Sermons

A pastor touring the Holy Land with parishioners explained that shepherds always lead their sheep. They go ahead to protect the sheep from any dangers. But the first man with sheep they sae on the hillside, was behind the sheep. The man seemed to be chasing the sheep. Surprised, and somewhat embarrassed, the pastor called out, “Don’t shepherd lead rather than chase their sheep?” The man answered, “They do. But I am not a shepherd. I am a butcher.”

I have read today’s 23rd psalm many times at the bedside of someone facing death. It is read at most funerals. But language and faith author Marilyn McIntyre notes this is a psalm for the living. Shepherd watch. They guard. They fight off predators. They laugh at sheep’s stupidities and love them anyway. The psalm begins, the Lord is my shepherd. Using the word “is” suggests more than a historical or future presence. In this very moment, we are being shepherded. Cared for. The use of the word “my” tells is that God who shepherds us is intimately present. God created us, chose us, and loves us now.

Princeton Theological Seminary President Craig Barnes suggests we remember that Psalm 23 was originally a cherished hymn for God’s chosen people. They were called Israel. Which means, “those who have struggled with God.” They struggled for a home. A home where they were always trying to get into, hold onto, or get back to. They struggled for peace, for food and for a future. They struggled with their faith. Their lives were hard. Often, they stopped believing that this Shepherd was leading them to green pastures. Or that goodness and mercy would always follow them. So they rushed down their paths. Leading to trouble and sorrow. Eventually turning back to God.

Barnes notes that many psalms describe a churning, disruptive experience. Being lost and found. Judged and forgiven. Sent away and brought back. People lose their way. But god searches to find the lost.

We live in scary times. Some suggest that we are on the cusp of WW III. Furthermore, our personal lives can quickly be upended. A bad doctor’s report. A notice our job will be eliminated. A late-night call from the police. A letter saying, “I am not coming back.” Sometimes people say they are all scared stiff. Or paralyzed with fear. But more often than not, people react to fear by running like crazy the late psychologist Rollo May wrote, “Humans are they strangest of all of God’s creatures, because they run fastest when they have lost their way.”

We get lost in battles against declining health. Lost in grief. Lost in shame for things done and left undone. Lost in trying to measure up to society’s or another’s expectations. Not believing we are good enough.

Jesus, in our Gospel reminds us he is the good shepherd. Laying down his life for us, his sheep. That says something about both the shepherd and the sheep. The shepherd is good because he will lay down his life. He loves his sheep. The sheep are valued and loved – each one – by the shepherd.

Gavin Peacock played 18 years in the English Premier Soccer League. Scoring 135 goals in 600 games. He says football was his God. If he played well, he was up. If he played badly, he was down. He had achieved the schoolboy dream having everything the world tells us we need. But he wasn’t totally satisfied. One day he went to a youth church meeting. He says, there sat six young people. They who were not in the “in-crowd.” They did not have what he had. But when they prayed, when they talked about Jesus, they had a joy and a reality that he did not have. That led him to Jesus. Football fell away from being his God. Into its right position. He says he became the best kind of footballer he could because it wasn’t everything. He says I still worked hard and played hard, but my identity was in Christ, not in football.

Now he wants his family to be his legacy. Having different roles following soccer, he says his greatest is to be a Christian husband and father. With family being his letter of recommendation. How he shepherds his family will be how they shepherd others. He says, if people look at my life, I want them to see that football is great, but Jesus is greater. Jesus is whom all of us need in this life. Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

Visiting the Lutheran Church and Christian Academy in Martin, Slovakia, I learned that during Communism, the church was limited. Buildings other than sanctuaries were taken away. congregations gathered for worship, but little else. They became irrelevant to most, along with Christianity. The culture was disinterested or hostile. When Communism fell, the church in Martin was a shadow of its former self.

It made me think about the shrinking church in the U.S. I remember Nort Seaman saying, “Sports are killing us.” It is not just sports. We have many options. Some parents try to make up for time lost to COVID. Technology was supposed to make life easier, did it? Work weeks seem longer. The church gets crowded out by the demands of making a living. At my former church, younger couples complained it was hard to make ends meet. But senior members bluntly said, “That is because young people want everything right away. My wife and I raised 4 children in a three-bedroom row home with one bathroom and folding chairs in the living room.” Silence followed.

Aside from Jamie, Jenn, and I you could easily not be here. Not be comforted, challenges or thinking about the Gospel. Not reflecting on questions of life and purpose. But, as Paul writes in Philippians, “The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The 24th chapter of Luke, details Jesus’ resurrection. Women discover the empty tomb. Two angels announce Jesus has been raised from death to life. Share this news with Jesus’ disciples, their words are dismissed as an idle tale. Then, in the same chapter, Jesus appears. First, along the road to Emmaus with two followers. They do not recognize Jesus until he breaks bread with them. Then, as we read today, they share this experience with the 11 and Jesus appears. Offering peace. Startling and terrifying them. They think they are seeing a ghost. Jesus says they should look at his hands and feet. Touch him. We do not know if they did, but Jesus eats boiled fish with them. He had fed 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. Now, he says to them, “You are my witnesses of these things.” You have a church to support your witness. Contributing a portion of our resources and time to Advent makes you a part of the body of Christ. Regardless of where you are on our spiritual journey.

Gunther Klempnauer asked 625 students in 12 German vocation schools what they would do if they had only 12 hours to live. Responses varied from getting drunk, spending time with family, climbing a mountain, sailing, reviewing photo albums. One wrote, “I would spend my last evening in church alone with God. Giving thanks for a full and happy life.” If you were asked the same question, how would you answer? If everyone in the world suddenly knew there were only 24 hours left, would telephone circuits be overloaded from people calling family members and friends to say I love you, I forgive you. Jesus shows us true love. True forgiveness.

In, “A Guy with A Body,” Charles Hoffacker notes that following the resurrection, Jesus witnesses directly that he is alive. He does not send a postcard from heaven: HAVING A GREAT TIME! WISH YOU WERE HERE. He shows up among them. With a body. He recruits those with bodies to be witnesses. To move and tell everyone. Those who recognize Jesus’ witness become witnesses, putting their bodies on the line. They become contagious with the life and forgiveness they’ve caught. Carriers of resurrection, not just names on a membership list. Not airy spirits, or pious ghosts. Witnesses. Bodies like his own without wounds to show as they live out the resurrection. The only Easter some people may ever see is the Easter they see in you and me. Because the Lord is Risen! Not just long ago, but in the here and now.

After communism, leaders of the church in Martin reached out to an atheistic culture by forming a Christian School. They knew the state would provide the funding, but they needed 20 kids to make it work. They went through Church baptismal records visiting families. The first year they failed, getting a handful of students. Trying again, they got the 20 they needed and began with one class. 15 years later, they have a k-12 Christian School competing with the public school. 700+ children. Many more turned away for lack of space. Some come to Jesus through the school and join the church. Most now attending classes in a converted building that was once a printing press for atheistic propaganda. Why? How could such a change happen? Because the Lord is Risen! He is Risen Indeed.

May we proclaim that at Advent. May we continue to find ways to be relevant to our culture. And may a new electronic sign help our surrounding community know that in this building, God’s children meet every week to worship, invite nurture and serve the crucified and risen Christ for many years to come.

Events I lead do not always turn out as expected. Some children that I baptize, I never see again. Some couples that I marry later divorce. But every person I ever buried, has stayed there.

The pyramids of Egypt famously contain the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian Kings. London’s Westminster Abbey is renowned for the bodies of English nobles buried there. Mohammed’s tomb is noted for the stone coffin containing his bones. Arlington Cemetery is honored as the resting place of great Americans. But the tomb of Jesus is famous because it is empty! Leading billions to gather to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection every Sunday.

The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, tell the story of Jesus differently, but they all agree. After Jesus’ death on the cross, after his burial, the tomb was empty. This year, we hear the story as recorded by Mark ending with these words, “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Terror. Amazement. Fear. That is the women’s reaction on that first Easter morning. They went to the tomb to anoint a dead body. To grieve their friend and give the long-awaited Messiah a proper burial. The large stone had already been rolled back. A young angelic man tells them to go. To tell Jesus’ disciples and Peter that Jesus is going out ahead of them to Galilee and there they will see him as he told them. Mark’s gospel ends abruptly. It leaves us hanging. When was the last time you saw a Hollywood Movie end like that?

Most bibles include a shorter and longer alternate ending to Mark’s gospel. Later additions to seemingly finish the story. Including accounts of the risen Christ meeting up with his disciples. Their struggle to recognize him and believe. Jesus’ ascension. Some we will hear in the weeks ahead as recorded by Matthew, Luke, and John.

The book, The God Conversation notes our desire for stories to have a happy ending. “And they lived happily ever after,” is the refrain in fairy tales, movies, and love songs. Well-meaning friends tell us, “Its going to be alright!” Proverbs assure us that behind every cloud, is a silver lining. Yet, real life often disappoints. The women’s reaction is understandable. Dead people do not get up and walk. Understanding death, the women were beginning to adjust to the fact that Jesus was gone. Going about doing what custom told them to do. They were not prepared for the unexpected.

In December 2000, Reuters reported that a man in Almaty, Kazakhstan, was electrocuted trying to steal electrical cables. According to Muslim tradition, he was wrapped in a cloth shroud and interred in a shallow grave. He shocked his friends and family by turning up for his own funeral feast two days later. The news report said he had regained consciousness. Noting that rising naked made it difficult to find a ride. Imagine the amazement his family experienced? While many people survive being electrocuted, no one survives being crucified. The women were not prepared to meet the risen Christ, Are we?

In The Easter Choice, Scott Hoezee says it is an incredible proclamation that Jesus rose again from the dead. We can be agnostic and cynical. Saying we don’t know what to make of this or who cares? We can deny it. Calling it fiction, fantasy, or pious wish. Or we can contemplate what it means for us today. He suggests the problem is that most of us are not surprised enough. Easter has become part of the background scenery of our lives. Where believing that Jesus rose from death to life is like believing the earth is round and orbits around the sun. People did not always know that. It caused quite a stir when discovered. But that was a long time ago. If Easter is no longer shocking for us, it does not make us re-evaluate everything else we think we know.

Some focus on trying to figure out what Jesus resurrected body was like? Clearly it was different. The real question is what it means to us today.

Pastor, author, and church historian Leonard Sweet notes that we know death, disappointment and unmet dreams. Expressing disappointment with expressions like, “You can’t win them all.” “Life must go on. Pick up the pieces, nothing lasts forever.”

Easter is about Jesus escape from the grave and is also about the victory of God’s love over the death in life experiences of our existence. Easter is when Jesus is remembered and experienced. When our dreams do not come true, Jesus pulls us forward by giving us hope. Rather than remaining dragged down by despair.

Mark’s account of Jesus beginning with his adult baptism. I believe Mark ends his Gospel abruptly to remind us that the good news of Jesus does not end with his resurrection. It continues in us and through us because the Lord is Risen!

Responding to eager fans in 1966, John Lennon caused a stir when he said the Beatles were more popular than (Jesus.) Today, Google trends offers the possibility to compare the number of Internet searches and news stories by topic. Who knows what it would have been like then. But type in “Jesus” and "The “Beatles” today and you will see Jesus gets about 10x as many Internet searches.

On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus, his apostles, and followers were part of the crowds gathering in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Scholars say the Holy City's population grew from 40,000 to 200,000 or more. Passover celebrated God's chosen being freed from Egypt's Pharoah some1,400 years earlier. But, Israel still lived under Roman occupation.

Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan's book The Last Week, claims that on that first Palm Sunday, people in Jerusalem witnessed two processions. The Pilate Procession and the Jesus Procession. Pilate's procession displayed of Roman military might. With horses and Chariot. To keep people in line. Jesus arrives on colt, a young donkey. A crowd of supporters shout “Hosanna!” — a Hebrew word meaning "God save us we pray." Spreading their cloaks and palms was a sign they saw Jesus as their king. Remembering the Prophet Zechariah who spoke of a King coming into Jerusalem with shouts of joy from the people.

Not with military might. But with humility, justice, and peace.

Pilate and the Roman empire seemed the most powerful force in the region that day. But not now. Something we would do well to remember when we think about what matters in our lives today.

Commenting on today's Gospel text, theologian, historian, professor and pastor Leonard Sweet has an interesting observation. The empire’s worldview of status, power, military might and coercion is as present and dominant in today’s world as it was then. So is the desire for comfort, security, self-interest and wealth in our culture. He suggests many admire Jesu without being ready to follow him down that road of suffering, sacrifice, and servanthood. The traditional route Jesus took down the Mount of Olives went through an ancient cemetery. It still does today. Reminding us his parade, his procession, ends on the cross. Shouts of Hosanna will soon change to shouts of crucify him.

Scholars can debate if it was the same crowd. But don't we find ourselves in both crowds? It is easier to worship Jesus on Sunday morning than it is to be Christlike at school, work, the soccer field, or even at home. But as Paul writes our reading from Philippians: Jesus who gave his life on the cross Is exalted by God. Given the name that is above every name.

So that every knee should bend. So that every tongue should confess. Jesus Christ is the Lord.

All four of the Gospel's share this account of Palm Sunday. Only John's Gospel mentions Palms Matthew and Mark mention leafy branches. Luke mentions no branches at all. But what I find most interesting is how Mathew, Mark, and Luke begin this account. Explaining the donkey acquisition. Jesus’ followers tell it's owner the Lord needs it. We might think that an all-powerful Jesus, the very Son of God, would not need anything.

Might this lead us to ask what does the Lord need from me?

New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote about sometimes running across a person who radiates an inner light. He says these people can be in any walk of life. They seem deeply good. They listen well. They make you feel funny and valued. They are not thinking about what wonderful work they are doing. They are not thinking about themselves at all, "Such people, says Brooks, have generosity of spirit and depth of character. They are people who say "yes" when Jesus asks them to contribute their time, effort, and talent. They don't think about themselves as much as they think about what they can do for others. Because of this, they are outstanding teammates for Jesus

Pastor Ron Edmondson notes that Jesus is a leader who invests in people that others would have dismissed -- a fisherman named Peter, a tax collector named Matthew, a woman named Mary who had seven demons cast out of her. People like us. Jesus is a leader who invests in people, serves them and entrusts them with his work. That is still true today.

INTRO TO FINAL SONG VIA DELOROSA

Before we get to Easter next Sunday, may we reflect on the cross. Where Jesus demonstrates the unconditional and saving love of God. Both Mark's and Matthew's Gospels note that Jesus love displayed on the cross changed the mind of a Roman soldier who said, "Truly this was the Son of God." Jesus was the son of God for a time. But because God raised Jesus from death to life, may we know Jesus is the Son of God.. Continuing to live through us. Despite our sin and shortcomings.

Nobel prize winning physicist William Phillips said, “I see an orderly, beautiful universe in which nearly all physical phenomena can be understood from a few simple mathematical equations. I see a universe that, had it been constructed slightly differently, would never have given birth to stars and planets, let alone bacteria and people. And there is no good scientific reason for why the universe should not have been different. Many good scientists have concluded from these observations that an intelligent God must have chosen to create the universe with such beautiful, simple, and life-giving properties. Many other equally good scientists are nevertheless atheists. Both conclusions are positions of faith.”

At some level, faith in God brought you here. Maybe with a lot of questions. Maybe seeking a better relationship with God. Trying to answer the call to walk as a child of God. One joy of being a Pastor is to walk with people through their individual faith journeys. Through the challenges and joys of life. Through peaks and valleys. Ups and downs. Disappointments and celebrations. Joys and sorrows. New births and deaths. Illness and recovery. Broken relationships and restored relationships. Beginnings and endings. Times of weak faith and strong faith. Once in a while, something borders the miraculous. Defies the odds. Some experiences are faith affirming while others are faith challenging.

In Genesis, after the creation story, the flood, and the Tower of Babel, in the 12th chapter, God calls a childless 75-year-old Abraham. Tells him to leave his homeland with his 65-year-old wife Sarai. God promises to make a great nation of them. They show great faith in answering the call. In today’s reading, 5 chapters later, the Lord calls Abraham again, who is now 99 years old. God tells Abraham to walk before me. Be blameless. Perhaps because before that, Abraham was far from faithful. Claiming his wife was his sister and giving her to Pharoah to save his own skin. At odds with his nephew Lot. Getting tired of waiting, he and Sarai had already taken matters into their own hands. Abraham has a son Ishmael, through Sarai’s slave girl Haggar. By the time God’s covenant is fulfilled, in the 21st chapter when Abraham gives birth to his son Isaac with Sarai, he is 100 and Sarai is 90. Soon after they send Ishmael and Haggar away. God later test Abraham, asking him to sacrifice his son, only to intervene at the last minute. There, Abraham shows great faith.

In our reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, written some 2,100 years later, Paul seemingly only focuses on part of the story. Saying Abraham did not weaken in faith. Saying no distrust made him waver. That he was fully convinced that God was able to do what God promised. I see Abraham’s faith as more shaky, more real. He messed up sometimes, taking matters entirely into his own hands only to have it not end well.

How many of you are familiar with Frank Sinatra’s song, “I Did It My Way?” While Sinatra made it a hit, he later despised the song, because it had such a me, me, me sentiment. A high level of self-esteem is important for us and for our relationships. But we need to remember that we are not entirely capable of directing our own lives.

Likely you have heard the phrase, “Life happens when your busy making other plans.” Sooner or later something will happen to remind us of our human limitations. Perhaps bringing us to our knees. Or here, looking for answers. Realizing that without God, there is no hope. Despite many bad decisions, Abraham repeatedly returns to God, and God speaks to him, affirming the covenant.

In today’s Gospel from Mark, it seems Peter also thinks he knows better than Jesus. Like all of us, Peter needed to be reminded to listen to Jesus, to turn to Jesus, to pick up the cross and follow. Had Jesus not suffered and died, how would we have any sense of a God also meeting us in our times of suffering or loss.

Before the Superbowl game, speaking to Sports Spectrum, quarterback Brock Purdy talked about studying the 23rd psalm the entire season. Saying, while it is easy to get wrapped up in wanting to be loved by everybody. The Psalm reminded him that he already had everything he needed from the Good Shepherd. Surely, that message spoke to him after losing the game. Evelyn Husband lost the love of her life, space shuttle commander Rick Husband when the space shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas. Speaking about her loss, she later said, “Deep inside, I knew God was going to walk me through this somehow. I knew it because God walked with me through other crises earlier in my life.”

How many of you heard of the wrestler Hulk Hogan? Did you know he was baptized in December of 2023? Did you see Mark Wahlberg’s commercial for the Prayer App Hallow? As he said, “Stay Prayed Up.” Given their past, both may be good examples of repenting and believing in the good news, as Jesus proclaims in today’s Gospel. Mark Wahlberg clearly changed his life. His catholic faith played a role.

Repentance involves a change of heart. Turning away from sin and turning towards God. The Bible is filled with examples of people who repent after experiencing the consequences of bad choices. Showing God’s grace and mercy are always available. God’s love is more powerful than human failures and shortcomings. No matter how much we mess up, we can turn back to God. Receiving forgiveness and restoration. Even the most faithful believers can fail.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, King David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart. But David also steals another man’s wife and arranges to have him killed. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David repents. Psalm 51 represents his words. God allows David to continue as King. Turning back toward God, leads to forgiveness and restoration. Something shown powerfully by Jesus. Through the cross, but also through people he encounters before the cross. People like Zacheus. Remember his job? A tax collector, despised by for collaborating with the oppressive Roman’s. Extorting money from his own people. After encountering Jesus, Zacchaeus repents. Promises to repay anyone he had cheated four times over. Repentance leads to reconciliation.

Making amends for wrongs. The religious leaders once bring a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. Saying the law of Moses commanded she be stoned to death. Asking what Jesus would do, to try to trap him. He then writes on the ground. Perhaps writing their sins. Inviting anyone there without sin to be the first to throw a stone. When they leave, he asks if anyone still condemns her. When they answer no, Jesus replies, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and do not sin again.” Jesus expects a change in behavior. Yet, unlike Jesus we will son, again and again. The cross stands ever before us.

This morning, we read a letter attributed to Peter. Peter recalls the story of Noah, proclaiming baptism has the power to save us. Peter is the closest of Jesus’ followers. Yet he denied Jesus three times during his trial. But after his resurrection, Jesus forgives and reinstates Peter. Giving Peter the mission to feed his sheep. Following the coming of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus’ ascension, Peter makes and boldly proclaims Jesus Lord, as recorded in the book of Acts. 3,000 are baptized. Through Christ, people change. They do not become perfect people. They do become better people.

In today’s Gospel Mark records Jesus’ baptism, temptation in the wilderness, and starting to preach the good news in just six verses. The beginning of Jesus’ ministry has similarities with Israel’s journey. His baptism might be compared to their path through the Red Sea. Forty days of temptation in the wilderness, to Israel’s forty-year struggle in the desert. Proclaiming the good news with God’s chosen reaching the promised land.

In “Getting on With It,” Beth Quick sees Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness as a Lenten model. A time of preparation. In our hurried world we always seem to be counting down to the next thing. Vacation, school being out. But it would be a mistake to look past Lent to Easter too quickly. Can we take the time to dig deeper spiritually? Looking inside ourselves. Remaking ourselves as God remakes us. She writes, “I want more from Mark on this wilderness time in Jesus’ life. Wheer we can see the human Jesus sharing our struggles.”

James Harnish asks, “Where do you find the power to hang in there in this world? To keep going when the going gets really tough. To continue to believe in Love in a world that is filled with hate. To work for peace in a world that is addicted to violence. Where do you find the power to continue to believe in good in a world that is filled with so much suffering and pain? To believe ultimately God’s will, revealed in Jesus, done in all of the creation?” The message of Jesus’ baptism is that Gods spirit gives us power.

• To think more clearly,

• To feel more deeply,

• To love more generously,

• To speak more truthfully,

• To serve more faithfully,

• To give more lavishly,

• To live more fully.

This Lenten season, might you choose to give up some time spent on your phones, or in front of your tv’s and computers, and use that time to visit someone who is lonely or sick or isolated. Might we use that time for face-to-face conversation. And in doing so, might we try to see the best in others, rather than focusing on their faults. Building people up, rather than tearing them down. This week, spend some time with Psalm 25.

This Ash Wednesday is much like the previous one for one reason. Do you know what that is? (Valentine’s day). Some suggest that we make the sign of the heart with ashes, rather than the cross. Unconditional sacrificial love is the message of the cross. Many churches do not have a cross front and center. But, teacher Fred Craddock said, “Sooner or later, somebody is going to say “then what happened to Jesus?’ You know, after the miracles and parables. And when you tell them that they put him on trial and executed him, some people are going to back away. Can’t we just leave that part out? Why not focus on the positive? People aren’t interested in a man who dies like that. On morbid suffering, bleeding and dying.” But when our world, our lives are broken, it is the cross that speaks most clearly.

On Ash Wednesday in 2018, a school shooting took place at the High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen students and staff were fatally shot, and seventeen others were wounded. A day of enormous heartbreak, death, suffering and loss. Are the barbaric almost surreal images from Ukraine and the Middle East are no better. Much like many of the war stories in the Old Testament. They prove that we are still in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. And if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.

The cross reminds us that God shares our pain and loss. However, and wherever it will come. Whoever is at fault. Jesus points to us having a God gets in the trenches with us. Facing the worst that the world, that other people can throw at us. Or that we throw to other people.

In the 2018 Florida shooting, a photo captured two moms crying and waiting for news about their children. One of the women in the photo had ashes forming a cross on her forehead. When she received the ashes, she had no idea of what would happen later. She never imagined being in such a position. And so we need to be reminded that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Like it or not, we all will one day have to face death. I do not believe a heart, even one made of ashes, portrays that.

Pastor Chris Mietlowski, a classmate, was very into liturgy at seminary. He wore a huge flowing alb whenever he was leading worship. In his ministry, he baptized an infant named Eric. Being high on liturgy, he made the cross of Christ on Eric’s forehead with anointing oil. Following worship, Eric’s family celebrated with a big backyard party. Eric napped in a stroller. Oblivious t the oil used on Eric’s forehead intensifying the sun causing a sunburn shaped cross that lasted for days. It had to be explained to the pediatrician, neighbors, and the stranger in the grocery store. It was not planned but drew more attention than the cross that I may place on your forehead that will quickly be washed away.

Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel seems to call marking our foreheads with crosses or wearing crosses into question. “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” We don’t wear this cross on our foreheads or around our collar for the sake of others. Rather we wear it to remind ourselves. That we need God’s grace and forgiveness, that we serve in Jesus’ name. May others see Jesus in us by our actions, not just our words or the symbols we wear. Because even our actions can be tarnished when they make us feel we are better than others. Like those Jesus speak about in today’s Gospel.

Jesus says that when you give the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, then close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Thanks be to God for the cross. Our Lenten focus. By the way, do you know where this word Lent comes from. It does not mean let’s eliminate negative thinking. It comes from the middle English word Lente. Meaning springtime. Focusing on God’s forgiveness we can move forward with a new Spring in our step. With a new beginning.

I remember the childhood joy of taking the cog railway up Mt. Washington, in New Hampshire. But conditions on top suddenly change from sunshine to wind and hail. More recently I drove an ATV on trails up several 13,000 plus foot peaks in Colorado. It was eerily quiet and windy. Shadows appearing and disappearing across the mountains. The sun interacting with clouds below. Mountains offer a different perspective.

Many Biblical events take place on a mountain. In the Old Testament, Noah lands on Mount Ararat. Abraham is tested on Mount Moriah, taking his son there for a sacrifice before God intervenes. Moses receives the Ten Commandments on Mount Sainai, his face becoming radiant. Elijah’s mountaintop experience includes hearing God’s voice as the still, small voice – or, as the NRSV Bible translates it, as “sheer silence.”

Our reading from Mark’s Gospel tells us Jesus is transfigured on a high mountain where they are apart by themselves. Earlier, Jesus gave a sermon on the mount. Later he will be crucified on Mount Golgotha. Following his death and resurrection, Jesus will ascend from the Mount of Olives. But in today’s reading, exhausted and drenched in sweat, Peter, James, and John suddenly see Jesus drenched in light. His clothes becoming a dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear. Representing the law and the prophets which Jesus fulfilled. Peter may want to hold on to this moment. But they are all terrified. Much like earlier in Mark’s Gospel, during Jesus’ seemingly miraculous calming of the storm. Then too, the disciples were also terrified. Asking each other, “who is this? That even the wind and the waves obey him!”

The cloud represents diving protection, as a voice cries out this is my son, the beloved, listen to him. At the beginning of Mark’s gospel, as Jesus is baptized, the voice from heaven speaks to Jesus saying, “You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased.” Now, the voice speaks to Jesus’ followers. This God moment did not last long. Suddenly, when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore. Only Jesus. A passing visionary, mystical experience that made a lasting impression. So much so, Matthew and Luke’s also record it.

Right before this God moment, Mark tells us that Peter recognizes Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. But Jesus also rebukes Peter, for not accepting that Messiah will suffer and be killed before rising. Now Peter, James, and John have a vision. Are given a glimpse of the resurrection.

Pastor Thomas Long suggests, that what gets transfigured is not just Jesus. But also, the perception of him. We see being misunderstood by his disciples, rejected by his hometown, drained of power by unbelief, and plotted against by authorities. Yet he is beloved by God. Long suggests that if we see Jesus for real on that mountain, we see ourselves for real too. The Gospel writer Mark’s community also experienced rejection, failure, and violence. Down in their valley it may have seemed as if life and hope were slipping away. But on the mountain, they remember their own baptismal garments. Dazzling like the sun. Trusting the promise that “those who lose their life for Jesus’ sake will save it.”

Finding ourselves living down in the valley, we do not have to go up on a mountain top for God moments. The resurrected Christ is at work in our world. Working through people like you and I. We may not be sure of what to mak of their experience on the mountain that day. But nearly 2,000 years later, just as that experience and many others they had with Jesus transformed them. Changed them. We see lives changed today by God’s grace and mercy.

Judge John Phillips lost count of the number of minors he sent to the California penitentiary system. Then he came to believe that sending young people to prison usually resulted in them becoming harder criminals. So, in 2003, he created a place where juvenile delinquents could get a second chance with a hand on their shoulder. Phillips started Rancho Cielo in Salinas. Offering hand on programs. From carpentry to classic car repair. Beekeeping to equestrian care. Industry professionals frequent Rancho Cielo, sharing their knowledge. Traditional academic classes help students get a GED, or community college admission. Resume writing and interview skills are taught. 17-year-old Omar Amezola said, “In my other school, it was all reading and writing. Here the teachers are more chill, you don’t have to stay in your seat all day, you do things that are hands on, its cool.” Each year, 220 students attend Rancho Cielo.

Some don’t make it. But nearly 85% of first-time offenders enrolled at Rancho Cielo never re-offend. That is much better than the 40% recidivism rate in the country.

It costs $25,000 to put a kid through Rancho Cielo, compared to the $100,000 is costs to house them in prison.

I see that as a kind of mountain top experience that results from people listening to Jesus and following his way.

Bill Hybels, Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church wrote the book titled, “Too Busy Not to Pray” for those who live overly hectic, stressed out, overscheduled lives.

Today’s Gospel is from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Things are moving quickly. But Mark notes that Jesus takes time to go to a deserted place and pray. Following his baptism and temptation, Jesus called his followers, headed to the synagogue to teach, and freed a man from an unclean spirit. Today, we see him enter the house of Simon, where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law. Mark tells us news quickly spread. All the city gathers at the door seeking Jesus. Many were healed. But before continuing, Jesus retreats to a deserted place to pray. We are still in the first of Mark’s 16 chapters and already Jesus is praying. Looking to God for strength, and direction. Peace in the midst of human need.

All four Gospels show prayer as central to Jesus’ life. Jesus also provides a model for prayer, giving us the Lord’s Prayer. The Gospels mention him praying before, during, and after healing people. Before choosing his 12 disciples. Before performing some miracles. Prayer filled Jesus’ final days before and during facing the agony of the cross. Jesus prayed for Himself, his disciples, and all believers just before heading to Gethsemane. In Gethsemane, he prays three times for God’s will to be done, despite the cost. Dying on the cross, Jesus continues to pray. “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Praying, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Here we see the human side of Jesus. Praying at the toughest moments of his life. The same moments many pray the most. Because, despite thinking otherwise, we are not all in control.

We pray for many reasons. For many things. At different times. Sometimes giving thanks, blessings or answering prayers. But what about prayers that are not answered? Or are answered, “No.” We give thanks and see God’s hand when someone narrowly misses major harm, a falling tree narrowly misses one’s house and we say God was with them. But what about the tree that hits the car or house. The things insurance companies like to call acts of God.

The 13th chapter of Luke’s Gospel mentions 18 people dying when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Jesus asks: Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? Answering his own question, I tell you, NO! A reminder not to assume victims of tragedies are being somehow judged. Jesus calls all to turn back to God.

“The Triumphal Patient,” by Greg Anderson tells of a woman battling the chaos of cancer. “Suddenly I found myself swept up in the storm of the vast waves of the medical ocean. Up and down. Tossed and blown. Surgery now. Chemotherapy later. Try this. No, try this. That’s better. Or is it? CT scan doesn’t look good. Try this. IV’s. Lab work. More tests. More needles. More Life? Maybe. X-rays. More chemo. Experimental drugs. Nausea. The “Triumphant Patient’s Creed” gives her hope. It states: Hope reigns in my life today. My illness does not rule me. Daily I seek to acknowledge the physical, be positive in the mental, transcend the emotional, and anchor in the spiritual, knowing that God’s presence is my goal. Thank you, Lord, for today’s blessings.

In Christian Century Magazine, Thomas Jay Oord, tells of Debbie. Suffering for miscarriages in six years. Despite consulting doctors, eating right, and discarding things in her home that might undermine her pregnancy. And praying nightly, “God, please give us a healthy child.” Well-intentioned but hurtful remarks followed. This is part of God’s plan. You will appreciate children more once you have them. God is building your character by allowing this. Others said, “You just need more faith!” Pointing to biblical statements about the faith of those Jesus heals. Implying she was at fault or not believing enough.

Debbie questioned, does God exist? Does God heal? If so, why not more often? Is God preferential? Mad at some people? If God doesn’t heal, why do many claim having been healed? A therapist asked her, “What if God wants to heal everyone but cannot do it singlehandedly?” “What if in addition to free will, various factors in our lives – whether biological, environmental, social, or even at the quantum level – are sometimes conducive to healing but sometimes not?” The therapist suggested: “If you think a loving God wouldn’t control our freedom it is not so big a step to say God can’t control free creatures. It is only another step to believe there are other factors in life that God cannot control either.” But the therapist noted healing that does happen. The sense we have of God’s presence in our lives. Right and Wrong. Beauty and truth. Suggesting, God is involved all the time, everywhere, to the utmost, but this involvement is expressed as influential, rather than controlling love.

If God does not control all the factors necessary for healing, God is not to blame for failing to heal. Our prayers make a difference, because God uses them when acting for the utmost possible good in every situation. Mark’s Gospel says that Jesus “cured many who were sick with various diseases” and “cast out many demons.” Many is different from all. Later in the 6th chapter, Mark tells us that Jesus goes to Nazareth. Able to perform some miracles but not others.

In the midst of our questions, we do not have all the answers. Thanks be to God we have the church where we can lean on each other.

The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s novel, continues to attract attention. In 2016, The Washington Post ran a controversial op-ed piece from Ivy League Educated, board-certified psychiatrist, Richard Gallagher who teaches at a New York Medical College. The subtitle read, “How a scientist learned to work with exorcists.” Dr. Gallagher wrote, “The same habits that shape what I do as a professor and psychiatrist, open-mindedness, respect for evidence and compassion for suffering people, led me to aid in the work of discerning attacks by what I believe are evil spirits. And, just as critically, differentiating these extremely rare events from medical conditions. Is it possible to be a sophisticated psychiatrist and believe that evil spirits are, however seldom, assailing humans? Most of my scientific colleagues and friends say no. But careful observation of the evidence presented to me in my career led me to believe that certain extremely uncommon cases can be explained in no other way.” Gallagher’s 2022 book, “Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal,” rates 4.6 on Amazon.

I am not sure what to make of such things. But I have ministered to people who believe they or their homes were somehow possessed by evil spirits. Some suggest that is the only explanation for Putin’s actions in Ukraine. Penn Council for Relationships has a counselor or two, experienced in this area. The Bible even tells of a witch. King Saul banished sorcerers and conjurers from his kingdom. But when he was later concerned about the final outcome of Israel’s battle against the Philistines, Saul disguises himself and visits the witch of Endor. He has her conjur up the spirit of the prophet Samuel to tell his fortunes. The spirit of Samuel informs Saul that he and his three sons would be due in battle as the Israelites fell to the Philistines. Read the story for yourself in the 28th Chapter of 1st Samuel.

And in today’s Gospel reading from the first chapter of Mark, Jesus faces a man with unclean spirits in the synagogue. After just astounding hearers with his teaching. In “What Will You Do With Us, Jesus,” Todd Weir suggests that this man with an unclean spirit understands who Jesus is better than anyone else in the room. He is on the margins of society. The margins of sanity, but he knows who Jesus is. In Mark’s Gospel, the disciples figure it out seven chapters later. When Peter says, “You are the Messiah, the one sent by God.” Weir says that this man of unclean spirit is way ahead of everyone. And, he wants to know, “What are you going to do with people like me? Are you going to destroy us?” Jesus rebukes the evil spirit saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” Then the man convulses and cries out loudly and the unclean spirit leaves him. Weir says he has no idea what an unclean spirit is but is impressed. Mark’s Gospel still has not told us a thing about what Jesus taught. But already, Mark’s Gospel has showed us that Jesus had a power over what people label unclean.

The will and the purpose of God present in Jesus engages and fights against the purposes of evil that exist among humanity. The battle is not fought just at the highest levels of government or industry. Rather it is fought amid common, ordinary, Christians like us. The battle of good versus evil, right versus wrong, life versus death happens amidst the people who are gathered for worship. Weir concludes that Christ came to shatter the domineering designs that shackle people to lower standards for the life that God intends. Christ has come to free us from the demons like prejudice, pride, greed, and guilt. Christ is among us, whenever we gather in church, to demonstrate a power among us. If we devote ourselves to anything less than a divinely directed destiny, we have missed the goal of faith.

Rather than trying to understand how this man in today’s Gospel might be possessed, might we instead realize how we too are possessed with jealousies, addictions, pride, unhealthy lifestyles, excessive worries, unforgiving spirits. Rather than listening to the many false prophets around us. Rather than just going about our lives seemingly on our own. Without a sense of God’s presence. God’s love. God’s grace, God’s forgiveness, God’s call, God’s authority. Might we, like those in the synagogue with Jesus, be astounded by His authority, His actions.

In Newsweek magazine, Kenneth Woodward gives us a glimpse of what Christ’s coming meant. He writes,” Whether we like it or not, Christ’s life radically changed human culture throughout the world. Before Jesus came, the world was ruled by the ‘might makes right’ theory.

But Jesus’ teaching about humility and turning the other cheek redefined our views of human character, of war, of masculinity. Jesus’ commitment to the poor, to women and children opened the way for civil rights and equity for women. Marriages became more equitable. It was a common practice in Roman families to kill female babies. Sociologists Rodney Stark notes evidence showing that among 600 ancient Roman families, less than a dozen have more than one daughter. Christians value the life of all people, whether male or female, and prohibited the killing of any children. No wonder Jesus fame continues to spread.

According to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, and seeing Simon and Andrew fishing, he called them to follow. “Immediately they left their nets and did so.” Mark uses the word immediately 35 times. Usually surrounding Jesus’ actions. So, saying the response of these first followers was immediate is not surprising. Yet, Matthew’s Gospel also tells us the response of these first followers to tag along with Jesus was immediate.

In Christian Century magazine, Cynthia Weams wonders how it happened so quickly. Were the fisherman taken with Jesus? Were they dissatisfied with fishing? Did not family members fuss about their departure? Weams suggests that these questions come from our own experiences of discipleship. We often drag our feet. Weighing pros and cons. Considering the implications and our many other commitments, and our nets are likely full of things we find difficult to leave behind. So, we try to take them along. Sure, that we will need some of that old baggage on our new journey with Jesus. But Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed. Makes me kinf of feel guilty. Especially as a Pastor.

It is good that we also read the Old Testament story of Jonah today. When you think of Jonah, what comes to mind first? (Large Fish) In today’s reading from Jonah, he is told to go to Nineveh. He does so. But note, the text says, “ The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.” The first time it came, the first chapter of Jonah, he sails in the other direction. A horrible storm pops up. The sailors cast lots to see who is responsible for the calamity. The lot falls on Jonah, and he shares his story, agreeing to be thrown into the sea. Only to be saved by a big fish sent by God. Spending three days and three nights in its belly. In the 2nd chapter, Jonah prays to God from the belly of the large fish. Then we get today’s reading, from the 3rd chapter.

Jonah being swallowed by a big fish may be most memorable. We wonder if such a thing could have happened. Some mentioned James Bartley. A widely circulated late nineteenth-century story claimed he was swallowed whole by a sperm whale. found to be still living days later in the stomach of the whale after it was killed from harpooning. Some say it was simply a miracle. Archeologists confirmed the location of Biblical Nineveh in the mid-19th century near Mosul in northern Iraq. Today, YouTube includes many a story of people seemingly surviving being swallowed up by whales. At least for a little while. Look for yourself.

Some suggest that the story of Jonah is an allegory. With Jonah as the figure that represents Isreal. The large fish as the Babylonian world power that swallowed up Isreal. Nineveh as the conversation of the Gentiles. Jonah’s complaint as the objection by the Jews to the inclusion of those Gentiles. That is the last chapter of Jonah. A reminder to us when we find ourselves thinking others are less deserving of God’s mercy than us. Another sermon, perhaps.

I see the real message of Jonah for us is that Jonah is reluctant. Like some other Old Testament Prophets. Moses had five excuses when God calls him. Basically saying, I am not good enough. I do not have all the answers. People will not believe me. I am not a good speaker. I am not qualified. The Prophet Jeremiah noted he was only a boy.

All of us, despite being baptized, despite coming to church and seeing ourselves as Christians. We remember times when we looked the other way. Failed to speak up against injustice. Failed to call for repentance. Ran from the city, workplace, or political structure where God is calling us to be and work. Much like Jesus’ disciples. Today we read Peter immediately followed. Later he denies even knowing Jesus.

Christianity Today film critic Alissa Wilkinson tries to bring love to work. Writing, “Love bids us to care for and identify with others beyond the point of our own comfort.” As citizens of God’s kingdom, we are challenged to love, care for, and identify with people beyond the point of our own comfort. The bothersome colleague at work. The immigrant worker at the grocery store. The teenager struggling with her sexual identity. The reclusive neighbor who never shovels his sidewalk. Wilkinson values films that do not mention Christianity, but focus on love and justice. Both are kingdom values. She says the “divine initiative” is God’s redemptive plan for the world — a plan that began with Israel and continues with the church.

Matthew’s Gospel ends with Jesus telling his followers to baptize all nations. To teach them everything he has commended to them. To remember he will be with them always and to the end of the age. Former Yale Divinity School chaplain Will Willimon wondered about the last statement in Matthew’s Gospel, I will be with you till the end of the age. is it a promise or a threat? He said, “You can’t escape from this mission. God is putting the world right and God has set us right so that we might be right-putting people.” We do this by putting the values of the kingdom into action in our daily lives. It begins today for us.

Jo Guerrerro tells of her five-year-old daughter, Barbara, behaving poorly and being sent to her room. Later, going in to talk with her about it, her teary- eyed daughter asks, "Why do we do wrong things, Mommy?" Jo responded, "Well, sometimes the devil tells us to do something wrong and we listen." (Or someone else tells us to do something wrong and we listen.) "We need to listen to God instead." Her daughter replied, "But God does not talk loud enough."

Sometimes it seems that way. It it that God is not speaking? Is it that we are not listening. How does God speak to us?

Our Old Testament lesson from 1st Samuel, presents God calling Samuel. Earlier in 1st Samuel, Samuel’s mother Hannah could not have children. But her husband Elkanah had another wife Peninah . She has sons and daughters and provokes Hannah. God hears Hannah's prayers and opens her womb. She gives birth to boy and names him Samuel. Meaning, "God has heard." In thanksgiving, she dedicates Samuel to serve the Lord. To be raised in the Temple, by Eli, the priest. God blesses Hannah with three more sons and two daughters. Each year, when Samuel's mother and father go to the Temple, Hannah gives Samuel a linen Ephod to wear. The clothing worn by priests. Then, as was read today, God calls Samuel. Not once but three times. Samuel mistakenly believes Eli the priest is the one calling him. Running to him each time.

Only after the third time, does Samuel answer God by saying "Speak for your servant is listening." Samuel answer's God's call as a child, later becoming the last of the Judges to led Israel. Before the Judges, during the time of Moses, followed by Joshua, there was no centralized government. God raised up individuals to deliver Israel from enemies. The Biblical book Judges, coming before 1st Samuel, tells us of twelve judges. Samson was a judge. Remember the story of Samson and Delilah? First Samuel tells about the final judges. Eli and Samuel. After Samuel, the people of Israel demand to be led by a King, like other nations against God’s wish. So, Samuel anoints King Sayl and later King David. Like Moses, Samuel is also is a prophet. Someone who speaks on behalf of God.

That is significant. As our reading from 1st Samuel begins, "The word of the Lord was rare in those days, visions were not widespread." Why. Was it because God was silent? Or was it because people were not listening? Distracted by other things. Other motives. Other priorities. Much like today.

God does not always speak to people in dramatic ways. The Bible tells us of people audibly hearing the voice of God and other ways God speaks. I never heard the voice of God in a direct audible way. Yet, I feel God called me to serve as a pastor. Faults and all. How? Family. Raised by Christian parents. My Grandmother often saying, "When one door closes, God will always open another.” The work of lay people. My first Sunday School teacher I still call "Miss Judy." Pastor Jo Irvin during my early teen years,

Saying, "You are going to be a Pastor one day." His words planted a seed despite my insistence that if I was going to spend eight years in higher education, I would be a doctor or lawyer. Not a pastor. A professor at Drexel questioning if we would take a job we hated if we had to work it our entire life, just for the money. Co-op jobs that made me think about using my gifts and abilities for a higher purpose. A huge banner put up by the Neuman Center Roman Catholics in Drexel’s main hall. Listing stage after stage of life, followed by the question, "And then what? " Death is listed with one last, "And then what?" Loving to serve as a volunteer tutor in West Philadelphia School. God spoke to me though the voices of others and even a banner.

Once in a while someone comes to me to talk about hearing God's voice. Often uncomfortable or worrying how I would react. Knowing they would not want to discuss that with their doctor. I believe God does still speaks to people that way. But the the Bible suggests God also speaks through dreams and visions. The entire book of Revelation is based on visions. And the Bible shows God speaking through others, like the many prophets in the Old Testament.

In today’s Gospel lesson, from St. John, Jesus is calling his disciples. But he does not always call of them directly. Right before today’s reading, he called Andrew, who then connected Simon with Jesus. In our reading, Jesus has called Phillip. But then it is Phillip who calls Nathaniel who cannot believe Jesus is the one Moses and the prophets of the law wrote.

The Messiah. The Christ. How could he possibly come out of Nazareth. Come and See.

Going to church It is about coming and seeing. Coming and hearing. Before we go, tell and do. I never considered hosting exchange students. And would not have were it not for a student’s application answering a question about volunteering. Saying, "Whenever my pastor calls, I am there." That led the organization to send the application to churches. A year later I decided to do it again after reading an application that said, "My friends do not see the value in going to church but it keeps me grounded and gives my life meaning and purpose.” The student later admitted that his father made him write that. How many of your parents, at least sometimes, made you go to church against your will. Somehow, though that you came to see Jesus. And he found you.

I performed many memorable baptisms. At St. Mark, a three-year-old got away and ran behind the altar. Mom chasing around it until dad stepped in. A baby right at birth at University of PA Hospital being rushed underground to Children's Hospital for surgery. Kim Seaman's adult baptism here. We talked about it a couple times no date was set. Kim was unsure how many to invite. After remembering our baptisms, during the sharing of peace, I was moved to ask Kim if she wanted to be baptized. She said yes, when? I said right now. She nervously agreed. The sanctuary was filled with joy filled as her husband Evan held their son Sloan as he helped fill the shell with water.

After the service, Kim Shared it was the anniversary of Kim's father's death. Reminding me of St. Paul's words from 6th chapter of his letter to the Romans. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” “If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his”

I once baptized a dead premature baby about the size of my hand. The grieving mother asked. Of course, I agreed. Not for the child. But for the grieving parents. Believing in a loving God, our theology suggests this stillborn child had no need for baptism. In the first chapter of Jeremiah, as he is called, God proclaims: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

In today's Gospel, Jesus is baptized by John. People have wondered about that ever since. Matthew's Gospel says that John would have prevented this, saying, "I need to be baptized by you and yet you come to me?" After Jesus suggests it is proper, John consents and baptizes Jesus. When Jesus is baptized, the Spirit descends on him. The heavens are torn open. Mark's and Luke's Gospel say a voice from heaven proclaims, "You are my beloved Son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased." Others must have heard and saw this, or it would not be recorded. Matthew's Gospel says the voice from heaven proclaims "This is my beloved Son," for the benefit of the crowd. And so, Jesus ministry begins.

So why baptize? I dare say that God has no need of our baptism. But we do. We need to hear. We need to know. Whether it happens right after emerging from the waters of the womb. Or later in life. In the waters of a river or a font. By sprinkling or full immersion. We need to be baptized. We need to hear again and again and remember that we are loved by God. Remembering our baptism.

In this sacrament, commanded by Jesus in his closing words to his followers, you are connected to the body of Christ. We are the present day community of Christians. The physical presence of Jesus in the world today. We are children of God, no less loved and accepted than Jesus.

God’s word tells us Baptism makes us dead to sin and alive to God. That does not mean that once baptized our lives are perfect or will be without pain and suffering. The verse after today's reading speaks of Jesus being driven out in the Wilderness to face temptation. Jesus prevails. Often humans do not. Suffering is part of life. Whether caused by our actions or the actions of others. Right after his temptation, Jesus calls his closest followers and begins his ministry of teaching and healing. Jesus’ ministry that continues through your actions. Through your voices. You are the voice of the Lord for some people. Your actions matter. Laughing Pastor blogspot.com suggests:

Many people and churches treat baptism as a one time event that happened once upon a time.

Baptism is a daily event.

"I was baptized." This is important to claim.

"I am baptized." This is what baptism is all about.

Today I want to jump in the font. I want to drink in the living water of God's covenant. I want to remember what was at my baptism when I was five and I want to experience today the death and the promised life. I want to wake up tomorrow with the joy that though I will surely die again, God will patiently breathe into me life again and again.

I died today but I am alive.

I am alive but will die again tomorrow when I open my mouth or turn away my eyes. I will die tomorrow but God will meet me again with new hope.

Baptism is a daily sacrament.

I will not turn away, run away, hide away.

I will turn to, run to, come out of hiding to God

The God who promises and promises, and never ever lets me go.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development is the longest study of happiness ever conducted. Its directors published a book "The Good Life" detailing the conclusions of their study. Any ideas as to their answer as to what gives lives purpose, meaning and happiness. Relationships. The stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying, and healthier lives. In your baptism, you are connected lots of people. Including the brothers and sisters in Christ you have gathered with this morning.

What is the worst gift you ever received? Time magazine once ran a story listing bad gifts. One woman shared that her mother-in-law always bought her other daughter-in-law expensive makeup. And gave her the gift that came free with it. Another shared receiving a waffle iron from her husband -so she could make him homemade waffles.

Billions of gifts are exchanged during Christmas. The Magi, the wise men, visit the Holy family. Bearing costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Mentioned only in Matthew's Gospel, Matthew tells us they visit Jesus in a house when he is about two years old.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, known as "Dr. Seuss, wrote about gifts in the book, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” These words stick out: The Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling: How could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags! He puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more!"

We gather this night because of God's gift to us is greater than any gift found under the tree tomorrow. God so loved the world. God gave a timeless gift to the world. Jesus. Born in Bethlehem. We gather with a manger scene before us. The angels first announced God's gift to the Shepherds. "The First Noel" carol labels them as poor. Scholars are not so sure. Shepherds were respected early in the Biblical narrative. Later their testimony was not accepted in court. They may have been viewed as unclean and uneducated. But in Jesus' time, they provided unblemished sheep for Temple sacrifices. And Jesus would later calls himself the Good Shepherd

Rather than wrongly labeling people. Thinking they are all the same. We would do better focusing on why and how the shepherds came, rather than who they were. They came because of good news of great joy. To you is born this day a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. The Shepherds received the gift well. Luke’s Gospel says they came with haste. Excitement. They share what they saw. Mary also received the gift well, despite the complexity of her situation. Placing the newborn King of the World in a manger, a feeding trough is somehow appropriate. Because Jesus is food. Jesus is nourishment for a sometimes hungry, dark, and scary world. Jesus' birth is just the beginning. On this Holy night, remember that Jesus’ life and message stretches beyond the manger. Beyond the cross. Because God raised Jesus from death to life, Jesus continues to live in us and through us. Continues to provide what the world and our lives need. Hope, peace, joy, love, grace, forgiveness.

A Christian Century magazine article noted humanity’s poor reception to God’s gifts. In the beginning, God creates the world.

But Adam and Eve decide they want to be like God. Later, the prophet Hosea describes people misusing agricultural gifts.

The prophet Ezekiel describes people misusing the gift of the sabbath and the land. All too often we ignore, or forget about God’s gifts. Wanting more stuff. Sometimes the church focuses on maintaining the institution rather than caring for people. Or thinks Jesus came to us only because God's chosen did not accept him. God’s covenant with Abraham and Sarah, shows God’s love to God's chosen people. In the manger, God shows love to the whole world. Gifts do not need to be given at the expense of others. Think about teachers who give knowledge to class after a class.

Can we treasure and ponder the gift of Jesus, sharing it again and again?

The late Norman Vincent Peale, author of "The Power of Positive Thinking," spoke about two men standing on Fifth Avenue in New York close to Christmas. One expressed anger at the traffic. The other said, "The romance of it is astounding. A baby born to poor peasant parents in village halfway around the world with no social standing. Yet 2,000 years later that little baby creates a traffic jam on Fifth Avenue. Rather than irritating you It should fascinate you."

May the Christmas story continue to fascinate and inspire you. Even if we have more questions than answers. Because Jesus continues to change lives.

In God's Downward Mobility, Jon Stroman speaks of a man in a nursing home. Empathizing with his complaining.

Life was difficult. Without visitors, he felt lonely and neglected. A nobody. But Stroman notices Christmas cards on his wall. A poinsettia plant. Asking about them, Stroman learns that last night members from a local church came by and sang Christmas carols. The resident smiled as he said, "At Christmas time, I am somebody."

May we all remember, treasure, and ponder all that surrounds the birth of Jesus. Unto you a Savior is born. Unto you, in your ordinariness, weariness, fear, or anxiety, Jesus is Emanuel. God with us. At Christmas time and every day. Because of Jesus, you are somebody. You are a child of God. Never alone.

Nearly 40 years ago, Mark Lowry wrote the lyrics for a Christmas song about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Many a Christmas carol focuses on the angels, shepherds, wise men and of course baby Jesus. But few focus on the teenage girl who gave birth to Jesus. Born and placed in a manger nearly 2,000 years ago. Lowry's song reached Number 6 on CCM Magazine’s Adult Contemporary Chart when first recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band in1998. The song begins with a series of questions: JAMIE STARTS PLAYING TUNE AND SINGING WHEN I FINISH WORDS BELOW.

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know

That your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you’ve delivered

Will soon deliver you?

I doubt Mary knew. A young probably mid-teen girl. Engaged, to Joseph, but not yet married. According to Matthew's Gospel, not yet living together. Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus tells us that Joseph initially was going to dismiss Mary quietly. Before an angel speaks to him, convincing him to marry her. While Mary is not mentioned so much in Carols, Joseph gets less attention.

Perhaps because after Jesus' teen years, the biblical narrative makes no mention of Joseph. He was likely older and long dead when Mary stands at the foot of Jesus’ cross.

Twice in today's text, Mary is described as a virgin. Once Mary asks the angel Gabriel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” This evening, reading further ahead in Luke's Gospel, after she gives birth, Mary treasures the words of the shepherds. Pondering what they mean. Not knowing exactly why, how or what was going on even as the story unfolds through her. Sometimes, we find ourselves in similar situations. Pondering. Thinking. Wondering. Trying to figure things out.

Ever look at a large map on the street or in a museum or mall? First you look for the “You Are Here” arrow. Then you might still not be sure where you are, let alone where you are going or how to get there. I still struggle to use Google Maps. An angel tells Mary she was going to have a baby. We, too, are often confused in present predicaments. Asking, “How long am I going to be working at this dead-end job?” “Why am I still in this relationship?” “When am I going to figure out what to do with my life?” Why won’t this physical pain end. We look at our world and wonder. How will things turn out in Gaza and Ukraine? Often, like Mary, we’re clueless. But maybe that is o.k. Sometimes it is better to not know what lies ahead, simply trusting God will be there too. Being a follower of Jesus includes uncertainty.

How life unfolds is dependent not only on our actions, but also on the actions of others. Much is totally beyond our control. Everything can change at the blink of an eye. Leaving uncertainty and fear.

Mary was chosen, not because of any status or fame. She was chosen because she had a heart for God. Saying, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.” I am sure it was not easy for her. Parenting is rarely easy.

When Jesus was 12, in Jerusalem for Passover, he is separated from Mary and Joseph. Lost for three days. When Mary and Joseph find Jesus, he says to them “Why were you searching for me?” “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Luke's Gospel notes that they “did not understand what he said to them.” Even as Mary “treasured these things in heart.” One wonders what Jesus even knew of himself at that point. What had Mary and Joseph told him? Had God spoke to him as child? Jesus' questions and answers amaze the teachers in the Temple. Sometimes I am amazed at the questions and answers of the kids in Confirmation Class. Jesus calling the Temple God's house or the Father's house does not prove Jesus already knew he is the long-awaited Messiah. God is referred to as Father in several places in the Old Testament, long before Jesus. So, this question of what Mary knew and when it might also be asked of Jesus. . .

Giving Mary more attention is a good thing. Scholars suggest the Bible is 95 percent male-oriented.

Not surprising, considering all the books of the Bible were written during a male dominated culture. The most recent more than 1,900 years ago. Of 1,426 names in the Bible only 111 names are women. But remember, not so long ago in our country, women only received the constitutional right to vote in in 1920! We lift up Mary, not because she was a woman. We lift her up because she trusted in God.

She did what the angel Gabriel asked. Despite a likely scandalous pregnancy, she believed her son was going to be someone special. The angel Gabriel told her, “You will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Because Mary believed, God did not have to find someone else. We can celebrate today.

And so, the story continues with us and through us. Claimed and loved by God as we walk through our lives. Following the Great I am. Like Mary did. Even when we don’t know what will come next.

(Credit is due to Leonard Sweet for the inspiration and outline of this sermon.)

In today's Gospel, the religious leaders are sent out into the wilderness to ask John, a basic question. Who are you? John answers who he is not. He is not the Messiah. He is not Elijah. Not the prophet. He is the voice crying in the wilderness.

If someone asks you, “Who are you?” How do you answer? If give your name, what does that tell about you? You can state your occupation. But we are all more than our job? Most experience retirement. You can state a relationship. I am so and so's son, daughter, mother, or father. I am so and so's spouse. Couples in church directories were once listed Mr. and Mrs. with the husband's first and last name. The wife's name appeared afterwards, in parenthesis. How to announce a newly married couple still generates discussion. Regardless, who we are is also about more than our relationships with other people. It is also about more than our accomplishments. However great they may seem, most will eventually be forgotten. Hearing John asked “who are you”, might we reflect on our answer to the same question?

Years ago, Marva Dawn spoke at a conference, I attended. The presenter introduced her, noting her accomplishments as a respected theologian, author, musician, preacher, and educator. Marva then took the podium, graciously thanked the presenter, and said, “I prefer being introduced as Marva Dawn.

“A child of God.” Imagine, our world today, if people truly saw each other and treated each other in that way. Especially people that are different or with whom they disagree or are at odds with.

In John's Gospel we heard. "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light." The Gospel text we read focuses on John the Baptist who makes it clear that the one who comes after him is the one is the one to know. For John says he is not even worthy to untie the thong of the sandal of one to come. Jesus

Focusing on John, our selected Gospel reading skips verses 9 to 18. These verses that focus on Jesus. Reminding us that Jesus is the true light, which enlightens everyone. That the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. That to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. Because the Word became flesh and lived among us, we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. In this omitted section, John's Gospel notes we have all received, grace upon grace. That no one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known. So that we might know who God is. What God is like.

In the busyness of getting ready for Christmas, contemplate what it all means. What life is about. Who we are.

Who God is. Can we define who we are in relation to Jesus. Immanuel. God with us. A time will come a for all of us in this world, when that is all that matters.

Leonard Sweets shared the story of children in a Russian Orphanage hearing the sory of Jesus for the first time in 1994. Two Americans, like John the Baptist, went to "to testify to the light." At Christmas, they told of Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn. Giving birth to Jesus. Placing him in a manger. They gave each child a manger scene to assemble. Six-year-old Misha put two babies in his manger. Saying that since he had no place to stay. No mom or dad. No gift to bring. He decided to keep Jesus warm. He would stay with Jesus always.

• The cancer biopsy may come back positive.

• The final exam may be marked with an "F,"

• The spouse may never return.

• The dream of success in business vanish

• The late-night long-distance call announce death, not birth.

• A shouting match may disrupt family harmony

• It might be another lonely holiday season.

But as Leonard Sweet suggests, as long as there are two babies in the manger, we are never completely without companionship or support. Sometimes our lives testify to the light. Sometimes others are witness for us. Watch for it, this Christmas.

Don’t expect a Christmas card in the mail from me. I don’t send them, but I like decorating my home with the cards I receive. Even if fewer show a scene from the Christmas story, or anything religious. I bet none of them you receive will show John the Baptist preaching in the desert in the dead, barren wilderness of Judea. By the Jordan River. Would you want to see this animated, prophetic figure dressed in camel hair and eating wild locusts on a card? Or a card announcing a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. Matthew and Luke’s gospel tell the beloved story. The story of Pageants. I saw one at Zion Lutheran last evening. Complete with dreams, Mary, Joseph, Angels, manger, shepherds and later wise men. A child is born to us! Glory to God in the highest! That is what Christmas is all about. Jesus is the reason for the season. John’s gospel takes Jesus back to the beginning of time. In the beginning was the Word…. Jesus, John’s opening lines proclaim. But Mark’s gospel begins by recounting the prophet Isaiah’s words. Seeing them fulfilled in John the Baptist. Mark said this is the beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark mentions no dreams, no Bethlehem, no Mary, no Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds, choirs of angels to Magi. Mark’s story of Jesus begins with John the Baptist. A prophet blaring and baptizing in the wilderness of Judea. John is a messenger.

Who do we see as prophets and messengers in our time? Gandhi, who led the people if India to throw off British rule through nonviolent resistance? Martin Luther King, Jr. who spoke of the dream of a nation where people would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Oscar Romero hearing the cry of the poor in his EL Salvador, acting to bring hope and justice. Nelson Mandella and Bishop Desmond Tutu; leading South Africa from apartheid to freedom. Billy Graham, preaching to the masses. Saying, “We’re suffering from only one disease in the world. Our basic problem is not a race problem, not a poverty problem, not a war problem. Our basic problem is a heart problem. Changing and transforming hearts.” Who might be prophetic for you? Someone on the other side of the political aisle who challenges us to be prophetic? Maybe U.S. House of Representatives member AOC, challenging the level of Israel’s response in Gaza? O r Mike Johnson, speaker of the house saying we do not have a gun problem, we have a heart problem.

John the Baptist pointed the way to Jesus. A prophet, a messenger for God, to the people of his day. Many voices are prophetic. How might we use our voices in prophetic ways? Can our lives reflect Jesus’ ways? Can we be messengers for Jesus?

I read that you can step across the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota where it begins as a small stream. This huge river begins small. Similarly, the message of Jesus has raised up nations and bright them low. Launched and defeated armies. Started large social movements and destroyed others. Jesus movement began with a few followers, who grew to tens of thousands. Then, following his death and resurrection numbered in the hundreds. Until the spirit came. Enabling it to grow to change the world. Changing and continuing to change the lives of billions of people.

DO you know the Charles Dickens story, “A Christmas Carol?” How many times have you seen it? Scrooge, the main character, lives a miserly existence. Withholding money, love, kindness, warmth, and friendship. One night, Scrooge undergoes a profound crisis. Seeing vivid visions, ghosts of his past, present and future. His experience prompts a dramatic change. Leading him to be generous and compassionate. It is a hopeful story. Reminding us all that we can break free from our pasts. Our wrongs. Our self-centered ways. We can be kind and compassionate, humble and hospitable, joyful and generous. In “An Alternative Future,” Gregory Knox wonders; Did the story of John the Baptist influence Dickens? Does it influence us?

I do know one thing. Jesus Christ, the one John points to, influences and continues to influence each one of us. That is why we are here today. Baptized by water and spirit. Marked with the cross of Christ. Part of the Christmas story may rub off on us. That we might be messengers for Jesus, despite our faults. That others might see a little of the grace, love, and forgiveness of Jesus in us.

Dr. M. Scott Peck's book The Road Less Traveled, begins with the statement, "Life is difficult." In a sequel, he begins by saying: "Life is complex." Both statements are true. Life is both difficult and complex as we gather here on this first Sunday of Advent. But, Advent is a season of hope. A time to wait, watch and hope for the coming of Christ. About 700 years before Jesus' birth, as we read this morning, the Prophet Isaiah cried out, "Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down." During this season of Advent, we remember God coming down into our world through the person of Jesus Christ. Becoming God with us. Immanuel. Sharing all of the physical and mental joys and challenges of life. Before Jesus, and without Jesus, God is at best remote and distant.

But we read as the Gosepl from Mark today may surprise us. Hearing Jesus talk about the end times. The sun darkened. The moon not giving its light. Stars falling. The powers in heaven shaking. The Son of Man Coming in the clouds with great power and glory. Rather than reading a Gospel text than a text that precedes Jesus' birth. Advent begins the church liturgical year. For the next year, our Gospel texts will usually come from Mark. Mark's Gospel begins with Jesus' Baptism. Mark includes no birth narrative. But even in other years, where the early Advent texts come from Luke or Matthew's Gospel, the focus is on the end times. John the Baptist’s call to prepare, including some harsh words. Why focus on the end times at the start of the church year, right before Christmas?

Even if our world seems a bit crazy right now in the Middle East and Ukraine. In such times, people suggest to me we are in the end times. Raise your hand if you ever had someone suggest that to you. Wanting to strike up a conversation about the end of the world. Frankly, I have never been one to focus much on the end times. The conversation often makes me uncomfortable, because I can always think of worse times in history. And, I have always wondered more about my immediate future. Being at the bedside of many as their lives ended, doing a will, I wonder more about how and when my life will end.

I have pointed many to today's Gospel text when they wanted to talk about end times. Look at what Jesus clearly says here. About that hour no one knows. Not the angels in heaven. Not Jesus, the Son. Only the Father. To focus on the timing is wrong. It misses the point. But, to be aware. To keep alert. To keep awake. This is part of the Advent theme of waiting, watching, and hoping for the coming of Christ into our world. Not just at the end of the time. But in the here and now. I believe we all need to have our eyes opened. To be reminded of the presence of Christ in the present . Not just the future. Again and again. Especially as we are so busy preparing for Christmas. So that we do not miss the true reason for the season. So that Jesus might be born in us.

Advent is to be a time of personal preparation for Christmas. So, prepare your hearts as well as your

homes. Maybe pick up one of those Advent devotionals. Be attentive to worship.

Join us caroling. Or just visit someone you know is lonely. Show some compassion to a person or people in need. See the face of Jesus in the face of your loved ones. Be they newborn, young, or senior. See the face of Jesus in the face of someone who really annoys you. Or someone you might need to change your relationship with. Or forgive. Or ask forgiveness from. In the midst of the busyness remember who this is all about. Jesus.

A mother and daughter went Christmas shopping. The crowds were awful. On a tight schedule, they skipped lunch. Toward the end of the day, mom was hungry, tired, and her feet were killing her. She was getting more and more irritable. As they left the last store, she turned to her daughter asking, "Did you see the nasty look that salesperson gave me?" Her daughter answered, "They didn't give it to you, Mom. You had it when you went in."

Can others see Jesus in us? Take time to think about that during this Advent season. Remembering, as Isaiah proclaims, “You Lord, are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Todd Jenkins wrote the poem, titled “Twas the beginning of Advent”

'Twas the beginning of Advent and all through the Church Our hope was all dying-- we'd given up on the search. It wasn't so much that Christ wasn't invited, But after 2,000 years we were no longer excited.

Oh, we knew what was coming-- no doubt about that. And that was the trouble-- it was all "old hat."

(The poem ends on a hopeful note. So, I encourage you to take a copy available in the Narthex and read it and reflect on it. This week.) For those reading the sermon, it continues below:

November brought the first of an unending series of pains With carefully orchestrated advertising campaigns.

There were gadgets and dolls and all sorts of toys. Enough to seduce even the most devout girls and boys. Unfortunately, it seemed, no one was completely exempt From this seasonal virus that did all of us tempt.

The priests and prophets and certainly the kings Were all so consumed with the desire for "things!" It was rare, if at all, that you'd hear of the reason For the origin of this whole holy-day season.

A baby, it seems, once had been born In the mid-east somewhere on that first holy-day morn. But what does that mean for folks like us, Who've lost ourselves in the hoopla and fuss?

Can we re-learn the art of wondering and waiting, Of hoping and praying, and anticipating? Can we let go of all the things and the stuff? Can we open our hands and our hearts long enough?

Can we open our eyes and open our ears? Can we find him again after all of these years? Will this year be different from all the rest? Will we be able to offer him all of our best?

So many questions, unanswered thus far, As wise men seeking the home of the star. Where do we begin-- how do we start To make for the child a place in our heart?

Perhaps we begin by letting go Of our limits on hope, and of the stuff that we know. Let go of the shopping, of the chaos and fuss, Let go of the searching, let Christmas find us.

We open our hearts, our hands and our eyes, To see the king coming in our own neighbors' cries. We look without seeking what we think we've earned, But rather we're looking for relationships spurned.

With him he brings wholeness and newness of life For brother and sister, for husband and wife. The Christ-child comes not by our skill, But rather he comes by his own Father's will.

We can't make him come with parties and bright trees, But only by getting down on our knees. He'll come if we wait amidst our affliction, Coming in spite of, not by our restriction.

His coming will happen-- of this there's no doubt. The question is whether we'll be in or out. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Do you have the courage to peer through the lock?

A basket on your porch, a child in your reach. A baby to love, to feed and to teach. He'll grow in wisdom as God's only Son. How far will we follow this radical one?

He'll lead us to challenge the way that things are. He'll lead us to follow a single bright star. But that will come later if we're still around. The question for now: Is the child to be found?

Can we block out commercials, the hype and the malls? Can we find solitude in our holy halls? Can we keep alert, keep hope, stay awake? Can we receive the child for ours and God's sake?

From on high with the caroling host as he sees us, He yearns to read on our lips the prayer: Come Lord Jesus! As Advent begins all these questions make plea. The only true answer: We will see, we will see.

We celebrate Christ as King the last Sunday in the Church’s liturgical year before Advent begins. Does it feel like Christ is King? Seeing what is going on in Ukraine and the Middle East? When the U.S. has broken another school shooting record? Are you ever tempted to just avoid watching the news or picking up a newspaper?

Has it ever really felt as if Christ was King? Other than maybe when he rode into Jerusalem? And then many had the wrong idea of what kind of King Jesus is. Pope Pius XI created the festival in 1925 in response to rising secularism, atheism and world discord. Setting aside a Sunday for people to remember Christ as King did not prevent WW II.

The Gospel text on Christ the King Sunday sometimes seems out of place. In our 3-year cycle, last year it was a crucified Jesus, hanging between two criminals mocked by the religious leaders. The King of the Jews sign over his head seemed sarcastic. The year before it was Jesus being questioned by Pontius Pilate whether he was King. Pilate seemingly had all the power. In this year’s Gospel text, Jesus speaks of his second coming at the end of time, judging people by what they have done or failed to do. Being judged makes us all a bit uncomfortable. Thankfully, this judgment is up to Jesus alone. Through the cross, we know Jesus is about love, grace, and forgiveness. Yet, do we worry whether we have done enough to be counted among the sheep?

Those blessed and told to come. Instead of those counted among the goats. Those cursed and told to depart.

Often in the midst of human need, we stand by and watch. Not wanting to get involved in someone else’s problems. Overscheduled lives crowd out the spiritual side of life. Making time for worship is hard enough, let alone finding time to serve our church or other charitable organizations. Rushing to make our next appointment can blind us to the beauty of God’s creation. Stop and think of a time you walked away from a need rather than respond to a need. But also remember a moment where you responded? Acting or not acting has a way of staying with us. Both groups ask the “when” question. Reminding us what we do for the least we do for Jesus.

How many of you saw the movie Saving Private Ryan? Deemed one of the best war movies ever made, inspired by true stories, it tells of a group of army men, led by Captain Miller, looking to bring Private Ryan home. After his 3 brothers were already killed in the war. Before a wounded Captain Miller dies, he tells Private Ryan, “Earn this. Earn it.” At the end of the film, decades later, an elderly Ryan is shown addressing Miller’s grave saying, “Every day I’ve tried to live my life the best I could. I hope that was enough." When his wife approached, he begged her, "Tell me I'm a good man" to which his wife immediately replied, "You are." We gather here because none of us by ourselves are enough. All of us are in need of God’s grace, forgiveness and mercy.

All of us need to be reminded again and again of what Jesus did for us. That we let go of what we did or have not done that is wrong. Again responding to Jesus’ love. Jesus said, my Kingdom is not of the world. And Jesus also said he came into the world to testify to the truth. Jesus reigns through us. One of the verses from his Sermon on the Mount can be sometimes translated, blessed are those who know their need for God.

How many of you are nervous about next year’s elections, raise your hands. O.K. Many of you. Regardless of which side of the political aisle you find yourself on. Maybe not liking either of the choices. Elections matter. They have consequences. But Whoever is in the Oval Office. Whoever controls Congress. There is something we would do well to remember. The one who is our Lord, Savior, and King is not found on any ballot.

Yesterday, I saw a large campaign-like poster with the words, “Jesus, 2024. Our only hope.” Intrigued, I searched the internet finding it is part of a 2024 march for Jesus. There was much to like about this event. And yet the more I looked into it, the less I felt it comfortable. I feel it defined far too clearly what one must believe. Fundamentalist churches would be fine signing on. Yet some of the requirements seem to run counter to what Jesus proclaims in today’s Gospel. All the nations are gathered before the Son of Man when he comes in glory. Nothing is said in today’s Gospel about certain people needing to believe a certain way. What is discussed are actions.

Actions that flow from faith and belief in a loving God made known to us in Jesus.

Have a favorite museum? I bet it is not the Museum of Failure, now in Washington D.C. People pay about $20. Most laugh at many of the exhibits. But museum curator, Samuel West, suggests it is not meant so much to be funny as it is to remind us that taking risks, and not fearing negative voices resistant to change leads to progress and innovation.

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells a story about a man going on a journey. Entrusting his property to his slaves. Old Testament professor Samuel Adams notes that slavery in all periods of human history remains a tragic, complex, and essential topic. The word “slave” in the Bible refers to everything from forced labor to domestic service. Some slaves were captured during the war. Others voluntarily enslaved themselves to escape poverty. Unlike the American experience, slavery was not always permanent nor race-based. Relatives could pay to free slaves.

In the parable, slaves may be like servants as the man entrusts his property to them. One receives five talents, another two, another one. Each is given according to their ability. Those given the most traded and doubled what they were given. The one given the least buries it. Does nothing. When the man returns, the two who doubled their money are praised. Being told well done. Called good. Trustworthy. They are given more. The one who buried the talent is condemned.

As each was given according to their ability, he apparently had one-half or one-fifth the ability of the others. Being called wicked, worthless, and lazy may not seem fair. Burying money in Biblical times was much like putting it . . .(under the mattress) today. Douglas Hare’s Commentary on Matthew's Gospel notes this one slave shows no love for the master. He is only interested in himself and security, not service.

Realizing that even one talent was a huge sum of money helps explain the parable. A talent was equivalent to about 20 years of a laborer’s wages. So even the one given the least was given much. His master trusted him with one-eighth of his property. In addition to criticizing his master, the slave says, "I was afraid." How often does fear of failure hold us back? How often do we underestimate our ability to bring change? For our lives to make a difference?

Steve Jobs wanted John Sculley to help him fulfill his dream of building Apple into a completely different kind of computer company. John Sculley was comfortably serving as CEO of Pepsico. Enjoying a secure future, the idea of a career change and West Coast move frightened him. But Jobs said to Scully, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?" That question penetrated the heart and mind of John Sculley. He went to work for Apple Computer, helping it grow into one of the most successful corporations. Making computers more accessible to the masses. Sculley's life and the computer world were forever changed because he took the risk.

Fred Craddock says, “The major themes of the Christian faith - caring, giving, witnessing, trusting, loving, hoping - cannot be understood or lived without risk." Caring, giving, trusting, loving, and hoping involves taking a risk. Opening up oneself to a relationship with another takes risk. Especially if we do not know them well. Or relate to them, simply because they have a need that we chose to address in response to God's love.

Jesus' parable calls us to use the gifts that God has entrusted us with. Individually and as a church. That is why Advent opens our doors to just about any group that needs space. It puts our building at risk. But how can we not, be blessed with a gym and parking lot? The kind of facility many much larger and wealthier congregations would love to have.

In the Bible, talents refer to money. We use that word differently. Created as children of God, each of us has many talents beyond money. Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner claims IQ tests measure one or two forms of intelligence. He notes seven forms: Linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, interpersonal, introspective, musical. The body of Christ can use them all. Trusting in Jesus, what risks are you being called to take to share your gifts? To open yourself up to a new or different relationship.

How many decisions do you make each day? Various sources claim an adult makes 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day. It might depend on their spouse. The number may be exaggerated but Cornell University researchers claim adults make 226.7 food decisions each day. We have free will in matters big and small. Choices can define us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids taking their lamps and waiting for the bridegroom. In the bible, a bridegroom and a wedding represent God’s relationship with us. When the bridegroom is delayed, the bridesmaids get drowsy and slept.

Ever been drowsy or slept on the job? Remember these lines: “The Red Cross blood bank told me this might happen. My powernap was suggested by the time management class you made me go to.”

But in Jesus’ story, sleeping is not the issue. All ten slept. The issue is that when there was a shout, “Look, come out and meet him.” Only five woke up prepared to meet the bridegroom. Only five were wise and took an extra flask of oil beyond what was in their lamps. They were ready to go. The foolish ones miss out. Going to the dealers and buying more oil. Not getting back in time.

In “Ten Sleepy Women,” Richard Todd explains first-century Jewish weddings. Back then, the bridegroom was more central than the bride. They paid for all expenses. A Jewish wedding had 3 parts. First, a formal engagement/betrothal, was often arranged by the parents. Later, the formal religious ceremony took place in the bride’s home. Finally, the wedding banquet took place in the bride’s home. Finally, the wedding banquet took place at the house of the bridegroom. After the ceremony or weeks later. This feast might last 7 days. The bridegroom would first come get his bride. They walked together. It was an elaborate, social event. The bridesmaids would take part in the “welcoming ceremony,” lighting the way with lamps. Not being on the road to welcome the bridegroom and bride was a major faux pas.

Today’s celebrate bulletin introduction says Jesus is telling a parable about his second coming. There is a need for readiness at all times. The coming of the bridegroom was delayed but was still and eventual reality. In speaks of the kingdom of heaven, rather than Kingdom of God, Jesus seemingly giving a future tense. But when Jesus teaches his followers to pray: Thy Kingdom Come. Thy will be done. He says on earth as it is in heaven. He says give us this day our daily bread. Not some day in the future.

Bring prepared is important. It is the Scout Motto. We get flu shots. Make family “escape plans” for house fires. We keep emergency roadside kits in our car trunks. We participate in “fire drills.” Stockpile bottled water, canned foods, medications, batteries, and blankets. But Scouts do not just learn all kinds of skills here at Advent on Monday nights. They put them into practice. Going out camping and hiking.

Christians have been waiting for Jesus to come again for nearly 2,000 years. Leonard Sweet notes, “Jesus is here today. Jesus was here yesterday. Jesus is going to be here tomorrow. When we are awake and alert. When our lamps are trimmed to shed some light. We see Jesus in prisons, along the highways, in our schools and neighborhoods, at the foodbank, in the soup kitchen, at the office, in the hospital.” Sweet suggests that we may be short of the oil of kindness and compassion. Or the oil of patience and long-suffering. Or the oil of education and instruction. The story is not about the relationship between the prepared and unprepared bridesmaids. Those who are prepared, know that the “bridegroom” Jesus is coming.

With Jesus we are a part of a wedding banquet. A party. As Christians we are called to “be prepared”-not just for the trials and tribulations that grab the headlines. But also, for blessings. Making choices that make a difference in other’s lives. That our own lives might have meaning and purpose. Until we meet Jesus again. Whether that be in this life or in the world to come. In Jesus’ name.

Today is set aside by the church as All Saints’ Sunday. As part of our celebration, we name those saints who have died since last year’s All Saints’ Sunday. Faithful followers of Jesus who have gone before us. Those now enjoying everlasting life with God. Most, when thinking of saints, first think of saints in heaven. Our reading from the book of Revelation provides a vision of a future heaven. The Roman Catholic church created a complex process to declare someone a saint. Proposing one sainthood in the Roman Catholic requires providing evidence of that person’s virtue. Along with at least 2 miracles performed by the intercession of the person after his or her death.

But in the Bible, the term “saints” refers to living individuals who have dedicated themselves to the worship and service of God has revealed through Jesus. Rather than describing dead people as saints, the Bible points to saints who are living here on earth. In his letters found in the New Testament, whenever Paul speaks of saints, he is talking about the members of the church. A group of people who’ve been chosen by God and set apart to do God’s work in the world. That is you and I.

Eugene Peterson’s book, “The Pastor,” includes a description of how his spouse sees herself in relation to the church. She defined what it means to be a member of the body of Christ. A member of any church. A member of Advent. Through this description. Peterson presents church membership as a vocation. A way of life.

Participating in an intricate web of hospitality. Living at the intersection of human need and God’s grace. Inhabiting a community where all are welcomed, all are noticed and matter. Where the stories of Jesus are told. Where people who thought they have no stories or meaning find that they do have stories and a purpose. Being a church member means our stories are part of Jesus’ story. Placing us at a busy intersection between heaven and earth.

So, on this day, we also remember the living saints. Present-day heroes. Those like Bette Midler addresses in song saying, “Thank God for you, the wings beneath my wings.” We remember those baptized in the past year. Thos newly claimed by God to be God’s children. As we read of 1 John. Beloved, we are God’s children now, what we will has not yet been revealed.

After Pope John Paul II died in 2005, millions gathered for his funeral in Rome. A shout spread through the crowd. It also appeared on hand painted signs. “Santo Subito.” Do you know what that means? “Sainthood Immediately.” It is good Lutheran theology. Luther suggested that as followers of Jesus, we are all saint and sinner at the same time. The Apostle Paul refers to the recipients of many of his New Testament letters as Saints. Romans, both letters to the Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians all include the term saints in their opening address. The church in Corinth experiences significant theological and moral problems. So, who is declared a saint may surprise us.

Just as we may be surprised by who Jesus describes as blessed in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus says, “The poor in spirit. Those who mourn. The meek. Those who are persecuted, all are blessed.” We might think sure, if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, if we are merciful or pure in heart, then we deserve God’s blessing. But God’s blessing is not earned. It is given to us despite our actions or inactions, and the cross reminds us of God’s presence, even, maybe especially in the tough times.

So, as we read in Psalm 34, Fear the Lord, you saints of the Lord. This is not about being afraid, it is about respecting God. Giving God time and attention. Recognizing God chose us and set us apart.

Leonard sweet says God did this so we might live a Santo Subito life. A sainthood immediately life. Among saints at work in the church and the world. As Christians, despite our sin and flaws, we are declared to be holy people, serving a holy lord. Through our Faith in the Lord Jesus. Through our love of God’s people. Through our hope of experiencing God in our tomorrows. As the entertainer Gracie Allen said, “Never put a period where God has placed a comma.” God is not finished with any of us yet. Thanks be to God!

Peru, mid 1400’s, 140 children and 200 animals sacrificed to appease the gods in response to unusually bad weather. Europe, 17th century, the earth was said to be the center of the universe. Saying otherwise, Galileo was called a heretic. Late 19th century doctors gave “schedule 1 drugs” for the common cold and saw no reason to wash their hands before medical procedures. Eighty years ago, smoking was declared healthy. The video “Everything You believe is based on what you’ve been told,” notes the Earth is a cemetery of people that once were. And a cemetery of ideas and beliefs no longer held to be true.

Forty years ago, I watched a movie in middle school science class predicting another Ice Age. This week, I read a book to 2nd graders at Penn wood as a Rotarian, about a fix chasing falling leaves. I read the fox climbs up the tree and wondered, can a fox do that? I asked the kids. Some kids said yes, some said no. The teacher, with her doctorate, said they could be in a fictional story. I looked on the internet to verify they can, and they do! But earlier the internet told me of a former German chancellor Schroder coming up with a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia in 2022. Only to have it killed by the U.S. It was believable until I learned it was written by the Russian press.

The concept of truth has been dying a slow death. In the early 2000’s comedian Stephen Colbert coined the term “truthiness.” Merriam-Webster declared it in the word of the year in 2006. In 2016 the phrase, “fake news,” led Oxford dictionaries to name “post truth” word of the year.

Politicians and political hacks speak about alternative facts. Saying the truth isn’t truth. Arguing over the definition of sexual relations. An April 2017 Time Magazine Cover asked, “Is Truth Dead?”

Not at all. In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Jesus is saying these words to Jewish followers. Jews who believe in him. Not all Jews rejected Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. In John’s Gospel, Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, first questions Jesus. Later he defends him. And finally helps give Jesus a proper burial. In today’s Gospel, these Jewish followers claim they are descendants of Abraham. Relying on their ethnic and religious tradition for status. They say they have never been slaves to everyone. Thinking they are already free as descendants of Abraham. Ignoring their history of Moses freeing them from Pharoah.

Commenting on today’s text, Fred Craddock writes: tradition gives security, direction and identity. Tradition provides the narrative into which one is enrolled. Whoever cannot remember any further back than birth is an orphan, dislodged in the world. Tradition provides an agenda for a community’s life. Tradition offers criteria for evaluating the fads and claims of each generation. Tradition brings the past into the present, making the past alive, available, and nourishing. One does not relinquish tradition easily. Tradition can serve as a rudder or guide. When it serves as an anchor, it keeps us from being open to the present and future.

On reformation Sunday we remember Lutheran tradition. Celebrating Luther’s response to a messed up sixteenth century church. The Pope had replaced Christ. The sale of indulgences had replaced repentance. Church dogma and human rules had replaced the Bible. But this is not a time to criticize the Roman Catholic Church. Faults and all, it passed on the Gospel story of Jesus Christ, century after century. From the earliest days of the church. Even if scholars doubt Peter was the first pope. This is also no time to say we are descendants of Luther. Or that we have never been slaves to anyone. In John’s first letter we read if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. The truth is not in us. Think about how often our sin has enslaved us to make poor choices.

Luther knew called the church reform and knowing it has to be ever reforming. Ever changing to adapt to remain relevant to an ever-changing world. Yet first and foremost Luther pointed us to Jesus as the Word made visible. That we might know forgiveness. That we might know we are loved. That we matter. That we might know a God who meets us in the lows of life through the cross. Just as resurrection promises us new beginnings in this world and in the world to come. That we might truly be free. Maybe not fully knowing exactly what we believe, but knowing in whom we believe. Jesus the Christ.

Because of the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. With Jessus guiding hearts and minds, just as he has for nearly 2,000 years.

Jesus says to the Pharisees and Herodians, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s.” the Pharisees were Jewish religious leaders. They saw Jesus as little more than Mary and Josephs son, not the long-awaited Messiah. The Herodians were political leaders appointed by Rome. They governed the various regions of Palestine during the first century. Seeing themselves as Lord’s and Kings over the Jewish people. Supporting the somewhat Jewish, often despised King Herod Antipas. Despite what they say, neither thought highly of Jesus.

Usually bitter enemies, they come together to try to trap Jesus surrounding the issue of taxation. Asking “ is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” The pharisees resent that the tax supports a pagan emperor and oppressive government. The Herodians know refusing to pay the tax will be seen as a call to rebel against government. Making him guilty of sedition. Answering yes will anger Jesus’ followers.

Aware of their malice, Jesus has them provide a coin, asking whose head is on it. Rather than answering yes or no, Jesus gives a sort of “both-and” answer. “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, give to God, the things that are God’s.” Debbie Thomas suggests the coin already belongs to the emperor because his face is stamped on it, so, give it to him. But then consider the harder question: What belongs to God? What kind of tribute do we give to God?

As human being created by God, we bear God’s image. We owe God everything – our whole and entire selves. Thomas suggests that today, families, communities, and churches are splitting over political and cultural differences. But, Jesus, the one who calls himself The Way, shows us a different way. The way to live in the language we use or abuse. The stories we share or silence, the people we oppress, the sins we confess or indulge, the truths we proclaim or deny. The way we go makes a difference in the world.

In our current political situation can we listen to our opponents with genuine curiosity and compassion? Thomas suggests that as image-bearers of a loving, forgiving, and gracious God, we owe God the very grace and generosity God extends to all of us. Living out our political convictions with a Christlike humility. With a compassion that embraces our political others as a brother or sister. Belonging to God, fashioned in God’s image, can we practice our faith and our politics in ways that reflect who God is? Not backing down, being dishonest, or watering down our beliefs. Rather remembering that the God whose image we bear is a God of love. Giving the emperor what belongs to the emperor. While remembering God is a power that will remain long after earthly empires rise and fall. Our first and highest debt is to love.

Mary Anderson suggests, we must both challenge the emperor and cooperate with Emperor, our government today. Martin Luther King wrote: “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state and never its tool.”

The library of congress has an exhibit: “religion and the founding of the American republic.” Contrasting between our founders rich multifaceted understanding of what it means to be an American and our own. The exhibit notes our founders’ concerns about our shortcomings as a nation. Motivated by this concern, early presidents periodically declared national day of fasting and repentance as well as days of patriotic pride. Our celebrations of our Independence on the 4th of July and other great victories continue on this day, but not national days of fasting and repentance. It is a shame, because in addition to our citizenship as Americans in this world, we have a true citizenship in heaven. We have an American flag in our Church, but the cross stands front and center.

In an invocation prayer at the United States Senate, Peter Marshall once said, “Lord Jesus, you are the way, the truth and the life. Hear us as we pray for the truth that shall make us free. Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved, but also to be lived. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. It costs too much to be hoarded. Make us to see that our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please to do what is right.” In Jesus name.

If 90% of life is showing up, what do you do after you show up? Jesus’ parable may address that.

The Gospel of Luke presents Jesus telling the same story, in a simpler and less militant way. In that story, those invited were just predisposed. With land, oxen, and a marriage. No killing. Just seemingly reasonable excuses. But we also know that some people always have an excuse for not being available. Raise your hand If you know anyone like that.

Sometimes we offer excuses when we feel God is calling us to act. Feeling too busy or, for whatever reason, unwilling to be a part of God’s work. Then God called someone else because God is always at work in the world. Using the hands, feet, and voices of those who answer the call.

In today’s Gospel from Matthew, as in Luke’s version, preparations for the marriage feast are not going well. Those originally invited were more than just not interested. While some went about their business, others attacked and even killed those who brought the invitations. The Old Testament of the Bible tells us the people of Israel often responded to God and the prophets this way. In the parable, the king destroys them and their city. Jerusalem was destroyed in the year 70. Following Jesus’ death and resurrection, Gentiles, non-Jews, made up most of the newly forming churches. Another group. A larger group.

The parable tells us these new people included the bad as well as the good. Today, churches often say everyone is welcome. A new proposed welcome statement for Advent is in our bulletin. The banquet in the parable is all affirming and inclusive. Until one of the guests fails to wear a wedding garment. He is shown the door. Weeping, darkness, gnashing of teeth. Somehow that seems unfair. At least he came. What if he was poor and could not afford such a garment? How do we understand the wedding garment?

Did your parents make you dress up for church? Put on your best for God! As I worshipped in Bruehl Germany with my second exchange student, he talked two of his friends into joining us before we all came back to the US together. The Gospel with this parable was read. After figuring out what the text was, I tried to understand the sermon. I knew enough German to realize the preacher said not wearing the wedding garment was like wearing ragged old jeans to church. Guess what the three teenagers were wearing. An African-American family started to worship with my former congregation after their church closed. Visiting with them, the wife said she was taken aback by how casually many dressed for church. Her husband challenged her. He said that growing up, every Sunday his mom and aunt spent considerable time talking with her sister about what each woman wore. Is that what church is to be about if God accepts us just as we are? Choir members and worship leaders in more formal churches wear robes, NOT to stand out, but rather so their clothes do not distract. So, what do we make of this wedding garment? In the early church, St. Augustine said it represented love. Luther saw it as faith. Calvin said it was faith and works. Some scholars suggest suitable garments were freely provided for wedding guests. At Willow Valley, having lunch once with seniors, I wore the collar and a nice sweater. That was not enough. Entering the dining room, they quickly put a suit jacket on me.

In “When Showing Up is Not Enough,” Micky Anderson notes that in the New Testament, clothing often represents spiritual change. In Romans, Paul writes, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Rom 13:14). In First Corinthians, “The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality (I Corinthians 15:53). Colossians states, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). First Peter admonishes, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (I Peter 5:5).

Sam Wells suggests that in the early centuries of the church, when Christians heard the word robe, they thought of one thing. The baptismal robe. How many of you were dressed in a gown when you were baptized, or even put your kids in one? According to Wells, Baptism is not just a ceremony with words and water, it is a new social location. Putting the rest of one’s life in jeopardy in order to enjoy the wedding banquet. It means making a difference. Not that God is overwhelmed, and we ought to give up a bit of our spare time to help out God’s divine action in the world. Not that we can ever earn God’s love. Rather that God has already made the difference that matters in Christ. So, as Gandhi said, “Be the difference you want to see in the world.” As beloved, baptized, accepted children of God, reflect on the closing words of worship, Go in Peace. Serve the Lord. And open your eyes to God’s call this week.

How many of you have ever played the board game Monopoly? Mary Pilon wrote a book titled: The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game. Pilon notes the initial version was known as the Landlord’s game – invented in the early 1900s by Elizabeth Magie. She wanted to teach players about the evils of monopolies and land ownership. Landlords often get a bad rap. However, in Village Voice paper in New York ran an article noting that for every bad owner, there are equally evil renters. Ones who seek extension after extension for rent payments. Ones that always play their music loud. Ones who put holes in the walls or paint and remodels without permission. Compulsive hoarders with few cleaning standards. There are slumlords and slum tenants.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a story. A parable about a landowner. A landlord who plants a vineyard. Put a fence around it. Digs a winepress. Builds a watchtower. The leaders, especially the religious leaders know our reading from Isaiah 5. Where God’s people, the nation of Israel is equated with being the vineyard. That bears wild grapes and is destroyed. So, the religious leaders see this story as being directed toward them. Leading them to want to arrest Jesus on the spot. But they cannot, fearing the crowds. Jesus’ story summarizes their history. Their scriptures, our present Old Testament. Which tells the story of consistent disobedience. God’s repeated mercy and pleading. The tenants of the vineyard beat, stone, and kill the landowner’s servants.

Just as Israel had done to the prophets God sent. And the same will soon happen to Jesus. Jesus is in effect publicly predicting his execution. His will be the next death in the live of the rejected prophets of God.

Leasing land for farming was common in Biblical times just as it is today. This is not about the landlord being absent. He did lots of work to set up the vineyard. When the harvest comes, he simply wants what is due to him. The rent, so to speak. Because the vineyard belongs to him. There are many stories circulating of churches borrowing neighboring parking lots of businesses that are closed on Sundays. Only receiving permission to park 51 out of 52 weeks. One week, the lot will be chained off. Why? To remind the church who owns the lot. We need reminding.

Therefore, the parable speaks to us as it is today. Today we are the tenants in God’s vineyard. God’s world. Leonard Sweet suggests that as tenants, we are entrusted with two things: the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our own personal, worldly goods. Both come from God. Both are to be used in service to God. The Gospel is the message that despite humankind’s universal rebellion against God’s authority, God desires a relationship with us. For God so loved the world. God sent Jesus.

Through the cross, the entire world is welcome to enter the vineyard and labor under God’s love. God has not only blessed us through that message. God wants us to share it.

All things – the clothes on our backs, the dollars in our wallets, and even the rented ceilings above our heads belong to God. Are on loan to us from God. As the Psalmist writes: The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1) As the apostle Paul writes to Timothy “We brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” (1 Timothy 6:7). Or as my mom would sometimes say to me when I complained too much about something being mine. Close your eyes and what you see is what is yours. In reality, everything we have in this world belongs to God. It is simply on loan to us.

So how are we doing as today’s tenants in God’s vineyard? Steve Molin suggests the rent God seeks from us is our time. There are 168 hours in a week, can we spend an hour in worship each week to give thanks? Can we invite someone to come along. The rent God seeks is our abilities. We have been gifted with amazing talents, skills, and abilities. Instead of coveting someone else’s talent, can we see what we can do to make a difference? The rent God seeks is a portion of our money. God asks that we wisely use what we have and return a portion of it to the work of the kingdom through church and charity. The rent God seeks is righteous living. Son and greed and selfishness are all too often our ways. Thanks be to God that though we are imperfect tenants. Like those Jesus first spoke too, we know the landowner. Jesus shows us God is compassionate and gracious. That God has and continues to forgive us. And so, we press on in faith.

As he applied for a handyman job, the applicant was asked, “Can you do carpentry?” “No.” “How about masonry?” Again, the answer was, “No.” “Well, what about electrical work or plumbing?” “I don’t know anything about those either.’ Finally, the potential employer asked, “What IS handy about you?” Know the reply? “I live right around the corner.” Sometimes the greatest ability is availability. To be where God can call us. To answer the invitation, the summons to act is often the first step to follow Jesus.

Words alone are often not enough. In today’s Gospel, when the scribes and Pharisees question Jesus about his authority to teach, he tells them a story. A man had two sons; He sent the older son to work in his vineyard. The son refused to go but later changed his mind and headed for the fields. Not knowing this, the father sent his second son to do the work his brother refused to do. The son said he would go but changed his mind and never set foot in the fields. “Which one did the will of his father?” Jesus asked.

The religious leaders knew the answer – the son who headed for the fields. Jesus answers them saying prostitutes and tax collectors, seen as the worst of sinners, would enter the kingdom before they did. Suggesting these religious big shots, known for their words, were short on deeds.

Christians hearing this story must realize that it is more than an attack on the leaders of the synagogue. Much as we might like to direct this parable to others. Pointing fingers. To other churches, leaders, people, or denominations. But this parable is addressed to each of us. Because it is easier to call Jesus “Lord” than to do what our hearts tell us that God is calling us to do.

This story follows Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Jesus casting the money changers from the temple. Cursing the fig tree. Questioning if John’s baptism was heavenly or of human origin. Roger Lovette warns against holding this parable at arm’s length. Shaking our heads at the bad guys who ran the religious institution back then. This judgment is equally directed at all of us who claim the name, Christian. And the church.

Mary Anderson notes that in order to live by the word, we must believe the Word is living. All too often we try to close the canon of God’s mission in the world. Making all of God’s revelation tense. Behind us where we can look at it. She suggests we seemingly make God one who can be sent to the taxidermist. Proudly mounted on the wall. But then the animal is dead. Even if it has eyes that seem to follow you across the room. To believe that God is living and active in our world is to believe that God is not finished with any of us. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day do not see God at work in John the Baptist. They miss the incarnation. God becoming flesh. God assuming human nature. Becoming fully human. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the second person of the Trinity. Who emptied himself for us on the cross.

Ever find yourself wishing you could have been to Bethlehem? To see the stars and angels singing. One of the shepherds of wise men who came to see the baby Jesus. Ever find yourself wishing you could have been there with Jesus as he taught and performed miracles? Would we have seen? Or would we have missed it? Would we have been the ones yelling to crucify him?

The religious leaders of the Gospel are us. When we believe all of God’s activity in the past tense. Denying Jesus by failing to hear God’s call in the present. Failing to act. Both sons are us. So, we come here to focus on God’s actions in the past and receive Jesus around this table. To gain strength and a renewed sense of purpose for the week that lies ahead. That we might turn and live. Obeying Jesus’ command to love our neighbor as ourselves. Remembering how Matthew’s gospel ends Jesus, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore…”(Matthew 28:18). Teaching not just with words, but also by how we live.

Roger Lovette’s son went to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia to see Jimmy Carter teach Sunday School. He stayed for the worship service and sent his father the bulletin. Roger was surprised when the bulletin noted Rosalynn Carter will clean the church next Saturday. And Jimmy Carter will cut the grass and trim the shrubbery. There are many ways for each of us, forgiven Christians serve in our daily lives. And at Advent. Like donating blood yesterday, or assembling prizes for the Bingo at Fair Acres, using what so many of you brought. Dropping of a coat. In a world that is so divided, never underestimate the church’s power, Advent’s power to bring people together to do good.

At a council meeting, in my previous church, a member confronted me. Is it true that another member and her daughter went free to the weekend retreat? Wondering how she found out, I admitted, yes, it is. It is just not fair, pastor. No one else got to go without paying. I noted our policy stated that money should not stand in the way. Some paid less because some Senior members gave me money so less financially secure families could send their children. I had announced being desperate for another driver and chaperone. This member volunteered to drive. When that did not stop her grumbling, I recalled the parable we just read. And I reminded the grumbling council member that I had picked her daughter to go free to Bear Creek for a week. On a scholarship provided by another church member. She apologized.

The parable of the workers in the vineyard includes few details. Why does the landowner go out to the marketplace five times a day, including just one hour before the pay time? Why does he bring in all the workers he can find, not stopping to choose those who seem healthier or more motivated. Why does he give the same wage to every worker, regardless of whether a worker began at six in the morning or at five in the afternoon? Could he not have prevented this situation by paying the workers in the order in which they arrived? Those hired first might have left the vineyard not knowing what the others got. Having no opportunity to grumble.

The "upsetment" of the longest workers leads the landowner to ask, "Are you envious because I am generous?"

Envy and jealousy are major character flaws. All too often we define our worth, not just by what we possess or achieve, but also in comparison to our neighbors. Again and again, the Bible has stories of jealousy and envy leading to bad decisions.

Remember Cain and Abel. Joseph. Jonah. In the part of the Old Testament story that we read this morning. Jonah resents that God showing mercy on the city of Nineveh. Yet God forgave Jonah. Jonah had tried to avoid the call to go to Nineveh by sailing in the opposite direction. Sending a big fish to save him from a storm.

The story’s words, "Are you envious because I am generous." They remind us of the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. He refuses to share in the celebration when his wayward brother returns and his father throws a party. Lori Wagner suggests that in the vineyard story, Jesus is showing that God sees all people as equally worth love and favor. God’s grace is not dependent on our systems of justice and fairness. God’s grace is something we celebrate. Not just for ourselves. Also, for the others around us who receive it from God. Wagner says that when we measure ourselves against our brothers and sisters, no good comes of it. We are called to focus on our relationship with God. And our role in God’s mission. Our ultimate worth comes from knowing we are God’s cherished children. God gives to each of us according to our needs, not our merit.

I doubt we see ourselves as the workers who showed up last. Those deemed least deserving. I dare say that most of us identify with the upset, grumbling ones. Maybe wondering if those who received the full wage for working less were thankful and appreciative. But I feel the focus, what shocks us about the story, is not the worker's behavior. Whether they showed up late, or early, Working lots or little. The story is really about the owner. His Generosity. A generosity that flows from his right and nature. It is his alone to decide.

Timothy Thompson wrote a modern-day play on this parable, with a twist. It tells of two brothers competing for work. John is strong and capable. Philip is willing but has lost a hand in an accident. The landowner employs John in the first wave of workers. As he labors in the field, he looks for some sign of Philip.

Other workers are brought to the field, but not Philip. John is grateful to work but feels empty knowing that Philip too needs work. Finally, the last group of workers arrives. John is relieved that Phillip is with them. Philip will get to work for at least one hour. As the drama unfolds, those who came last get paid a full day’s wages. Many grumble. But John rejoices, knowing that his brother Philip will also be able to provide for his family. John throws open his arms. With tears in his eyes, he says, “Thank you, my lord, for what you’ve done for us today!”

In God’s kingdom, the “eleventh-hour” workers and their needs are every bit as important as our own. Sometimes churches have welcome statements to remind themselves of that as well.

Talking about marriage, on man said, “every time my wife and I argue, she gets historical. His friend interrupted, “You mean hysterical.” “No, she gets historical. Dragging up things from the past and holds them against me.” Do you know someone like that? A coworker, a friend or family member, a church member? We all tend to be too historical in our relationships. Recounting with great accuracy, at least in our eyes, every wrong thing a person have ever done, down to the smallest details. But then the pain of the past imprisons us to the point of not enjoying the present or anticipating the future.

Today’s gospel continues last weeks lesson where Jesus provided a method of addressing conflict. First, addressing the offender personally, then with witnesses, then the entire church. In the hope of reconciliation. Now Peter asks Jesus how often he should forgive? Peter answers his own question. As many as seven times? Jewish tradition taught you were entitled to three pardons. Jesus responds not seven times. But 77 times. Some translations read 70 times 7, the original Greek is unclear. Regardless, that is a lot of forgiveness.

In wondering about forgiveness and generosity, Peter thinks about limits. About scarcity. Jesus speaks about abundance. Jesus does not suggest keeping track of the number of times each person in our lives acts wrong to get to the point we do not need to forgive. Imagine the time and effort that would take. To my knowledge, there is no app for that. Nor should there be.

Rather Jesus suggests that forgiveness must become a practice. A commitment. Sustained and renewed as a way of life. Much more than a single action, feeling or thought. Forgiveness occurs through a ever-deepening friendship with God and with others. But it does not come easy.

William Willimon writes: The human animal is not supposed to be good at forgiveness. Forgiveness is not some innate, natural, universal, human emotion. Vengeance, retribution, violence, are natural human qualities. It is natural for the human animal to defend itself, to snarl and crouch into a defensive position when attacked, to howl when wronged, to bite back when bitten.

Jesus continues by sharing a parable. A king forgives a 10,000-talent debt owed by a slave. This slave then fails to forgive a 100 denarii debt owed to him. The amount of the king’s forgiveness is huge. Scholars say a single talent was worth between $1,000 and $30,000. Making the forgiven debt between one and 300 million dollars. A denarii was a day’s wage. The forgiven slave then refused to forgive the small amount in comparison to what was forgiven. We are all like the first slave, when it comes to the forgiveness that we receive from God. That is why the cross stands ever before us. Reminding us of our own sin and brokenness. What we have done and left undone. All too often we are also like the first slave when it comes to forgiving others.

King Duncan suggests that God’s grace enables us to use forgiveness as a positive, creative force. Bringing light, love and grace into an often dark, hurting and scary world. Nobody does that better than God. Who could imagine 2,000 years ago that the symbol of the Christian church would be today’s hangman’s noose, an electric chair. Such analogies keep us from being too sentimental about “the old rugged cross.” A cross is a terrible thing. It was indeed a symbol of suffering and shame. Humanity nailed God’s own son on a cross. What barbarity and evil! Yet, God turned that cross into the way we find salvation. New life in this world and in the world to come. God offers forgiveness. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Abundantly forgiven by God, we are called to forgive.” We are changed.

Yet with all this talk about forgiveness, there are things that forgiveness is not. In “To Live and Forget” Robert D Enright notes:

• Forgiveness is not forgetting deep hurts can rarely be wiped out of one’s awareness.

• Forgiveness is not reconciliation, reconciliation takes two people, but an injured party can forgive an offender without reconciliation.

• Forgiveness is not condoning. Forgiveness does not necessarily excuse bad or hurtful behavior.

• Forgiveness is not dismissing, forgiveness involves taking the offense seriously, not passing it off as inconsequential or insignificant.

• Forgiveness is not pardoning, a pardon is a legal transaction that releases an offender from the consequences of an action, such as a penalty.

Forgiveness is a personal transaction that releases the one offended from the offense. May God in Christ guide your ways of forgiveness.

A Templeton Foundation study on attitudes toward forgiveness found that 75% of Americans are very confident of being forgiven by God for past offenses. Lead researcher, psychology professor, Dr. Loren Toussaint was surprised because many participants did not regularly attend church. Unfortunately, only about half of those surveyed said they regularly forgive others. Despite feeling forgiven by God, we often find it difficult to forgive other people ourselves. Interpersonal relationships are not easy.

Jesus sometimes offers practical advice. Speaking in everyday terms about everyday issues like conflict and relationships. Quarrels, differences of opinion, hurt feelings, disappointments, bent pride, loss of face, and mistakes exist in our worlds and churches. In today’s Gospel, from Matthew 18, Jesus defines a process to address conflict. Beginning with the word “Go” provides urgency to do something. Take action rather than letting it fester. If another member of the church has wronged you, Jesus says, go to the other person alone and point out that they have done wrong. If that does not work, take one or two others with you and repeat the process. They can serve as witnesses if you have to tell it to others. Hope that the offender will realize the pain they have caused, and change. But “if the offender refuses to listen, even to the church,” Jesus says, “Let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Sounds harsh. But remember, Jesus related to gentiles and tax collectors. Reaching out to them, eating with them and loving them. Earlier in the 5th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus outlined a process for resolving conflicts when we are the one that messed up. There he says, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” Jesus gives the same advice to both the victim and the perpetrator. The one who’s been wronged and the one who’s done the wrong. Both are told to go seek reconciliation. If neither does, nothing changes.

Remember that the next time you think, “why should I make the first move? It wasn’t my fault. They are the ones who need to reach out to me. They need to change, not me.” When both sides are absolutely convinced it’s the other persons fault, “it is off to the races.” Finger pointing, the blame game. When there is conflict, ask yourself, “what was, what is, your role?” Whether we are the injured party (as in Matthew chapter 18), or the one whose brother or sister has something against us (as in Matthew chapter 5), Jesus is saying, don’t put it off, go, mend the rift, heal the relationship. Leonard sweet says doing so offers the other a key to profound inner peace in the Lord as we also claim such a key for ourselves.

As a trained Prepare Enrich Facilitator I use a tool that patterns this idea of both sides needing to work to heal a broken relationship. Reconciliation does not take place when we see the issue as us versus them. When we say things like, “How can you?!” rather than, “I feel.” Rather than seeing the other person as the problem, can we see the conflict as the problem. Thinking we might solve it together.

Any ideas on how Prepare Enrich suggests beginning the process? First, discuss and agree on a time to discuss the conflict together. Timing matters. When someone comes home from a stressful day, when tempers are already flaring, that is not a good time. So, find a mutually agreeable time to discuss. Then brainstorm possible ways to solve the issue. Agree to try one way, if that does not work, try another. Sometimes counseling solves conflict because it brings a third person into the situation, a fresh set of eyes, a new perspective, without emotional baggage.

Years ago, working with a premarital couple fighting over housekeeping issues, it was clear to me that one was a neat freak, the other a slob. It was driving them apart before they even tied the knot. Both wanted to change the other’s behavior. One refused to do fun things together on the weekends until the house was clean, the other refused to clean the house until they did more fun things. Battle lines were drawn. They never thought to hire someone to help clean, an easy fix. Of course, not all fixes are easy.

So, remember that Jesus’ words come in the context of God’s amazing grace. He already spoke about the lost sheep and a Shepherd who will gladly forsake 99 to locate the one that got lost. The servant who was forgiven a huge debt and how the debts we are called to forgive pale in comparison.

The Templeton Foundation Health study I mentioned involved the National Institute of Mental Health. They noted a strong link between forgiveness and better health. The more prone a person is to grant forgiveness, the less likely they will suffer from stress related illness.

When Nelson Mandela was released from prison, because of his fight against apartheid in South Africa, he thought, “They’ve taken everything from you that matters. Your cause is dead, your family is gone, and your friends have been killed. Now, they’re releasing you, but there is nothing left for you out there.” He hated them for what they had taken. But then, he sensed an inner voice saying, “Nelson! For twenty-seven years you were their prisoner, but you were always a free man! Don’t allow them to make you into a free man, only to turn you into their prisoner!” Who might you need to forgive and reach out to?

It often seems easier to expect great things from God, rather than attempting to do great things for God.

Peter alone has just confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one, son of the living god. Jesus had just praised peter. Calling him the rock, on whom the church will be built. But now, in today’s Gospel, hearing that Jesus will undergo great suffering and be killed, Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. God forbid it Lord. This must never happen. What name does Jesus then have for Peter? (Satan) Get behind me Satan, Jesus says.

Origen, and elderly church leader, suggests Jesus wants peter to know his place is behind him, not in front of him. He is saying, follow me in the way I choose, not try to lead me in the way you would like me to go. Jesus had a task set before him by God. They also had work to do. Jesus says, “if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow.”

In his book, “Life on the Roller Coaster,” John Deam puts it this way: “get on this new thrill ride with Jesus. There will be many dangerous twists and turns in the track, but Jesus’ promises it will never be dull when you put someone other than yourself first. Not so much with what YOU want, but what God wants for you. It won’t be easy. Sometimes it won’t be much fun. But it will never be boring.” As the Prayer of St. Francis ends. “For it is in dying to self, that we are born to eternal life.”

Lutheran Pastor, theologian and dissident Deitrich Bonhoeffer was hanged after being accused of taking part in a plot to assassinate Hitler. In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, he explains the difference between cheap and costly grace. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance. Baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship. Grace without the cross. Costly grace Is the disciples leaving their vocations to follow Jesus. Costly grace is the Gospel, sought. The door at which one knocks. It is costly because it condemns sin. Grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, costing God the life of God’s Son on the cross.

Have you ever said this is my cross to bear? Leonard Sweet speaks against seeing that the cross as your illness or chronic physical problem. He says the cross is not something that befalls us in the daily course of things. Situations over which we have no control or foolishly bring on ourselves. Cross-bearing is a voluntary act of discipleship. Cross-bearing always involves the “picking up” part, or the “taking up” part. The cross is something we choose. We can pass the cross and leave it behind – leaving Jesus behind as well. Or we stop, pick up the cross and follow Jesus.

In “Today’s Christian,” Shirley Shaw tells Terry Lane’s story. A successful cabinet maker, his business prospered to the point his staff of 40 needed more space. Building a new 25,000 square foot plant in Jacksonville, Florida. Worked great until the burglar alarm sounded night after night. Broken windows, bullet holes, stolen equipment, vandalism. The plan very close to the Cleveland Arms” a 200- unit subsidized housing project. Police were hesitant to go there. It housed many felons, drug dealers, and prostitutes. It was named “the rock,” because crack cocaine was prevalent. Lane felt God was calling him to somehow show love by helping the children. He bought basketballs, wrote “Mr. Lane loves your and Jesus loves you, and throwing them over the fence. No reaction. One day, some kids saw him taking a break and starting to run. Lane invited them into the plant for a cold drink. A couple days later 16 kids came looking for him. Eventually 35 children would come into his office after school instead of going home. Coloring or doing crafts around his drafting table. Many had addicted parents who left them to fend for themselves. Undisciplined without structure and little motivation to attend school or church, Lane mentored them. Ten years later he sold his share of the cabinetmaking business and started the Metro Inner City Sunday School, then started youth and teen programs. He moved into Cleveland Arms establishing a community center. Feeding over 145 children physically, academically, and spiritually.

Picking up the cross and following Jesus need not be dramatic. Small acts of love live out our faith. Listening to the neighbor kid’s troubles. Going to a committee meeting to help guide the church. Tearing down a wall and moving it to help expand the preschool. Wiring some outlets to enable better use of our facility by WCCEC.

Thinking about the movies or video games we pay to see or play. Tuning out the ones where violence rules. Speaking against injustice, even if it threatens relationships with neighbors, family, or our employer. Joining a carpool, or taking public transportation for the sake of the environment. Giving up an evening or afternoon to make a difference in a senior’s life by playing Bingo or singing hymns with them. Writing cards to shut-ins or people you are praying for to let them know they are not alone. Teaching Sunday School, chaperoning youth group, setting up the altar, sharing your musical gifts, lightning the candles on the altar.

On this Labor Day, remember whatever your vocation. And that includes retirement, you can pick up the cross and make Jesus part of it.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus, and for a time Peter, walk on water. How do we make sense of miracles that seem to challenge modern thought and science?

Troy Van Voorhis, a chemistry professor at MIT, argues that faith and science both help us understand how the universe works. He gives the following example. You could ask, “Troy, why is your shirt purple?” I could answer this in a scientific way: “My shirt is purple because there is a high concentration of 6.6 dibromo indigo in the fibers that were used to weave it.” I could test that hypothesis by attempting to remove the dye from the shirt. Demonstrating the molecular reason why my shirt is purple. However, I could offer another explanation: “My shirt is purple because my wife thinks I look quite nice in purple.”

The concept of miracles is part of our modern scientific age. Almost all of us have used or heard of products called Miracle Whip, and Miracle Grow. We regularly call great human, scientific, and medical achievements miraculous. Rather than getting stuck on how to understand this miracle of Jesus and Peter for walking on water, let’s contemplate how today’s text speaks to us.

Today, we know the Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake in the world, surrounded by hills. It is known for storms that can come up suddenly, and then end all of a sudden. The context of today’s Gospel would inform us that disciples are tired. They had wanted to go to a deserted place, but the crowds followed. Then after a long day of Jesus teaching and healing people, they want to send the crowds away for dinner. Instead, Jesus has them witness 5,000 people being fed with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Now Jesus goes up to a mountain to pray while they battle the sea, waves battering the boat. Jesus appears to them, mistaken for a ghost, and they cry out in fear. Jesus tells them not to be afraid. Words that are said in some form, 365 times in the Bible.

Peter seemingly wants to put Jesus to the test. So, Jesus invites him to come. Peter leaves the boat but when he notices the strong wind, he is frightened and begins to sink, requiring Jesus to save him. Why did you doubt, Jesus asks?

Adam Hearson says he used to assume that Jesus is implying that Peter has doubted him. Because Jesus is present, there is no need to fear. But after wrestling with ambition and wanting to be all in control, Hearson sees it differently. Rather than talking about himself, Jesus is asking Peter why he doubted the boat. Why did he doubt the community? Why did Peter choose a ghost? Hearlson writes, “For those os us who struggle with ambition, the hard part is affirming that some storms require a strong back and some willing hands, without the promise of any recognition. Peter doesn’t wait to see if Christ makes it to the boat in time. He stops rowing and leaves his friends to fight the waves without him. There, alone between boat and shore, he sinks. He has become unmoored by his ambition; however noble it might have been. Then Jesus grabs him and sets him back on the water, but back in the boat. I imagine that Peter picked up his oar and started paddling again so that everyone makes it home safely. Many times, as well I have known the moments of realizing that the task is impossible, and I am too limited to carry it out. I have felt the many ways Jesus reaches out his hand to catch me –in the love of family and friends, the sustenance of spiritual practice, the bonds of community, and the moments of unexplainable peace amid the struggle and the failure.”

I think it is significant for us to remember that the church is often portrayed as a boat. The central portion of a sanctuary is called the nave. The Latin word for ship is Navis, and for boat, navicula. Ancient mariners on a boat were the crew. Raising sails, tying knots, pulling oars. If they didn’t know how to do such tasks, they watched and learned from others. If they hoped to get anywhere, they had to share both the work and the decisions. In ancient days everyone believed in sea monsters. A flat earth that you could sail right off the edge. So, it took guts to set sail in a creaky wooden boat. Ancient sailors had to trust in God and in each other. As church members, we do not just coexist. We mix in joyful fellowship and service. We share a common table of bread and cup. Receiving from the same bounty of grace as we worship in community. United in purpose. Sharing and experiencing the glory of God.

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Ever feel as though you have nothing left to give? As if a problem is beyond your capacity to make a difference? If you do, when you do, the story of Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the 5, 000 men plus woman and children might be one to reflect on.

All four Gospel writers tell the story, with some differences. John mentions a small boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Matthew alone suggests it occurred right after Jesus hears of the beheading of his cousin, John the Baptist, who prepared his way. Matthew tells us Jesus retreats, withdrawals to a lonely place by boat, maybe to mourn. But the crowds follow Jesus, and he continues to heal with compassion until it grows late. The disciples want to send the people away to get something to eat. I can almost imagine tired disciples watching Jesus, thinking it will be dinner time soon. Thinking they can have some time for themselves, but Jesus uses this moment to speak to his first followers and speak to us. Those who try to follow Jesus today.

They want to send the crowd off to buy some food for themselves. Jesus responds that they need not go away. You give them something to eat. I can imagine the disciples being surprised, confused, and frustrated. That is often their nature. Don’t feel bad when you struggle to believe when you struggle to follow Jesus. Even wondering exactly who he was. And for us, who he continues to be.

His first followers, who walked with him for three years before his death and resurrection also wondered. Later, in the 28th chapter, as the risen Jesus meets the disciples again and is about to leave them. Judas had already felt remorse and hung himself. But Matthew tells us Jesus’ closest 11 remaining followers meet up with him in Galilee on a mountain, as Jesus directed. Some doubted. Maybe better translated, they worshipped Jesus and doubted at the same time.

If you have your doubts, it is good that you got up and came to worship this AM. It might have been easier to stay home or do something else.

The disciples tell Jesus, “We have nothing-only five loaves and two fish.” Amid personal and societal challenges, how often do we find ourselves answering like that? Excusing our inaction with similar words. Saying “I will pray for you,” and exiting the situation when we can and are called to do more.

How many of you have heard of Tony Campolo? Once invited to a women’s conference where they were being challenged to raise several thousand dollars for a mission project goal. Right before his speech, the chair turned to him and asked him if he would pray for God’s blessing as they considered their individual responses to the goal. Campolo politely refused saying “You already have all the resources necessary to complete this mission project right here within this room. It would be inappropriate to ask for God’s blessing. In fact, God has already blessed you with the abundance and the means to achieve this goal. The necessary gifts are in your hands. As soon as we take the offering and underwriter this mission project, we will thank God for freeing us to be the generous, responsible, and accountable stewards that we’re called to be as Christian disciples.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Bring your nothing to me.” He blesses the fish and bread and proceeds to distribute food to the masses. “All were filled.”

Trygve David Johnson writes, sometimes Jesus is asking us to simply give our nothing, our little loaves and fishes, and then to stand back and watch Jesus teach a different kind of economy. An economy grown by God’s abundance. Johnson also notes that this is not an invitation to be frivolous or live beyond our limits. After the experience of abundance, the disciples still gather up and conserve wisely the leftovers.

I do not know how the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 occurred. I was not there, none of us were. Clearly it was wonderful. Too wonderful to get trapped into a meaningless debate of whether it was a supernatural event or not. Some see it as supernatural; others understand it differently. I believe miracles take many forms…God works in many ways. A God who creates the world can certainly multiply bread and fish.

Others see it as a spiritual feeding, where each person took only a small portion of bread and fish. If it was spiritual, we have a similar opportunity in a few moments as we gather to share Jesus in Communion. Being fed, as we take a small portion of Jesus body and blood at this table in remembrance. Coming together, as have Christians for nearly 2,000 years to celebrate Jesus. To remember, confess, and look into the future, our future with God.

Still, others say it was a miracle of sharing. That Jesus changed hearts and minds, so everyone shared what they had. Maybe it was all three. None of us know for sure. We were not there. But if it was a miracle of sharing, it is certainly one that we can repeat today. And if it was supernatural, well, I guess many will struggle with that. Just like Jesus’ first followers. Thanks be to God we have a community of faith to also walk with us that we might build each other up as fellow members of the Body of Christ.

“Thy kingdom come…” Words from “The Lord’s Prayer.” Jesus’ answer to his closest followers questions, how should they pray? When we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” what do we expect? What are we asking for?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses stories to illustrate what the kingdom of heaven, the Kingdom of God, God’s reign looks like. Margaret Guenther notes that Jesus offers tantalizing bits of imagery for all sorts of people: the plant enthusiast who marvels at the growth produced by one tiny seed, the homemaker baking bread with yeast, the shrewd financier recognizing the ultimate good investment, and the angler catching lots of fish. These images have common qualities. Despite an unremarkable outward appearance, the mustard seed has an astonishing potential for growth. Yeast that doesn’t look like much – has the power to transform all that surrounds it. In Jesus’ time, yeast was actually a small lump of active dough, saved from a previous baking. Sharing these images, Jesus reminds us that the kingdom is already here and will grow. The kingdom is the power of God working in and through us. Permeating our lives. Changing, enlightening, and transforming us.

We live in a society that often values size and quantity. So often, the bigger the better, supersize me. We are overwhelmed by huge social problems such as war and world hunger, racism, discrimination of all kinds, children in crisis situations divisive politics, and so much more.

Brett Bair suggests that tiny seed problems are often at the root of many bad situations. Do you remember what caused the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster? A tiny 3/10-inch-wide rubber O ring failed. A rocket exploded, the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all 7 crew members. So often it is the little things that make all the difference. Tiny viruses the size of a pin head, a failing heart valve the size of a thumbnail, a few votes in an election, an ill-chosen word from a loved one. Do not underestimate the impact of positive little events or actions. A little bit of love can redeem a situation. A little bit of grace can bring about healing. A little bit of patience can enable working with difficult people. Our faith in Jesus, even mustard seed like faith, knowing his grace and love, empowers us to change. “The Mustard Seed and the Yeast.”

Mark Braun asks, if you had ventured a guess about the future of Jesus’ kingdom two thirds of the way through his ministry, how optimistic would you have been? After all, Jesus grew up in a despised province of the Roman Empire. Born before his mother’s marriage had become official. Jesus did not appear publicly until he was 30 years old. Spending most of his ministry time in the commercialized and less religious northern Israel. Away from the power and influence of the Temple in Jerusalem. After two years Jesus had gathered a dozen unimpressive disciples. He gained converts, who were mostly poor and less educated. He also generated passionate opposition from both those in power and the religious fundamentalists. They joined forces forming an unlikely alliance! They had Jesus painfully, shamefully executed on a cross.

Who would ever predict that from such bleak beginnings a great kingdom would grow? Jesus did, as he says the kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed…but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and become a tree, so that the bird of the air come and make nests in its branches.

Lori Wagner suggests that when reading the latter parables, one may feel that Jesus is describing “our job” in finding God’s hidden treasure or our responsibility to value God or the scriptures. But in the context in which they are given, and we can see ourselves as God’s valued disciples? God’s treasure. God’s pearl of great price. Then seeing Jesus as the seeker. Jesus searching for his sheep, pearl, and treasure, without rest. Jesus holds the entire world in God’s care, gathering everyone in that he can. Going to any lengths to net every fish, even rotten ones or dead ones. Knowing we are among them. Jesus so values you, that he even gave his own life to save and restore you, because you are that valuable to God.

This week, in VBS, he spoke of Biblical Heros. Several were rather obscure. Some of their actions, quite frankly, did not seem quite so heroic. They were all far from perfect. Yet, they played a role in God’s plan just as you and I do. As we follow our Hero. Jesus Christ. In his name.

When weeding, to know if you are removing a weed or a valuable plant, just pull on it. If it comes out easily, it is a valuable plant. Or just pull up everything. What grows back is a weed.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the crowds a story. A parable about wheat and weeds. Comparing Gods reign to sowing good wheat seed in a field. In the story, an enemy secretly sows weeds as everyone sleeps. The wheat came up, bearing grain but the weeds appeared. They are simply left to grow together, despite the natural inclination to pull out the weeds. Because in pulling out the weeds, the wheat may also be uprooted.

Letting them just grow together is a surprise. Some form of weed control is part of gardening. U.S. farmers spend about seven billion dollars a year on herbicides. In Jesus’ day, enemies did sow weeds using darnel. It is discovered too late for anything to be done except to start over. So, Jesus’ suggestion to let weeds and wheat grow together led his disciples to want an explanation. Jesus says “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, The good seeds are the kingdom’s children. The weeds are the evil one’s children. The devil is the enemy who sows them. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

As the end of time, Jesus explains, the evil will face a fiery furnace whole the righteous shine like the sun. So how does this parable speak to us today? St. Augustine noted the difference between people, grain and weeds. Do you know the difference?

People can change while wheat and weeds remain as they are. He said that the Lord’s field is the church, where at times what was grain turns into weeds and at times what is weeds turn into grain. No one knows what they will be tomorrow. The late Russian dissident and Nobel Prize winner, Alexander Solzhenitsyn once said, “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds. Then we could separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”

I once read in an article reminding Pastors that it is impossible to be liked by everyone. Think about how many people you do not like for any number of reasons. Maybe they are too different, maybe, even, they are much like you. Each of us is likely to weed in someone else’s garden. During my internship, a strong businesswoman told me, “Vicar Chris, don’t try to please all of the people all of the time. If you do, you will die an early death and a bitter man.”

Pastor Ed Markquart once longed to serve The Church of Our Savior in Washington, DC. A small congregation where members renewed spiritual vows to attend weekly bible study, pray daily, worship regularly, and advocate politically for the poor. Later he said he preferred serving a church wide open to all people. This includes the uncommitted, half committed, lukewarm, confused and puzzled. The materialistic, messed up, addicted, and afflicted. He wanted weeds and wheat in his church because no longer was so sure which was which and who is who.

The coexistence of good and evil is an age-old question. Christians can and should stand up to evil with the promise that in the end, God will deal with it. The parable invites us to question how.

When Billy Graham visited Russia during the cold war, meeting with government and church leaders. Some said he treated the Russians with too much courtesy and respect. They wanted him to be more prophetic, condemning the abuse of human rights and religious liberty. One critic said he set the church back fifty years. Graham replied, “I am deeply ashamed. I have been trying to set the church back 2000 years!”

In Christianity today, Stephen Brown notes that when we see a brother or sister in sin, we do not know how hard they tried not to sin. We do not know the forces that assailed them. We cannot be sure of what we would have done in their same circumstances. God gives us freedom to make choices. To do right, or wrong. When we decide to harm ourselves or others. God first offers forgiveness through Jesus.

In “A World full of Weeds,” James Summerville tells of a Wingate, North Carolina, church starting a trailer park ministry. They decided not to root out sources of evil like chasing down the drug dealers or deadbeat parents. Rather, they put up a basketball net, told stories from the bible, sang to Jesus, and put their arms around little children. Two years later, a note with five words appeared in their pastor’s box, “Adrian wants to be baptized.” Adrian, the always difficult little girl who had made their work hard. Who would have guessed?

Instead of pulling weeds in the field where she lived, they were wheat. Somehow Adrian saw that and wanted it for herself. She was baptized. There was a little more wheat in the field. And would be more through her.

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A farmer visited a government bureaucrat specializing in animal health. Seeking help from the “expert” because ten of his chickens had suddenly died. The expert instructed the farmer to give aspirin to all the surviving chickens. Two days later the farmer returned. Twenty more chickens had died. What should he do now? The expert said to give all the rest of the chicken’s castor oil. Two days later the farmer returned a third time, reporting 30 more dead chickens. The expert now strongly recommended penicillin. Two days later the farmer showed up, reporting that all the rest of his chickens had now died. “What a shame” said the government expert, “I have lots more remedies!”

The world offers many remedies to the problem of stress, many ways to supposedly find meaning, purpose, wholeness, satisfaction in life. There are countless self-help books. Politicians seemingly have plenty of blame to cast and a promise of a solution for every problem. As Christians, we have the Great Physician. Jesus, who offers the comfort and strength we need. Jesus who shows us how to live. Many worldly solutions for the tensions and burdens that we face actually push us down and divide us. Advertisers make us believe that if we just purchase their product, we will be happy. When we comply, the happiness from the product is short lived, at best.

Without faith, we are like the generation Jesus is speaking to. We are talking on the wrong yokes. So might we reflect on Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light;”

We likely see being yokes to something as difficult. Yokes are rigid, they are entrapping. Made of wood, they are hard. In the first century, they made plowing manageable. The yoke in Jesus’ time was often used with oxen. The yoke enables the farmer to provide direction, and to use their strength. In our lives, we actually bear many yokes. Worry, stress, goals, needs, wants, stuff we have to do. They can leave us tired and feeling hopeless. So, what is this yoke Jesus is asking us to take on? How should we understand it?

In “Freedom Through the Yoke.” Billy D Strayhorn tells a story of a child helping their parents with the yard work. Picking up rocks, the child was struggling to pull up a huge rock. Finally, they gave up and said, “I can’t do it.” “Did you use all of your strength?” “Yes, every ounce,” the child responses. The parent smiled and said, “no you didn’t. You didn’t ask me to help.” Together the two of them pulled that huge rock out of the dirt. One of the great Biblical truths is that liberty comes through being yokes with Christ, says Strayhorn.

Jesus is stabilizing force in our lives. Jesus keeps us centered. I picked my second exchange student largely because his letter has said that was the reason, he went to church every Sunday. Unfortunately, when I asked him about it once he was here, he said his father made him write that, but his father knew what I believe those who worship come to know. And Jesus not only adds stability to life, but Jesus also helps us to grow. Jesus meets us where we are, loves us unconditionally. That we might learn, grow, and become better people. That our focus might be on what truly matters.

In “The Making of a Man,” Richard Exely suggests sitting down with a spouse and dividing activities into four categories. 1. Absolutely essential, 2. Important, but not essential, 3. Helpful, but not necessary, and 4. Trivial. Is our focus correct? Pray about it and reflect on it as a child of God.

A Carrie Underwood song well reflects the message of today’s text: Jesus Take the Wheel. The refrain is Jesus take the wheel. Take it from my hands. Cause I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go. So give me one more chance. And save me from this road I’m on. Jesus, take the wheel. Today’s gospel reminds us, Jesus wants to.

Erwin Kreuz headed to San Francisco from Frankfort Germany for his 49th birthday. His flight stopped in Bangor, Maine. A Stewardess finishing her shift to have a nice time in San Francisco. Hearing this, Kreuz, who was a little groggy, a brewer known to enjoy his beer, got off the plane. He took a cab to the city center and wandered around for three hours before he asked for another cab driver to take him to see the Golden Gate bridge. The cab sped away, thinking he was crazy. Eventually, Kreuz connected with Gertrude Romine, who fortunately spoke some German, welcomed him inter her home. Word of this lost tourist spread in newspapers. To the Bangor Daily News, then nationally and the world. The San Francisco Examiner even paid Kreuz to fly out to San Francisco. He was welcomed like a dignitary. The mayor issued a proclamation declaring that San Francisco exists. When boarding the plane to be welcomed back home in Frankfort, Kreuz held a sign that said, “Please let me off in Frankfurt.”

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells his followers, “Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me.” He says that those who welcome a prophet, or a righteous person will receive a reward. Those who give a sip of cold water to a little one will not lose their reward. Placing Jesus’ words into context helps us understand.

Matthew’s telling of Jesus’ story is seemingly organized around five discourses. The sermon on the mount, the mission of the disciples, Jesus telling short stories called parables, the church and the end of time. Today’s Gospel reading concludes Jesus’ discourse regarding the mission of the disciples. The 10th chapter of Matthew begins with Jesus summoning his disciples and followers who are also “sent out.” Sent out to do as Jesus did, preaching and healing. Sent out to whom Jesus refers to as “the lost sheep of Israel.” They are forewarned that their road will not be easy. Jesus views the twelve as being like sheep in the midst of wolves. Facing persecution.

Then, in today’s Gospel, Jesus encourages both those sent out and those at home to receive travelers with hospitality, regardless of whether the traveler is a prophet, a righteous one, or a little one. The categories of prophets and righteous persons seem to suggest extending hospitality toward high ranking or good acting believers. “Little ones” may refer to “ordinary people of faith,” because all are children of God, whether they realize it or not. So much of our world is in disarray because people fail to see others, especially those with whom they disagree, as children of God.

The cup of water represents either a small or a crucial act of charity. Jesus specifies that this water be cold water. In Jesus’ time, before refrigeration, to have cool water, meant a trip to the well. Water kept in the home would get warm quickly. Extra effort, but worth the reward. Some suggest our reward as Christians will come later, in the afterlife.

Those who serve often know a reward experienced in serving itself. As followers of Jesus, we do not serve to get a reward or recognition. We know Jesus already paid the price for us. Giving his very own life on the cross, rising again, meeting us in our daily lives. We serve to recognize our blessing. Having been given the same authority and promise of Jesus’ 12 closest followers. Like the sent-out ones, the Spirit of God is with us in our serving. Despite our fears, anxieties, questions, reluctance, and resistance.

I am relieved to be back from the Appalachian Service Project. As I noted last Sunday, I love physical hard work in my garden. Digging holes, moving trees and plants, pulling weeds, hauling debris to the dumpster, jumping in to make it fit. I do not mind working in extreme heat. However, construction; sawing, nailing, screwing, and following schematics, is NOT my thing. Nor is driving in a van for 8 hours straight. During the workday at ASP, I found myself counting the days, the hours, even the minutes until the next water break, lunch break, or even quitting time.

Yet, at the end of the week, we all had an incredible feeling of accomplishment. A joy, a reward that came from serving. Every single participant in Nora, VA was somehow changed. Somehow positively impacted by their serving. How do I know that? Every single one of us had a story to share on the last evening. Not a single participant took advantage of the option to pass on speaking.

Eighty people, from 14-year-olds to the 78-year-old who was part of our group. My reward? Seeing people who have so little, and many problems still see themselves as so blessed because of their faith. They provided a witness I think we would all do well to reflect on.

From twelve, they grew to 120 as Jesus leaves them following g his death and resurrection. A week later, on Pentecost, their numbers increased by over 3,000. At the end of the first century, 500,000 people called Jesus Christ Lord, and followed. By the end of the second century, their number has increased to ten million, 100 million but the 10th century. Today, 2.5 billion people worldwide follow Jesus. Some have always been excited and supportive of the mission to go and make disciples. Praying to the “the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Churches spend a lot of time, effort and Monday being welcoming, but being welcoming is only part of who we are to be. In today’s Gospel, Jesus goes out into all the cities and villages teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God, curing every disease and every sickness. Jesus goes beyond his circle of family members and friends reach out. Embracing the “harassed and helpless, who are like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus has compassion for them.

Leonard Sweet notes that Jesus say people beyond the labels of people use to self-identify or to define others. The culture then, as today, was a mosaic of competing interests and ethnicities. Then it was the Pharisees and Sadducees; Roman soldiers, guards, and functionaries; political zealots; religious zealots and social outcasts. The lepers, tax collectors, harlots, poor, widows and orphans. Also, the mass of ordinary people. Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Before summoning the 12 apostles, his closest followers, giving them the authority to cast out demons and cure diseases. Sending them out to find the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

You too are sent out as our worship ends. Go in peace, Serve the Lord, Thanks be to God. Leonard Sweet says that going into the harvest today is not about trying to make cookie-cutter Christians. It is not about bringing people into the church. Going into the harvest is not about changing people. It is about engaging people. The place to begin is to identify a hunger, to figure out what is missing, what needs to be filled, what aches for satisfaction. Then, and only then, our job is to take steps to satisfy that hunger with spiritual food.

For you, for Advent, that means going out begins with seeing the people. Matthew tells us that when he saw the crowds, Jesus had compassion for them. All too often the church looks with disdain on those who act, think, look, or behave differently. Are we too focused on survival, on ourselves? Too busy taking care of ourselves to think about anyone else? Failing to see needs that exist as opportunities to be the church in the world, in the communities that surround us. This picture is one of the reasons I go on the Appalachia Mission Trip. I am not one who likes to use hammers, saws, drills, and climb roofs. If only it was gardening.

Leonard sweet suggests we see poor children who would love to take piano lessons, single moms who need an after-school program, people who need divorce recovery classes, finance management assistance, drug rehab, or relief from abuse. See the need. Filling it in the name of Jesus, we announce the good news of the reign of God to the people who need to hear, because we see the people as Jesus saw people.

The best of fathers see their children. Stephen Molin suggests: The best way fathers love their children is to love and respect their mother. They give their children a sense of safety and security. It is more important that a father gives their children time than money. More important to be respected by your kids than to be liked, more important to encourage their interest than to require them to share our interests. He says, “Dads, if you were a fullback but your sons wants to play the violin, you better learn to love the violin!” He notes a father’s responsibility reaches beyond caring for their own children. Jesus expects care for all children, everywhere.

That is so needed in a society where many children do not have a father figure. Maybe some of them are your son or daughters’ friends. How might you make a difference in their lives, as a compassionate follower of Jesus. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The true test of a society is how it cares for its children.” We cannot just be proud that OUR kids have received a great education when other children receive a poor education. We cannot be satisfied that our children get fully nutritious meals when some children go to bed hungry. We cannot be proud that our children have spacious bedrooms when so many children are homeless.

When you go in peace, remember to serve the Lord, and share your faith in word and action.

In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus heals people. He heals Matthew by calling him out of a hated profession. In Biblical times, Rome auctioned the right to collect taxes. They had to collect an agreed-upon sum to support an oppressive government. What they collected above that sum was the tax collectors’ commission. Without good communication, abuse was rampant, making tax collectors universally hated. Jewish law excluded them from the synagogues, and viewed them as unclean, forbidden to be a witness in court cases. They were together with robbers and murderers.

Billy D. Strayhorn notes that when John D. Rockefeller died, a man asked one of Rockefeller’s highest aides, “How much did Rockefeller leave behind?” The aide answered, “All of it.” Following Jesus Matthew had to leave a lucrative career. A comfortable job with a great income. William Barclay suggests that he found honor and adventure. What do we need to leave behind? What burdens or grudges do we need to lay down? What is breaking our hearts? Are there physical or emotional pains that you face? Can you leave them at the cross?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus rushes to make an emergency house call for a very sick, or possibly dead girl, and a large crowd follows. Some hope that Jesus would succeed, others are sure Jesus would fail, and many are curiosity seekers who are caught up in the excitement. On his way, one unnamed woman seeks healing. Twelve years of uncontrollable bleeding left her weak and vulnerable. Mark’s Gospel tells us that she had already been to all the Doctors but got worse as time went on. Doctors took all her money. Luke, a physician, tells this story but leaves that detail out.

Unclean, like Matthew, she could touch no one. In desperation, in faith, she reaches out from the crowd and touches the garment of Jesus. Jesus feeling the touch of a single person is significant. It shows us that despite the enormity of the cosmos, God cares about you and I. That is why Jesus says, “Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you peace.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus announces, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Her faith led to physical healing.

Just as there are different ways to touch someone, there are different ways people are healed. Physical healing is temporary, all of us will one day lose the battle to remain healthy, well, and vibrant, but our relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, is eternal. When Jesus lovingly offered healing, he often physically touched people. An embrace, a hand on the shoulder, a pat on the back, and even a kiss can express a love beyond words. But, in our culture today, we have grown touchy about touching.

In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, we hear that for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing… A time to embrace. To touch. To be present.

Physical connections are important. Touching your spouse, your child, your friend, or your parent completes the relationship.

The Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas experiences a group of babies who never cried. Noting that babies cry because they instinctively know it gets attention. Crying is their way of calling out. These babies were from abusive situations. Crying repeatedly and never getting an appropriate response, they stopped crying. After people from retirement and nursing homes held and rocked them, they cried again. Physical touch makes a difference.

Many claim they do not need to belong to a church or gather for worship to be a Christian. But what about when challenges come? When life fails?

In California, Sequoias and Redwoods reach about 300 feet. Yet, their shallow root systems spider out just under the surface of the ground enabling them to catch lots of moisture. This makes them vulnerable. Heavy winds would bring Redwoods crashing to the ground if they did not grow in clusters and have intertwining roots providing support to one another against the storms. Together, as a church, we can provide similar support to each other.

Pain, suffering, and loss came when my father died. My mom and I wanted to have a simple service. I did not need lots of prayers, Bible readings, hymns, sermons, or the creed. I simply wanted to be touched by the presence of you and my brothers and sisters in Christ. And Jesus, whom we all received together in the bread and wine.

Remember the Abbot and Costello skit “Who’s on First?” A similar skit could be written on the Trinity: We believe in one God. Easy enough. What do you call this one God? “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” But you told me that there is only one God. That’s right! So, which is it? Which is what? Which name do you use for this one God? The name I gave you. But you gave me three names. That is right. What is right? God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The skit could keep going.

The church has celebrated Holy Trinity Sunday since the 10th century. One God, three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A mystery of our faith beyond full understanding. In the Great Commission, Kenneth Collins suggests that faith and knowledge are two different things. Faith creates obedient servants; knowledge creates trivia experts. Maybe Jesus is saying, “Holy your questions, your primary task is loyalty and obedience.” Luther said that denying Trinity endangers your salvation. Trying to comprehend Trinity endangers your sanity.

A fully understandable and full explained God would be small and insignificant. As the hymn, “You Are Holy” states: God is always more than we understand. Many would say the complexity and beauty of the universe points to God as a creator, while science explains the how of creation. Gods word says it was good, very good. That we are created in the image of God, significant, worthy, and loved as part of God’s creation.

The Trinity is about relationships. Remember Jesus called God Abba? Father better translated “daddy,” a close relationship. Jesus said that God would send the Spirit, and there are signs of the Trinity in Genesis at the beginning of creation. In the beginning a wind, a Spirit of Gd sweeps over the waters, and God says, let us make humans in our image. We read Paul’s closing words from his letter to the Christians in Corinth. Words that begin our liturgy. The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. We gather to worship. Not having all the answers but calling on the name of Jesus. Like his first disciples. To baptize, to teach, to pass on the story, to live differently, as children of God. Following Jesus’ examples of love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Loving neighbors. Even those who are not so loveable. Changing the world, one person at a time, one relationship at a time. Through our daily lives, and through our church and its mission to serve.

Lori Wagner notes that the commission Jesus gave to his first disciples has passed to us. It is not new. God gave similar commands to Adam and Eve, to Noah, as he looked out over the land after the flood waters had receded. God wanted “disciples,” followers, and teachers to pass on God’s word. A community of faithful servants in the world to do the “good” God intends. God’s chosen people are not chosen because they are better or smarter, they are chosen so that God’s people, and the “good” in the world might grow. You are important to God’s mission, faults and all, doubts, and all.

Today’s Gospel reading follows Jesus’ death and resurrection, right before the leaves them. “When they saw him, Jesus closest followers worshipped him; but some doubted.” Despite their doubts, Jesus still commissions them.

The word “some” is not in the original Greek text. The little Greek word “de” translated “but,” can also mean “and.” So the verse could be translated; “And seeing him they worshipped, and they doubted.” Like we are simultaneously saint and sinner. Receiving bread and body. Becoming body and blood at this table, where all are welcome, doubts and all.

In “Loving Jesus,” Mark Allan Powell notes that the word “some” is not found in the Greek Bible. Matthew’s construction here may allow translators to think the word some could be implied, but Matthew uses this construction in seventeen other instances, and no one suggests the word “some” is implied in those cases. Powell asked a Bible translator why it was suggested here. They responded, “the verse wouldn’t make sense otherwise. No one can worship and doubt at the same time.” Powell responded, “Come to the Lutheran Church, we do it all the time.”

May the doubts and questions that keep us up at night bring us here to worship, to walk in the community with other Christians. Sharing the joys and challenges of life. Wrestling with the questions that have no easy answers. Yet hearing the commission to serve in Jesus’ name. To celebrate Sloane’s Baptism.

May 14, 2023

We have come a long way since Jesus’ death and resurrection. Since Paul preached to the Greeks in front of the Areopaghus, knowledge and technology grew, the human genome mapped, nanotechnology enables molecular repairs, black holes were discovered in the universe by astrophysicists, scientific inquiry and experimentation reveals new “how’s, whys and what’s.” We are so different from those Paul encountered, or are we?

Yankees stadium construction stopped for five hours to remove a David Ortiz Red Sox jersey that slipped two feet deep into its concrete foundation. It cost $50,000 to remove the supposed “jinx,” on the Yankees. People believe in the power of a jersey submerged in the stadium’s concrete floor.

In 2008, Matthew Hudson wrote about “magical thinking,” in Psychology Today. The subtitle was “Even Hard-Core Skeptics Can’t Help But Find Sympathy in the Fabric of The Universe --- And Occasionally Try to Pull its String.” He claimed that no one completely escapes such thinking. People knock on wood, throw spilled salt over their shoulders, and read their horoscopes. People notice Friday the 13th and suggest the full moon affects behavior. Little children carry special “blankies” and stuffed animals that magically bring peace and serenity. Big corporations hire specialists to organize the “Feng Shui” in workspaces. Musician George Michael bought the John Lennon Steinway piano used to compose “Imagine.” He ships the piano to places that are in need of spiritual support: New Orleans after Katrina, and Virginia Tech after the shooting. People can sit down to play a few notes, supposedly finding solace because of the piano’s presence. Think you are immune? Would you buy a house where the previous inhabitants were murdered?

Leonard Sweet suggests that no matter how much knowledge we acquire, physical reality is not enough. The human spirit knows there is always more to be revealed, something more out there if we lift the veil.

In our reading from Acts, Paul speaks to the Athenians gathered at the Areopagus, a hill where the highest governmental officials met. Before today’s reading, waiting in Athens to be joined by his missionary companions, Timothy and Silas, Paul is distressed. He raises concern in the synagogue with Jews and God-fearing Greeks about the city being full of idols. After speaking about it in the marketplace, upset philosophers take him and bring him to the Areopagus. In his speech, Paul seemingly meets them where they are a good way to witness the faith.

Paul notes they were religious. Noting their objects of worship even had an altar dedicated to an unknown God. Paul notes that the God who created the universe and everything in it “does not live in shrines made by human hands.” Declaring what they worship as unknown of the true Lord of heaven and earth, who will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom God has appointed. Having given assurance by raising him from the dead.

According to Leonard Sweet, Paul connects his audience to their inner yearning for “something more,” intensely seeking God. In verses 26 and 27, Paul says, “From one ancestor, God has made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from each one of us.” Grope is an emotionally charged word, but here it implies an intense, yet blind seeking for God. This is not magical thinking, because God is made known to us in Jesus Christ.

After today’s reading, some listeners sneer about this thought of the resurrection of the dead. Others want to hear more, and a few became followers, including Dionysius, a member of the Aeropagus, also a woman named Damaris.

Today, we lift up mothers. We lift up women, who from the beginning were instrumental in passing on the Christian faith. Women first discovered the empty tomb. The men dismiss their story as an idle tale, doubted and refused to believe.

Some question whether the church should celebrate Mother’s Day, because, for some, motherhood is an unwelcome accident. For others, biological motherhood isn’t possible. Some have nasty estranged mothers. Others still yearn for a relationship that would make being a mom possible. Yet, were it not for our moms, none of us would be here today. Motherhood is not easy. Thankfully, so many moms, in their motherhood, do their best to show Christian love in their tasks. Answering the constant demand for the gift of love and caring. Good motherhood is not perfect, but it involves the hallmarks of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Who knows what GPS stands for? “Global Positioning System.” 31 Global Satellites provide current directional information 95% of the time anywhere on Earth. If you use a navigation system in your car, they almost always provide the right way to go, stress-free, often with shortcuts, and sometimes odd routes to avoid. It is wonderful that they require so little effort just to keep our eyes on the road and follow the directions unless you lose the connection, then you feel totally lost, with no idea which way to turn. You yearn for an old-fashioned paper map, or unless you are a man, a gas station! Losing connections can leave us feeling desperate as to which way to go.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus prepares his disciples for the time that will soon come when they lose all connection with him after he dies on the cross. He knows they will be troubled; they will feel lost and disconnected from God. John’s Gospel tells us that following Jesus’ death, the disciples remain together, behind locked doors, in fear, until Jesus, the resurrected Christ meets and connects with them again.

In John’s Gospel, the resurrected Christ meets them as they huddle in fear behind locked doors. Jesus also appears and connects with them surrounding a miraculous catch of fish. Then Jesus connects with Peter, who denied him 3 times. Jesus commands him to feed his lambs, take care of his sheep, and feed them. Those words to Peter and Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel speak to us today because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

In “Meditation in a Toolshed,” C.S. Lewis tells the story of entering a dark toolshed as a beam of light shines in his face. At first, looking at the beam, he studied its features, he observed the specks of dust floating through it. Then, rather than looking at the light, he stepped into it. In doing so, he saw the shed differently. He saw other things differently. He saw himself differently. It changed his whole perspective.

Truly connecting with Jesus changes how we see things. It changes our perspective on life and death, and the choices we make.

Jared Alcantara suggests that when we come to Jesus to know about the way, he says to us: I am the way. When we come to Jesus to know about the truth, he answers us; I am the truth. When we come to Jesus to know about life, he tells us: I am the life. Because Jesus is not about these things. He is these things. We connect with Jesus in worship, in prayer, in communion, in reading the word, but also in how we live our daily lives. In the choices we make and fail to make.

In his book Hidden History: Exploring our Secret Past, Daniel J. Boorstin explains the historical difference between a traveler and a tourist.

In previous centuries, travelers were interested in unfamiliar settings and wild encounters that enlarged their perspective. The traveler was active, going strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. In contrast, the tourist is passive, expecting interesting things to happen. Going sightseeing.

Travel comes from the same word as travail, meaning trouble, work, or even torment. A traveler takes risks, plunges into diverse cultures, and seeks to learn local customs. Unplanned experiences are the traveler’s norm, sometimes involving challenges.

The word tour comes from the Latin tornus. A tourist is a pleasure seeker who passes through different exotic experiences only to return to a comfortable bed at night. Insulated from the noise, the smells, and the local people, a tourist’s circle is complete once back home unpacking mementos and sharing photos.

Can we be more like travelers in our faith journeys with Jesus? Can we be more like travelers when it comes to serving Jesus in our daily lives and through our Church?

All of us have interests, hobbies, and priorities. We love many things, but, in the big picture, how important are they? How do they impact our relationships? Not only with others but with God.

May you experience Jesus as the light, the way, and the truth. Living each day and expecting to connect with God in each day, in those we serve, and those that share God’s love with us.

Losing my father, Jesus’ words; “in my father’s house there are many dwelling places,” means more. So does receiving cards, notes, texts, emails, and Facebook messages. Especially because they come from people I have known for years or just a short time. People I am close to, not close to, and even at odds with. People that are facing their own life-and-death battles.

A powerful reminder that Jesus really is the way, the truth, and the life.

The 23rd Psalm. Some memorized it, others recite it in times of grief or loss. Attributed to King David, Israel’s greatest king. When he wrote it is unclear. His reign included good times and bad, good actions and bad actions. David wrote many psalms to express how he was feeling towards God. He was a man of faith.

These six verses begin by proclaiming the Lord as a shepherd, providing that we not be in want. Green pastures, still water, restoration and guidance, and comforting images. The Psalm also speaks of evil and enemies. Not denying life’s challenges, hardships, and loss. The 4th verse stands out, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” This verse is sometimes translated, though I walk through the deepest valley. Let’s focus on two words in that verse.

Though and through. Though reminds us that we all have or will have our valleys. Some are born into a deep valley of poverty, abuse, or disability. Others are into green pastures of plenty, still waters of comfort and privilege. All of us create their own deep valleys, poor choices, poor decisions, abuse of drugs, alcohol, violence, ignorance, pr prejudice. We sometimes find ourselves in valleys that are at least partly of our own making. We are all in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. Valleys also come by accident, illness, or someone else’s actions. No fault insurance still assigns blame. Only meaning that whoever is at fault, your insurance company will pay. We often falsely make false concrete connections to adversity. Someone gets cancer, and what do people ask?? Did they smoke.

Regardless of fault in the psalm, the word through reminds us that there is life beyond the though of our darkest valleys because God is with us. Even, and especially after death. As the apostle Paul writes, nothing can separate us from God’s love.

What is the lowest, driest and hottest place on earth? Death Valley, California. Any idea of the highest temperature ever recorded there? 134 in 1913. 120 degree heat regularly occurs in the summer. Visiting with aunts and uncles and a cousin years ago, our rented minivan developed mechanical issues. The official brochure of Death Valley National Park warns that by May, the valley is too hot for most. During the summer people are ill advised to simply briefly visit the main points of interest in their cars along the paved roads. Automakers use Death Valley to test A/C, engine and transmission performance under stress. Engineers want to know that their cars can pass through Death Valley. Psalm 23 speaks about walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

Though none of us gets our of life without walking in deep valleys, we can walk through them. We may not be able to run through them, but, in time, with God, we can walk through them. We walk through our sorrows, we walk through our pain, we talk through our screwups, we walk through the loss of a loved one because the Lord will walk through with us. We are not intended to stay in those dark valleys.

Leonard Sweet notes that the word “though” and “through” differ only by one small letter, “R.”

Do you know how to make the letter “r” in American sign language? You make it by crossing the middle finger over the index finger. Crossed fingers held behind ones back symbolizes not meaning what one is saying. Crossed fingers in ones lap mean hoping something will or will not happen. But, in the early church, when Christians were prosecuted, crossed fingers were a code sign used to identify Christians to one another. Crossed fingers were a symbol for the cross of Christ. A symbol for trusting in God. The psalmist says the reason for not being overcome by fear while in the dark valley is that God the Shepherd is there, with a rod and a staff to protect and comfort, preparing a table, promising goodness and mercy, that we might dwell in the Lord’s house forever.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd, the one that leads us through the valleys of life, that we may have life and have it abundantly, because on the cross, Jesus already faced the valley of the shadow of death. Conquering the cross, so that when God raised Jesus from death to life, that we might have life and have it abundantly.

We see the commercials quoting notable athletes, entertainers, graduates, and even Santa Claus, after victories or significant events. They are asked what they are going to do now. The answer: I’m going to Disney World! One amazing experience is followed by another. Kirk Byron Jones points out this is very different from what Jesus does after his victory over death. Jesus takes an ordinary walk. Perhaps symbolizing what we are all on right now, a journey, a walk of faith with Jesus.

Today, we hear Luke’s account of what happens after the women discover the empty tomb. Their words are dismissed as an idle tale. Peter goes to investigate, finds the empty tomb, burial clothes, and wonders what happened. The women’s vision of angels telling them Jesus is alive was not enough.

Today’s reading begins with Like telling us that on that same day, Jesus has an encounter with Cleopas and another unnamed disciple. During a rather ordinary walk, at first, lost in their grief over the crucifixion, they do not recognize Jesus. They had hoped Jesus would redeem Israel, that Jesus would change things. We have all heard or used that expression, “we had hoped her cancer would not have come back, we had hoped he would turn things around, we had hoped the move would offer a fresh start”. Past tense. Suggesting disappointment and failure. That is the attitude of Jesus’ disciples even as they walk with Jesus.

Jones points out that in the Gospels, Jesus is as interested in savoring ordinary life as he is in passing out extraordinary life, interested in knowledge. As a boy, he lags in Jerusalem during Passover to learn more. Interested in socializing, he begins his ministry at a wedding feast. Interested in people who are hurting, and he becomes a healer. Interested in nature, he uses nature to illustrate parables and God’s care for us. Interested in continuing friendships, he raises Lazarus from the dead. Interested in keeping in touch after he is gone, he offers a lasting memorial to his body and blood. Jesus is so taken with being alive, that he refuses to remain dead.

Jesus’ actions suggest that the saving of life, on this side of the grave, is the savoring of life. So often we are addicted to a fast-paced world, overscheduled and over-committed. On the day of his resurrection, Jesus takes a walk with two disciples, to simply talk with them. There is something to be said about having more time for reflection and the simpler things of life. There is a good reason to remember the Sabbath, and to come to worship.

During the walk to Emmaus, Jesus appears to them as a stranger and then delivers clarity about the scripture. He also them comes to them as a guest, delivering an opportunity for them to serve as they invite Jesus to stay with them for it is almost evening. Finally, he appears as the host and delivers himself. their eyes are opened in the breaking of the bread. Just as quickly as they recognize him, he vanishes. Somehow, this resurrected Jesus is very different, appearing and disappearing. They recognize their hearts already burned within them as Jesus talked to them about Scripture. They recognize him as the Resurrected Christ in the breaking of the bread.

Worship gives us a glimpse of Jesus, where our eyes are opened to God’s grace and glory, as we hear the stories, sing his praises, pray, reflect on the word, and receive Jesus as this table.

In a 2006 interview, citizenlink.com, after resurrecting movie hero Rock Balboa for one last film, Sylvester Stallone suggested that his faith in Jesus impacted the writing of the first Rocky film. His decision to create a final movie was inspired by a renewed affiliation with Christianity. He said he was raised in a Catholic home. He then went to Catholic schools and was taught the faith, but then he said, he got out into the so-called real world. Was presented with temptation, made bad decisions, and lost his way. Those bad choices ultimately left him unsatisfied, especially in his decision to place fame and career ahead of family. As a result, Stallone said he returned to his Christian heritage. He said, the more he went to church, the more he turned himself over to the process of believing in Jesus. Listening to his work, having Jesus guide his hand, he said left him feeling as though the pressure is off. As part of this transformation, Stallone said he realized another poor choice that has guided his previous life, self-reliance. You need to have the expertise and the guidance of someone else, he said. You cannot train yourself. I feel the same way about Christianity and about what the church is: the church is the Gym of the soul.

The church often provides an opportunity to serve. Sometimes when we find ourselves feeling desperate and distressed by our own issues, it might do us well to serve a person in need. It might give us a better perspective on our own lives. Prevention magazine once reported that “people who volunteer are likely to be happier than those who don’t - regardless of how much money they make.” It said that “researchers believe volunteering boosts happiness because it increases empathy.” Serving also connects us with the resurrected Jesus. Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

JOHN 20:19-31

After winning the Super Bowl in 2011 for the Green Bay Packers, Quarterback Aaron Rodgers told ESPN he no longer identifies with a religious affiliation. Believing organized religion can have a mind-debilitating effect, with exclusivity that can shut you out from being open to the world, people, energy, love, and acceptance." Rodgers was raised in an evangelical Christian household. I wonder what he was taught about the apostle Thomas, who we meet in today's Gospel Lesson.

Some focus on one moment in Thomas’ life. Labeling him, “Doubting Thomas.” Thomas refused to believe in the resurrected Christ, saying, “Unless I see and touch, I will not believe.” Labels have a way of sticking. But does that label capture all of who Thomas is? Prior to Jesus' death and resurrection, Thomas alone states his willingness to die with Jesus. Can we come to God with our doubts, fears, and questions?

The remaining disciples, except Thomas, are together behind locked doors. Judas had killed himself. Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John saw the empty tomb. They are not sure of what happened. Then Mary meets the resurrected Jesus. She tells the disciples that she saw the Lord. But the disciples remain trapped in their fear. Fear often keeps us from moving forward. As the resurrected Jesus walks through a locked door, his form may be different. But Jesus does not criticize. Rather he offers peace and the Holy Spirit. That same peace comes to us today when we follow.

Despite refusing to believe, a week later, Thomas continues his life journey with the disciples. They do not cast him out. Then Jesus again appears telling Thomas “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side.” Because Jesus shares our wounds, hurts, disappointments, and unmet desires. Along with those of our community. As followers of Jesus, might we touch those wounds as the very hands, feet, and voice of Jesus today? That we might truly say, Jesus Christ is Risen today.

In "Wanting More," Scott Hoezee notes that many Christians around the world quickly and strongly latched on to the archeological discoveries such of the burial box for James, the brother of Jesus. Or inscriptions referring to King David, Pontius Pilate, or some other biblical figure is big news in Christianity Today. Seen as further "proof" that the stuff in the Bible really did happen! Using ever more powerful telescopes, some seek evidence that the formation of the cosmos required the hand of a Creator God. Hoezee says--most want something tangible to bolster their faith, wanting more. Thankfully we have the church.

Thomas and Jesus' closest followers had Jesus standing in the same room. Their witness enables belief today. It is human nature to have doubts about God, the church, other people, and in ourselves. Jesus does not scold or condemn Thomas for doubting, for longing for proof. Instead, Jesus invites Thomas into a deeper relationship.

When Thomas recognizes Jesus as Lord and God. Jesus proclaims, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Faith is a blessing, gift, and miracle. Most of us came to believe without seeing. Many of us continue to seek, question, and wonder, even as we serve and pass on the story. Celebrating baptisms so that the body of Christ might continue after us.

Frederick Buechner writes that whether you believe there is a God or not if you don’t have any doubts you are either kidding yourself or asleep. He calls doubts the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving. Despite having such different lives, we come together as one. Regardless of our age, sex, vocation, level of affluence, or race. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. Looking at life through the eyes of faith, we have God moments, and stories to share.

NFL kicker Ryan Succop was the last pick in the 2009 NFL draft. The media labeled him, "Mr. Irrelevant." Last picks rarely make it. But Succop finished his rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs tying an NFL record for highest field goal percentage by a rookie. He later played for the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with great success. In Superbowl 55 in 2021, Succop went 4-for-4 on extra points and 1-for-1 on field goal attempts in a 31–9 victory. The first Mr. Irrelevant to play and win a Super Bowl. Succop thanks God for his success. He reads Philippians 4:6-8 before every game and recites it in his head before every kick.

“Don't worry about anything but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise."

In Jesus' name.

Jeremiah 31:1-6 Matthew 28:1-10.

Phil Callaway tells of driving past a cemetery. Noticing a pile of dirt next to a newly dug grave his 5-year-old son says, "Look, dad, one got out!" We know better. Death is a grim topic. Talk about it or not, death awaits us all. Even if we mask it, calling it "passing away. "Calling funeral services a celebration of life rather than the rite for the burial of the dead.

The satirical site The Onion reports "World Death Rate Holding Steady.” Despite the efforts of doctors, rescue workers, and medical professionals, the global death rate remains 100%. In the article, a World Health Organization director expresses disappointment that medical advances did not even dent the death rate.

In raising Jesus from death to life, God did the seemingly incomprehensible. Matthew's Gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene and the other May went to look at the tomb. They went to mourn, remember, and honor Jesus' life. Just as some go to the gravesides of loved ones today. The two Marys were not prepared for anything more. An earthquake left them and the soldiers guarding the tomb afraid. After hearing Jesus was raised from death to life they leave the scene quickly. With fear and great joy. To share the shocking news. On the way, they meet the risen Lord

The first Easter is incomprehensible and chaotic. So much so, that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John's accounts differ in detail. Just as eyewitness accounts of every major world-changing historical event differ. The Gospels, written through the eyes of faith, forever change the world and people's lives. Because they all agree the tomb was empty. No dead body is found because God raised Jesus from death to life. The Lord is risen. (He is risen indeed.)

William Willimon notes that long before Easter, God was in the business of life, not death. William Willimon suggests that the entire history of God dealing with humanity is a story of overcoming death's dominion. The resurrection of Jesus is the final signal, not the opening shot, of God's ultimate victory over death.

Death is familiar, predictable, and understandable. Resurrection is not. If death is like snuggling under the covers on a cold night, on our way to sleep, Resurrection may be like awakening the next morning to a new day.

The Bible is filled with stories of life following death. Exodus says a new Pharaoh in Egypt made the Hebrews slaves, placed unbearable burdens, and killed their boy babies. But God came back. Raising up Moses through a burning bush, to lead them to freedom.

Freedom did not last. From the north came chariots and iron, the war spears of the Assyrians. Cities burned and pillaged. Exile. Death. Defeat. But God came back. As we read from the 31st chapter of Jeremiah. The promise of a return. With tambourines and the dance of merrymakers. Planting new vineyards.

A first-century little town in Judea. Bethlehem. Roman troops registered Jews, to better suppress them. But God came back. In a stable as Jesus is born and Mary sings. "My soul magnifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior." Jesus is Lord and Savior, over and over in his words and miracles.

Then comes Good Friday. This Messiah who ate with sinners and tax collectors is not the Messiah the religious establishment expected. So Jesus is nailed to the cross. Dead and buried. Until God came back.

Matthew says the two Marys held on and worshipped him. Some 2,000 years later we still do the same. And are met by the crucified and risen Christ at this table. Because God keeps coming back.

COVID. Churches closed. Churchgoers find other things to do on Sunday mornings. But God came back. Vaccines are developed. The church adopts new technology not just for worship but for Bible study and meetings. A shut-in, long-missing worship actually says COVID was wonderful as they can again worship through Zoom. Because God came back.

Some predict the end of Christianity in America. We worry about Advent's future. Yet thirty-some new members have joined Advent in the last 3 months, including a family from Brazil. Another family from India looks forward to celebrating their child's baptism here. CNN posts a story, "Predictions about the decline of Christianity may be premature." Noting Thomas Jefferson, predicted in the 1820s that Christianity would be replaced in the US by a more enlightened form of religion that rejected Jesus’ divinity and belief in miracles. Instead, Jefferson’s prophecy was followed by a series of revivals reasserting Christianity as a dominant force in American life, because God keeps coming back.

Driving to church on Easter Sunday, Peggy Key, told her children the Easter story. “This is the day we celebrate Jesus coming back to life," she explained. Her 3-year-old son, Kevin, asked "Will He be in church today?" Jesus is not just in church. The resurrected Christ is in your daily lives. Because he lives, you can face tomorrow. Whatever tomorrow will bring. So go share the story. Expect to meet Jesus in surprising ways.

Just over a year ago, something brought the crowds at many London train stations to a stop. Flash mobs broke out celebrating the end of covid lockdowns. Professional dancers and blaring music led to joy, laughter, and smiles. Lifting people's spirits.

Much like Jesus' entry into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday. Matthew’s 21st chapter tells of people shouting Hosanna. Literally, God Save us we pray. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. The mood was infectious, drawing others in. With a bit of confusion. Like a flash mob. Matthew notes the whole city was in turmoil. Some asking who is this? The same question people wrestle with today. Who is Jesus? How do we answer that question?

Flash mobs have long been part of our culture. Leading to outbreaks of joy, smiles and laughter A break from the ordinary. Drawing people together. Breaking down barriers that divide. At least for a moment. The mood of the first Palm Sunday changed. Six Chapters later, Matthew's Gospel tells us cheers turned to jeers. Jesus' kingship is questioned by Pilate. The crowd demands a criminal to be released, not Jesus. Jesus is mocked, stripped, flogged, struck, spit upon, and crowned with thorns. He carries the cross before being killed on it. While on the cross, crowds continue to mock. “He saved others but he can’t save himself! If he’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross.”

Did the same people that cheered Jesus as he entered Jerusalem later yell crucify him? Often Jesus' support is broader than it is deep.

Our actions sometimes shout both Hosanna, God save us we pray. And sometimes they shout Crucify him. We hear that we are God's children. That we are loved by God and called to love one another. That we are forgiven. That we can rise above our pasts. Yet, we still do the very things we know we should not. We fail to do the very things we know we should. We fail to forgive. We look the other way in the midst of tragic events. But Jesus did not come to save himself. He came to save and change us.

Next Sunday, we celebrate Easter . God raising Jesus from death to life. With joyful songs of praise. Uplifting music and message. Remember that without the cross, there would be no resurrection. No answer to the sting of death. Without the cross, there would be no promise of a God who shares our pains, sorrow and loss. As well as our joys. No answer to the question of where God is when we see horrible images in the news. And so, gathering here, the cross always stands before us.

On this Palm Sunday, remember the joy that flash mobs can bring. They do not last long. But Lori Wagner writes, "Their significance, their impact, their uniting power, their humanizing spirit. The memory of people joined in joy lasts a lifetime." The flash mob of that first Palm Sunday disappeared quickly.

Because the cross is followed by Resurrection we have gathered around Word and Sacrament. As have billions of Jesus’ followers and seekers around the globe. As Lori Wagner says, "May the spirit of Palm Sunday be with you, today, and always!

JOHN 4:5-42

The online company Brand Yourself offers a great graduation gift: “The Student Makeover.” A way to clean up your social media profile. For $99, the company scours your Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. Removing quote “risky online social media references to sex, alcohol, drugs, politics, religion and more.” Doing an in-depth search of the Internet, they show you how “clean” or “questionable” your online reputation is. Providing steps to delete troubling posts or pictures. Kate Eichorn's book, The End of Forgetting, says that our online information prevents forgetting the past or distancing ourselves from it. But long before social media, people struggled to move beyond their past.

Today's reading from the fourth chapter of John's Gospel shares that Jesus’ longest recorded conversation is with an unnamed woman. She is the first person in John's Gospel to whom Jesus reveals himself as the Messiah. She tells others. They come to Jesus. Yet she is an outsider for three reasons. First, she was a Samaritan. Part of the once northern Jewish tribes that worship on Mt. Gerazim, not Jerusalem. After falling to the Assyrians some 700 years earlier, intermarriage caused them to be viewed as half-breeds. Second, she was a woman. In Jesus’ time, women could not worship with men. Holy men did not even speak to their wives in public. Third, she had a past. Five husbands. Living with someone who was not her husband. It was about noon when her encounter with Jesus took place. Respectable women went to the well in the morning. They shared conversation while fulfilling this task.

Surprised by Jesus asking her for a drink, she replies, "How is it that you a Jew ask a drink of me a woman of Samaria?" They are not on the same page as their conversation shifts between personal and religious. From water that satisfies physical thirst to living water that quenches spiritual thirst. She seems to understand who Jesus is in minutes. Nicodemus, the religious leader we discussed last week, two years. She tells others "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah Can he?” Leading many Samaritans to believe. Jesus breaks down boundaries that divide, using an unnamed woman’s witness.

Barbara Brown Taylor writes: When she steps back, Jesus steps toward her. When she steps out of the light, he steps into it. When she wants to show him less of herself, Jesus shows her more of himself. “I know that Messiah is coming,” she says, and he says, “I am he.” A triple outsider and the Messiah of God stand face to face. All the rules, taboos, and history that separate them fall By telling the woman who she is, Jesus shows her who he is. By confirming her true identity, he reveals his own. Today, the Messiah is still the one in whose presence you know who you really are—the good and bad. The all of it, and the hope in it. Jesus shows you who you are by showing you who he is. Crossing boundaries. Breaking rules. Dropping disguises.

Jesus speaks like someone you have known all your life, bubbling up like a well that needs no dipper. So that you face people you thought you could not face. Speaking to them boldly like this unnamed woman who says. “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done.”

I believe we meet this man, this crucified and risen Christ, every Sunday at this Table at Advent. Despite our pasts and whatever wrongs we may have done this week. Or rights we have left undone. We are met by a loving and forgiving God in Jesus Christ. Later in the 19th chapter of John's Gospel, a soldier will pierce a dead Jesus' side on the cross. Out of the wound flowed blood and water. Since the early days of the Christian church, this is understood as the sacrificial blood of the communion cup. And the water as the living symbol of baptism.

In Three Hours: Sermons for Good Friday, Fleming Rutledge writes: The water from Jesus’ side, together with the life-giving blood of the Lamb, is the metaphor for the eternal life that God gives to our human race. Despite its being more than ever bent on destroying itself and its beautiful planet. Human beings cannot live without water. In the age to come, in the city of God, that will come down from heaven. There is a river of unquenchable love, bought for us by the agony and thirst of the only begotten Son of God. Come to Jesus’ water. Come to Jesus’ cross. Come to Jesus' blood, shed for you. Find for yourselves the gift of love that will never fail.

Text: JOHN 3

A young woman, who traveled for their career, was asked if they were ever bothered by uninvited male attention. Her answer: "If I feel uncomfortable, I simply ask if they have been born again?"

Today's Gospel reading includes the verse often held up at sporting events. John 3:16. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. It also includes another verse highlighted by some Christians. John 3:7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, you must be born from above. The King James version reads, Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Have you ever been asked if you are born again? Or when you were saved? Noted evangelist Billy Graham pointed to a definite time in life when he experienced conversion. But his wife, Ruth, said that she grew gradually into the faith without a definite starting point. Luther said he felt as if he was born again, reading from the book of Romans. Some rather bold Christians have come up to me saying, “I see you wear the collar but are you saved? Answering yes, they want to know when. My response, “Nearly two thousand years ago, on a cross.”

Doesn’t our journey of faith bring us here this morning? For most, their journey of faith is far from linear.

In today's Gospel, we see an exchange between Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, a leader of the Jews. In John’s Gospel, the Pharisees are Jesus’opponents, even his enemies. Yet, Nicodemus seeks out Jesus. Some call him the patron saint of seekers. What draws him to Jesus? What draws us to Jesus?

Scholars often suggest that Nicodemus met Jesus at night to avoid being seen. But some claim that rabbis taught that the Torah was best studied at night. When it was quiet and the distractions of the day had subsided. Nicodemus may be using precious study time to expand his search beyond the text. Turning to Jesus for wisdom and understanding. Richard Lischer notes that Jesus’ words have different meanings. Born from above may mean born again; the wind that blows where it wills may be the Spirit drifting through the empty regions of our lives. The Greek word for the pole on which the serpent is lifted up is "sign," John’s favorite word for miracle. Lischer suggests these ambiguities stop us from engineering our own rebirth with self-administered therapies. The text also mentions being born of water and Spirit. Perhaps pointing to baptism and why some claim they are saved, are born again, in their baptism.

John Buchanan tells of baptizing a two-year-old child. When he said, “You are a child of God, sealed by the Spirit in your baptism, and you belong to Jesus Christ forever,”the child unexpectedly responded, “Uh-oh.” Buchanan writes: “It was an appropriate response . . . a stunning theological affirmation.” Buchanan suggests that after coming toward Jesus affirming him as a teacher who has come from God, the movement changes. Nicodemus alarmingly finds Jesus moving toward him to rescue him, to transform him, to save him. Nicodemus comes showing respect. Jesus wants Nicodemus’ soul, his whole person reborn. Later when the Pharisees become increasingly agitated about Jesus, Nicodemus stands up and defends Jesus. “You can’t judge this man without giving him a fair trial,” he says. After Jesus’ death, Nicodemus brings spices, anoints and wraps Jesus’ body, and helps place it in a tomb. A risky action. He has come a long way from that first evening encounter with Jesus.

May Nicodemus' journey inspire our own faith journeys. Because all of us will one day have nothing to rely on but our faith and trust in God.

Remember the opening of ABC’s "The Wide World of Sports." The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat. It showed a skier tumbling head over heels off the side of a sky jump. Did you know the skier chose to fall? Why? The surface had become too fast. Midway down the ramp, he realized that if he completed the jump, he could land beyond the safe sloping landing area. That could have been fatal. To change one's course in life can be dramatic and challenging. It is not always easy to walk with Jesus. We often fail or fall short. But remember the verse that follows John 3:16. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Matthew 4:1-11

"Ever crave something so badly you will do anything to get it?" The Huffington Post told of an eight-year-old Ohio boy getting an urge for a burger after his parents went to bed. After watching YouTube videos he grabbed his four-year-old sister, and drove to McDonald’s. Through four intersections. About 1.5 miles. At the drive-through, workers thought they were being pranked. Until they realized the kids were there alone. The police were called. The boy burst into tears, knowing what he did was wrong. Yet, he and his sister got to eat a cheeseburger while waiting to be picked up. Wonder what the car ride home was like. This kid knew how to pursue his goals. Sometimes our goals and temptations lead us astray.

A survey listed many temptations. Worrying/being anxious, putting things off, eating too much, spending too much time on social media, being lazy, buying more than is affordable, gossiping, being envious, viewing inappropriate material, abusing alcohol or drugs. When it asked why people give in to temptation, guess what the number one answer was? (Unsure.) Followed by escaping "real life," feeling less pain or loneliness, and satisfying other people's expectations. All of us face temptation, yet in the survey, 59 percent of people said they did nothing specific to resist.

We can learn something from today's Gospel lesson. Where Jesus repeatedly says no to the devil's temptations. George H. Morrison, speaks of the "The Refusals of Christ." He notes there are few and far between times when Jesus actually says "No," in his ministry. In studying Jesus' "No's," actually finds affirmation.

Jesus refuses to work a miracle on the cross. Mocked and invited to save himself by coming down from the cross. Jesus refuses the offer in order to save the world. Christ’s ministry was to be rich in miracles. But today's Gospel text shows us Jesus beginning his ministry by refusing to perform a miracle. Jesus refuses the devil's first temptation to turn stones into bread. Yet, the day was coming when Jesus would feed 5,000 by a miracle. He never uses a miracle to feed himself. Jesus never uses the powers that God had given for his own gain. He came to serve, not to be served.

As Jesus avoids temptation, he already knew his identity. Right before being led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Jesus was baptized. At the moment of his baptism, coming out of the water, Jesus sees the Spirit descend on him as a dove. A voice from heaven proclaims, "This is my own dear Son with him I am well pleased.” This revelation frees Jesus from any doubts about self-worth. He had no need to practice acts of self-promotion. By refusing to fall to the temptations of the devil, Jesus demonstrated his relationship with God through complete obedience.

In today's Gospel, the devil misuses the Word of God to tempt Jesus. People still do that. Whenever you hear someone support their views by quoting a single verse of the Bible. Consider the entirety of God's Word. We spend time in the Bible that we might also use God's Word, like Jesus, to counter temptation. We see Jesus as the Word of God made visible. We come here to meet the crucified and living Christ. To receive him. To walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Leaning on each other. And challenging each other when behavior is not Christlike.

Leonard Sweet suggests we can say "No" to the powers and principalities of this world. By saying "Yes" to the ultimate power and authority of God. Jesus said no to the devil because he had already said yes to the Father. Jesus said no to the seductive words of the tempter because he said yes to the authority of Scripture. You sometimes say no to your child, because as a loving parent, have already said yes to your commitment to safeguarding their health. You say no to drugs because you have said yes to clean living. You say no to revenge because you have said yes to forgiveness. You say no to temptation because you have said yes to self-control. You say no to evil because you have said yes to the Spirit. You say no to racism because you have said yes to love. You say no to oppression because you have said yes to justice. You say no to crankiness because you have said yes to kindness.

Have you seen those signs that say, “You are enough?” You are enough. You are enough means you can grow and change and continue to become because you aren't trying to prove yourself. You are just trying to be yourself. You are enough means that you do not have to strive to become more worthy, more valid, more acceptable, or more loved. In your baptism, marked with the cross of Christ, you already are.

Matthew 5:21-37, Deteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119:1-8

In our Old Testament text from Deuteronomy, Moses tells God's chosen people, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments, love God, and walk in God's ways, God will bless you. If not, you will perish. God's chosen, had difficulty in the wilderness. Bowing down to the false God of a Golden calf. Constant grumbling about food and the length of their journey. Questioning if it would have been better to remain enslaved in Egypt. Moses now asks them to decide to choose life with God.

By worshiping God, seeking God, or at least wondering about God, we have free will. We have freedom. We have choices in life. Will we be guided by God's commandments?

Journalist Ted Koppel once reminded a college graduating class, God did not give the ten suggestions. How often do we go about life falsely believing in and focusing on nothing other than ourselves? Pastor Fairfax Fair writes, "Choosing God, living in obedience to God, means living in ways that put others’ interests before our own. It means proclaiming God’s justice, especially on behalf of those not invited to be a part of the discussion. Radiating God’s love in the wildly indiscriminate way God shows love to all people."

Moses' own failures would lead God to prevent him from entering the promised land. But still leading God's chosen people, Moses gives final instructions. He needed to because of their history.

Their history was marked by turning to God and turning away from God. Making good decisions and bad decisions. They get into the promised land only to be thrown out before returning again. Sometimes they feel close to God. Sometimes not. Maybe their lives were not so different.

In our reading from Psalm 119, the Psalmist says, “Happy are they who observe your decrees and see you with all their hearts.” Hopefully, we do not believe the Psalmist’s next words about never doing anything wrong. Always walking in God's ways. No matter how hard we might try, that does not apply to any of us. Even us good church members. I do not know of any congregation completely different from the congregation that Paul addresses in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth. Congregations often experience division and there quarreling among members. Harsh or careless words are said. Thinking otherwise is naive.

Jesus' words in today's Gospel from the 5th chapter of Matthew suggest we break commandments we think we keep. Don’t be so sure you have kept the commandment, “Thou shall not kill?” Jesus says it was said to those of ancient times, "You shall not murder." But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister. If you insult a brother or sister. If you say, "You fool,” you will liable to the hell of fire. By taking the commandments one step further. We all fail.

People print all sorts of things on T-shirts. Advertisements, obscenities. Even affirmations of faith. A good T-shirt for all of us to wear would say, "Christian Under Construction.” Faith in Jesus influences our lives. We see examples of new life in Christ. Knowing that we are not yet what God wants us to be. At best, all of us are Christians under construction. That is o.k. It gives us a purpose. Part of that is seeking reconciliation. Reconciliation is desperately needed in our world today. As our Gospel points out.

When author Rebecca Pippert audited "Systems of Counseling" at Harvard University, the professor presented a case study where therapeutic methods were used to help a man uncover deep hostility and anger toward his mother. The client understands himself in new ways. But, Pippert asked the professor how he would have responded if the man had asked for help to forgive her. The professor responded. Forgiveness is a concept that assumes moral responsibility and many other things that scientific psychology cannot speak to. Don't force your values about forgiveness onto the patient," he argued. Some students responded with dismay. The professor tried to humorously relieve the tension by saying, "If you are looking for a changed heart, you are looking in the wrong department."

The truth is, we need changed hearts and minds. Secular reason, all by itself, does not provide a deep and powerful message of forgiveness and redemption. Jesus Christ, can and does.

Think about that as you watch the Superbowl this evening. Look at some Powerful ads. Powerful ads. For Jesus regardless of who placed them. But first, gather around the Lord’s Table and receive Jesus in the bread and the wine. And be thankful for our community of faith.

Matthew 5:13-20.

Driving through Paoli one evening, really late for an appointment to visit Kirk and Kate Kremer, red lights suddenly flashed behind me. I got pulled over. “Do you know how fast you were going,” the officer asked? I nervously responded, “Too fast.” Do you know what the speed limit is, he asked? I quietly replied, “I guess it is 35.” “No, the 25-mile-per-hour limit is written on the street. You were going at least. . .” I won’t reveal the number. Not with young or soon-to-be drivers here. It was not o.k. It was wrong. Dangerous. The officer asked for my license. He went back to his car. My heart raced. How many points. How much would my insurance rise? I hoped for a lesser charge because I was wearing the collar. Several minutes later the officer came back saying, “I am just going to you a warning this time because of who you are. But if I ever catch you going 26 miles an hour through this town, you will get a ticket.”

Years later I encountered him again. . . No, not while driving. At a funeral. He asked if I remembered him and thanked me for leading the service. To this day, I drive slowly through Paoli. Because of this officer’s actions. Because he recognized who I am. A pastor but more importantly a follower of Jesus.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus told followers, you are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Jesus said Let your light so shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven. As Jesus' followers today, these words speak to us.

Jesus says: You are the salt of the earth and light of the world. Are. Not should be, have to be, might be, or better be. Jesus says you are. We are. Right now. These words are a promise, not a command. So let your light shine. Even if you do not know for sure how. Even if you once knew and forgot. Even if you have a hard time believing. You are special in God's eyes. Jesus' words here are not a command, threat, or order. They are a promise. You are valued. No matter what anyone else ever told you on the contrary.

Jesus then mentions the law. Some churches focus on certain aspects of the law. Rules and regulations. Singling out certain sinners and certain sins. Pointing fingers. In The Journal of Biblical Counseling, Timothy Keller observes that the job of salt is to make food taste good. Not to make you think how great the salt is. So, think about being salt wherever you are. Even in church. When you are salt in a meeting or Bible study, people will not go away thinking that you have all the answers. They will think what a great group with enlightening discussion because of you. Being salt makes others feel better about their lives. Some religious people make you feel condemned. Followers of Jesus realize we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Being salt and light they lift you up.

Focusing only on the “thou shall not,” forgets that later in the 22nd chapter of Matthew's Gospel, a religious leader questions Jesus. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replies: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus' promise that you are the salt of the earth, that you are the light of the world, is similar to saying who was blessed earlier in the Sermon on the Mount. Last week’s reading. Jesus offers a long list of unlikely blessed people. These too are words about who we are. Our identity. Our very being. Recognizing who we are in God's eyes, there is a response. In our daily lives. Wherever we find ourselves. Look back over the last couple of weeks and think of the variety of ways God used you to be salt and light. A card sent. A phone call made. A meal provided. Cookies bought. Church involvement. Words of encouragement. Volunteering. Prayers offered. Protests made. Promises kept. Soup brought to the altar. Living out the Scout oath. God uses our small actions to change the world.

We may not always agree on what being salt and light looks like. Our pasts are different. Political viewpoints clash. Seeing each other as salt and light enables us to gather together. To pray for deeper understanding and wisdom. To value each other. To speak and listen. To focus on what we can do as individuals and the church to make a difference in a hurting and divided world. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. So let your light shine so that others may see your good works. To God be the glory.

TEXT: Micah 6:1-8, with reference to 1 Matthew 5:1-12, I Corinthains 1:18-31

How many of you know the Rolling Stones Song, "I can't get no satisfaction." Sung by Mick Jagger it has been a favorite of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers for decades. Writing in The Atlantic, Arthur Brooks says that moving through life, “satisfaction — the joy from the fulfillment of our wishes or expectations —does not last. No matter what we achieve, see, acquire, or do, it slips from our grasp. We crave it. We believe we can get it. We glimpse it. Maybe even experience it for a brief moment. Then it vanishes. But we never give up on our quest to get and hold on to it.” Mick Jagger sings I try and I try and I try and I try. Are we looking in the wrong places or going about it the wrong way?

The Old Testament text from the prophet Micah provides answers. Coming from a rural village he first predicts doom for God's chosen people. Because their leaders despised justice and distorted all that is right. Micah proclaimed that “Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble. People in power; in business, government, and religion got ahead by using corrupt and unjust practices. Rich landowners exploited the vulnerable. “They covet fields and seize them,” said Micah. The rich got richer at the expense of the poor. Sound familiar?

Micah did more than expose injustice. Micah predicted a shepherd-king would arise. This new ruler would come from the little town of Bethlehem. A savior from outside of the wealthy Jerusalem establishment. Jesus fulfilled Micah’s words 700 years later. Reminding us that the world’s understanding of what it means to be blessed misses the mark.

We are blessed regardless of our situation in life because we are God’s children.

Leonard Sweet suggests that Micah accuses the people of not being satisfied with God’s goodness to them. Today we read Micah recounting God's actions saying: “Hear what the LORD says. What have I done to you? I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam . . that you may remember the saving acts of the Lord.” God rescued Israel from slavery. Gave them wise and powerful leaders. Brought them into the promised land. Yet, it seems they can’t get no satisfaction! They want more. They keep turning away from God as leaders resort to corruption and injustice to satisfy their expectations.

Micah’s harsh words lead to feelings of guilt. Hearers ask if they should come before the Lord with burnt offerings and calves? If God would be pleased with thousands of rams or tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Even their firstborn. But God is not looking for a deal or transaction. God seeks a relationship marked by changed hearts and minds. Changed actions.

How often do we preserve what makes us feel good despite the cost. Leonard Sweet suggests that Mick Jagger singing, “I try, and I try, and I try, and I try,” speaks to the effort we put into the search for satisfaction. At the cost of our ethics, morals, integrity, marriages, and families.

The prophet Micah responds. God has told you O mortal what is good. What the Lord requires. To act justly and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” Biblical scholar Daniel Simundson writes, “God is more interested in the way people live their ordinary lives. Then in their religious practices.” But church does remind us of our blessedness in the presence of God. People who go to church tend to be happier. They tend to act more justly.

Rotarians suggest asking ourselves the following questions before we act. Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will be it be beneficial to all concerned. Action is key. We don’t just ask ourselves what Jesus would do. We ask what would Jesus have us do

Love kindness. The Hebrew word translated as “kindness” is hesed. Also meaning mercy, grace, loyalty, and faithfulness. Important qualities in all of our relationships. Remembering Jesus' sacrificial love, we know that Christian love is more than a feeling. It leads to action.

Walk humbly with God. Again, the challenge is to act. “Walk humbly.” Actor Tom Selleck said that whenever he got full of himself, he remembered a nice, elderly couple approaching him with a camera on a street in Honolulu. He posed for them. Only to have the man say, “No, no, we want you to take a picture of us.

Walking humbly with God we remember that God is God and we are not. We remember our shortcomings, failings, and sin. Knowing that God is present still. Offering love, grace, and forgiveness.

In today's reading from I Corinthians, Paul suggests, by human standards, we are not wise, powerful, or of noble birth, we are still chosen by God, and the source of our life is in Christ.

John 1:29-42

Some churches attach a plaque to the pulpit that only the pastor, not the congregation can see. Any idea of what it might say? No, not keep it short. "We wish to see Jesus." Part of a verse recorded in the 12th chapter of John’s Gospel, said by some Greeks.

People attend church on a given Sunday for many reasons. Habit. Being assigned a task. Wanting to connect with friends. Wanting to sing and pray. But ultimately, the church is about seeing Jesus. In Today's Gospel, two of John the Baptist’s followers are with their teacher. Jesus walks by. Recognizing Jesus, John announces he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. They drop everything, leave John, and follow Jesus. First at a distance. Seemingly wanting to hang back and watch from afar. To get closer but not too close. How often is that true of us?

As Jesus notices them following, Jesus asks, “What are you looking for?” A good question. Maybe the question I always ask newcomers what brought them to Advent. Sometimes the answer is we are new in the neighborhood. Or are looking for a new church, a place to raise our children in the faith Sometimes people speak about seeking direction. Meaning. Hope. Purpose. Something Spiritual. Answers to a problem. Something different than the world has to offer. A new direction in life. Forgiveness or a fresh start. ELCA

Bishop Michael Rinehart wonders.

When an unchurched couple asks to be married in the church, what are they looking for? A reminder of the sacred? A blessing for a long journey? To start out on the right foot? When someone is trying to decide on a job or a career change, what are they looking for? Rinehart notes that In John’s Gospel, Jesus always shifts from small talk to deeper questions. A woman is talking about water. Jesus shifts the conversation to spiritual thirst. Nicodemus asks how one can be born a second time from the womb. Jesus begins talking about spiritual rebirth. The crowd marvels that Jesus gives sight to a blind man, and Jesus starts talking about spiritual blindness. How many times do we fail to see, the deeper questions behind our longings?

What are you looking for in life? What do you seek? What makes life worth living? Have we learned that life is about relationships? With God and one another. Love of God and love of neighbor. When we come to the end of our earthly journey, few if any possessions will make life worth living. Relationships: the love we gave and received that, matters. Like the disciples in today's Gospel, perhaps we hope following Christ might keep us focused on what matters.

“Where are you staying?” John’s disciples ask Rabbi Jesus. Literally: Where do you abide? Where do you dwell? Where is your home, Jesus? Jesus replies, Come and See. They do. Then Andrew shares who they found. The anointed one. The long-awaited Messiah. Their ranks grow. He brings his brother Simon along for the journey.

Who Jesus names. Cephas or Peter, The rock on whom Jesus builds his church. Despite his imperfections.

Have you brought anyone to the journey with Jesus?

Hall Johnson wrote the powerful African American spiritual “Ain’t Got Time To Die.” Including these joyfully dramatic words:

“Been so busy praising my Jesus,

Been so busy working for the Kingdom,

Been so busy serving my Master…

Ain’t got time to die.

If I don’t praise him,

If I don’t serve him,

The rocks gonna cry out

Glory and honor, glory and honor…

Ain’t got time to die.”

Celebrating the joy and excitement of being a Christian. Serving our Lord in gratitude because of what Jesus has done for us. When Christians are excited, thrilled, and grateful for a new life in Christ, they love Him, praise Him, serve Him do not sit still. May we share Jesus just like Andrew did.

Matthew 3:13 - 17

Cassandra Warren sent an invitation for her Star Wars-themed wedding to the wrong address. A week later, the invitation came back with cash, and the following was scribbled on the envelope. “I wish I knew you. This is going to be a blast. Congratulations. Go have dinner on me. I’ve been married for 40 years. It gets better with age. Warren wrote back, “I am thankful for people like you still being in the world.” An interesting outcome from a wedding invitation.

Immediately before today's Gospel reading, John the Baptist invites the people and religious leaders of Jerusalem and Judea, to turn back to God. To repent, confess their sins, and be baptized. Because the kingdom of heaven is at hand. When Jesus shows up, John is surprised that he wants to be baptized. John consents, according to Jesus, to fulfill all righteousness. But what does that mean? Isn’t Jesus already righteous and without sin?

Only Luke's Gospel offers glimpses into Jesus' early life. Telling of Jesus being presented by Mary and Joseph in the Temple as a baby to fulfill Mosaic law. There is met by Simeon, who loved God, and Anna the prophet. The spirit of the Lord had told Simeon he would not die until he met Christ the Lord. Directed to by the Spirit, Simeon takes Jesus into his hands and Praises God saying he could now depart in peace. The prophet Anna, speaks about the child Jesus to everyone who hoped for Jerusalem to be set free. I doubt a baby Jesus had any idea of what was going on. Just like for most of us at our baptism.

William Barclay suggests that life has definite stages or hinges on which life turns. Do you agree? What are they? One stage in Jesus' life was a later visit to the temple with Mary and Joseph when Jesus was twelve. Luke tells us it was during their annual Passover Pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He is accidentally left behind. When Mary and Joseph realize he is missing they find him in the temple. Three days later. Imagine that scene. Jesus replies "Did you not know that I would be in my Father's house." Jesus had impressed the rabbis with his knowledge. But what Mary and Joseph have told him, what he understands about his identity and mission is unclear. God was long called a Father, a Mother, and a Husband to Israel. Jeremiah, Isaiah, Deuteronomy, Malachi, Proverbs, and Pslams all include Father language for God.

When John the Baptist emerges, Jesus is 30 years old. While he likely realized his uniqueness, he remained the village carpenter of Nazareth. There was an unprecedented movement toward God as crowds flocked to hear John and be baptized. Jesus had no personal sin or a need for personal repentance. He wanted to identify himself with this movement toward God. Taking on humanity’s sin, brokenness, loss, and despair. God's call to action led him to identify himself with the people in their search for God.

In Jesus' Baptism, as recorded by Matthew, God says to Jesus, "This is my Son the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. In Mark and Luke, the address is more personal. God said you are my beloved son, with you, I am well pleased.

The phrase, "You are my beloved son" appears in the 2nd Psalm as -a description of the Messianic King. The phrase “In whom I am well pleased”- appears in the 42nd chapter of Isaiah. A description of the servant of the Lord who becomes the suffering servant. Barclay suggests Jesus’ baptism was a life stage or hinge. Where he realized, first, that he was the Messiah, God's Anointed King. And, second, that this involved not power and glory, but suffering and a cross. And here Jesus also received the Spirit of God that would guide him,

In Jesus, God introduced you to someone special. Today, I invite you to remember your baptism where Jesus claimed you and the Spirit of God came upon you. Remember that you share your baptism with Jesus. Hear what Paul writes in the 6th chapter of Romans: Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. Or as the prophet Isaiah proclaims and we heard read this morning "See the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. What might you need to let go of or take on in this new year as a beloved child of God?

LUKE 2:1-20

Can you name the most streamed Christmas song? (All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey.) Number two? (Last Christmas by Wham.) Some pop Christmas tunes include religious principles. But most stick to love, the weather, and an occasional chestnut. So many of the 40 top-streamed Christmas Carols mention Jesus? (0) The ones that do come in below 70 on the list. The top ones are “Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord,” “O Holy Night” and “The First Nöel,” sung by Nina Nesbitt and Josh Groban.

Regardless of which music is streamed, Christmas goes back to a story. A historical event when God entered our world in a new, mysterious, and wonderful way. An event unique to Christianity. Where God becomes one of us as Jesus Chris is born into our world.

Mary and Joseph travel about 100 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem for a tax census. Google maps says it is a 34-hour journey. Not including rest stops, bandits, or pregnancy. In “The Numbering at Bethlehem” painted by Pieter Bruegel, Mary and Joseph are hidden among the crowds. Mary, Joseph, and their unborn child head to Bethlehem to be counted. But they did not count much in most people's eyes. Few even noticed them. Do we?

In the opening verses of the 2nd chapter of Luke, the word register or registration appears four times. This, registration, a tax census, drew crowds. But the almost magical birth where a baby, Jesus, is placed in a feeding trough drew little attention. God’s gift went largely unnoticed. Yet it gave hope. Sustaining Mary and Joseph. There hope their hope was not from Caesar Augustus, who demanded their journey.

Their hope came from the God that called them. This same hope shared by the angels led the shepherds to Bethlehem. This same hope later leads the wise men too as they bear gifts for the newborn King. This same hope led Jesus' first followers and our ancestors to pass on his story. From birth to death, to life.

Jesus never ruled with military might. Jesus changed and continues to change hearts and minds by teaching God's love, grace, and forgiveness. And showing unconditional love by freely giving his life on the cross. Rising again. Giving us the promise of new life in this world and the next. Offering hope in the midst of whatever despair, loss, fear, illness, or disappointment we face.

Tom Long suggests that as American power and affluence increased over the last century, hope became a casualty. We became too confident in our own strength and promise. Sometimes feeling we need no hope. Maybe that is even evident in the carols that are most often streamed. Failing to see our need for hope, our longings for the future become expressed limited to “hope nots”: We hope the stock market doesn’t crash again. We hope our children don’t get hooked on drugs. We hope we don’t get Alzheimer’s. But “hope nots” do not comfort. “Hope nots” do not satisfy or bring peace. Not with inflation rising, glaciers melting, the threat of nuclear war in Ukraine, or Covid.

On this Holy night, we gather for different reasons. With different questions. Different longings. Different fears and pains. Different joys, sorrows, and expectations.

If you are over the age of 18, you had a choice whether to come or not. Unless your names are Jamie, Jenn, Doug, and Pastor Chris. Otherwise, I think you came because no matter how good or bad life may seem outside of these walls, you too wanted, you needed hope. You wanted something more than the world can offer.

A wonderful gift has been given. Hear again the words of the angels to the lowly shepherds. They are also for you. Unto you has been born a Savior, Christ the Lord. Words that led shepherds to Bethlehem 2,000 years ago now somehow led you here. Ponder, and think deeply about what all this means. As Mary did.

I invite you to close your eyes for a moment. Raise your hands if you have ever re-gifted something. Raise your hands if you plan on doing it this year. (Comment) Don’t peek. What if you get caught? How would that feel?

But we can re-gift Jesus. We are here this evening because God so loved the world. God sent God’s son Jesus. Jesus gave his first followers hope. Jesus' story has been passed down ever since. Re gifted to you and me. That we might share Jesus with others. Through our words and actions, Christ is born in us. Bringing true hope, love, peace, joy, forgiveness, and light to our lives and this world.

Merry Christmas!

Do you still have your high school or college year books? Friends and people, you know probably signed saying two things, “Good luck and stay in touch.” How did that work out?

The internet provides more and more ways to connect. Facebook, Tik Tock, Instagram. Research shows many Americans may have hundreds of Facebook friends, but far fewer real friends than 25 years ago. Nearly a quarter of Americans have no close confidents. For all its good and ability to connect with information, it seems the more time people spend on the internet, the less time they are truly connected to each other.

We come here to connect with Jesus, and each other. John’s Gospel records seven I AM statements of Jesus. Jesus says I am the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate for the sheep, good shepherd, resurrection. Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and the life, and in today’s gospel, I am the true vine.

Jesus saying I am may remind us of God telling Moses I am who I am, some 1,300 years earlier. As God calls Moses in the burning bush. A God who was, is and will be. Something we know through Jesus.

As Jesus says I am the true vine, he notes his father is the vine grower. In the Old Testament, the vineyard often represents God’s chosen. Through Jesus, we become chosen or claimed by God.

Jesus talks about pruning the vine. Sounds harsh, but reality, that is what needs to be done to get the vines to bear fruit. Part of being in community, sometimes we prune each other. The cross reminds us we are forgiven, but it also reminds us of our sins. Failings and shortcomings. Auto show story in Christian Love.

Perhaps the key word about this relationship with Jesus is Abide. We don’t use that word much. How would you define it? To wait patiently, to withstand, to preserve under, to accept the consequences, rest satisfied with, to stay, to remain, to dwell, to conform with.

In addition to saying I am the vine; Jesus says you are the branches. A radio preacher told of a small piece of wood from a vineyard. It was a section of a grape vine from which grew a branch. The vineyard’s owner noted that if two people were to have a tug of war with this section of vine, it would never break where the vine and branch are joined together. That is the vines strongest point. If you pull on a branch that goes into a tree, it will break at the trunk. That is the weakest place. But in a grapevine that is the strongest point.”

Says something about how strong our bond is with Jesus. Starting and ending with God’s love. As John writes. God sent his only son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says apart from him we can do nothing. If course there is much we can do without Jesus. We do not need Jesus to have a career, raise a family, climb Mt. Everest, or even put a man on the moon. But, without Jesus, something is missing from all those things, and all of our relationships.

Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Corinth, speaks about what he calls fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That comes from being connected to Jesus.