From a Service of Word & Prayer ---- 30 August 2020

 

Jeremiah 15:15-21

15 O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult. 16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. 17 I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord: If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them. 20 And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. 21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

Romans 12:9-21

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20 No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Matthew 16:21-28

21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? 27 "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

O Father, light up the small duties of this day’s life:

May they shine with the beauty of your countenance

May we believe that glory can dwell in the commonest task of every day.     

(St. Augustine, 354-430)

 

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

·        Peter’s quick comments gets him in trouble again. He says “This should never happen to you!” and Jesus responds with a quick “Get behind me, Satan!” I don’t think any of us would like to hear those words addressed to us. They sound like a condemnation followed by a dismissal.

·        There is more to it than that. Jesus says “Get behind me” and not “Go away!” There is a difference, believe it or not. He did not tell Peter to go away; he reminded him of something very important, something Peter had acknowledged a short time before: “You are the Messiah, the Son of God!” He reminded Peter that Peter was his disciple as well as his friend.

·        The proper place of a disciple is that of a follower. Jesus, using some serious language, reminds Peter that his real place is the place of disciple, a follower… behind Jesus. Peter probably did not realize the cost of Jesus’ own ministry or of his own discipleship. He was being reminded of the role of a disciple by his teacher. We might find the wording rather strange, to hear Peter called “Satan.” Maybe it was said in anger or in momentary exasperation. Whatever the case, Jesus is saying what he said before: “Follow me!”

·        Peter objected to the talk of suffering and of the eventual execution of Jesus on a cross. Many people object to such talk today, saying it is a sign of an old-fashioned faith that preached suffering and pain. I think we’d all like to have a discipleship that costs us little, pains us little, inconveniences us only a little. That might be pleasant and more to our liking, but that is definitely not the following of the Crucified One, for his path leads to Calvary and to the Cross. That is inescapable.

·        Jesus is not calling us to follow him anywhere he himself was not willing to go. We are invited and called to follow him where he leads… and that will take us to the cross. What that would mean to each of us might vary. It does mean something more than bearing small pains, itching mosquito bites, and other minor annoyances with some kind of patience… as “my cross to bear.” It might not require our lives or our fortunes (such as they are), or our honour. It will however require much of each of us.

·        To follow Jesus to the Cross (and beyond) means to change our attitudes and our way of thinking. We can’t think as if nothing matters but our own will and our own comfort. The requirement of love of God and love of neighbor and the real presence of the Kingdom of God in our lives will cost us something and it may cost us plenty. Who knows what that will be? I can’t even speak of that for myself.

·        The meaning and the power of the Cross of Christ is one thing we must carry for our whole lives. At its base, it means that salvation comes through the Cross and grace… not by our own power, deeds, personal holiness, or morality and righteousness. The cross means that what Jesus has done for us is pure, undeserved gift… and that might be harder to embrace or “carry” than any personal pain, annoyance, or whatever we call the crosses we believe we are carrying.

·        It is important to remember that in taking up our cross, Jesus promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age as the end of Matthew’s Gospel tells us. That promise is fully in force here because Jesus has been where he is leading us and where he has led his disciples through-out history. It may be that the cross carries us in all we do for the sake of the Kingdom and in the strength of God’s grace.

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

A Moment Aside ---- 27 August 2020

 A Moment Aside ---- 27 August 2020

    One of the trials or frustrations of ministering as a pastor is writing/preaching/speaking/teaching about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith in so many aspects is the realization that much of what is told does not get past the listeners’ ear lobes. Not that this is done deliberately… No, not at all! It’s just that what we preach as Christian pastor is not heard for many reasons:

·        Things going on in the hearers’ lives distract them.

·        The message is badly delivered or easily misunderstood because the speaker missed the mark.

·        The listener is in a place in their lives where the message given is unhearable or simply not for them.

·        The speaker annoys the listener in a way that precludes hearing.

·        The speaker is well known to the listener and the message and messenger are confused.

·        The speaker uses the wrong language or is boring or overly fancy or too blunt or too subtle or… add your own.

     Every pastor I know had feelings like this at times. One of our hardest lessons to learn is the realization that we will not be able to reach each and every person we speak the Gospel to. We want to share what we believe and know and celebrate and we might not be the person to get that across to a certain listener. Did we fail? Maybe, but our words might not be able to reach everyone… and that could be hard to take. (We have bruisable egos, too.)

     Paul had a similar sitaution and wrote: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. (1 Corinthians 3:6-8  NRSV) I believe this holds for every Christian, because our words and our behaviors all point to Christ. People look to us to show them Jesus alive and at work in our world. If they can’t see it in us, maybe they’ll see it in someone else.

     We all plant seeds. We all water someone else’s planting or weed someone else’s row. God gives the growth and it is ultimately in God that our trust is placed.

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - - - - 9 August 2020

 Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the story of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." He answered, "Here I am." 14 So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron. He came to Shechem, 15 and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, "What are you seeking?" 16 "I am seeking my brothers," he said; "tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock." 17 The man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, "Let us go to Dothan.' " So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. 18 They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. 19 They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams." 21 But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life." 22 Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; 24 and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers agreed. 28 When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

Romans 10:5-15

5 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that "the person who does these things will live by them." 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 "or "Who will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." 14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Matthew 14:22-33

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." 28 Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.

·        So Jesus can walk on water. Did we expect any less? We’d say “no” but only because we know the story ahead of time. If we didn’t know the story backwards and forwards, we might be surprised by this.

·        The disciples in the boat certainly were. They followed Jesus’ order or request and left him on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and ran smack into a storm. I’ve been told that such storms can arise quickly on the Sea of Galilee and can be quite messy to the boat traffic there. So imagine the disciples working the sail with the wind against them and possibly straining at the oars in the dark of night. The veteran fishermen among them probably knew what their chances might be.

·        As morning breaks (the Greek puts this in the fourth watch of the night), they see Jesus coming toward them, walking ON the water. This, on top of everything else – wind and waves and darkness, leads them to the terrified conclusion that this is a ghost, a phantom. Jesus responds to their shouts with a favorite Gospel statement: “Do not be afraid!”

·        You know the rest of the story – Peter ends up swimming, Jesus pulls him up, and when Jesus enters the boat with Peter, the storm subsides. The disciples recognize Jesus as “the Son of God.”

·        Here’s a few points to ponder. Peter wants to walk to Jesus over the waves and succeeds… for a short time. His faith was strong enough to start the walk and he faltered in the face of the storm. Matthew has Jesus taking Peter to task for lacking faith. Some of the other disciples might have gone straight to the bottom, so I think we can cut Peter some slack. However, note that when Jesus approaches the boat he says Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid. The call - Do not be afraid – comes up when important and powerful things happen in the Gospel. The angels say it to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth and Jesus says it to the women at the tomb and to the disciples on the day of Resurrection. Something important and powerful is happening here as well. Jesus also says it is I. The original language says “I Am”, which is the name of God if we were to use the Hebrew. Jesus is identifying himself with the Almighty One of Israel.

·        Jesus walks over the lake after spending the night in solitary prayer and rest. This is why he went to where he was in the first place! The crowd found him out and he was compassionate in his healing and feeding the crowd. Still he needed what is called the self-care of physical rest and personal prayer. It is something we often forget to do or something we consider a weakness in people who are actually doing this. Mark 6:31 has Jesus inviting his disciples to Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while. Maybe we should take Jesus’ advice. One commentator even went so far as to say the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus because his rest and prayer changed his appearance to the point that he looked like a ghost.

·        Lastly, let’s remember that Jesus walked on the water after his time of prayer and rest, but he wasn’t just wandering around the lake. He was purposefully coming to be with the disciples in whatever situation they were in. It appears that he wasn’t going to let a storm stop him from rejoining his disciples. It might make us think: What won’t Jesus walk through to be with us? I’m reminded of Paul’s remarks from the letter to the Romans which we read a few Sundays ago: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:35) The walk on the water is a visible statement of God desire in Christ to be united with us all.

·        This passage shows us who Jesus is, his wish to be with us in all situations, and to Take heart at all times, realizing his presence with us.  There is both comfort and courage here… just what is need in this very strange time in our history.

And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.

A Moment Aside for 6 August 2020

A Moment Aside ---- 9 August 2020

     We often hear the complaint that Christians are "hypocrites" and don't live out what they say they profess.

     Well, that’s true. It’s also true that the followers of Christ are injured, wounded, hurt, and broken, just as the photo on the top of the page says. The Church is a hospital, not a museum. Museums teach about what has passed; hospitals are a place with a future. Children are often born there. Surgery and therapy for the body are done there. It is true that people do die in hospitals, but they have not passed without hope and without care. One way or another, hospitals are places where people come and go, leaving to go on with the life they have or the life they will have. Museums are static, reminding us of what should be truly remembered, either to celebrate or to avoid. A good museum of a disaster or a problem in history could inspire  people to change the present in order to avoid a recurrence of that disaster or problem. Museums let us know how far we’ve come. At their best, hospitals propel us to a future.

     What the wounded souls who seek healing in the Church of Christ are looking for is a future. Most of us are more than well aware of our failings and problems. What we seek is healing, forgiveness, and a sense of mission of some sort. Museums don’t permit that. If the Church is a “museum for saints”, there’s no life there. It can get musty and dusty and the custodians are people with no interest in living like the statues or pictures housed there. Often they just dust them off and move on to some other task.

     I know that many people are scared of hospitals and there is a fearful aspect about those buildings. Hospitals are made to change things through healing, re-education, and often the painful process of “setting a bone” or surgery. The Church can be like that as well. The best Churches/congregations have a fearful aspect to them. Along with the comfort, healing, and Good News of the love of God, there is the Good News of the love of God that will change each and every one of us. If the love of God is not pestering you to become more, to become better, to become trusting, to become more of who God made you to be…

   Well then, get back on your pedestal and let someone dust you off once a week. Imperfect folks (like me) can get a model of you in the gift shop, have lunch at the snack bar, and go out into the imperfect world and seek healing, for ourselves and for the whole world.

Invitation to a Service of Word and Prayer for 9 August 2020

Please join me for a Service of Word and Prayer on Sunday, 9 August at 11:00am. 

Service of Word & Prayer on YouTube

A Moment Aside --- 4 August 2020

Be still, and know that I am God!
    I am exalted among the nations,
    I am exalted in the earth.

(Psalm 46: 10)

     These words carry a lot of weight for many of us. It evokes visions of quiet forest groves, mountain springs, ocean vistas, or cool, quiet church sanctuaries. It may cause us to think of stillness, silence, and peace.

     That may be fine if you're a quiet person by nature, a monk, or an outdoors person. But what of the busy folk? The anxious ones? Those whose minds and sleep are often disturbed by thoughts of the past or worries about the future? Those troubled by guilt or uncertainty? This passage might not bring what they wish or what they need.

     Psalm 46 is the inspiration and basis for Luther's hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. (But you all knew that, didn't you?) Oddly enough, that powerful hymn does not use or reference the quote found above. It is a hymn of trust in God despite all that might be going on around the person. The verses toward the end of the Psalm speak of God breaking the bow, snapping the spear, and burning the shield, all the weapons of war of Biblical times. Then comes the line we're looking at. "Be still and know that I am God." 

     It may be that we can be busy, scared, anxious, or troubled and remain "still." (Mind you, I'm not sure exactly how, but it is possible.) In the face of terror, pandemic, illness, and even loneliness, the stillness of God remains. To desire that stillness is the first step to receiving it. If we can't acknowledge how we feel when we are at prayer, we might not be able to know God's peace which can exist in the midst of all the storm we're enduring. 

     Maybe we could reverse the order of the verse: Know that I am God and be still. Maybe that's how it really happens. God isn't above and beyond moving the word around if God's grace can take a hand in the situation.

Be still, and know that I am God!

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost ----- 2 August 2020

 

Isaiah 55:1-5

1 Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

Romans 9:1-5

1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; 5 to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Matthew 14:13-21

13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17 They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

"We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me."

-      My daughter has been waiting patiently for this reading to come up. What I really should say is that her two cats have been waiting since it involves fish for dinner. Well, no matter who is waiting, it is a wonderful story.

-      First off, it is a story of compassion. Jesus tries to get away by himself, but when he gets out of the boat, he finds a crowd waiting for him. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. Jesus had compassion for them – healing the sick and eventually feeding the crowd. Neither of these actions appear to have been planned, but came as a result of Jesus seeing a need. It looks like he intended to spend time alone or with a small group in prayer in “a deserted place” which is something he did at times. Here his heart (and more) leads him to heal and to provide food.

-      We could ask if this story about the miracle or the motive behind the miracle? The healing and the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fish are great in themselves, but why was this done? So Jesus could show off? So people could see how great he was? This sort of miracle working got Jesus in trouble with the crowd. In John’s Gospel, we are reminded that the assembled crowd wanted to take Jesus and make him king. As soon as Jesus heard this, he took off to some place where the crowd couldn’t find him. This was not the sort of king he was to be! It is Jesus’ compassion that is the motive for what goes on. “Had compassion” in the original language has the sense of being “moved in the guts.” It’s not an intellectual exercise or a passing whim. Today we’d say it has to do with the heart. The ancient Greek is more visceral and actually intestinal!

-      That was then; this is now. Jesus is still moved with compassion and we can count on that.

-      Second, besides being a living sign of compassion and concern, the story reveals much of the Kingdom of God. That Kingdom, as it breaks into our world in what Jesus does and says, is concerned with the whole person – body, mind, soul, and spirit. So Jesus heals and provides bread. The bread and fish provided are more than enough. The Gospel says 5000 men are fed with women and children remaining uncounted and still 12 baskets of fragments of the feast are collected. We’re told All ate and were filled. So this was not done on the cheap with a morsel for each person. They ate and were satisfied with the simple food of bread and fish. God’s Kingdom is to be one of plenty for all without concern for worthiness or payment. In the first reading assigned for this Sunday, Isaiah outlines some of the signs of the Kingdom: Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. What this will look like when the Kingdom of God is fully upon us we don’t know but this is what we’re promised using words we can understand and imagine.

-      With the presence of Jesus in our world and the continued work of the Spirit among us now, we know that the Kingdom of God is breaking in. It is opposed by so much, but it is coming.

-      As far as what we might do now, we may feel very inadequate. We do know that we cannot bring the Kingdom by ourselves; the most we can do is be part of it as it enters our world and our lives. Is there anything we can do? Well, go over the Gospel story again, we’d have to agree that somebody brought those five loaves and two fish. (John’s Gospel has a young boy who offers what may have been his “brown bag” lunch for Jesus’ use.) With what somebody brought, Jesus was able to feed over 5000 people according to the Gospel story. Do you see what Jesus can do with only a little bit? What each of us has to offer can become the embodiment of the compassion of Jesus for people. The results could be amazing… or they could be quite simple. What they could be matters less than the offering of those things, those actions, those words, all signs of our lives. Maybe they’re more than signs after Jesus uses them.

"We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me."

The cats await.

"I type and I help."