Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, September 24, 2006

Try to imagine this in your mind. You are back in the in the time of Jesus following him around and seeing Jesus do wonderful, powerful, amazing things. After following him for several years he tells you that he will be betrayed and killed. You don’t understand but are afraid to ask for clarification. And then later you start arguing about who is more important in your group. This is basically the story in the Gospel today. But so much of it seems strange. It raises so many questions.

Who is it that will betray and kill Jesus? The betrayal part could seem easy to define though hard to understand. Betrayal is an act by friend. It is done by a person on your side. Someone who stabs you in the back. Betrayal hurts. It is done by someone close to you. So when there is a warning of betrayal everyone starts looking around at each other, just like at the Last Supper I suppose.

The killing part on the other hand, that is not so hard. Anyone can do that. Just look at all the slaughter going on in the world around us. One of the sad truths of history is that much anti-Semitism in the world is as a result of the Christian tradition of blaming the death of Jesus on the Jewish people. In our more modern times there has been a move to set the historical record straight and point out that it was indeed the Roman authorities who killed Jesus. It was the Romans who had the power, the ability and the will to carry out the murder of Jesus. The Jewish people of that time did not. This fresh approach is historically accurate. However, it is also still wrong. It is wrong because it is theologically wrong.

The answer to who betrayed Jesus and who killed Jesus must be found in theology, not history or anti-Semitism. And the answer is the same to both who betrayed and who killed Jesus. The answer for all of us is “me”. I killed Jesus and you killed Jesus. One of the marvelous things about Education for Ministry is the teaching that all of us can and should be theologians. As Christians theology should be the thing we look to first in the answer to questions in our lives.

While unfortunately rarely sung in any Episcopal Church that I have ever attended, Hymn #158, “Ah, Holy Jesus, How Hast Thou Offended” is tremendously powerful and theologically accurate. Verses one and two are as follows:

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

And here is the key part:

Who was the guilty- Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
'Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.

“Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee! I crucified Thee.” This is the truth of the Gospel. Sadly in our world today too many Christians are busy arguing about who will be the greatest rather than humbly acknowledging our responsibilities to God.

It is in our human nature to not want to own up to our failures and weaknesses in life and instead argue about other things, like who is first or who is better. Or perhaps to argue about who is right and who is wrong. This is exactly the situation played out in the Gospel reading for today.

The disciples were faced with two challenged from Jesus. First he would be betrayed. They should have been looking among themselves, questioning their commitment to the person they had chosen to follow, but they did not. Second he would be killed. They should have been looking around trying to figure out who in the world would do that, but they did not. They didn’t understand what Jesus was saying to them so they basically ignored it. And then got on to the important business of trying to decide who would be first in the group.

Unfortunately Christianity down through the centuries has not done any better than the disciples. The Christian Church has only been too happy to point fingers at Judas as the betrayer and at either the Jewish people or the Romans as the murders of Jesus. In essence we have done no better than the disciples. Instead we have spent centuries arguing about who is first. We have argued and defended who may enslave who. We have argued and defended who may marry who. We have argued and defended who may ordain who. And now we are arguing about who may love who and in the midst of that who is more pure than whom.

These purists insist that you must agree with them or else you are apostate or a heretic and you must be excluded from them. They refused to participate in the Eucharistic gatherings at General Convention lest they be tainted. They will refuse the leadership of our duly elected Presiding Bishop even though they voted for her.

But at least the disciples were ashamed of what they were doing. Regretfully, the purists in our midst now have no shame about what they are doing.

However, I have great hope for the Episcopal Church. While some sadly are mislead by these often dishonest purists, I believe most faithful members of our church see these people for who and what they are. Eventually, the purists will leave the Episcopal Church and I will grieve for the loss of them. But in the end they will quietly disappear and waste away as they strive to maintain purity by excluding more and more people. At the same time, the Episcopal Church will continue to move forward, ministering to the needy, helping the oppressed and sharing the Good News of Jesus in the world around us.

Sermon for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost, September 10, 2006

“…their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

This would seem so very easy. What could be more simple? Unfortunately it is not that easy because we are a people who seem to love other things. We love money, cars, prestige, honor, our selves. There always seems to be something out there to attract each and every one of us as an idol. It is religions based on idols that are worthless.

Talking about idolatry is really not very trendy today. It sometimes seems as dated as some of the prophets from the Hebrew Scriptures. But it can occur in so many forms that it is time, I think, to examine the idea anew. I find it somewhat interesting that in our current struggles in the Episcopal Church idolatry seems to be making a strong comeback. Like the song of the Sirens it calls people to leap into the abyss of idol worship. It blinds us to the truth.

For some in the Episcopal Church today the idol seems to be the Anglican Communion. We are willing to sacrifice anything or anyone at the altar to this idol. In fact, sadly some are willing even to be dishonest in their pursuit of this idol. At General Convention one of the most amazing things, and to me the most surprising thing, was seeing how different dioceses voted on some issues. I observed conservative dioceses voting with liberal dioceses in what I could only see as an attempt to force the sacrifice of the Episcopal Church on the altar of idolatry to gain access to the Anglican Communion. The liberals were at least voting their hearts. The conservatives however were coldly calculating in voting against the things they claim to hold dear and voting for the things to which they are totally opposed. It was an example of idolatry pure and simple, clothed in Christian platitudes. It was for me a sad day.

But reflecting on it has caused me to remember something very important. You can find idols where you least expect them. Who would expect a concept like the Anglican Communion to become an idol? Certainly not me. I wonder if fear of idolatry was why Jesus told the deaf man he healed to not tell anyone about it. Perhaps Jesus was concerned that people would make an idol out of the healing, missing the point of God being among them. And it would be so easy to do. After all, there is nothing wrong with a great healing. But allowing a healing to eclipse the presence of God in their midst would be an act of idolatry.

Of course Episcopalians are not the only ones able to find idols out of what should and can be good ways to spread the kingdom. People make an idol of Scripture, placing readings of God’s own word in conflict with the very message of God. People can make idols of their church, just as it has happened with the idea of the Anglican Communion. People can also make idols of power, authority, money, the creeds, the 39 Articles, our own personal beliefs, and many, many other things. Seeing God as any of these things is idolatry plain and simple. But it is not plain and simple when the idol in our life is something associated with the church. After all, how could that be an idol? It is about the church!

Many people are going though life in our world today looking for faith or religion, or something to cling to. They might not even have a word for what they are looking for. There are many people and organizations out there willing to try to tell them that they have the answer. Some of these people and organizations claim to be Christian, some claim to be of other faiths, some claim to be of a faith all of their own.

What saddens me is how these searching individuals may feel if they look to the Episcopal Church for the answer to their problems. We seem to be so tied up with political idols and issues, demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice people to them, that I have to wonder who would want to come to us? What if they were the next person needed to be sacrificed at the altar of expediency? I would not blame them for saying “no thank you” and moving on to the church next door.

In fact, we see that happening in some places in the Episcopal Church. Some alarmists would try and convince us that the Episcopal Church is dying. You might well look around and disagree, because at St. Peter’s we are growing. The secret of growth is no secret at all. The key to growth is a loving, caring, Christian community. That is what we are blessed to have here at St. Peter’s. Unlike other parishes who are willing to waste tremendous amounts of time and energy on the idolatrous things available to worry about, we focus on loving others and serving God. Hmmm, that is starting to sound strangely like this sermon began: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

I think that if we can maintain this focus we will be served well in our Christian witness in this community.

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 13, 2006

Have you ever been misunderstood or falsely accused of doing wrong when you were in the right? It is an injustice that happens to many people and perhaps to some of us here today. It is not fair and it is not right and it is extremely frustrating when it happens. But we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people so it is bound to happen now and again. While it has been said that the only sure things in life are death and taxes, I’m not sure that I would agree. These kinds of mistakes are all to common among people who are only too willing to believe the worst in others rather than the best. Perhaps it will not happen to each and every one of us, but it will certainly happen to some of us. I know it has happened to me in the past when my actions had been misunderstood by others and I have been occasionally shocked when I finally find out.

We are not alone in these misunderstanding though. Jesus also suffered from them on a regular basis. In the pericope from the Gospel of John today this is very clear. This passage comes immediately after Jesus has feed the five thousand and walked on water. And yet those around him are complaining because he is claiming to be the bread from heaven. The affront is even greater in this case because, as they complain, “is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” In other words, “Hey isn’t this Joe from down the street, who does he think he is?”

Just previously Jesus had just fed a crowd all the bread they could eat and is now trying to explain the deeper implications of his actions. And people don't like it. They misunderstand him. With his bread in their stomach they complain about the message. They were complaining about the message because they did not like its implications. They could not have been unfamiliar with the history or their forefathers and knew exactly what the implication was when a person claimed to be "the bread that came down from heaven." They knew about the manna in the wilderness. They knew that in making this statement Jesus was claiming to be sent from God. And lets face it, how would any of us feel if someone approached us claiming to have been sent from God? Even if that person had done some amazing things. Besides, who wants the person next door to be the one from God. That is too pedestrian. If something comes from God we want it to be showy, powerful, mystical and life changing. We don’t’ want it to be the person from across the street.

For the real problem with people claiming to be sent from God is that it usually blows our ideal of who or what God is out of the water. And we don't like change very much in our lives. You see, if someone actually does come from God then we have to listen to them and do what they tell us. They might disabuse us of our comfortable picture and relationship with a God we have managed to tame to be our own kind of pet.

This passage challenges us to ponder the very real and important question of who do we think God is? It is easier and far simpler to never think about it. The safe path is to just go along without ever challenging ourselves to really struggle with God in our life.

But I think it is a good thing to examine just who we think God is. For some God is like a benevolent grandmother or grandfather dispensing goodies to us from heaven. To others God is like a stern father or mother always quick to criticize or discipline. People may see God as a powerful yet distant figure not particularly interested in what is going on in the world or in our lives. Many find comfort with God as the fire department ready to rescue us when we are in really deep water and needing to be rescued. To some, God simply does not exist.

But none of those are complete or accurate views of God. They are at best incomplete pictures formed by our experiences. But then again, I’m not sure that any human being probably has a perfect view of God. I think that what the passages today are trying to tell us is that understanding God is about relationships. And not just our relationship with God.

But Jesus was trying to tell the hearers something in this passage. Jesus was the “bread came down from heaven.”

What is bread? Fr. Michael Oleska made the following observation: “Flour, yeast and water, baked to a certain temperature? No, it is much more, for to create bread, one needs the whole world. The earth must turn, the rain must fall. The soil must be fertile, the sun must shine, night must come, the wind must blow. If all this is in harmony, and humans interact with it appropriately, tending the garden as God originally planned, bread can be baked, communion with God restored.”[1] I think the point is that relationship with God is about much more than we tend to usually casually assume. Too often the Christian church tends to focus completely on the relationship between the individual and God. But the point Father Michael was trying to make is that to be Christian is to be in relationship with much more. Just as the passage in Ephesians was emphasizing relationships within the Christian community, Father Michael is trying to help us grasp that relationship with God is also relationship with that which God has created.

In fact, while a relationship is God is definitely a part of the Christian experience, I think we are missing out on a lot if we don’t also understand the importance of being in right relationship with others and the rest of the created world. You have but to look at the world around us and see so many people who fail to understand that by the devastation we see in the world around us. People are willing to kill one another and destroy the environment with nary a thought about it.

It is up to the Church to work on setting this right in the world in whatever ways we can. We have the bread which came down from heaven. Now it is our responsibility to share it with the world around us.

---

[1] Michael J. Oleska, “The Alaskan Orthodox Mission and Cosmic Christianity”, The Chant of Life: Inculturation and the People of the Land, Liturgical Studies Four, 2003, p. 188.

Sermon for the Third Sunday after Pentecost, June 25, 2006

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

Life can be so unpredictable. As Fr. Emmanuel and I were returning from General Convention this week, we both had our travel plans in hand. We knew exactly what was happening and when on our travels. Or at least we thought so. I was the lucky one. I was only delayed a few hours. Fr. Emmanuel ended up spending an unexpected 14 hours in Chicago. Life is a lot like our travels this week. You never know, for an absolute certainty what is going to happen next. There are no guarantees. All of us face uncertainties and trials.

Job was surely caught by surprise in his life. He was living the ultimate success story. He was wealthy, had a wonderful life, a loving wife, and fantastically perfect children. It was all a man could ask for. I’m sure he felt that he would die content and with nothing to regret. But he would loose it all. The words we read in Job today is the response he gets from God after questioning and expressing his frustration with all that has fallen upon him. To me, the response from God seems rather shocking. It does not seem particularly pastoral!

But when I turn to the Gospel I see what seems to me to be the same thing. The narrative in Mark picks up just after Jesus has spent a lot of time sharing with the disciples. And after that, to get away from the crowds and get a small break at least for a short while, Jesus and the disciples climb in for a boat ride. Jesus falls into a deep sleep and soon a wild storm arises. The disciples are convinced that they are about to perish on the sea. The disciples panic in fear for their own lives and wake Jesus, rebuking him for his lack of concern over their own lives. And then we have, what seems to me, another most unpastoral moment. After Jesus calms the seas he rebukes the disciples for their fear and lack of faith.

Both of these stories trouble me greatly in the response we see from God to those who are in the story. I like to think I would never respond that way to people who had lost all, family and belongings or who had expressed a lack of faith in a moment of fear. Perhaps because I see myself in these people. I see myself lacking faith when fearful or having suffered a great calamity. I want a little more solace and comfort in those moments of failure. And I would imagine, rightly so, that any of you would expect that as well from Fr. Emmanuel or myself.

I find myself struggling for what is the right answer. The “in your face” response of Jesus and God leaves me uncomfortable to say the least. Not that the responses were not true. They were. We should always have faith. We should recognize the power of God in our lives and in the world. And perhaps since God knows our hearts God knew the answer that best suited in each of these situations. Which sort of brings me back to the passage in Job again. Who am I to question the ways of God?

But I think what ties all of this together, the loss, the fear, God’s response to it all, and my response to these stories all come together in one wonderful phrase in the reading from Second Corinthians. “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself.”

In all that happens in our lives, God is there. In the good times and in the bad times, God is there. In the peaceful times and in the fearful times, God is there. God’s purpose is to reconcile the world to himself. And it is important to note that we are instructed to carry that message of reconciliation to others. It is our job to spread the message that God is reconciling the world to himself. You see, God is not reconciling only Episcopalians to himself. God is not reconciling only Roman Catholics to himself. God is not reconciling only Baptists to himself. What is God reconciling to himself? The world. Not just the parts we enjoy. Not just the people who are so full of faith that they never have fear. Not just those who never doubt or question God or God’s existence or God’s plan. God is busy reconciling each and every person in the world to himself.

There is good news and bad news in this for us. The good news is that each and every one of us is being reconciled to God through Christ. And the bad news is that each and every one of us is being reconciled to God through Christ. Those we love and those we love to hate are all reconciled to God.

This is the truth which we need to stand up for. There are too many in the Christian community only to willing, and dare I say happy, to consign others to hell. But that is not what Paul was saying in this passage. He was saying quite the opposite. As a church we must be willing to proclaim the truth. We must stand up against those who would teach otherwise.

Sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 28, 2006

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

Left Behind. That is what happened to the disciples. They were left behind. In the gospel lesson Jesus prays for them just before he leaves them. And in the other two lessons they are writing about dealing with the after effects of being left behind.

For some of you those two words, "left behind" may be very familiar. Some of you may have read part or all (some 14 books I think now) of the series of novels by Tim LeHay called "Left Behind." This is a series devoted to the rapture and the end times. These books are a fanciful fictitional accounting of Mr. LeHay's beliefs about what will happen during the end times. The problem with these books of fiction and others like them, such as "The DaVinci Code" is that it is very difficult to separate the fact from the fiction as you get caught up in the accounts. It all soon becomes very believable as fact and we end up finding ourselves accepting a faith that comes from very fertile minds of fiction writers.

Followers of the "Left Behind" series forget that there is not much basis in the Bible for this series. They forget that Tim LeHay wrote most of his beliefs as non-fiction in the 1970's. But those books, read from our current time look ludricious at best and so Mr. LeHay has turned to a safer venue, fiction.

However this mixing of fact and fiction, or even worse the Holy Scriptures and fiction can be a dangerous thing. Once the lines are blurred that which is only in a person's own imagination starts to become cold, hard facts for all of us readers. And when we get mixed up in these fanciful fictitious accounts of what is or will be happening in the world we loose touch with what is truly important for us today.

The truth is that Jesus did leave the disciples behind. They were left behind to carry on the work of God in the world, just as we are called to do today. They were left behind with work to do. This is a much different call than that which is expressed in the series. I think they were left behind as pearls for others to find. Just like Jesus.

But pearls have a very inauspicious beginning. They start as an irritating grain of sand. Much like a small pebble in your shoe. It may be very small indeed, but try and explain that to your foot. These grains of sand irritate and bother the oyster so much that eventually it must do something about it and it does. In the end we have a very beautiful thing, much clamored for by many people for its beauty and wonder.

I think when you read the Gospels and the story of Jesus you see this same thing happening. Those around Jesus were often very irritated by him. Certainly the Pharisees and the scribes were. The all found him like a grain of sand in a pearl or a small pebble in our shoe. But I think we can also see that he often irritated his disciples as well in the ways he acted out his call in the world.

I believe that the important issue to remember is that we have also been left behind. We follow in the tradition of the first disciples in being also called to remain behind in the world. What we need to worry about is what we do. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted by trivia and fiction in responding to our call to follow Jesus. Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m not against fiction and I’m not calling for book burnings. But we need to look at things with a critical mind. I have read “The DaVinci Code” and enjoyed it, but if I take my church history from that source I’m way off the mark.

God calls us to follow Jesus. This call entails a lot of things. Faithfulness in regularly attending worship. Giving to support your church. Reading the Holy Scripture. Praying. Caring for others. Loving your neighbor as yourself. Looking out for the less fortunate and those who cannot protect themselves. Loving the unlovable. Remaining in fellowship with those you disagree with. This is not an easy list or by any means an exhaustive one, just a few of the things that came into my head while I was thinking of what it means to follow Jesus.

And sometimes it is being a grain of sand. Being that irritation that helps usher change in our community. And if we are lucky enough sometimes it means being transformed into a pearl. But following Jesus is always being true to our beliefs and careful about how we form them.

The idea for the Pearl/grain of sand idea in disciples being left in the world. (note 1)

Note 1: Sermons That Work, May 28, 2006 - Seventh Sunday of Easter - Year B [RCL]

by the Rev. James Liggett

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.