Sermon - The Day is Coming – are we ready? (Advent 1C)

1^st Sunday in Advent, Year C                                             November 28, 2021

Luke 21:25-36, Jeremiah 33:14-16                           Panzer Liturgical Service

As a society, we are terrible at waiting. We want what we want, and we want it NOW! I would be willing to guess that many of us spend a tremendous amount of time, energy, and even money to avoid waiting. And in general, that’s not a bad thing. GPS helps us to avoid traffic problems and sends us to the most efficient route. Maybe you weren’t here for the day when the Garrison put online appointments up for important tasks like vehicle registration and ID Card renewal… many cheers were sent up for not having to spend hours waiting in line. But recent events have also shown that there are often more people wanting appointments NOW versus the available numbers. When the recent online appointments went up for COVID-19 booster shots, all of the appointments for December were snatched up in a matter of hours, and now many of us are looking for other ways to avoid the wait for more protection. And why do we want this so badly? Not just so that we don’t get sick, but we are tired of sitting at home, waiting for life to return to normal. We hope that maybe this will help reduce our time of waiting.

And how many of us were sitting on go, waiting until after Thanksgiving to start our Christmas celebrations. We are sucked up in the whirlwind of holiday preparations with our Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, free shipping, and in the past, we have spent great time and effort to visit Christmas markets and celebrations galore… and have the gluhwein mugs to show for it. And while none of these things in and of themselves are bad, the question remains, are we focusing our energy in the right places?

I dare say that many Christians don’t understand what the season of Advent is all about. I think of it as a prequel… the story that comes before. It sets the stage for the momentous event of Jesus’ coming, ironically told in the voice of Jesus just before his arrest, trial, and execution. “Surely the days are coming…” he said. “Take care… be prepared… stay alert…” Never have those words felt more needed than in these days when the world seems to be turned upside down.

I know we’ve talked about this before, but at the beginning of Advent – the beginning of the new church year – we have an important opportunity to remember something important about time. In early Greek biblical manuscripts, there are two words for “time.”  Each day we count down to Christmas, each door we open on our Advent calendar is measured in Chronos… clock time: we count down the seconds, minutes, hours, days, and weeks until the day. But what if we were counting down in Kairos… God’s time? What if we experienced this season as preparation for the coming of his kingdom? How do we think about God in this eternal time of Emanuel… the time of God with us…? How do we expand our thinking and our living in this way?[i]

The season of Advent allows us to prepare for the amazing news of Jesus Christ. It offers us time to place the birth of the infant savior into a historical and cultural context and to be reminded that the coming of Jesus is not just a past event, but one which we look forward to in the future.

That’s why today’s gospel reading is not from the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke – we will get to those soon enough. Today’s lesson comes from the end of Jesus’ ministry, Luke’s version of Mark’s Little Apocalypse, which we just heard two weeks ago. Luke speaks with Jesus’ voice to a community struggling with persecution from the Roman authorities. This is a message of hope… do not fall for the solutions the world is giving you - keep being hopeful, stand firm in trials, and know that the pain of life will not defeat us. Jesus says, “Take care that your hearts are not dulled…” He is saying that this isn’t the time to give in to the temptation or distraction or fear.

We see the news and we are tempted to throw in the towel. It’s not just that the news is negative. It’s disheartening. It makes us wonder if there is anything at all that can turn the world around. When we look at the headlines, we see stories of people in conflict over religious and national identity, with questions about migration and racial and gender equity at the forefront. We wonder if there is anything we can do to make it better… are our current efforts in vain? In this season of Hope, we wonder if there is anything to be hopeful for.

The reading from Jeremiah tells us YES, there is reason to be hopeful. The biblical story shows us that God is faithful, even when those in the world around us are not. Even when we don’t understand how the journey of God’s people has often played out, we must trust in the everlasting promise that God has repeatedly made… hope is not lost. God will restore the world.

Have you ever participated in a trust fall? You know, the one where people gather around you, promising to catch you when you fall… have you allowed yourself to tip back into the waiting hands below? If you have, I hope it went well. I’ve instructed others in such activities over the years and even participated once myself, surviving with only a small head bonk from the process. The two poor youth who were catching my shoulders were so apologetic, saying, “It was just so much harder than I expected it to be… that’s a lot of responsibility!”

I learned a lot from the process about what it means to trust others to catch you when you fall. And I also learned about what it means to have that trust placed in your hands. After my experience, I taught that exercise differently. I didn’t focus on trust from one perspective. Yes, it takes trust to be the one falling, but there is also great responsibility entrusted to the ones helping, to make sure the person makes it safely to the ground. In the same way, being a member of the Kingdom of God is also about being trustworthy, and actively present with people who need God’s love the most.

In the gospel, Jesus tells us to stay alert. And these days I don’t think that’s just about making sure our spirituality is in order. I think we are also called to look for the places where the good news is needed. We can’t wait until we have a good handle on our own faith journeys… serving others is one of the best ways to work out our faith questions and concerns. When I look at my faith journey, I see that stepping out on faith to participate as a lay volunteer in youth missions over 35 years ago sent my life in a different direction – one that I did not ask for, and sometimes did not want. But being with people so different and yet so alike, I realized that God would use me if I was only willing to take the first step forward. And because of that, I stand before you today… in this place, doing this thing.

The Christian life is not about speculation or observation. It is not about living outside the fray and watching it all unfold before us. It is about behavior and relationships, living with faith that God is with us, even when we aren’t sure where we’re going and what it will all look like in the end. Jeremiah reminds us that Emmanuel is coming – God is with us. We sang this morning, “O come, O come, Emmanuel…” We know that Jesus is that Emmanuel. He is the hope amid despair, the light during darkness… this is the enduring message of the gospel.

So in this season of Advent, remember that hope is all about waiting. Hope is active patience, working while we wait, reaching out even despite our fear, and expecting that God will show up. And to remember that to wait faithfully is one of the hardest and most important things that we can do.[ii]

I hope that each of you is incorporating some kind of Advent practice into your life. Maybe it’s an advent calendar, or lighting an advent wreath at home, or reading an advent devotion each day, or planting amaryllis or paperwhites. But in addition to those things, I ask you to consider digging a little deeper and looking at how God is calling you to take the next step.

Over the next four weeks, I hope you’ll think about how you or your family or we as a community can live in expectation of his coming. We know that Jesus came before, and we have his promise that he will come again, we just don’t know when it will be. It could be an hour from now, next month, next year, or long after we are gone from this world. But what we do know is that God wants us to spend the time we have making sure that we are ready for his coming – that we have lived in such a way that others want to know and follow him, too.

In that process, we can ask ourselves these questions:

     1.    Am I willing to examine my life, celebrating the good and repenting and turning away from the things that are not life-giving?
2.    Am I living in the ways that Jesus has asked me to live? Am I taking the lessons that Jesus taught and applying them regularly in my life?
3.    Am I participating in the healing of the world?
4.    Am I offering the hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus was born into this world to share? and lastly,
5.    Do I live as if I believe in the promise of everlasting life?[iii]

Today’s Psalm 25 is about trust. It is a reminder that God keeps God’s promises, just not always in our timing and not always in the ways that we expect or prefer. But even more importantly, let us remember that God chose us to be the fulfillment of his promises - We are his hands and feet and voice in the world, and with them, Advent calls us to live that promise. “The day is coming,” says the Lord. Are we ready?

Amen.

Peace, Deb

(c) Deb Luther Teagan, November 2021

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[i] David F. Sellery, This Week’s Focus, “As Time Goes By,” November 27, 2015, http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dbffd2070718c7bb6a1b9b7e0&id=987d4ee8f9&e=880e8ae56e.

[ii] Robb McCoy & Eric Fistler, Pulpit Fiction podcast, http://www.pulpitfiction.us/show-notes/143-advent-1c-nov-29-2015

[iii] Dawn Chesser, Preaching Helps for the First Sunday in Advent, November 23, 2015. http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship/lectionary-calendar/first-sunday-of-advent-year-c

Sermon - Who is Our King? Christ the King Sunday (B)

Christ the King Sunday – 26th Sunday after Pentecost – Year B November 21, 2021

2 Samuel 23:1-7, Revelation 1:4b-8, John 18:33- 37 Panzer Liturgical Service

Many people say politics and religion should never cross paths… well, this feast day is not for them. On this day, more than any other, politics is put on the table by the scriptures we read and the things we claim about Jesus. But this is not the kind of politics that we encounter in our reading of newspapers and watching TV. The questions we address in today’s sermon are not the questions of left or right, conservative, liberal, or progressive. Our scriptures today ask us something much more fundamental… if we believe in the Kingship of Jesus – if we claim him to be our Lord, what does it mean for him to be in charge?

The feast of Christ the King, or as it is also known, the feast of the Reign of Christ, is the last feast day to enter the Christian calendar. In1922,  Pope Pius XIth began writing about this subject. In the aftermath of World War 1, the pope noted that while there was a cessation of fighting between former enemies, there was still no true peace. He worried about the rise of class divisions and unchecked nationalism, as in Russia and Germany, where nationalist passions were high and trouble was brewing. He worried that a new war was only a few years away.

He understood that Christians could help keep the peace in only one way: Peace could only be found under the kingship of Christ as “prince of peace”. As Christians, he said, we are called to accept Jesus’ rule in our lives as we live out his teachings and fill our hearts with his love. With Jesus as our King, we are called to live with his love and example filling our hearts.  

From 1925 to 1969, this feast was celebrated on the Sunday before All Saint’s Day. In 1970, its Roman Rite observance was moved to the final Sunday of Ordinary Time. We celebrate today because many Protestant denominations began observing this feast day as a result of the consultations between Roman Catholics and Protestants during the 2nd Vatican Council held from 1962 to 1965. 

As we gather today, this is the question we consider: who is in charge? Is it Jesus or have we committed ourselves to the powers of the world?  

We are divided on this… is faith private or public? Some consider that faith is personal and separate from our public lives. Others believe that faith and everyday life cannot be separated, and seek to share or even impose their theological beliefs in the political process, often on all sides of the question. 

The lessons from the Old Testament and from the book of Revelation speak of the accountability of the rulers of the governments of the world to God. But what happens when people don’t want to be accountable? Or don’t care what God thinks? Look at the world today - it’s maddening and confusing and scary and sad… Many in positions of authority see their personal beliefs in line with their understanding of how God wants them to live. And those beliefs and actions are often in conflict with the beliefs of others who are likewise convinced. In our Thursday night book group, we talked about the tendency we have to read the scripture (and other books and media) in ways that confirm what we already believe to be true. If we are not careful, we will build a whole faith journey on the premise that God wants us to be comfortable and in control.

But that’s not what the biblical story reflects. Here, God is in control, and while his people are given the freedom of choice, there are consequences for choosing self over the path that God prefers. The Old Testament is the story of people who met and followed God when they were in trouble but were willing to give up that path when they felt comfortable enough to make it on their own. And over and over, the people paid the price. 

The role of the prophet was to speak in the voice of God. From Moses all the way to Malachi, prophets stood up and told the people, “God wants to be your king… you don’t need anyone else.” And when the people insisted on having a political structure similar to the ones of their enemies and conquerors, God allowed for that, but these kings were only at their best when they were faithful in their own relationships with God. 

Some kings had long, successful reigns… some never even got off the ground. Ultimately, the Kingdom of Israel was defeated, devastated, and scattered to the winds. And even when they were allowed to return to the land that God had promised, it was not the same. 

The people returned from exile in Babylon to a Jerusalem under the control of the Persians, who actually afforded them many opportunities to return the city to its former glory. But the Jews were not in charge. And eventually, their fate was left in the hands of those who did not treat them as well - the Greeks, and then the Romans. 

And in our gospel lesson from John, we see Pilate’s questioning of Jesus. Clearly, they are operating on two different plains of reality. Pilate is wondering if Jesus is his rival… should he be worried about the seditious nature of the claims being made about him? But Jesus' answers make no sense if you’re talking about an earthly king like David. And that’s what many people were expecting… a king to rescue the people from the rule of dictators, and who would return the land to the people, and rule with power and might.

Well, Jesus is not that kind of king. Yes, Rome is worried that Jesus will take them out, but that was not Jesus’ only problem. Once the Jews realized Jesus was not going to fulfill any of their heroic expectations – that sealed his fate – he would have to go. And they would let the Romans do their dirty work for them.

It feels weird to read the story of Jesus’ trial before Pilate just as we are preparing to begin a new church year with the season of Advent. But this encounter between Jesus and Pilate is important because questions are raised. One of the things we realize is that Pilate thinks he has power, but he doesn’t… yes, he can send Jesus to his death – and he does – but three days later it’s all undone. Jesus is now unleashed – he will become a much bigger influence than he ever was before. And a new revolution begins.  

Given all of that, it looks like the question isn’t whether Jesus Christ is King or not… instead, the questions for us are, “What kind of king is he?” and “What do we do now?” 

We look at the state of the world around us and we wonder, “How did the world get so messed up?”  The issues facing us seem almost insurmountable and many are beginning to lose hope that love will win in the end. Some days I wonder that if Jesus is in charge, what kind of power does he have? 

The powers that the world exhibits – governmental, political, and societal – seem to be winning these days. And while we desperately want the Golden Rule and the Greatest Commandment to be our guiding principles, it feels like we are always one step behind and getting trampled on along the way.

We forget that the King we worship understands all our fears and confusion. And while he was a victim of the coercive and violent government of the day, he still demanded that his disciples – his followers – respond in love and caring goodness. It was that witness that turned the world around – and it does it still today. 

Jesus gave us a good example. He didn’t show up often to the seats of power of his day to keep the status quo. He turned over the money-changers tables in a fit of anger at how they had subverted the worship practices God required, and in our gospel lesson it feels like Pilate is asking him to admit it was a mistake, or maybe beg for his life. 

In reality, Jesus hadn’t done anything to spike their ire. He didn’t try to influence people in power – he spent his time with people who were not only insignificant but despised and untrusted. Jesus wasn’t interested in ruling any of the people that Pilate thought were important. Jesus didn’t lead with the sword… he led from the cross and asks us to follow him there. Jesus didn’t come to be the ruler of a kingdom with a troubled past. He came to rule a counter-kingdom and was willing to turn the world upside down to make his point. 

If Jesus is the Lord and King of each of us, then we are also called to be members of this counter-kingdom. Yes, we hold the passport of our national identities, and it is examined as we go from one country into another. Return to the US or go through a passport control interview and you will be asked questions about your journey… Where have you been? Why are you traveling? Where will you be staying? Is there anyone who can vouch for you?

As Christians, we hold a passport to God’s kingdom, too. In our baptisms, we are granted citizenship in the Church of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. And in this Kingdom, we are not just judged by where we come from or who our parents are. We are also judged by how well our lives conform to the purposes and plans of our Creator and King, initiated and sustained by the love of Jesus Christ.

Our claim of Christ as King doesn’t make us peasants groveling at the feet of a ruler to gain his favor. Our claim is something much more – it is a declaration that we belong to Christ, and his words hold authority for us. Claiming Christ as King says that Christ’s truth (to forgive, to love, and to share) is our truth, too. 

As we reflect today on what it means for Christ to be King, we must ask, what kind of reign will Jesus have? Will we give up on him and give in to the seductive power of the world? Or will we stay the course, knowing that our true power comes from the love that Jesus has for us and how we live that love out in everything we do in the world, every single day?

Winning in Jesus’ world doesn’t look like winning to everyone else. Jesus’ encounter with Pilate reminds us of this. But still, when life feels out of control all we want to know is, “Who’s in charge?” Jesus’ calmness in this conversation reminds us not to get caught up in the fear that our work will be in vain, and that chaos and helpless hopefulness are our fate.  

Instead, this is exactly when we are called to proclaim the reign of Jesus Christ – Savior, Judge, Redeemer, Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, and also King – king of creation and our King – the one of promises us everlasting life. 

Thanks be to God!

Peace, Deb

(c) November 2021, Deb Luther Teagan

Let us pray: 

Lord, on this Sunday, when we celebrate your reign as sovereign over all, show us signs of your rule among us, confirm us in our citizenship in your kingdom, and remind us in ways deep and undeniable of who sits on the throne, who is in charge. Amen.

Resources:

Wikipedia article, Christ the King Sunday

Will Willimon, Pulpit Resource, Nov 21, 2021

Robb Mccoy and Erik Fistler, Pulpit Fiction, Nov 21, 2021. www.pulpitfiction.us

Sermon - Learning from the Saints (All Saint's Sunday B)

 All Saint’s Sunday – Year B                                                         November 7, 2021
Isaiah 25:6-9; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44             Panzer Liturgical Congregation

Here’s something you might not know about me… I love a good funeral. And I’m am saddened by a bad one. “What makes a funeral good and what makes one bad?” My thoughts on this are a blending of my personal experience and the opportunity to do some extra study on the topic in seminary. But once I had attended a beautiful, uplifting funeral – a service of death and resurrection, I knew that I had learned something special about how we should celebrate people’s lives when they die.

I went to my first funeral when I was 14. Knowing what I do now, it was entirely too late. My grandparents were both from large families and other funerals had taken place, but my parents chose to shield me from these services. When I asked why, they replied, “We don’t want you to be sad.” So, when I was 14 my grandfather died from a heart attack the last week of the school year. We were close, and I didn’t know how to process that grief. I didn’t know what to expect at the funeral home or in church. I don’t remember experiencing much joy in our family’s gathering. His death was a cloud that hung over the family for a long time… it was a storm in my grandmother’s life until her death many years later. Things were said that couldn’t be taken back. And looking back, it changed the way we related to one another for a long time.

When I was in seminary, the long-time choir director at Duke Chapel, Ben Smith, died after a fairly long illness. His death was not unexpected, so we had a lot of time to prepare. He was intimately involved in the planning of the service – choosing the hymns and scriptures and giving the Dean of the Chapel a list of acceptable stories to share. The Chapel had a choir anthem written in his honor – a musical setting of Psalm 27 by John Rutter – which we practiced from manuscripts that came straight from the composer.

Finally, this was what a funeral was supposed to be like. We sang hymns of praise – we read scriptures about resurrection and life – people told funny stories – one of the seminary professors read a poem about a goat. At the end of the celebration, we recessed in full voice with grand organ accompaniment… “For All the Saints” and ended with a choral setting of “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” It was Church. And I would never think of funerals the same way again.

All Saints Day isn’t a funeral for any one person, but it does allow us to celebrate the lives of the saints in our lives. They may be people we have lost in the last year, but they can also be the people who have been our role models and inspiration for our lives of faith.

All Saints celebrations remind us that we are not the first people to follow Jesus… not the first to hear and heed the call…not the first to walk the path of the cross. Those faithful ones who came before can teach us a lot if we dare to listen and learn. Our journeys are not just defined by the way that Jesus lived, but also by the ways that people have lived between then and now. All Saints reminds me that when I don’t know which way to turn, there is often a saint, well-known, unknown, or somewhere in between, who can help to show me the way. Our freedom to be disciples of Jesus Christ is inspired and guided by those who have come before.[i]

In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. He goes to the place where corpses were laid to rest, commands them to open the tomb, and bids Lazarus to come out. On other Sundays when this is the appointed text, we focus a lot on Jesus, what delayed his travel, and Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, and their reaction to Jesus not showing up to prevent their brother’s death. But today, we focus on this audacious act of faith… asking people to open a tomb where a body has been laid for three days. And expecting the man to come out as if nothing had happened.

Lazarus’ raising is a foreshadowing of what will happen to Jesus soon… 3 days dead, then alive again for many to see. This passage reminds us that in Jesus, death does not get the last word. We hear this from the prophet Isaiah also. Exile to Babylon feels like death, but the prophet says, it will not all end there. God will bring us home, wipe away our tears and save us from the certainty of death.

We don’t often read from the book of Revelation in the RCL, but when we do, it is with purpose. John wrote to a community undergoing a time of persecution. Life the prophets of the Old Testament, he is relaying the most important message – God is not done with us yet. Take care – John’s visions in Revelation are not a prediction of the end times. Instead, they are more like an impressionist painting, offering an alternative life plan to the one offered by those who use power to their benefit. 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.”[ii]

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.[iii] 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.[iv]

On All Saint’s Sunday, we acknowledge that we stand on the shoulders of those who lived and died before us, and we recognize them for their faithfulness and their witness. Being a saint isn’t about being perfect – it doesn’t mean they never made a mistake. Today’s celebration isn’t about the official process of being a recognized saint in the church. Today’s celebration is about recognizing that there is a saint at the heart of everyone who has followed Christ, and also at the heart of who we are ourselves. And more than anything, sainthood is defined as “Living grace,” the embodiment of our faith.

In his book, Revival, Methodist author Adam Hamilton defines Living Grace this way:

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.[v]

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. As we celebrate at this All-Saints celebration, let us be reminded of the gifts of the saints who came before us, and of the great gift we have in them. May we move forward by looking back and living with their witness in our minds and hearts. All Saints reminds us that we don’t have to make up our faith as we go along. There are trustworthy guides who have walked before us – people like Isaiah, John, and others who form the “communion of the saints.” They have much to teach us if we will only listen.[vi]  

One of my favorite All Saints hymns is "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God." Here's a great video version that reminds us that we are all called to be among the saints.

Peace, Deb

Let us pray:

You are our God and we are Your people,
and we are grateful that You have claimed us as your own.
You have set us in the company of saints past and present,
among those who have made bold witness
to Your goodness and Your truth.
Your Word opens up new futures
where we see no way forward.

You know the places in our hearts
where we are afraid
— afraid of a future we cannot control;
— afraid of losing health and independence
— afraid for the well-being of our children
— afraid that past mistakes will ruin our future

Write the stories of your people deep into our hearts
so that we may learn to trust you beyond our fears.
Give us hearts and minds and spirits
ready to trust and follow wherever your Spirit leads,
confident that you will not lead us
beyond your loving embrace.
We ask in Jesus’ name
whose outstretched arms welcome us
and hold us securely in your grace. 

~ written by Christine Jerrett, and posted on the Christine Jerrett blog. https://christinejerrett.wordpress.com/

 

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[i] Will Willimon, https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/10927/october-31-2021-unbound-by-the-saints

[ii] John Holbert, “No, It’s Not "Revelations," and It Is Not About That!” http://www.patheos.com/Progressive-Christian/Reflections-on-Revelation-John-C-Holbert-10-24-2014.html#ixzz3Hp378v1H  

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Ibid.

[v] Adam Hamilton, Revival, 2014, page 80.

[vi] Willimon, Ibid.