Sermon Jan. 13, 2008

Sermon-Year A-1st Sunday after Epiphany-1-13-08
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
to provide plenty of cookies and cakes for all of our guests."
In 1st century Israel, the famous person wasn’t Jesus-it was John the Baptist. There are many references of him in Jewish literature, and hardly any about Jesus. John was very popular, thought of as a holy man. John was greatly respected and admired by the people. Not Jesus. Then, In the early days of the church, after Jesus died and rose, people kept asking, “why did Jesus need to be baptized by John?” It was scandalous, disgraceful. If Jesus was the Son of God, why did he need John to baptize him. It probably doesn’t rank up there with Brittany Spears and Lindsey Lohan for you, but it was very difficult for early Christians. Why does the Son of God need to be baptized by someone else? Why? What sins does he have? No one could answer that. It wasn’t quite as embarrassing as the cross, but there were so many things about Jesus’ life and ministry that didn’t make sense. Early Christians were walking around telling people that Jesus was the Christ, and people kept coming back at them saying, “well, if he’s the Son of God, how come…” Here’s another question people were asking, “what had Jesus been doing all his life?” He’s 30 and now and we’ve heard nothing of him. Til now. What was he waiting for?
Before performing a baptism, the priest approached the young father and said solemnly, "Baptism is a serious step, my son, are you prepared for it?" "I think so," the man replied very gravely. "My wife has made appetizers and we have a caterer coming at 1.
We hear nothing of Jesus’ life up til now. Last week he was 2 and this week he’s 30 and getting baptized. Matthew the gospel writer doesn’t seem at all interested in what has happened inbetween-only in what happens from this day forward. Jesus comes to John and asks to be baptized-like everyone else. And when he comes up out of the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
We don’t know what Jesus was doing up til now. But we know what happens next. Jesus gets baptized-and his journey begins. Baptism is when everything begins.
Diane Borg writes: A watermark is an interesting thing. It's usually a mark on some piece of property that indicates possession and ownership by someone.
That’s what baptism is. It’s our watermark. It's a public declaration to anyone watching that we belong to Jesus Christ and we are his followers John is baptizing people as a symbol of repentance, a washing away of the old life. But when Jesus comes up out of the water, something new happens. God doesn’t say, “you’re forgiven”. He says, This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
He identifies Jesus as someone special, and unique. We don’t know what happened up til age 30, but from now on, Jesus’ life will never be the same.
Fred Craddock, a seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. One night they found a quiet little restaurant where they looked forward to a private meal—just the two of them. While they were waiting for their meal, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting guests. Craddock whispered to his wife, “I hope he doesn’t come over here.” He didn’t want the man to intrude on their privacy. But sure enough, the man did come over to their table.“Where are you folks from?” he asked in a friendly voice. “Oklahoma,” they answered.“Great to have you here in Tennessee” the stranger said.“Oklahoma is a splendid state, I hear, although I’ve never been there. What do you do for a living?”“ I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips University,” he replied. “Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I’ve got a really great story for you.” And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with Craddock and his wife. Craddock groaned inwardly and thought to himself, “Great! Just what I need…another preacher story!” The man started, “See that mountain over there,” pointing out the restaurant window. “Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, ‘Hey boy, who’s your daddy?’ Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’ He would hide at recess and lunchtime from other students. He would avoid going into stores because that question hurt him so bad. When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. The boy would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’ But one day, the new preacher said the final benediction so fast he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, ‘Son, who’s your daddy?’ The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’. This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy…‘Wait a minute!’ he said, ‘I know who you are. I see the family resemblance now. You are a child of God.’ With that, he patted the boy on his shoulder and said,’ Boy, you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.’ The boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, ‘Who’s your Daddy?’ he’d just tell them,’ I’m a child of God’ ”.The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, “Isn’t that a great story?” The professor responded that it really was a great story! As the man turned to leave, he said, “You know, if that new preacher hadn’t told me that I was one of God’s children, I probably never would have amounted to anything! That was the most important single sentence ever spoken to me,” and he walked away. Craddock and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over and asked her, “The man who was sitting at our table and just left, do you know who he is?” The waitress grinned and said, “Of course. Everybody here knows him. That’s Ben Hooper. He’s the former governor of Tennessee!”
We believe Jesus was sinless, but he still went to be baptized. We don’t know what he had been doing the last 30 years, but we do know what he did the next three years. God spoke to Jesus, his child and said, “you are my beloved, I love you.” And from that day forward, Jesus was a on a mission.
We are all children of God. We have all been adopted by God. We have all been chosen. We have an inheritance to claim, a mission to declare. Jesus was told that he was God’s beloved, and from then on nothing was ever the same. We, also, are God’s beloved.
We have a great inheritance. Go and claim it.
Matthew 3:13-17
3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 3:14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 3:15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 3:16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
The Greek Festival of Epiphany, or 'The Blessing of the Waters', is held every year on January 6 throughout all of Greece. This is the special occasion when many daring young Greek men brave the chilly waters to dive for a cross after it has been blessed by a priest and thrown into the water. For his gallantry, the first man who recovers the cross is said to have good luck throughout the coming year.

don't lose the star

Sermon-Epiphany Jan. 6, 2008
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
You’ve heard this one: If it had been Three Wise Women, instead of Three Wise Men, they would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, brought practical gifts, and looked great while doing it.
Let me clear up briefly a few things-The gospel of Matthew never says that the magi were only men. It never says that there were 3. They arrive in Bethlehem when Jesus is about 2, not when he’s born (as we show in every creche scene). And the family is living in a house-not the stable. Mark, Luke, and John never mention the magi-only in Matthew.
Let me tell you about Herod. his quest was to become King of Judah. He became king by making a deal with Rome. Herod was responsible for the end of the Hasmonean Priesthood, the people of power in Jerusalem, by having the High Priest attacked and having his ears cut off. Priests could not be handicapped and serve as high priests, so they were discredited. Herod would dress as a commoner, mingle with the crowds and talk about the King and his government. When someone indicated disapproval, they would be arrested and never heard of again. Herod was so suspicious that many of his court and even his family was executed after rumors of disloyalty were scattered. Eventually, gossip about his dear wife planning an overthrow caused him to have her killed. Herod was so vicious, Caesar even summoned him to Rome and told him not to be so violent.
It is a wonderful story though. A child in danger, wise astrologers seeking the child to honor him, an evil king out to get the child. Gifts of gold for a king, frankincense for worship, and myrrh the oil used for anointing the dead. Deception, betrayal, murder. Hollywood couldn’t have done any better.
But here is what captures me about the story-it is a story of wise people, searching people, seeking a star. That grabs me. I think most of us at one time or another in our lives have seen the star, had a vision, perceived a light that catches us, and holds us-if even for a short while.
There is a story told of a little girl whose mother had just given birth to a baby boy. The girl insists on being alone with her new brother when he is brought home. The parents, a little concerned, open the door a crack as their daughter goes into the baby’s room and moves up close to her new sibling and whispers, “Tell me again what God is like, I am starting to forget.”
There are times in my life when I am so sure, so certain that I am seeking Christ, that I am on the road, and I set my course and head out. And then one day I look around and I ask myself, “wow, was I going someplace? I think we are always being grabbed by guide posts, road markers, maps that take us towards Christ-but then-life gets in the way, a king invites us to dinner, we put things off for awhile, something happens and then –we wake up one day and wonder- was I really following a light? And we forget about the star and move on.
I bet you've heard the old joke about the guy on his hands and knees on the sidewalk one dark night. He is crawling around under a streetlight. His buddy comes up and says, “Hey, whatcha doing?” The first guy says, “I dropped my keys.” The buddy gets down on his knees, too, and says, “Well, about where did it happen?” The first guy says, “Oh, I lost them over there in the grass.” The buddy gets up and yells, “Then WHY are you looking HERE?” The first guy says: “But This is where the light is!”
The magi see the star and make it as far as the king’s palace. But it’s after dinner that the star appears again. This is what I learn, the star has to keep arising in our lives. We are so easily distracted, diverted from following the light, that if the star stops shining even for a little while, we stop following. We get lost in the dark, looking for the keys.
Matthew writes, (after talking with Herod)” they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.“ I think the magi lost the star for awhile. Just like we do. We all lose the keys at times We all get sidetracked and lose our way. The star has to keep rising. The light has to keep coming back into our lives, we need those reminders shining over the house in Bethlehem. I’ve told you before, but do you remember what Bethlehem means? “House of Bread”. We all forget at times where to go to get fed.
The story of the wise ones, the astrologers from the east on a expedition to Bethlehem is supposed to represent all of us, all who live a long ways away who get easily lost, easily distracted and forget about the star while on life’s journey. The star is always shining, the light is always leading, sometimes we just lose our way. That is why we mark our doors every year, so that when we come in or go out, we will remember that a star is leading us home-sometimes by a different road. But always a light is taking us to the place where we can be fed.

Christmas Eve sermon-Dec. 24, 2007

Sermon-Christmas Eve-2007
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
Tonight is a great story.
Now, I’ve told this one before but it’s worth hearing again. At my first church I had a young couple who actually came and VOLUNTEERED to work with the youth. The man of the couple, Brian, went on to seminary, was ordained, and became a priest. At his first assignment, he was the assistant at a large church. And one of his tasks was to find an appropriate baby Jesus doll for the church manger. So Brian went to the Sunday School classroom of 5 year olds and asked each child to bring to church their favorite doll to audition for the role of baby Jesus.
A dozen kids bring their favorite dolls-with children all very anxious to have theirs chosen. There was a worn out cabbage patch doll (this was the 1980s); a doll named Thelma with short matted hair (she used to have long brown hair but she had her hair “permed” with chlorox”; a doll named Angel with one eye that would not open, another that would not close, and only one leg; and one boy doll-a GI Joe who was naked with the dog’s teeth marks all over his head. And Brian asked the kids to vote on who should be in the manger that year. They chose Thelma. But when Father Brian explained that the doll would have to be in the manger for 2 whole weeks, the owner declined. As did the child with the back up doll. And all the way around the room. 12 dolls, 12 “no’s”. Everyone wanted their doll to be Jesus-but they didn’t want to be apart for 2 weeks. So the very wise Sunday School teacher pulled out a very nice doll from the storage room for the church manger-and suggested to Fr. Brian that all the dolls be blessed as honorary “Jesus’s” and put in mangers-in their homes. Which he wisely did. Everyone wanted Jesus, but no one wanted to give him away.
All great stories of hope are based on stories of love
It’s Christmas eve, when we romanticize stories of babies born in mangers and shepherds out in the hills, and people too poor or lost to even found a room to stay in. But there was nothing pretty about Christmas. And when Mary gave birth in a stable with no diapers or a midwife, no clean sheets or Lamaze coach-she must have thought that all the angels words to her and Joseph about a special child being born to them must have been some kids of cruel joke. There was nothing pretty about Christmas to the people who were there. It was a story that meant almost nothing-until 30 years later. Until Jesus was raised from the dead, no one would ever have remembered or ever retold this story. The only time when looking back matters, is when something extraordinary has happened later.
All great stories of love are based on stories of sacrifice
There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about holidays, like Christmas. One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he refused. "That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God become a man? That's makes no sense!" So she and the children left, and he stayed home.A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then another thump. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese caught in the snowstorm and they were disoriented and lost. They just flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. The man wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away.He tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?" If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn--and one by one the other geese followed it to safety. He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Suddenly it all made sense. The man fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first ever prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming as a human to show me the way out of the storm!"
All great stories of sacrifice are based on stories of hope
Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic once wrote, “Hope…is not the same as joy that things are going well…but rather an ability to work for something that is good-not just because it stands a chance to succeed. Hope is …not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense-regardless of how it turns out.”
Christmas is the day of hope. Not everything turns out the way we want. Things/ our lives are not always going well. We do not always feel optimistic. But when we hear the story of Jesus being born, we believe that all of this, all of life, makes sense-regardless of how it turns out. Tonight we remember hope.
All great stories of hope are based on stories of love
All great stories of love are based on stories of sacrifice
All great stories of sacrifice are based on stories of hope
Tonight we remember that God loved us, and sacrificed for us, and gave us hope.
Amen.

Sermon for Dec. 23

Sermon-Year A- 3Advent Dec. 16, 2007
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
Did you all hear the story a week ago about the Dunkin’ Doughnuts employee who was being robbed, and the clerk started hitting the robber with a tin cup? Did you hear about it? The clerk said that he fought back because he knew the robbery would be YouTube : "What was going through my mind at that point was that the security tape is either going to show me run away and hide in the office or whack this guy in the head," the clerk said. "
We live in a world where we EXPECT to get our 15 minutes of fame. Even in the middle of a robbery, people are thinking, “wow, how will I look on tv? And the clerk, “declared that he planned to upload the video on YouTube, a video-sharing website.
"There are only a few videos like that on YouTube now, so mine's going to be the best," the clerk bragged. "
That’s the world we are in.
I’ve told you that we read the Bible on a three year cycle, which means that every third year we hear this morning’s gospel. I’ve told you this before, but two out of those three years we hear all about Mary. But in year A, only in year A, we hear something that we only hear once. It never comes up in the other gospels. We hear about Joseph. The next two years on the 4th Sunday in Advent we’ll hear about Mary, but in year A we are reading the gospel of Matthew-and Matthew is the only one who talks about Joseph. In Luke’s gospel Mary talks with the angel-but in Matthew, Joseph has dreams-and the angel talks to him in a dream. And what does the angel say?
“…do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus-1-
And so Joseph does what he is told. And he doesn’t get his 15 minutes. Mary is worshipped and revered. Joseph, if you notice, doesn’t even get to talk. Joseph is the forgotten man, the “foster father” as one scholar refers to him. In theological circles Mary is called, “Theotokos” Greek for “Godbearer.” You know how Joseph is known? He is the Patron Saint of a Happy Death. There’s a big chasm between these two titles.
We know almost nothing about Joseph. The last time he is mentioned in the gospels is when Jesus is 12 and it says that Joseph and Mary take him to Jerusalem. And then Joseph disappears. There is a story about Joseph from one of the gospels that didn’t make it into the Bible, one of the apocryphal gospels, that goes like this:
(from Catholic Encyclopedia) “When forty years of age, Joseph married a woman called Melcha or Escha …or…Salome. They lived forty-nine years together and had six children, two daughters and four sons, A year after his wife's death, as the priests announced through Judea that they wished to find in the tribe of Juda a respectable man to espouse Mary, then twelve to fourteen years of age. Joseph, who was at the time ninety years old, went up to Jerusalem among the candidates; a miracle manifested the choice God had made of Joseph, and two years later the Annunciation took place.
No wonder Joseph didn’t live long enough to see Jesus’ ministry-he was over 100 years old when he died. According to legend.
We know so little about Joseph. Here is what we know-he did the right thing-he did his job. He wasn’t called to be famous, or to do anything spectacular-he was simply called to do the hard thing at the right time, Joseph had to decide to allow Jesus be born-to come unto the world. He had to step out in faith, even though it cost him his reputation and honor and pride. Theologian William Loader writes: … Matthew describes Joseph as "righteous". He is righteous because, faced with two possible applications of the Law, the one severe, the other compassionate, he chose the compassionate option.
Joseph wanted to run away. He wasn’t going to expose Mary to scandal, but he wasn’t going to marry her either. Until he had the dream. Can you imagine how hard that had to be for Joseph? He was known as a righteous man, a good man, he had a reputation in his community-and here he was going to have to live with a woman that everyone knew was pregnant with someone else’s child. When you think about the birth of Jesus every person in the nativity story is carrying a burden. But few more than Joseph. He has to marry a young girl who tells a fantastic story, who talks with angels, who is pregnant with “God’s child”. And he has to do all this secretly and honorably. He has to let the Christchild be born into his life, too.
So Joseph does his job. He becomes a husband to the girl, he raises the boy as his own, he gives him the name that the angel gives him-not his own name. Joseph does what he is told to do. And how hard that had to be. Theologian Loader goes on to write that in Matthew:
(Joseph) becomes a model … obeying the… (Law) with the focus on compassion.”
With all the focus on Mary at this time every year, her obedience, her trust, her faithfulness, perhaps we can take one day every three years to honor and learn from this almost forgotten man, this patron saint of the happy death.
Joseph had a terrible responsibility -a child to raise, a wife to support, a murderous king to avoid, a barn to find, shepherds and wise men to entertain, and dreams to bear. How tough it had to be, to be a man who just wanted to put his betrothed aside and get on with a righteous life. There are a million things at Christmas we do that are hard. Perhaps the hardest of all, is the million ways we are called to let Jesus be born into our lives-especially when we don’t want to. As one author described it, Peter could have take “the geographical cure” (meaning, that he could have run away) or he could wed Mary. It is always a challenge to let Jesus be born in us. But we have this wonderful role model, this righteous man, who overcame every instinct and inhibition so that a child could come into the world. The next time that Christmas is hard for you, and that means sometime today or tomorrow, remember this forgotten saint, who gave up so much so that his dream could come true. A righteous man who obeyed the law and focused on compassion.
.
We won’t be on YouTube for being righteous and compassionate. We will do it because it is what Christmas brings out in us-a focus on compassion.
Matthew 1:18-25
1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
1:19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
1:20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
1:21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
1:22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
1:23 "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."
1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,
1:25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

An employee who fought back against a robber admitted his heroic deed was prompted by his concern of how it would look on YouTube if he did not. Dustin Hoffmann, a Dunkin' Donuts employee, was reported to have whacked a robber on the head with the store's tip cup, after the thief attacked him and started taking cash from the register.
"What was going through my mind at that point was that the security tape is either going to show me run away and hide in the office or whack this guy in the head," Hoffmann said. "So I just grabbed the cup and clocked that guy pretty hard."
The thief, according to police, came in after 5:30 p.m. Sunday, and ordered a blueberry cake doughnut, handing Hoffmann a dollar bill. As Hoffmann opened the cash register, the robber lunged at him and started emptying out the cash register.
Hoffmann then grabbed the robber's wrists and started repeatedly hitting him over the head with the metal cup.
The AP reported that according to Police Chief Donald Ingrasselino, the thief managed to escape with some cash, but lost his baseball cap. Police intend to use it to retrieve possible DNA evidence.
Hoffmann declared that he planned to upload the video on YouTube, a video-sharing website.
"There are only a few videos like that on YouTube now, so mine's going to be the best," Hoffmann bragged. "That'll teach this guy."
The Record reported that police suspected the robber to have been responsible for two other Dunkin' Donuts robberies that occurred in the last two weeks. The thief robbed a store on Route 10 in East Hanover, and another on Route 46 and Parsippany, from which he managed to make off with $1,500.

sermon-Dec. 16, 2007

Sermon-Year A- 3Advent Dec. 16, 2007
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
You all do realize that winter begins in 6 days? Scary isn’t it?
Have you seen these commercials on tv. Somebody does something to help someone. Another person sees them doing it. And then you see the bystander do something to help someone. And someone watches them. And you usually see about 8 different interactions from picking up a child’s doll, to pushing someone out of the way of a car. And at the end of the ad the woman’s voice says:
When its people doing the right thing, they call it being responsible. When it’s a company, they call it Liberty Mutual.
Here’s the thing, almost every time it’s a bystander watching that is affected-not the person that is helped. Someone is watching, and sees the “good deed” and the connection we’re supposed to make is this, people see goodness, and try to imitate it.
John the Baptist is in prison. He will be beheaded. He sends his disciples out to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"
John had tried to get the people of Israel ready for the messiah, and he wonders-is this him? John thought the Messiah would be more like-John. Harsh, judgemental, Spartan, severe. And he doesn’t understand. He had been getting people prepared a Savior. Is this how the Savior looks? John had been getting people ready for Jesus-even though he didn’t know what Jesus would be like.
A few weeks ago I flipped on the tube one Saturday afternoon and they were showing the Ford Ironman Triatholon. This is a race where people have to swim 2.4 miles then bike 112 mi. •then run 26.2 mi.. It’s grueling. And they kept giving the stories of different people in the race. Of course anyone who finished was considered a winner. But they showed this one woman, ending the race by laying down and rolling across the finish line. It was pretty weird. Until they showed the race from 2 years ago. In 2005 a young man, Jon Blazeman had just been diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and he said, “even if I have to have someone roll me across the finish line, I will finish the race.” Then they showed the finish line in 2006, and a guy, Brian Breen is finishing the race, he stops just a few feet before the end, and rolls across the line. There to greet him-in a wheelchair now and barely able to talk, was Jon Blazeman. Brian had watched the race on tv the year before and decided that he would be Jon’s legs. This year when they had the race, a woman, Karen O'Riordan, rolled across the finish line. And there to greet her was Jon’s family-because Jon had died a few months before. One guy doing something extraordinary. Another person watching them do it. The world had been prepared for Jesus by John the Baptist, his cousin. Jesus saw the way people responded. Do you think Jesus thought about John, his cousin? Do you think he was scared off because John was put in prison? Jesus saw John preparing the world, and he came forward preaching and teaching and healing. He was changing everything. And he had watched his cousin get things ready.
A few years back, the teens started ringing the bells for the Salvation Army. They spend a whole day now, every year outside ringing bells, and it’s always COLD, and yet they and their adults, try to raise money for those who are in need. A few years ago, I thought, I can do that, and so every year in December I sign up to ring the bells. They showed me something. They taught me. I saw them doing this good thing, and I was inspired.
John prepared the way for Jesus. Jesus prepared the way for us. We prepare the way for others. People are watching. People see what others do, and when the action is noble enough, or powerful enough, or inspiring enough-they will do it, too.
John’s disciples asked, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" And Jesus answered, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”
People were watching Jon Blazeman roll across the line. People were watching our teens ring bells. People were watching Jesus change the world. People are watching us. We are called to prepare the world for Jesus, just like John the Baptist, getting folks ready. What are they seeing when they watch us?
Matthew 11:2-11
11:2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples
11:3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"
11:4 Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:
11:5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.
11:6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
11:7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?
11:8 What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.
11:9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
11:10 This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'
11:11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Back in 2005, a young (33 yrs old) committed was diagnosed with ALS. His name was Jon "committed" Blaws. Jon had always been a determined individual, and once diagnosed, he was more determined than ever. 5 months after his diagnosis, he became the first and only ALS patient to ever complete the Blaws, Coni which consisted of a 2 mile swim, 112 miles of biking and 26 miles of running. It was Jon's determination that helped him finish the race, and give a face and a name to ALS, the disease that was surely taking his life...So Others May Live. Jon rolled across the finish line to send a message to everyone watching, and people started to notice.In 2006, Jon returned to Kona, wheelchair bound to watch another athlete, Brian Breen, run the race on behalf of Jon and ALS patients everywhere. After watching the NBC coverage of the 2005 Ironman, and seeing Jon's story, Brian became inspired to do something to make a difference. He contacted Jon and told him of his plan, to be Jon's legs in the 2006 Ironman, because he understood Jon would not be able to run again. The War on ALS was on, Jon had rallied the troops, this time with Brian sending the message. Jon was there to meet Brian as he crossed the finish line with his "Blazeman Roll." Again the story was covered by NBC news and gained more attention from the public at large.Since 2006, the Blazeman Foundation for ALS has been committed to rallying the multi-sport (aka: triathlete) community to raise funds to increase AWARENESS and find a cure for ALS. It always frustrated Jon that more people didn't understand the extent and cruelty of this "bulldozer" disease. Thus it is our first priority to build the awareness and educate the public on ALS. The Blazeman lost his personal battle in 2007, but the war rages on. At this year's Ironman, Kona, the president of the Blazeman Foundation for ALS, Karen O'Riordan, rolled across the finish line in memory of the Blazeman and for ALS patients everywhere. Karen lost her grandmother and mother to the disease and has a 50% chance of getting the disease herself. She, like so many of us, was inspired by Jon to do more to make the public aware of ALS.

sermon

Sermon-Proper 28C-Nov. 18, 2007
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
A tourist stood close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, when he lost his footing and plunged over the cliff. On the way down he desperately caught hold of a scrubby bush growing out of a crack in the rocks. Filled with terror, he called out to heaven, “Is there anyone up there?” A calm powerful voice came out of the sky, “Yes, there is.” The panicked man screamed, “Can you help me?” The voice replied, “Yes, I can help you. Do you believe?” “Yes, yes,” the man answered, “I do believe!” “Do you have faith?” The voice asked. “Yes, yes,” the man emphatically answered, “I do, I do have faith!” The voice said, “Well, in that case, simply let loose of the bush and I will save you.” There was a long pause, and the man finally said, “Is there anyone else up there?”
We’re in the last two weeks of the church year and at this time every year all the lessons turn to the end times, the apocalypse. In this reading Jesus has the disciples look at the great Jerusalem Temple standing in front of them. The first temple was built by king Solomon in 950BC and lasted 400 years. It was destroyed. The second temple was built about 520 BC and lasted almost 500 years. It was destroyed. The one that Jesus and the disciples were standing in front of had been built by Herod the Great and took 46 years to finish. It lasted 90 years, was leveled by the Romans, and was the last great temple built by the Jews. Today the western or wailing wall is the remnant of that temple. And Jesus predicts that it will fall (it did 35 years after Jesus’ death). Jesus says that to the people it will feel like the end of the world when it’s destroyed-as it would be. But it won’t be the end of the world. It will feel like it did at the end of the previous temples. Terrible, frightening, overwhelming. But it won’t be the end of the world.
Paul Tillich, the great 20th century theologian, once wrote that there are 3 fundamental things that all humans crave: security, certainty, and perfection-and that we spend all of our lives trying to satisfy these longings.
To the Jews the temples were security, certainty, and perfection-but they didn’t last. Each generation in Israel kept looking for another voice when the previous one gave out. Temples, no matter how wonderful, beautiful, or solid could not last. And the Jews felt betrayed by their God.
The literature that we hear today and the next few weeks about the end of the world warned Jesus’ followers to expect that times would be hard and dangerous. And they were. So many people died for their faith, people believed that all Christians would be erased from the earth.
There is an even greater threat to us here in 21st century America, it’s the good times, the comfortable times, the ease that endangers our faith even more. We don’t fall off cliffs, we don’t hang on to spindly little branches, there’s no real danger or threat. Faith just seems so irrelevant, so unnecessary.
We keep trying to convince folks that faith and God are necessary, vital and important-and they say, “yeah, but I have things I have to do.”
Sacrifice and suffering increased the number of Christians, wealth and comfort are constantly lessening our numbers.
The great Bishop Fulton Sheen once said that “nothing is more beautiful than the way Jesus is always trying to prepare his disciples for defeat.” They kept expecting victory, he kept talking to them about faith. So when apparent failure finally arrived and he died-about a week after this morning’s gospel, they still seemed shocked and unprepared. For us today, faith is that thing we turn to when there is no other way, when all of our resources are useless. Or as the doctors told Fr. Mulcahy on M*A*S*H one episode, “we still think we can save this one Father, we don’t need you yet.” Faith is what you turn to when you’ve run out of ways that you can think of. That’s our attitude. Jesus kept saying, “you will always run out of ways to save yourself”. But we keep discovering new ways to try.
We work so hard, so long, so cleverly trying to find ways to get ourselves out of life alive. There are so many temples, so many times we just ask, “isn’t there someone else up there”. We want to find someone who is better than God at all this. And it’s hard. It’s tough realizing that we seem to fail so often, that our faith is so feeble, our belief so shallow.
Faith isn’t that “thing” we turn to only when all other resources run dry. That is the mistake we make all the time. Faith, responding to God’s intervention in our lives, is what drives everything else.
There is a wonderful movie out on DVD called, “Amazing Grace”. It’s the story of William Wilberforce, a politician and Anglican Christian in the late 1700s. He becomes a member of parliament at age 21, becomes a Christian at 25. All of a sudden, thanks to the power of other Christians, he is convicted of the evil of the slave trade and Britain’s role in perpetuating it. For 20 years he fights introducing bill and bill to have it abolished-only to fail. Finally he succeeds in abolition, but only after he is convinced that he had failed-and that nothing would ever change. His mentor through much of his spiritual struggle was Anglican priest by the name of John Newton. Newton had been a slave ship captain, until he came to Christ and realized that he was involved in evil. At one point in his ministry Newton wrote a song, that he never gave a title to, that goes like this:
Amazing grace, how sweet the soundThat sav’d a wretch like me!I once was lost, but now am found,Was blind, but now I see.
Wilberforce and Newton, two men who seemed defeated, led worthless lives, became passionate Christians, were still convinced that they had accomplished NOTHING, and are now celebrated as saints and inspirations.
By your endurance you will gain your souls. There are a thousand other voices “up there” promising that they can rescue us. All promising security, certainty, and perfection. And we listen to them because we crave these things so much.
“nothing is more beautiful than the way Jesus is always trying to prepare his disciples for defeat.” Nothing is more frustrating than the disciples disappointment at the crucifixion. Nothing is sadder than our turn to faith only after we run out of other voices that try to give us what we need.
Nothing is greater than a God who stands with us and for us even after our seeming apocalypse, our apparent defeat. By your endurance you will gain your souls. Amen.
At 82, John Newton said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour."
Luke 21:5-19
21:5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said,
21:6 "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."
21:7 They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?"
21:8 And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is near!' Do not go after them.
21:9 "When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately."
21:10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
21:11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
21:12 "But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.
21:13 This will give you an opportunity to testify.
21:14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance;
21:15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.
21:16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.
21:17 You will be hated by all because of my name.
21:18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
21:19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.

God, be merciful to me, a sinner

Sermon-Proper 25C-Oct.28, 2007
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
The story is told that one evening a man in a Dearborn, restaurant bumped into no less than the famous Chrysler chairman, Lee Iacocca. "Oh, Mr. Iacocca," the man exclaimed, "what an honor to meet you! Say, my name is Jack and I'm having a business dinner with some colleagues over there at that corner table. It would really impress my friends if you could come over in a few minutes and say, 'Hi, Jack,' like you know me!" Iacocca good-naturedly agreed and so some minutes later went over to the table and said, "Hello, Jack! How are you?" Jack then looked up and said, "Not now, Lee. We're busy!"
Have you ever seen the story in the newspaper of someone caught in a terrible crime, and they will add, “AND THEY WERE A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER!” or “A CHOIR MEMBER!” or worst of all, “A MINISTER!!!”. How dare someone PRESUME to be good and secretly be BADDDD!!!
There is a newspaper in town that was talking about the township board, and they said, and they built the new township board room so all the board members were sitting up higher than everyone else and could look down on the township’s residents. Imagine how you feel in a pulpit?
The last 3 weeks, members of the congregation have been sharing their stories, their faith with you-did you think they were, maybe, better than you? We never asked what any of them pledged, how much they gave, or if they had ever been arrested. We simply knew them to be good people that others looked up to, and so we asked them to talk about their journey with God. We never ask that the best people talk, or the biggest givers (for we don’t know who they are), or the most righteous. We simply ask at the beginning of the stewardship season, “who’s faith would we like to learn more about?” And so we chose Mildred and Mike, Martha and Maria, Nosa, Kylie, Lizzie, Carlos and Harry. And we told them, you don’t need to tell us about tithing or stewardship or giving-just tell us about your walk with Jesus-and that will suffice.
This may be my favorite parable in the gospels. Two men praying in a temple.
One man was so good. He prayed. He fasted two days a week. HE TITHED. And he liked to tell God what he did.
The second man, a tax collector. They were petty bureaucrats, who collected taxes for the ruling Romans or Herodian kings. They were disliked as agents of oppressive regimes, probably engaged in shady transactions, extorted money from poor people,were thought to be unclean because they had frequent contact with Gentiles at forbidden times. Which one would you want to date your daughter? I was reading on the desperatepreacher website and one minister said, “I would like to have a congregation of repentant tax collectors! With maybe just a few Pharisees who tithed and prayed and fasted”
Listen, don’t make a mistake here, the Pharisee was the good guy, the tax collector was the bad one. But the Pharisee believed that he was good, and the tax collector believed that he owed everything to God.
Have you ever been there, believing that you have earned it-you’ve been good, you’ve gone to church (almost every Sunday), you were an acolyte! A Eucharistic Minister! A pledger! YOU’VE EARNED THE GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO YOU!
C. S. Lewis gives this analogy: suppose a six-year-old little girl says, "Daddy, may I have $5 to buy you a Christmas present?" Well, any decent father will give the child the money and, come Christmas morning, will exclaim loudly and gleefully over whatever bauble the child bought. But only a fool would say that by virtue of the gift, the father came out $5 ahead on the deal!
We do the things we do for God because he has slipped us the money in the first place.
I’ll never forget our son Kyle, when he was about 22, living at home while he went to the university, receiving lots of grants and government loans to attend college telling me how angry he got at people on welfare who were just living off of others.
We are all the Pharisee, all giving thanks that we have been good because we are
ARE good we did it all on our own-and looking with contempt on those who don’t.
One of the reasons I love this story is because when we see someone else say these things, we immediately become the 1st prayer, “Thank God I’m not like that Pharisee in that story! I never think I’m better than anyone else! I never give my money away! And I certainly don’t fast!”
The prayer of the tax collector is powerful because he doesn’t try to be anything other than he is. He understands that God has slipped him the money first. He realizes that only the merciful can receive mercy, only the forgiven can forgive.
He can receive God’s grace and love only when he stops trying to earn it.
We can’t strive to be humble-because then we turn it into a work and try to achieve it. All we can do is say, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner”. It’s called the Jesus prayer. It doesn’t claim to be perfect, or to get us into heaven, or to make God do what we want. It’s just 7 words. A person who is humble, is first in the kingdom of God. When Seymour passed away, God greeted him at the Pearly Gates. "Are you hungry, Seymour?" asked God. "I could eat," Seymour replied. So God opened a can of tuna and reached for a chunk of rye bread an they shared it. While eating this humble meal, Seymour looked down into Hell and saw the inhabitants devouring huge steaks, lobsters, pheasant and fine wines. He was Curious, but deeply trusting, so Seymour remained quiet. The next day God again invited Seymour to join him for a meal. Again, it was tuna and rye bread. Once again looking down, Seymour could see the denizens of Hell enjoying caviar, champagne, lamb, truffles and chocolates. Still Seymour said nothing. The following day, mealtime arrived another can of tuna was opened. Seymour could contain himself no longer. Meekly, he said: "God, I am grateful to be in heaven with you as a reward for the pious, obedient life I led. But here in heaven all I get to eat is tuna and a piece of rye bread and in the Other Place they eat like emperors and kings! Forgive me, O God, but I just don't understand."
God sighed: "Let's be honest, Seymour. For just two people, does it
pay to cook?"
There are two people in each of us, one dying to justify ourselves, show how good we are, to be superior to all others-to believe that we are so good-and the other realizing that someone slipped us the 5 dollars first, that we are simply human beings, unable to judge another, aware of our own sin, and that we are just like everyone else. Today, remember that we are both Pharisee and tax collector, that we want the great food and the fellowship with God, that we are both trying to be good and also fallen. Just keep your prayer always the same, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner! And the God will take care of the rest .
Luke 18:9-14
18:9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:
18:10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
18:11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
18:12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'
18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'
18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."