Mark 13:24-37 From Happy New Year to Judgement Day, It's not what you think?

1^st Sunday in Advent

Mark 13:24-37

Sunday, November 30, 2014

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

            Okay, I don’t know about you but we talked last week about being the New Church year and looking back…”out with the old and in with the new,” right? And here on this first Weekend of Advent, Jesus takes us right to the end of times. We get the last several weeks of Matthew’s parables and we get judgement to start off the New Year! How positive; I mean, we go from hearing about the weeping and gnashing of teeth to the time of judgement! It doesn’t sound like a good time to be starting this new church year. It does not sound like this is something we can be joyful about or be anticipating like we see the in television ads that have been lurking and airing since Halloween, right?

            Although it does sound like this reading is out of place, it is not. It is not out of place because of this message that Jesus sends. First, we should remember where this scripture comes from. There are only 16 chapters in the Gospel of Mark. This reading is in chapter 13; Jesus is well on his way to Jerusalem to be handed over. HE knows his mission and he is on it. He has the disciples in tow as well as many other followers. Jesus knows what is going to happen and it is not going to be pretty. Jesus knows that he will be judged based on what he said and what he did.

            That is something to think about for a moment. I mean, we talk about what is going to happen to him. We look at the story as knowing what happened to Jesus; what we might consider the end of the story (being handed over and crucified).

            I believe this message today is different. It is not to focus around what is happening to Jesus who is on his way to the cross. I believe today’s message is to look, really take a look, at what Jesus did in his life. It is easy to go over a list of things and state them, but what does it mean to ponder his words and his actions in your heart? What does it mean to sit with the story of Zacchaeus, a tax collector who is the scourge of society, and share a meal, OR a leper, who is not to be touched for fear of being made unclean by that one touch. What does it mean to ponder this story of Jesus raising his good friend Lazarus, who is thought to be dead?

            How often do we sit with one, just one, of those stories and think about what it means to us in our lives? I see so many commercials out there telling us that Christmas is coming and it is time to spend, spend, spend; sometimes it drives me crazy! I was at Home Depot the other day and I told the cashier that their product placement was very good “because it made me want what they were selling!” Isn’t that insane? When I look back on today’s Gospel reading and pondered this reading I realized that I was focusing on the wrong thing.

            I was focusing on the end of the story. I was focusing on the Christmas aspect of things rather than the Advent sort of things. That is what this entire scripture reading is about. It is about preparing our hearts and minds for the coming of the Christ child. Jesus is not telling us that we should be scared about what is to come. Jesus is telling us that we are to be aware, awake, and alert. Those are not words that should scare us. They are words that should call us all to look at ourselves and our lives.

            This scripture reading is meant to put us all in a mood to think about what we have done, what we will do, and where God is in our lives and in all that we do. That can sound pretty heavy to deal with, but I believe that God is calling us all to think about our words and actions in the world. It is a time to look at the times that we fell short. It is a time to look at the world and acknowledge that it is broken in so many ways.

            But the Good News is that Jesus is coming. As we prepare for his birth, we might not have to jump around, excited, and yelling and screaming that Christmas is coming; BUT maybe it means that we sit with the Word of God, pray in anticipation that God is sending a son into the world, for you and me, to walk with us…to help teach us how to live in God’s light and love. Maybe it means sitting quietly, feeling relieved that Jesus will come into this world because it is so difficult and that relieve can be what sustains us…knowing that God is with us.

            I believe that God is telling us to take stock in our lives, to be aware that things we do in life have consequences, whether positive or negative; that what we say and do is important in how we live our lives and how we treat our neighbors, our family, friends, and even our enemies. As I said earlier, this world is broken and we don’t always treat each other too kindly. Jesus tells us to pay attention to that because our actions do matter in this life and in the next.

            Brothers and Sisters in Christ, this advent season can be spent however we prepare our hearts and minds. Jesus is coming and it does not have to be a scary time. It can be one of parties or quietness with the Word of God. God created us all different and so we prepare differently. Whichever, way we prepare remember, God’s Son is coming to be with us, show us, and walk with us. May we all take the time during this advent season to prepare for the coming of the Son of God in our lives and in our hearts and minds, for the Kingdom of God draws near, thanks be to God.

AMEN!

Matthew 25: 14-30 Use your talent! Be A risk taker...in a good way of course!

            It is really good to be back with you. I missed you last week. I have to tell you that I love the Gospel of Matthew. This is my favorite Gospel of the four (quick quiz, what are the four?). There is just so many rich stories in here. While my wife felt stuck with the bridesmaids (and I heard about that one), it might feel like I got stuck with the one about investing and burying the mason jar with cash out in the back yard. I don’t feel like that is the case. I like this parable.

            This parable tells the story of the “man who went on a journey…” We don’t know much about this man. We don’t know what he does for a living BUT we do know that he travels, and he has slaves (so there is a little bit of prominence there) and he gives talents to those slaves. This is a very trusting man because he gives these talents and then goes away. So one might assume (and I know what happens when we assume, but play along with me here) that he is VERY trusting and smart, he must know everything about these slaves. If he is willing to trust them and leave then he must know something about them.

            There is a way that we can know that he trusts them. In Jesus time, a talent was a financial amount of currency. 1 talent was worth 6000 Denarii which, to make the math short and simple, was 20 years of salary; that is equivalent to about half a million dollars in today’s currency. That is a lot of money; the likes of which some of us may never see in one place at one time. That is how we know that this man trusts his slaves in our parable.

            The slaves are not given any instructions as to what to do with this money. There is no mention of what he wants them to do with the talent(s). With no instructions he leaves and the salves go on their merry way. Jesus doesn’t give us any more information other than the slaves go off and make trades and deals and increase what they have so that when the man comes back there is even more to give back. I am not sure, in today’s world, that any of us would be willing to part so easily with this money; without restriction, limitation, or instructions.

            So here is my burning question. Who is the “man” in this parable? Is this man, God? Sometimes, we like to automatically assume that it is God. SO, let’s go down that road. If this man that gives out all this money is God, then why don’t we call this parable, the parable of a foolish God? God knows who these slaves are. He gives talents according to their ability. This all-knowing and all-seeing God knows the hearts of these slaves. God knows enough to give one slave five talents, another two, and the last one he gives one talent (which is a lot of money). Wouldn’t God know that this third slave is going to bury it in the yard because this one is not a risk taker; this slave likes to play things safe? So why would God throw this person out into the darkness…the outer darkness where no light can get and allow him to weep and gnash his teeth. Why would the God we know allow that to happen; because it flies in the face of who we know or think we know God to be?

            I find this assignment of God to the strict and unforgiving to be troubling. Throughout our bible, we do see places where God is angry, where God casts out and punishes; BUT even after those times, God, Immediately promises love and restoration. In this parable it appears to be so final and that goes against what we hear and witness in scripture and through God’s Word and the actions of Jesus Christ. We have proof of that by witnessing the path that Jesus is on which is the path to the cross; to be sacrificed for our sake and for our sin. A sign of God’s love and commitment to and with us.

            Whether this man is God or not is not the lesson that is being taught to us here this day. It is not even about the money. To think of talents only in monetary forms restricts us and does not allow us to be open to God. This parable is a metaphor to all the gifts that we have been given. It asks us to see the possibilities that we all are different in so many ways.

            This parable is a metaphor to the various gifts that we have been given by the glory and blessings of God. This parable points out that we are all different. We have different vocations and we all have different hobbies, likes, and dislikes; and it is because of that that makes this whole world frustrating and interesting. I can’t imagine how boring it would be if we all liked the same thing, television shows, music (that could start a war right there), hymns, worship styles, friends, and the list goes on and on. Being blessed with so many people who have so many different gifts allows us, as the body of Christ, to use those talents and have different forms of ministry all located within the same building, community, and world.

            Jesus is telling us this story so that we think about the talents that we have been given. Think about those things that we have been blessed with. I am not talking money BUT I am talking about who has gifts for teaching, singing, being an acolyte, outreach, visitations, leading youth, working together as a community, and all those Good things that God put into us and DO. That third slave is a lesson to us in two ways: First, we are to know that we all have gifts. Sometimes it may not be readily seen by us (because we are our own worst critics), but God did not create garbage. God creates Good things and every one of us has gifts that are still useful, no matter what age, income, social status, and so on. We figure out those gifts through our interactions with one another. God put us all on this earth to help each other out and one of the ways we can do this is by helping to see and looking for the gifts in others and lifting those up; so that, we can see those gifts.

            The way this third slave is a lesson is that Jesus tells us to go and do. God does not want us to be like that third slave and go bury out talent in the backyard. God wants us to go out and use that talent that God has given us and try it out; whatever it is. Go out and put your craftwork to good use. Make something for people, use your carpentry skills, farming skills, banking skills, caring skills, teaching skills…whatever gift you have share it with others for the glory of God. Go out and DO…use the gifts that God has blessed you with; because if you bury those blessings then you aren’t using the gifts that has given you. They sit and they waste away because they are not being used.

            There is one drawback to this encouragement of using the gift. Some might be afraid that they think they have a gift and they may fail. Martin Luther says, “Sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more.” Don’t get the wrong idea…THAT DOES NOT MEAN TO SINK ALL YOUR MONEY INTO A LOTTERY TICKET HOPING IT WILL BE THE ONE! It does not mean to go out and do whatever sin you want! It means that when we try to do something because we feel called and find it does not work out, then that is okay! God does forgive and God puts us all together in this world to help each other when we fall; and most of all, Christ is there…God is there when we fall short of God’s grace and glory.

            The other burning question that I have about this text is: “What does it mean for the church?” If all the things apply to individuals then how does it apply to this church? It applies in the very same way. This congregation is made up of many different people with many different gifts and passions and these are all gifts from God. It means that we are called to use the gifts that we have been given to DO things for the glory of God and if we don’t succeed at them then we try something else. It is important for us to think about the gifts we have here. You would be surprised at the gifts that I see in all of you at any given moment; from our youngest people (just because you are young doesn’t mean you have nothing to offer) to our oldest (God is not done with us because we retire).

            So where does God call us to use our talents as Immanuel Lutheran Church? What can we do to use the gifts that God has blessed us with to give glory to God and to share the love of God in our homes, church, in Manchester, and in the world?

AMEN!

Mark 10:35-45 The best seats in the house, really?!

            I spent a long time living in apartments. From the time I graduated high school till seven maybe eight years ago. During this time of living in apartments, I kept thinking that I would really love to buy a house sometime. You know, that place you can call your own where no one can tell you to keep the music down (not that I would have it up that loud in the first place). I could do whatever I wanted. Then it happened, I got married and we bought a house. I thought this was going to be the best. Then things started breaking. Within the first year, the pilot light went out and we thought we would need a new stove, this was not right, that was not right, and the list of things needing to be done began to grow. As soon as things began to pile up, I realized that I wished we had moved into an apartment. That would have been much easier.

            Today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of Mark has a similar theme. James and John were with Jesus, they had been with him for quite some time. They were personal witnesses to the life and ministry of Jesus. They saw Jesus heal people, feed four thousand and five thousand people in two different settings and they saw Jesus standing with Elijah and Moses. Transfigured from just this guy walking around and talking about God TO being in the presence of two most important messengers from God and they heard God’s Words “This is my son the beloved; listen to him.”

            They sat and listened to Jesus tell of his death and resurrection for the third time. They were “amazed” and “afraid” when they heard Jesus tell the story of how he would be handed over to be killed. They heard and saw some amazing and horrifying things about this person that they trusted and cared about. But their focus was on something other than the message and the mission that Jesus was on; they focused on their desire for Jesus to do what they were asking. They wanted Jesus to attend to their desire. It didn’t matter to James and John where Jesus was heading (which was Jerusalem, by the way). It did not matter that there were ten other people who witnessed many of the same things that they did. They just wanted what they wanted and Jesus, by their observation, was the one to give it to them.

            Jesus says, “What do you want?” They go for broke. James and John want it all! They want to sit at the right and left hand of the Son of God. That’s not too big an order to fill, is it? They want to be right up there with the powerful people. Knowing what they know about Jesus and the fact that God said those words directly to them?! They must have thought they were entitled to some kind of position because, maybe, they thought they were chosen to see the transfiguration and hear God. Maybe that meant they were in. So who could blame them for wanting that place…those seats beside Jesus? Who is to say that we might not have wanted to sit next to Jesus?

            We could put ourselves in the position of the other ten. They got angry when the two asked told Jesus what they wanted. Who knows why but we might have shared in that anger because these other ten sacrificed as much as James and John to follow Jesus. They all gave up something to go on the road with Jesus and witness all the acts and learned about God’s love and mercy. They too were afraid when they heard Jesus telling of what was going to happen to him (three times)!

            Jesus bring their wish or desire closer to home with this question: “Are you able to drink from the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They answer “yes.” While that is a bold statement it also shows that they still don’t get it; just like I did not get it about the house! Even after hearing Jesus tells about his death for the third time, they are still focused on those two seats. Jesus has to point out to James, John, and the others that the focus is not on who gets the best seats in the house. Their focus, the disciples focus, should be on the mission that they are all on together. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and it is to those powerful people in the world who don’t want to believe that he is the Son of God. It is those powerful people whose way of life and living by the law is threatened because Jesus comes to talk and teach about God’s love and forgiveness.

            Jesus is pointing out to the disciples that their mission is more than a seat or a chair. It is not about power and authority. IT IS about making God known in the world. Their mission is about sharing the Good News that God sent a son into the world to teach God’s act of healing, compassion, and mercy is more important than a seat. Their mission is to continue God’s teachings and God’s work in this world so that all people will know the love of God through God’s word and God’s action.

            That mission that the disciples are on is also our mission. Our mission as children of God is to make God’s love known…in fact, it is your mission statement “Our purpose is to love God and bring people into a growing relationship with Jesus and His church.” We acknowledge that Jesus showed us God’s love and that Jesus went to the cross for our sake; for the forgiveness of our sin. We embrace that God loved us so much that God’s only Son was sacrificed out of love for a broken humanity in a broken world that tells us power is everything; that if you have power you have it all.

But we also embrace that God is the one who created all this. God created the heavens and the earth and all that is within them; God created you and me out of love and God sent Jesus into the world to teach and show us about God’s love; not to hold onto and keep for ourselves but so that we could share God’s love that we have been taught with others.

In order to go out into the world to do God’s mission work, it takes a commitment (Just like owning a house). Today is the day we celebrate our commitment to God. It is our commitment of our hearts to the mission that God calls us to in being the Body of Christ in the world. It is the commitment of our minds to the struggles and the joys that come with being a disciple of Christ. And it is the commitment of all the blessings that we have been given and commit them all to God’s service and God’s ministry as a church, as the body of Christ, and as children of God.

Today we look to our commitment to God for the coming year. We have spent weeks hearing about how much this church means to us. What it has meant to be Holy Spirit and what it has meant to have a place where we can be in communion with one another; a place where we can support, pray for, and have fun together. We have been asked to pray for where God calls us in our commitments and today make the commitment of our first fruits to God’s service, God’s ministry. These commitments that we make today are about the ministry we do as a church and as God’s children. It is about being able to continue the current ministries (Sunday School, youth groups, bible studies, being in contact with our college students and military members, and so much more) and looking to what other ministries God may be calling us to in the larger community. This is an exciting time to look at our blessings that we have been given and ask that question “What do you want us to do, God?” It is exciting because we know that God has blessed this congregation since it began and God carried us through the tough times and so now we look to the future; it may be scary and cause anxiety but God has been with us every step of the way and continues to be with us.

So, today, as we commit ourselves and our blessings to God’s service and ministry may we always ask for strength, courage, guidance, and joyful hearts: AMEN!

Revelation 7: 9-17, Psalm 34:1-10, 22, and Matthew 5: 1-12 Words of God's encouragement

Sunday, November 2, 2014

All Saints Sunday

Please pray with me: may the words from my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer: AMEN!

            As I was preparing for this week’s sermon, I took some time to listen to each of the texts. The problem is that they all spoke to me. No wonder, because it is All Saints Day. This is the day that we remember all those who have died in the church this past year. So each one of these readings spoke to me in a very different way. In our Bible Study this past week we dug deep into these Beatitudes and really got to the heart of what God was saying. Today, I feel a sense of looking at the bigger picture.

            Our first reading from Revelation goes to the heart of this day. In this letter to the churches we see the vision of this “great multitude” that is singing about salvation and that it belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the lamb.” These are words of encouragement, throughout these verses. They are encouragement to those who lost loved ones, to those who might be facing their own mortality, and to those who are living lives of gratitude and thanksgiving to a God who sent Jesus, the lamb, to take away our sins. These are most definitely words that can sustain us at times of sadness and grief.

            Our psalm poses another sense of encouragement. It is not for those who lost loved ones, but it serves those who struggle. “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall ever be in my mouth.” No matter the situation, our psalm encourages us to reach out to God, call out to God, and even cry out to God, in good times as well as times of struggle; for in both of these readings, Revelation and Psalm 34, those who hunger or lack will be satisfied when the Kingdom of God comes. There will be no hunger and there will be no lacking for God will provide all that we need.

            Our second reading in First John brings things a little closer to home. In this letter we hear that because of the gifts that God has given us, we “should be called the Children of God.” I have always found that title to be humbling and such a gift. It means that we know to whom we belong. We do not belong to the world but we belong to the one who created us; and through our baptism, we have been claimed by the God who created the heavens and earth, and all that is within them. It means that we are also part of a bigger picture. It is not just you OR me in this world, but it is all of us.

            And here we are at the Beatitudes. This where Jesus helps to show us that this day is not just about loss through death. The Theologian David Lose who is the President of The Lutheran Seminary at Phildelphia said that “loss” comes from “leave-takings from jobs, changing jobs, struggles with illnesses, the exhaustion of caring for loved ones, to name a few. There are many struggles that we all go through and at any given time we suffer or struggle.

            These are just a few of life’s situations that can knock us down, strain our faith, or cause us to wrestle with God. All these things that I mentioned and more can cause us to feel tired, exhausted and it can shake our faith to its very core. We can end up feeling that there is so much unfairness that we just can’t catch a break! We may even think that because we have fallen short because of our actions or inaction that we might not even matter to God.

            It is at this time when these Beatitudes can mean so much to us. Jesus, the Son of God, is speaking about blessings. His words are “Blessed are…” For the English scholar those are all in the present tense. That means that as soon as it is said the blessing has happened. These blessings are immediate and they are everlasting. This second part of all our Beatitudes also tells the people who are blessed what is going to happen when their time comes to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. All these beatitudes are something that we can all hold onto, because Jesus is telling us the promises of God’s blessings. As children of God these promises are made to us and we can find comfort in the words, the compassion, and mercy that God has delivered and gifted to us through Jesus Christ, God’s only Son.

            The last of the Beatitudes is a truth that can knock us for a loop. With all the promises of being comforted, being shown mercy, and so much more; we hear the words of Jesus to say “blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” Jesus tells us that it will not be an easy road. All this comfort, peace, and mercy being shown is because it means we are going to need it as disciples of Jesus Christ.

            We know the brokenness of the world. We know that society wants to put ourselves before others, put our needs over everyone else’s. We are bombarded with ads telling us how to spend our money, who to spend it on, who should be our friends, who we should cast out, believe this or that, the way we should think…let’s face it society is competing for every aspect of our lives and when we give in to society rather than seeking God’s guidance or reading scripture to help us decide what is important that is when we can also experience loss…loss of ourselves and loss of who God calls us to be.

            But that loss is not permanent because there is always the place for us to come back and feel that sense of connection, that sense of being reclaimed and that is here at the Lord’s Table. We come to this table to celebrate what God has done for us; claimed us as God’s own child and forgave us for the mistakes that we make in our lives. Through the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ we have been promised the gift of forgiveness and God mercy.

            It is at this table where the sacrifice of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, was for you and for me so that nothing would stand in the way of God’s love for us, not even death. It is on this beautiful morning when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ where God proves to us the promise of everlasting life. Where God proves to us that there will be a time where there will be no more hunger or lacking…AND that those tears of weeping will be dried up because we will all be together again in the kingdom of Heaven.

            SO today, as we remember those whom we have lost, we also, hold onto God’s Words of encouragement where there will be no more hunger, there will be peace, comfort and mercy, and we WILL see the face of God, together: AMEN!