Acts 11:1-18 Telling our stories of faith

            So last week, we heard in the Gospel of John that all the people were at the portico asking the same question. If you are the Messiah, just tell us! Stop keeping us in suspense. Jesus may or may not have gotten a little upset because they asked the same question over and over again. We discussed one of the things that could have caused this was doubt and we spoke of how doubt is not always a bad thing.

            This morning we are changing things up a little bit. This morning our reading from Acts has a link to last week’s Gospel and sermon. It is going to require us to do a little travelling. So, ready or not, here we go. We have gone through this portico discussion. Just tell us if you are the Messiah. Jesus then goes into Jerusalem for the Passover. He has the last supper and all that goes with that; he is ultimately handed over by Judas to the chief priests and scribes. He is then handed over to Pilate and Herod. Jesus is then beaten, crucified, and he is raised from the dead three days later.

            Pretty plain and simple right? Well, for the Reader’s Digest version it sounds plain. BUT there is a lot in there that is important to this Sunday morning. Throughout all these experiences, Jesus, like I said last week is not checking to see who is a Jew and who is a Gentile. In fact, Jesus’ entire ministry is going to the people on the outside or on the edges of society. Jesus reaches out to everyone he comes into contact with. He sits with a tax collector who is not well liked within the community. He touches lepers that to touch them means that you are unclean as well not to mention what you might catch; He speaks to a woman at the well and tells her all about herself. Jesus reaches out to all these people and begins the conversation.

            Whether his conversation begins with words or through a healing, Jesus enters into a relationship with all these people. He even enters a relationship with a woman who touches his clothes. In all those cases there is some kind of conversation that goes on. Many of what Jesus does goes against what the people…the chosen people…understand to be true and within the law. Jesus reaches out beyond these boundaries BUT he also reaches within the boundaries of Jew and Gentile. Look at his actions with Nicodemus. This is an elder of the church who comes to him; and again, there is conversation.

            Now we come to our reading today. This is the story of Peter going into the world just as Jesus commanded them in what we call the Great Commission, “Go into the world, baptizing and "Gospelizing" in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Peter is going into the world to teach everyone who he comes in contact with about Jesus. He is telling them about his encounter with the son of the living God. How God has been a part of his life. He testifies how God called him to go to Joppa and to this particular man’s house and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Peter does what God calls him to do and what happens? Peter comes back to Jerusalem and the people…the very people who were witnesses to Jesus and his work in the world start to criticize him. Do you see the irony in all this; That Jesus reaches out and teaches the disciples to reach out, when it comes time to do this they sit and wonder, “why did you do that?” I know that as I read this portion of acts this week, I was scratching my head wondering why they are criticizing Peter’s actions.

Instead of getting angry with these people who are complaining, Peter explains his actions. He does not give them a brief overview of the story, but he tells them “step by step” what happened. He tells them about his vision and God’s voice helping and guiding him to Joppa. He tells of the wonderful things that happened when he got there, the message that the people in the household heard from God, and that he was reminded of God’s words at Jesus’ baptism. He told this story because these words were important to share; not only because they were God’s words, but because they were God’s instructions to tell the story of Jesus, God’s Son. He told the story because Peter needed to tell the story. He needed to tell it to the very people who were physical witnesses to the Story of Jesus…God…in the world. He needed to tell the story to show that Jesus’ work is still being done.

He needed to show that God is working through so many people. Through Peter’s telling of this story, he is showing the “people” of Jerusalem that the Gentiles have a story to tell as well. That God uses us all to do God’s work and to be transformed into God’s people. Peter shows us how at this time when he arrives and speaks to the family, he is transformed, from his calling to go to Joppa; and they are transformed when they welcome him and hear this story of faith and witness.

Peter sums up his journey and his sharing of his faith story. He says it plain and simple, “Who was I that I could hinder God?” Peter acknowledges and accepts that he cannot explain the who, how, and why’s when it comes to God in this world. But what he can explain is that God is alive through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He has seen God through his experiences in his world. He is able to share those experiences, realizing that God is not to be hidden or something kept secret. The Good News of Jesus Christ, the love of God is to be shared with everyone who has ears to hear; because sharing the Good News can transform others as well as ourselves.

Now this is where the piece of paper that is in your bulletin comes into play. Does everyone have one? At this time, I am going to ask you to write one word on this paper; no names, just one word. It is one word that describes your journey of faith. It can be anything from Happy, Sad, complicated, struggle, challenging, easy, blessed, smooth…pick any word you want. I am going to ask you to hand them toward the center aisle and if the ushers could gather those up and bring them down.

That is the where last week’s Gospel and this week’s reading of Acts comes together. The people of last week want Jesus to TELL them. This week Peter has to come back and TELLS of his experience and how God used them. And one of the most wonderful things happens when Peter is done. The people “were silenced” and then they praised God. They gave thanks to God for using Peter and for these people being transformed. But at the risk of reading into this text, they may also be giving thanks to God that God’s word and God’s works through Jesus Christ meant that more people believed in who Jesus is; that Jesus is the Son of God.

Last week, I told you that telling your faith story is difficult, at first. It is hard because it can make someone very vulnerable to criticism. But the beauty of this exercise is that with this one word, you have now told your faith story for the first time. You have already done it once and I want you to listen to some of these words.

My hope and prayer is that telling your story is something that you feel called to do and something you see as a blessing and may your story help others to see God at work through you: AMEN

Are We There Yet...annoying question or expression of doubt?

            I am about to ask you the most annoying question that you have ever heard. We have all said it or heard it in our life time. Some of us have said it in a whiney voice, an angry voice, a voice from a standpoint of needing information, and some of us have said or heard as just a way to get back at someone. So here it goes, “Are we there yet? It is that repeated question that is asked over and over…we see it in the movies and on television…and it is the sign that “this is going to be a long trip. It’s universal!

            Today’s Gospel reading sets us in a scene that is much like this question. Jesus has been travelling (for nine chapters) and many things have happened. He has been baptized, gathered his disciples, healed, and fed five thousand people. Now it is the festival and they are all at the temple. It was important to go to the temple during festival time. Jesus walks through the “portico of Solomon.” This was a BIG deal. The Portico was the place where the king would make judgements. Jesus walks right into this portico and in John’s Gospel; it is as if no one even notices. The people are consumed with their wanting to know one thing, “Are you the Messiah? C’mon, if you are, just tell us!

            Remember the book of John is sometimes referred to as the book of signs. Jesus is out there doing all this healing, preaching, teaching, and feeding the five thousand; and these people are with him, they see the things that he does but they still don’t get it. They are still asking him, are you the Messiah? Yeah, I saw you heal the leper, but are you the Messiah? I saw you feed 5000 with a few loaves of bread and some fish, but are you the Messiah? If you are just tell us! It is exactly like the “are we there yet?” It must have gotten pretty annoying to hear that same question over and over.

What is it that is making them constantly ask that same question, again and again? There own words suggest that they have been asking this question over and over, because they say, “why must you keep us in suspense?” I am sure there would be an exclamation point rather than a question mark at the end of that sentence. Was it curiosity? Did they truly not know who Jesus was after seeing all that he had done OR was it something else? What is one thing that could make them ask time and again who Jesus was; especially after seeing Jesus signs?

Maybe what drove them to this question was something called DOUBT. Think about it. They were living under Roman rule and they knew what God’s law was because it was written in the books we call the Old Testament. God’s commandments of what you cannot do. It is easy to get caught up in the world of what you cannot do. We see laws as being restrictive and punishing. But, there is a twist to all this law. The prophets write in this book called the Old Testament and they write of one who will come to set God’s people free; free from the bonds of captivity, free to see the world and God’s law, not as a restriction. But seeing God’s law as a freedom to live with one another and caring for one another.

Now this Jesus person comes into the world and is doing all these things. He is healing, teaching, preaching on how to live as God’s children. He is doing unthinkable things by sitting and sharing a meal (one of the most intimate acts of friendship) with people who society deems unlovable or not worthy to be God’s children.

The question that they ask is their way of expressing doubt in who Jesus is. They ask the question because they are afraid that if they become or remain followers of Jesus that they may be unclean or unworthy. Maybe they are afraid that if they believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, they will be deemed outcasts. Afraid that they are following the wrong God and will be subject to the TRUE God’s wrath and condemnation; because, they have been conditioned to see God as judgemental and quick to punish, quick to cast out. With a God like that, no wonder they are waiting for the proverbial “other shoe to drop.”

But that is not what Jesus has shown them. Jesus shows us that God is compassionate and full of mercy and grace. When encountered by lepers and the blind, Jesus does not turn away from them but heals them. Jesus does not let anything stop him from doing God’s work in the world. He doesn’t check the person’s credentials or nationality he does what God calls him to do and (to steal the NIKE commercial line) “Just does it.”

I think that we can relate to these people. I think we have all, at one time or another, have doubted God in one form or another. I know we have asked it in our questions. The question at the very beginning of the sermon can be seen as a question of doubt. Are we there yet can be interpreted as I am afraid of your driving and just want this to be over OR I don’t like travelling and I just want to get there and get the trip done. Many of us have asked the questions like, “God what should I do? Did I do the right thing? How am I going to make it through this (insert the situation here)?”

These are times when we doubt ourselves and we even doubt God. In times of great difficulty we ask why God is punishing us, what did we do to deserve this, and here is my favorite “God only gives us what we can handle.” As much as I have problems with that statement, I find myself thinking it sometimes. But what you have to know that these doubts DO NOT mean that you lack faith. If anything, my hope is that it means that you want your faith in God to grow stronger. Because, sometimes and I hope every time, when you ask those questions we all turn to our scripture to look for the answers to these moments of doubt. I am not saying to look up any passages that say “Do not doubt” so you can shame yourself into faith cause that does not work. What I am saying is to look for those words of Jesus’ promise. Look up those passages where Jesus says, “I am with you to the end of the age.” “I am the bread of life and whoever comes to be will never hunger.” He does not say that you are not allowed to go back into scripture to look it up just to make sure. That is what the Word of God is there for. We have been given the word of God through written word so that we can go back in those moments of doubt and strengthen our faith in a God who promises so many things; forgiveness, compassion, mercy, and grace.

God also gave the gift of the spoken word. We are really good at sitting down and doing liturgy. We know when to stand and when to sit and we have the words for each song right in our hymnals. But one thing we, as Lutherans, find very difficult is telling our story of faith. God gave us all a voice. That voice is good at saying what we want or don’t want. But how many times have we actually sat down with one another and told our faith stories; our story of God in our life? It is not easy, but I can guarantee that when you do it enough, it does get easier. And you might be surprised because someone might need to hear your story of faith, doubts and all in order to be able to begin to see and tell their story.

Friends in Christ, it is not unusual or unfaithful to have moments of doubt. Look to the the commandments that say, I am the Lord your God who created all things; and rejoice in the promise…the Good News… that “God, so loved the world that he gave his only son; not to condemn the world but to save the world.” In those moments of doubt look to the God who gave his only Son on the cross for our sake; whose body and blood…the New Covenant we celebrate this day in the bread and wine of God’s Holy Supper.

My prayer is that when we come to the table and receive the gift of forgiveness from God that all our doubts be turned into the strength and confidence of God’s never ending love: AMEN.

Mark 8:31-9:1 Redefining Ourselves

I am posting tonight's sermon because I will allow the Gospel this coming Palm Sunday to speak for itself.

            I have a confession to make. I guess this might be an appropriate time with pastors to help with my confession…its not that bad…I am not a big fan of Lent. Before I started seriously discerning a call to ordained ministry, I really did not like Lent. I mean, I couldn’t understand what the big deal about Lent was. You could not say a particular word and I used to get really upset about this. I was thinking that this was a drag. Jesus went to the cross for us and we should be rejoicing. We should be preparing our hearts with shouts of acclamation. I didn’t get it.

            I think that I could relate to Peter in this sense. A few short verses before this, Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ. This is the one who has come to save us. This is the powerful Son of God; yet, Jesus tells of his suffering at the hands of the elder priests and scribes. Best of all, this powerful Son is going to be killed. Peter does not want to believe it! Peter wants Jesus to take care of business. I can imagine Peter saying, “you are the Son of God so you better do something about this situation because we are all depending on you.”

            Peter does not want to hear what Jesus has to say; because it would upset Peter’s understanding of the world. The powerful had control and the weaker people would have to abide by what the powerful determined. It helped define who was who in society. People were defined by their status; who do you know, who is your relative, what tribe you came from. All those factored in to tell others who you were. It went so far as to determine the kind of job you had, the kind of family you would be…it defined you and me. If I was the son of a slave who worked on a farm, I probably would follow in my father’s footsteps. So Peter defines Jesus as the Christ, Savior of the world.

            Jesus tells Peter that all he knows will be different. Jesus is re-setting the definition of what it means to be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus does not send an army of angels to protect him or take care of the Romans, or even the priests or elders. Instead, Jesus will be defined by the actions that are to come when he is handed over.

            Let’s look at what gets redefined. First of all, there is Jesus. God re-defines Jesus at the very outset of this Gospel of Mark. After all, he was destined (by social standards) to be a carpenter. His father, Joseph, was a carpenter and so it would make sense that he too would be a carpenter. But Jesus was led to the water…the river Jordan to meet up with his cousin John; and there in that Baptism, coming out of the water, God set Jesus on a different path than that of a carpenter.

            So what is this redefinition of Jesus? God calls him God’s beloved and Jesus sets out on a path of being tempted in the wilderness, he stands by God’s Word, picks disciples, goes into the world and teaches about who God is, and Jesus heals, eats, and spends time with people that society would deem as outcasts. These are big deals in the time of Jesus, because these things that Jesus does are going against the very nature of society. They are stepping out of the norms of judging books by their covers, so to speak.

            Jesus is redefining what it means to be children of God and followers of God. Jesus shows us a different definition of who we are. He is pointing out that it is how we care for our neighbors, how treat one another, care for the earth…God’s creation that matters. It is not the societal standards that define who we are as children of a loving God.

            So it is with Jesus’ invitation. Jesus invites us that if we want to be followers of Jesus, “let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.”

 Jesus is telling us that if we want to follow Jesus, the Son of God, then we are to redefine our lives…maybe the better way to put it is to let God redefine our lives. Maybe we should not let the societal standards define who we are: job, wealth, lineage, where we live. Maybe we don’t let that be the sole thing that defines who our friends are, who we share meals with, or who is in our group of friends.

It sounds easy to say but it may not be that easy. I know it is not easy. At our Baptism, God did not promise a life of ease or smooth sailing. We too often find that out the hard way. Denying ourselves does not mean giving up the things you have and living in poverty. IT does not mean going out and finding a cause to be persecuted over. What it means, allowing yourself to be defined as child of God, is that we take all of Jesus’ teachings and try to live them out as best we can: Loving your neighbor as yourself. That could mean understanding that you neighbor next door or down the street is struggling and trying to help out. It is forgiving someone that has hurt you or seeking forgiveness when you have hurt someone. We see a hurtful world on our television, our radio, and social media. We see Cyber bullying and government people screaming at each other calling one another names.

That is not who God called us to be; denying ourselves means that we give ourselves to God each and every day. It means knowing and living out that each one of us has value because it is God who created each and every one of us. It means that we may be laughed at, mocked, or even be persecuted for doing what God calls us to do. BUT, God does not abandon us.

And now, I confess that I know what I didn’t know. The reason I did not like Lent so much before was because I did not understand that Lent calls us to “re-define” ourselves as child of God. It made me uncomfortable to allow myself to be redefined. Here we all are on this 5^th week of Lent; allowing yourselves to be uncomfortable. You are allowing yourselves to be redefined by this Lenten journey: redefined as child of God, follower of Jesus Christ: AMEN

Isaiah 43:16-22 "A Horse with No Name and the wilderness"

            “Thus says the Lord…Pretty powerful statement to begin a reading. “Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings out chariot and horse…” I had to stop there when I was reading because a popular song came into my head as soon as I heard the word “horse.” Can you guess what it is? “ (sing) Ya see I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name…” It was quite the popular song quite a while ago.

            Do you remember this song? Do you remember the story in the song. There are three verses that seem to be quite simple. In the first verse, this guy—we assume it’s a guy because that is who is singing it—gets on his horse and starts riding out of this town. Don’t know why he makes this decision but on he goes. He describes that he is headed into this place where there are birds, plants, and things; and its hot and sand everywhere. SO he sets off on this journey. Then we have the chorus

“I've been through the desert on a horse with no name,
It felt good to be out of the rain. In the desert you can remember your name, 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.”

The second verse goes like this: “After two days, in the desert sun,
My skin began to turn red.
After three days, in the desert fun,
I was looking at a river bed.
And the story it told, of a river that flowed,
Made me sad to think it was dead.”

Two days into this journey, this person on the journey begins to experience Sun burn and making these observations of looking at a dead river bed. There is nothing there, nothing growing but a path cut out in the earth where water once flowed. Our singer is now sad seeing the emptiness of the world. This picture that he is painting for is sounds a lot like a wilderness. It is a story of the person going through this alone time where all he has to depend on is himself.

            This song is similar to our reading from Isaiah. Isaiah talks about this Lord who makes a path in the sea…in the mighty waters. Isaiah tells of this journey from a place with life, birds, trees, and all the things we might associate with good things and the beginning of this journey sets out from this life into the unknown: this unknown can feel very much like wilderness time. They, like the man in the song, don’t know what they are going to experience. They don’t know what is out there.

            This song differs from the song in that the journey, the exodus from Egypt carried with it the promise from God. God called Moses to lead the people out of this land that seems to carry life for some of the people…but not for the Israelites. So one of the places they go through is a place where horse and warrior lie down and cannot get back up. It is a journey where there is that river bed that allows the ancestors of these people that Isaiah speaks of  to go to freedom. Isaiah is reminding them of their ancestor’s exodus out of Egypt. Isaiah is speaking to the people who have been exiled from Israel and are now in Babylon.

            Isaiah gives them the important four words, “Thus says the Lord.” These words are important because they mean that it is not Isaiah giving a pep talk or inspirational speech. These four words means that God is speaking through Isaiah. It is God who is reminding them of their people’s exodus…out of the bonds of slavery to be free to worship God and go where God called them to be. God does remind them but also tells them not to dwell in that place “of old,” God says. God is telling them not to dwell on the “what could’ve or might have been.”

            God says, “I am about to do a new thing.” And what might that “New Thing” be? God is saying that God will make a way in the wilderness. Well let’s go back to our song. Remember the guy, after only two days, sees all the dead things, the lack of things, and it is not looking good for this guy riding the horse with no name. BUT, we do know what happens in the Old Story of the Exodus. They were in the wilderness for forty years. They encountered all kinds of things. Soldiers wanting to kill them, no food, and trying to keep each other alive out in the vast wasteland; and they were also trying to hold onto their faith in a God that “said” he would not abandon them, yet they were feeling abandoned.

            This wilderness could have a familiar ring to it. A couple years ago I did a book study on strengthening our faith lives. One of the chapters talked about the existence of wilderness times in our lives. This wilderness time can come to us in many different ways; it can come in the form of wondering if you should switch jobs, am I supposed to be doing something else. It can rise up in the questions of relationships, it can show up in the every day, hum drums, of life. It can show up in our faith life; “is this what God wants for me OR what does God want me to do?” The wilderness times can affect how we hear one another; we hear words but they don’t sink in OR we think we heard something only to find out that was not all that was said. Wilderness times can affect our actions. We might say hurtful things or do things that hurt one another. The bottom line is that this wilderness time in our lives affects so many aspects of our lives and in so many ways that there may be times when we wonder, “how in the world did I get here?”

            That is why I like this second part of the reading of Isaiah. God uses Isaiah to tell us that we are not alone in those wilderness times. God who is powerful and mighty to overcome the wilderness will make a pathway for us.

In the last part of the song:

After nine days, I let the horse run free,
'Cause the desert had turned to sea.
There were plants and birds, and rocks and things,
There was sand and hills and rings.

            Again, the difference from this song to our reading of Isaiah is that God leads the people of Israel. It is God who gives the people Manna, helps them defeat the people who would rather see the people stop this journey to freedom. It is God who sustains them through the wilderness and it is God who brings them to the land of milk and honey. God brings them to the land that God had picked out for them; a land where all the animals bow down, worship, and praise the God of creation. It is also a place where God gives the water of life to God’s chosen people.

            Just as God leads the people through and out of the wilderness, God leads us out of the wilderness. In those times when we struggle, when we feel like we are in those wilderness times God is with us. God is with us through the promise of scripture…the very Word of God in our reading of God making a pathway to the promise of eternal Glory in heaven. We are almost through our Lenten journey. We too have walked for 40 days reflecting on our lives; hearing the son of God inviting us on the journey to the foot of the cross…the place where we can bring all that we are, warts and all, and gather at the foot of the cross.

            It is at the foot of this cross that God brings us to the gift of life. We are coming to that time in our journey where God’s only Son will give his life for all of us…for our sin and brokenness. It is the time where we are made free to see the love of God in its fullness and ALL ITS GLORY. It is where God’s promise of Glory and salvation reaches its most powerful point, because it is at this point where we can see a life full of love, mercy, grace, and compassion; and it is available to all of God’s children. AMEN

Luke 13:31-35 Who are we in this story?

           Does anyone here think this Gospel reading might sound a little weird? I mean if you listen to it…really listen to it. Some parts of it don’t seem to make sense. For instance, let’s take the very beginning; Pharisees coming out to warn Jesus! Up till now all we have heard is about how the Pharisees and Saduccees are the bad guys. Remember that they are keepers of the law. And they don’t want any attention brought to them by the Roman government…nor do they want this guy, Jesus, bringing any attention to their religious laws and ways. So are they acting out of caring or out of fear?

            Let’s take a look at Jesus statement to the Pharisees when they suggest he leave. They are telling him to get out because they know what Herod is going to do to Jesus. Herod is the one who was around when Jesus was born. He wanted to find this newborn King, but it was not so Herod could congratulate him. Now Herod is still hearing about this Jesus and still wants to get this Jesus and bring him down…and not in a polite way. Herod wants to kill Jesus because, Jesus, is doing things that Herod could not; Jesus is healing, sitting with the outcasts of society, forgiving people, and teaching them about one who is more powerful than Herod. Jesus is showing people the power, the blessings, and the gifts of God. He is showing them a God that IS to be feared because of all the things God has done; but he is also showing them that this powerful God is also full of compassion and love.

            Now we have this whole statement about Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Jesus says, cannot kill a prophet outside the town. He goes onto say that Jerusalem is a city known for killing its prophets and “stones those who are sent to it.” Jesus has some first-hand knowledge about this. Remember just several weeks ago, we heard the Gospel reading that when he finished reading in the Synagogue, the people took him out of the temple and to a cliff where he simply walked away. Jesus is not naming specific people in this Gospel. He is not saying that JOB or Zechariah, or Bob & Tom did things, but he is saying Jerusalem. In a way, he is making Jerusalem a character in his statement; as if Jerusalem were a person. That, too, can make this Gospel reading a little weird.

            There is a lot that we can gain from this reading. First of all, we can look at these Pharisees as people who care. Sure we could say that they were looking out for themselves. We could also say that there were some of these Pharisees who believed in Jesus…who cared for Jesus. How can I say that, its because we know the overall story of Jesus through our scripture. We know that Jesus transformed people. God sent a son into the world so that people would know that God cares. God sent Jesus into the world to transforms hearts, minds, and lives to know that God is not off in some distant world but in the here and now; to see how broken the world really is.

            Jesus calls Herod a Fox. Jesus tells the Pharisees to go tell Herod that he is not afraid. In fact, he tells them “go and tell Herod that I am curing and casting out demons. Jesus knows that Herod feels threatened about losing his power. Jesus knows that Herod wants to take out this threat to what Herod believed was HIS god given right to power and authority. Jesus also knew who had power and authority over God’s people; that God is the one with authority over all that God had created.

            And now Jesus goes after Jerusalem; calling it the city that kills its prophets and stones them.. It is ironic to note that the name of the city, Jerusalem, gets the last part of its name, “salem,” from the word Shalom which means “peace.” This city of peace is now being called a city of killing. Why would that be? It is because we know where - and Jesus knows where- He will be in the next few weeks. Jesus knows that the Son of man will be handed over in the city of Jerusalem to suffer on the cross. He knows that the people will finally recognize him when he comes back to the city and acknowledging Jesus as “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This city…this character known as Jerusalem has a role to play in God’s ultimate display of love and compassion for a fallen people…a broken people; That display of love and compassion will come in the form of God’s only son hanging on the cross…for you and for me.

            So what does all this have to do with us? If we look at these three characters we may be able to see glimpses of ourselves and our world. How do we feel about Jesus? There are some people in this world that see Jesus purely as insurance; almost like a life insurance policy. They see Jesus in the sense that, “I better do what Jesus says so that I can get into heaven; or I can say I like Jesus and I will do what I want because Jesus has to love me; I won’t worry about his little sin until the end…then I will take care of it and all will be well.” There are people who intentionally try to follow Jesus in every way shape and form. They try so hard to live as scripture says. They might read this first part of the Gospel and say “Jesus please get out of town because I don’t like where this story leads to. I know this is what is supposed to happen but God I would like a different outcome.”

            We may at any given time and place have all these feelings. We are human and sometimes we get so concerned about our own situation that we can get consumed by compassion, fear, lack of confidence, over-confident, power, success and all these can affect our judgement, at any point in time. We can even be Jerusalem. We can want this place to be a city of peace. We can want this place to be the place where one goes to find God’s deepest love and compassion. Yet, we can feel the sting of sin. We can feel it or be the delivery mechanism of the sting of sin in our words and our actions; we say things that hurt one another, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes intentionally. We do things in our lives to preserve our own interests at times and to make sure we get what we want. We are all capable of it because we are human. We are broken and can we can find easy excuses to try and justify our brokenness.

            But it does not have to be this way. Let us hear Jesus words to the Pharisees, “Go tell that fox that I am curing diseases and casting out demons, today, tomorrow, and the third day I finish my work.” Remember this three days that he is talking about. In these days Jesus is telling us that although we live in a broken world, we don’t have to let that be our reason for doing things. Jesus is telling us that God is the one who has all the power and authority; the power to create and the authority to make judgement. God shows the power of grace in allowing us to make our mistakes and the God shows the power to forgive in that God’s only Son went to the cross for you and for me; showing us that we are loved and forgiven.

            God calls us all to share that Good News of love and forgiveness. In those times when we are angry or hurt, God is there…God’s Son is there on a cross to show us that just as we are forgiven, we can forgive others. God is here, through the cross, to show us that we can do the difficult thing to seek forgiveness. God is here show us that we are cared for, not forgotten, and that we are special to God. God is also here to show us that everyone has value because it is God who created us all.

            So, as we continue through these 40 days of Lent, let us reflect on the power to be forgiven and forgive…to be loved and to love…to share all God’s blessings with one another in all that we do: AMEN 

Three Temptations and Since you are the Son of God

            Did you ever want something? I am not talking about just wanting something; I mean, you wanted whatever it was so bad that it’s all you thought about. It was in your mind when you went to bed, when you got up…I mean you thought about this so much that you would wonder how you could think about anything else in your brain because all the space was being used. I am sure we have all had one of those experiences whether we are younger or older. 

            Today’s Gospel reading brings us to witness the temptation of Jesus. The devil comes to Jesus and tempts him with three things; Food, Power, and what theologian Scott Schauff calls “The cross-avoiding spectacle.” These three temptations occur in our reading not long after Jesus was baptized; Jesus is praying and the Holy Spirit descends and God’s words can still be heard, “You are my son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased.” These words were just spoken not that long ago and now the Devil steps in and starts offering Jesus things.

            His first offering is for Jesus to turn a stone into a loaf of bread. The Devil is commanding Jesus to take care of himself. The Devil is saying to Jesus, “you haven’t eaten for days. I know you are hungry, so, if you just turn the stone into bread you can eat all you want.” By turning the stone into a loaf of bread, Jesus is able to take care of his immediate needs and do whatever he wants, because the secret of this text is not that the Devil does not know who Jesus is. The Devil does know who Jesus is. If we go back into the Greek language, the language of the New Testament, and read exactly what the Devil says this little word “if” is more important than we could imagine. We tend to think of the word “if” being a negative; meaning, if I were to jump out of an airplane. It doesn’t mean I am going to do it and probably won’t. But in this scripture is in what is termed “a first class condition;” therefore this little word “if” means “and let’s assume that you are…” So here we have the Devil saying, “if (and let’s assume you are) the Son of God…”

            That is a big piece of information. It shapes how we look at this temptation and the others. The Devil is commanding Jesus to feed himself…save himself since he is the Son of God. Sounds familiar doesn’t it.

            Now we turn to the second temptation. Since you are the Son of God, the Devil says, I have all this authority and power over the world and I will give it to you. IF, you just worship me. All Jesus has to do is bow down to the Devil and he will get power and authority over the world. The Devil is appealing to Jesus’ human side. It is that side where a person might want to feel that they have control over what they want and what they want to happen. This power can be pretty enticing; people having to do what you tell them. Anything you want can be at your fingertips. You even get to control who is in and who is out. Again, it is all about YOU, YOU, YOU. Wouldn’t that be great?

            And then there is the third temptation. The Cross-avoiding Spectacle. The Devil takes Jesus to the Pinnacle of the temple, “Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself off,” says the Devil. Don’t worry, because of who you are, God will send angels down to scoop you up before you hit the ground. No Problem. Why the Temple, why would Jesus be taken up there. A few reasons; this is where the people worshipped. This was the centerpiece of life for the people of Jesus time. Everything revolved around the temple. There was probably always a large crowd and so there would be many witnesses to this. If Jesus did this and the angels came and did scoop him up, then Jesus would achieve “Rock Star” status. Witnesses would know who Jesus is and the world would change in an instant. If this happened, there probably would not be a cross because they would get who Jesus was.

            Jesus doesn’t respond to any of these temptations the way that the Devil would like him to. Jesus doesn’t turn the rock into bread, doesn’t bow down to the Devil, and does not throw himself off the temple, because Jesus knows that these commands from the Devil would only take him away from who God called him to be. As in our early chapters of Luke’s Gospel, Mary’s told us of God’s purpose in bringing Jesus into the world. It was to bring the Good news of God’s love, salvation, mercy, and grace to God’s children. Giving into the Devil’s demands, takes Jesus away from the relationship with God and with the people that Jesus came to serve.

            By not throwing himself off the temple, Jesus is able to fulfill God’s promise of mercy and forgiveness. Jesus is called to be more than just an observer in this world for God. Jesus is the Son of God who is to restore our relationship with God. Jesus is the one who will teach us and show us how to lift up one another through prayer, through action, and through showing us the ultimate act of God’s love by sacrificing himself on the CROSS for the forgiveness of our sins.

So let’s take a different approach to this whole “IF” word. How would that look to us using the phrase “Since you are the Son of God.” We can use this phrase to turn our worlds inside out. It is a phrase that can give us confidence in those times when we may feel a sense of weakness. It can lift ourselves and one another up in those times of crisis. So, let’s try it: “Since you are the Son of God, and showed us how to pray, we will pray for our brothers and sisters in need. Since you are the Son of God, I will give myself to you. Since you are the Son of God who went to the cross for the forgiveness of my sins, I will forgive those who trespass against me. Since you are the Son of God, you profess God’s love and mercy to me, when I may seem unloveable.

This the season of Lent. It is the time that we are called to look into our own hearts, reflect on our faith journey as well as our lives. It can be easy to look at our failings and faults and really beat ourselves up over some of the things we shoulda, woulda, or coulda done. It is the time when we come to the cross with our broken selves; broken from the world, from one another, and from those things that distract us from our relationship with God. We come to this cross and can say, Since you are the Son of God, you have gone to the cross for me and saved me…I am yours God: AMEN!

Transfiguration Sunday Sermon

 This was a mostly spoken sermon. Some nuances may not have been inserted into the written sermon.

There is a lot packed into this Sunday’s Gospel reading. Today, I am going to focus on the following: Location, action, Down in the valley

First is Location, Location, Location…

-          Jesus goes up to the mountain top. What do we know about mountain tops?

o   Mountaintops were important places.

o   God was believed to reside on mountaintops and it was the way that people could get closest to God in the heavens.

o   In our scripture, Jesus goes up the mountain. He takes three others with him.

o   The mountaintop is important to Jesus. It is his place to be closer to God.

-          Jesus is changed.

o   The Disciples see Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah. The most high prophets, the one to whom God gave the Ten Commandments.

o   They even hear God’s voice, “This is my son, my Chosen. Listen to him.”

o   Imagine what they heard and saw…the only way that Luke is able to describe what they saw was to use the word “Glory.” They saw these prophets who are the pillars of their faith and they heard the voice of God. Luke is the only one to describe this as “glory.” It means a lot because we can look at the word as a time of seeing so much; having their eyes opened to who Jesus is and getting that glimpse of Jesus, God, and the kingdom of heaven.

o   Maybe we could describe it as a euphoric sense of wonder and awe. Breathtaking and surprise, Jubilation and contentment might be words we could associate. It is feeling that experience and never wanting it to end.

-          Have you ever experienced Glory?

o   Have you ever been to a mountaintop and had a feeling of looking down at what God created or that you felt closer to God? I have done some hiking and typlically the mountaintops were bare at the very top and you could look out and there were times when I felt God was there beside me or saying, see what I can do?

o   It does not have to be a mountaintop experience. Is there a time when you have experienced the sense of wonder and awe, jubilation and contentment? It could be at any time in our lives.

-          Second is Action:

o   What does Jesus go up to the mountain and Do? Jesus prays. We don’t know what he is praying about but he is having a conversation with God.

o   This brings us to the question; how are we supposed to pray? There is the formal way to pray as Jesus told us in Matthew and it is called the Lord’s Prayer. There is another way to pray. Quite often I find myself praying in the car, walking down the street, going into the house or hospital. I find myself praying more than I ever thought I would. I can hear myself talking to God, sometimes out loud or silently. Prayer is having that conversation with God. It is asking for things for yourself as well as asking for things for others.

o   But there is one thing that can make prayer unique. Prayer is a way for us to communicate with God. It is a way for us to continue the relationship with God. But we are also given the gift of being God’s children together. So that if we are praying together we are strengthening our relationship with God as well as our relationships with one another.

o   Prayer is powerful. We see Jesus praying and, in fact, Jesus prays more in Luke than any other Gospel. Luke tells us that Jesus knows the importance and power of prayer. We have seen medical studies about prayer that say there is something to this praying. One theologian states that “what is powerful about prayer isn’t the words we use but that we care enough to pray for someone else.” Prayer is important and can transform us and our lives in ways we may never imagine.

-          Lastly, it is down in the valley time.

o   These glory experiences that the disciples hear and see are very nice. They get consumed with this experience and want to build temples to Jesus, Elijah, and Moses.

o   Yet, this time has to end. It is time to come down from the mountain. So what is next? We saw Jesus in God’s glory and do we now have to leave it on the mountaintop? Is it only “up THERE” that we get to experience this sense of awe and wonder, jubilation and contentment?

o   The answer to that is NO! just like what you heard in the story I read; The rabbit wants to know who Spring is. The rabbit is looking all around but cannot see Spring. The young boy walks around looking for God. They both need to see Spring and God.

o   For these two, the only way to see is through their own eyes, ears, and nose so that they have the experiences and can hold onto them.

-          What they don’t realize:

o   This is all around them. Spring is literally in the air; it is in blooming of the flowers, the greens of grasses and plants, the sound of birds chirping or seeing the thaw of the winter.

-          So, too, is God:

o   God is all around as well. God is in the creation of all these things just mentioned. God is in those moments of feeling the awe, wonder, jubilation. BUT, God is also there in those moments when there is suffering, pain, addiction, illness, and at those times when we have to say goodbye to someone very dear to us. You see God’s glory does not always mean happy times. God’s glory means that when we are at our lowest times, down off the mountain, or in that valley of despair, God’s glory is with us to know that we are not alone. God weeps with us, mourns with us and walks with us.

-          So what does that mean for us?

o   We have all experienced times in our lives of happiness and great joy. We have also experienced these ups and downs. Just like the two characters in the story, we know what it is like in search of something…that one thing that will bring us some form of awe and wonder, jubilation and contentment. My hope is that this place would be one of those places for everyone. A place where you can come and leave the pains and pressures of the outside world outside those doors.

o   Come to this place to know that you are loved, prayed for and can feel safe. A place where we can pray for one another and help one another so that we can share one another’s joys and pray for one another when things to seem to not be going well. Friends in Christ this is how we become transformed from our human existence to being children of a loving God who sacrificed his only son for our sake. AMEN