Sermon - Living "God With Us" - Advent 4A

Advent 4A – Matthew 1:18-25                                     December 18, 2016
Panzer Liturgical Service

I imagine that the number one complaint minister’s get in the weeks leading up to Christmas is that we don’t start singing Christmas carols soon enough. And it’s no wonder. Even here in Germany we started seeing the stores filled with holiday gift items and decorations in late November – Black Friday sales abound. If we live out our Christian faith with the assumption that we are a microcosm of the larger society, then it would totally make sense to start singing “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night” as early as we wanted to spread that good news.

But let’s assume for a minute that the Church’s life is not merely a small reflection of what’s going on around us, but that we hold values and customs that are in opposition to the collective values of the world. How would we then reinforce our code of conduct – our particular hearing and acting out the Christmas story? And what that mean for the place that Christmas and its celebrations have in our lives?

If you ask the average person, most would say that Christmas is the most important day in the Christian year. I would beg to differ – and liturgical history bears witness – believing that Easter is actually the most important day in the Christian calendar.

The early church began to mark the resurrection of Jesus from the very beginning. These Christians came together to worship and break bread on the first day of the week, declaring each Sunday as a little Easter. The season of Lent was born as a time of preparation for converts and rededication for those who were already members. As time went on the gospels were written to the next generation, and questions about who Jesus was and where he came from emerged. Matthew and Luke both address the question of Jesus’ birth, but from different perspectives and different sets of facts. It is only after 200AD that the Church begins to celebrate Jesus’ birth at all. Just as Easter is prefaced by Lent, Christmas has a similar time of preparation called Advent. Our four-week Advent celebration is mean to set Jesus’ birth into a particular context so that we understand where he came from and how he fits into the narrative God’s reign in the world.

Year A readings in the Revised Common Lectionary make this transition even starker. For the last three weeks, we have really heard nothing specific about Jesus’ birth. Instead, we have followed around our friend John the Baptist, weirdly dressed and proclaiming a sometimes-confusing message of once and future hope.

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we finally encounter a principle in the Christmas story – Joseph. But Joseph doesn’t have much to say. Instead, we hear about a dream he had concerning the troubling news of his fiancé’s unexpected pregnancy. The final outcome is the story as we know it, but I’d like to look a little more closely at why this dream is so integral to how we might live out our faith in Jesus today.

First, if you go to the 17 verses that preface our encounter with Joseph, we find the genealogy of Jesus. I imagine that it’s a part of the story that we are most willing to skip over, but I think it gives us a big clue to how revolutionary Jesus’ story will become. You know, Jesus’ family line has some really questionable characters in it; including Tamar who was abused by her father-in-law, who then tried to kill her, a reference to the wife of Uriah, also known as Bathsheba, who had an adulterous relationship with David, and other members with dubious histories.

Matthew, written to share the story of Jesus with the Jewish community, would have known that this is not the pure, unblemished line the people were expecting the Messiah to come from. Even so, this is the family whom God chose to save the world and become incarnate within and implicant in the narrative is the question – “If God can save the world with this family - imagine what God can do with you?”

Second, when we pick up in verse 18, there is no real birth narrative here. Jesus is born sometime in verse 25, but we don’t know any of the details about what the scene looked like. What we eventually pick up from Matthew’s details of the birth is the visit of the Magi – and even that may not reflect what we expect.

So why is this part of the story important? Well, it gives us a peek into the mind and heart of Joseph, who we know little to nothing about, only that he is a righteous man. You see, Joseph had a choice to make. He could follow the law or he could take on the task that the angel gave him. Jewish marriage customs dictated that an engagement proceeds the actual wedding ceremony. At that time, a dowry was paid by the bride’s family to the groom and a contract drawn up. During the time of the engagement, the groom made preparations for married life and the couple got to know each other before living together. The concept of falling in love would have been as foreign as the idea of space travel during that time.

For Mary to become pregnant during her engagement to Joseph would have been the most serious violation of the contract between them and special rules within the Torah existed to spare Joseph the burden of honoring the broken promise. As a kind man, he wished only to send her away, but before he could finalize that decision, this dream sets him on a very different path. Joseph throws off the shackles of doing what it legal for the burden of doing what was right, kind and good. Righteousness is no longer bound by the law, but also by the heart.

Ultimately, the story of Jesus is about seeing how God acts in the lives of those whom he calls. Joseph was completely within his rights to send Mary away with nothing. But instead, he names Jesus as the angel instructs, claiming him as his own son and cementing Jesus’ place in the line of David, fulfilling the prophecy in a way that was totally unexpected.

During Christmas, we often focus on Mary and what it was like to be a teenage mother in a Middle Eastern society. We think about her bravery in accepting the task given to her and we hold her up as an example to all people in being a brave follower of God’s call. This Sunday we are also given the opportunity to think about Joseph… about how he trusts the call that Mary has answered and how he is willing to claim a child that isn’t his, becoming an integral part of the Christmas and Christian story. This week, I hope you’ll reflect on the ways that God is calling you to be like Joseph.

If nothing else, this passage reminds us that God works through real people with the real challenges going on in their lives. Jesus didn’t come in a fairytale setting but was born to a young peasant girl in a desperate situation. He didn’t choose political or business success stories to be the bearers of the Christmas message, but a single man with conflicted doubts of how he should deal with a sticky situation, who wanted to do the right thing but needed a little angelic guidance to finally figure out which path to take.

What does it mean to not just believe the story of God’s coming in the world, but to enter into the story and live it? The reality of the Christmas story only comes alive to us once we enter it ourselves, and live in the midst of its glory and uncertainty. This story asks us how much we trust that God will fulfill the promises made to us. It asks us to expand our understanding of “God with us” really means. And if we reflect on it long enough, we realize that we bear much more responsibility for being God’s presence than we have often been willing to take on ourselves.

Let’s face it – we’re pretty good at following through on the stuff we start ourselves, but often fall down on the job when we have to support the ideas and projects dreamed up by others. But that’s what the job of being a Christian is all about… But to be a Christian and a Christ-bearer in the world today, that is precisely what we are called to do…  to take responsibility for the work of the Spirit. If we are not being the hands and feet and voice of Christ in the world around us, then we are not living up to the promises we made at our baptisms and reaffirmed at our confirmations… we need to do better.

If there is anything we can take with us today, it is the belief in Emmanuel – “God with us.” Jesus – “God saves.” These are the reassurances that God gives to us to know that while there is a lot of work to be done, we are never alone.

Peace, Deb

=========

[1] Robb McCoy & Eric Fistler http://www.pulpitfiction.us/show-notes/198-advent-4a-dec-18-2016

[1] Ibid.

[1] David Lose, http://www.davidlose.net/2016/12/advent-4-a-god-really-with-us/

Sermon - What it really means to be blessed: All Saint's Celebration (Year C)

All Saint's Day - Year C                                         November 6, 2016
Luke 6:20-36                                                 Panzer Liturgical Service

Blessedness

Today is a day for remembering...
a day for giving thanks...
a day for celebrating.

It’s one thing to think of All Saints Day in the abstract. In our Apostle’s Creed, we say that we believe in the Holy Spirit and how that same Spirit gathers all believers together, across the boundaries of time – this we call the Communion of Saints. I love thinking of that community gathered with us as we stand around the table. At each Eucharist, we commune not only with each other but also with all who have ever gathered to break the bread and share the cup.

I love thinking about the saints of my life, not just the apostles and church fathers and mothers, but also writers and pastors like Barbara Brown Taylor and Will Willimon, who continue to live out authentic, loving faith in their personal lives and have left a written documentation of their journeys, which help me to address the challenges of my own life.

Modern day saints are not perfect but stand out in their confident belief that their work is God’s work. They understand that the blessings that Jesus proclaims in Luke are their blessings, too. And if we extrapolate that to our lives, we learn that All Saints Day is not just about remembering those faithful Christians who have come before us, also we can remember who we are, who God has called us to be.

Jesus’ Beatitudes in Luke help us to think about the “how-to” of sainthood. The Old Testament record implies that blessings are the sign of God’s favor and woes (or problems) are a sign of God’s disapproval or judgment. This concept is still prevalent in Christian denominations today, but the more I study the teachings of Jesus, the less I see this as the kind of life that Jesus calls us to live.

Here in Luke, Jesus promises that the blessings of the world don’t represent the actual blessings of God. God continues to act in surprising ways. Rather than depending on the approval of the world, Jesus tells us that our struggles may, in fact, be evidence of God’s presence with us. Jesus’ words ask us to look to the future. God’s promises are not only fulfilled in order to bring us contentment in the midst of trouble, but also for the fulfillment of all creation.

What are those promises? Those who weep now will laugh. Those who are hungry now for food and for justice will be filled. Those who are poor will receive the riches of God’s inheritance, which includes the promise to be with us always.

Jesus is calling us to look to the future, not to be overcome with our immediate needs. Jesus proclaims God’s promise to be with us in our current struggles, allowing us to focus on God’s grace in every part of our lives. And this is not work we do alone.

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 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... with God and with us.

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. This allows us to work together, without focusing on our differences.

By putting all of these pieces together, we are able to expand our understanding of the saints we celebrate today. The saints are all those whom we name today, people we have loved who joined the Church Triumphant. And they are those we did not know, but who lived and died faithfully, giving witness along the way. But the saints are also you and me, and as we continue on our own faith journeys, we are called to witness to the love of Jesus Christ through the example of our own lives.

One of my favorite All Saint’s hymns was written by a young British mother in the 1920’s to teach her children about the faith. It goes like this:

I sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green;
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean, God helping, to be one too. 

They lived not only in ages past; there are hundreds of thousands still.
The world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do Jesus' will.
You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store,
in church, by the sea, in the house next door;
they are saints of God, whether rich or poor, and I mean to be one too. (Lesbia Scott (1898–1986) 

So, maybe the next question is, “How do we do that?” – how do we go about living a life worthy to be called "a saint"? In Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, he describes a particular kind of life one is to live to be in God's favor. As we listen to what is expected of us and compare it to the kind of life that the world tells us to live, Jesus directs us to lead a strange and uncomfortable kind of life.

Oh, don't get me wrong. On a good day, I can be as generous as the next person. I could probably give anything I own away and not really miss it or expect to get it back. I try to treat people as I want to be treated, and not give back the ugliness and unhappiness that sometimes meets me. I even try very hard to love the people who I know don't love me, although I am sure that I have not even begun to explore the possibilities for what that might mean for how I live my life. But in reality, I have not even begun to scratch the surface of what I could do, and these verses are a reality check I don’t always want.

True sainthood comes from someplace deep within us, in that place in our hearts and souls where the Holy Spirit presides. There, we cease to see our hardships as suffering. Sainthood doesn't come from looking at how hungry or poor or sad we are, just so that we can be in God's favor. Sainthood doesn't come from seeking out the hardships of life, but comes through living full, joyous lives in spite of our problems, or maybe even because of them. Sainthood doesn't come from wasting the gifts which have been given to us, or by seeking to live lives which are notable, but is achieved when we work daily at living in faith with the gospel message, sometimes, in fact, many times, in total anonymity or obscurity.

And once we’ve accepted the challenge and responsibility of sainthood, are we willing to ask the hard questions? What will it take to make us more willing to reach out to the people who are least like us? Can we find common ground with those who do not share our theological, personal and political persuasions? Our witness as Christians is supposed to tear down the walls which separate us, not build them bigger or higher or thicker. Our love as a people of God is about bridge-building so that together we can experience God's peace and love.

If we want to know how to make that happen, then we only need to look to the lives of those who came before us. It is that witness, in the lives of the saints of God, living and dead, which makes it possible for the church to continue to act out God's love, to seek God's direction, and to live out God's will in this world. It is that witness which gives meaning to our lives and to our deaths.

The people who are my special saints didn't seek or achieve fame, but just lived their lives, and professed a strong and unending faith in the One who gave life to us all. They kept on their journeys, in spite of disappointments, and rejoiced in the joy that came their way. Some of them I knew personally. Some I did not. Some are alive now. Some have gone on to the next chapter of life, living eternally with God. But because they lived and because others have been inspired by their stories to live more faithfully, we can know that living this life will have rewards and blessings that we could never have imagined.

Today is a day for remembering...
a day for giving thanks...
a day for celebrating.

And it is a day for rededicating our lives to Jesus Christ, a time to renew our citizenship in the communion of saints, seeking God's will and direction for our lives.

Let us pray:
O God, who gave us birth,
you are ever more ready to hear than we are to pray.
You know our needs before we ask, and our ignorance in asking.
Give to us now your grace, that as we shrink from the mystery of death, we may see the light of eternity.
Speak to us once more your solemn message of life and of death.
Help us live as those who are prepared to die.
And when our days here are accomplished, 
enable us to die as those who go forth to live, 
so that living or dying, our life may be in you, 
and that nothing in life or in death will be able to separate us from your great love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. (UMH 1989)

Resources:

Seasons of the Spirit: http://www.seasonsonline.ca/files/all-saints-day_cong-life_yr-c.pdf

Melanie McCarley: http://zionepiscopal.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/All-Saints-Day.C.13.pdf

Michael K. Marsh: https://interruptingthesilence.com/2010/11/08/choosing-our-blessings-and-our-woes-an-all-saints-day-sermon-on-luke-620-31/

Closing Prayer from Service of Death and Resurrection, United Methodist Hymnal, 1989

Sermon - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (24th Sunday after Pentecost - Year C)

24^th Sunday after Pentecost – Year C                                               October 30. 2016

Luke 19:1-10                                                              St. Paul UMC, Spartanburg, SC

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

So be honest… how many of you are humming the Zacchaeus song in your heads right now? I admit it took a while for me to get it out of my head when I was preparing for the sermon today. Zacchaeus is one our favorite characters from the New Testament because it feels like a story of the little guy getting a big win…  most often we have heard sermons that go something like this: Zacchaeus, a notorious sinner has turned his life around, made amends with those he has wronged, and is getting right with God so he can be a part of Jesus’s crowd. So if we turn our lives around and do the same, we can get right with God, too.

But is that what the story is all about?

The main problem with that interpretation is that Jesus and Zacchaeus never talk about repentance… Zacchaeus’ willingness to turn his life around is not a prerequisite for spending time with Jesus – who never got an invitation but came just the same. In fact, it seems that the bible translators may have contributed to our confusion. In the Common English Bible translation, it reads like this:

⁷ Everyone who saw this grumbled, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”  ⁸ Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I repay them four times as much.” (CEB)

So with this new insight, we have to believe that Zacchaeus is already living the kind of life that Jesus has been teaching about, despite the crowd’s willingness to believe the worst about him because of his profession. And it doesn’t help them respect Jesus either, because the Scribes and Pharisees are complaining again about the fact that Jesus doesn’t hang out with the right kind of people.

So if this isn’t a story about forgiveness and repentance, what is it about? If we have to adjust to this new interpretation, what is it that we are supposed to learn? 

I think the key is all in the tree… the one that Zacchaeus climbs in order to see Jesus better. I think this is a story about sight – about someone who believes that just being able to see Jesus better will change his life. And in the process, Jesus sees him – I mean, he really sees him, past the assumptions that people make about Zacchaeus and into his heart. Salvation has come, in spite of whether or not those around him approve.

Our gospel writer, Luke, has a history of being sensitive to issues of money. Previously, he has told Jesus’ story in such a way to bring what we think we know about wealth into question. In the biblical era, it was common to think that money and power were signs of God’s blessing. But Jesus turns that idea on its head, in fact saying that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:25).

In this story, Jesus seems to contradict himself, declaring that Zacchaeus, a wealthy chief tax collector already despised by his neighbors, is also a child of God and recipient of God’s salvation. So when we read the stories about how Jesus talks about wealth, we have to make sure that we understand that wealth in and of itself has neutral value. It’s what we do with our wealth that Jesus cares about, and Zacchaeus does good things, paying back in excess those from whom he has taken more than he should have.

In addition, Jesus cares about those who live on the fringes. He encounters those who society has declared unfit and ignored and he sees them, recognizes them, seeks them out, spends time with them, and in all these ways honors and blesses them.” All of this drives the Jewish religious community crazy. The Pharisees and their followers continually throw the rules in Jesus’ face… often saying to him, “You can’t do that – it’s not fair!”

We all have our ideas about what a messiah – a savior - should do. We read the Old Testament and we remember the standards that were set forward for the Israelites – who incidentally were terribly stubborn and had really short attention spans.

When Jesus contradicts our expectations, we want to ask him, “Hey, God, if you’re not going to stick to the rules, punishing sinners and reward the righteous, then what can we count on?”  We get stuck in our Old Testament narrative, forgetting that Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to enforce it. The God we encounter in Jesus doesn’t care about fulfilling our sense of justice or fairness, or in any of the other ways that we choose to make order in our world. All God cares about it seeing and seeking out the lost and bringing them home again. God’s love trumps our understanding of justice and God’s compassion overrides all of our beliefs about fairness. In God’s world, all are welcome just because of who they are.

And more often than not, this is upsetting to us, because we have been trying to play by the rules and want to make sure that our efforts are rewarded… until we are the ones that are down and out. Then we are happy the Jesus welcomes us just the way we are, and invites us to come and join the party.

In Germany, the congregation where I worship celebrated Reformation Sunday. The year 2016 marks the 499^th anniversary of Martin Luther’s act of rebellion against a Roman Catholic Church that has exploited their authority to become more powerful and richer than most of the countries in the realm. Luther never intended to start a new religious tradition. He just wanted the one he was part of to live according to the gospel principles we had experienced today.  In his study and translation of scripture, Luther realized that righteousness isn’t the standard God sets for us, but is instead the gift that God gives us, because we just aren’t able to be righteous all on our own. [Lose]

Maybe the question we have to ask is this: Have we been worshiping the wrong God? Is our faith based in fear of God and what might happen to us if we don’t measure up, or is it based in receiving the love that God has for us, and in turn, extending that to all those around us so in need of that grace?

Many of you know that I came back to the US to help my mom move into her new apartment. It was always the plan to downsize, and she is settling in very well. But I must admit that I was not excited to come back in the 3 ½ weeks before the US election. At least in Germany, I can only understand about 50% of what the German TV and radio report about our election process. And our German friends wonder about how we can endure a season that goes on for so long without there being damage done to the society... and I don't know what to tell them.

I am saddened by the level of dis-grace I hear surrounding the elections, on every level. I think this passage has reminded me that no matter what differences I might have with those who have different opinions than mine, all of us are children of a loving God. We are all Zacchaeus. We are all sinners, some taller, some shorter, some richer, some poorer, inhabiting all regions on the political spectrum. We might feel better about ourselves by believing differently, but this scripture reminds us that we don’t make the rules.

When we host a dinner, we expect to have total control over the way that the evening progresses. We choose the food and the guests, the theme and the decorations. We start the evening with the illusion that its success or failure is a reflection of something inside of us, but often focused on the most unimportant things. This summer my husband turned 50, and in great Rundgebertstag German tradition we invited both local and American friends to celebrate the day. The planning was meticulous… would we have enough to eat and drink? What would we do if it rained?  Would the evening meet our expectations and those of our guests?

Here’s what we learned: 14 pound of baby back ribs and 10 pounds of wings was not enough…. Germans friends are prepared for every possible need, including a tent that will seat 40 guests in the rain…. And we had the wrong expectations if we thought that any of those things would matter to our friends. It was such an amazing night, mainly because all of these people came together to celebrate a person they love and admire, and in turn, assumed the best about one another. New friendships were born that night, and old friendships renewed. And what is better than friends who stay well past midnight to help clean everything up because they know that you have to get up and preach early the next morning?

Jesus doesn’t come as a tourist to check out the fall leaves or see the sights along his way. He doesn’t come as a spectator to the human condition – he comes as the one who saves us from our sinful conditions and from ourselves. He knows us by name and loved us forever. And he looks past all of our faults and what we and everyone else thinks about us to invite himself into our hearts. [Sellery]

The next few weeks may be stressful for us, but if we remember to see others as fellow sojourners, to look for the best in them, even if they think or worship or speak differently than we do, we will be that much better… We will be living in the way that Christ has called us to live and love.

I’m going to end today by quoting one of the most leveled headed theologians of our day, even though we usually think of him that way. From Dan Rather:

Please do not forget to breathe. 

I understand that these final days of this unprecedented election season are sending many of us into a frenzy…The stakes are so high - the uncertainty so untenable. We wonder and we worry. We refresh our social media feeds and favorite news sources by the minute looking for affirmation of our hopes or amplification of our fears. There is always more information - always more spin. And the latest news cycle and ricocheting polls only exacerbate the anxiety… 

I have a deep belief that most of my fellow countrymen and women are good, decent, hardworking people - that they go to bed each night with similar prayers for their family, even if they pray in different faiths (or no faith), even if their words are in English or one of the countless languages spoken in American homes. I believe that we as a nation will make the right decisions in our long and imperfect march towards justice. But I believe it is a journey that requires work and sacrifice, from all of us. (Dan Rather on Facebook)

I chose our closing hymn because for me it summarizes completely the Church and world in which we are called to live. Believe the good news! Come with Joy!

I come with joy, a child of God, forgiven, loved, and free,
the life of Jesus to recall, in love laid down for me.

I come with Christians far and near to find, as all are fed,
the new community of love in Christ's communion bread.

As Christ breaks bread and bids us share, each proud division ends.
The love that made us makes us one, and strangers now are friends.

The spirit of the risen Christ, unseen, but ever near,
is in such friendship better known: alive and among us here.

Together met, together bound, by all that God has done,
we'll go with joy, to give the world, the love that makes us one. (Brian Wren, 1971)

Peace, Deb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This sermon was heavily influenced by this blog post by David Lose – In the Meantime http://www.davidlose.net/2016/10/pen-24-c-reformation-the-unexpected-god/

And the work of David Sellery - This Week's Focus - "The Most Gracious Guest"   http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dbffd2070718c7bb6a1b9b7e0&id=0a005cf45d

Brian Wren – “I Come With Joy” Hope Publishing Co., 1971

Sermon - Use It or Lose it (18th Sunday after Pentecost - Year C)

October 2, 2016
Luke 17:5-10                                                                 Panzer Liturgical Service

You get to a point in the lectionary season when it feels like you’re preaching or listening to the same sermon over and over. The closer we get to the crucifixion, the more Jesus seems pretty single-minded in his focus. Faith is not about living within a strict set of rules and regulations. Last week we talked about how getting to heaven is not the goal of faithful living. It’s about serving God by serving others.

This week, we see the apostles responding to Jesus’ teaching having realized that perhaps their faith is not up to the task at hand. So they ask him to increase their faith. Now I don’t think that they want him to do it magically. But I do think that they are at a loss for how to go about the business at hand. The rules and checkboxes are all they know. Their plea to Jesus is something like this: If you want us to live differently, then tell us how to do it.

Let’s look at the four verses that preface today’s lesson – four verses that stand between last week’s gospel reading and today’s…

Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! 2It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. 4And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.” (Luke 17:1-4)

In these four verses, Jesus is teaching the disciples about accountability.  Basically, he teaches that it is important that we continue to be involved in one another’s lives.  If someone sins, then we are to call them to responsibility for their actions (something we’re happy today with abandon - if you ever look at comments on internet posts, you know what I’m talking about…).  But at the same time, if they repent of their sin, we are to forgive them, over and over again, for, in the process of repentance and forgiveness, God is working miracles in our lives… this we’re not so good at doing.

Now the disciples surely knew how hard this would be.  So they asked the Lord, “Make our faith greater [for we know that we cannot do this on our own.]  And Jesus’ reply was something unexpected.  He answered with a parable which asked the following question.  “Does a servant expect the master to serve him at the end of a long day?”  No, the servant expects that the master will still be served, and the servant will always be in service.

In other words: Do your duty.  Use the faith you have.  You don’t necessarily need more faith, but you do need to exercise what you have.

I know you know this, but here is a reminder: God loved us before we ever even knew who God is – we call that prevenient grace.  Salvation and faith are gifts that flow from this love. Many people believe that they must be good or do good in order to be saved.  Or they believe that their current or prior behaviors make it impossible for them to be saved.  Yet there is nothing you can do to earn salvation.  And nothing you ever did will keep salvation from coming. Christ's life, death, and resurrection have already saved us.  Nothing we can do, no amount of faith we can generate, makes God love us more or makes us more saved.  Being saved is already a done deal, an accomplished fact, a free gift, no strings attached. All we have to do is accept it.

Our responsibility is to respond to God's action in and through Jesus Christ.  We are called to a life of faith, in response to God's loving action toward us.  We are called to have faith, not to get God to love us or heal us or to get Christ to save us.  But we are called to have faith because God loves and heals us.  We are called to have faith because Jesus Christ has already saved us.

One of the ways that we acknowledge this grace is through the sacrament of baptism. Now it’s important to remember that sacraments are like signposts that point to God’s character and action. They are rituals that we use to act out what we believe about who God is – not just to us – but in the grand scheme of life. Most of us come from traditions that baptize infants. We do this entirely because we believe that our ability to understand the gift of salvation is not a pre-requirement of being a part of the Kingdom or family of God. And while Charlie and Madeleine are not able to take vows for themselves, their parents and family come to make promises about how they will help these children grow in their faith, preparing them to make promises for themselves at the time of their confirmation or baptismal reaffirmation.

I hope that you will pay close attention to the promises that Chris and Abigail are making today, and to your responses throughout the baptismal liturgy. As in the communion liturgy, we are asked to recommit our lives to Christ and the life he calls us to live.

Our faith does not need to impress God or anyone else.  Our faith simply needs to respond to what God has given us.  So the next time you are concerned about whether you have enough faith, stop and get in touch with God's love for you. Remember that Christ's life, death, and resurrection already has made eternal life available to you.  Become aware of all the gifts God has given you.  And know that you are infinitely loved.  Respond to God's love with thankfulness and love in return.  That is your faith.  And that faith, even if it were as small as the tiniest mustard seed, is faith that can transform you and me and the whole world.

I remember when this terrible thing happened 10 years ago - An Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mine, Pennsylvania was the site of a gruesome school shooting, resulting in the deaths of five girls and the injury of five more. Before community members and police could get into the building, the gunman killed himself, leaving so many questions unanswered. The gunman's parents immediately started thinking they would be unable to stay in the community - no one wants a mass murderer's family living next door. But Terri Robert's fears were unfounded; in fact, her Amish neighbors exhibited a trait she never expected - forgiveness.

Within hours, a member of the Amish community came to their door with the following message: The families did not see the couple as an enemy. Rather, they saw them as parents who were grieving the loss of their child, too. He put his hand on the shoulder of Terri Roberts’s husband and called him a friend. A few days later, 30 Amish neighbors came to act as human shields between the Roberts family and press at their son's funeral, afterward offering prayers and messages of condolences.

These Amish Christians continued to invite the Roberts family to community events, and the Roberts family reciprocated, inviting the mothers to her house for tea. They helped to care for Terri Roberts when she came home from the hospital after cancer treatment. They arrived at her house to sing Christmas carols "There is forgiveness," she said, "Of that I have no doubt."

For most of us, the path to forgiveness comes at the end of a long emotional process. But the Amish forgive first and then work through the emotional aftermath. This "decisional forgiveness" is a different kind of witness and is exactly what Jesus is talking about.

Most of us cannot imagine being on either side of this amazing relationship. But maybe it's because we have been thinking about living out our faith in the wrong order.

And the disciples asked Jesus, “Make our faith greater.” And Jesus replied, “You don’t need more faith… you need to use what you’ve got.  Even a small amount of faith can move heaven and earth, but faith that is not used will die."

Or in other words, You need to use it or you’ll lose it.

Amen and amen.

Sermon - Them VS Us - (19th Sunday after Pentecost - Year C)

Luke 16:19-31                                                               September 25, 2016
Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart, 

Will Willimon tells the story of an evangelism campaign gone wrong, one which I think many of us can identify with. It seems this medium sized congregation decided they needed to grow. They studied a program from their denomination telling them how to get new members. Among other things, the church-growth program advocated a system of door-to-door visitation. So they organized into small groups, and on an appointed Sunday afternoon, set out to visit, to invite people to their church

The teams went out, armed with packets of pamphlets describing their congregation, leaflets telling about their denomination, flyers portraying their warm, smiling, accessible, pastor, all with the purpose of inviting people to their church. Each team was given a map with their assigned street. And they were off.

Now Helen and Gladys were given a map. They were clearly told to go down Summit Drive and turn right. That’s what they were told… “GO RIGHT!” But Helen and Gladys were both approaching eighty, and after lifetimes of teaching elementary school, were better at giving than taking directions. They turned left, venturing into the housing projects to the west of Summit Drive. They were told to turn right… but they turned left. Which meant that Gladys and Helen spent the whole afternoon evangelizing the wrong neighborhood, and thereby ran the risk of evangelizing the wrong people.

Late that afternoon, each team returned to the church to make their report. Gladys and Helen had only one interested person to report, a woman named Verleen. She lived with her two children in a three-room apartment in the projects. And although she had never visited a church in her life, Verleen wanted to visit theirs. The minister thought to himself, “This is what you get when you don’t follow directions, when you don’t do what the pastor tells you to do. This is what you get, a woman from the projects named Verleen.”

The next Sunday, Helen and Gladys proudly presented Verleen at the 11 o’clock service, along with her two children. She liked the service so much she decided to attend the Woman’s Thursday Morning Bible Study. Helen and Gladys said they would pick her up. On Thursday, Verleen appeared, proudly clutching her new Bible, a gift from one of the ladies’ circles. The passage they were studying was on Luke 4, the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. The group talked for a while about the passage, and then the pastor asked, “Have any of you ever been faced with temptation, and with Jesus’ help, resisted? Have any of you refused some temptation because of your Christian commitment?”

One of the women told about how there had been some confusion at the grocery store, and before she knew it, she was standing in the parking lot with a loaf of bread she hadn’t paid for. She confessed, “At first, I thought, why should I pay for it? They have enough money as it is. But then I thought, ‘No, you’re a Christian,’ so I went back and paid for it.” The minister made an appropriately approving comment.

It was then that Verleen spoke. “A couple of years ago, I was into cocaine really big. You know what that’s like. You know how the stuff makes you crazy. Well, anyway, my boyfriend, not the one I’ve got now, the one who was the daddy of my first child, that one, well, we knocked over a gas station one night – got $200 out of it. Well, my boyfriend, he says, ‘Let’s knock off that Seven-eleven down on the corner.’ And something in me says, ‘No, I’ve held up that gas station, but I’m not going to do it again.’ And he beat me up something fierce, but still I said NO. It felt great to say NO, ‘cause that’s the only time in my life I ever said NO to anything. Made me feel like I was somebody.” [*]

Isn't that just the way it happens sometimes. We take a wrong turn, and all of a sudden we are in an area of town that we just don't want to admit exists. A place where people seem to wander aimlessly... place without purpose or direction... full of people without purpose or direction, too. But unlike Gladys and Helen, we find the quickest way out of the area, and try to forget that we were ever there. For many of us, we can hardly imagine getting out of our cars and knocking on a few doors. No, right away, we would know that we were in the “wrong” place.

That must have been how the rich man assessed his situation. “There's someone out there... someone right outside my gate... but I don't want to know about him. I don't want to know his name; I don't even want to believe that he exists.” "Maybe if I ignore him he'll just go away" or “I’m too busy to deal with this right now. I’ll take care of it later.” I bet that's what I'd say if I were him. Even worse, he could have thought, “He’s not worth my time.”

Before I entered the ministry, a wise clergy friend told me, "Whenever you begin to think of ministry in the terms of "them versus us” -- that's when you're in real trouble. Because in ministry, there is no them... there’s only us.” I’ve decided that this is true in life, too. In this competitive, all or nothing world, where winning or being on top is everything, the concept of “us” is often lost.

That's what today's scripture is all about. As we live our lives in Christ, we cannot afford to separate ourselves into groups based on arbitrary definitions on what we think might or might not be acceptable to God or to other people. Liberal vs. conservative... liturgical vs. charismatic... straight vs. gay... rich vs. poor... housed vs. homeless... well vs. sick... employed vs. unemployed... those definitions have no meaning in God’s family. We are all sons and daughters, whether we want to accept one another or not. And that means we have a responsibility to one another, not just to do, but to care and to love.

As the family of God we have to do whatever we can to bridge the differences between us so that God’s word can be lived out in the world. Too many times, we wonder why people with needs don't get help, rather than asking the question, “what can I do?” Too many times we wait for somebody else to be in charge, when we also have the means to make things happen... when we have untapped knowledge and drive and the will to change things. As followers of Christ, we are commissioned not to just bring people to Christ, but to be on the journey with them, through the love that we show to all people in all situations that we can.

Jesus tells a story of an unnamed rich man and a named beggar… a total turnabout from the way we expect. In life, the rich man steps over Lazarus and goes about his business. But at the end of their lives, Lazarus ends up in heaven and the rich man goes to a place totally absent of God’s presence. Even the death, the rich man has learned nothing. He asks Abraham to send Lazarus to serve him in the midst of this torment, even though he did nothing to serve Lazarus when the two of them were alive. For the rich man, the lesson learned is only about what it means for his discomfort. He never saw that his eternal situation was a mirror to Lazarus’ life. And the message he wanted sent to his brothers – save yourselves from this same fate, but only for their sake of their comfort, not for the sake of anyone else.

So why did Jesus tell this story in this way? Is it just about learning from the mistakes of others to avoid going to the same place as the rich man? That’s the way many would interpret it. But I also think that’s too simple an explanation and misses the real point that Jesus is trying to make.

Responding to the gospel is not about keeping ourselves from the fires of Hades. Keeping ourselves out of hell is not a good enough reason to love and follow Jesus. Loving God, loving Christ, loving all of God's creatures and creation, these things are the result of our hearts being so full of the love of Christ that we can't help but love others. Our faith is a response to the gracious and overwhelming gifts that God has given us. Our faith is not based on fear… it’s based on love. It doesn’t happen all at once or overnight. It happens bit by bit and day by day, as we practice love, in relationship we those within our immediate frame of reference, and as we reach out to those who are different from us.

I believe that Jesus told this story to remind us that we have to look for the people sitting outside our gates and our doors, before it's too late... not just too late for us, but too late for them, too. And in the process of reaching out, our lives are enriched and enhanced. They are made more full, more meaningful, more possible. Just ask anybody who has ever stepped out on that limb of faith. Or remember what's it's like for yourself... the exhilaration... the power of a living, breathing faith in Jesus Christ... remember it... experience it... and know God and yourself and the world in a whole new way.

I think about the problems of the world today, violence against women and children, distrust between races and nationalities, enmity between religious traditions, and even our lack of urgency to address the changing climate around us and I wonder how we let it all get so far away from us. When we allow the differences between us to define our lives, surely we are all as guilty as the rich man of not seeing how the actions of our days will impact the ways our futures will play out.

God gives us the gifts of prosperity so that we can use whatever means we have to spread the good news of his love. Even if we don’t have much, the fact that we are here this morning emphasizes our need to give past our own situations, to open that gate, or cross that bridge, or take that wrong turn on purpose. Looking and walking outside the gate may, in fact, change the way that we look at life. And whether that prospect is scary and/or exciting, it means that life in Christ will never be dull.

As we gather around the table today, remember this: each time we share in the Lord’s Supper, we commune with Christians all over the world, most of whom live more like Lazarus and less like the rich man. As we worship on this Lord’s Day, let us remember that life that Jesus calls us to is not about THEM vs. US, but is about being one body, the living body of Christ.  Now we just need to live like we believe it.

Peace in Christ,
Deb

[*] Willimon, William H., The Intrusive Word, pp. 1-3.

Sermon - Lost and Found (17th Sunday after Pentecost - Year C)

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost, Year C (Proper 19)       September 11, 2016
Luke 15:1- 10

Lost and Found

He had carried the pocket cross for 20 years. It had only cost 25 cents and was made of tin. But the sharp edges were now worn smooth after 20 years of daily fondling, fidgeting, and rubbing in a prayerful fashion. It was like a security blanket and a constant reminder of God's love and presence. Now it was lost! He diligently searched the house, the car, and the office. He looked everywhere and couldn't find it anywhere. It was as though a part of him had died. There was an emptiness each day as he dressed and throughout the day as he reached into his empty pocket.

It was two months before it turned up on a heavy cleaning day. The sofa was moved and, like an old friend, there it lay upon the carpet. He celebrated and rejoiced, for that which was lost was now found. The rejoicing went on for several days each time his fingers caressed the newly-found cross in his pocket.

His wife had a similar incident when her purse turned up missing with credit cards, check book and cash. It was lost for 4 or 5 hours until an honest person turned it in at the grocery store. They had a frantic time backtracking around town looking for it and truly rejoiced when it was found.

In today's Gospel Jesus talks about a similar rejoicing over a repentant sinner. He illustrates this with the stories of a shepherd and a woman. He declares, “Who among you would not act as this shepherd did, leaving the 99 behind to search for the one lost sheep? And who, if you lost a valuable coin, wouldn’t sweep the house in a diligent search until she finds the one that was lost, and then throw a party to celebrate with her friends?”…. But let’s hold those questions for a minute.

In each of these stories, rejoicing takes place after the lost items are found. Their value to the owner was so great that they were each willing to sacrifice much in order the put the value of the found into perspective. But, as you might have guessed, this lesson is not about the finding of lost things. Instead, it's about the One who is willing to go out and do the finding. The sheep and coins are an analogy of the extent that God will go to find us and reach out to us… no matter what value we give to things or people, God believes that all of us have value – even the least, the lost, and the last among us.

The good news in this passage of scripture is that God actively seeks us out when we have wandered away or are lost, or absent. It is as if God is incomplete when one of us is missing. In God's eyes everyone has value! Each one us! The people that we don’t like… people that we don’t think measure up... the ones that we think are the enemies of God. No matter what, God will never stop reaching out for us, all of us, regardless of what any of us have done or ever might do.

"We" might stop looking for our "stuff" or our "things" when they are lost, but God never does! When we lose something and can't find it, we generally replace it with something new. Maybe that is why we have been called the throw-away society. But in God's case:
      God doesn't replace the lost with something new.
      God doesn't stop looking or searching for that which is lost.
      God doesn't throw us away. God doesn't write us off.

In the 51st Psalm we hear powerful words of repentance from the lips of the psalmist as he prays to the Lord, pleading for forgiveness and restoration. He says:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; in your compassion blot out my offenses. Wash me through and through from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin… Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51: 1-2, 10-11)

These are words from one who knows a loving and forgiving God.

The writer Paul confirms God's undying devotion in reclaiming us as he writes to his friend and fellow sojourner Timothy: "I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, and persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy… for Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

Both stories in today's Gospel tell us that God will never give up on us. And, when we turn our lives over to him, there is rejoicing in Heaven. Paul’s witness shows that even the worst can become the best.

Remember the questions Jesus asked as he was explaining these parables? Who are you would not leave behind your 99 sheep to look for the one lost one? And who of you would not spend the whole day looking for the lost coin and then spend it on a party with your friends to celebrate? The answer is, that most of us wouldn’t do that. We are often the people who are willing to give a little to keep safe what we have. And when we find a lost coin, we put it away for safe keeping in order not to lose it again.

But our God is different from us. God’s love knows no bounds, no matter what we may think. God is the untiring Pursuer who will never give up the hunt, until we turn and accept being scooped up in an embrace of Holy Love. There is nothing we can do to keep his extravagant loving care from any of us: Not our incompetence, our negligence, our rebellion, our misuse of talent and resources, nor even our selfishness and sinfulness.

There is nothing we can do to detour God from loving us. Like the shepherd leaving the 99 behind and the woman diligently searching the house for her lost coin, God will not give up on any of us.

The evidence of this is the most extravagant gift of all time -- the gift of his Son, Jesus, given on a cross for your sins and mine. It is this gift that tells us how valuable we are in the sight of God and how far God will go to search out those who are lost and invite them back into relationship.

This week I ran across this amazing video series, debuted by Starbucks – that’s right the coffee company. Their stated goal –

In contrast to the divisiveness and cynicism currently fueling our national discourse, Starbucks today debuted "Upstanders," its first original content series, which aims to inspire Americans to engage in acts of compassion, citizenship and civility. “Upstanders” features ten stories, each told in written, video and podcast form, about ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities.** 

There are ten stories in this first installment, but the one that immediately jumped out at me was “The Mosque Across the Street.” It tells the story of a church in Memphis, TN and how they reacted when the local Islamic Society purchased 30 acres to build a mosque and community center across the street from a United Methodist Church.

Their pastor, Steve Stone, first thought, “I didn’t know there were that many Muslims in Memphis.” Then he prayed, asking God, “What do you want us to do?” The next day he went to a local sign maker and had them print a large vinyl banner. Two days later, it arrived and he put it up on the road where anyone 0driving by could see it. The banner read: Heartsong Church welcomes Memphis Islamic Center to the neighborhood. When asked, Rev. Stone said that he was reminded of the Jesus’ parables, especially the Good Samaritan, where the perceived enemy was the hero of the story. All of a sudden it came to him, “We have to find a way to love these people.”

That love included opening their facilities, including their sanctuary, to the Muslim congregation for the whole month of Ramadan celebrations. They have co-sponsored blood drives and volunteered at with the homeless, and picnicked at each other’s places. When asked what he thinks about it all in hindsight he said this, “I just expected to be nice to some new people who were moving in, and we’d be cordial neighbors,” he said. “Now my life is so very changed by these friendships and relationships. I’ve been to weddings and parties that I didn’t even know existed. I've been part of events with people that I never knew. It’s an amazing friendship that I can’t imagine having missed out on.”

These two parables ask us to think bigger than we ever have about what it means to seek the lost and celebrate being found. This TN congregation recognized that their mission was not to convert their Muslim neighbors, but to witness most fully what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I hope you’ll think about these questions this week because they are certainly the questions I have for myself, even as I am swamped by the difficulties surrounding my own life these last few months. How many times have we missed the opportunity to reach out to the lost among us? What kind of witness are we being called to live out, either as individuals or as families or even as a chapel service? And are we willing to be as extravagant in our love for others as God has been with us?

Believe me, I have no idea what the answers to these questions are, but I am hoping that with more prayer and conversation together, we can also witness more fully and stake a claim on the life that God has called us to live.

Peace, Deb

** see https://upstanders.starbucks.com/

Celebrating a Life Well-Lived... words from my dad's funeral

In 2012, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was 85 years old. He survived surgery and multiple regimines of chemo therapy, all because he said he still had more to accomplish. He lived to celebrate his 58th wedding anniversary with my mom, and almost made it to his 90th birthday. We have cried a little these last few days, but mostly we have laughed, because we had lots of stories to retell, and because that''s what he taught us to do. I am especailly grateful to Rev. John Warren and the friends at St. Paul UMC in Spartanburg, SC for allowing me to share a few thoughts at my dad's memorial service on Sunday, August 21, 2016.


Celebrating a Life Well-Lived 

That’s why we’ve gathered – even from the four corners of the earth. When John asked if I wanted to just be a daughter and sit in the pew, or if I had something to say. I told him that I’m a Luther, I always have something to say. 

I tell people all the time that as Christians we have to learn not to be afraid of death. There is sadness for ourselves, of course, because of what we’ve lost, but there is much more joy because of what we’ve had. Our dad taught us a lot about life, and so I’ve had some time to think about the lessons I have learned. These are not the only ones, but as I was halfway around the world, thinking about all of the best things about my life, these are the ones that bubbled to the top.

My dad taught us what we know about sports. It should not be a surprise that this made the list. Dad believed that sports in general taught important lessons about success in life. His first job out of college was coaching, but even later in life, he refereed, coached little kids, and brought baseball and hockey to the forefront of the communities where he lived. So we love lots of sports – basketball, baseball, and anything related to the Olympics. But I especially loved watching and talking football with him. Some of my best Sundays as a child were spent sitting in front of the TV, watching whatever professional teams were playing. That’s why I know the different between a sweep and blitz, and how to enjoy watching a play unfold before me on the screen, - often at 3AM - or even better, in person. But more importantly, he taught us that being on a team helps develop common goals, instills loyalty, and builds community. Each of us has our favorite teams, often in competition with one another, but no matter what, our love of sports and football will always hold us together, rather than push us apart.

Second lesson: My dad was pathologically punctual. We were taught that if you're on time, you're late. Often when we went to visit my grandparents in North Carolina, he would give us a leaving time, and then go sit in the car about 30 minutes before the designated departure. No surprise, we always left early. My sister shared a story about living with my parents one summer between college semesters and staying out a lot longer that Dad thought was appropriate. He was waiting when she quietly entered their Norfolk condo. He then informed her that coming in that late was not acceptable. She replied, "Dad, I stay out late at school all the time and I've never had a problem." His reply: "Well, that may be the way things work at college, but they don't work that way here." She said it was a lesson learned. Whether we still hold to those policies of promptness ourselves is not the point... we at least worry about being on time wherever we go.

Next lesson: You didn’t have to talk to my dad for long before he would begin telling a tale. Now we have all been given a list of stories not to share, but I can tell you that whatever we know about telling a good story, we learned from him.  Yesterday, we gathered at my brother’s house to share a meal or two, but mostly we told stories. Whenever we gather, phrases like "tell the one about..." or "remember when...?" are often heard as we sit around together. In this process, dad reminded us that stories don't just communicate facts, they also tell something about where we came from and who we have become.

Which leads me to the fourth lesson… We each learned what we know about taking care of people from him. I think that friends and family alike knew him to be tough, but fair. I’m sure those of you who knew him can think of a time when he demonstrated this trait, but I especially remember this one Christmas. We were gathered in Birmingham when my nephew Will was just a baby. On the 26th, we headed out to the local mall for shopping and lunch. On the way, we were witness to car versus pedestrian accident when a teenager tried to make it across the street against the light. Before we knew it, both of our cars had stopped in the nearest parking lot. Mom, decked out in a beautiful purple running suit, started directing traffic, BJ and I attended to injured teen and driver, and Ola kept the crowds out of the way. Eventually the police and ambulances arrived and we were thanked and sent on our way. Skipping the mall, we gathered around a couple of tables at Chili’s, looked at our menus and ordered drinks and lunch. After the chips and salsa arrived, we started eating as if nothing had happened. Being an inquisitive seminarian, I asked, “Aren’t we going to talk about what just happened?” My sister looked up and said something like this, “What is there to talk about? We just did what we were taught to do… help whatever way we can.” And how could I argue with that?

At 84, my mom & dad took Disciple bible study, a 34-week biblical overview with homework! My dad had often worked on Sundays and so this was my first knowledge of him doing anything like that. He loved telling me what he learned each week, and when it was cold and rainy and tempting to stay home, he headed out the door on Sunday afternoon, saying, “We have to go. I did my homework this week.” The fifth lesson he taught us, and perhaps the most important, is that you don't have to beat people over the head with your bible or talk about Jesus all the time to be a person of faith. Faith is about the way you live, every day, with every person you meet. He really was the embodiment of the Wesley mantra, “Do all the good you can to all the people you can in all the ways you can.”

I look into the congregation and I see this group of people gathered and I am in awe of what I see. You are those people who go to funerals. Many of you were friends of my dad. There's a couple who were in my parents' wedding, and friends who love them here in Spartanburg, There are friends from his work in Virginia and friends of me and my brother and sister from our childhood, for whom my dad was another sounding board and authority figure. But there are also a lot of people here who never met my dad, and your presence here honors him, because of your friendship with us, his legacy. And so I want to make a permanant reminder of this day, with all of your smiling faces in front of me. So say "Cheese" and give me a big smile!

The gospel message – the good news – is that God is down every road. We have each known God in all of our accomplishments and celebrations, in our disappointments and difficulties, and in the everyday moments when we forget that God is even here. So let us be reminded that we are not alone on this unknown road, and that God is always preparing the way for joy.

Peace, Deb

Sermon - Whatever happened to trust? (11th Sunday After Pentecost Year C)

Whatever happened to trust? (Proper 13 – Year C)                               July 31, 2016

Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21                                       Panzer Liturgical Service

I’ll admit it. I have finally come to the place where I am almost afraid to watch the news. The crazy and sobering events of the last few weeks feel too close to home, and events that would normally be relegated to the page 7 of the local newspaper end up as breaking news events for on CNN and BBC. The first questions we ask when violence strikes are, “Has terror come again? Is it really here to stay?” As we live in Germany, we see recent violence striking in places that we have visited, and in places near the very town where we live.

But terror is not just about not-so-isolated attacks meant to strike fear in the hearts of everyday people. It also occurs in ways in which we have become immune. Did you know that in the first seven months of 2016 over 2,200 people have been victims of gun violence and 371 people have been murdered in the city of Chicago alone?[i] Did you know that this year there have been only 30 days when someone has not been murdered there?[ii]

This is not to say that the terror that we feel when there is violence on a local train, or outside a local restaurant, or when attending a local festival isn’t real… it is. But we often do not see or are not moved by the ways that violence has taken over our world. No community, no matter how small or peaceful, is immune to the simple truth that we live in a fallen world. It’s not the way we want it, and not the way God wants it, but we feel helpless to see past the realities before us.

Paul writes to the community in Colossae, where infighting and disagreement have taken over life. The people in this church have lost their way, being pulled apart by heresies which taken their focus away from what it means to be deeply devoted disciples of Jesus Christ. The exact details of their lost-ness are not enumerated in the letter, but it is clear that they have begun worshiping their religious practices and theology, not their Lord and Savior. The result is that they have lost their connection to Christ.[iii]

In the gospel reading from Luke, Jesus talks about the problem of a man who accumulates so much wealth that he focuses all of his efforts on making sure that he can hold it in reserve for the future, as if this would keep trouble from ever coming his way. Jesus story asks us to consider what the consequences are of taking care of only our needs and not living out our richness in the context of God’s generosity to us.

These are the problems of our lives. Our focus easily strays. We are easily lured into accepting theological and practical solutions that are most beneficial to us, no matter the consequences to others. We attribute to Jesus, God and scripture ideas that are often on the opposite side of the coin, phrases like “God helps those who help themselves,” actually penned by Benjamin Franklin, or “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” which is attributed to James Joyce in his book, Ulysses, written in 1922. It’s not that these are not good ideas in the appropriate context… but they aren’t a part of the gospel message

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I’ve had a terrible time thinking about these two passages without making correlations to the current political and economic climate, not just in the US, but throughout the world. There is a constant battle between those who want governments that protect the status quo and those that to extend full citizenship to those who are other, or who have less, little or nothing than those who govern. We long of the “good old days” - whenever we think those were, and in our fear of the future, we hunker down for the calamity that the world tells us will come.

This passage from Luke is often associated with stewardship programs as a way to help people recognize their need to share a portion of their prosperity with their church family. But what if this story isn’t just about money, but also about the burden of isolation? The rich man doesn’t seem to be having conversation with anyone but himself… and I know from experience it’s pretty easy to convince myself of something if I never ask anyone else’s opinion.

This farmer is consumed with taking care of his own future. He has forgotten that there’s really nothing about his future that’s guaranteed. He can pull inward, build bigger barns and put away whatever he thinks will see him to the end of his life. But he can’t account for every disaster that might come… what if his barns burn down, or his crops get infected with a mold that makes them useless or even poison to those who try to work with them? What if he gets sick and can no longer tend his own bounty? What will he have then?

Jesus explains that despite our desire to make a secure future for ourselves is the antithesis of what it means to live for God – he calls that being rich toward God. Lutheran theologian David Lose frames it with this question: “…how can one be rich toward God without also – and quite frankly, first – being rich toward others? God, to paraphrase Martin Luther, needs neither our good works nor our wealth, but our neighbor does.”[iv] The richness of our lives is not defined by what we have, but how we live with others in community.

Remember, this parable actually starts with a question about unshared inheritance and broken community. Lots of families deal with this issue surrounding the death of parents and loved ones. Stuff has a lot of value, and not just monetarily. Stuff is about identity. Stuff is about status. Stuff is about identity. And if we’re not careful, stuff has a way of becoming a substitute for relationship, if we let it.

So Jesus’ point in telling this story is not just about what to do with our wealth. It is really about what to do with our lives. In over 300 places in the bible, we are told, “Do not be afraid.” Perhaps it’s a lesson that’s repeated over and over because fear comes so easily and is so hard to brush away. Fear is one of the biggest barriers to living a full life in Christ and a life filled with Christ. It’s the underlying theme in all of Jesus’ parables. Fear means separation and isolation. Trust in God, in Christ and in one another means life and defines what it means to be in community.

There is this whole genre of books, movies and TV shows that ask the question, “What will life be like if the world I know ends?” I have to admit they are a guilty pleasure of mine, but not for the reason you might imagine.[v] The best authors and writers don’t concentrate on the negatives but on how some people rise to the top to keep anarchy from reigning supreme over disaster. And the common threads running through my favorites are themes of sacrifice, sharing for the common good, and acceptance of those who are different as a way of affirming the goodness in life and affirming the future.

I love stories that underscore the value and even the necessity of being a part of a community. And I don’t think it’s enough to just have the same goals and values, because there are plenty of groups or communities that use fear to draw people in. Real community is born when people see that their own desires and ideas are not enough to keep a group going. Real community puts the needs of the many over the needs of the few… even Mr. Spock knew that.

Moving around so much, I have a bunch of crazy church-visiting stories. Places where when we got in the car, we looked at each other and said, “Let’s not come here again.” And everywhere we have been, we’ve found that just right place where we could live and serve Christ with others. But I also worry that people have left the churches I have served and said the same thing… that we weren’t able to be a place where they could see themselves growing and serving God and becoming a part of a family together.

When we commit our lives to Christ, it is not just about what we believe about who Jesus is or our ultimate landing place at the end of life. Committing our lives to Christ is about living for him, with him and in him. It’s a lot like marriage, where we are no longer “me” but now a part of “we.” And while it’s incredibly hard and challenging, it’s often joyful and fun at the same time.

Do you remember the movie “Cast Away” with Tom Hanks? He’s a FedEx official who is stranded on a deserted island after the plane he is on crashes. For a while, he holds on to the hope that he will be rescued. But soon, he is weighed down by the isolation of his situation and he is not only afraid, but soon becomes hopeless. Until Wilson comes along. Masquerading as a volleyball with a handprint face on the front, Wilson becomes his constant companion and confidant. Ultimately, Hank’s character is driven to attempt a reunion with civilization through a perilous sea when he tells Wilson, “I would rather take my chance out there on the ocean than to stay here and die.”

A life of faith is messy and challenging, but it is what we accept when we respond to Jesus’ call. A life of faith is not about safety, but about our willingness turn our lives over to him and to one another. Trust in God and in one another comes only when we put our former lives behind us and commit fully to him. And our best selves are truly made real when we are willing to live that life together.

Eugene Peterson spent years translating the underlying meaning of biblical passages into the language we use to talk to one another today, and we see it in his translation, The Message. If you look at verses 1-3 in the Colossians reading from today and listen to the way that Eugene lays it out for us, it’s hard to deny that Jesus is asking us to do something extraordinary.

 So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. (Colossians 3:1-4 The Message)

I started with the question, “Whatever happened to trust?” and I’ve been reminded that trust is a choice. It comes when we commit to community, and when we accept that challenge to become a part of the solution to the problems and worries that surround us. Trust comes when we understand and believe that God has given us this new life with great purpose and great possibility. May we together take steps toward God and one another, learning to trust again along the way.

Amen.

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[i] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-5-dead-40-wounded-in-weekend-shootings-20160725-story.html

[ii] https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016-chicago-murders/timeline?mon=2

[iii] http://www.jesuswalk.com/colossians/0_intro.htm

[iv] http://www.davidlose.net/2016/07/pentecost-11-c-from-isolation-to-community/

[v] The Last Ship on TNT and Jericho on CBS are special favorites of mine.