Sunday of Christ the King - 25 November 2012

My kingdom is not from this world.

• We have heard this before.
• We've heard this so often that accept it at face value: Jesus says his kingdom is not from this world. So that means that Jesus is a king, but his kingdom is somewhere else, outside of or beyond this world we know of. This world belongs to another kingdom. We often take that to say that this world belongs to the evil one.
• There may be other ways of looking at this. It may not mean what we have thought it means. Maybe it would be better to wipe the slate clean and re-imagine the whole thing.
• Here, I may dare say, imagination is the key. We have to go beyond what we think the passage says and reach out with that same faculty of our minds and souls that allow us to see so many things in the clouds of a summer day or that lets us develop a whole life history for a snowman standing on our front lawn.
• So when we think of a kingdom and a king, we imagine just what we've seen in our lives or in history. We see a king as a powerful figure who may be concerned for the subjects of the kingdom or may be quite exploitive of them. Still, they remain powerful and willing to show that power in any number of ways.
• We see pomp and ceremony, rich and exotic court clothing, royal guards and various functionaries of the court.
• We might expect to show deference to such a king, to bow to them and offer some sort of honour in their presence. We'd expect to see their image on the money and stamps and... well, we could go on in any direction we wish.
• Now, could there be another sort of kingdom? Could there be one that does not take it's shape or values from the world in which it exists? Could there be a king who is truly a king but whose reign would be so different from what we'd expect?
• We don't have to go far to imagine this image. When we see Jesus before Pilate, we have an image of this re-imagined king and kingdom. In saying “My kingdom is not from this world”, Jesus is telling all who will listen that the direction, the values, the basis of his kingdom is not drawn from the direction, values, and bases of the kingdoms of this world. What is important in Jesus' kingdom is different from what is important to the other kingdoms. He is not concerned with power, image, or prestige. He is not tied up in ceremony and pomp, in the politics of acquisition and deference. No, Jesus' kingdom is based on something altogether different.
• There is still another point to be looked at. In saying that his kingdom is “...not from this world.”, there seems to be a note of refusing to divorce his kingdom from all of the created order. It can be easy to think of Jesus and his kingdom as a heavenly kingdom, existing elsewhere in another place and time, parallel or opposite to our own. If his kingdom were divorced from the world, his followers would either be invading to rescue their monarch or would be unconcerned, knowing that the illusionary power of Pilate and the empire of Rome could not touch him.
• For Jesus to say “My kingdom is not from this world.”, he is laying claim to this world as his kingdom, and at the same time saying that his claim is not the claim of worldly authority. The source and the nature of his authority is quite different. The kingdom has been his from the beginning of all things and it includes all of creation, not simply the people who would acknowledge him as Lord.
• Beyond that, Jesus' conversation with Pilate on the Friday so long ago shows us the nature of his kingdom. Historically, rulers have been at their best when defending the lives and rights of their subjects and administering justice. In this scene in Pilate's headquarters, Jesus says his mission is not power or conquest, but truth and the proclamation of truth for all. The search for truth is a continuing theme in the Gospel of John and it is here that it is most present: “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." To know Jesus is to know him as the king of truth.
• Further, we know what comes next in the narrative from John's Gospel – the way of the Cross, the crucifixion, death, and burial of the one who was condemned for being a rival to Caesar. It's been said that Jesus reigns from the cross and goes to his death as a king in procession to his throne.
• It is a very special king who shows his power through weakness and by dying for his followers. It is a very special kingdom that includes all who seek truth. It is a special sort of reign that refuses to be the sort of kingdom that worldly people expect. It is a very special kingdom that is both present and still to come.
• And that sort of kingdom is the one that we -by the grace and mercy of God- are part of.

  • To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Pastor's Sermon - 18 November 2012 - Pentecost+25

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

• This is one of those times where the reading from Scripture sounds like 11 o'clock news or the international section of the newspaper. Things haven't changed that much from the time of Jesus to our day, except for how fast news travels and how many competing and conflicting versions of any story there are.
• As the church year draws to a close, we hear again the apocalyptic words of Jesus. To look at them without concern and thought or to look at only a part of them without reading them in their fullness would leave us in terror and despair. But that is never the intent of the Bible. Nor are the words of Jesus, of Paul and the other New Testament writers, or of the prophets of Israel and Judah meant for destruction and emptiness. In the final analysis, the intent and the direction is always for hope.
• So where is the hope here? The disciples are impressed by the size and grandeur of the the Jerusalem temple; Jesus is not. When they can, his closest disciples, Peter, James, John, and Andrew, ask for some explanation of his words: When would this happen and what sign would accompany the event?
• We might wonder if they were asking out of concern for all those who would be effected by a disaster that would throw down the Temple. It is possible that they were asking in order to gain an “inside track” on special knowledge to once again have a special place in the community of all the disciples, whether close or distant. They might have even been frightened for themselves and their welfare.
• In any event, Jesus never really answers their question. He tells them to beware of false teachers and fake messiahs. He tells them of events in general that must take place, although “wars and rumours of wars” were not unusual in the time of the Roman empire, even in the relative peace of Jesus' time and place. In looking back, we know that this peace would be shattered in Mark's time with the brutal Jewish War that would destroy the temple and scatter the Jewish people. The passage in Mark continues with further cautions and with images of what would come soon and in some later time.
• In the face of this, what would be left for us but to give in to despair, throw ourselves into wild pleasures, or to withdraw into the hills and caves and dig in to fight for our survival.
• Well, Christians are not armed survivalists by definition. Nor do we fill our days with indiscriminate pleasures, believing there is nothing more to life. This is not what we are about. For us, it is the last sentence of our reading today that holds the spark of hope: “This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”
• If we value these words of Jesus in any way, we don't anticipate the destruction of all creation and all human society. Something more than destruction and disaster is in store and we look forward to nothing less than a new beginning, a turning point in our history and our entire reality that leads to an “end and after” for our story and for our journey with God.
• The words we hear in the Gospel today are not meant to be a blueprint or a road-map to show exactly where to go and what to do. They are a call for us to stay watchful because God is active in the world and that activity is often beyond the understanding and even the notice of the human race. They are a reminder to all of us to seek out justice and true righteousness in our world now rather than simply waiting for it in what is to come. In doing that, we become part of what is to come.
• All that Jesus said in this passage from Mark and in what follows is a reminder and maybe even an advertisement for God actively working for the good of humankind. In a way, those words might act as a warning to keep awake -like the grooves cut into some of the roadways around here- to jar a traveller to alertness while moving along what might be an otherwise uneventful and dangerously numbing trip.
• When we are faced with words such as the ones we hear today, we become aware that something is coming to its fullness, like the ripening of a crop. Jesus says “This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” Infants are meant to be born and I don't recall anyone ever saying “Let's stay pregnant forever.” Births are generally seen as good things, full of potential and promise. Babies are meant for birth and God's future is what we are made for and usually entire families are involved.
• What is to come is never simply “out there”, as if we were just observers or even victims of what is to come. As people of faith who live in hope of God's Kingdom, we are now already part of what is to come. And that gives us hope as we watch and wait together.

The Pastor's Sermon - Pentecost+24 - 11 November 2012

A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.

• Every story in the Gospels is Good News; that is what Gospel means. Something can be found that furthers the cause of the salvation of the world. I really feel that every story in the Gospels is a challenge. In our lives, the work of salvation of our entire lives is never really finished until we are face to face with our Creator. Until then, we live in a sort of unfinished waiting, knowing we are blessed by God, justified and saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and filled by the Spirit. Still, we are not in heaven. There is the challenge. Not that we make our heaven here on earth, but that we hunger for more of God while we are where we are.
• This is odd tension. The words of Jesus comfort us with the assurance of God's love and grace. AND those same words also spur us to more and will not permit us to rest complacent. This may lead us to feel pulled, desiring to rest in the grace of God and at the same time, feeling restless in that same grace of God that may compel us to change ourselves or the world around us.
• The example of the poor widow in Mark's Gospel today is an example of this. First of all, the story:
• The widow places two small coins in the Temple treasury as an offering. Not this is not a simple box in the entry to the Temple precincts. The treasury is said to have been a large cone-shaped or horn-shaped container that worshippers would place their offering in. The rich would place their offerings there and the offering of coins would make a noise in the container. By the amount of noise the offering made, a bystander could pretty much tell how large the offering was. (Doesn't a Twoney make more of a jingle than a dime?) The poor widow would put in her coins which Mark describes as “two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.” There wouldn't be much of a clatter there, would there? Surely the clang and jingle of the offerings of the rich would be far more satisfying to those around. “Did you hear that one? Wow, he must be rich!”
• Jesus sees beyond that. He perceived that the widow's little coins were a much larger sacrifice than the big-time contributions of the rich. “For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
• The Good News here is that God accepts the offering of a giving heart, whatever it might be. It doesn't matter if the giver gives money, goods, or time; if they give from the heart, it is an acceptable gift to our God.
• The challenge of this story is this: “For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." We are challenged to ask ourselves how we spend our treasure, our talent, and our time. Is our money ours or is it given to us by God for the time-being? Was the widow returning to God what she saw to be God's to begin with?
• The challenge is not about how much we give, but how much of ourselves we give. The widow gave all she had and we can imagine that she understood the cost to her. (What would she eat? How would she keep warm? And what about tomorrow? In the time of the New Testament, widows and orphans were the really poor. There were no pension plans or Children's Aide. They had no 'safety net' to fall back on if no one in the family would take them in.) Despite her possibly desperate straits, she gives and she digs deep. In the sight of Jesus, it is not the amount she gives but her attitude and what she values.
• So do our own actions mirror our values and our true spirit? What exactly do our actions say about our values and what we hold dear. In the Gospel of Luke, it is worded this way: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
• How to live our lives as Christians is always a challenge. We are tempted to many things, not the least of which is to set ourselves and our own will up as a sort of god. Worship of the self is the original sin. A rabbi I was acquainted with once told me that the first of the ten commandments is primary and the other nine are commentary. The great commandment pointed out by Jesus has the same focus - “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” [The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”] (Mark 12:30-31)
• We are not always challenged to give every cent we have. What we are challenged to focus our days and endeavours on our gracious and generous God. If our two copper coins are given in thanksgiving for what we have received from God, let it be so. Let's also pray that our actions always embody faith and our values.

Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

Photos from Oktoberfest

St. John's has a tradition of German culture and one of the best ways that is shown (in my opinion) is the cooking! We do have services in the German language four times a year and hold an "Adventsfreier mit Kaffetaffle" in December. At Christmas worship, hymns are sung in both English and German, often simultaneously!
Lately, we added a celebration of Oktoberfest to this. The dinner is well attended and quite enjoyable. Generally it consists of one or two types of sausage, hot  potato salad, sauerkraut, rolls, and apple crumble. It really can't be beat.
Beth took some photos this year, and I'd like to share some of them.



Jon and Dick in full traditional attire. No one shows up in their full tradional "Siebenbergishen Sachsen" folk clothing. (the "Trachten") I think it's too expensive to get anything spilled on and some folks, although German, are not Transylvanian German. Their liederhosen are very authentic and Jon has been collecting pins for his hat for years.



I am obviously neither Saxon or Lithuanian German. To honour their heritage, I wear my own traditional garb.
With grandparents named Daily, Dever, McIllarney, and Goldsworthy. I have to let my Celt flag fly in saffron kilt,
hose, sporran, Sghian Dubh (the knife in the sock), and caubeen... with various badges.

 

The apple crisp had MANY customers. It was excellent.

 

Why does it get so quiet when the meal is served? It was set up buffet-style. Jon had Oktoberfest music playing from a boom-box and it set the mood nicely.



Everyone gets their turn.

 

The dessert table was a favourite place.

Not all traditions are healthy, but there are traditions that are worthwhile. I hope this one keeps on.

It's a good way to celebrate the congregation's heritage... and tasty, too!

The Pastor's Sermon for All Saints Sunday -- 4 November, 2012

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals.'

• Have you ever placed yourself in the Scriptures? By that, I mean reading a passage and seeing yourself as part of what was there. This is a method involved in one well-known way of meditating on the Scriptures. You use your imagination and put yourself in the story as a character or a bystander. Once you've done that, you listen to where the story takes you and what it says to you personally. It would all become very personal that way. And if the Scriptures are written for us, why not?
• If this is the case, where might we find ourselves in today's readings from Scripture?
• Isaiah speaks of the mountain and the feast for all people. If that seems an odd place for a picnic, we might remember that in the Old Testament, mountains are the places where God is encountered. Moses went up the mountain to receive the Commandments. The prophets often went to the mountains to hear the Word of God. Elijah heard God in a still, small sound while hiding in a mountain cave. As far as feasts and banquets go, important moments in the lives of individuals, families, and nations would be celebrated with great feasts. Our pot-luck lunches are great, but what we're discussing here are feasts that last days! The food mentioned is rich and not dried out. The wine is aged and strained clear of any sediment or impurities. If we remember the marriage feast of Cana in John's Gospel, we see another example of how the Kingdom of God is reflected in the best of wines. To top it all off, death, “the shroud that is cast over all peoples” will be destroyed once and for all.
• In the Book of Revelation, John the Revelator has the mysterious Voice from the Throne telling the people of the end of death and suffering and pain. This comes from the last chapters of the Book of Revelation and is a vision of hope and joy after all the weird and troubling images of death and destruction thrown before the reader in the rest of this apocalyptic book. (By the way, “Apocalypse” as it's used in the Bible, means “seeing” or “uncovering”, not “catastrophe” as is often used in general speech and writing. The title “Revelation” might be the best way to translate it.)
• Lastly, in the Gospel, John the Evangelist narrates the powerful story of Lazarus. It is a story full of emotion, faith, and finally new life.
• Could we find ourselves in each of these readings? Could we find ourselves in any of those?
• If the Scriptures are the revelation of the Word of God to God's people, then they were written for each of us, even though they might not be directly addressed to us. As we listen to or read any passage of the Bible, eventually we will know that what is written is written for our life.
• To hear of a feast set for all nations on God's own mountain means we are invited to that banquet. When we hear the Voice from the Throne speaking of the end of death and sorrow and the renewal of all that exists, we can come to realize that the Voice is speaking to us... as much as if we were there.
• The raising of Lazarus is the greatest sign of Jesus' power until the final, definitive sign seen in the crucifixion and resurrection in John's Gospel. The new life found in Jesus is illustrated powerfully in this passage. Since it is a story with so many elements that speak to us, we might see ourselves as one of the disciples, as a bystander, or even as Lazarus himself.
• The point of all this is to remind us that the story of salvation, the thread that runs through all of the books of the Bible, is not just the story of the past, but the story of the present – our story. It is the story of the saints of history, and what are saints but those people who live or have lived in grace.
• As Christians, we hold that Jesus is the final revelation of God and God's plan for God's creation. This revelation remains a living revelation, which means that the meaning of who Jesus is for all of us is unfolding in each of us. This revelation is understood and held in grace, the grace given to all of us.
• So these passages from the Scriptures were chosen to highlight the meaning of the festival for us and about us as well.
• This is All Saints Sunday, Today we remember those who have preceded us in the history of salvation, whether ancient or recent. Today we celebrate the mysterious workings of grace in the lives of those who have been touched by the grace of God, some of whom are well know to the entire church, many more of whom are not as universally known, but are known to us.
• What we celebrate is the grace of God found and embodied in real lives, even our own lives. These lives are called forth in grace and renewed like Lazarus was. The lives we remember and celebrate lead us to hope and to wait for the time of healing and the wiping away of every tear. These lives cause us to remember and await the feast that is to come, the feast that we have a foretaste of in our Holy Communion.
• To be honest, we celebrate the grace of God daily. Today, we recall further examples of how God's grace works in the lives of real people. It is real people we remember and it is God's real grace that we celebrate.