I will attempt to post each day something that reminds me of what at this waiting is about...
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Sermon – Risky Business
Matthew 25:14-30 Panzer Liturgical Service
November 16, 2014
So here we are again, hearing about Jesus and his ministry from the words of Matthew. Last week Chaplain Gramm did a great job unpacking a big chuck of Jesus’ teachings. He focused a large portion of his sermon on the parable of the ten bridesmaids, but opened up the exegesis to include all four parables in these last chapters before Jesus’ arrest and death. This parable of the talents is the third in a series, all told by Jesus between Palm Sunday and the Last Supper. Each deals with behavior in light of an absent master, and ultimately asks the question, “What will you do until he returns?”
Will you keep pushing to further your master’s intentions, or will you play it safe and try to keep the status quo? Will you be prepared for his coming, not caught up in the ways of the world? Will you have the supplies you need to get you through the journey, or will you have to interrupt to restock, maybe missing out on the most important time in your life? Will you use what has been given to you to make the most of the time between his going and coming? And finally, will you be found faithful or faithless at his return? In short, the Master asks his servants this ultimate question, “What are you willing to risk until I return?” (1)
In this parable in particular, we are faced with two portraits – those who keep pressing forward, in effect willing to go all in, and those who act out of fear, literally burying his opportunities like a cold, dead corpse and lucky to be able to even find it when the master returned. I’m willing to guess that in churches all over the US, preachers are using this text to encourage their members to be faithful in their giving and serving to the church. It’s the number one text used in connection with stewardship campaigns asking people to make commitments of money and service in the coming year.(2)
But I wonder, is that all this parable is really about?
In this story a wealthy man prepares for a journey by entrusting his estate to his servants. Each receives an amount according to his ability. Is the ability to make a wise investment or something else? We don’t really know. We wonder, what is wrong with the third servant that he only got one talent. And this is where the tale takes its first turn. Yes, the first is bestowed five times more than the last, but even so, one talent is a significant sum of money. Carla Work, NT scholar, tells us that “a talent is equal to about 6,000 denarii. Since one denarius is a common laborer's daily wage, a talent would be roughly equivalent to 20 years wages for the average worker. Five talents, the largest amount entrusted to any of the servants, is comparable to one hundred years’ worth of labor, an astronomical amount of money.” (3)
WOW! What would you do if your boss came and gave you twenty years of wages in one sitting – maybe even tax-free? Would you buy a fast car, a new house, or new clothes? Would you quit your job, buy a fancy RV and hit the road? Either of those seems less responsible than what the third servant did… like a lottery winner who is collecting welfare after wasting his or her millions away.
How many of us would think enough of the generosity of the master by investing the money wisely? Maybe it would be in making the best financial return possible. Or maybe that money could be used to reach as many people as possible, making life better, making love real. I want to believe that I’m in that last group…but I don’t really know what I would do. I do hope that I wouldn’t go out in the backyard and dig a hole in the ground to bury it for safe keeping. As many times as we have moved around, there is nothing safe or wise about that.
This story fits into the gospel at this time and place for a particular reason. Jesus knows what’s coming. And to prepare the disciples, he tells stories about faith being tested. These parables depict how the disciples are to live out their faithfulness as they anticipate the return of the Lord. And while the disciples hear what he has to say, they think “SOMEDAY” when Jesus really means “TOMORROW.” Again and again between his ascension and the day of Pentecost, Jesus tells them the time is coming, but they didn’t understand at all what Jesus was trying to say.
What does faithfulness look like in a time of waiting? In Matthew's Gospel faithfulness is lived by emulating the ministry of Jesus. Jesus has announced the arrival of God's kingdom by feeding the hungry, curing the sick, blessing the meek, and serving the least. As Jesus commanded at his ascension, we are to preach and teach the gospel to the ends of the earth. We accomplish this by treating others as if they are Jesus, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and imprisoned, clothing the naked, and welcoming the stranger. That is when we will be most likely to hear the Master’s voice say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ (4)
So knowing all of this, we ask the question again,”What does faithfulness look like in the in-between time?” How much are we willing to risk to make the Kingdom real, here and now? What kind of chances are we willing to take to prepare the world for Jesus to come again and claim what is rightfully his? Are we foolish or will be wise? And how will we know the difference?
I’ve been a pastor and teacher for 23 years. And sometimes I get the feeling when I talk to people that they are looking for the really grand gesture to show God how much they love him. Not this little thing or that, as if we are afraid that God won’t honor the little steps made in his direction or on his behalf. Somewhere inside us, we see a Mother Theresa or a Nelson Mandela or a Dietrich Bonhoeffer and we think, “I want to be like that, but I don’t think I have it in me.” And so we just putter along, or we give up, or we bury our talent (and our heads) in the sand.
But I wonder how those people, and many more that we cannot name, got the courage to make the grand leap of faith. Did they just wake up one more and say, “Today, I’m all in.” Maybe, but it’s just as likly that they took it one step at a time. “Today, I’m going to walk one step close to God.” “Today, I’m going to put someone else’s needs before my own.” “Today, I’m going to be brave and foolish and believe it when I am told that God is with me, no matter what.”On one hand, this is story about talents – riches – even opportunities used to serve a master. But it is also a story that asks us what we believe about God. Do we see God as generous or do we see God as harsh and someone to be feared? I remind people all the time that when we read the English word “fear” in the bible, we should really hear “revere” or “be in awe of” in God. Fear isn’t just about being afraid of God. It’s about seeing the awesomeness of God, and understanding our place in his world. (5)
The first two servants were awed by the generosity of their master, and did everything they could to say, “Thanks for trusting us with the work of YOUR labor. We tried to do right by you.” But the third was only afraid of God, and therefore did whatever he could to just not screw it all up. I suspect that we all lie somewhere in between these two faithful servants and the one who utterly failed at the task given. It’s probably obvious what not to do to end up the like the third poor fellow, but how do we become more like the others?
The answer is in the parable immediately following… our gospel lesson for next week’s Christ the King celebration. I won’t go on to preach a second sermon today, but I will ask you to think about this series of parables as a whole and ask what opportunities God is providing to help mold you into the person God knows you can become.
In their book, Every Good Endeavor, authors Tim Keller and Katherine Leary Alsdorf have chronicles the ministry of The Center for Faith and Work in New York City. Through years of working with people in the congregation at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, they have come to see that people find the most fulfillment at church when their ministry has some intersection with the work they do on a day to day basis. In a recent interview, Alsdorf said, “The gospel story of work says that we’re made to work. And the reason we’re made to work is to do the work that God would have us do to help the world flourish. Apart from doing that kind of work, we’re not fully human; we’re not living the lives that God meant us to live.” (6)
Their question to their parishioners is one that is well worth as little of our time: What is our calling? How is God using us to further the Kingdom? And how can that play out in our work and our family and our life in the church? In this room we all have different jobs; Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, Coast Guardsman, Civilian, Contractor, Teacher, Mother, Father, Child, Student, Friend… the list goes on and one. Are we living out our faith well in the midst of those jobs? Does our faith journey speak as loud and in harmony with our words about faith? And what about the life that comes after this one?My husband and I are certainly thinking about what comes next, after life in the military. And the question we are wrestling with is this: How does God want us to use the rest of our lives to serve him? Answers to that question will impact everything – our jobs, where we live, and how we serve. And it’s scary knowing that someone else will help us make those choices. Being faithful to what the Master has entrusted us with sometimes means we fine-tune the lives that we are currently living… and other times, we get to start over, from scratch. And as one who keeps doing both, I’m not sure which is more frightening or exciting … what do you think?
Just remember, this is risky business. Will we be faithful or foolish before God?
Peace, Deb
_______________
[1] Peter
Woods, “Are You Ready to Risk?”, 2011, http://thelisteninghermit.com/2011/11/07/are-you-ready-to-risk-ordinary-33a/
[2] Carla
Works, 2011, “Commentary on Matthew 25:14-30” http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1018
[3] Carla
Works, 2011.
[4] Carla
Works, 2011.
[5] Linda Pepe,
http://www.theologicalstew.com/two-sides-to-every-story.html
[6] Interview with Katherine Leary Alsdorf, http://www.faithandleadership.com/qa/katherine-leary-alsdorf-were-made-work?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=headline&utm_campaign=NI_feature
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Sunday, November 2, 2014
Sermon - For All the Saints
All Saints’ Sunday – 2014 Revelation 7:9-17, 1 John 3:1-3,
Matthew 5:1-12
Today we celebrate All Saints’ Day, the same as billions of
Christians who have come before us. In the second century, the Church started
remembering people who had died. It was a violent and dangerous time for the
followers of Jesus. The government and the world did not approve of the
influence that Christians were having in the world, so while most held firm in
their faith, some did it at the cost of their own lives.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, it’s not easy to become a
saint. Evidence is collected in an effort to convince Church officials “that
the person in question in fact lived a virtuous life, had faith, and had the
support and help of God. The Church also looks at miracles as evidence that God
is working through that person.”[i] It takes between 10 and hundreds of years
for the Church to authenticate the sainthood of those nominated. Most recently
added to the list of Roman Catholic saints were Popes John Paul II and John
XXIII, canonized in April of this year (2014).
Even we Protestants recognize the names of some saints:
Saint Francis of Assisi – 13th century monastic and founder of the Franciscan
order of monks; Saint Anthony – 17th century preacher and teacher who is known
as the patron saint of lost items and people; Saint Christopher – 3rd century
martyr and patron saint of travelers; Saint Patrick – 4th century founder of
the Church in Ireland; and let’s not forget Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Theresa of
Avila, Saint Valentine, Saint Nikolas and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first
American born saint to be canonized by the church.
Many of these early Christians lived out their faith in the
line of fire and were killed in the line of duty. All of this gives us the
feeling that in order to be considered a saint, you have to live a supernatural
faith. And I know that this doesn’t give me much hope of every being considered
a saint myself.
But what if this narrow view of sainthood undermines what
the early church intended when they set aside a day to celebrate the lives of
faithful people? The first three centuries of the church were often violent and
chaotic, but I’m guessing the majority of these early saints were just ordinary
folks who were scared to their core, but hung in there because they believed so
much in Jesus.[ii]
A few years ago, Shawn and I made a trip to Greece. I was
relatively unfamiliar with Orthodox worship, but intrigued at the small icons
that we found in churches, shops and museums. I eventually purchased an icon of
Jesus, but there were so many more to choose from. Some of them were of saints
I mentioned earlier, but there were more – people I have never thought of as
saints, but who are exactly the people that I want to be like as I make this
journey of faith. Saints like Dorothy Day, an American Catholic who stood up
for the working poor… Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor killed by the Nazis
for preaching the gospel of Jesus, not the one appropriated by the national
mood of the day… and C.S. Lewis, who began life as an atheist, but became a
Christian in adulthood, and penned some of the most accessible and honest
writings on the struggle that comes with a life of faith.
In preparation this week, I have also remembered some of the
saints of my life, people like Charlie, a retired man in my first church. He
was loud and joyful, a traditionalist in every sense of the word. When I went
there as the first woman minister, he let me know that I had a limited amount
of time to prove that I was up to the job. But gradually, we become friends and
over the next five years, I watch Charlie pour his whole life into loving his
wife and family, and to opening a homeless shelter in our town. He became a
real pest to many of the businesses in town, gathering donations for beds and
linens and kitchen supplies to furnish a house that he persuaded the
ministerial association to buy. People were known to duck into a doorway when
they saw him coming, because they knew that they wouldn’t be able to say no to
whatever he was going to ask them to do.
When he died unexpectedly, we wondered if all of his dreams
would come true. But people took on his dream as their dream and a new kind of
ministry with the homeless came true. And again I was reminded that saints come
in all shapes and sizes, and we never know when we might be in their presence.
My guess is that you all have a Mr. Charlie somewhere in your life. And this
person taught you much more that you realized about what it means to be a
person of faith. This person was or is a Christian who you want to be like
someday. He or she is your saint.
The lessons for today can often confuse us, because we think
of these blessings as something we earn for good – even exemplary – behavior.
But the Beatitudes are not about rewards. They are about God’s acknowledgement
of the sacrifices we are willing to make in order to usher God’s Kingdom just
one day closer. At the time, our actions might not seem like much, or they
might feel like we are crossing a wide chasm with no net or bridge or rescue in
sight. But we do them because someone else showed us how, and because we have
been told, and then we believe, that God’s grace extends far beyond our wildest
imagination. In his book, Revival,
Methodist author Adam Hamilton speaks of grace as the embodiment of our
faith.
It is an act of kindness, an expression of selfless love that is completely undeserved and is given without any expectation of repayment. We are never more like God than when we are giving selflessly to others. Because God created us to live in this way, we seldom feel more alive and joyful than when we are serving, blessing, and helping someone else. That is charis. This is grace. [iii]
Sainthood is only possible if we fully embrace this amazing
gift of grace. Grace changes us, it molds and shapes us and re-creates us in
the image of Christ.
When we read from the book of Revelation, we must be careful
not to see within its verses a scary prediction for the end of time. Instead,
it is more like an impressionist painting that offers an alternative life plan
in opposition to the one offered by the ruling powers of the day. Biblical
scholar John Holbert says, “John's Revelation is a great book of the promise of
God to create a world where all have a place, where hierarchies disappear,
where all live together in harmony and peace. Do not allow anyone to make this
book into a thing of scary fear, of partisan choice, of believing rightly lest
you end in fire. No! It is a book of hope, founded in love, and the gift of the
lamb for all of the people of God.” [iv]
The slain lamb is the key to life for people of faith, not
victory in the traditional sense of the word. The key to life is service –
service to God and to others - service that may lead to suffering and giving
and dying.[v] And while John’s Revelation is multi-layered
and interpreted in many different ways, one thing we know for sure: God wins
and evil loses. God will make “all things new,” not “all new things.” The
heaven described in this biblical writing is the fulfillment of what God
intended from the beginning of time – a new Eden, a place of order, structure
and designed to be ruled by love.[vi]
Each Sunday after the reading of scripture and the preaching
of the Word, we recite together the Apostle’s Creed. In the last stanza, we say that we believe in
the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic or universal church, the communion of
saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting.
The Holy Spirit binds us together as the church. The great wind which hovered over the world
bringing life in the events of creation also brought new life to the people
whom God called on the day of Pentecost.
The disciples and other followers of Jesus gathered in Jerusalem after
his death and resurrection and waited... they didn't really know what for...
but they waited. And on that day, they
were all bound together for a lifetime... for an eternity with our God.
You see, all those things go together. Without the witness of Jesus' resurrection,
we would not know the joy which we know today, that Jesus Christ indeed was
raised from the dead, and lives eternally with the Father. Saying that we believe in the holy catholic
or universal church means that we believe that the Holy Spirit came to tear
down the walls which separate us, not build new or higher ones. And because there is life everlasting with
our God, the boundary between life and death is one which becomes less painful
and scary to us, when we begin to understand it in light of the faith which we
profess in Jesus Christ. Instead it
unites us with all believers throughout time, and makes real to us this part of
Christian community - "the communion of saints".
By putting all of these pieces together, we are able to
expand our understanding of who "the saints" are, which we celebrate
today. Yes, the saints are all those
whom we name today, both aloud and in our hearts. They are those whom we have named in years
past, people who have impacted our lives and our faith in a significant
way. They are those who we did not know,
but who lived and died faithfully, loving the Lord, giving witness to someone
along the way. But the saints are also
us... you and me, as we continue on our own faith journeys, and attempt to
witness to the love of Jesus Christ through the example of our own lives.
Twenty years ago this month, I was invited to visit an older
couple in my congregation. Erika and George had immigrated to the US in the
1960’s. George was a chemist by education, but before he went to college, he
was a soldier in the German army, stationed at the Polish front during the war.
He told me his saving grace was being wounded in battle. He was sent back home
to recover, married his childhood sweetheart and eventually went to work for
Beyer Corporation, first in South Africa, and then in the US.
They made a good home in South Carolina, raising two
children and becoming American citizens and good Methodists. That afternoon,
Erika sliced me my first piece of stolen, poured me a cup of very strong coffee
and shared with me the story of their life in Germany and their life since. She
and George saw God working in their lives through all the difficulties and all
of the joys of life. One week later, George found her lying in bed in the
middle of the day. She had cleaned up from lunch and gone in to take a nap, and
just never woke up.
I was honored to preach at her funeral, so glad for the
opportunity to know her more deeply. I was also happy to continue a growing
friendship with George, hearing how he believed that losing a leg was a small
price to pay for the life that he had led after the war. About a year later,
another older man in our church was diagnosed with bone cancer, and decided to
forgo the recommended amputation, because he could not see a life without his
leg. In the middle of the night, I realized that Bill needed to talk to George,
and so the next morning, I asked George if he could visit Bill in the
hospital.
A few days later, I got a call to come and pray with Bill
before his surgery, and I asked him what made him change his mind. He told me that George sat down in the chair,
took off his prosthetic leg, handed it to him, and said, “Don’t be afraid of
this… it will give you a chance at new life, if you’ll only let it.” Bill said,
“When framed that way, what did I have to lose?” Saints do that – they share
their joys and their struggles with others, all to help folks know that in the
end, God wine.
On this All Saints’ Day, let us remember and give thanks for
all who have lived, loved, and shown us the way toward making God’s new
creation possible, now and in the world to come. And let us be those people, too. Amen.
Peace, Deb
[ii] Edwina
Gateley, “Perseverance of the Saints,” http://www.journeywithjesus.net/Essays/20141027JJ.shtml
[iii] Adam
Hamilton, Revival, 2014, page 80.
[iv] John
Holbert, No, It’s Not
"Revelations," and It Is Not About That!
[v]
Ibid.
[vi]
Ibid.
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