"We need more shepherds"

Sermon-Year B4-Easter-April 29, 2012

1 John 3:16-24

¹⁶We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.¹⁷How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?¹⁸Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.¹⁹And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him

²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God;²²and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. ²³And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.²⁴All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

John 10:11-18

¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.¹²The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.¹³The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.¹⁶I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.¹⁷For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

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."

I know what you’re thinking-who is this guy filling in for Rev. Sally-and why can’t we have her more often? 

Last Sunday I was in Richmond, Virginia at Roslyn conference center for 8 days at church sponsored conference called, “CREDO”.  There were 28 Episcopal clergy there, priests and deacons at mine.  There are 18 CREDOs held each year, but this one was for clergy 55 and older-or as we called is, The Geezer Credo, so it appealed to me. Let me tell you a few things about it.  As soon as we arrived the Conference Administrator, Elizabeth, told us that there were two things for us to remember all week-how grateful the church was for us, and that the goal of CREDO was take care of us for 8 days.  Throughout the week the different presenters would get up to give a talk on health, finances, spirituality or vocation , and each time they began this way, “We just want to thank you for your service and ministry.”  At the end of the week we were doing an evaluation and someone wrote that hearing that over and over was the best part of the conference for them.  I kept thinking, “every person needs to be hearing this in their life, every person needs to hear that they are appreciated, and valued.” I kept thinking, this is how we want church to be-a  place where people are told over and over that they are cherished and prized.  I’ll come back to that.

Almost every Sunday I will sneak in some explanation on the lectionary. Here’s today’s:  After the story of the Resurrection on Easter, we always have the story on the 2^nd Sunday of Thomas (you know that), then on the 3^rd Sunday of Easter we have another story about Jesus’ appearance-and then on the 3^rd week after Easter every year, this Sunday, we hear a story of Jesus as the Good Shepherd from the Gospel of John, chapter 10.  The lessons we hear from the lectionary are broken up into a 3 year cycle, A-B-and C.  This year we are in year B, and that means we hear chapter 10 verses 11-18:  Jesus as the Good Shepherd,  the Good Shepherd lays down his life, for his friends. Jesus makes a strong point that there is a difference between the hired hand-who runs when there is danger, and the good shepherd who stays.

In the catacombs in Rome from the days when Christians were persecuted the most dominant image for Jesus isn’t the fish, or even the cross-it’s the image of the shepherd carrying a sheep.

 We may not have much experience with shepherds and sheep in our lives, but we know what it is to be vulnerable, to feel in danger, to need support and protection.  We may not know sheep, but we understand what a shepherd is-and understand the need for a leader, a guardian, for someone willing to lay down their lives for us.

As I was reading through the commentaries for this week, I came across the story of the martyrs of New Guinea.  What I want to share with you is part of the message sent out by radio by the Bishop of that diocese just before the invasion of Japanese troops to all the Anglican church leaders there (it is quite long so I have edited it):

"As far as I know, you are all at your posts, and I am very glad and thankful about this. I have, from the first, felt that we must endeavour to carry on our work in all circumstances, no matter what the cost may ultimately be to any of us individually. God expects this of us. The Church at home, which sent us out, expects this of us. The Universal Church expects it. The tradition and history of missions requires it of us. Missionaries who have been faithful to the uttermost and are now at rest are surely expecting it of us. The people whom we serve expect it of us. Our own consciences expect it of us. We could never hold up our faces again if, for our own safety, we all forsook Him and fled … the Church in Papua. Our life in the future would be burdened with shame and we could not come back here and face our people again; and we would be conscious always of rejected opportunities.

The history of the Church tells us that missionaries do not think of themselves in the hour of danger and crisis, but of the Master Who called them to give their all, and of the people whom He trusts them to serve and to love to the uttermost, even as He has served and loved to the uttermost. His watchword is none the less true to-day as it was when He gave it to the first disciples, `Whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for My sake and the Gospel's shall find it.' No one requires us to leave. No one has required us to leave. Our people need us now more than ever ….No, my brothers and sisters, fellow workers in Christ, whatever others may do, we cannot leave. We shall not leave. We shall stay by our trust. We shall stand by our vocation. We do not know what it may mean to us. Many already think us fools and mad. What does that matter? …'I cannot foretell the future. I cannot guarantee that all will be well--that we shall all come through unscathed. One thing only I can guarantee is that, if we do not forsake Christ here in Papua in His Body, the Church, He will not forsake us. He will uphold us; He will sustain us; He will strengthen us, and He will guide and keep us through the days that lie ahead . . . Let us trust and not be afraid."

I won’t give you all the details, 11 Anglicans,4 priests, 5 Anglican lay people,2 local lay people were killed.  Several of them were beheaded to make an example of them.  Today throughout the Pacific there are memorials and stained glass windows reminding people of their story.

We have plenty of hired hands in our lives. But there are days when we need a shepherd, someone who we trust, someone we believe in, someone we know will stand with us when the wolves threaten and everyone else runs away.  We hear the story of the Good Shepherd on the 4^th Sunday of Easter every year because we need to hear of God’s loving care and remember what love means to God.  We need to hear stories of people whose faith compels them to stand with others, even in death-especially in death.  That is why the image of the Good Shepherd is so prevalent on the walls of the underground tombs in Rome.

Alyce Mackenzie writes: “Every day in the news we encounter fresh examples of bad shepherding. People in charge of protecting the President are not at their post, but instead, allegedly, at the bar or the strip club. A young man is in the driver's seat early one morning with three friends in the car. Driving drunk, his actions result in their deaths. Politicians focus on finding chinks in one another's armor rather than finding solutions to the nation's injustices. Pastors abuse their positions of spiritual influence and take advantage of vulnerable people. Bad shepherds.... As Christians we believe [the] king has come and that we are to live in such a way that we mirror his way of being in the world. Every Christian is called to be a shepherd. We each have a sphere of influence, even if we don't think of ourselves as public figures. We are not all called to dramatic situations in which our physical lives are on the line, but there is the less dramatic, daily sacrifice involved in allowing the Good Shepherd to guide the way we offer guidance and nurture to those we encounter each day. That means being vigilant to all that would threaten our flock and not abandoning our post in trying times.

A second story I want to tell you about my week at CREDO .  One priest I got to know very well turned to the group of us and said, “you were my shepherds this week, you were my good shepherds and I needed you.”

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday.  Every year on this day we hear Jesus tell us that he is the Good Shepherd-and that we are called to be one, too.  It is a costly occupation.  We know bad shepherds, we know hired hands.  On this day we hear that to follow THE Good Shepherd we will not be forsaken, we will be upheld; sustained , strengthened, guided and kept  through the days ahead . . . Let us trust and not be afraid.  Amen.

“ Being nice wasn’t Jesus’ goal”

Sermon 3Lent-March 11, 2012
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.
John 2:13-22 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
The sermon is all over the place so I better tell you now what the theme is because it may be impossible to figure it out by the end. Anger isn’t nice. Jesus got angry. Jesus wasn’t always ___________.
Have you ever come to church and been so angry that you wanted to overturn tables, throw people out, yell at folks? Someone this week reminded me that it was a year ago that we were in Inquirers class, and one of the people preparing for confirmation talked about how angry he was that someone he knew had been denied communion. He thought the church and the clergy were wrong. He was mad about it, and wanted to tell us. Sometimes religion gets in the way of bringing people to God. I don’t like hearing it, I don’t often agree with it. It isn’t always nice. But I need to hear it. I need to hear when I am messing up.
Ever been there? Ever come to church with a bone to pick with someone, mad and ready to let someone have it? I’ll give you a couple of examples that I bet everyone has experienced. Ever wanted to crash a vestry meeting and DEMAND that the rector’s salary be doubled? IMMEDIATELY! “Fr. John is so underpaid!” you thought to yourself, “we need to make a scene so he will get what he deserves!” Or here’s one I’m sure many of you have felt, ever come to church angry that the sermons are too short. Ever wanted to stand up in the Eucharist and demand that I keep preaching!
I know a lot of you feel that way.
Most of you know today’s story. Jesus goes into the temple, makes a whip of cords, drives out the cattle and sheep, overturns tables, throws the money on the ground, yells at people. Whenever someone gets angry people will tell them they need to be more Christian. Do you think Jesus was calmly, sweetly doing all these things, smiling and humming as he overturned tables? Anger isn’t nice. Jesus go angry. Jesus wasn’t always___________.
1973 I went to Chicago for the first time. My best friends were living there and they wanted to show me the town. They later told me that they didn’t see me blink or swallow for 3 whole days-I was so mesmerized by the big city. One of the things they wanted to show me was a big church downtown in the loop. It was called, the Chicago Temple, and it was a Methodist church squeezed in between two skyscrapers. It’s the tallest church in the world, 23 stories high-most of them office space. When I walked in to the front entrance on the first floor, there was the Cokesbury Book store with dozens of cash registers and all I could think about was this story of Jesus overturning the tables, throwing out the moneychangers, driving out the livestock in the temple.
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke this story takes place near the end of their gospels close to the crucifixion-and is used as one of the justifications for the crucifixion. But in John’s gospel this event occurs right at the beginning of his ministry. Jesus is a danger to worship and a threat to the order that the Romans needed in ruling the Jews. Carl Gregg writes: “Jesus’ actions recapitulate [the prophet] Amos‘ words 700 years l[earlier]. Both are saying that if God has to choose between worship and justice, then God chooses justice. God does not want to make this choice, but God’s preference is clear.”
That’s the message behind Jesus’ anger and actions. Justice is the issue, anger is the tool. I don’t like it when Jesus acts like this. It’s not nice. I have never ever once gotten angry in my life when I didn’t regret it-no matter whether I was right or not-it always felt wrong later. I was taught that. Anger isn’t nice. So what do we do with Jesus when he gets angry-and angry with the religious authorities (like me)? Ever been angry at someone who was hurting themselves? Or when someone was taking advantage of someone else? Ever been angry at the government? The church? How about the oil companies? Or “the banks”? Last year every night on the news we saw one group after another moving onto a piece of property and setting up camp. It was called the “Occupy” movement. It was popular at first but then it lost focus after awhile. One of the pictures that was shown around a lot was “of an Occupy Wall Street protester, who was dressed up as Jesus and who was carrying a placard that read, “I threw out the moneylenders for a reason”.
Jesus got mad when those who were supposed to care and protect people, were taking advantage of them. He got mad when people who were supposed to do the right thing chose the wrong thing. Jesus got mad at injustice and sin. Remember last week when Jesus got angry at Peter for telling Jesus that he didn’t know what he was talking about-“get behind me Satan”. Jesus got angry at individuals-and at institutions-when they took advantage of the very people they were set up to serve. We can tolerate anger at individuals alright, but getting mad at institutions always feels “wrong” somehow, to us. Too Radical.
Dom Helder Camara , the famous Brazilian Archbishop, once wrote, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”
We love it when people are kind, caring, and helpful. We’re uncomfortable, scared and tense when people get angry and begin to demand that things change.
The Jewish people were supposed to offer a sacrifice when they came to the temple-an animal, an offering. But the temple made a fortune overcharging the pilgrims as they arrived and those who had little, had to give up what they had. The religious and Roman authorities both got a per centage of this theft. Jesus was mad at the religious authorities for allowing it. He was mad at the Romans for encouraging it. Jesus got mad when people chose to do the wrong thing. Sometimes, like last week’s story, it’s individuals, like Peter. This week it’s systems-like the temple, and the government.
Again, from Carl Gregg, “Beverly Wildung Harrison [wrote an essay] titled, “The Power of Anger in the Work of Love.” She invites us to consider that the problem is not anger itself, even if anger is rated as one of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins.’ Anger can be either positive or negative. Indeed, it is right to be angry at injustice, and problematic to be apathetic toward injustice. Thus, she challenges Christians to “harness the power of anger in the work of love.”
Most of the time the issue becomes the anger, instead of the work of love. Then we get sidetracked. If you’ve ever been in a relationship, ever had a spouse, a child, or a parent, you understand this. You get mad because someone is doing something to hurt themselves and you let them know-and suddenly you’re talking about the words or actions used in anger, instead of the love that caused them. The great example I always think of was Martin Luther King, Jr. sitting in a Birmingham jail in 1963 for protesting segregation. Area ministers wrote him a scathing letter saying that they thought his end was right, but that his methods weren’t nice. They thought he was being too confrontational and that he wasn’t being nice.
Jesus was not afraid to get angry-at individuals and at systems, if he believed that they were walking down the wrong road. Jesus could yell at Peter one day and throw out the cheaters and swindlers the next. Jesus got angry at people who chose not to do the right thing. It is not popular. It is not nice. People will get sidetracked, ALWAYS, by anger because we feel judged and attacked. We will get distracted by the means. But sometimes we need to hear Jesus’ anger, we need to hear that we are messing up. It is not a side of Jesus that we necessarily like. It’s not the gentle comforting Jesus, it’s not the warm fuzzy Jesus. As theologian and Biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan writes, “Those who live by compassion are often [made saints]. Those who live by justice are often crucified.”
Jesus gets mad. He throws people out of the temple. He calls his friends his adversaries. He gets mad at systems that don’t serve the people they were set up for. He gets mad at his religion when it doesn’t promote justice and fairness.
It is the 3rd Sunday in Lent and it’s a good idea for us to remember that sometimes Jesus gets angry when the “work of love”, the work of God, is being thwarted. Don’t get sidetracked by the resistance or fear of the anger, the words, or the actions. Don’t lose sight of the end because the method makes us uncomfortable. Remember that Jesus used all the tools he had to bring about his kingdom. Even anger. Especially anger. Sometimes anger is what we need to bring about the work of God’s love. Jesus got angry at people who chose not to do the right thing. We need to hear that. Anger isn’t nice. Jesus got angry. Jesus wasn’t always nice.

“We don't always know everything we think we know…”

Sermon 2Lent-March 4, 2012
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.
Mark 8:31-38Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Ok, I’ve told you this one before, but…
“Baxter Black, a veterinarian of large animals and a commentator on National Public Radio, told of an experience that occurred to his cousin Hank. Hank is a farmer who lives in a rural, central Minnesota village. One of his city relatives invited him to come for a visit in St. Paul the weekend of Thanksgiving, so Hank decided to ride the commuter train that passed by his community. At the first stop, the conductor announced that everyone would be able to get off at the station for a short stop. Hank wandered into the station and found the vending machines where he purchased a carton of milk and six-pack of Oreo cookies. He then sat down at a small table in the waiting room next to a gentleman who was obviously not from the country--nice suit, overcoat, some of those half-glasses to read with, and he was reading The Wall Street Journal. Hank thought to himself, "This fellow looks like Ward Cleaver." Hank opened the Oreos and took a cookie. As he put it into his mouth, he noticed that Ward Cleaver reached over and took an Oreo for himself and continued reading! Now Hank knew that no one in his little town would just reach over and take an Oreo without saying anything. This was different from the country! After a moment, Hank took a swig of milk to wash his cookie down, and Ward reached over for a second Oreo! Hank took his second cookie, and not knowing what the stranger would do, he took a third Oreo at the same time and began to eat them quickly. Lo and behold, Ward Cleaver grabbed the last cookie, got up and folded his paper in a huff and walked off! City folks, thought Hank, were strange indeed. He finished his milk and got up to get back on the train. As he did, he reached into his pocket for his ticket, and he found his pack of Oreos.
We don't always know everything we think we know about what's going on. We can be so wrong when we think we're so right!”
Today’s gospel story is about Jesus trying to teach his followers who he is and why he has come. And Peter doesn’t understand. In fact, Peter starts yelling at Jesus to knock it off. So Jesus yells at Peter that he is taking the wrong oreos. “We don't always know everything we think we know about what's going on. We can be so wrong when we think we're so right!”
Jesus “ is not saying Peter is evil. “Satan” in the “original Greek was a term common in the legal court system referring to the prosecuting attorney. ...Peter was putting Jesus on trial and accusing him of being wrong.” A better word than Satan for the translation would have been “adversary”.
Three times in the Gospel of Mark Jesus will tell his followers that he must suffer and die. Three times they don’t get it. They want so badly for Jesus to be king, to be successful, that the idea that he will fail-that he will be humiliated-is more than they can grasp. Jesus keeps using these paradoxes to describe what it means to be a follower of his: ,”Deny yourself” , “For those who want to save their life will lose it” “those who lose their life for my sake… will save it”. It’s like saying up is down, night is day. They don’t understand what Jesus is saying-but they know that they don’t like it.
Marilyn Salmon writes: “According to human values, one's own life comes first. We might be kind and generous and thoughtful toward others, yet cultural norms dictate the priority of our own safety or privilege or physical comfort. Jesus advocates risking your life for the sake of another. In other words be willing to lose your life for the sake of the gospel in order to save it. According to Mark's gospel, the disciples represent human values.2 They aspire to power and greatness and assume that Jesus shares these values. Jesus represents God's values, best summed up by the willingness to risk one's own life for the sake of others. Jesus does not encourage suffering for its own sake, nor does he recommend acceptance of forced servitude. 3 The key to meaning here is "for the sake of the gospel" and Jesus is the … model. Jesus invites his disciples to follow his example, to be willing to risk our lives for the sake of others.”
We listen our whole lives in church to this teaching of putting others first, of denying ourselves, of making sure other people feel important-before we do. He is telling his followers-and us-that if we follow him, it will cost us. If we put him first-it will cost us. If we choose Jesus’ values, God’s values-it will cost us. But never does Jesus say, feel terrible about yourself, believe you are worthless, and THEN follow me.
Listen to Presbyterian pastor, Rev. William Carter:
Jesus says, "Deny yourselves." You know, it's difficult for some people to even hear that word when they've had so much taken away. How can people who have lost so much believe it is a virtue to give up what little dignity they bear? How can the downtrodden ever hear this obligation of the gospel? Sometimes we need to claim the love and dignity of God and then see what happens. Like the woman who made an appointment to talk about troubles at home. At one point in the conversation she said, "When my opinion of myself improved, my marriage got worse."
For those who struggle to feel empowered, for those who believe for the first time in their lives they are worthy of love and appreciation, it can be harsh to hear Jesus say, "Deny yourself." It's particularly true if you have recently discovered that you have a self….Mark tells us how Jesus comes to give worth and value, not take it away….The point is, Jesus never says, "Go out into the world and get yourself beaten up!" But he does say, "Follow me." … We are invited to follow Jesus. We are called for and called upon to follow him. As one New Testament scholar reminds us, the members of Mark's community are not called to suffer. They are called to preach the Gospel. Because of the confrontational nature of that calling, the world they confront will persecute them in order to stop them. Suffering is the result of the call, not the call itself. What happened to Jesus, for the same reason it happened to him, will happen to those acting and preaching in his name. Friends, we don't wake up every morning and say, "How am I going to let the world beat me up today?" But we are called upon to get out of bed to ask, "How can I let the whole world know the life of Jesus is the hope of the world?"
It’s tempting to hear this morning’s gospel and get it mixed up. It’s easy to not even really hear it, we’ve heard it so often. We are called to this challenging paradox-the world’s values are not God’s values. Realize that we are valued and loved, and then value and love others-and be willing to sacrifice ourselves-put ourselves in God’s place, for others.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote: “To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us.”
We don't always know everything we think we know about what's going on. We can be so wrong when we think we're so right!”
Let’s forfeit the world and gain our lives. Amen.

"Don't let the grass grow on your path"

Sermon 1Lent-Feb. 26, 2012
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.
Mark 1:9-15 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
The Rev. Christopher Henry is a Presbyterian pastor and once told this story:“Several years ago, I was attending a Sunday afternoon book club in a small town in North Carolina. The participants in the club were the pastors and lay leaders of local congregations--Episcopalians, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, and Presbyterians. That day we found ourselves sharing personal stories of faith formation. How did you become a Christian? Where did your faith journey begin? One by one, members of the group described how we had been raised by loving and faithful parents who brought us to Sunday school and church, told us the stories of Jesus, and helped us to grow in maturity of faith. Each story sounded something like that, until there was only one person left to speak. As tears formed in her eyes, she said, "I am a Christian because the Christian church saved my life." Suddenly, the chatty group fell silent. She described how she had been abandoned by her parents as an infant. Sent to a foster home, she was neglected and abused for the first six years of her life. At age seven, she was adopted by a local family. Not knowing what to expect, she spent the first night wide-awake in her new bed, afraid and anxious. The next morning, a Sunday, the family got up early, had breakfast, and got into the car. "It was my first time at church and I had no idea what to expect. We walked into the Sunday school classroom, and the teacher's face lit up. 'Welcome, Janet, we've been waiting for you.' Then she read the Bible story for the day. I will never forget the feeling. Jesus says to his disciples, 'Let the little children come to me. Do not stop them.' I knew, knew with all of my heart, that he was talking to me. I knew that I was home. I am a Christian because of that moment. A new beginning, the kingdom in the midst of the wilderness.” a kingdom in the midst of the wilderness.
Twice each month, on Thursdays, I meet with the clergy of the downriver Episcopal Churches. On the second Thursday of the month we talk about the readings and how we might preach them. The 4th Thursday we spend much of the meeting in Lectio divina. Lectio Divina is a way of praying. You read the gospel aloud 3 times slowly-each time with a different reader. And after each reading there is silence while you think about what was just read. After the first reading everyone is asked to pick out a word or phrase that jumps out at them. One person took the phrase: “with you I am well pleased”. Another chose: “tempted by Satan”. A third picked, “with the wild beasts”. A fourth person selected “believe in the good news." And another “drove him out into the wilderness”. The word or phrase that we choose says a lot about where we are that day, and where our soul is at. I’m going to read the gospel again, slowly (it’s short) and I want you to see what word or phrase chooses you.
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
What word jumped out at you? What stuck with you when you opened your eyes? Say it to yourself a couple of times so you can remember it.
Lent is a 40 day journey of the heart. We’re supposed to use this time not for self-punishment, but for growth and understanding. What was Jesus about? And what are we about as his followers? Do you still remember your word or phrase?
Sarah Henrich, a professor of New Testament, writes that the thing that strikes her about this morning’s gospel is how violent and lonely it is. “The loneliness of God's servant, a theme that persists throughout the gospel, is already suggested in these verses. It all begins in the wilderness, home to prophets of Israel and to Israel itself in the years of wandering. Jesus, too, will be there…”
This can be a 40 day time of questions without worrying about the answers. Jesus didn’t go into the wilderness to prove how strong he was. He was driven there by the Spirit. He had just see the heavens ripped open and heard a voice-what did it mean for him? What was his life supposed to be? Did God tell him that he would live forever? That he would rule the world? That he would never be sick or in pain? No. God simply said, "You are my Son, the Beloved…”
If we learn anything from this passage, it is that to be loved by God, to be God’s beloved, can be a terrible gift. Jesus is tempted and tested. It is a difficult time, and it had to be scary and hard.
We are called just as Jesus was. Richard Jensen writes: “Mark introduces the theme of repentance and faith as the response that is called forth by Jesus' preaching. Jesus calls humanity to a time of listening, a time of decision. It is time to turn our lives around and believe the good news announced by Jesus that the kingdom of God has come near to us. “
Take the card that is in your bulletin this morning and write on there one way you will grow closer to God this Lent. If you want, you can use the word or phrase that jumped out at you from this gospel. Or you can put on there how you are in a wilderness yourself-and what questions you have. Perhaps you want to write the ways you are being tested-and how the angels are ministering to you. Maybe you could put on this card what it means to be loved by God, and what is the Good News for you?
On the outside of this envelope put your first and last name. In 3 weeks we will give it back to you, so you’ll remember where you were and how you are growing closer to God this Lent.
This is the first Sunday of your Lenten journey this year. It’s an opportunity to start again. For some it’s time for a new beginning, the kingdom in the midst of the wilderness; for others it’s a chance to accept the hard news that you are loved by God; and for others it’s time to take the next step in your walk with God.
“Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."
This Lent, grow closer to God. Wear down the grass on your path. Amen.

Closer to God

Sermon-Ash Wednesday-Feb. 22, 2012
O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.

How many of you are wearing a cross right now-a necklace, a pin, somewhere on your person? How many of you have a cross in plain view in your house? We surround ourselves with crosses-why?

I went to a very strange high school. There was a large Catholic high school in our area and almost all the Catholic kids went there. And there were a lot of Jewish kids in our area, so I went to school knowing a lot of Jewish customs, but pretty ignorant of Catholic ones. One of my good friends was Amy Otis, who showed up at school one day with dirt on her head. I grabbed her and started teasing her, “Amy”, I said, “you’ve got dirt all over your face-you better go in to the bathroom and clean up!” She began laughing at me, “don’t you know anything? It’s Ash Wednesday!” I continued to give her a hard time (this was high school) and finally she said something like this: “This is who I am.”

Today most of you will come forward to receive a cross of ashes. We could have put the ashes in a circle, or heart shaped, or just a smudge, but instead we put them in the shape of a cross. They are supposed to represent our humanity, our mortality, our brokenness . “Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return”. We begin Lent by wearing ashes to represent that we are human-but we aren’t only human. We wear the ashes in the shape of a cross because we believe that we are more than just ashes, we are claimed by Christ.
In the 1890s Max Beerbohm wrote a book called, “The Happy Hypocrite”. There was a man named Sir George Hell. He was “A worldly man, he is a dandy, fond of gambling, drinking, womanizing, and the like. When he spots a young and innocent dancer named Jenny Mere”. He falls madly in love with her, but she tells him that she will only marry a man who has the face of a saint. He is crestfallen. He goes to the city and stumbles upon a small shop where a man makes lifelike masks. He buys a mask that is fitted for his face that looks like a saint. That evening he proposes to Jenny and she accepts. He continues to wear the mask afraid that she will see who he really is if the mask comes off. And even more, in order to fool his new wife he begins living like a saint-being generous, honest, caring, forgiving. A month after they are married a woman from his past finds him. She wants to expose him for who he really is in front of his new wife, so she rips off his mask. And underneath his face has assumed the contours of the mask. He now looks like a saint.
That is what we do in Lent. We put on these ashes, admitting, confessing that we are only human. But we put them on in the shape of a cross, asking God to change who we are by Easter so that we look more like him. This cross of ashes is our saint’s mask. The ashes are who we are, the cross is who we hope to be.
In your bulletin is a 3x5 card in an envelope. On this card, write one thing you will do the next 40 days to become closer to God. 1 thing. It can be something you’re leaving behind-a bad habit, a debilitating tendency, a crippling practice. Or it can be one thing you’re taking on-a new discipline, a positive routine, a healthy habit. Write down one thing that you will do this Lent that will bring you closer to God.
These are some of the suggestions from Alyce MacKenzie, one of my favorite preachers : “It might be to leave behind unhealthy eating patterns, drinking, or abuse. It might be an unhealthy spiritual diet: the habit of gossip, of jealousy ,of consistently seeing the worst in people and situations. It might be indifference to the condition of the homeless and the lonely in our community. It might be the habit of judging and categorizing others to maintain our sense of superiority. It might be something positive like seeing the good points of a troublesome family member, to show more affection to our spouse, to keep in better touch with our extended family, too participate in a ministry of care in our community.” What can you do this Lent to change what your face looks like?
We will give these back to you mid way (March 19th ) through Lent so you can see how you are doing. Write your full name on the outside of the envelope.
This Lent we are going to put on our saint’s mask to see who we can become in 40 days. This Lent we are going to say, this is who we are-we are ashes, but we are in the shape of a cross. We are broken, mortal, and human-but we are moving towards Easter and becoming someone new. This is who we are. Amen.

“The Old Switcheroo”

Sermon-6 Epiphany-Feb. 12, 2012
O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.
A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I do choose. Be made clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.
There is a small town on the walk to Santiago de Compostela called Sarria. Up on a hill in the town is a very small, very old chapel made of stone. It is called the Chapel of St. Lazarus, and it was built for the lepers who walked the Camino to Santiago in the middle ages hoping to be healed. They had their own chapel because no one wanted them anywhere near the other pilgrims.
“Ho hum”, you might be thinking, “Jesus heals a leper-what a nice story!”
Ah, but this one is different.
Jesus keeps doing something in the Gospel of Mark that we hardly ever but eventually-like in today’s story, it finally jumps out at us. Let me set it up.
A few verses back, Jesus goes to Capernaum, to a house, where Peter’s mother-in-law is ill. And he takes her by the hand, lifting her up-and heals her. In today’s story, a leper comes up to Jesus and Jesus does the unthinkable-he stretches out his hand and touches him-and the leper is cleansed.
All the way through the gospel of Mark we will see Jesus doing this-touching those who are ill, laying hands on those who are off limits. Leprosy was considered a disease, but it was more than a disease-it was a physical representation of sin. So that when a person had it they didn’t need just to be healed, they needed to be washed from their taint. Consequently, when Jesus touches the man with leprosy he doesn’t send him to the doctors so they can pronounce him cured-he sends him to the priests so he can be readmitted to the community-because he is no longer an outsider. Jesus doesn’t just give the man his skin back-he gives him his life-he can now rejoin the world. He no longer has to stay away from villages and towns, he no longer needs to avoid people. This man who had a death sentence can now live a normal life. That is huge. Unfortunately-the same can’t be said for Jesus. Listen to what happens: “so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country;”-in other words-they changed places. The man who had leprosy was now back in society-but Jesus wasn’t. All because Jesus touched him.
I thought about this story for me. Has there been a time in my life, when I felt like an outsider-when no one wanted to be near me? Has there been a time when I felt like I didn’t belong, like a failure, an outcast? Was there a time when someone reached out to me, brought me back in-and it cost them?
Do you remember a time in your life, when someone touched you, literally or figuratively contacted you, and made you whole? A time when you were feeling so alone, so isolated that you might as well have been a leper? And someone came into your life, and it felt like they were saving your life?
Sara Henrich writes : “By the end of this story, Jesus has shown us what it costs to go where the people are and it is a cost he is "willing" to pay. He begins as the one free to wander and proclaim, urgent in his message and successful in gathering crowds. By the end of the story Jesus has traded places with the former leper who is now wandering freely, proclaiming what the Lord has done and creating widespread positive response, while Jesus has become isolated and lonely. There is an exchange of roles, an exchange of realities between Jesus and the man whom he has healed: this points long-range to the role that Jesus is willing to take for humanity itself, giving up his life of freedom for the loneliness of the one isolated on Golgotha, whose "willingness" is a proclamation in its own right."”
Every story in the gospel of Mark, is a shadow, a foretaste of what is coming. Here Jesus changes place with a man who is dying. It’s supposed to reveal what he will do one day for all of us.
Today’s story is about Jesus realizing what his ministry will be-rescuing those who are lost-and taking their place. So many of these gospel readings show a growing awareness on Jesus’ part what being the messiah means. Even when he does good, even when he is extremely popular, even when he is brave-perhaps especially when he is faithful, it will cost him greatly. And for us, followers of this man, we learn what he has done for us-and what the challenge will be if we are to follow him. Amen.

“He’s not Issam Nemeh”

O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.

I do a lot of reading and preparation for my sermons (it may not seem like it, but that’s another issue) . And as I read other sermons and commentaries I come across stuff that really is worth sharing but it doesn’t fit the aim of the sermon. At all. So I get distracted and lose the point because I get focused on something that isn’t the goal.

The story is told of a man who went to his doctor to ask if he could help him with his snoring problem. “As soon as I go to sleep,” the man explained, “I begin to snore. It happens all the time. What can I do doctor to cure myself?” The doctor then asked, “Does it bother your wife?” “Oh,” the man answered, “it not only bothers her but it disturbs the whole congregation.”
There was a pop song written and sung by Warren Zevon back in 1990, One verse says:

“I was gambling in Havana
I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this”

Mark 1:29-39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

This is from the Belleville Area independent 15 months ago: “There was a huge traffic jam on West Columbia Avenue in Belleville on Sunday afternoon as hundreds of cars lined up to get to a faith healer at St. Anthony Catholic Church. Channel 7 News had run stories six different times between Thursday and Sunday about the faith healer coming to Belleville and many people came with their sick children, ailing elderly people, and others in wheelchairs, on walkers and with oxygen. Almost 1,000 [people]were prayed over by Dr. Issam Nemeh between 1 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday morning when he finally finished. About the same number had to be turned away, said church members who volunteered at the event.”

1000 people over 12 hours-that’s one person every 1 minute 23 seconds for 12 hours. I’m sure some of you were there or were trying to attend. 1000 more were turned away. Did you hear about it? 83 people every hour for 12 hours.

“Healing services were set for 1:30, 3, and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, but an additional service was added for 7:30 p.m., because of the crowd. The church was full and the overflow was kept in the Father Folta building. Some people who arrived at 1 p.m., didn’t get to see Dr. Nemeh until 8 p.m.

Volunteers stood in the rain directing traffic to ease the jam on West Columbia until Belleville Police told them they couldn’t stand in the street because it was unsafe. They continued to direct traffic in the parking lot and explain the situation to drivers.

One volunteer, who did not wish to be identified, said it was so hard to see those in need turned away, but it just wasn’t possible to deal with all those who came.

“How do you tell the children no?” she asked, saying it was heart-breaking to see. She said at the very end of the session, Dr. Nemeh tried to work in the extra people.

She said people came from the Upper Peninsula, Traverse City, Pontiac, and even Cleveland, where the doctor has a following. A nun from Nigeria arrived.

She said Dr. Nemeh only took one break for the day and that was to eat dinner.”

1000 people in attendance, many waiting for 7 hours, 1000 more turned away.
[When Deacon Dick first started at Trinity he asked if we could have a healing ministry here. I said “sure, but don’t expect too much response-we’ve tried that and not too many people took advantage of it.” But he said, “this is important, even if only one comes for healing, this is God’s ministry.”]

Usually when this gospel is preached you hear about Peter’s mother-in-law. But the real key to this gospel reading is this section: “That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."

"Everyone is searching for you." But that wasn’t true. What was everyone looking for? They wanted healing. They wanted hope. People didn’t come to see Dr. Issam Nemeh . They came to be cured. If the gospel stories seem strange to you at times, think of Issam Nemeh-the crowds, the publicity, the overwhelming needs of so many people.

People aren’t listening to Jesus, they’re not hearing him talk about the Kingdom of God-what do they want? They WANT TO BE HEALED. Or they want the demons driven out of them. Jesus came to spread a message that God was in their lives and was calling them to become new-and everyone was coming up to him saying, “hey, that’s great, but could you please cure my wife, my child, my friend-please heal ME.” When you listen to this gospel do you hear it?

“And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." Everyone wants you. Everyone wants a piece of you. They wanted to be healed, and Jesus kept telling them, “I am a healer, but I am not just a healer, I am starting a whole new life.” It’s not by accident that this passage includes the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law. As we listen to that story, we’re supposed to learn what healing is for. “He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.” We are healed-so we can serve, so we can live a new kind of life. We are changed so we can become new. Healing, having our demons cast out-that’s not the end. Jesus doesn’t heal people so they can go back to their old life. He touches us so we can begin new lives.
He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."

“For that is what I came out to do.”
What do you think Jesus was thinking about when he got up before dawn and went off to a deserted place? What was on his heart? He came to bring a message about God and what God’s kingdom would be like and he was mobbed with people wanting to be healed.
All the struggle, all the battles in Jesus’ life are set up here in the first chapter. People want Jesus to be one thing-he came for more than that. The disciples don’t understand who he is, or what his purpose is-all they know is that people can’t get enough of him. So they constantly misunderstand.

Kate Huey writes: “This Jesus was no celebrity-of-the-moment, any more than he was a magician (like some) or a rebel leader (like others). And, to him if not to the crowds or even to his closest followers, his purpose was clear. He was not about being a "sensation," or a success, or even popular. What he "came out to do" – his whole purpose – was to proclaim a message, the Message: The [kingdom] Reign of God. Jesus will push his disciples, then as now, taking them in new and unexpected directions, moving on in ministry to do what he came out to do, even if it's not the most popular thing to do, even if it's the very thing that will lead to his death.”Healing is important. We need it, we want it. But it’s not the end. Jesus realizes as he goes out to that deserted place while it was still dark, that if we can we will turn him into Issam Nemeh-only a healer. But Jesus came for more than that. He came to touch us so we could live new lives.
“Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."

So I get distracted and lose the point because I get focused on something that isn’t the goal. It’s easy to do. When you’re sick or hurting, when the demons voices are insistent or demanding, it’s easy to lose sight of the purpose.Proclaiming the message-that is what he came out to do. Of course everyone is searching for Jesus, we all want to be fixed. We all want our demons exorcized. We all want the pain to go away. The question is, are we willing to be changed? Amen.