Sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter, Year B, April 23, 2006

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

As I read all the stories of the followers of Jesus it seems you can divide them into two groups. The skeptics and the non-skeptics. The apostles always seemed to be skeptics. The women around Jesus always seemed to be non-skeptics.

Skepticism can be a good thing in moderation. It is very healthy for us to ask questions. It is one of the reasons God gave each of us a brain. When I was reading the insert for this lesson last week, I immediately became skeptical. If you happened to be reading along when the Gospel was read today, perhaps you can see why. The very first line in your insert for the Gospel reading says “When it was evening of Easter day…” I read that and immediately though that something was wrong. I thought something was wrong for two reasons. First, I didn’t believe that Easter was a term we found used in the New Testament. And second, I thought that even if I was wrong about my first belief, certainly Easter would not be a term used so soon after the Resurrection.

So I pulled out a number of different translations and sure enough, the word Easter is not in that passage. So I assume that it must be a typo from the publisher. But it is a very interesting typo. It is a word that if we are not critical fits in well with our expectations as Easter people today.

That same critical attitude appears in today’s Gospel narrative as well. In the story we find the disciples hiding away in fear and suddenly Jesus appears before them. But then something we often seem to miss happens. Rather than recording a joyful reunion the narrative immediately tells us that Jesus showed them his hands and his side and then the disciples rejoiced. Too often lone Thomas, not present at the event takes head for stating that he will not believe until he sees exactly what the other disciples have seen. They were all doubting. They were all skeptical of the idea of a resurrected Jesus until they had seen the proof.

Since I am a skeptic myself I can appreciate this. We see in the death and resurrection of Jesus a certain mixture of faith and skepticism. It was faith that kept the faithful, primarily women, at the foot of cross and it was also faith that brought them to the tomb where they had their first encounter with the risen Jesus. It was skepticism that made all of the disciples, not just Thomas, want to see the wounds of Jesus.

The best part of all of this is that God works through both. God understands our skepticism in life just as God understood the skepticism of the apostles. Jesus didn’t refuse them what they needed in their faith journey, Jesus gave it to them freely.

As we live our own lives there will be times when we are skeptics. Perhaps during times of crisis in our lives. Or perhaps just during times of questioning and growth. Most of us I’m sure hope to be like those faithful women following Jesus who never seemed to have a doubt in their minds about following Jesus and believing in Jesus. But perhaps in practice you, like me, find yourself much more in the model of the apostles. Always seeming to have questions, doubts, and fears. I’m grateful that Jesus never gave up on those men following him. I could not have faulted Jesus had he decided that perhaps the women were a better bet for loyal followers. For they proved themselves time after time. But Jesus never gave up on those questioning and skeptical men. He showed all of the disciples his hands and his side. Jesus did not abandon anyone.

For me this is great news. Because quite frankly my faith is not always perfect. Sometimes I have doubts. And for any of you who have had these experiences with me, the truth of the Gospel today is that God does not give up on us for that.

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year B, March 26, 2006

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

We live in a rational world. And we are rational people for the most part. I think we can identify with Phillip’s response to Jesus about feeding the crowds. Phillip too the rational, responsible approach. Basically Phillip told Jesus “no way.” No way we could feed those people. The task it too daunting. The crowd way too large. The budget definitely way too small to accomplish this goal.

I can imagine Phillip thinking it is a great idea Lord, but unfortunately we just can’t pull it off right now.

Then Andrew pipes up – “Hey I found a boy with some bread and fish.” Sort of the equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Imagine having a huge crowd around and pulling out a PBJ to share with them. As Andrew says: but what is a PBJ among so many people? He probably regrets ever blurting it out to start with. What good is that?

So far in our story we have looked at the one who threw up his hands and gave up without a fight thinking the problem insurmountable. We have the one who offered the only solution he could see, but realized how foolish it was.

But we see that for Jesus, the foolish solution was the right one. Jesus prays over what little there is and begins to pass it out. And he keeps passing and passing and passing. All are fed from this one PBJ sandwich. This is not a very rational event.

Now many people in our times have problems with the irrational, with the miraculous. They try to explain them away as some sort of misunderstanding of an earthly phenomena. They need to strive for a rational application.

But not everything in the world can have a rational explanation. And to tell the truth for me it is not really important if a person believes in miracles or not. I sometimes think Jesus was a reluctant miracle working anyway. Jesus ended up having to hide from the crowd after this one.

It is not the miraculous that is important in this story. It is the people who are important. Phillip, Andrew, the crowd, and Jesus. This is where the heart of the story lies. The truth of this story is no if a miracle happened or not, but how we can encourage our faith. When we read this story where do we find ourselves?

Perhaps we see a bit of Phillip in ourselves. Looking at the situation from the rational point of view and finding it hopeless. Perhaps we are facing the hopeless in our own life right now.

Or possibly we see ourselves as an Andrew. We want to get in there and solve the insurmountable problem we are facing but when we unveil our solution it seems foolish even to us.

Or perhaps we are in the crowd. Not sure what in the world is going on but hopeful of being fed.

No matter where we find ourselves the key is that Jesus does not abandon or give up on us. We may give up on ourselves or others but Jesus never does.

Jesus is waiting for us to offer up the seemingly foolish solutions. Jesus is waiting to perform miracles with them. Just like he has been doing here at St. Peter’s.

Fire Destroys Holy Trinity Church, March 12, 2006

This morning I received the tragic news that Holy Trinity Church, Juneau was totally destroyed by a fire. Absolutely nothing was able to be saved. Please join me in praying for our sisters and brothers at Holy Trinity.

If you would like to send them a financial donation in this time of loss their address is:

Holy Trinity Church
325 Gold Street
Juneau, AK 99801

Second Sunday in Lent, Year B, March 12, 2006

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

We live in such an affluent world in the United States. We have riches vastly above our needs. Even those of us not rich by the standards of the United States are wealthy beyond belief when compared to most of the rest of the world. And yet as a nation we seem no happier than anyone else and perhaps less content that in our past. In fact, in many ways we seem even more miserable. Suicide rates continue to rise. It seems obvious to me that material things, very nice in and of themselves are ultimately useless in bringing spiritual satisfaction in our lives.

The Gospel today points to a radically different way of viewing the world. The Gospel warns that gaining the whole world is not the answer. Materialism is a dead end. Jesus teaches the path of self-denial. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” This is what we are called to do. Deny ourselves. There are many ways we can practice self-denial. During Lent many Christians choose to practice self-denial for a period of time. But I think that the self-denial that Jesus speaks of here is a much different thing. This kind of self-denial is the kind that says that others needs are more important than my own. It is the self-denial that allows us to bring food for our food basket to share with those whose needs are greater than our own. It is the kind of self-denial that gives up an hour on Sunday once a month to participate in our new service at Wesley. It is the kind of self-denial that causes us to donate our change to the UTO box. It is the kind of self-denial that allows us to give more to others even when that means that we have less for ourselves.

This is not an easy thing to do. Our society tells us to look out for number one. We are taught that we must have more and more to be satisfied. We learn to gratify ourselves with credit cards and loans. We choose to live lifestyles that we cannot afford.

Jesus shows us the path to follow. A path that is much different. When Jesus stated plainly his path was to his death, Peter tried to rebuke him. The death of his leader was certainly not in Peter’s plan. And yet Jesus chastised Peter for having set his mind on human things rather than divine things.

It is the focus on the divine that Jesus calls us to follow. A focus on the divine is a call to deny ourselves and our own self-centered plans. As Jesus pointed out it is of no use to gain the whole world if at the same time you are loosing your life. We see way too much of that in our society today. People who will neglect family for work and money. People who trade everything for a career. People end up wealthy beyond my wildest imagination and yet they have lost themselves. When they finally have it all they look around and are still unfulfilled and unsatisfied with their life. This is a human tragedy.

We bring this tragedy upon ourselves when we try to fulfill our lives without God. Too many people try and replace God with things in their lives. While these things can take the place of God in our lives they will never be fulfilling.

We were created to be in relationship with the holy. If we are not there will always be a void in our lives. We can try to fill that void with material things but that can never quite completely meet that relationship need.

Lent affords us an excellent time to look fresh at this aspect in our lives. How have we responded to the need for the holy in our lives? Self examination is a good thing and Lent reminds us again of this important duty to ourselves and to God.

First Sunday in Lent, March 5, 2006

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

Here it is once again. The First Sunday in Lent. And since I have been here for a few years now many of you know what to expect. A more austere service. Less singing. More solemnity in the service. And my usual sermon that we should focus less on we will be giving up and more on what we will be doing. The crosses are veiled and there are not “alleluias”. Sort of a dismal time in the church year.

This season also starts with the temptation of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. This was a storm Jesus was required to face. Temptation is something we can all identify with. It comes to us in many different ways. Sometimes very subtle sometimes not.

But I was struck by the Old Testament passage as I was preparing for this sermon.

Here in the middle of all this Lenten activity there is a rainbow. I think rainbows are one of the most beautiful things in all of creation.

The idea of a rainbow in Lent has caused me some consternation. It does not seem to fit well with my comfortable understanding of Lent. It challenges me to look at this season in a new light with new eyes.

I have to ask myself where do I find the rainbow of Lent? And I have to ask you where do you find the rainbow of Lent in your own Christian journey. Of course the obvious answer is that we find that rainbow at the end of Lent with the resurrection, and while very true, I think that is too pat and easy an answer for any of us.

Rainbows challenge us to look at things in new ways. Rainbows bring beauty out of storms and rain. In fact, rainbows require storm or rains to bring them out (ok, ok, I know you can find them around waterfalls too). All of us face storms in our lives. We cannot avoid them. But these storms help us mature and grow in our faith. In the end these storms are the makings of rainbows.

When we face difficulties in our lives what we need to remember is that they are the source of rainbows in our lives. When you feel like your life has been like standing out in a deluge for two days and you are so soaked to the bone that you can feel the water running down your skin under your clothes and are miserable and wet and cold, remember: a rainbow will be following the storm.

Lent is the stormy time in the church calendar. Jesus faces his temptation in the Gospel today. The world has just been destroyed in the Old Testament lesson. We count down the days until that utter failure, at least from the world’s point of view, the crucifixion.

But God is in the business of surprising us. Giving us blessing out of hardship. Giving us the resurrection out of the crucifixion. Giving us the rainbow from rain.

The lesson of Lent is to be faithful to God, to trust God in the good times and in the tough times. Look for the rainbows in our lives.

Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb 26, 2006

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

I started out working on this sermon thinking it was based on a different Gospel lesson. In fact, I had almost the entire sermon laid out in my mind before I realized it was the wrong lesson. And let me tell you, it was a good one! Not a very auspicious start when you are putting a sermon together and working on the wrong passage. Fortunately I eventually realized the error of my ways and started focusing on the passage actually read today.

The story today is the story of the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain. The transfiguration occurred in a rather quiet and lonely place. There was no great fanfare for the transfiguration. No loud rush of wind and fire like at Pentecost. Just the quiet stillness and a very powerful event. Often I think that I expect God to work in “big” ways. Miracles of raising the dead and healing the leper come to mind. But when you sit down and count the actual number of miracles found recorded in the Gospels there are not really that many during Jesus earthly ministry. It is just that they are the things that grab our attention. We focus on the spectacular at the risk of missing so much in life.

When Elijah was to see the Lord, he found the Lord in very strange circumstances. He did not find God in the places he or I would have expected to. God was not found in the great wind, a wind so strong that it split mountains and broke rocks. And God was not found in the earthquake, a force powerful enough to tear the very earth apart. God was not found in the fire, which I find interesting since God so often was indeed found in fire from time to time. But Elijah recognized the Lord instantly. When Elijah heard the sound of sheer silence (can you even hear silence), Elijah wrapped his face and went to meet God.

A very similar thing happened at the transfiguration. There was not great clap of thunder to announce the power and presence of God. There was no wind or storm or earthquake or fire. There was only a quiet silence as the powerful event occurred. And the apostles present realized they were experiencing the power of God.

Then Peter, like many of us when face with a powerful event leaving us speechless, finds he voice and blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind. Ever been there? I know I have. Then a voice from heaven announces that Jesus is the son and that they should listen to him. By now, I’m sure Peter wishes he had just remained silent.

This event was so powerful in the lives of those witnessing it that Peter even recalls the event in his second letter.

But at the moment it happened they were speechless and terrified. And sometimes that is how God can leave us feeling. Speechless and terrified. But beyond the speechlessness and terror God was working in their lives. And God changed their lives. They exhibited several qualities in this story that allowed God to work so powerfully.

First, they were available to God. They could have begged off the trip up the mountain with Jesus. They could have made excuses. They could have had more pressing engagements in their lives than a mountain trek with Jesus. The could have said they were too tired that day. But they didn’t make excuses. They didn’t have other priorities in their lives. They were available and willing to follow Jesus. Do we live that same life of availability to God? In order for God to work in our lives we have to be available like Peter, James and John were. If we fail to make ourselves available then we will miss opportunities to grow as a Christian. When there are so many competing things in our lives it is easy to make excuses when it is inconvenient to be available for God.

Second, they were willing to make mistakes. Peter never backed down from trying something, anything, when he was confronted with the unknown. So he was brave enough to risk being wrong in his suggestion to build three dwellings to try and contain the amazing power of God. And yet, when the voice from heaven spoke, it was not to rebuke Peter. It was to speak the truth. I know that sometimes it is easier to keep quiet and keep your mouth shut than risk making a mistake. That is the risk we all run. Making the decision to take the “safe” way out can rob of us opportunities for change and growth. Choosing to not take the risk and make ourselves vulnerable may allow us to feel safe but it robs us of opportunities. Just like Peter stepping out of the boat in faith to meet Jesus in another Gospel story. We can either choose to risk and meet God or we can choose the safe path.

We can choose to do nothing and perhaps miss out on the

greatest opportunity in our life.

For all the apostles, it changed their lives forever. Peter recalls this pivotal event in his letter. But had he been too tired, or too busy, or too afraid, or too whatever to make the trek up the mountain he would have been robbed of that experience of God.

That is the danger we need to look out for in our own lives. Realizing that one of the places we meet God is in silence it then becomes a challenge for each and every one of us to allow for the silence of God in our lives. But for some reason we tend to hate the silence. It is uncomfortable. We feel the need to fill silence with sound or activities. Silence can be torture for us. Even the short silence during our prayers can be a painful experience for some.

It is in our learning to embrace and enjoy the silence in an expectation that God will speak to us that is the lesson for today. Rather that fearing silence or being uncomfortable with it and seeking to fill it with something, anything to make the silence go away we need to learn to embrace it. For in the silence, like Elisha, we can meet God.

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb, 12, 2006

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

The story today in Second Kings is one of my favorites. It is a story of healing, power, faith, pride, prejudice, and fear all wrapped up in one gripping story.

Naaman has a serious problem – leprosy. Not a good thing to have. Sort of the equivalent of AIDS and HIV when it first struck and no one was sure how to protect themselves against it, but knew that getting it was fatal. People suffering from it were shunned and feared by most. So it was with leprosy. Naaman must suffer the fear and prejudice of others as a result of his infirmity.

Naaman and his family and friends must have all been in great distress over this turn of events in his health. But out of the blue hope and healing is offered. The little servant girl from Israel know of someone who could cure him! This was a very, very lucky break for Naaman.

So Naaman heads over to see the King of Israel. Of course this is not the person the servant was talking about, but political courtesy’s must be respected. Naaman’s own ruler is very excited about the possibility of his best general being healed so he also sends a letter to the King of Israel asking for him to heal Naaman. Now relations have not been the best between these nations and Israel is definitely the underdog. It is sort of like the president of the United States sending a letter to a very weak country, but one he would like to pick a fight with asking for the impossible. Perhaps like the president sending a letter to prime minister of Luxemburg telling him to cure Colin Powel. When the King of Israel gets this letter he is sure that he is being set up.

Fortunately Elisha got word of the goings on at the palace and of the King of Israel’s great distress and tells him to send Naaman right over.

Now when Naaman traveled it was not like you or I getting in our car and driving off. Naaman traveled in style. Sort of like a presidential motorcade. So Naaman arrives at Elisha’s humble abode with all the trappings of power and pride.

But that insufferable Elisha didn’t even have the common courtesy to go out and greet such an exalted guest such as Naaman in person. Instead he sends a servant with a simple message: go and dip in the Jordan seven times and you will be healed.” Naaman is incensed with this answer, perhaps even more so since Elisha didn’t even have the courtesy to greet him at the door.

Naaman wanted to be healed by he wanted it done his way. Naaman wanted to do what he wanted to do not what God wanted to do. Naaman wanted Elisha to make a big show of it all. Something spectacular and flashy for an important guy like me he must have been thinking. Something worth of Naaman’s exalted and high status. But not only did Naaman not get what he wanted, on top of that slight he was told to go wash in the Jordan. This was just too much. The Jordan was a rather dirty river, nothing nice about it at all. Naaman knew that he had much better rivers than this back at home. Why did he have to go to all this trouble only to be told to wash in the Jordan, barely a river by comparison to the wonderful rivers at home. Naaman was not a happy camper.

Naaman was willing to call it quits and give up. His anger eclipsed his desire for healing and wholeness. IN the end a cooler head prevailed and pointed out to Naaman how foolish he was acting.

I wonder how often in our own lives we act like Naaman. We want God to ask on our terms. We want God to act like we expect her to act. Naaman wanted a showy God. Naaman wanted a God which would actually draw attention to himself.

What are our own ideas of God? When you pray to God do you clearly know how you want her to respond to your needs? Naaman though he had God all figured out. But Naaman got the unexpected. When he was truly open to the work of God his response was “now I know that there is no God in all the earth except Israel.” Had Naaman not been willing to change his life and his attitude he would have missed the healing and new life possible through God. When Naaman actually allowed God to work in his life, it changed him forever.

God is in the business of changing lives. But our God is not a pushy God. Naaman could have stormed off and he would have never had the opportunity to see God working so powerfully in his life. All because Naaman expected God to work in a certain way.

Is that the case in our own lives? Do we expect God to work in a particular way? Do we walk away just when God is ready to transform our life because it is not what we want or expect?

We live our lives in the face of a simple choice. Do we want God to be God or do we want God to be the God we expect. Will we try to limit God’s ability to touch our lives by refusing him like Naaman almost did?

Sermon for the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, January 20, 2006

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.
Try to imagine placing yourself in Simon, Andrew, James, or John’s shoes for a moment. For me this is very hard to do because I assume that they must be insane.
For day after day, month after month, mind numbing year after year they do the same thing. They fish. The don’t do it for pleasure. They don’t do it for a relaxing day at sea. They don’t do catch and release. For them fishing puts food on the table. It is their job. So when we imagine them we can’t imagine a sport fisherman or woman, all rigged out in the latest sporting gear, clean cut, smelling nice, out for a relaxing day of fishing with a cooler.
No, the more appropriate picture in our mind should be the hardworking fisherman or woman. The kind of people we see at the fish docks unloading a hard earned catch. Dirty, unkempt, smelly. That is the picture of these future saints. These are not pie in the sky kinds of people prone to fanciful flights from reality. They are the sale of the earth, predictable types. Sort of like I like to think of as myself.
But I’m still let with the question about these men. Were they crazy? What would induce them to leave everything they had – little that it was admittedly – to follow this total stranger named Jesus.
The only thing Jesus offers them is to make them fishers of men. How utterly impractical. This does not sound to me like the kind of job that will put food on the table. This does not sound like the kind of job that would support a family.
But each one chooses to follow. Each of them drops what they are doing and follow. No comments. No apparent concerns. Just a willingness to follow Jesus.
They left all they knew. They left all that was know to them for the unknown of Jesus. What caused these practical, down to earth people to do this? How would we react, how would I react, if one day, while hard at work someone asked me to leave all that was familiar and known and follow him. It is very hard for me to imagine doing this. And I would imagine that it would have been hard for Simon, Andrew, James, and John to image ever doing it as well. And yet, at that moment in time, they did.
The hardest part for me about this story is the realization that Jesus still calls me today. He calls me to follow him. And as I look at this story I’m quite frankly fearful. What if Jesus were to call to me to leave all that was familiar? When Jesus calls me will I be up to the challenge? Will I be able to respond like these fishermen? Or will I be too worried about what I have to give up and how I will put food on the table.
I think that in the moment Jesus spoke to Andrew, Simon, James, and John each of them heard the call of God. Jesus spoke to them in a place deeper than had ever been touched. Jesus spoke to them in a place they may not even known to have existed. That is why they followed him. In the voice of Jesus, God spoke in each of their hearts.
You never know when that day will come. Certainly these followers of Jesus didn’t expect it. The call from Jesus can some when we are in the middle of a hard days work. It can come when we are fast asleep like it did for Samuel. It can come at inconvenient times.
Our challenge is to hear it. We have so much going on in our world today that I wonder if we drown out the voice of God in our lives. Rushing from meeting to meeting. Worrying about playing the bills. Worrying about putting food on the table. Worrying about where we live and how we live.
Our goal is obvious. We must clear our mind, and more importantly, our heart to hear the voice of God speaking to us.

Sermon for the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2005

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

The Christian life is filled with the unexpected. I am impressed with that fact more and more as time goes by. I am now well into my fifth year of ministry at St. Peter’s. It has been such a blessing to me. I am so grateful to God every time I look out in the congregation and see our pews filled up so much more than in years past. Last Sunday Ian gave me a wonderful drawing he did of St. Peter’s. You can clearly recognize the church building. But what I love most about this picture is the rainbow and many colors over the building. It reminds me of the beauty of what is going on here at St. Peter’s.

In the words of Isaiah today we hear that God “did awesome deeds that we did not expect.” To be honest that is what is happening at St. Peter’s. I never expected all that is going on here to be happening. And so I’m also grateful that God is capable of so much more than I ever give her credit for.

The Collect for today calls on God to “give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light.” The movement from darkness to light is one that appears many times in the Holy Scriptures. And as we have been moving into greater and greater darkness it is something that we can well understand. I don’t think anyone relishes these days of longer darkness. I know they mess up my sleep schedule and are just plain inconvenient. But all of us struggle with issues of darkness in our life. We struggle with it individually as we strive to become the people God has called us to be. We struggle was a parish as we likewise grow and develop, changing long held patterns to accommodate new growth and new ideas. As a community we face this same struggle from time to time.

In the Gospel today as well in the words of Isaiah we hear God spoken of as our Father. It is an image we often hear. We heard it at our last mass on Thanksgiving Day. It is a very powerful image of God. Although the one drawback is that it is a very patriarchal image. I much prefer the image of God as mother and father.

But regardless of whether you see God best or easiest in the image of mother or father the question is what does that mean to you. What does is mean when we voice the expression that God is our father or mother?

If some asked you this afternoon to describe who you are in relation to God in one short sentence, what would your answer be. There are many answers available. Many very good answers, but remember you are limited to one short sentence.

I know that for myself, the descriptive sentence I like is that “I am a beloved child of God.” For me that nicely sums up both my relationship with God and my relationship in the world. As all of you know the world can often be a very cruel place to live. Even the church can reflect that cruelty in the way in which people are occasionally treated. By remember that I am a beloved child of God helps to put things into perspective for myself. It reminds me that my relationship with God can never be change. I will be loved by God into eternity. You are a beloved child of God and will and you will be loved by God into eternity. That is an awesome thought.

When we face evil or are treated poorly by those around us it is important to remember that we are still and always will be beloved children of God. When it seems like the world is standing against us and nothing ever goes right, remember that you are still and always will be a beloved child of God.

As we begin a new church year and look forward with excitement, trepidation, anticipation or fear as to what lies ahead for each one of us. As we look back on our mistakes. As we look back at times when our church community, family, or friends may have failed us. When we face the dark nights in which we may occasionally be tempted to think that even God has abandoned us, call to mind that one sentence of yours. Or borrow the one that I have borrowed from others: “I am a beloved child of God.”

Sermon for the Sunday after All Saint's Day, November 6, 2005

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

Over the next few months you will hear me speaking a lot about the three G’s: gratitude, grace and generosity. I learned the three G’s from a wonderful priest when I was back in Florida for Credo. I think they capture what I have been trying to express for the five and a half years that I have been here at St. Peter’s.

I’m currently on an unpaid leave from my job at the prison until November 11^th. This is as a result of contracting issues that were only resolved last week. During the past month I have been dealing with this situation. I have been struggling with living out the three G’s in the face of what really is a rather minor inconvenience compared to what so much of the world is going though. I was worried about how I would pay the bills if I lost the job. I struggled with the Biblical injunction about trusting in God for all my needs. Of course when it all worked out it was easy to return to normal.

But then I read the beatitudes. Talking about all the blessings there are in faith. It is very appropriate that we read that passage on this particular day. During the processional hymn we read the names of the dead to remember and honor them. But the reading of their names serves another purpose. We are reminded that the church is more than just us sitting here in the pews today. The church does consist partly of us here today. But it consists of much more. It also consists of those who have gone before us. Those named and unnamed who have served God in their own times and have now gone on to their reward. In this list we hear the names of the poor in spirit, the meek, those who hungered and thirsted for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted.

Hearing all these names, just a taste of all those in the church triumphant, we see indeed how blessed we are. In this list are loved ones. In this list are some who kept St. Peter’s going for decades. They kept St. Peter’s going as priests came and went. They made sure that the doors were opened every Sunday. Names like Mary Elizabeth, Elsie, and Amy. Names that will never appear on the church calendar. Names that will disappear to history when all of us who have known them are no longer around. But they are every bit as important to us as all those strange names on our calendar. In fact, they mean more to us. We knew them. We loved them. We lived with them.

These are people who in my experience demonstrated gratitude, grace, and generosity in all they did for St. Peter’s. And the truth of the matter is that it is no different today. Today our pews are likewise filled with people who continue to toil in the same way that we have for 100 years at St. Peter’s.

I have an abiding sense of gratitude when I look out and see our pews filled more than they have been for many, many years. I am filled with gratitude to see a choir, something St. Peter’s has been missing for decades I think. I am excited, overjoyed and grateful when I look at our budget and compare it to the one we had just five years ago. This growth is an expression of all three of the G’s. The grace of God blessing us with growth and our gratitude, expressed through so many ways, one of which is generosity. Our food basket continues to help feed the hungry of the community. I am blessed every time I empty it. We share our grace, gratitude and generosity with so many people, many of whom we will never know.

The Gospel today talks about all the blessings available from God. In my own life, I want to start focusing on those. It is so easy to allow the troubles and difficulties of life to drown out the gratitude, grace and generosity we experience in our life. It is important that each of us intentionally focus on them. As we do, we will find ourselves drawn closer to God and closer to ministry in serving God. Another Church year starts at the end of November. Another Church budget starts in January. Another stewardship campaign will be starting before you know it. In all of this let us all commit ourselves to living out the three G’s of gratitude, grace and generosity every day.

Sermon for the 13th Sunday after Pentecost, September 11, 2005

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

Peter has been following Jesus for awhile now. He has seen Jesus do some amazing things. He has seen healing. He has seen Jesus go against the religious leaders of the time. He has seen Jesus associate with people most think Jesus should be avoiding. And he has heard Jesus tell some amazing stories that have challenged his own understanding of what it means to be a Jew. I sometimes wonderful if Peter has been thinking of how he might impress Jesus just a little bit. So Peter comes to Jesus with what is a startling and an obviously generous offer in his mind. In fact, in my own mind it is an exceedingly generous proposal. “If my sister or brother offends me, how often am I to forgive,” Peter asks. How about seven times Lord, is that a good enough offer? I tell you, if I was Jesus I would have jumped on this generous offer. To find a person willing to forgive an offender seven times would have been quite a find in my experience. Imagine the patience and love that would be demonstrated in a willingness to forgive a person seven times. To me it seems an offer above and beyond the call of a Christian to make. And yet Jesus does not even think twice about it. Jesus dismisses the offer and gives an even greater challenge. The answer that Jesus gives is not about numbers however. Jesus answer is about a willingness to not even count how often we forgive. It is never easy to forgive. It is even harder to forgive if you have to do it a few times. But it is almost unbearable to think that we have to forgive a brother or sister time after time after time after time. That is just too much! And yet with no apology that is the answer Jesus gives to poor Peter.

This answer is based in part in the words found in the reading from the Psalm today. The Psalmist describes for us the mercy of God. It is a mercy that is not at all like the way we humans deal with one another. When we are in a relationship with God we are treated by a God who cares for us as a father does for his children. Jesus’ answer to Peter is also found in the words of Paul when he asks “Why do you pass judgment on your brothers or sisters? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister?”

To be honest, I don’t think I could forgive someone seventy-seven times. I think for me even the seven times Peter was trying to offer would be a stretch. And so I know that at many levels I fall short of what God calls on me to do. The question is what should I do about it. Do I throw up my hands and give up? No, that would not be what God would have of me. God wants me to work on the areas I find in need of improvement. True, it would be easier for me just to give up. But that would constitute an even greater failure on my part than my unwillingness to forgive.

Instead I need to work on gaining a greater ability to forgive others more in my own life. It is too easy to be like the person described in Ecclesiasticus. Wanting to be vengeful and hold on to anger and wrath seems to be a human preference. But the writer of Ecclesiasticus also warns us of the dangers of that attitude. When we hold on to anger and wrath and judgement against others, we invite it in on ourselves as well. In fact, beyond forgiveness Ecclesiasticus tells us to even overlook the faults of others. That is a concept that truly requires Christian love.

God wants us to treat each other as God treats us. But that can sometimes be a tall order. Overlooking faults and forgiving others seventy-seven times would seem to be beyond human abilities. They both require help from God to accomplish them. The more we give ourselves over to God the closer we will be able to come to achieving those goals.

Perhaps one way to judge our walk with Christ is in looking at how close we are able to follow in those things that God calls us to do. Our ability to show compassion, mercy and forgiveness is directly related to our walk in faith.

So the lessons for today are a great challenge to me. They are a challenge for me to examine my life and see how well or poor a job I am doing in conforming to my call to follow Jesus. The Gospel lesson drives the point home in a way that no one could fail to miss. Jesus tells us in this passage a story about the man who owes the king literally a fortune he could never, ever repay even if he worked every day for the rest of his life and gave every cent to the king. And yet, even owing an amount he can never repay he asks the king for time to raise the funds. The king to the amazement of all, probably most of all to the amazement of the servant, forgives the unrepayable debt. Then this same servant, after receiving such a great gift of forgiveness happens upon another who owes him a much smaller debt. Still a large amount, but definitely repayable with time. And what does he do? He tosses the guy in jail for not paying up. Of course, justice is given in the end as this terrible wrong reaches the ears of the king and things are set right with the unappreciative servant. He receives his punishment for his failure in forgiveness. And then Jesus gives the listener a warning. His warning is that we need to forgive our sisters and brothers from our hearts if we expect God to forgive us.

When I think about the times in my life I have not wanted to forgive someone I am frustrated with myself. When I think about the times I savored being angry, mad or vengeful, well, it makes me glad that God has a greater storehouse of forgiveness than I do. God can forgive me a debt so much greater than I can ever imagine. God can forgive me the debt that is so great that I could never repay it. And yet God expects me to do my part. I need to learn to forgive what are actually very small and trivial debts compared to the debt God has forgiven me. On the surface it would seem like a rather easy task. And yet I struggle with it. Part of me does not want to give it up to God. Part of me likes being able to choose. Part of me likes to be able to judge another and find them wanting and deserving of condemnation.

But God’s ways are not my ways. My Christian calling is to transform my life closer to the way that God calls me to live. And that means learning to forgive, as many times as I’m called on to do so. It means learning to forgive without counting the number of times.

The lessons for today give us a long list of attributes to work for in our faith walk. Not being angry with our neighbor. Overlooking others faults. Not judging each other. And finally, forgiving each others sins. Perhaps each of us should take the scripture insert home today and highlight those things God is calling us to do. Then take one or two and start working on them in our life. That would have the dual benefit of pleasing God and making each one of us a better Christian.

I had this sermon finished before I took off this weekend to the Standing Committee meeting. I didn’t want to have to rush when I got back. But some discussions at our meetings have caused me to extend my message. I want to end where I started. I started by talking about a generous proposal. So I want to end with a discussion about the spirit of generosity because it ties in directly to the idea of forgiveness. The Diocese is, like St. Peter’s, facing significant financial difficulties. We engaged in a long discussion about giving, about tithing and about how we can inspire parishes in this diocese to start meeting their financial obligations to the Diocese. We at St. Peter’s have committed ourselves to meeting that obligation although because of financial difficulties of our own, we are currently way behind. But our discussion finally turned to the fact that that answer is not to be found so much in berating people about tithing. It is even not about convincing them that tithing is a blessing. Instead we need to start thinking and developing a spirit of generosity in ourselves. This same spirit can inspire both forgiveness and greater leaps of financial support to the parish and diocese.

We need to continue to make all of you aware of the financial situation of St. Peter’s. But each and every one of us must examine our own hearts in light of that information. We must examine our hearts and not our pocketbooks. It is in our heart that the spirit of generosity flows from.

My prayer is that all of us together will work on our own issues of generosity in all areas of our life. We all need to develop generosity of love, generosity of forgiveness, generosity of service, generosity of give. Each of us needs to develop an overwhelming generosity in every area of our life. I firmly believe that God will bless that.

Sermon from the 13th Sunday after Pentecost, August 14, 2005

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

There are so many bad messages that you could take out of the lessons today. Jesus thinks we are dogs, Jesus treats us like dogs, we should be happy with the crumbs and pride is a good thing, just to name a few.

But the message I want us to think about today is summed up in a word that appears in Romans and Matthew. That word is mercy. The Canaanite woman called out to Jesus for mercy. Paul tells the readers in Romans we have received mercy from God. Mercy is a wonderful word. It can mean so much to all of us. It reminds us of all that God has done for us. When I look back on my life I see the mercy of God working so often. The challenge I face is to not let my sins and mistakes obscure the sight of God’s mercy in my life. In a life filled with failures and mis-steps I can often allow the mercy which God has show me be drowned out.

Once we have managed to focus on God’s mercy it should challenge us to demonstrate that same mercy to others. You see, mercy is not a one way street running from God directly to you and me. Mercy needs to flow in many directions. As a result of the mercy we receive from God we should be showing mercy to others.

How do we do that? What are the ways in which we are merciful to others? One way to do this is to show others the same mercy that God has shown us. This concept is in keeping with Jesus own command that we love our neighbors as ourselves. And it is also in keeping with our Baptismal and Confirmation promises when we agreed to “seek and serve Christ in all persons” as well as striving “for justice and peace among all people.”[1] These promises, which we all have made, are not just glib platitudes we spout off so we can feel particularly holy. They are promises seriously made to live out our faith in a way that demonstrates to others what God really means in our life. There are so many ways we can live out this call to show the mercy of God.

How often have you been having a terrible day. A day when nothing ever seems to go right for you no matter what you do and no matter how hard you try. And suddenly out of the blue a kind work spoken by a friend or a stranger touches your heart and reminds you of all the good there is in life. That is an experience of mercy.

When you are heading out the door for church on Sunday and you grab a can of corn or a box of cereal to put in the food basket, you are demonstrating the mercy of God. You are demonstrating God’s mercy to someone you may never see in your life, and yet God reaches out through you in mercy to feed a hungry family.

I can think of so many ways within the walls of St. Peter’s that I have seen people share the mercy of God with one another that I cannot even begin to list them. But in everything we do: cleaning, shelving, setting up, cooking, giving, making, supervising, and teaching. In all those things we share the mercy of God with one another.

God’s mercy is not something we are to hoard for ourselves. There is not a limited supply of it. We do not have to worry that if we share some mercy with others that there will be less for ourselves. The woman coming to Jesus and crying for mercy got exactly what she wanted. The disciples wanted to sent her away because she was a bother, a nuisance. Best to get rid of her so they can continue in a world of their own making. But that was not the answer from Jesus to the cry for mercy.

We find this example many places in the Gospel. In Luke (18:39) the blind man pleads for mercy and receives his sight. And there can be no doubt that God wants us to be merciful as well. In Hosea 6:6 the prophet tells the people that God does not want their sacrifices. What does God want from them? He wanted them to be merciful. And that is God wants from us as well. That is what our Church calls us to in our promises.

The words from Isaiah ring out loud and clear to us today. “Maintain justice and do what is right.” This sums up neatly what sharing mercy is all about in the world. Maintain justice and do what is right. I know that in my own life I have failed in this call many times. And when I do I must try to make amends to those whom I have failed and then trust that God will give me the strength to try once again to maintain justice and do what is right. I’m frustrated when I fail. But they key is to not give up hope that I can eventually do it. And as Christians that is what we need to do. Each one of us is called to follow the words of Isaiah and maintain justice and do what is right.

---

[1] BCP, 305 and 417.

Sermon from July 24, 2005

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

According to the Gospel for today, the kingdom of Heaven is not what we expect. It should be constantly surprising us. After all, no one expects very much from a tiny seed. And yeast is not all that impressive lying in your hand. But imagine trying to raise some bread dough without it. And no one driving by a pasture full of cows expects to find treasure in it, unless you are looking for fertilizer. The kingdom of Heaven is a surprising place indeed.

We are the precursors of the kingdom of Heaven. When people look at us as God’s representatives here on earth they should be just as surprised about the mysteries of God. Each and everyone one of us carry a responsibility to ourselves, to God, and to those in our lives searching for the truth.

On of the mysteries I struggle with is Paul’s claim that “all things work together for good”. I understand that this is a great sentiment. And difficult as it is sometimes, I actually believe it true. But in the real world, which you and I face, it is sometimes very hard to believe in the moment. What about the difficult issues in life? What about poverty, famine, death, depression, isolation, suicide and child abuse to name just a few. How can I find good from God in those? At times it can cause me to despair.

I do try to remember however that when Paul wrote this he too had faced hardships. He had been imprisoned without cause, had been beaten, and suffered deprivation. And he was well aware that Jesus faced being whipped, beaten, spat upon, nailed to a cross, mocked, pierced, killed, and mourned. Of course in the case of Jesus we have the benefit of seeing all his suffering in light of the resurrection and that certainly puts a different spin on things. But Paul endured all his hardships without respite and yet still wrote those words that I find so troubling.

But when we face the death of a loved one, particularly an unexpected or early death, when we face victims of child abuse and suicide. When we see famine and poverty in the world, it is very hard for me to blithely say that it is working God’s good in the world. That simply does not make sense to me. It seems rather unfair. And even worse, it seems particularly unhelpful to those who are suffering from the pain of grief and loss.

And that I suppose leads us back to the unexpected from God. God truly does work in mysterious ways. Ways that often leave me scratching my head. For those who suffer great loss and pain, they may indeed, at some point in the healing process find good. But the good, which they find, can never erase the pain and the emptiness left by loss. That will always remain. Time does not heal all wounds. Time just hopefully allows us the space to accept our wounds and let us bury them somewhat so that they do not constantly hide on the surface, ready to emerge at any time. And they must find the good for themselves. It is no help for me to tell them good will come out of it.

To me the true surprise of God is the resiliency of the human spirit. I have an Aunt who has lost two sons, one to AIDS and the other to suicide. Both died at tragically young points in their lives. She still grieves for them. But she has found greater faith and trust in God at the same time. Her loss will never, ever disappear. But she has found the strength from God to bear her burdens. Some would painfully and horrifyingly be happy to offer up the observation that her drawing closer to God was the good to come out of her son’s death. But I hardly think she would see it that way. In fact, I imagine she would trade her greater faith and trust in a second to have her children back, and I would not blame her.

God is wonderful and God wants wonderful things for all of us. At the same time we know that bad things sometimes happen to us as well. Being one of God’s children does not mean God places a wall around us to protect us from the world. God wants us in the world to witness to others about the love and care God has for each and every one of us. And that involves risk. That is what it is to be a child of God.

Trinity Sunday, Year A, May 22, 2005

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

For the past few years, I have avoided a sermon on Trinity Sunday. It has always fallen on Br. Emmanuel’s preaching rotation. In fact, just last week he was bemoaning having to preach on this occasion again until I pointed out that it was my turn finally this year. That seemed to cheer him up considerably!

And I can understand his quandary. After all, how much can you truly say and be eloquent at the same time when talking about the Trinity. The church has struggled with the meaning and implications of the Trinity for a very long time. The first problem with the Trinity is that the Bible never mentions it. The second problem with the Trinity is that to human understanding it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. We know from math than three and one cannot be the same. And yet we know that the Trinity is three and one at the same time. There parts of the god-head yet one. It is one of those brain teasers I can never get my mind wrapped around.

Some of you may recognize this passage of scripture (with a few editorial changes): Jesus said, “Who do men say that I am?” And his disciples said, “Some say that you are John the Baptist returned from the dead; others say Elias, or another of the old prophets.” And Jesus answered and said, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Logos, existing in the Father as His rationality and then, by an act of His will, being generated, in consideration of the various functions by which God is related to His creation, but only on the fact that Scripture speaks of a Father, and a Son and a Holy Spirit, each member of the Trinity being coequal with every other member, and each acting inseparably with and interpenetrating every other member, with only an economic subordination within God, but causing no division which would make the substance no longer simple.” And Jesus answering, said, “What?”[1]

I think the point I’m trying to make is that with some doctrines, such as that of the Trinity, human words or even thoughts are insufficient to clearly express what exactly it is. And that is not the same as saying it does not exist. I find myself in league with Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart when dealing with pornography. When found at a loss for words adequate to definite it, he said “I know it when I see it.” I feel that way about the Trinity today. Words fail me to explain it to you, but I know it to be true.

And so I have decided to retire from Trinitarian explanations. The egg, the states of water, interlinked circles; they all provide only a shadowy peek into the mystery.

What we do find in Scripture is clear. In the story today from Genesis wee see God the creator. This creator speaks the world and all that is in it into existence. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians speaks of the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. And in the Gospel reading we hear the commandment of baptizing in the Trinitarian formula.

But in none of these passages is the Trinity explained. We see it clearly referenced, but no details. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that it was not particularly important to the apostolic church. Not the doctrine being important, mind you, but a detailed explanation of the doctrine. And perhaps there is a lesson here for us. Sometimes mystery is best left as mystery.

You have only to turn to page 864 of the Book of Common Prayer to see the wisdom of leaving mystery a mystery. There we find the Creed of St. Athanasius. Now St. Athanasius was one of the early church fathers and one of the leaders in the fight against Arianism which was a belief that Jesus was not divine. He wrote this creed to defend both the divinity of Jesus and the doctrine of the Trinity since they are dependent upon each other. But if you ever read it I think you will draw the same conclusion as I. The Trinity is a mystery.

To be honest that is really fine with me. I think in our current day and age one of the things we don’t have nearly enough of is an appreciation for the mysteries in life.

While the Trinity is a mystery it is also very present in our lives. When a priest gives a blessing it is in the name of the Trinity and usually accompanied by the sign of the cross, another Trinitarian reference. Many of our prayers end with a Trinitarian form. Every time we cross ourselves we are reminded again of how close the mystery of the Trinity is in our daily experience. So rather than try and tease out the exact meaning of who and what the Trinity is, let us just remember it in every expression we see it in.

---

[1] Synthesis, Trinity Sunday, May 22, 2005.