Romans 5:1-11; Hope

            In 2011, I took a trip down to Atlanta, Georgia. I went with a group of people and the reason for going to experience or become familiar with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement. It was a powerful experience to say the least. We visited the home that he grew up in, several of the churches that he preached in; Most notably, Ebenezer where he was the pastor. And, we visited several places in Birmingham, Alabama which at the time had earned the name Bombingham because of the 16^th Street Baptist church in which 3 young girls died. Again, it was powerful to say the least. I was so moved that it put confusion and questions in my head.

            Today’s reading of Romans can put questions in our head or may have us feeling a little baffled. To set the scene; Claudius expelled the Jews and the Jewish Christians in 49 A.D. after Claudius died the Jews and Jewish Christians came back to find that their churches were inhabited by Gentile Christians. So, there was tension in and amongst the churches (which never happens today!). Paul is writing this letter to try and bring them all together. He is trying to heal the divisions and, hopefully, unite the churches in a common ministry; and, in this letter Paul writes of his understanding and experiences of who he believes God is and what our relationship with God is.

            In the fifth chapter that we read today, Paul speaks of justification. It is a difficult topic in some ways, but not for Paul. Paul has always been quite open about his life before Christ, his conversion, and his life after meeting Christ. He is open about how he would persecute those who refused to adhere to the law…you know…that thing that makes us unclean in the eyes of God. The law that convicts us when we fall short of the glory of God. OR, as I said last week, when we eat something, wear some clothing, etc. Paul is quite open about seeking those people out and bringing them to HIS form of justice to pay the price.

            Paul is also, in his letters, quite open about how he became a slave for Christ. He speaks of how he fell and was blinded, how he heard the words “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” AND he heard God’s word to get up, go, and speak of the wondrous things that God has done.

            With those things in mind, we find Paul now speaking about our relationship with God in the world. He speaks of boasting in our suffering because suffering “produces endurance which leads to character, and then hope – a side note that this might be where some people get the notion that either A) God doesn’t give you any more than you can handle. Or B) It must be God’s will that I suffer – both of which are not true!

            What Paul is saying is that all of that leads to Hope. Hope is the most important element in that whole string of characters. It is important because it leads us to the understanding that Hope leads us to the love of God. Meaning, when we fall short of God’s glory, we live in the hope that God will forgive us for whatever it is that we have done. We lean on the hope of God’s promises of love and forgiveness. We hear the stories from God’s Son, Jesus Christ, that God is a loving God, a merciful God, and a forgiving God. So, when we meet those times of sin and brokenness, we lean on hope that God is all those things that Jesus said.

            Many times, we think about what we need to do to get back in God’s good graces. We might say or promise God we will do things, “if you just forgive me God, I promise I will do Blank!” That is another area where we get caught up in hope. We hope we are the ones that can make all this right again. We hope we are the ones that hold all that power to make God want us again.

            The truth is that it is God who holds all that power! God holds the power of making things right. It is the God who shows the lengths that God will go to show us hope and love! God is the one who will go looking for us when we wander off, God is the one who will throw the party when we are found, God is the one who will come running out to us (like in the prodigal son) when we have come back home!

            That is what hope looks like! Imagine God running out to greet you or finding you and welcoming you with open arms? That is hope. But it is not the only hope. The greatest power of God’s forgiveness and hope is shown to us in the cross upon which his son will go. God’s Son, Jesus Christ goes to the cross for us…for you and me. That hope that we have in being forgiven is shown to us in the dying of Jesus on the cross. Jesus suffers on the cross so that we see and experience, not the hope, but the new REALITY of being forgiven, for being loved by a God who will go to any lengths for us. Even to the point of the crucifixion of God’s Son, Jesus.

            It is because of Christ on the cross that the promise of forgiveness does come. It is because of the cross that the hope of forgiveness is realized and now present…AND we are made right with God…we are justified as God’s beloved children. It is because of that hope and this new reality that Christ on the cross…God’s justification is not just to be kept to ourselves. Jesus died on the cross for all of us; and so, we are called to share that Good News with others. Share the hope and promises that we have learned about and experienced to our brothers and sisters in the world.

            When I came back from the Atlanta trip, I was feeling a little hopeless. I looked around and saw so much brokenness. I spoke to a colleague who told me to “go looking for that hope! It is in front of you and all around. Focus on the cross and then you will see it through random acts of kindness and being with people you may never have imagined.”

He was right. I did start looking around. I looked at myself and the mistakes that I had made in the past. I saw the times that I hoped and leaned on God’s forgiveness. Whenever I heard the words Institution of Communion I heard more pronounced Jesus saying those specific words, “For you.” I started looking around and saw the hope of the cross in friends of other denominations meeting at the cross and working together. I see that hope in providing food for families that are in need. I see that hope in random acts of kindness; and, I see that hope sitting with our youngest (and oldest) disciples and listening to where they see God in this world. I see the hope among friends and family with whom I might disagree on some things but rallying together around the love of God…and working together to make God’s love known in the world.

Again, it is in this Good Friday cross where this hope begins. It is because of this loving God whose Son goes to the cross where this hope begins; is poured out in the spilling of his blood and the breaking of his body that we now live in this reality of forgiveness, hope, and love.

            So, this week, focus on the cross. Take in all that it means: Hope, forgiveness, mercy, and our new reality of being loved by God; and share it with someone you may not have expected to share it with: AMEN!

            

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17: Am I in because of law or because of Faith?

            When my wife and I were dating, her parents had a family reunion. My father-in-law’s mother was one of eight. So, in gather the clan together, there were ninety-nine people that showed up to this shindig. I had heard stories about how they would all gather together at this one house Halethorpe. Crabs were the main dish along with the Maryland Crab Soup. So, I am at this party and it is time for everyone to grab a bunch of crab. I learned a lot of things that day. Probably the most important was that you crack a lobster (from my New England days) but you pick crabs.

            I must be honest with you. I felt more like an outsider that day than I ever have before. Here is this woman that I am dating and she is walking all over the place and catching up with relatives she hasn’t seen in ages! I am sitting at this table not knowing anyone, not knowing how this family does things, who’s the black sheep of the family, which ones do I stay away from, and it goes on. The only saving grace was that I had a friend who was in the same boat as I was. It was my now daughter-in-law, Sandra. She and I sat at the table watching people and talking about something we both new about…New York. I have a sister that lives there and have been to the City a lot so we shared stories.

            Today’s second reading has Paul closing the Gap on outsiders. Throughout Paul’s journeys in the world, it seemed like he was always met with someone or a group of people trying to undo what he spent so much time doing. What was he doing? He was teaching people and building relationships with people. He talked about God and taught them who Jesus was; that Jesus was the Son of God and went throughout Israel trying to teach the people who he was and that the Kingdom of God was at hand. That was his intro to telling people to stop turning away from God and turn their hearts toward God. Paul would tell the people about how Jesus would heal the sick, the blind…the afflicted and they believed that Jesus WAS the Son of God. He taught them about how Jesus went to the grave to forgive their sins and to show the people how much God was willing to sacrifice for them.

            After all that, these people would come in behind Paul to undo everything that he did. They would enter the places that Paul had left and they would tell the people, that unless they followed the LAW, they were not God’s children. They would tell them that if they didn’t follow the rituals that they were on the outside… you’re not a real person of faith of God is not for you because you don’t “do this or that” ritual. Imagine being told “all you gotta do is believe, HON, in this Jesus who did all these things and you will experience the promises of God. Only to be told later, “that isn’t enough!”

            Well, here we are at Paul’s letter today. Paul is writing about how Abraham became such a central figure in the story of creation. We know that story where God tells Abraham “I will make you the father of many nations. As many as there are stars in the night sky.” Paul asks, “how did Abraham get so lucky?” Did Abraham win a contest? NO! Did Abraham keep ritual? He did do something but it was a personal thing (and I will get to that in a second) but there were no rituals that Abraham did.

            Paul points out that it wasn’t the keeping of the law, but what Abraham did do was to have faith in God. He made sure that he kept his faith. He put God first in what he did. When it came to blessings, he made sure that he gave some of those blessings back to God, First (in the form of sacrifice). Abraham was faithful in all that he did. When tough times came to Abraham, he prayed and asked for God’s guidance. God came to him and rewarded him by making this covenant (being the father of many nations) with Abraham. God chose Abraham and not the other way around. And Abraham was not an outsider!

            Paul is getting real specific here. He is saying that Abraham was not made righteous because Abraham followed the law or followed rules about circumcision. Abraham was righteous because he kept the faith. His faith, which was strong, endeared him to God and God took notice.

            Paul is also telling the people and us who is in and who is out. In Paul’s time, those people I spoke of would follow him and tell the people that unless they followed all the rules about eating, worshipping, clothing, personal hygiene, and so many other laws that they were not in the club…the club of God’s love and promises. Paul is saying that is not a requirement for the Gentiles. He is telling them and us that it is our faith that brings us to the promises of God. It is our faith in God that brings us into the state of God’s grace and mercy. It is our belief that God created all of this for us, created all the animals, and created you and me, so that we could enjoy all that God made and the company of one another. Paul says that it is because of our faith that God takes notice; AND that we, who are not the chosen people, are invited into God’s fold and can live freely under God’s protection.

            We are no longer outsiders when it comes to the promises and the love of God. While I sat there at the table, Robin did come back to spend a lot of time with me and to teach me how to pick crab (so that I would be able to enjoy all that good food). I did not feel like an outsider after that. Throughout the afternoon, she introduced me to many family members and they were nice as could be. I no longer felt like an outsider. I felt like one of the family. I know that we have all at some point had experiences like that in our lives. This is what Paul is talking about. We are part of this great big God family; not because we are all following the same practices and rituals. In fact, we have many different practices in different denominations and different rituals. Yet, we all gather to worship the same God! Amen!

            So, this week, think about what it feels like to be an outsider. How do we feel when we are treated like an outsider? What does it feel like to know the love, the mercy, and the grace of God? Think of someone you may know who feels like an outsider and invite them to come and meet God through Word, the gift of forgiveness through communion, and the promise of eternal life: AMEN!

Matthew 4:1-11; Temptations and rejecting them

            I have an idea! Do ya wanna ditch the rest of the service and go get some coffee or eat a big breakfast? Seriously! How many of you were tempted? Sounded pretty good, huh? I bet there was that little voice telling you, “hey! If the pastor said it, it must be okay!

            Well, today is the temptation of Jesus. It’s important to know where exactly we are in our Gospel. In Chapter 3, Jesus came down to the river, Jordan, and he was baptized by John. He goes under the water and when he comes up there are those words that we heard last week at the Transfiguration; “This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” As soon as this happens, he is led into the wilderness and is tempted by the Devil.

            It is a story that we have heard many times before. The Devil asks him to turn stones into bread so he can eat. Jesus says, “no.” Takes him to the pinnacle and says throw yourself off. Again, Jesus says, “No.” And then there is the promise of the Kingdom. All he has to do is bow down to Satan. Jesus says, “Away with you Satan!”

            In the first two temptations, the Devil says, “If you are the Son of God.” Here is a shocker. I believe the Devil already knew who Jesus was. If not, why would he ask? Did the Devil get luck that after his Baptism he just happened to, randomly, pick this Jesus? No, He knew Jesus was the Son of God. What we have here is an opportunist in the Devil. He figured that Jesus must be weak after his fasting so the Devil would wait and then move in on that time of weakness.

            We can relate to this moment in Jesus life. We have things that tempt us and you know what they are; they are those things that turn us away from God. They can be things that cause us to overlook the path that we are on; and they can draw us away from God. They can range from things as small as ditching the rest of the service and going out for breakfast to wondering why we even bother coming…wasting an hour of our time to sing, read, and hear people. Temptations can be as small or as big…but they are those things that cause us to put our faith, beliefs, God off to the side. It is those things that can cause us to look out for our self-interests and “who cares about anyone or anything else.”

            I am sure that we have all had those times but I think we can look at this story from a different perspective. Think about this, there are plenty of opportunities for Jesus to give into temptation. He could have acted in his own self-interest. He could have bowed down and worshipped, but he didn’t, he could’ve turned the rocks into bread and ate till he was full, but he didn’t. Instead, he used scripture to strengthen his obedience to God…Jesus stayed focused on what God was calling him to do rather than what was what he might have wanted.

            I think it would be an interesting challenge for all of us to do something. We know what it is that can draw us away from God…away from our path. What if we looked at those things that get in the way of our experience? To put it another way, what is it that can make me push God to the side, ignore God’s word, assume that I already know so I don’t have to do this anymore?

            Truth is that we can all get sidetracked and wander off the path. We are constantly bombarded with things that are made to distract us and get us wanting the latest and greatest electronics, cars, jobs, power, etc. There are so many things out there and we hear those magic words, “you can have it all!” And you probably can; if you sacrifice this or that, if you spend all your time focusing on something. A couple of days ago, Michael Phelps was testifying before a Congressional Subcommittee and the issue was about using enhanced performance drugs. So, they wanted to hear from a “hero.” He said that he found out, “most athletes don’t practice on Sunday. Most of them are not at the pool on Sunday and so he figured out that I could go to the pool on Sunday and spend all day practicing and that gave me an advantage of 52 days more of practice.” I cringed at the message that may send to every athlete that looked up to him. I don’t know if he is a religious person, but on its face value, it just made me think of the impact that message may have.

            You see, you might be able to have it all, but there is a price to pay. Some times that price is a broken relationship, so much time away from the path that we are on that it will feel too uncomfortable to get back on that journey of faith, sometimes it is a medical condition with all the stress of wanting things so bad that that becomes your main focus, and sometimes it is just trying to maintain the doing what we want that it ends, or we run out of energy.

            I am reminded of a song by Lady Gaga. I will play the first verse and refrain because it repeats quite a bit. (Play Million Reasons). In this song, there are millions of reasons to leave. While I don’t think, this song is about Jesus’ Temptation, it is highly relevant to our society and to our life of faith and the church. Her last line in the refrain, “give me one good reason to stay.” It is relevant and I think Jesus gives us many good reasons to stay: This journey that he is taking is putting his own self-interests aside. He is not on his way to the cross to gain fame. Jesus is doing this for us…you and me! Jesus goes out and heals to help the afflicted, and feeds the hungry, and dies for us to show us how valuable we all are to God.

            This also applies to our church. I will give you some good reasons to stay; when it all comes down to the nitty gritty, we are here for each other. We try to lift one another up as much, and we celebrate together our good times and share our challenges. I have heard it said that “we are like family.” We are family in that we try to help out each other, praying for each other, sharing God’s love together, and when we haven’t seen each other in a long time, we celebrate the reunion. AND, we will be here for each other through thick and thin.

            As we begin this first full week of Lent, think about those things that can draw us away from God, what is it that can be so tempting? Why? But, then, think about what it is that makes you want to get right back on that path again; and focus on that, then see if you can find another reason to get back on the path.

Amen!

Matthew17: 1-9: A good kind of change!

A collaboration

            There is a word that is six letters. It is a word that spark fear when it is used, anxiety when heard, and it has started small scale wars…in a congregation…and in the world. That word is something that I try not to use too often, because, frankly, I don’t like the word. But today, this word must be used. It is calling for us to hear it through its much more complicated word of “Transfiguration.”

            The word that can cause so much controversy is the word “c-h-a-n-g-e.” It is a painful word, I know. It is painful in that it conjures up notions of getting rid of things; cleaning out the closet and throwing everything in that closet away to make room for the “new” stuff that is coming in. you know, making way for the latest and greatest because the other stuff is just old and useless!

            But that is not the kind of change I am talking about this morning. I am not talking about change for the sake of change. I am talking about change for the sake of who we are, who Jesus is, and what will become of us. This change is one that will change our lives forever! It is a change that will bring our lives into meaning and purpose. It is a change that will bring the greatest blessing of all…eternal life in God’s Kingdom.

            Today, we celebrate the Transfiguration. This is the day that Jesus goes up to the mountaintop. The disciples go with him and there they see Jesus Transfigured. He goes from this guy wearing everyday clothing to being all cleaned up, shining like the sun, and his clothes are spotless! There is no dirt from his travels on his clothes. Everything is as clean as could only be imagined! No washing machine or detergent could get clothes that clean; yet, there he stands with Moses and Elijah!

The disciples who are present have a glimpse into who Jesus really is. Up till now, they hear him talking about things, healing, and teaching; but this morning on this mountaintop, they see that Jesus is really who he says he is! They see for themselves that Jesus is right there along with the holiest of men known in their time. Their presence confirms that Jesus is more than just a man. To make things even more solid, these disciples hear God say, “this is my Son, the beloved, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

What does this have to do with change? Today, we recognize that Jesus is more than a prophet, a story teller, a teacher, a faith healer. Today we see that Jesus is the Son of God standing in the midst of the disciples and US! This clothing that Jesus is wearing that is now white means a lot. It means that Jesus is righteous and right with God. God even tells us that “this is his Son.”

This means that our lives will change forever! All the things that Jesus tells the disciples and us are to be “listened to.” When Jesus tells us of his being handed over, it’s going to happen. When he tells us that one will betray him, it’s going to happen! When Jesus heals, it is because he is God’s Son that he can heal! When he tells of his crucifixion and death, we need to listen as well.

The problem that we run into is that we can get stuck on this change…on this Transfiguration. Just like the disciples we want to stay in this brief moment. We might want to repeat that “it is good for us to be here.” Why not? It is a good safe place to stay in. If we can just stay in this moment of transfiguration…if we can just stay where God’s Son is revealed to us in all of God’s Glory, then we don’t have to worry about anything else!

The reality is that this change is permanent and yet temporary. We now know who Jesus is. We can stay confident in the fact that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus is God’s beloved with whom God is pleased. It means that we now can take in all that Jesus says and does and has done up to this point and hold onto knowing that God is right here with us through his Son, Jesus.

It is also temporary. Jesus comes down from the mountain. He doesn’t stay up there. His clothes go back to being the color they were. The dust returns and Jesus is no longer shining like the Son in that spectacular moment! While it may be a let-down there can be a peace in knowing that God’s Son is walking right along with us; in good times and in bad.

That is why today and the word change is so important. In our world, everything changes at lightning speed, or we would hope so in some cases. We might even think that the world is changing SO FAST, that I know I can go to church where God never changes. I have caught myself a few times thinking, “this world is changing so much! I can go to church where I know that God is the only consistent, constant. Because things never change in church,” right?

Well, things do change in church and they do stay the same. Our language changes from generation to generation, there are so many different translations of the Holy Bible in many different languages. Those things change. What does not change is the fact that we have a loving God who calls all of God’s creation into a right relationship with God. Meaning, God wants us to know God, enjoy all that God has created and take care of what God has made, whether it be the environment or it be our own selves.

We live in a world, as children of God that is in a state of change and a state of consistency. Change doesn’t always mean throwing everything out to make way for the new. Change can mean doing some new things that may more clearly express our feelings and our worship and love for the God who gave us so many blessings. Change always brings “anticipatory dread.” Meaning, we will sit, myself included, and lose sleep over what change is coming our way, what is it going to look like, will it be accepted or rejected…all that stuff that eats away at us.

To be honest, this church, globally and locally, will change. It needs to adapt and change with the world. It is no secret that less and less people are attending, let alone, are claiming any faith in God. The reality is that we do have to change in some way. It does not mean that we give up everything for the sake of change. In fact, we hold onto those tenets of our faith that identify who we are and who we believe God, our creator, and Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord, to be.

From this moment on in our faith at the Transfiguration we now see Jesus as the one who goes to the cross for us, who dies for all of us and our sin, and who is resurrected to show us all that God does love us, that we are worthy of God’s love, and that we will have everlasting life: AMEN!

Matthew 5:38-48...What am I?

For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland. Life took me into New England as I was discerning my call to ministry. I ended up coming through the New England Synod. There was this unusual language that I often heard when my wife, Robin, would talk to her clergy friends. They would get together and joke about how they are ENTJ’s or INTJV’s. I often still hear it among colleagues.

            I constantly asked, “what is that language you are speaking?” The response was that it was their results from a test called Myers-Briggs. It is a personality test. They would eventually look at me and say, “what are you?” The only thing that I could come up with was that my psychological test was done at the Massachusetts Hospital for the Criminally Insane, so, I hope I am okay. I never had a Myers-Briggs test before; yet, I felt like I got left out of some club or insider thing. What was I?

            This last verse that Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading got me really thinking. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That is easy for Jesus to say…”be perfect!” This is our fourth week in the Beatitudes. We started out with those blessings. We heard about the manner in which we are called to live out the blessings by helping each other. If we would have been here last week, we would have heard Jesus proclaim that he had come “not to abolish, but to fulfill the law.”

            Today, we hear Jesus tell us to be perfect! That is absurd isn’t it? How can we be perfect? Here’s a hint…if you think you are, wait 5 minutes because someone will come along and tell you differently…and we all know we are not perfect! There is only one that is perfect and without blemish…and that is God’s Son, Jesus. So what is this perfect about? Without getting too “Greeky,” the word can be translated as perfect. The word can also imply “completion, an intended goal, or determined end.” In those three cases, Jesus could be asking us to be persistent. Be persistent, work to completion, work toward the intended goal…Jesus is telling us to keep working at “IT.”

            What is the “IT.” Let’s go back to our beatitudes. Blessed are you the poor in Spirit…all those blessings are goals that Jesus has. “that the kingdom of God is brought here on earth and not left to some place far away. Two weeks ago we heard that the blessings for the hungry, the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemaker…all those blessings are the goals that Jesus sets for us. Remember, “Blessed are you…” when we lift up and help one another then the blessings that Jesus talks about helps us to bring that slice of the kingdom of God into our earthly world!

            Jesus calls us to be persistent! Keep working and don’t stop! Keep trying to bring my kingdom here to the earth! That puts a whole different perspective on things, doesn’t it? Jesus is telling us that it is not going to be easy to bring peace, feed the hungry, help the meek! It can become frustrating, and tiring, and so many other adjectives we can throw in.

            But we are called to persist. Why? Because it can put the very last part of this Gospel…this Good News we call the “Great Commission,” in jeopardy! If we stop trying to bring God’s Kingdom here to the earth…if we stop feeding the poor, caring about the poor in Spirit (ourselves included); if we stop trying to lift each other up and just continue to tear down, then we are putting the Commission that Jesus tells, “go and make disciples…baptize…and forgive,” then all of what Jesus tells us is for naught. In fact, if Jesus hadn’t persisted in telling the women to “go and tell” the disciples to meet him there…THERE WOULD BE NO GREAT COMMISSION! There would just be “the end.”

            Jesus persists throughout this Gospel of Matthew! He persists in trying to teach, to reveal who he is, God’s Son, and tell his disciples that death will not have the last word. Even at the point of his crucifixion, he persists in seeking forgiveness for others. He persists in forgiving Peter who denied him, AND he persisted in appearing to the disciples to call them to go tell anyone and everyone that the Son of God is ALIVE!

            Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are called to be persistent. To set out on the goal that Jesus has for us in making sure that God’s Kingdom is here on earth. We have a mission statement that has been around for quite some time. It is a statement that is clear and calls us to be persistent in our faith and in our love for Christ. We are called to Unite in Christ, Grow in Faith, Serve in Love, and Share the Good News of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

            I still never figured out exactly what I was; a E(xtrovert) or I(introvert) but I do know that I am a persistent person at times. And I know that we all possess that persistence quality and may we be persistent in our lives of discipleship of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord: AMEN!

Matthew 5:13-20 What does it mean to be salt or light?

A Collaboration

            Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ: AMEN!

            “What’s on your mind?” It sounds like a fairly simple question doesn’t it? It is not an easy question. It is not easy, because it depends on what time of day you are asking it, what kind of mood the person is that you are asking, and a whole slew of other things can go into that answer.

            I am taking that question from a very well-known source that does intend the question to be easy, but is also using it for marketing purposes. “What’s on your mind?” is the question that pops up every time you log onto Facebook. Sometimes I really feel like writing “what IS on my mind; AND I DO! Sometimes it may be a joke that I find funny, something, ironic, or something that is going on in the world that I am not too happy with. No matter what you post, I can guarantee you that one of your “friends” will find it objectionable or want to start a debate about it…especially if it does not fit their opinion. Full disclosure – sometimes I get caught up in responding to other people in the same manner.

            This past week someone posted a picture of a homeless man sitting on a bench. The gist of the picture was “shouldn’t a veteran be housed instead of giving refugees priority.” Now, I am not getting into the whole political debate over this.

            The point is that this is the second part of the beatitudes. Last week, we heard the blessings that Jesus declares for the hungry, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the persecuted, and the peacemakers. We heard these words last week. They are words to lift up all of God’s children. Jesus words last week to give hope and promise to those who have been beaten down by the garbage that living in the broken world experience. The words of Blessings are not to be taken lightly because, Jesus the Son of God, all will be lifted up and that there is the reward of eternal life in God’s Kingdom…that this, the hard knocks, the oppression will only be temporary. I would like to think that all those people sitting and listening to Jesus are not there waiting to add or interjecting commentary to what he is saying.

            So, now we are at part two of the blessings. These aren’t blessings though. In fact, Jesus is telling us who and how those blessings are going to happen. He starts off with an emphatic “you.” “you are the salt of the earth.” We know what happens if salt loses its flavor and Jesus is quick to remind us that it is thrown out and trampled “under foot.” Being salt means that those people sitting there bring their different experiences and lives to the great gathering. No two experiences are the same because they aren’t the same. All these experiences shape who they are and how they respond and so many other aspects of life. My favorite part of this reading is when Jesus talks about being a light.

“We are the light of the world,” Jesus says and then utters those words that we here in baptism and that Jesus is actually commanding “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.” It is here in this part of the Gospel that Jesus reveals their role and ours in this world. We are to be light. I am sure that we have all sat in a dark space or had the power go out and sat there in the dark. When we light a candle, like we do on Christmas eve, this room becomes draped in light. It is that soft light that can lead the way. It is that soft light shine and show others around us…proving we are not alone. It is that light that helps us to sing from our hearts about the birth of Jesus Christ, so that there is no darkness. I don’t know about you but that is my most favorite time of any worship…when we welcome Jesus by candlelight.

Being light also means something else. Being light means that they and we have become a guiding light. Because of that light, people…those people who hunger and thirst, the poor and the mourner, the merciful and meek can now find their way out of those times and places that bring them down. It also means that we are in that spot, when we are feeling alone, down, trampled on, or just plain forgotten that we all have a light to focus on to help us out of those times.

What I am saying is that Jesus is our ultimate light. Jesus is that person we can all look to for our faith, forgiveness of our sins, and so much. Here, today, Jesus tells us that we are also light. We are the beacon that can help someone out of those pits and chains of despair. In basic, clear terms Jesus is telling us, “I am calling you to be the hands and feet of God…not the mouth!” Jesus is telling us “help my children!” and I think that is important for all of us to hear!

In the picture I talked about earlier of giving a choice between the homeless vet or the refugee, I responded “Can’t we do both?” That was not too well received by some…and that’s okay; But IF we are salt…and Jesus says we are, then we are called to different areas of ministry in life to where some of us can help take care of one of the issues while another group of talented and gifted people handle the other issue or we work on the together. It means that where there is hunger, some can feed, those who seek justice, some can offer legal services, and the list goes on and on. It means that we all have different approaches to solving problems and issues and maybe (here’s a thought) we work together to bring peace, to provide justice, to help those who mourn, and lift up the meek.

You see, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Son of God tells us that we are light and we are salt. Because of those gifts that God has given us, we can make this world a better place and hopefully bring the Kingdom of God…as best we can…into this world until we reach that time when we see Jesus face-to-face.

I am reminded of what Ronald Reagan once said at the end of his term in office.

"I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still." - RR

Jesus calls us to be light and bring God’s light into our world. Called to be the light always pointing to Christ and to God who created us. Lifting each other up in God’s name to bring heaven to this place on earth.

And so, “let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven: Amen!

Matthew 4: 12-23: Follow Me!

            I have a confession to make to you today. It is a unique issue that I confess to you but it has been weighing on my mind for a little while. Here goes: I have a bad habit of not finishing things at home. To be more specific, I forget or don’t put things in recycling when I empty the plastic container. I leave the wrapper or the entire emptied bag of popcorn on the counter after I have finished; and that really gets my wife upset! Whew! I am so glad I got that off my chest! I am certain most of the women in this congregation have not had that experience. Thanks for letting me share!

            I know it sounds ridiculous but there is something to this not following through. Our Gospel reading today is all about following…AND following through. Jesus is on his journey of ministry. He was born…God with us, the wisemen have brought him the gifts…this light of God shines in the world that was so full of darkness. AND, Jesus was baptized by John. So, his ministry has begun and he… Jesus…is on the move! He goes into Gallilee. The spirit of the Lord descended on him like a dove and he has all the tools he needs to proclaim God’s Kingdom…the Good News of God’s kingdom.

            Low and behold as he walks along the water he sees to brothers. Jesus doesn’t mince words. He asks them to follow and tells them they will be fishers of people. Then he sees two other brothers that are fishermen and gives them the same statement and immediately the four men set off to follow this guy that they just met! To be clear, fishing was not the noblest of professions. They could’ve been like the ocean version of the shepherd. Yet they made money catching fish and selling it. They may not have been rich but it was their livelihood!

            The four immediately drop what they are doing and start following. They left everything behind to follow this person that they just met! That doesn’t make sense! Why would they give it all up…two left their father in the boat and began following this, Jesus!

            We have the luxury of knowing why they left…Because he is JESUS! We have that part figured out because we have heard the stories before, we study them, and we know how this will all turn out! It will be good for them to follow Jesus, because Jesus will teach them so many things. He show them about healing, and loving our neighbors, he will teach them that God is all about the love.

            But they were not prepared for what would happen. You see when Jesus says “follow me,” they get up and go…no questions asked. They immediately leave everything behind and go. They don’t know what experiences they will have, they don’t know what or where they will eat…in fact, those questions aren’t even asked at this point. It’s just, “C’mon…okay” and they are off.

            But we know the road that lies ahead of them. Because we are the readers of this story of Jesus, we will find out all the things that happen along this path of faith. We will read about all the trials and tribulations that go on, the joys, the struggles, and the healing. We will also be witness to the Friday afternoon, before the Passover when what we might perceive as the “unthinkable” happens. When our Lord…the Son of God, the one who was to come and save us WILL save us through his sacrifice on the cross.

            It sounds like an epic novel sometimes. It sounds like something that happens to a fictitious character that has nothing to do with us, doesn’t it? But it is not a novel. It is not some fictitious character and it is not about someone else’s past. This story is the story…the real story of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a past that we are tied to over the span of 2000 plus years. It is the story that we are connected to and a witness to despite time and space. We are connected because of our faith in that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and it is Christ who comes into the world to be with us, heal us, and teach us; we are connected in our faith that Christ will go to the cross for us…without condition to give himself for our sake…for you and me.

            So. I have a question for all of us to think about this week. We don’t know what our future holds for us, AMEN? We might not know where God will call us in an hour, day, month, year. We change jobs, don’t always eat the same thing every day, or we might have a different friend or hobby and the list goes on and on; However, I think I do know what will happen if I don’t try harder to follow through with the recycling and leaving things on the counter at home. We don’t know what lies ahead in our journey of faith. So here is the question: ARE YOU WILLING TO FOLLOW JESUS? Are you willing to drop everything and here Jesus say, Follow Me.”

            Are you willing to ask God and listen to what God has to say about following? Are you willing to let God guide your life knowing that it may be difficult, there may be times of joy, and it will eventually mean giving your whole life over to God knowing that it will lead to the cross…to the death of our Lord and savior so that we may have eternal life? It is not an easy question because it might mean giving some things up and taking on new things. But the question, I believe, is definitely worth our time and energy: AMEN!