September 11

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

(Romans 12:17-18)

 As you read this blog, some of you may wonder why we are holding a “Pep” Rally on September 11, especially with it being the tenth anniversary.

I pondered a similar question ten years ago, the week following the attack.  We had planned to join with another congregation around a funny musical, performed by several of their members highlighting God’s goodness and our response to these gifts.  Many organizations were canceling events in an effort to show respect.  Also, the level of grief, shock, and uncertainty left so many unable to take in much beyond making sense of that day, caring for one another, and the big unknown of what comes next.

After much discussion and prayer, we decided to go forward as planned.  We remembered and prayed for the depth of loss and injury and need for care too many faced as the ripples continued to spread outward from Pennsylvania, the Pentagon, and NY City.  Then, we made a choice.  We chose to turn toward the only hope we have when faced by this depth of darkness.  We turned toward God and remembered, nevertheless God provides what we need: love, goodness, and a way beyond … with a light no darkness can overcome.  So, as the actors took the stage, we laughed and we enjoyed the music and offered each other words of healing, as we came together in Jesus’ name.  It was the right choice.

As our nation approaches the tenth Anniversary of September 11, we also have a choice before us.  We can remember those first days after the dust settled and we witnessed heroic and ordinary acts of reaching out, coming together, and a desire to respond to neighbor, stranger, and those closest to us with love and generosity and healing.  Or we can continue the way of darkness we started following months later, as we let uncertainty, fear, anger, stereotypes, blame, violence, a desire for revenge at any cost, greed, and feelings of scarcity grow in our hearts.

You don’t have to look hard to see the consequences of following that way.

Thanks be to God, this is not the only story we have to tell or live.  On this September 11, 2011, I invite you to join me in remembering and celebrating and choosing to follow the way God gives us through his Son Jesus.  This way also passes through the valley of the shadow of death.  But, the difference we find making our way through these times of darkness or facing any evil we may encounter along the way is that we will not let fear get the best of us.  As we walk, we will remember we do not go alone.  God is with us.  And, to help us trust this, we will keep telling the old, old, story of Jesus and His love.  A love so deep and wide for the world, it took Jesus face-to-face with evil, oppression, scarcity, and death on the cross.

Yet, none of these could stop God.  In Christ, God shows us nothing can separate us from God’s love and there is light beyond even the darkest valley.  For following this good shepherd, we will always find what we need for nourishment, thirst, shelter, protection, and abundant life.  Following this good shepherd we discover how to love, reach out to those we do not know, and see the unity we share through him.  And, with time following this way, violence gives way to peace, scarcity gives way to enough for all, and divisions give way to reconciliation.

I think this is a great reason to hold a Pep Rally.  So, come!  Gather with those who remember and those who were not yet born.  Proclaim this good news about Jesus! “For our children and our children’s children will get in on this as the word is passed along from parent to child … for God has done it!” (Psalm 22: 30-31, The Message Translation)  Amen!

God’s Grace is Sufficient for You,  Pastor Lori C. Morton

Sermon – December 5, 2010

God is Here.

Isaiah 11:1-11                        Romans 15:4-13

Have you noticed the “God is here” Stickers all over the church?  Some, in very unexpected places?

What was your reaction when you saw them?  At first I smiled, then I started worrying.  What would the stickers do to the finish of the wood?  Maybe some of the places they are, are inappropriate … like on the bathroom doors… ?  They aren’t that professional looking, so what would folks think, who are not from our congregation?  What if they don’t take us seriously?  This was a fun activity for the Senior High to do, but maybe now it is time to remove them.  We are decorated now for Christmas.  We’ll have guests coming and expectations placed upon our gathering and we want folks to be able to come and meet Jesus born to us anew.

Jesus born to us.  As I started pondering more seriously the idea of removing the stickers “God is here”, Advent pushed its way in.  Do you catch the irony?  We started out singing/ praying, “O Come O Come Immanuel” this morning.  The season of Advent feeds our yearning for Immanuel, which means “God is with us” … and I was pondering removing these much needed jarring, unexpected messages all around us, pointing us to the gift and presence we have every moment of every day; “God is here. And God is coming.  And God will come again.”

And yet, like the stickers … this confession, “God is here.” may initially bring smiles and hope to us when we hear it, but when it covers over the keyhole (as Chantelle discovered the first day after they went up), it becomes a bit of an annoyance.  Or when we begin to ponder God coming with us into those places we don’t really want God to see; we’d like to think we can shut the door behind us.  Or as we listen to the headlines or witness the too real and too heavy darkness too many of our friends and family members face, we might even stop a young hand from trying to place a “God is here” sticker there; because really, how could God be present and allow such suffering?

What is it that we believe this season?  Is God here?  Or did God only come 2000+ years ago in a manger far away and we won’t see God’s presence again until it’s too late?  Is that what we hope for every Christmas?  For when we pray, “O Come O Come Immanuel” it connects with a deep yearning for something to change: in ourselves, for our families, for this world.  We yearn for the healing, the peace, and the joy the carols we sing, promise God will give.

If we hope for all this for Christmas … and we dare confess God is here (even when it is inconvenient or not easily visible), … where should we be looking for God and these promises coming true?  While we tend to feel more comfortable with proof, concrete examples, and multiple eyewitnesses, the 15^th chapter of Romans points to something less measurable.  Paul claims we know God is present and active when hope is alive in the world.

I know it is a pretty circular argument.  I also know that the concept of hope has taken quite a beating in the past few years.  But, listen again to verse 4, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by encouragement of the scripture we might have hope.”  Paul is talking about the scripture we know as the Old Testament.  The Gospels and the rest of what we know of the New Testament hadn’t been written yet.  But, Paul writes here to the Romans, as they themselves are growing to understand what it means to follow Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, when they themselves are Gentiles, uncircumcised.  Paul claims that the primary purpose of scripture is to create hope among God’s people; it was written for Jew and Gentile alike that through its instruction it would offer us a steadfast place in which we can place our trust and encourage us to live with hope that our God will not abandon God’s people or God’s promises.

So, what is hope?  Some describe it as: wishful thinking, pie-n-the-sky optimism, that thing we court when we hit our last resort and cannot find a solution to the problem.  Others liken hope to buying a lottery ticket and that higher power of fate finally throwing luck our way so we get what we want.  Or some say it is a weak emotion that blindly ignores reality and insists everything will turn out fine.  But, none of these descriptions of hope have any foundation under them.  None of them reflect the hope Paul describes as being the force behind his patience and endurance that sustained him in prison or gave him courage in the face of conflict or moved him to keep testifying to the grace of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem, throughout Turkey, and all the way to Rome.

No, for Paul, hope is one of the top three gifts of the Spirit … (along with faith and love).  In both 1 Corinthians and Romans, Paul encourages us to value these gifts and use these gifts from the Spirit as the primary fuel for all we do and say.  Because, with them, even though we are different in so many ways: Gentile or Jew, male and female, slave and free, young and old, book smart and street smart, athletic or musically inclined, conservative or liberal, born in the city or small town, from across the border or raised here in the USA … in accord with Christ Jesus, we can live in harmony.  And, this impossible vision of people valuing each other’s differences creates hope and radiates God’s glory to the world.

It is what I caught a glimpse of on Wednesday night as many of you made your way to altar … at first it felt a bit chaotic, not sure how to get flame to votive … but, then as people prayed and others waited and as others rose from their prayers, lit candles were offered to those waiting; the light from one purple flame spread to another … and another … lit because we have confidence in our God, our God who came and lived among us in Jesus … and through Jesus offered an invitation, a living welcome into a life of faith, hope, and love for the sake of God’s glory.

It begins here, but what if what Paul is claiming about scripture also is the main purpose of the church?  That living in Christ’s welcome; the steadfast acceptance and encouragement we find in relationship with Him gives us hope.  Not pie-n-the-sky optimism or last resort kind of hope, but the power-filled hope the Spirit gives and inspires us to welcome others as Christ first welcomed us.  A hope that transforms our sense of welcoming others, into “something deeper, broader, wider, and more generous” than what happens here on Sunday morning.  As we grow in our relationship with Christ and our hope deepens beyond what it will do for “me”, Christ’s welcome moves us to risk being vulnerable enough to set aside self for the sake of God’s glory.  And, that can take us into all kinds of uncharted territory with only love and faith as our guides.

What would this look like for us, people of American Lutheran Church … living God’s welcome, because Jesus came and welcomed us into his amazing grace … just as he did the shepherds from the fields and the Samaritan lying in the ditch and the woman at the well and Zacheaus, the tax collector, the leper crying for mercy along the road, and the sinner no one else would eat with?  After these encounters with Jesus, individuals yearning for something more, returned to their lives and community changed.  Not their circumstances, not different occupations, but their vision of what was possible changed, because they lived now with hope …

How might we prepare this way for others?  How might our steadfastness and encouragement help others discover their gift of hope from the Spirit?  How might our hope help others find their way by the light of Christ instead of the darkness of their fears, loneliness, pain, confusion, financial struggles, hunger, anger or grief?  What would it be like to be a community of hope? … A community confident God is here … ?

Play song: “Hope” sung by Idina Menzel.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sermon – November 28, 2010

Are We There Yet?

Isaiah 2:1-5         Romans 13:11-14         Matthew 24:36-44

Growing up, … this time of the year always meant travel for my family.  Both sets of grandparents lived away, so we would trade off Thanksgiving and Christmas back here in Nebraska.  In my mind, I always looked forward to these road trips.  Arriving late at my great-aunts in North Platte and then wandering through the woods and over the bridges to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  As we drove the last miles on country roads, it always felt magical and full of possibilities.

As I talk to parents today, maybe either my memory blocked out the grumbling and restlessness or the new laws involving car seats have changed the adventure I always anticipated with long distance car rides.  When I asked my niece how she liked the drive to Nebraska, she said, “Too long.”  My sister and husband described all the technology now available to distract and reduce the amount of complaining and repetitive questions, “Are we there yet?”[1] so the trip here was bearable.

I am sure I asked that question too, “Are we there yet?”  And, the only response parents have for most of the trip is, “Not yet.”  It is only in that last half hour; maybe you don’t even dare to make the claim until the last mile, but there is a time … a moment when the answer turns from, “Not yet.”  To, “We are almost there.  Get ready!”  In that moment, our attitude and attention shifts from just passing the time or distracting our attention from the mile markers slowly going by … toward the details outside our window, the anticipation of the hugs and stretching our legs and all the wonderful smells and spoiling that comes with arriving at Grandma’s house.

It is this moment, … this place in between “Not yet.” And, “Arriving.” That the season of Advent and our scripture lessons challenge us to live; … not just today, but everyday.  While the world around us draws us in with festivities, shopping, decorations, feasts, and entertainment; all offered as means to prepare us for Christmas Day and the celebration of Jesus’ birth, scripture and the season of the church offers another way to make this journey to the manger.  It takes a different route via the future and visions of Jesus coming again at the time when God’s kingdom, God’s reign, will be fully known and experienced by all creation.

These images of the future and statements by the prophets, “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when …”, usually bring fear more than hope.  Because, many of these images from scripture speak of darkness and judgment and the great transformation of all that we know of this world, many rightly ask, “Are we there yet?”  None of us wants to be caught unaware.  So, when this season arrives we jump all in.  There is a part of us that thinks that this time we will get it right; that we will finally live the reason for the season.  That all our confusion, anxiousness, and frustration with this season would go away, if we were really faithful.  It is an assumption that too many of us make, that those who have real faith are never confused or unclear and therefore are ready; no, actually know when the day of the Lord will arrive so they never worry or doubt the way.  While, the rest of us ask, “Are we there yet? … I hope not, because I’m not ready … I had a plan, but now my kids are sick or I cannot do as much as I used to or I just need to clean the house or school activities, and then I will have more time for getting ready for God.”

The good news from Matthew is, “No, we are not there yet.”  And, not even the most faithful, God’s Son Jesus, knows when we will get there.  GPS, Garmins, Toms, not even angels or the holiest person we can think of … like Mother Theresa, knew when the hour or day of the Lord would come.  “No, not yet.”  “But, soon”, Jesus says.  Therefore, “Keep awake!  No sleeping in the backseat, texting, passing the miles glued to a DVD player.  You need to be ready for when your Lord comes.

For some, this news brings great joy.  But, for many, it feels like we are still in a very uncomfortable spot.  Hooked up in a five-point car seat harness with a parent who keeps replying to our question, mile after mile, “Are we there yet?” with “Not yet, but we are almost there.  Get ready.”  Or like our nation, we can only be on Orange alert so long, before we stop listening or anticipating any immediate need and start grumbling at the ones who are putting us on false alert.

So, what does it mean to celebrate year after year a remembrance of our God coming down to us and dwelling among us full of grace and truth; a baby born to us to be the Savior of God’s people?  While, also anticipating our future and what it will mean for Jesus to come to us again?  Does the past and the vision of our future change the way we live our present?  Or have the distractions, worries, desires, and pressures of our present drained all the promise and challenge out of this Word of God?  Where are we along this road to God’s high holy mountain and the heavenly Jerusalem being established in our midst?

First, before our minds draw us to far out of our world, we need to hear in the Gospel of Matthew that this surprise encounter with the Son of Man will happen in the midst of our everyday lives: as we are sitting down to dinner with our families, working at the field, preparing the needs of the household, … falling in love and committing your life to another.  It is here, in the places we are most likely to fall asleep, fall into the routine, fall into the expectation that nothing new will happen, here that Jesus says, “Wake up.”  Don’t take these moments for granted.  Be ready to jump in and join God’s work for God’s kingdom come.

But, God knows … how easy it is for us to fall asleep, get distracted, and grow weary of this, “Not yet, almost there … road that we are on.”  We grow confused or think we can find a short-cut or discouraged or too comfortable relying on cruise control, while God also knows our deep yearning and restlessness to be with God; this combination can make it difficult for us to live as God intended.  So, through the prophets God sent us a vision of what our life with God will look like.  The prophet Isaiah describes the days to come as a time when the holiest of ground is the highest mountain.  There God will establish his house and call all nations: Africans, Latinos, Asians, Canadians, Americans, Arabs, Israelis, Europeans, Russians, young and old, rich and poor, God will call them and in a reversal of the Tower of Babel, the peoples will encourage one another to climb the mountain, so they can hear the instructions of God and walk in his ways together; not to be God, but to fully be God’s people.

On this mountain, God will listen to all the nations joys, grievances, hurt, accusations, lawsuits, jealousies, and inequities that the nations make against one another.  The prophet says God will judge between the nations and hand out settlements for the peoples, giving just solutions to their problems.  Can you imagine this?  North Korea and South Korea standing before God and walking away able to be neighbors, no longer pointing guns at each other or lobbing bombs across each other’s borders?

Crazy.  Impossible.  Enemies, beating swords and guns into plowshares?  All the time, money, and energy used to build mechanisms of defense against one another, being transformed into what we need to feed and give life to one another?[2] God’s judgment pronounced in a way that paves the way for justice and peace among all nations?  “How can this be?”  And, what does this vision of the Day of the Lord have to do with Christmas or Jesus’ command, “Wake up!”?

Because, today, the Word and our ancestors of the faith extend us an invitation for this season, “Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!”  From our past, we know the light of the Lord is Jesus and for centuries we have confessed the crazy and impossible: the Word of the Lord became flesh and dwelt among us, he has already begun transforming the dead into life, the crazy into sanity, fear into love, and revealed violence on the cross is no match for the peaceful reign of God.  And because of God’s claim on our future and the promised future coming of this kind of King, we dare to hope and live by a new way, a road less traveled by.

So, no; we are not there yet, but we are close.  Wake up!  Get ready!  Salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The vision we see in Isaiah offers us a way to see how God is still at work in our daily lives, breaking down the walls that divide, pronouncing judgment to break open hardened hearts, and establishing a way of justice through Christ, so all may see a better way.  The day will come whether we are ready or not.  God will gather all nations and the far reaches of creation into His future.  This is God’s promise.  Yet, today … we are reminded that God cares how we get there.  No road is the same when we walk in Christ’s light, watchful and ready to cry out, “I spy with my little eye something that looks like justice, steadfast love, forgiveness, and a peace that surpasses all understanding.”  Amen.

[2] Paul S. Duke, Feasting on the Word: “Homeletical Perspective – Isaiah 2:1-5 First Sunday of Advent (WJK) pg. 4-7.

Sermon – October 31, 2010

Jeremiah 31            John 8:32            Reformation Sunday

Today, we hear the people following Jesus ask this question, “What do you mean by saying, you will be made free?”

The conversation leading up to this question has Jesus making some pretty bold claims about himself and God, the Father.  They are gathered in the temple during the Festival of Booths (Tabernacles), the Jewish Harvest Festival in which the faithful gather to give thanks for God’s presence and protection, as their ancestors made their way through the wilderness … to promise land.  They celebrated this by lighting candles, drawing water from the healing pool of Siloam, and built booths in remembrance of the Tabernacle, the tent, God had their ancestors build as a transportable dwelling place for God and the ark of the covenant.

To these faithful people, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. I am the living water offered so no one will thirst, and those who continue dwelling in my word will truly be free.  Basically, Jesus declares he is the fulfillment of this festival and through him, God now dwells among God’s people.

Huge, bold statement, … yet, this question of freedom trips the listeners up.  Did Jesus just say he would make us free?  But, I am already free.  Only slaves aren’t free.  And, I am no slave, so what are you talking about Jesus?

Living in the land of freedom, we also may bristle at the idea that we need anyone to make us free.

So, Jesus comes again to us today and offers a word of challenge and promise … while we physically may be free; not behind bars and have never known the oppression of slavery, some in our country once faced. … Jesus’ claim that he will make us free, does cause us to pause and wonder.

Am I really free?

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Tsx6RfRE4f8/TJ9M9y-ZtxI/AAAAAAAAD7k/z6IqjxnOdvU/painting%20of%20self%20in%20context%20two%20small%20print.jpg?imgmax=800

Do you feel free?

This image is hard to look at, because it does hit too close to home.

In this election season, many are making claims about what is costing us our freedom or who the people are that have enslaved us and are keeping us bound.  But, Jesus would say the power of bondage and the lack of freedom has not changed since he walked this earth … it’s not all that much worse or better, just the way it gets expressed changes over the years.

How do you understand freedom?

Janis Joplin slide

Many might join with Janis Joplin and claim, “Freedom is just another word for nothing else to lose …”

An “eat, drink, and be merry, because tomorrow we all may die” or this attitude of no real ties, consequences, do what I like when I like …

Carefree, I’ll lookout for me … I can make it on my own … and freedom measured by feeling good, going where the most fun can be had in that moment … and the least responsibility involved, means the most freedom.

Statue of Liberty

But those who came to the United States, our grandparents or great grandparents … knew freedom meant something more.  Liberty was not something to be taken for granted …

Economic hardship, famine, social standing or those with different religious or philosophical or ethic background … and with more power, could take that freedom away …

Fighter Jet

That through too many wars and lives sacrificed, … we also know freedom arrived in this country and is secured around the world through the service of our military and the determination of our founding fathers.

Our access to global news and relatively quick travels, open our eyes to the fact that freedom doesn’t mean the same thing to all people … and our own freedom is a gift we need to take care of, if we want to keep.

Which draws us back into that anxiety we felt upon being asked, “Are you free?”

There is this growing unease in the land of the free that maybe we’re not …

Flags

So, in this election season, many are ready to tell us what freedom truly is, who is at fault for endangering it or is taking freedom away, and how we best can protect it.

In this context, freedom is often defined as freedom from something or someone … or freedom of something … that we should be guaranteed as citizens of the United States.

Dollar Signs

Some say we will know true freedom once we get enough money and become financially free.

Pie Chart – Taxes

Which would come much faster if we had freedom from taxes.

Free Speech

Others seek freedom to speak …

Rally

Which then causes us to wrestle with how much freedom to allow in protests and rallies around our values, opinions and beliefs.

Don’t Tread on Me

Others desire freedom from government and regulation over our lives.

Library

Others define freedom as the ability to make choices, have access to an education, and to develop independent thought.

Religious Symbols

And, how do we interpret the founding fathers desire to preserve freedom of religion in this pluralistic world?  Can we coexist?  Should everyone have the freedom to believe what they want?

Billboard

There are many who think true freedom would be insured if there were no religions at all …

Open Road

And, then there is that restlessness deep within that when we think of freedom, we think of getting away from it all …

Harley

Getting that fast means of escape, the fun new toy to play, with the perfect vacation or second home or time outside in God’s creation … away from obligations or aging or work or problems …

Diving Free …  wait 5 sec. Bird Free …  wait 5 sec. Butterfly

MLK

Oh, there are days that we yearn for that … being free like a bird, but even in those moments of escape we know we are not free.

We know we are not free because others don’t even have the means to escape for a few hours …

And, the cries for freedom … like we heard during the Civil Rights Movement

Berlin Wall And, we witnessed as the Berlin Wall came down … challenge us to see what really keeps us bound … and where true freedom lies

Cross with Chains

You see, as Jesus spoke to the crowds, he knew what we still struggle to understand.  It is true, what we suspected all along.  We are not free.  We never have been free and nothing that we do or say will change that.  More money, power, fame, or friends; … more laws or no government at all; one religion or no religions; … bigger fancier toys, more advanced gadgets or living alone in the woods … we are still slaves to sin and we cannot free ourselves.

This sin that yes, we most easily recognize as the “bad things” we do to ourselves or others or to creation, but can’t be as easily solved as just not doing those bad things or wiping it all clean with a quick, “I am sorry.”

No, the sin Jesus is referring to, this power we are enslaved by, is a corrosive insecurity that keeps us from trusting God or each other … and encourages us to secure our future and even our freedom with other devices. (Lose)

Luther described Sin as a turning in on oneself, a self-centeredness that causes us to only pursue our own wants and desires.  Not surprising this was our first definition of freedom – doing what we want when we want.

So, the only way God knew how to free us from sin; this insecurity and self-centeredness was to save us by doing the least self-centered thing; die for us.

Cross with quote

This is the truth.  On the cross, Jesus set you free from the power of sin.  On the cross, God said to the world, I love you so much that I am going to forgive you.  Now, nothing stands between us.  You are free.

So, why do we Christians, who abide in Jesus, God’s Word, still struggle so with this freedom?  Father Robert Capon faults the church:

“If we are ever to enter fully into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, we are going to have to spend more time thinking about freedom than we do. The church, by and large, has had a poor record of encouraging freedom. She has spent so much time inculcating in us the fear of making mistakes that she had made us like ill-taught piano students; we play our songs, but we never really hear them, because our main concern is not to make music, but to avoid some flub that will get us in dutch. She has been so afraid we will loose sight of the laws of our nature, that she made us care more about how we look than about who we are; …. [p. 148]

So, what does freedom from self-centeredness, insecurity, and perfectionism look like?

Open Door If the son has set you free, you are free indeed.

Come on, we have all daydreamed about what we would do if we were really free … isn’t that what planning for retirement is all about?

But, now envision it through the cross … What would you really do with freedom if you had it?  Jesus says you are free.  What do you plan to do? … Or maybe the better question is, “What is freedom for?”

Hands Yes, Freedom in Christ dwells here …

Where the Word became flesh … and dwelled among us full of grace and truth.  And now we are free to reach our hands in worship and praise of God and out in love to this world God so loves.  Yes, let freedom reign!  Amen.

Sermon – October 24, 2010

Jeremiah 14: 7-10, 19-22         2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18         Luke 18: 9-14

On Tuesday, I heard a powerful sermon at our Synod’s Theological Conference (time offered the rostered leaders of the church for renewal of mind and spirit each year).  As we seek to hear God’s Word for our lives this morning, I’d like to draw upon the imagery Pastor Linda Walz offered in connection with Paul’s letters to Timothy.

How many of you spent time following the mine collapse in Chile and the rescue of the miners?

This is the place that Pastor Walz took us Tuesday.  To be honest, I hadn’t realized that 69 days had passed since the collapse.  I remember hearing the news of the collapse and thinking, more lives gone.  And asking, “when will we find better ways to keep miners safe”?  I had flashbacks to failed attempts of finding survivors in Utah and Virginia and China.  2200 feet underground?  If they did survive the initial collapse, how could there possibly be enough clean air, food, and water to last until rescuers come?

So, we held our breath and assumed the worse and went about our lives with the busyness and struggles and joys, as summer flew past us and our minds turned to whether or not the school buildings would be ready for students and what fall would bring for our congregation.  But, despite all the odds, 17 days after rock sealed this tomb, good news broke through our coming and going and fast-paced preparations of mid-August; … they found the miners and the Chilean news announced all 33 were alive.  Praise be to God!  We marveled.  We gave thanks.  Our hope was renewed with the promise that the lost had been found; rescue was possible after-all.  But, once I heard they figured out a way to get supplies and communication to the miners, I’ll admit my attention shifted back to Fall Clean-up, preparing for Confirmation and the beginning of Sunday School, weddings, football games, and all the other community stuff (like organizing Crop Walk) legitimate activities, drew my attention, time, and energy other places.

Over a month passed.  Then news feeds caught our attention again. Live interviews came to us from the drilling site, and anticipation rose to the surface again.  An international effort of engineers and drill specialists did what seemed impossible.  On Sunday, October 10, they predicted the first miners would be out in a couple days.  They just needed to stabilize the shaft with steel tubing and test the newly constructed capsule, fittingly named the Phoenix then, one-by-one they would raise the miners from their entombment and reunite them with those they love.  We watched and rejoiced; marveled at their stories, and learned what resurrection looks like.

The miner themselves testified to this.  Mario Gomez, age 63, the ninth miner out said, “I have come back to life.”[1] And, the mother of the youngest miner, Jimmy Sanchez, described the moment when he stepped out of the capsule was like watching him “being born again.”[2] Sixty-nine days entombed and the whole world rejoiced as we watched them rise from the dead.

And yet, most of us here in the Ashland and Greenwood communities, struggled to hold this vision of resurrection in our hearts and minds … as our own prayers for life to overcome death were answered with news (on the same day) that we would not receive the miracle we were praying for.  What do we do with news like this; 26 year old, faithful woman taken by a drunk driver?  How do we make sense of this world where death does still sting, despite God’s promise of goodness and mercy, and His light overcoming darkness, and that in Christ, we do not walk alone, but are claimed by a faithful God, who is steadfast in His love and desires for us all to live life abundantly?  Some might wonder, why were those miners spared (especially the one greeted by his mistress and wife), while Jessica was not?

How do we live in this world of death and resurrection?  I’d like to point us to the place in between; that place, where most of us did not pay attention during the miners’ sixty-eight days entombed in rock, 2000+ feet below the surface.  The moment of death, the entombment, the sorrow of the families, the questions of why and who is to blame, and time when rescue and healing is in the balance; these times all draw our attention.  Also, we are drawn to the moment when people are found or the means of healing is discovered and the impossible is some how overcome.  We grieve and handle crisis and celebrate well.  But, the in between time is where we struggle or forget or turn inward and often lose our way, hope, and purpose.

It has always been this way.  This in between time is what led the Ancient Israelites to ask the questions we hear in Jeremiah and be tempted to think there is an easier way, somewhere place other than in between death and life.  The Pharisee, in Luke’s parable, falls prey to this illusion, as he faithfully practices his righteousness.  It is easy for any faithful person to get trapped; as you commit to a life of prayer, giving, dwelling in God’s word, and trying to make choices in line with God’s law.  God gives these practices as the means for life, so that in following these ways you will meet up with fewer moments of death, broken relationship, and struggle.  Yet, this gives sin a foothold, because we humans are so easily tempted by pride and its desire for us to take all the credit for achieving all the success in our life.  And, from there it doesn’t take much for us to begin validating our lives by measuring ourselves against the failures of others.  Let me tell you, … I am thankful that I am not as judgmental and pride-filled as that Pharisee ….

Some think Paul held on to too much of this pride and self-righteousness, even as he followed Jesus and proclaimed the grace of Christ.  There are many places in his writings that he is none too shy about saying, “use me as an example of the faith, I got it right.”  You can hear it in the passage from 2 Timothy today.  But, the difference with Paul is that he is writing from the place in between.  He himself is in prison.  He has no illusions about how he will get out and what has sustained him in his ministry.  Even though there is a real chance he may be executed by the Romans, he keeps pointing others to the reason he has hope; the grace of Jesus Christ and the confidence Paul has that the Spirit is at work in this world, among God’s people, transforming all the places we experience death, into new life.

For the miners, this meant that during their in between time … the time after they got word they were found and the world hadn’t given up on them … that time after they received fresh supplies and learned there was a real chance and promise for rescue. … This, in between time, buried 2000+feet below the surface, alive but waiting for rescue … when no one knew for sure how or when or if it was even possible … all God gave them for this in between time, between death and resurrection … was a small chute and capsules they called pigeons (kind of like the plastic things banks use in drive-thrus), or doves … a better Biblical image for the bearers of life they received.

Yes, with these capsules, the miners received needed supplies of food, water, and medicine.  As doctors, engineers, psychologists, and others assessed the condition of their emergency shelter, their health, and mental wellbeing, these doves also became the means of instruction, care, communication, and assurance between these two communities.  They established an essential lifeline of relationship.  Into this dark, hot and humid, confining, muddy place, the constant letters back and forth, the sharing of wisdom, trust, and recognition of the miners’ inherent value and gifts, and the news of their well being, being lifted up to their loved ones, pushed back fear and gave the support all needed to live in community with hope, under extraordinary conditions.

Confident in the work on their behalf, the men responded by living as if they were already rescued.  The strengths of every man was lifted up, valued and utilized for the good of the whole.  There were obvious gifts like the man with paramedic training, who took each man’s vitals everyday and assessed their health needs.  But, there were others, like the biographer/poet, assigned to record every moment of their time together and reflect on its meaning or the 19 year-old assigned to be the assistant environmental consultant, who walked the entire cavern, daily recording changes in oxygen levels and the cave’s climate that might put the men’s lives at risk.[3] In this in between time, supported by the love from above, they were able to endure and even live in service to one another, until their promise of rescue was fulfilled.

We too live in this place in between.  This place where we are no longer lost, yet don’t fully know rescue.  This place, where we have experienced moments and gifts of life, but we are not yet fully who we will be.  This place, where sometimes we are too certain of our own capabilities, forgetting our only hope and future belongs with God.  Or this place, where death and darkness feel like they have had the last word, or we have messed up so badly that there isn’t any prayer that will get us out of it, or it all feels so unfair; the thought of a God being present, let alone a God of rescue, sounds like a cruel joke.

Into this place in between, the Spirit keeps coming back to us, dwells among us, and even lives in our hearts to help us remember what God started in Jesus.  The shaft has been dug, the barriers of hardened rock, death, sin, and darkness no longer separate us from God or God’s ability give us what we need for life and community, even in the most dire of situations.  Yes, until that time when God’s kingdom is fulfilled here on earth, we live as if we have been rescued.  We live as if the promise has been fulfilled, because we know our Savior is coming.  And, on those days when we have a hard time believing this is true, God sends us the dove with words of encouragement from our neighbor, acts of love from our family, and the offering of all that we need from outstretched hands of prophets, tax collectors, and strangers alike.  As we wait and work and hope together in Christ’s love poured out for us, we pray, “Lord have mercy on us.  You alone have the words of eternal life.”  Amen.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Jonathan Franklin, “Chilean Miners: A Typical Day in the Life of a Subterranean Miner”; http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/09/chilean-miners-typical-day.

Sermon – October 10, 2010

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c         2 Timothy 2:8-13,          Luke 17:11-19

Someone once asked Martin Luther what true worship looked like?[1] What do you think?

Most of the discussions about contemporary versus traditional have died down, but the search for and desire to draw people into authentic worship goes on.  The most recent discussions and workshops center around what the Emerging Church is exploring.  They seek to remain rooted in our origins – taking the best from our past worship life – and combining it with more experiential, spiritual expressions of our faith.   All of this grows out of a hunger for deeper, more authentic experiences of God. …

The trouble is, this way of answering the question by focusing on the mechanics of worship like: what style of songs, liturgy or not, including use of all the senses, times for silence or opportunity for loud praise, … tend to encourage us think there is a right way and wrong way or better way to worship.  That somehow, true worship can be found in the mechanics, order, and style of what we do together on Sunday morning or what we get out of our time here.

Martin Luther’s answer suggests the answer lies elsewhere.  What does true worship look like?  Luther replied, “The tenth leper turning back.”

Luke is the only Gospel to tell this story of Jesus encountering the 10 lepers.  And, true to Luke’s concerns found elsewhere in the Gospel and the book of Acts, there are details Luke includes to help us better understand what God is up to by sending us Jesus.

First, the location is important.  Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem via the region between Samaria and Galilee.  If you need a more current image to compare, it would be like the region between the Kurds and the Iraqis in Northern Iraq.  And, the tension between Samaritans and the Jewish people could also be compared to (the now fading) tension between the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland; both have the same ancestry, but due to circumstances of history and differing practices of faith, the two peoples grew to see each other as enemies.  So, the region this story unfolds is a no-man’s land, a place in-between … marginal at best and a place of tension at worst.

In this region, Jesus passes by 10 lepers.  Together, they cry the words we often begin our worship with, “Lord, have mercy on us.” (Kyrie Eleison!)  This marginal region offers the only place lepers could probably make a home.  In scripture, anyone with a skin disease, including the disease we call leprosy today, was declared unclean and sent away from the community.  This was true for both Samaritans and Jews, so the mutual exile from leprosy brought these unlikely men together in this marginal region between the places they would normally call home.  And, there, Jesus hears their cries, as he makes his way to Jerusalem and the cross.

In response, Jesus tells them to go to their priests.  God has heard their cries and they will be made clean, healed of their skin disease and with the priest’s help, restored to the community.  All ten, get up and do what they are told.  They make their way to their places of worship as the law instructs … and on the way, just as Jesus said, their skin becomes good as new.  Hallelujah!  Praise be to God!  Nine continue on home, anticipating the return to their family, work, friends, and their community of faith.  And, one stops; the Samaritan, the foreigner turns back.  This, Luther says is worship.

The Samaritan praises God with a loud voice, falls at Jesus’ feet, and thanks him.  Jesus responds, “Get up and go; your faith has made you well.”  Eugene Peterson in the translation, The Message, offers, “Your faith has healed and saved you.”  In the Greek, what we read as, “were made clean or healed” is a different word than what Jesus uses to describe what has happened to the Samaritan.  Jesus uses a form of the word sozo, which can be translated any of the following ways, “healed, made well or saved”.  Wherever you read the word salvation in scripture, it is a form of the Greek word sozo.  Why is this linguistic lesson important?  Because, it is clear Jesus wants those witnessing this event and us now, hearing this word today, to sense that there is something more than leprosy being healed here.   And, according to Luther, there is more to worship than the place, style, and order.

What about the leper’s faith made him turn around, while the others kept going?  1) The Samaritan saw something the others did not see.  And, 2) Gratitude appears to be the key ingredient for making him whole and drawing him into this expression of worship at Jesus’ feet.

What did the Samaritan see or recognize?  The grace of God at work in his life, through Jesus.  The other nine, probably sensed God at work too, but for some reason did not see the gift coming from Jesus.  Maybe, they were blinded by a sense of entitlement (it’s about time God came through for us).  There is a great example of this in the 1965 movie, Shenadoah.  Jimmy Stewart plays a pacifist farmer trying to raise 7 children after his wife dies.  In an effort to fulfill her wish that the family would continue to be good Christians, he prays at the dinner table the following prayer, “Lord, we cleared this land; we plowed it, sowed it, and harvested it.  We cooked the harvest.  It wouldn’t be here; we wouldn’t be eating it, if we hadn’t done it all our selves.  We worked dog-bone for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you just the same anyway, Lord, for this food we are about to eat.  Amen.”[2]

Maybe, the blindness came from reliance on the ritual and the law … that only after they followed these spiritual practices would they fully be made well.  Maybe, like Namaan, their pride got in the way …and they thought their actions had something do with being healed (praying rightly, repenting long enough, not complaining about their plight, finally living as they ought … or).  Or maybe, they couldn’t imagine how a wandering rabbi could do all this, so they headed to what they knew and the ones they had grown up seeing as being most connected to God to offer their praise.  Whatever it was, they couldn’t see what the Samaritan saw.  10 were healed, but only one was made whole.  Seeing and recognizing God’s faithfulness act through Jesus’ command, it made all the difference for this foreigner.

So, how do we see in the same way?  As simple as it may sound, I think Luke is trying to get followers of Christ to respond to the grace of God, by practicing lives of gratitude.  That in Jesus, we see God is at work in this world calling forth life, out of death; shining light to push back darkness; and tearing down walls of division, so the lost can be found.  Giving thanks always (not just when things are going well), feeds our faith and helps us see God at work at all times in these same ways, throughout this world God has made.  “A guard at the Kingston Pen, where some of the worst criminals in Canada are lodged. He told [a pastor] that the real baddies are those who can never say thank you for anything, whatever you do for them. But once an inmate begins to express gratitude for little favors, and then begins to thank God, change has begun. He may still have more years to serve his time, but there is hope at the end of the road.”[3] I think the Samaritan, living a life of thanksgiving, couldn’t help but see the power of God at work, even though he didn’t share the same religion as Jesus.

Amy, one of the people who went to Tanzania with me, was so taken by her experience that she went back this summer to lead two vacation Bible schools and then stay for a semester studying Swahili and teaching in one of their schools.  She posted the following on her facebook page:  There is a little boy, Elisha, in her class that everyday, comes up to her, takes her hand for a handshake, then kisses her hand and says, see you tomorrow teacha … mlig (which means, My live is good).  He’ll probably have to walk a mile or more home, yet is already looking forward to the gift of school the next day.

It may begin as a structured practice, a planned recording of 5, 10, 15 things you are thankful for at the end of each day.  But, the more you go into every moment with the belief God provides, creates new life, heals, is faithful, forgives, frees the bound and seeks the lost … every moment will become an act of worship; a returning to this steadfast relationship with God, lifting words and deeds of thanksgiving and praise for all God has done and will do by the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.

[1] David Lose, workingpreacher.org, Gospel Commentary Oct. 10, 2010

[2] Hinnant, Olive Elaine, Feasting on The Word: “Pastoral Perspective: 2 Timothy 2:8-15” (Proper 23) pg 158.

[3] http://home.roadrunner.com/~lyndale/Pentecost%2020C.htm

Living God’s Welcome

“… In Christ the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.” (Ephesians 2:17-22)

We humans tend to focus in on the big things or events; whether good or bad. World Series wins, floods, miraculous rescues like we witnessed in Chile, unexplained healings or random acts of violence. Drawn between these highs and lows, too often our faith and our expectations for where God dwells follow like pendulum swings. Until, maybe, … we wonder if this God dwells among us at all.

For me, it is less wondering if God dwells among us, but more feeling the response we give, as members of the Body of Christ, to these highs and lows, needs to be proportional; if not bigger than the highs or lows happening around us. So, we find ourselves seeking the perfect words, the splashier event, the brighter light, and the most engaging speaker or program or music or gadget or insurance plan to push back the darkness, pull people in, and protect against the lows swinging into our lives. In response, we run from here to there, invest in the latest and greatest, try hard to sure up the walls we’ve built, and fix the lives around us believing if we can just do it right and big enough, then the pendulum will stop swinging.

But, if anyone has ever pushed a child on a swing, the harder one pushes, the higher they go.

And, I will confess as September and October arrived with all the activities and tragedy of this Fall; with each swing, I fell into this temptation. I pushed higher. I watched as you pushed harder too, racing from school activity to community event, to faithfully seeking to meet the ministry needs of the con- gregation. Amazing things are unfolding, an abundant harvest is coming in, and we are witnessing wonderful accomplishments happening in our com- munity and through our children’s lives. But, I also sense we are tired, too scattered, and know we can’t keep up pushing this swing forever.

As I pondered and prayed and wrestled with all these things and how I could respond to the next swing, like the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:4-13) … God reminded me of something important. While we tend to expect to find God in the big things: great winds like we had this week, earthquakes like Indonesia experienced yesterday or fire. God comes and is most recognizable in the small things and in the sound of sheer silence. Vincent van Gogh, painter and grandson of a pastor, said it this way, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

Yes, Jesus performed many big signs and wonders and miracles while he was with us, but as you read the Gospel of John in particular, you’ll hear Jesus lament that His signs wouldn’t and couldn’t bring lasting faith among the people. Instead, Jesus and the apostles keep proclaiming to us that the peace that surpasses all understanding comes through you and I, living stones, being drawn together by the Spirit, with our own unique gifts and experi- ences of God, … laid side-by-side (no individual able to do it all) built together in the Spirit to become a dwelling place of God. God reminded me of this word in the still moments and testimonies of others these past couple months. As I listened at the Team Mates workshop and was reminded of the 40 assets my home congregation helped me develop as a child, not with programs, but through individuals, who one at a time sought out intentional relationship with me and helped me discover who God created me to be. As I listened to Alexie Torres-Fleming at the Synod Theological Conference, she told about growing up in the Bronx and her prayer for a miracle to save her neighborhood; to stop the violence and the monumental cycle of poverty. And, as she wrestled with this and how little she felt she could do, God reminded her of the words her priest told her long ago, “You my child, are the miracle God fashioned with His own hands.” As an adult who forgot this, God reminded Alexie that she already was participating in a miracle; a small, loved child of God joining hands with another miracle of God, joining with another to live love together in the grace of Jesus Christ. This, God promises is enough. This, God will build into the Kingdom of God.

Big things (good or bad) do not happen out of the blue or all at once. They happen after many small things come together and when that one more snowflake joins the pile of snow, the branch suddenly falls or we grow to believe we are loved, so we love.

This is what it means to be the church. It is not flashy. It won’t fix things overnight or even prevent the pendulum from swinging, but the good news is that you do not need to push anymore. Step back and listen for God’s still small voice and watch for that hand that needs holding or story your neighbor needs to tell and know there, in that relationship is the miracle we seek.

Peace in Christ, Pastor Lori

All Are Welcome

“Let us build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard and loved and treasured, taught and claimed as words within the Word. Built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace, let this house proclaim from floor to rafter: All are welcome in this place!”
(Marty Haugan, All are Welcome, GIA)

We all have a desire to belong and to be known and connect with a group of people we can be ourselves with and know they will be there for us when we need them. As I hear this final verse of All are Welcome, this is what I envi- sion being the Body of Christ, Jesus’ church is all about. It is a community, where all are named and claimed by God. And, as God’s children we gather together to figure out what this identity means and to support one another as we grow up in the faith and discover what it means to walk as Jesus did, following God’s only Son full of grace and truth.

Even so, it is easy to lose track of people these days; even with all our synced up gadgets. As we run from here to there, juggle community activities, and experience life transitions … those who aren’t in our immediate circle of activity sometimes go overlooked. It usually isn’t anything personal. We just get focused in on the immediate needs and wants around us. Yet, the more time you spend with Christ and with early Christians in scripture, you discover community and relationships and mutual care of neighbor and stranger alike form the first living stones God places on the foundation of His Son.

The part of the construction I would like us to focus on is remembering who has made you a part of this community of faith and who named you. Then, remember this is true for every other person you encounter. While they have the same name, Child of God (Galatians 3:26-28), the path they have traveled is different than yours. The gifts God has given them and the ways God has called and brought them to this place are unique. God has something to teach you through their voice, their song, their visions, and story. Just as you have much to reveal to the world about how Christ’s love is dwelling in your life.

I would like us to intentionally focus on learning each others’ stories, creating space and time for us all to discover who we are and how God is working in our lives. As the song proclaims, it will come by building trust, seeking Christ within every person we encounter, and treasuring what we find. It will come as we share one another’s tears, laughter, prayers of faith, and songs of grace. Sharing, not because we have it all figured out, but because we don’t … yet, we trust God’s claim on our lives and the growth God will give us together in the Holy Spirit.
In order to do this, we need to know how to contact each other. If you have not received a call from one of the Council members, it may be because we don’t have an updated number or we called while you were out. So, please take the time to fill out the enclosed Information Form, so we can better minister to one another and sup- port each other’s walk with God. The information we gather will only be used by American Lutheran Church to communicate ministries, needs of the community, and help us stay connected through our joys and sorrows and all our lives will hold.
While we won’t be perfect at this, creating a community where all belong and all know they are welcome takes time, a willingness to reach beyond our comfort zones and usual circle of friends, and letting go of our assumptions, fears, and self-consciousness that may keep us from hearing God’s story in another person’s life. To help you do this, I would like you to remember each one of us is named and claimed by God. And, because we are still figuring this identity out, still have questions, still have moments and days when we trust other things and people more than this gift, we also recognize we are sinners and our only hope is Jesus Christ our Lord. It is upon this mutual hope and faith and forgiveness that we gather and dare to attempt being his body for the world; offering this gift of grace and welcome, which first gave us a place to call home and belong. May this chorus build until our homes, lives, and house of faith unite in singing, “All are welcome in this place!”

Peace to you in Christ, Pastor Lori

Notes on Acts 11:1-18, Revelation 21:1-6 and John 13:31-35

“A little girl asked her mother, “How come when ever I open up a flower it falls apart, but when God opens it up it stays together?” The mother didn’t know how to respond, but then the little girl said,
“Oh, I know, when I open it up I open it up from the outside, but when God opens it up it is from the inside.””1
When we meet up with Peter today … in the book of Acts, … he is still pondering a set of events he just experienced, which begin opening him up from the inside out.
Only a couple days before, Peter was going about a normal day in Joppa. When we catch up with him, … Peter has returned to Jerusalem with much swirling in his head and stirring in his heart. News of his actions and their consequences made their way through the grapevine, ahead of him. You know how fast controversial news spreads through a community. They didn’t have phones or text messaging or facebook, yet news Peter hung out with Gentiles had already been thoroughly discussed by the time Peter had a chance to tell the story himself.
Peter walks in the door and before he can even sit down, his fellow apostles … (the ones who also witnessed Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection) … as well as other Jewish believers (who had heard the apostles’ testimony about God’s amazing deeds of power through Jesus and grew to trust the promise); they all pounce on him with, “What were you thinking? Why did you do it? Eating with uncircumcised men, staying in a Gentile’s home? They are unclean! Go take a shower! Start the cleaning rituals before you come any closer. Have you completely forgotten scripture and what is written according to Moses’ law? You are putting all of us at risk. Explain yourself.”
Instead of giving them a lecture or justifying his actions with a set of well-argued points, Peter begins telling them, word-for-word what happened to him in Joppa and then in Caesarea. This isn’t the first time this story is told in the book of Acts. Luke first tells it in chapter 10, as it unfolded in real time for Cornelius and Peter. But, today we hear a summary of the events from Peter. Repetition in scripture is a flag worth paying attention to. Something major is happening here and from this set of events, the mission of the early church takes a dramatic new course.
The accusations made by his fellow circumcised brothers in Christ are serious charges. Peter’s reputation and fellowship within the community of believers is at risk. Essentially, if the rumors are true, they have the right and the duty to declare Peter unfaithful. Hanging out with a Gentile, a Roman Military Officer no less. It is the equivalent of treason. Romans would rather kill you that eat with you. And, who knows what they served Peter to eat while he was there; pork? Or what he touched without knowing it? They must protect other believers, keep the community holy, and prevent this contamination from spreading.
In defense, Peter simply reports the events as they unfolded for him. “I know. You are right to be concerned. … But, this is what happened. I was in Joppa. At about noon, I got hungry. I asked my host for lunch, then went up on the roof to pray while they prepared the meal. As I prayed, I fell into a trance and had the strangest dream. Something like a big white sail started coming down from heaven. On it was all kinds of animals; clean and unclean. There were pigs and camels and cows and sheep and snakes and birds of prey, turkeys, alligators, pheasants, deer, … all mixed together. Then, I heard a voice. It said, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”
I said, “No way!” I know my scripture. I am a good, obedient Jew. I worried, I was hungrier than I thought and my mind was playing tricks on me. Or maybe the powers of sin were preying on my weakened state and trying to trick me into disobeying God. Or I also thought this might be a test of my faithfulness toward God. You would have been proud of me. I held my ground and said, “Lord, nothing common or unclean has ever crossed these lips and I am not about to start now.” I tried to refocus my thoughts on God, but the voice spoke again, “What God has made clean, you must not call common.” It happened three times. I said ‘no’ each time. Then, the sheet lifted back up and I awoke from my trance to discover three men approaching the house.
It is not always easy to figure out … or the churchier word, ‘discern’ what is of God and what is something we humans think up or might just be a dream produced by indigestion. And, making it even harder, we humans tend to be very skeptical of people claiming to have talked to God or seen visions of what God wants. We call them crazy or dismiss them as religious fanatics or demand so much proof that we take all the mystery and awe out of their story.
Peter’s fellow believers had justified cause to question him. Peter himself was suspicious of his experience. What he was seeing and hearing directly opposed tradition and God’s Word; both of which he based his whole life and faith. The food laws protected his people, but also set them apart as God’s chosen ones. … When other nations and peoples saw their trust in God by their obedience to these commands, it shined a light before others … and testified to the God of their ancestors, who rescued them from slavery and brought them safely to the promised land. Declaring something clean, when God had not or directly acting in an unholy way put, not only Peter’s relationship with God at risk, but could also lead others astray. Which leads us to a common question, how do you know what is a change God brings about and what is not?
Peter testifies, “I was still puzzled and confused by the vision, but then things went from strange to even stranger. The host sent for me. Apparently, the three men had come all the way from Caesarea looking for me. I could tell by their appearance and dress that they were Gentiles; Romans at that. I hesitated because of your same concerns. But, then the Spirit spoke to me and told me to go with them. … It was the Spirit who sent them to me and, I was to go with them, leaving any distinction I held between them and us, behind.
I brought these six men, standing before you today, with me … they can back me up that none of this was my idea. Together, we followed the three men to Caesarea and entered the house of a Roman Centurion named Cornelius.    I think his whole household and all of his extended relatives and friends were there. When I asked why he sent for me, Cornelius said an angel of the Lord appeared to him; an answer to his prayers. The angel told him to go to Joppa and find a man, named Simon called Peter.    The angel said, this Peter would bring them a message by which Cornelius and his entire household would be saved. I know, the idea of Gentiles being a part of the chosen people of God, without having to change their eating habits or bare the mark of circumcision; it caused me to pause too. But, all these things couldn’t be chance or the work of some evil force. This was the Spirit’s doing and I could see Cornelius’ hunger for God.
So, I started telling them the good news of Jesus Christ and there, before my eyes, the Spirit fell upon them all. Just as it did for all of us, the Spirit empowered Cornelius and his household to speak in tongues and sing the praises of our God. It was powerful to behold. It brought back memories of what our Lord taught us, how he said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. All I could conclude from all this is, “If God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in the way of God?”

Silence. The circumcised listeners had no response to this. … But, shortly, after digesting all Peter said, … they too praised God and confessed their rush to judge Peter may have been hasty, “Indeed, God is at work here doing something new, giving even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
As Peter and Cornelius discovered, this resurrection life is a power we cannot control … only come to turn toward and trust. The Holy Spirit blew open the doors for the followers of Jesus and sent the early believers out with only a story to tell and a ministry to share. Others became attracted to this growing community because the Spirit empowered them to live more and more into this resurrection life with Jesus Christ at their center: a life lived with peace, joy, and fullness now because they knew in Jesus, they would live forever; … a life lived offering forgiveness and reconciliation, because through Jesus’ death they received forgiveness of all their sins; … a life lived with love for their neighbor, because Jesus first loved his disciples; … and a life lived with gratitude and giving, because in Jesus they had come to know that all they are and all they have has its source and life in the One seated on the throne, our Alpha and Omega, our beginning and end, our God … who is reconciling heaven and earth and making all things new, so all will once again sing God’s praise without end.

Notes on Is 55:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 and Luke 13:1-9

We gather today with a mixture of emotions. In some ways, it feels a bit like a funeral or divorce … although not everyone in the room knows what it is that we are grieving. The vote last week to discontinue the discussion of changing our relationship with the larger church, ELCA has left us with heavy hearts and questions and tears and hope and some, anger.
In times like these, we naturally turn to try to make sense of things. Living in chaos and uncertainty, conflict and loss; we don’t like to stay here long. So, we turn to coping mechanisms. For some, this means the shelter of denial and withdrawal from the tension here, … . For others, … anger drives their withdrawal and withholding … and there has to be someone to blame for this.” Yet, others … in seeing the hurt of friends and family and the congregation, may be turning to a stage of bargaining, wondering if they did the right thing or … or said something differently, … then we could go back to the way things were. Some will be so wounded by this experience and disillusioned by the church and neighbors that they will need time away in grief and sadness and tears. And, others have already accepted this, made adjustments and are ready to move on. … Most of us may go through more than one of these stages in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
But, as much as we would like to bring order to all this and control how people respond to all that has happened the past seven months, we can’t. And, we are not alone in our efforts.

The crowds following Jesus to Jerusalem try to make sense of difficult events in their lives, as well. They tell Jesus about some Galileans, killed by Pilate, as they were offering their ritual sacrifices to God, in Jerusalem. Implied, in their sharing of this story is our age-old question of, “Why did God let this happen to good and faithful people? They were bringing their offerings to God, doing what they were instructed to do. Yet, they were killed. Tell us Jesus … Why?” And Jesus replies, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all others living in Jerusalem?” In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, many … like Pat Robertson made this type of suggestion … God caused it, because of something we did.

Pastor Barbara Brown Taylor points out, “It is a tempting equation that solves a lot of problems. (1) It answers the riddle of why bad things happen to good people: they don’t. Bad things only happen to bad people. (2) It punishes sinners right out in the open as a warning to everyone. (3) It gives us a God who obeys the laws of physics. For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. Any questions?
It is a tempting equation, but Jesus won’t go there.”1 Jesus says, “No. Those folks were not worse sinners. God did not use Pilate to carry out punishment on the Galileans. No. God did
1 Barbara Brown Taylor, “Life-Giving Fear”, Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock (copyright by the Christian Century) www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=641.

not cause the tower to tumble upon the 18 Judeans, as a means of judgment upon their lives. No, God did not choose the epicenter of the earthquake to wipe out the Haitian people or even as a means to wake us up. No. God is not hovering close by with an axe in hand, ready to cut us off at the base, whenever we slip up or don’t produce at the level expected. Jesus clearly shifts the attention away from the connection of sin with suffering; … away from our cause and effect worldview; entrenched from the time of the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness, … to the reflections in Job by his friends, trying to make sense of his suffering, … to the people in the Gospel of John who ask about why the man was born blind, … “Who sinned, this man or his parents?”
We are drawn to these questions and are even willing to find comfort in believing God caused the disease or car accident or tornado, because of someone else’s sin or as punishment for our own inability to turn or quit doing things that are bad for us, … rather than think these things are truly accidents or random or a natural part of creation, which is good, yet in flux and beyond our control. Because, we are also drawn to the idea, if I work hard enough and am righteous enough, then I’ll be blessed and I can keep all bad things at bay.
We do not do so well with the unpredictability of life. We like our routines. We like our “if, then” statements. We like our black and white world where everything fits nicely into a box. And, before you get too self-assured, because you find comfort in the gray areas, we have to listen to the second part of Jesus’ answer. “No. Those Galileans and Judeans were not worse sinners than anyone else, but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”
Wait a minute! Didn’t Jesus just say punishment is not directly linked to sin, yet if we don’t repent we will perish? All of our discussions from the past months hover around this question. What sins are bad enough to bring down God’s judgment? But, Jesus just said, the equation doesn’t work this way, … so why the urgent need for repentance? What does it mean to repent and to bear fruit? I was just starting to feel secure Jesus, but now, I am not so sure. … It sounds like the axe is just being delayed, but still too close for comfort.
Pastor Taylor goes on to reflect, Jesus’ statement “is not meant to aid reason but to disarm it. In an intervention aimed below his listeners’ heads, Jesus touches the panic they have inside of them about all the awful things that are happening around them. They [and we] are terrified by those things [towers toppling, getting older, drugs in our community, illness, dying and death, and the constant flow of change felt through thoughts and ideas and new ways of doing things in our community and nation, ... our list could go on] — we are fearful for good reason. [Jesus’ listeners] have searched their hearts for any bait that might bring disaster sniffing their way. They have lain awake at night making their lists of all their mistakes.
While Jesus does not honor their illusion that they can protect themselves in this way, he does seem to honor the vulnerability that their fright has opened up in them. It is not a bad thing for them to feel the full fragility of their lives. It is not a bad thing for them to count their breaths in the dark – not if it makes them turn toward the light.”2
This is what repentance is. It may start with making a list of wrongs and regrets and things left undone, but it is more than that. It may continue with saying, “I am sorry. Please forgive me God.” Or reaching out to a loved one with an apology, but even that is not enough. It may evolve into trying to live an upright life and hold to higher values. But, if we stop there, we will be tempted to continue seeing God as someone we can and need to appease … and we will continue to delude ourselves into thinking we can control what happens in our life, control God or even make our life safe. Which means, the only way to keep our world safe is to continue holding onto this vision of cause and effect, payback, and everyone gets what they deserve. So, Jesus comes to us again, and says, No … this is not how it works. Unless you repent, change your whole perspective; you will perish.
In Isaiah, we hear it this way, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? … Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. … For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my way, says the Lord.” Or as the musical group Nickelback sings, “If today was your last day, and tomorrow was too late.
… Would you …?”
2 Ibid. pg 2 of 3.
It would be easier to deny our mortality and move past these feelings of discomfort and fear stirred up by congregational division, economic challenge, visions of natural disasters, congressional grid-lock, and our many individual worries, losses, and broken relationships, … but I think Jesus is saying to us today, this is not God’s intention, but it is an opportunity to wake up. It is in these moments, when our guard is down, when we are not distracted by our busyness and assumed invincibility, or worried about getting ahead or lulled by our routine and assumptions and weariness. Moments when, try as we might, all our explanations fall short. God senses in these moments, an opening where we just might see or hear or sense there really is something more to this life, and it is worth seeking, trusting, and living.
So, pay attention to how you feel … the discomfort, fear, and anxiety. Use this time of Lent to discover what God is teaching you, so you can turn away from all these efforts of self- reliance, justification, blaming of others or reasoning away the unpredictable and ever-changing world we live in. God wants our whole perspective to change, so we will see a way in this world that truly gives life and freedom. A world where God keeps dumping manure on our roots and keeps trimming back the dead branches, believing something is worth saving and able to bear fruit. A world able to see and live with the vision of the Holy Spirit and therefore bear its fruit of: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
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I know there is much screaming the opposite. I know, walking out in the world where we just might be in the wrong place at the wrong time, is scary. I know, every ounce of your being may want to fix things or rewind or blame or find an explanation, but this way of self assurance, self gratification, control, judgment, fear and holding on tight, keeps leading us down the same path of hunger, loneliness, division, and inside … we keep dying. It is what nailed Jesus to the tree.
But, after three days God declared this is not the last word God wants for our lives or this world. Have a little faith in this God. Look again, beyond the chaos and hurt and confusion. Repent. There is more than just barren branches and impossibility. Sap is still flowing. Didn’t you smell spring in the air yesterday? Focus where there is light and signs of the Spirit’s fruits, … then take “your best step in that direction, leaving the rest up to God.”3
3 Curry, Michael B., “Homiletical Perspective”, Feasting on the Word (Year C, Vol. 2) p 95. 7