The Kingdom of God here, now!

When I was first exploring my call to ministry, it was suggested that I play a little "Bible Roulette."  I opened me Bible, without looking at it, and put my finger down on the page - and it was this passage from Nehemiah.  "Ezra the Priest brought the law before the assembly... and read from it... from early morning until midday...   One of the verses that is omitted from this reading says, “he stood on at a wooden podium... and opened the book in the sight of all the people...  and when he opened it all the people stood. "  And further down,  "And they read from the book clearly and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading."  And my first response was, "Oh Lord, does this mean what I think it means?"  

Does this all sound familiar?  When I opened the Gospel book, you all stood to hear the reading.  Now I am standing at a wooden podium giving an interpretation of the readings so that all can understand.

This first lesson takes place approximately 500 years before the life of Jesus.  In our Gospel lesson (500 years later) – once again the people have gathered to hear the Word of God being read.  

Today, 2000 years later, the people of God are still gathering in churches around the world to hear the Word of God being read.  The tradition continues and the story is still told – over and over – with interpretation for the time.  There are thousands of churches reading these lessons today.  And an interpretation (the sermon) being given - chances are very good that no two sermons will be the same.

Now we have a history lesson, this is God’s doing because I have an aversion to history.  But in the case I think its important to connect the pieces.  Ezra and Nehemiah are both characters out of the post-exilic period; the Babylonian exile.  After Cyrus the Persian king overthrew the Babylonians in 539 BC, he allowed the Jews to begin going back to their homeland.  

The first wave went back, taking with them the holy vessels that had been stolen from the temple.  Their job was to rebuild the temple which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian king.  They accomplished that task, but they had problems in carrying over their worship practices into the living of their everyday lives.  

So Ezra the priest felt called by God to go to Jerusalem and restore the law.  His task was to restore the temple worship and help the people to see how this affected their everyday lives.  This was the second wave to return from exile.  

The third wave consisted of Nehemiah, the governor, whose task it was to rebuild the city wall around Jerusalem.  Each returning group met resistance from the people already there.  

In our lesson today, we find Ezra reading the law from early morning until midday.  And those that are assembled are men, and women, and those who could understand - probably older children.    Now understand that the law had not been read in that land in over 70 years.  Chances are that very few people there had ever heard it read.  They most likely had heard tales and stories passed down word of mouth.  

But on this day, most people were hearing the law read for the first time.  And it says that the people wept when they heard the law.  Why did they weep?  Because the Word of God touched their hearts?  Because they knew that they had not been following the law?   Probably.  But are they condemned by their leaders?  No, as a matter of fact they are told, "Do not mourn or weep, for this day is holy to the Lord."  They are told, "Eat, drink, give to those who have none, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

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In our gospel lesson, Jesus also is reading from Holy Scripture. Jesus has gone to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, as was his custom.  This is not something new, it is something he always did.  The people knew him, they watched him grow up, and they’ve heard him read before...  But this time it's different, this time he's been gone, and they've heard reports, strange reports, about him.  He opens up the scroll and he reads.  It is a nice familiar text - one they've heard many times before - and they wait for his teaching, his understanding of this text.

And his first words are, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."  And they're not sure what to make of this.  You see, following his baptism and his temptations, Jesus now understands that he has a purpose.  And that purpose can be found is the prophetic scriptures of the Hebrew people.  He understands that he has been anointed by God, he has received God's Holy Spirit.  He understands that the anointing of God is always given for a purpose.  It is never given just as a feel-good sensation or for one's own personal enjoyment - it is given for the fulfilling of a task.  Now Jesus knows exactly who he is and what he is to do, and this scripture spells it out in full.  

• He is to preach good news to the poor, be they monetarily or spiritually poor.  
• He is to proclaim release to those who are held captive, be it physical or emotional imprisonment.  
• He is to be the instrument of healing, to the blind, the crippled, the deaf.  
• He is to set free those who are oppressed in every land or state.  
• He is to proclaim the fulfillment of the Lord's purpose here on earth, during our time - not in some far distant idealistic future.

Jesus is proclaiming his purpose in life.  He is also telling the people what it takes for the Kingdom of God to be present in our lifetime.  Jesus was uniquely suited for this purpose.  He knew who he was and he understood what that meant.   He also understood that this was just the beginning of a new paradigm on earth.  He knew that even though this was nothing new, since it had seldom been practiced on earth, that he was to be the example - he was the one to demonstrate - exactly what God meant.  Jesus' purpose was to demonstrate that the far distant idealistic future was here, - now, - in our lifetime.  

Jesus proclaimed it then, two thousand years ago, and he proclaims it now, here in our presence.  You see, when the church gathers for worship and for fellowship, the aim should not be to make its members feel good, but to equip them for putting into visible form the Kingdom of God in their daily lives.

Obviously we're not all called to go out and preach the gospel or heal the sick in the way Jesus did.  Paul reminds us of that.  We are all part of the body of Christ.  But if each one of us does our part - worship regularly, fellowship with those who love Christ, reach out to those within our sphere of influence - God's kingdom will be manifest here on earth.  

One way we can do this as Christians is to stay attuned to the needs of the people around us.  If someone mentions a personal concern to you, they are quite often reaching out for help - for comfort - for understanding.  If someone mentions a particular need, offer to stop and pray, right then – or offer other kinds of help that can be beneficial in the given situation.

So often we say something like, “I’ll keep you in my prayers.”  And we forget how much more powerful it is to stop right then, take their hand and pray for them - right then, not in some distant future.  I used to do that - all the time.  And somehow I've gotten out of the habit - often saying, "I'll add you to my prayer list…"  And I realize that in doing that, I'm perpetuating this idea of the Kingdom of God as being somewhere in the distant future.  But when I stop and pray with the person right then, then the Kingdom of God is present - right then - in that very moment. 

I like what James says in his letter to the 12 tribes, "Are any among you suffering?  They should pray.  Are any cheerful?  They should sing songs of praise.  Are any among you sick?  They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them…" 

As members of Christ's body here on earth, we are called to do these things.  It doesn't take fancy words or special knowledge.  What it does take is a belief that God can do all things, and through him all things are possible.  We simply open up our hearts to let the love of Christ come in, and allow Him to work through us - sometimes in spite of us…

God calls each and every one of us to be a part of His Kingdom here on earth.  And God will use you for his purpose.  When people see you, will they say, "I want to be like that", or will they say, "Don't let me be like that…"  - it's your choice  --  how will God use you?

Moses stepped out in faith

God said to Moses, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”  Exodus 3:12

I really identify with Moses.  He was older than I am when he was called by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the Holy Land.  He made all kinds of excuses why he wasn’t the right person for the job.  And when he asked for a sign, it came only after he stepped out in faith.  Reluctantly, Moses did what must have seemed to be a fool’s errand, and he faced challenges, and hardships and opposition.  But Moses wasn’t alone.  His brother, Aaron, was sent with him as a companion and a partner.  When God calls us, he will provide the means to accomplish his purpose.  

Living By Faith

Jesus said: “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me....   This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day”.  John 6:38-40.  

I believe, I have faith, not in myself, because I’ll mess things up, but in God whose promises are eternal.  If I have faith that an airplane will stay up in the air and will get me from point A to point B, then why shouldn’t I have faith in my God to take care of me and to direct me in the things I do.  When I listen to the little nudges He gives me from time to time, I find myself in the place I need to be, when I need to be there, sometimes for my own benefit, and sometimes for the benefit of others to whom God would have me minister.  Jesus promises that we will have eternal life, I believed that.  I believe that when we follow our Lord Jesus Christ, our life here on earth is enhanced and blessed, and we will see God face to face when we depart this world.  

Verse for meditation:

“Now Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  Hebrews 11:1. 

New Years Day - The Holy Name of Jesus

Today is the Holy Name of Jesus - 8 days after his birth this child was circumcised and given the name of Jesus.  

I’ve often taught that the gifts of the Spirit were given to us for the purpose of blessing others and drawing them to God.  We see that this Jesus was a gift of the Holy Spirit, given that all people might be redeemed from sin and adopted as children, and made heirs of the Kingdom of God.  January the first is such an appropriate time to consider this naming of Jesus.  As we begin a new year, let us renew our commitment to God and to the spread of the gospel message that Jesus is Lord, past, present and eternal.   

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-6

Scriptures appointed for today to meditate and ponder:

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman... in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.   Galatians 4:4-5

 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.  Luke 2:20-21

Mary said, “Yes.”

Advent is a time of the unexpected.  For one thing we have God’s choice of partners in the procreation of his own son.  Jesus could have been set down fully grown anywhere in the world.  But God knew that in order to understand people and to reach out to them, Jesus needed to grow up among them and to really be one of them.  God could have chosen royalty, or a wealthy family to bear and raise his son, one where he would never want or struggle.  God could have chosen a palace and an important city for the dwelling place of his son. 

But God chose Nazareth – a small out-of-the-way place – unimportant – a place where Jesus could grow unencumbered by the wealth and attention he might receive in other places.  God chose a place where Jesus could live among the common folk and learn about them first hand; a place where he could touch, feel and understand the trials and struggles of everyday people.  In this area of Galilee, there was a large gentile population nearby so he would grow up knowing not only the Jewish people, but also how they interacted with people of other faiths and nationalities.  

This is a perfect example of how God works within the context of ordinary life and through ordinary people.    Mary was not any kind of super hero  -  (no Angelina Jolie, no Queen Elizabeth – not even a Mother Theresa) – just a simple village girl who had recently come of age.  Mary lived an ordinary life in the small village of Nazareth.  She helped her mother take care of the house and younger children.  She made a daily trip down to the well, to draw water for use in cooking and washing.  She cooked and cleaned just like any Jewish girl.  I picture her singing as she goes about her work, a sweet disposition and spirit about her.

She dreamed of one day having a home of her own to take care of.  She was betrothed to Joseph, a local carpenter – a tradesman.  The life that laid before them was a simple life – one of love and shared experiences – of small children running around and growing up, much as they themselves had.  When a young couple became betrothed, the husband began work on a place to live – often a room added onto his father’s house.  When that was completed, then he came to collect his bride and everyone was invited to the celebration.

This was the plan – this was what they expected.  But before Joseph came to collect his bride, she had a visitor.  Gabriel, the messenger from God, who tells her she has been chosen to bear the Son of God.  Mary said “Yes, here I am, Lord.  Let it be,” and very shortly she found herself with child.  I’m sure that she knew about the whys and wherefores of pregnancy and childbearing and child rearing.  Those were common enough things in the life around her – and she was prepared for that – even looked forward to it. 

But I’m not sure she was totally prepared for everything that came after.  But in typical ‘girl fashion’ she goes to see her relative Elizabeth who is also expecting her first child.  And Elizabeth affirms how special this child is that Mary carries.  And regardless of what expectation we have for our children we have to wait – nine months until they are born, to see them. to hold them.  And we have to wait until they grow up to see them take their place within this life and this society.  

And so, like Mary, we wait.  We wait in expectation – in anticipation – of what God will do in our midst – how he will work out his promises – using the ordinary to do extraordinary things.   If we just have the kind of faith exhibited by a young peasant girl in a backwater town 2000 years ago – we too may see miracles and experience the great love of our God in new and wonderful ways.

Our lesson from Hebrews tells us that Christ came to abolish the yearly offerings, the sin and burnt offerings to establish himself as The Offering that redeems the world.  In God’s plan, this one person, Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, was to be the salvation of the world.  This little baby would grow up to present himself as that sacrifice for all time.  It is through this offering of Jesus’ body that we have been sanctified and made holy to stand before God.  It is because of this sacrifice that we are adopted as sons and daughters into the family of God.  

And it all started with a visit by an angel and a young girl who said “yes”.

Amen

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What must I do?

Jesus is on a journey – he is ultimately headed to Jerusalem and the cross.  Last week he had traveled from Capernaum to Judea beyond the Jordan.  Now as he sets out again, a man comes running up.  He falls on his knees and says, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life.”  The address is over the top for a Jew.  Jesus jokes (or maybe spars) with him, “Why do you call me ‘good’?  No one is good but God.”

Next Jesus reminds him of the commandments – those dealing with our neighbors – those that deal with relationships here on earth.  The Jewish belief was that if you just followed all the right laws, then you could please God and you would have eternal life.  So his statement, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” was typical of this time and the present Jewish mindset.

But there’s a problem with this – how many of you have every received an inheritance?  What did you have to do to earn that inheritance?  Did you do something to earn the inheritance, or was it the result of a relationship you enjoyed?  

Jesus essentially tells this man, you cannot earn God’s gift – you can only accept it.  You’ve probably heard people say things like, “You just earned another star in your crown.”  I’ve said it myself, but that just perpetuates the myth.

Eternal life is a gift.  The gift of the kingdom of God is a gift of relationship.  And Jesus is in the process of redefining relationship - relationship with God and with the people around you.    

This man (Luke calls him a rich young ruler) is a good man – he is religious and has been diligent about keeping the commandments – he’s probably not much different from you and me.  He’s spent his life living as best he knew how, following in his father’s footsteps, and most likely felt blessed by God because of his prosperity.  

What he didn’t understand was that eternal life is a gift.  There is a story told about a young boy in Sweden who wanted some grapes from the king’s garden for his sick mother.  He asked the gardener if he could buy a bunch, but the gardener refused.  Standing nearby was the King’s son, and right away he put two bunches of grapes in the boy’s hand.  The boy offered to pay, but the prince said, “My father is not a merchant who sells, he is a king who gives.”  Our God is not a merchant with eternal life to sell.

I can remember a number of years ago when Sam and I lived in Austin.  We both had good jobs, two cars, two beautiful children and enough money for the things we needed.  But something was missing.  At the time we didn’t go to church except Christmas and Easter.  We were good people – not rich, but we had what we needed, and yet, something was missing.  

I would imagine that it wasn’t much different from this young man.  He knew something was missing from his life and he thought that he could buy or earn whatever it was.  And Jesus tells him what is needed.  His face falls, because he isn’t ready to give up what he has.  This young man walks away, shoulders slumped, head down, turning away from what he desperately wanted, because he wasn’t willing to pay the price.  He wasn’t willing to lay down what he had in order to pick up what Christ wanted to give him. 

Jesus turns to his disciples and says that it’s hard for the wealthy to enter the kingdom – not impossible, but hard.  It is only through the grace of God that any of us can enter the kingdom of God.  

It’s hard for the rich to enter heaven because they have a tendency to rely on their wealth or their self for the things they need and want.  It’s hard for the rich to enter heaven because they sometimes develop an unhealthy attachment to their wealth.  We often hear a misquote from the Bible, “Money is the root of all evil.”  But that’s not right.  It’s not money that is the root of all evil, it is “the love of money that is the root of all evil.”  That comes from 1 Tim. 6:10.  Money itself is not the problem, it is our attachment and dependence on it that is a problem. 

But this is a new concept for the disciples.  The culture – the Jewish religion itself affirmed that affluence was the direct result of the blessing and favor of God.  Affluence meant you were a shoe-in for heaven.  But Jesus is giving them something new – getting into heaven may be impossible for us – but not for God - with God all things are possible.

There’s a story about a man who died and went to heaven and St. Peter met him at the gate and says, “We had to develop a new system to decide who gets to come into heaven.  You need a thousand points to get in now.  What have you done with your life?”  

The man says, “Well, I was a minister and preached to hundreds of people and brought them to God.  I visited prisoners and patients in hospitals.  I started a food kitchen to feel the hungry and a clothing center to help people get clothes.”  

St. Peter said, “Well, all that adds up to about 10 points.”  The man, in shock, said, “Ten point?  At that rate I’ll need the grace of God to get in.”   St. Peter said, “That’s worth 990 points.  Come on in.”

Peter speaks for the whole group – “We have left everything to follow you…”  Jesus tells the disciples;  "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold. . .  houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions.”

I don’t know about you, but for me that doesn’t sound happy – fields with persecutions?  I think it’s safe to say that when we follow Jesus, it isn’t always fun and games.  Sometimes there will be struggles and hardships.  Sometimes we are going to suffer, regardless of who we are and what we are and what we have done.  

God is asking something of us.  He’s asking for a commitment.  For some people that might take the form of a commitment of money.  For others, it might be a commitment of time.  And even others might be asked for a commitment of talent.  

I guess it’s sort of like earnest money in a contract – you are putting your money where you mouth is.  You know those bumper stickers out there that say “Honk if you love Jesus.”  Sam and I ran across one a couple of years ago that said, “If you love Jesus, tithe.  Anyone can honk.”  

Jesus is looking for relationship and one of the symbols of relationship is by supporting your local parish.  Consider it a commitment.  This is stewardship season in the Episcopal Church.  Your vestry is looking ahead to next year and planning.  One of the things they will be looking for is financial support.  The biblical commitment is the tithe – ten percent.  Even if you don’t have money, there are other things you can do.  God is calling you into relationship, so search your heart and consider where God is calling you to commit you time or talent or treasure for the coming year.

Amen.

Herod’s Dilemma

A couple of years before I went to seminary, it was summer and our daughter, Cyndy, had graduated from high school – she was 18 and her brother Andy was just turning 21.  Andy and his friends were planning to go in to Houston to hear some group play at a bar and they wanted Cyndy and her friend Carrie to go with them.  So they had asked me for permission.  

The guys thought that the girls could get in as long as they didn’t drink.  I decided that this wasn’t a good idea since Cyndy’s friend was only 17 and we couldn’t get hold of her parents, so I told them, “No.”  Everybody accepted that and there wasn’t any real argument.  The boys all left and Cyndy and Carrie stayed there.  Cyndy came up and hugged me and said, “Thanks, Mom.  We didn’t really feel comfortable going, but I didn’t want to disappoint my brother.”

That was Cyndy’s dilemma – to be supportive and cool in her brother’s eyes versus feeling comfortable about what they wanted to do.  Herod had a dilemma, too.  Herod’s dilemma was that it was his birthday and the festivities were just beginning to peak.  Everyone was either drunk or getting there pretty quick and so they probably weren't using their best judgment.  The king was in a really good mood – a magnanimous mood - and was very pleased by the dance of the young woman.  Our text says ‘his daughter, Herodias,’ but that's probably incorrect.  Most likely it actually means Herodias’ daughter.  That interpretation is supported by Josephus, the Jewish (political) historian, who calls the daughter, ‘Salome.’    

Herod was of Jewish descent and ruled only at the pleasure of Rome.  But for a Jew he was a very important man, a powerful man, and he wanted to look good in the eyes of those who were with him.  Having been pleased by the dance, he made this astounding offer―anything you want – even half my kingdom.  It was foolish of Herod by any stretch of the imagination, but it supported his self-image of who he was and who he wanted others to think he was.

The girl had no idea what to ask for, so she went out and consulted with her mother. She came back and asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.  Chances are really good that she didn’t really know what she was asking for – she just did what her mother asked without really understanding.  Scripture doesn’t tell us how old she was, but I would imagine she would be about the age of 13 to 15.  And in those days girls were not actually schooled, except possibly in court manners so that they could attract a good alliance in marriage. Her mother, Herodias, had wanted for a long time to get rid of John the Baptizer.  He had been very vocal in condemning her and Herod for marrying.  He represented a thorn in her side by drawing attention to her sin.  

As I said before, Herod, although not religious himself, had a certain respect (and probably fear) for the Jewish religious tradition.  John was a prophet and was speaking out as a prophet calling people to own up to their sinful ways.  And John was calling people to a different kind of atonement for their sins - not an animal sacrifice at the temple, but the sacrifice of a contrite heart and metanoia - turning their lives around. 

Our scripture says that Herod liked to listen to John and he probably spent time down in the dungeon talking to him and listening to what he had to say.  Our lesson says that Herod knew John to be a righteous and holy man and that he protected John.  So, when the daughter asked for John’s head, Herod had a dilemma.

Here he had made this sweeping promise to give Salome whatever she wanted, never dreaming that she would ask for something so – so bizarre.  And now he’s trapped.  He didn’t want to give her this request – but he didn’t want to look bad in the eyes of the court officials and military officers there.  He didn’t want to look like someone who does not hold up his promises.  They all knew what John had been preaching, and Herod didn’t want to appear weak in their eyes.  In the Middle East political arena, any sign of weakness is a death knell.  That is as true today as it was in Jesus’ time. 

What is interesting is that this need for power and face is in actuality a weakness.  It drove him and forced him to do something he didn’t want to do, all for the sake of saving face.  It’s a kind of peer pressure at an extreme level.  For Herod, his word was more important that a human life.

In our lives we face dilemmas all the time.  I remember once when my son quit a good paying job because of a dilemma between his own sense of right and wrong and what his company was doing.  I quit a summer job up on Lake Travis for the same reason – I didn’t like the ethics of the owner of the business.  There are times you just have to do that.  You have to step back and decide if you are going to be a part of whatever it is you don’t agree with, for the sake of what?  A paycheck?  What others might think of you?  To remain in power?  

When those moral dilemmas come, we need to remember our understanding of God, and all that God calls us to be and do, to make those decisions.  We should never allow ourselves to become so ingrained in a situation that we have to act against our conscience in order to please or satisfy someone else.

Now, you may, or may not, have twigged to the fact that this story is actually a “flash-back.”  It starts out saying that Herod heard the stories about Jesus and his disciples, and Herod decided this was actually John having been raised from the dead.  So John is already dead - this flashback tells the circumstances for his death.  So the question is, why would Mark choose this place in the gospel to tell the story of John’s beheading?

The reason is because this lesson is it’s not really intended to be a stand-alone lesson.  It is actually the meat & cheese part of one of Mark’s ‘sandwich’ readings.  Mark does this all the time.  He loves to take two stories and use them to reinforce each other or to make a point.

He will begin telling one story and stop in the middle to tell a different story, and then go back to the first story.  He did it with the story from 2 weeks ago - the healing of Jarius’ daughter and the woman with an issue of blood.  He does it with the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple and he does it with 6 other stories.

In last week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus sent the disciples out by twos proclaiming a call to repentance, casting out demons and curing the ill.  That is what Herod is responding to in today’s lesson.  Next’s week’s gospel starts with the disciples coming back and rejoicing in all that they accomplished.   

Both stories have their own point, but they also function together to relay a message to Mark’s community who were being persecuted.  The message intended by this juxtaposition is to remind them that bad things are going to happen, and good people are going to die, but the good news of God’s love and forgiveness and his healing still goes on wherever God’s people reach out to help others.  

 And this is our inheritance when we set our hope on Christ – when we’ve heard the word of truth and we believe in him – we belong to God.  We don’t have to do things to please the people around us because we have a God who has chosen us before the foundations of the world.  A God who is faithful to us in all circumstances, and who will never desert us.  This is the one we should please.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.  Amen.

By Grace alone?

“God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places.  By grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”   Adapted from Ephesians 2:4-8

Paul was really big on salvation by grace alone.  In this he seems to be somewhat at odds with James, the brother of Jesus, who was the leader of the church in Jerusalem.  When you read the letter of James, he focus on work.  He says, “Show me your faith without works, and by my works, I will show you my faith.”  We have been saved by grace alone.  It is by our belief in God, our faith, that we receive that grace.  At the same time, if we have indeed have accepted what Jesus has done for us, then it should be visible by what we do for others.  We have been saved for a reason, so that through us, others might be fed, or clothed, or visited; so that others might see the hand of God at work in the world around them; so that others might also come to know the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Living forgiveness

Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them.  Romans 14:3. Paul is responding to a problem in the Roman church.  Some people believe that they are better than others because of their practices in the faith.  He makes it clear in this passage that we are not to pass judgment.  Different people are at different places in their walk with Christ, and that’s okay.  

Some of us may honor the Lord in different ways and that’s okay.  Paul reminds us that we don’t live to ourselves but to the Lord.  When we died we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.  And our Gospel lesson tells us that we will be judged according to the judgment we have passed on others.  One of the hardest things a Christian does might be to learn how to be non-judgmental.  We must remember that forgiveness is from God and is always to be passed on to those we meet. 

Reflection on Psalm 119:105 - Word of God

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path.”  There is a reason why more Bibles are sold every year than any other book.  It not only talks about eternal salvation, but it lays out a plan for living out our lives here on earth.  It gives examples of both right and wrong ways of doing things.  It also points out that even when you don’t do everything exactly right, you can still be acceptable before God. 

    At ordination, an Episcopal priest declares that they believe the Bible to contain all things necessary to salvation.  Sometimes when I don’t have a clue about what I’m supposed to do and I yell out, “Oh God, what now?”  God’s word can be comforting.  It can be challenging.  It can place you in God’s presence and help you see that path God has chosen for you to travel.  And it is always time well spent reading and contemplating God’s word.

Presentation of the Lord

Feb 2,The presentation of the Lord in the temple.

Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God...  Hebrews 2:17

The author of the letter to the Hebrews points out that Jesus came down to be one of us so that he might experience what we experience, and understand human nature.  This is the kind of God we have - the one who wants to fully enter into his own creation and know what it means to be human.  Jesus did this so that he might present us to God himself, knowing us from the inside out and loving us anyway.  God above all gods, one who loves and is not afraid to enter into the mess and mire that is our life on earth.  May the name of Jesus Christ be praised, now and forever.

My brother or sister or mother.

Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”  Matthew 12:48b-50

I know that Jesus was not rejecting his family with this statement.  At the same time, I do believe that he was offering hope to those who are alone.  When family systems break down, regardless of the reason, God provides an alternative for us.  There are people in this world who find their hearts going out to those who have been abandoned.  These are the people that God has called to be family to those around them.

One of the greatest gifts I have learned in this life, is that I don't have to do it all myself.  But I do have to remain open to God's call to reach out at those times when I am the tool God chooses to use in a given situation.  I have to recognize those times when I can be mother, or sister, or friend to the person God places in my presence.  God, who would you have me reach out to today?

** The Rev, Dr, Rhoda Swanner Montgomery, rector of St Thomas in College Station died yesterday. May the Lord bring her into the greater family of his presence as he comforts those left behind.  Rhoda was a year behind me in seminary.

Lifted Up

From today's reading:  And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”  John 3:15

I'm sure the disciples were asking, "What is he talking about?"  All the way through - He gave his disciples hints about what was going to happen.  But things were going so well and they didn't want to think about any unpleasantness.  

On top of Mount Nebo in Jordan, is a cross made of a serpent on a pole remembering what Moses did in the desert:   "So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live."  Numbers 21:9

In the case of Moses - looking at the serpent on the pole was the cure for those bitten by serpents - they would look upon it and be saved.  In the same way, Jesus is the cure for our sinfulness - anyone looking upon the image of Jesus lifted up on the cross and believing in him will be saved.  As Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise."  Jesus says that to each of us -  
 

Like Nicodemus, many of us initially come to Jesus at night - when the world seems darkest, Jesus is the one who can shine light into our darkness - and Jesus is the one who can see us through that darkness and bring us out into the light.  He bids each of us to come - see him and trust him and know that he watches over us.  

They have no wine

The steward called the bridegroom and said, "Everyone serves the good wine first... but you have kept the good wine until now..."  Jesus did this, his first sign in Cana of Galilee.  John 2:9-11

I love this reading.  I connect with it on a number of levels, but one thing stood out this morning when I read the passage.  Jesus never did anything half-way.  He didn't make just a little wine, but had six stone jars filled - each holding 20 to 30 gallons.  That's a lot of wine - 120-180 gallons of wine,   This party could go on for days.  The other thing was the quality of the wine - it wasn't just wine, it was very good wine.  The steward was appalled that it had been saved for last when people were drunk and couldn't appreciate it.  Jesus shows an extravagance in providing for this couple whose party was about to come to an abrupt end.

Likewise our God is an extravagant God who delights in his creation and in those whom he has made.  He delights in providing for his children and in showing them mercy.  I occasionally thank God for a parking space or a green light and I remember a seminary professor who did not believe in "the God of the parking space."  I don't want to belittle God, or make us seem like puppets where every action is controlled by God.  That's not the way life is.  But occasionally, when something breaks your way, it doesn't hurt to remember that if God clothes the birds of the air (Luke 12:24), then He cares about the details of your life, too. 

Most loving Father, I give you thanks for the small ways you enter into my life.  Help me remember your loving presence in those times when life is tough, when things don't always go right.  The pat on the shoulder, the green light, the sudden awareness of time or place are daily reminders of your love.  Grant us the grace to be a blessing to others so that they, too, may become aware of Your presence in their life.  Amen.   

Epiphany - Wise men seek Him

Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, ,"  Matthew 2:1-2

Magi - wise men - astronomers - who were these men who came from the East?  And why did they care about this baby born in Judea?  Mystery surrounds this little tidbit of Jesus' life that appears only in the gospel of Matthew.  We don't even know how many there were, scripture doesn't say., only that there were three gifts given.

There is a reason for the saying, "wise men seek him, fools fear him."  And that might be the point of this passage of the gospel.  We are wise when we go out of our way to seek Jesus - for He is the one who can bring peace to our soul, and true meaning to our life.

Because God chose for Jesus to live life as a common man, He understands the trials and tribulations of the common person, the struggles we face every day.  Because Jesus lived as one of us, we can take our problems to Him and He will understand.

The Magi recognized that this child was special and they went out of their way to find him.  We are also called to go out of our way to find Jesus.  In one of my favorite cartoons, Family Circus, Billy is praying in church, he has his eyes closed and is picturing God on his majestic throne in heaven.  The next panel shows Billy kneeling at his bedside picturing Jesus as a baby in the manger, and Billy says, "It's a lot easier to pray to Baby Jesus that to God."  It is okay to see Jesus in whatever form is easiest for us to relate to; for me it's the teacher with dusty feet walking the road, touching the people and listening.

Lord Jesus come, fill our hearts and listen to our ramblings, for you are the one who cares.  Amen.

You are the potter...

From today's reading:  Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.  Isaiah 64:8

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. Our lessons for today are full of apocalyptic images – the heavens torn open, the mountains quake, the sun turning dark, the moon without light, stars falling from the heavens all speak of the end of time.

Yet even amid of these images of destruction, our lesson from Isaiah ends with “you are the potter, we are the clay, the work on your hand.”  This is a reminder that God created us and is intimately involved in our life.  A potter molds and forms each piece, and sometimes he crumbles it up and starts over to remake that which will be good, useful or beautiful.  He glazes it and fires it to make it strong.  God's presence and involvement in our life is the sign of his faithfulness

 

So even though we do things in this life that God disapproves of, he is faithful to guide us back into his presence, and through his son, Jesus Christ we are redeemed, forgiven and restored.  So this Advent, be watchful - keep alert to His presence, and seek opportunities to serve him in this world.

 

Lord, open my eyes that I might see you as you are present in my life and to proclaim your coming to a world in need of your love and mercy.  Amen.

 

Being good stewards in the vineyard

Based on readings from Matthew 21:33-46, Exodus 20:1-20, and Philippians 3:4b-14

I want you to think about what it is that you are proudest of in your life.  Is it something tangible?  A new computer or tablet, a new car, your house, your job, your grades in school, your spouse or kids?  Or might it be something subjective?  Your attitudes, or knowledge or a talent or ability, maybe your birthright or status in life or the community?  My husband always claims he’s proudest of his humility.  If you know what you are proud of, I want you to keep that in the back of your mind.

 

Our first lesson – Exodus 20 – the Ten Commandments is somewhat familiar.  The Ten Commandments were the firsts laws handed down from God on the Holy Mountain.  They can be divided into 2 groups that Jesus so tidily summed up  -  Love God, love your neighbor. 

 

The first group (commandments 1 – 4) tends to our relationship with God – the vertical.  Our covenant tells us our responsibility to God; we are to love God only; we are not to entertain or idolize other gods; we are not to use his name improperly and we are to spend time with him every week. 

 

This law about keeping the Sabbath is actually a bridge between the laws describing our relationship with God and our relationship with others.  It’s the beginning of how we are to live our lives here on earth.  We take time to rest – to re-create – to commune (or communicate) with God so that we can begin the new week with renewed vim, vigor and direction.

 

The rest of the laws have to do with our relationship with each other here on earth.  Honor your mother and father – they were co-creators with God in bringing you to life.  Without them, you would not exist.

 

You shall not murder, nor commit adultery, nor steal, nor bear false witness, nor covet anything belonging to your neighbor.  (Now I could spend the rest of the sermon elaborating on these commandments – but I’m not.)

 

Now, I admit that I have made fun of those 6 hundred 15 laws that a righteous Jew was supposed to follow.  When you think about it, a lot of those laws dealt with the same kinds of things that today’s laws deal with.  Would anyone here like to give a guess about how many laws there are in America today?  There are whole libraries dedicated to stating and explaining the laws that have been passed by the national and state legislatures.  The reason we have to have laws is because there are always people who are going to do things that end up hurting others – and without laws there would be chaos and anarchy. 

 

In a perfect world everyone would be kind and courteous to everyone else and we would need no laws.  Problem is we don’t live in a perfect world.  When I taught school, we usually ended up the year with many more rules than we started with – because each time a student would do something (that we had not anticipated) that injured someone or caused some kind of trouble or disruption, a new rule would have to be made.

 

At the first of this sermon, I asked you what kinds of things you were most proud of.  In our second lesson we hear Paul talking about the things he is most proud of…  He's proud for being a born and bred, card carrying, law-abiding Jew, righteous under the law – he makes a long list of all the things that as a Jew he has a right to be proud of.  Many of these qualities set him apart from the crowd and in Jewish circles placed him above the average person.

 

But Paul, following his conversion, has come to realize that it doesn’t mean anything.   He now understands that in the grand scheme of things, at the end of his life, it is not going to matter.  Paul has learned that it is the love of Christ that is of utmost importance and he declares that he doesn’t want the kind of righteousness that comes from pride and the law – but only that which comes from faith in Christ. 

 

And then we come to Jesus – and to one of those parables that is somewhat discomforting – an allegory that challenges us. 

 

I read a number of sermons expounding on how this parable makes sense to the people of that day – but it goes deeper than to say “oh, there were lots of absentee landlords in Israel at the time of Jesus...” The Hebrew people had a collective memory of their history and their scriptures.    In a way of explanation let me offer the following: 

 

If I were to begin, “Jesus love me, this I know,___”

How about “Holy, holy, holy. ______”

And “Amazing grace,  _________”

You folks know these – you’ve sung them over and over – now you have three tunes rolling around in your head.  That’s the same way the Jews were with the Psalms – they knew them because that was their hymn book, songs they sang over and over. *

 

Likewise you know many of the Old Testament Bible stories – as the first lesson was read, you might have thought of Charlton Heston standing on the mountain holding the tablets of the commandments.  If I were to mention, “the Garden of Eden” or  “Noah’s Ark,” you know what that is about – and an image probably comes to mind.   If I say, “Joseph and the many colored coat,” you know it – an image comes up - or David and Goliath.  Likewise this parable Jesus tells begins as a familiar story from scriptures. 

 

For the people Jesus was talking to (the chief priests and the elders and Pharisees), the image of a vineyard was that kind of thing – It‘s from Isaiah 5, and I’m going to quote it for you.  “Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard:  My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.  He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.”

 

This sounds very much like the parable we just read from Matthew.  It is a story about God – and the land he had provided for his people – with everything they needed for life – and the people are the grapes – not the good grapes God expected but wild (sour) grapes.  It was a song of the unfaithfulness of the people of God.

 

Now when Jesus tells this parable, it is not the produce itself that is found wanting, but those who have been given responsibility to tend the vineyard (the leaders).

 

The thing we find interesting as we examine this parable is the patience of God.  He sends his slaves to collect the portion of the harvest that belongs to him.  When the tenants beat one, stone one and kill one, the landowner doesn’t immediately rush in and punish the tenants.  He sends more slaves to collect the tithe owed to him, and the tenants treat them the same as they had the first. 

 

So the landowner sends his son, the heir to the property.  And the tenants seem to think they can kill him and then the property will be theirs.  Because they have worked the field and harvested the grapes, they have decided they are entitled to the entire harvest, forgetting that it was the owner who cleared the land, planted the fields and built the fence, press and tower.  We see the patience on the part of the landowner, for he is willing to give the tenants a chance to do the right thing – not just one chance, but multiple chances.  Notice that Jesus leaves the parable there – he does not complete it.  He poses the question, allowing the religious leaders to draw their own conclusions  -  and they do – out of their own flawed reasoning.   

 

Today is the beginning of our stewardship season, and this is a story about stewardship.  How well do we tend this corner of the garden that God has given us? As new tenants of the vineyard it means we are the ones responsible for producing new fruit and presenting it to God.  How are we going to be different from the original tenants?  It is now our turn to give back to God from what he has given to us. 

 

This says so much more about the way we are to live our lives and conduct our affairs. How do we tend our vineyard?  God created this wonderful place for us to live and he filled it with all good things – all the things that combined with the knowledge and wisdom and willingness to work – can be used to provide us with a really good life.  Are we careful with the things that God has given us?  Do we tend this vineyard and take care of those things which God has provided for us?  Do we give credit to God for those things which make our life worth living? 

 

So what kinds of stewards are we of those things that God has given to us.  Do we give back to him from the first fruits of our bounty?  Do we honor that which God has given us?  That’s a question that each one of us has to answer for ourselves. 

 

There was a time when Sam and I were “C and E’ers” – we only attended on Christmas and Easter – if we happened to be in
Alvin on those holidays.  God began working on each of us individually and eventually we moved back to Alvin and began going to church on a regular basis – every Wednesday night to choir practice and every Sunday to church.  And I have to say it was more about singing in the choir and making music than it was about worshiping God.   

 

I’d like to be able to say that there was some moment of enlightenment or inspiration that was the beginning of the change in me – but I don’t recall any.  I just know that somewhere along the way of faithful attendance, I quit watching the clock and started listening (really listening) to the sermons.  I started hearing things that rang true, that made sense, that inspired my imagination. 

 

And the first time they talked to us about filling out a pledge card, my reaction wasn’t really that great.  That was my hard earned money and we had a family to feed.  The first time I really remember Sam and I sitting down and talking about any real kind of “donation” was at a marriage encounter weekend.  It was a powerful experience of the love of God shone to us through other loving couples.  There was no upfront cost for the weekend, but one of the talks dealt with giving.  As Sam and I wrote about this separately and later talked about it, we both decided that we wanted to give – not only to cover our own costs, but also to cover the cost for another couple to attend.  Over the years I did work up to a tithe, but it didn't happen overnight.

 

As I've grown in the Lord, I have come to realize that God has indeed always given me the things I needed – he has found amazing ways to take care of me.  And I have found that if I return to him out of the bounty he has provided, he manages to do wonderful things with what I provide, regardless of size.   What we give to God should always be our response for the faithfulness of God to provide for us.  And what I have learned is that God’s faithfulness always trumps my own meager efforts.  Amen. 

 

 

* From a sermon by Randy L Quinn