness. We cling to the hope and tiny bits of flame radiating from the candles which seem so fragile. But the flickering candles are just a metaphor. Our real hope is in Jesus because candles are just not enough.
We watch and wait. For healing. For a brighter light. We hold fast hoping we won't be disappointed. Advent is like a child on Christmas Eve. The reason we can't sleep - that we lie awake staring at the clock wishing it to go faster because we think we know what is waiting for us on Christmas morn - and we can't wait to find out if it's true.
If all those books and videos are right and my only choices are: my faith isn't good enough to win the lottery, cure my cancer and deserve an ice cream cone OR my faith is so poor God has to punish me even if I'm just a five year old kid in Kindergarten - then I'm with Martin Luther who said, "if I...had seen such dolts and blockheads teach the Christian faith, I would sooner have become a hog than a Christian."
Why THIS Faith? I wish we all had all the answers we wanted - answers that were so clear and so perfect we could accept them without any reservation. But such simple answers are exactly what get us into trouble in the first place.
Only one leper runs back to Jesus. He completely violates Jesus' personal space - falling at Jesus' feet. Social, religious and even personal boundaries go out the window. And all Jesus can say is, "where are the other nine?" Jesus wasn't worried they hadn't been healed - He knows they were. And it wasn't like my grandma who used to call and say, "I mailed your birthday card yesterday - did you get it?" so I'd say thank you. This is a "everyone pay attention - ten got healed, only one came back to say thank you - and the difference is the one isn't just healed - he is also whole." And there is the purpose of the story.
Jesus says, "your faith has made you well." This is very, very different than if He'd said, "Faith is the price you pay if you want to get well." God healed the ten lepers whether or not they gave Him credit. Whether they saw the connection or wrote a thank you card. God didn't require faith to heal them. Sometimes grace is like that.
I know what you're thinking - if God is so great and so powerful - why isn't He fixing everything? Turns out - God is asking us the same question. He says, "I have given you everything you need - everything - so why aren't you using it fix the world?" How should we answer Him?
To an anxious people wondering not just about the future - but even whether the world will survive today - Isaiah starts off his prophecy with a vision of God's power and glory. When I view this from the perspective of today's world - there is a problem. The people listening to Isaiah's prophecy might have been impressed by God's power and glory - but we've got more computing power in our phone than NASA had to get someone to the moon - some of our homes are bigger than David's palace - and we can get from Honolulu to London in 20 hours so who needs Elijah's Fiery Chariot. If Isaiah was impressed with God on his throne - he should see our Harley or Ford Raptor pickup.
If God walked into our church - would anyone recognize Him or bother to bow down before Him? What about if He showed them the nail holes in His hands and feet? We may be easily distracted by doom scrolling and watching endless YouTube shorts - but it takes a lot to impress us - and even more for us to render honor to someone.
On occasion, when I am meeting with the family of someone who died, they ask the unanswerable: "are they are in heaven?" The problem with the question is - I'm not God. I do not know the secret things or their last thoughts or if they just pretended to believe or if they were the "very model of a modern major believer." God has not let me look at the names in the Book of Life. All I have is what I saw in their life, what the family shared with me and the promises of Jesus. And so as I always do, I say, "I commend them into the hands of a loving and just God."
I cannot be certain of any other way to heaven than Jesus. Jesus never said, "I am one of the ways or a way." And this is where the dilemma and challenge gets very personal. It is not that those who are far away and who I will never meet on this earth aren't important. They are - to God and therefore to me. But when someone I love - or someone I respect - is following a different path and I cannot be certain it leads to heaven - I cannot just say, "oh well, good luck with that." If I truly love them - I will do my best to share the love of Jesus because love demands nothing less.
When someone says that all religions are the same and lead to the same place - that is like saying all drinks taste the same because they are all water based. To believe anyone can believe anything and wind up in the same place is illogical and dangerous. It does matter what you believe and why you believe it - not just because Jesus says, "no one comes to the Father except through Me" in John 14:6 - but because your soul cries out for a single truth that satisfies as nothing else can because it is THE truth.
To ask the question, "Why THIS Faith?" is to recognize there is a truth beyond all other truths. It is not enough to just hope and wish and follow the crowd. It matters what you believe and why you believe it.
Moses asked God, "what is Your Name? If I am going to go and do what you are asking me to do - then I must know your name so I can tell people Your name!" If you want a simple paraphrase - "I need to know You are who I have been looking for and who the world is looking for."
Frederick Buechner said, “their sainthood (and ours) consists less of what they have done than what God has for some reason chosen to do through them. When you consider that St Mary Magdalene was possessed by seven devils, that St Augustine prayed, "Give me chastity and self-control, but not now," that St Francis started out a high-living rebel in downtown Assisi, and St Simeon Stylites spent years on top of a sixty-foot pillar trying to get away from people - maybe there's nobody God can't use as a means of grace, including us.”
To fully understand what it means to be a saint - the first thing is to stop thinking it’s all about us. C.S. Lewis said, "humility is not thinking less about yourself, it's about thinking about yourself less." Apple trees, rose bushes, sunrises and ocean waves don’t sit around saying, “how can I do something great so I get noticed” - they just do what God called them to do - and all of us go "ooh and ahh.
The time to read God's Word - to let it dwell in your heart and soul and marinate - is not when the lightning is flashing and thunder is booming and the world is coming apart. The time to read God's Word is when all is well - or at least a few things are well with the world and we have five minutes every other day or so to spend with God. Then, when the lightning flashes and thunder booms and world comes apart - instead of running away to find a Bible and frantically thumb through it hoping to find some good news - we run toward the lightning and the thunder as the world comes apart because we know "nothing can separate us from the love of God we have in Christ Jesus, our Lord." It doesn't mean we have all the answers - it means we know who does and He is holding us in His hands.
God does not give answers - He gives Himself. He is the answer. He is the Word we seek, the One that will fell satan.
To sentimentalize something is to cling to how we feel about something or someone instead of holding to the truth. The greatest challenge is accepting that WE are the problem. We may try to point to a particular person or group or church or belief system and how they need correcting - but the truth is none of us are perfect and we all need correcting. That is why Jesus left heaven, get born in a stable, dealt with all our garbage, suffered, died and got resurrected. He didn't do it for "them" - He did it us in the extreme plural.
Sin and grace, lostness and foundness, darkness and light, pain and joy - we divide the world up by these things - but the truth is - where these things come together, that's where the Gospel happens.
We carry around the darkness and sin and pain of this world like a snail carries his shell. We know it's there - but we don't have to look it. We feel the weight of the shell but can still pretend it isn't there. We occasionally try to slide underneath something and discover we don't fit because our shell is too big - but even then we just look for another way in rather than deal with the reality of our shell.
The Christian faith is based on death and resurrection. We die and we rise again. Not just when we take our last breath, but every single time we confess our sins we die to those things that would suck us into the darkness forever - and then God raises us up again and again to new life. At least that is the way it is supposed to work - but sometimes we get sidetracked - and instead of dying and rising, we spend our time pointing out the sins of others and making fun of them so we don't have to deal with the pain and pressure of our sinful shell.
It takes faith to trust in this Book and I know that doesn't always come easy. Just a reminder - this book doesn't save you - no book on earth or in the heavens can do that. What saves you is Jesus and only Jesus. This book just opens up your heart and soul to the amazing story of God's love for you. When you get to heaven you won't need a Bible any more - because as St. John said in his Gospel, "in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God..." - and John wasn't talking about this Book - He was talking about Jesus.
Your challenge this month is to re-engage with God’s Word - read it, study it, mark it up, create a list of questions - for in so doing, you will also engage with Jesus - and that will change your life - and then you get to go out and make a difference in this world.
Can you see what Jesus is sharing with us? If we want to build a perfect kingdom on earth - and put a big gate around it to keep all the bad people out - God will let us. But it may be all we get. Lazarus didn't have to be poor or homeless or dying - he could have been me or you waiting at the bus stop outside the gate on our way to work or driving past the gates taking our kids to school. It isn't Lazarus poorness that gets him into heaven - it's his reliance on God's grace and mercy - which is why the rich man isn't excluded based upon his wealth. We - no matter who we are - "are saved by grace, through faith - and it isn't our work - so none of us can boast - it is the gift of God" - that's what Jesus is trying to get across to us - just how much God loves you - in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
One of my favorite Eugene Peterson quotes is, "when Jesus told parables the people all stood around listening and applauding and when He was done they shouted, 'great sermon - loved it - really spoke to my heart.' The truth was they weren't really listening and had no idea what He was saying - until later that night when they were sitting around relaxing and suddenly - like a time bomb - the truth of the parable plowed through their brain like a runaway freight train. Jesus was talking about them. He snuck a story about them - a not so nice story about them - into the sermon. And now they have to wrestle with it."
That's where I had my aha moment. The reason the value of the sheep is more than $2.15 a pound is because the value is not decided by the sheep or even decided by the market. The value is determined by the shepherd. The shepherd said I will come and find you. You - even though you are a lost sheep - are important enough to me that I will do whatever it takes to bring you back.
The words of Frederick Buechner from his book, A Room Called Remember. "The words 'You shall love the Lord your God" become in the end, less a command than a promise. And the promise is that, yes, on the weary feet of faith and the fragile wings of hope, we will come to love him at last as from the first God has loved us - loved us even in the wilderness, especially in the wilderness, because he has been in the wilderness with us. He has been in the wilderness for us. He has been acquainted with our grief. And, loving him, we will come at last to love each other too so that, in the end, the name taped on every door will be the name of the one we love.' "
When you get to heaven - and Jesus says there will be an amazing banquet waiting for you - everyone will know everything about you. No secrets. No hidden agendas. And the person sitting next to you might be Jon Bon Jovi - or it might be the homeless man you see on the way home who is picking through the rubbish can looking for something to eat. It might even be that kid with the bloated stomach on the late-night commercial for World Vision. It could be a Raiders fan - or a Yankees fan or even a Republican or Democrat. And you will know everything about them - no secrets - no hidden agendas.
You will know their story - and they will know yours. And where you will find comfort in each others presence is knowing that both of you were forgiven for whatever sins your committed - you were freed from whatever addictions you suffered with and healed of the diseases and mental health challenges that you fought through. And none of it will matter.
One of the biggest questions we will ever wrestle with is: can we be absolutely, unfailingly certain we are going to heaven when we die. Working through that is one of the fundamental questions in life of a Christian - but even not-believers ask, "what happens when I die?"
When Jesus says, "Do you think I came to bring peace?" Our immediate reaction is, "yes - Jesus - Isaiah said you are the Prince of Peace - so we assumed you came to bring peace!" Jesus continues, "I have brought division." And that stops us cold. When He continues, "families are going to be divided over Me" - and gets very specific - we are lost and confused and hurt all at the same time. Why would Jesus do that?
We need to broaden our understanding by seeing these verses in context. When Jesus says, “ I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled” - that sounds crazy - like God is going to burn the whole world down. But if we go back to Luke 3:16 where John the Baptist says, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" we find the context we need. God isn't going to burn the world down - He's going to purify it. And the way He is going to do that is by placing His Holy Spirit and the fire of His Gospel within His people.
This whole Gospel is about Jesus’ giving us a glimpse into the heart of God. And when I say heart - I'm not talking about the blood pumping organ - I'm talking about the very core of God's being. When St. John said, "God is love" - he wasn't trying to create a branding logo for God's Instagram or TikTok - he was stating a facet of who God is at His core.
Far too many people complain they don't know God or don't know enough about Him or are confused by His essence. If God's core is love - it allows us a glimpse of why He does things. Jesus said, "if you've seen Me - you've seen the Father." If we read the stories of Jesus in the Gospels - healing the sick, knocking tables over in the temple when people were being cheated, forgiving sinners, sacrificing Himself for the world - we get a very good idea of what God's heart is all about: LOVE.
The church isn't perfect - but it was given a gift from God to share with the world. I can't eliminate the pain and fears from your life - but I can promise you that you don't have to through them alone. When you confess your sins - when you lay your burdens before the cross - the stories are always difficult - and some people will never understand - but don't worry about them - some will - and that's the point.
Forgiveness is the justice of God. A society that has forgotten how to forgive can never be truly just. Because the best that justice can do is set the stage for forgiveness. Justice can’t make things right. Even forgiveness can’t make things right on its own – but forgiveness begins the process of reconciliation which leads to healing. It is not simple and it isn’t quick - but it all starts with forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t the end - it’s the beginning.
God made a promise to you at your baptism - a covenant so holy He will never break it. He promised to be your God - to love you and forgive you and care for you - to make sure when you finally make it home there is a place with your name on the door and the lights on. Your life will not be perfect - you will experience trauma and heartache, pain and sickness, lostness and fear. Weaving its way in and out of all those will be joy and hope and love and peace. And every morning when you wake up and every night before you go to bed you will ask yourself what the purpose of your life is and how it is to be lived and what it all means.
You may not think about the words of your baptism - but they are engraved on your forehead and your head and you soul - even if you are the only one who knows they are there - just like Abraham and Sarah were the only ones who knew that what God had promised them
If we reread the parable again - we realize the lawyer had no problem with Jesus saying, "love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength" - he passed right over that because he thought he had that one covered. He wanted clarification on the "love your neighbor." What Jesus pointed out was - you love God by loving one another - even those, perhaps especially those, who aren't like you. And if anyone had doubts about whether Jesus really believed what He preached - it wasn't that much later that He allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross between two thieves - and as He looked out over the very people who nailed Him to that cross, some of His last words were, "Father, forgive them - they know not what they do..."
Let me give you a verse - if you remember only one thing from today - this is it: Romans 12: 8, “As far as it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Did you hear that: “As far as it is possible” - because sometimes it’s not - “as far as it depends on you” - you are not responsible for the other person - “live at peace with everyone.” And this is because you have better things to do than walk around being angry or hoping birds poop on people’s cars. You do not have to rent space out in your head to people. You don’t have to let people hijack your thoughts. You do not have to let people steal your peace or make you feel miserable. You may not be able to fix things - or fix them - but you can choose to live at peace. We can’t always - in fact more and more we rarely can control a lot of the things that happen to us - but we can always choose how we respond. And that is important!
St. Peter quoted Proverbs 26:11, but he added, “a pig returns to the mud after a bath.” I am amazed how well Bible writers know me. I finally throw up all the bad stuff I gorged on - and like a dog return to it. God finally gets me cleaned up and I jump back in the mud. Jesus sets me free - and I run back into the cell and lock the door.
The world loves “me-based solutions to all our me-based problems.” How long do you think it will be before we figure out we cannot “hate ourselves into a new person we will love?” Before we realize “tearing someone else down doesn’t make us a better person?” Before we get tired of trying to prove we’re worth something? Before we look in the mirror and not worry about what anyone else thinks about us - but see a unique and unreproducible miracle of God.
What Jesus offered Legion - what He offers us - is more than healing. He offers forgiveness. C.S. Lewis differentiated between the two in his classic, The Problem of Pain, “We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. I have heard others, and I have heard myself, recounting cruelties...committed in boyhood as if they were no concern of the present. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin. The guilt is washed out not by time but by repentance and the blood of Christ: if we have repented these early sins we should remember the price of our forgiveness and be humbled.”
The mystery of Holy Trinity Sunday is this simple: God created you as a unique an unreproducible miracle. Jesus paid for all the junk and mistakes in your life. The Holy Spirit is with you e
You can tell Jesus He is full of demons. You can build all sorts of barriers between you and Him. You can listen to the demon on your shoulder. You can do whatever you want. It doesn't change the truth that God loves you - forgives you - has a place in heaven with your name on it - and is tearing down all the obstacles between you so you can enjoy this life as you get ready for the life to come.
Everytime someone tells me only pastors can preach - I point to this verse. It may be my job to deliver a sermon on Sunday - but you, whether you are male or female, young or old - have a calling to preach. You don't have to be long-winded like me - you just have to tell people what God has done and is doing in your life. And you don't need to go into great detail - sometimes it's as simple as, "I was lower than a snake's belly the other day when I heard my favorite Christian song" or "did you see that sunset - it was amazing" or "how can I pray for you?"
People who through the gift of faith believe the resurrection happened, live in a world where death and satan and evil no longer have any power over them. It doesn't mean death isn't scary. It doesn't mean they don't work to avoid it. But ultimately when death comes - the believer looks it straight in the eye and says, "do your worst - you can't win" because even if you steal my last breath - one second later I will wake up in heaven and get to live forever where you can't touch me anymore.
The difference between a myth and the truth is not if you believe it or not. It's whether it really is true. You cannot change truth just by believing or not believing.
This is why we live by faith. As much as I would love to live in complete certainty - knowing everything without doubt or fear - it is impossible. My brain will not allow me to completely trust God. It works to sabotage me over and over again as it tries to convince me I know more than God and everyone else. My self-deception is a myth that threatens to destroy me.
As we look around, we see signs of a world so deeply loved by God that even as it spirals into nothingness He refuses to give up. And the only thing God said that was worth saving from this world and this universe was you. There will be a new heaven and new earth - and you will get to see it take place. And because I know God - I know you are going to love it - because what you were really searching for your whole life will be found in what is new which as it turns out isn't so new at all because it's always been what you were looking for.
We cannot avoid pain or suffering or uncomfortable moments or the judgment of the world. When we run away from God - we get further and further away from His voice - the voice that speaks Truth. And I know we are often afraid of the truth - and yet there is a truth we need to hear. I know we don't like being told we're sinners or that we shouldn't have said that or done that - but that is not the only thing God says.
The voice of God also calls out to us to remind us we are His child - forgiven - eternal - loved - did I say forgiven? Yeah - I know I did but I think you need to hear that at least twice - along with you are loved. No matter where in the world our feet happen to be - God wants us to also be in His arms where He can hold us and give us peace and speak words of promise - even in, make that especially in, the midst of pain and uncertainty
Revelation was written for a very specific purpose - and it wasn't to create anxiety, fear or doubt in the minds of God's people. People are always saying they want to study Revelation because it's filled with 7 headed beasts, angels fighting demons, dragons and other science fiction worthy scenes. But all of that is just creamer in the coffee, icing on the cake, the pickle on the Chick-Fil-A sandwich. You can boil the whole book of Revelation down to just two words: God wins. All those demons and beasts and dragons and fire and darkness and death and threats - God wins every time.
The church is not a group of people who all believe the exact same things. That is the goal - but it ain't going to happen until we get to heaven. The church is a group of people caught up in a story that has Jesus at the center. We are drawn into that story and the life of Jesus as the Holy Spirit works in our heart, mind and soul to deepen our relationship with God and one another to the point where we no longer see God and heaven and theology and the church from our perspective - but God's.
Easter is the epitome of the Christian identity. We are people who every single day stand completely exposed to death and pain and all the rest of the world's evil deeds. Faith allows us to declare they cannot hurt us.
When someone asks how we could say that - it would never be enough for us to give the reason for our faith as - an empty tomb. They would just stare at us and think we were crazy.
But a living Jesus - one who is alive and breathing and working in and through us - that is more than enough proof. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jesus’ resurrection makes redemption possible. The Holy Spirit is breathed on us by the risen Christ in ways we cannot describe - but we can experience. What Easter says in the boldest possible statement - God’s pursuit of you is relentless. His scars tell His story of a cross, a grave, an empty tomb and offer endless possibilities.
If you knew Someone would save you when you died - would you be afraid of dying? In a preview of that grace-filled and merciful unbinding that will take place on Easter Sunday - Jesus throws a parade today. It's a simple thing to show people what the world sees as an end is really just the beginning. If, by God's gift of faith, you believe the cross is more than a fairytale - there is a happily ever after waiting for you.
When People Knock our Rocks Down. My life, like yours, is what it is today because of what we believe. Like St. Paul, I don't know everything - and still have some "aha" moments. Theology and doctrine are not moving targets - but our life and this world is always moving - which is why when people knock the stacked rocks down - and we find ourselves a little lost - we need to make sure we know who to trust and not be afraid to ask the right questions.
Is this a parable - or is it the real-life story of God and prodigal children? And if we're talking about the word prodigal (spending resources freely and recklessly; being wastefully extravagant) - is it the son or the Father who is more extravagant? One thing is certain from the text - whether we are the prodigal or the older, self-righteous, brother - God doesn't give up on us.
Justice and Mercy are not opposites. They are both necessary parts of our earthly life. Henri Nouwen wrote, “We tend to be compassionate to the extent that we have suffered the Passion in our own lives.” If we view life through the cross of Jesus, our own pain and suffering and failures and losses - the manure of our life - tend to make us more understanding of others - and the "grammar of justice is softened by the poetry of mercy."
When the pastor speaks - who do you hear? What rules are there for pastors when they say things like, "thus saith the Lord?" And so - part of what is supposed to happen when we come to church is our hearts and minds and souls are to be continually baptized - not with water - but with grace and mercy and peace so we are able to take all that we are - and all that the world is made of and use it for the sake of the Gospel. I forget to remind you as often as I should - I do not expect you to be perfect. What I expect is for you to be forgiven. I would rather point to the scars you bear - because those are the stories of grace and love and mercy and the strength that few see because you wear those scars so well.
We live in the wilderness - and as long as we are on this earth the wilderness will be where we lay our head, scratch out a living and try to make sense of this life. satan and sin will always be here. There is a reason Jesus went into the wilderness immediately after His baptism - He was reminding us of what we have through that simple water and few words. At baptisms, the pastor asks everyone present to "renounce satan and all his empty promises" - what an amazing moment that is for us. As Luther used to shout at satan, "I am baptized" - and in those few words serve notice to anyone and everyone that grace wins because of the cross and empty tomb.
Once a year, on a Wednesday, we mix ashes with oil. We light candles and confess to one another and to God that we have sinned by what we have done and what we have left undone. We tell the truth. We smear the ashes on our foreheads and together acknowledge the single reality upon which everyone agrees: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.” It’s the only thing we know for sure: we are going to die. But grace teaches us to ask the most important question: "then what?"
You don't need a mountaintop or voice from the clouds or even Elijah and Moses showing up. Transfiguration Sunday is about how we don't need to "Climb to Glory" (sorry 10th Mountain Div) God's holiness came to dwell with us - in the valleys and plains of our existence. It isn't about where we are or what's happening around us - God is with us in all of it.
It's the story of Joseph (the one with the Techicolor Dream Coat) When the puzzle you are putting together doesn't look anything like the picture on the box - and you're missing a couple of pieces - then you know that God has something amazing in mind and in the end, you'll wind up looking just like God knew you would!
The disciples recognized Jesus because of His scars - maybe there is something to that. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing for the world to recognize us by our scars. The scars of the past do not define us. They have led us into the scarred hands of Jesus. Scars remind us we are alive - that we are not done yet - and we have stories to tell - especially the one about our Jesus and His scars.
The Unholy Holy Isaiah is brought into God's presence and begins to fly apart because of his unholiness. A Seraphim purifies him using a fiery coal from the altar fire - and through those burning lips Isaiah cries out, "Here Am I - Send Me" when God asks who will go and tell the world of His love and forgiveness.
Every earthly kingdom will fail and be destroyed - that doesn't mean we shouldn't recycle and reduce our carbon footprint and love animals (and people) - but it points us back to the Great Commission where Jesus said to "Make Disciples" - not conquer peoples. To do our work we don't need a kingdom, a building, a law or anything else. "Love your Enemies and Pray for those who Persecute you" - for that we just need Jesus.
The Great Ordinary. Miracles are only miracles on this side of heaven. In heaven - miracles are the Great Ordinary.
I have a bottle of "Perfect" water in my office, and the other day at the store I saw "smart water" and there is even "Gold Water" from Tibet, "Iceberg Water" from Norway, "Zen Water" from Japan and my favorite - water from Iran that comes in a falcon shaped glass bottle. But even if it was Fillico water from Japan that goes for $1380 a liter - your baptism wouldn't be any different than water from the bathroom. Baptism is a work of God - a gift - a means of Grace.
We all need someone to point us to Jesus - especially when He's right in front of us and we don't see Him. The Light has come and the darkness is being pushed back until, as the book of Revelation says, there will be no more of it.
Simeon has been waiting his whole life. He scoops up the baby Jesus and begins to sing.
How long would you wait for God? What would you do when He fulfilled His promise?
If you need something to make this a little more real - think about Mary holding the baby Jesus in her hands - cradling Him close to her. Now think about the last time you took communion. The pastor placed the wafer in your hand. We believe that wafer was Jesus - in, with and under the bread. What you were holding in your hand was no different than what Mary held on that first Christmas. That's how real Jesus is - to you - to me - to the world.
If you know how His story ends - then you can know how your story ends. No matter what twists or turns or bad guys or being forced to move or surprises - the story proclaims His story is your story.
You are loved. You are unique. You are unreproducible. God sent His Son so you would know how precious you are to Him.
We are not alone in our sin. We are not alone in our joy. We are not alone in our grief. We are not alone in our questions. We are not alone - period.
Hawaii isn't for football fanatics that are also followers of Jesus (the games are over before we get home from church) - John points us to the sidelines, the Star Player and the scoreboard that tells us we've already won. But before the game ends - John has some things to say to the people in the stands and on the sidelines.
John the Baptizer screams "repent' - what does he expect from us? Does he expect us to stop doing bad things and saying bad things - or is it something else? How much patience does God have with us? How long will He wait for us?
Ever walked into a well-lit room and turned on a flashlight? You don't need light where there is already light - you need light where there is darkness. Advent is God shining the light of His grace on a very deep darkness. E'en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come is not asking Jesus to speed things up - it's asking Him to use you right now - wherever you are - do bring light to someone who needs it.
This ain't heaven and these churches aren't the real church - the people are - and we've got all eternity to make sure that no one gets left behind.
It's the "Widow's Mite (or lepton in the Greek) - but it has nothing to do with money. God is always more interested in our heart and soul than in our offerings. If we know who we are - and why we are here - the offering becomes an extension of the soul. This woman gave because it is who she was!
You are a saint but you are also a sinner. The fancy Latin is Simul Justus et Peccator. It just means you have one foot in heaven and one on this earth - and the "now - but not yet" (heaven) brings meaning and purpose to the "now - but slipping through your fingers" (earth). Be loved by God - then go out and love others.
Baby teeth and Jesus are not usually in the same sentence - and they definitely don't teach the same theology. We need a daily Reformation in our lives and in our churches. “The core problem isn’t the fact that we’re lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is why we are this way - and that is because we have an inaccurate view of God.” Francis Chan
What is your definition of Being Saved? Unless you are the thief on the cross, you will spend the rest of your life "numbering your days aright - seeking a heart of wisdom." What will that look like?
You are annoying - until we need your spiritual gift (and we don't even want to talk about me being annoying, but...)
Saying Yes can be a spiritual experience - especially when Jesus takes us somewhere that He knows is going to be perfect because we were created for that moment
"The Spiritual Gift of saying No and Yes" (oh, and the gift of three paint sticks and a roll of duct tape and a USMC van)
The spiritual gift of Kleenex, coffee and babysitting. They aren't listed in the Bible - but they bring the Kingdom to those who need it - and allow for an amazing witness of the love of Jesus.
Luther said, "God doesn't need your good works but your neighbor does" - life is about finding out where, as Frederick Buechner said, "our deep gladness meets the world's deep hunger."
God doesn't ever want you to doubt who you are! Besides being unique and unreproducible, you are eternally loved.
Sticking our finger down our throat to keep us from being unclean (at least that's what I understood Jesus to be saying"
Joshua says we have to choose who we are going to worship. Jesus says He is the Bread of Life and only He can give us eternal life.
You are already with God in heaven (yeah, it's a time travel thing according to C.S. Lewis) - so the bravest thing you can do is keep living, keep loving, keep forgiving and keep holding on until you believe you are in heaven.
A connoisseur of churches? What does it take for you to be a member of a church (and is any of it in the Bible?)
What do you do with a shepherd who isn't taking care of the sheep? How do you love a world that is really hard to love? Thankfully, Jesus knows the answers and wants to share them with us!
Coloring inside the lines and living inside the margins isn't possible thanks to sin - good thing Jesus allows us to live in the margins of His grace
Waking up each morning and living is something we often take for granted - and yet it is a miracle and gift of the highest order.
"Hey, God - don't you care if we die?" It's a question we all ask - but are we ready for God's answer?
You have to ask the right question to get the correct answer - good thing we have all eternity for Jesus to answer our questions!
Either we find the Sabbath - or it will find us after we are too broken and bruised to do anything other than cry out to Jesus...
Three in One - One in Three - good thing we're saved by grace and not by our understanding
I am the Vine - You are the Branches (what do you mean we can't do anything without You?)
Good Shepherd Sunday - You're a flock, I'm a sheepdog - we might as well get used to it!
Thomas and Doubts (and how they are not badges of shame but things Jesus redeems us from)
Did you see the Gorilla? If you didn't (a euphemism for Jesus) - you probably weren't looking for him. A story of Mary, Mary and Salome heading to the tomb early on Easter Sunday with spices and oils.
Do we really think flowers at a funeral will make death smell better or balance all the black clothes we're wearing?
What is your job in the kingdom of God? (and we really need to spend more time with 2 year olds)
The Spirit "brooding" over the waters of creation and the waters of our Baptism - getting ready to do something amazing!
Simeon breaks into song, Anna gives a blessing and we figure out what it means to be the brothers and sisters of God.
No matter how hard the world tries - it will never be able to keep God out (and that's a promise)
The Pharisees are at it again (and this time they teamed up with the Herodians) and no surprise it's over money and taxes and Caesar
Figuring out the whole grace thing (because the last being first doesn't always make sense)
Children, Hacksaws, lost Sheep, Millstones - but it's really about who and what the church is supposed to be (and the church is you).
God is not a giant vending machine - instead HE gave us to one another - to care for, encourage, love, forgive and walk with