Luther was the one who inspired the idea of reformation in us local clergy. But, it was not because of Luther’s greatness. After-all, Luther was just a single monk who taught in a German school for theological education. He was nothing special, unless you would count his ability to swear and drink you under the table. Sure, he had his following, but does not every college professor who is a little off-color. Those professors are always the ones with disciples drooling at their heals. No, we local clergy were not inspired by Luther because of his greatness. Instead, we were inspired because God caused a complete turn around and invigoration of the faith through this one simple, swearing, drinking, short, fat man. We were inspired because of his weakness. And, we thought, if God could use Luther, then God could use us also. God could use us to start a reformation of the faith right here in our little town if God so desired.
I’m not sure what Pastor Bob Martin put in the coffee at his rustic home as we gathered by the lake, but it was invigorating. We were having visions of grandeur for our churches: churches filled to standing room only; churches filled with members who dripped with excitement about sharing God’s love and forgiveness of the sinner with their neighbors; churches filled with people who wanted nothing more than to go out and help their neighbor, fight social ills, seek justice for the forgotten, and fix the plight of the poor. We talked as if we were filled with new wine, it was actually old coffee reheated for a third time, but at that point is there really any difference between the two? With our coffee concentrate for fuel, we were convinced that God could do it. If God could use a slob like Luther, God could use us. “Oh God, reinvigorate your ministry” we prayed together. “Revive your work. Make it spring forth from here and spread throughout the land, and use us simple sinners as your tools to do that.” That was on a Saturday. On Saturday we were excited, on Sunday we preached inspired sermons (all of us heard comments at the door), and then Monday felt like it just had to pop into existence.
Monday is when the questioning began. What were we thinking? More to the point, what were we drinking Pastor Bob? Who do we think we are? We are all just a bunch of hack pastors in the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania. We are not Dr. Robert Schuller with a thriving legacy of a ministry. We are not Rick Warren and haven’t inspired millions with our written words. We are not spiritual powerhouses of the faith. We are just a bunch of rural hack pastors. Why would God choose us anyway?
These feelings were familiar. I have felt them many times before. I felt them for years sitting in the pew before becoming a pastor. Time and time again I would be both inspired by the pastor’s sermon and frightened at the knowledge that I could not possibly be the type of disciple that the pastor was describing. I did not know hardly anything about the bible. How could I do anything productive in the faith? I was scared to talk to other people. How could I share the gospel? Heck, I did not really think that I even understood the good news of God. The pastor was talking to the wrong person in his sermons. I was not discipleship material.
I know that I am not alone here. I have heard similar fears from others sitting in the pews. Most people do not consider themselves spiritual powerhouses, and many are not sure what they would proclaim even if the opportunity blatantly presented itself.
“Chuck, I need the good news man. Tell me the good news. How has the good news affected your life?”
“Uhhhh, gee Earl, our church has a great organist…I like that. You would think that after going to church for 40 years I could help you out. I know the phone number of the pastor though. He's a spiritual powerhouse. I am certain that he could help you.”
For years and years many of us have been convinced that we are not good Christians because of our weakness of faith. This has been reinforced by the faith bravado of many powerful spiritual leaders. It seems weird, but sometimes listening to the best preachers out there can actually make a person feel even more inadequate than when they began. “I will never live up to that. They speak so well, so clearly. They are so wise. They know what they are talking about. They are great. And, I’m not.”
But, the amazing secret of the Christian faith is that, our weakness does not matter. Weakness is actually our greatness. Never forget that the cross was the ultimate symbol of shame and weakness in the Roman world, yet Jesus the Christ used it for great things. Weakness is actually our greatness. Listen to these words from Paul, the worst preacher of them all. Remember that people were always falling asleep during his sermons, one even fell out of a window! He must have been terrible. Others were disappointed at his complete lack of wisdom when they spoke to him personally. Listen to this poor man's words, “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
You do not have any great words of wisdom to help me better my life? Great. You don’t have any confidence in your spiritual abilities? Perfect! Does sin cling to you like the smell of cow manure? Great! You are perfect for the job of disciple. You are perfect for the job of preaching the good news.
“What are you talking about Pastor Jira? What’s so great about that?”
You don’t know anything. That is not such a bad place to be in your faith, because if you can’t trust in yourself and your own wisdom, then you have no choice but to trust in Jesus the Christ. That is faith. You do know what it is like to feel inadequate. You do know what it is like to not know the answers. You do know what all other people struggling in the world know. But, you know one thing more that they may not. You know what it means to trust Christ because you are not good enough. You trust because you are weak. That is genuine faith. Spiritual powerhouses do not know these things. Spiritual powerhouses have no need of a savior.
Listen to what Paul had to say about this, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God…Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
You are a living gospel waiting to be opened and read by those around you. You are a sin-filled, dirty, and weak spiritual person. But, when you are opened up people will be shocked to discover that you are great precisely because you are weak. You have no choice but to trust in Christ’s love and forgiveness. Your weakness is the very thing that makes you great. God prefers to use sinners like us for the kingdom of God.
God used a man like Bart Campolo. He is a Christian who is under no delusions of grandeur. He knows full well that he sins and cannot save himself. If my memory serves me right, his story goes something like this. While driving a group of city street hardened men to a Christian camp he was quite less than a spiritual powerhouse. Trying to be the men's "spiritual guide" he tried to cover up the fact that he was upset that they were running late, speeding through traffic, and secretly cursing the traffic around him. He did not want the men to see how angry he was at himself for showing up late for the event at the camp. The final breakdown of this "spiritual guide" occurred when the tire of the van blew. When the tire blew, he did too. He started cursing, throwing tire irons, and generally had a major fit in the middle of the highway. The men just stared out the window at their spiritual guide who was uttering some very unspiritual things. Getting back into the van, ashamed of himself, one of the men leaned forward and asked,
"You call yourself a disciple of Christ don't you?"
"Yes," he replied timidly.
“If your are a disciple of Christ and God can use a person like you; than that’s a God I can be a part of. Because of that fit you threw, I know that I would be welcome as a follower also."
So, who knows, maybe God can use us for a reformation of the faith. Who knows? It is up to God. God has done it before. God used the weakness of Luther to cause an explosion in the sharing of the good news in his time. God does use the sinner for reformation. And, at the end of his life, this is all that Luther had to say about what God had accomplished through him:
"Know that no one can have indulged in the Holy Writers sufficiently, unless he has governed churches for a hundred years with the prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha, John the Baptist, Christ and the apostles... We are beggars: this is true."
We are beggars: this is true. It is a very weak position. It is also the one God uses to cause a reformation of the faith.
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Reflection on Luke 16:1-13
If you did not understand a single word that Jesus just tried to teach you in that parable of the dishonest manager, and if you zoned out half way through the scripture reading and went to your own private beach in the sun, you are not alone. I’ve struggled with this confusing text for two weeks trying to dredge meaning out of it. Looking to the experts for the answers, I searched bible commentaries. All of them said the same basic thing. Only they used very eloquent and scholarly words to say: “I have no idea what the heck Jesus is talking about.”
So, as we explore this confusion together this morning, let’s start where I always start when I’m lost; we’ll start with something that I understand. And the something that I understand with great authority is how to be a rotten sinful person. So, here we go!
We have a rotten sinful person who could look a lot like me if you need a visual, and could be alive today, and could be the manager of a large business owned by a rich master like Bill Gates or Ted Turner. The manager is entrusted with all the money of the master’s business. The manager is the big shot. So, when he saw the company had purchased nice, sleek, silver pens that wrote just right and made you look like you were someone who signed important things, he didn’t have any problem taking one or two or nine home with him. He’s the manager. And, when someone paid a little extra that was owed to the company, a mere $30 extra, he knew no one would notice such a small amount going into his stomach for lunch. And, when he saw that all the other big managers were buying for a company car the new Bugatti Veyron supercar which can go from zero to 60 in less than 2.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 253 miles per hour; only 300 made with a 10 month waiting list, he knew he would be seen as a real player if he got one. He was under the power of money and what it could do for him and he liked it.
Then the day came when the owner, his rich master, discovered a few holes in his profits. The small 1.4 million dollar hole that the sports car took out might have been it.
“You are fired. Tie up loose ends and be out of here by the end of the week.” The words hummed through the former manager’s defeated soul.
“Shoot, I’m going to lose everything: my house, my sports car, probably my wife and kids, my dog…he won’t even want to be around me I’ll be so depressed, my honor, my respect…dang…the only thing that can pull me out of this mess is to write a song about it, buy a guitar, and become a country singer. ‘I lost my house, my sports car, my wife…’” No, he doesn’t do that, he comes up with a much shrewder plan: he decides that he needs friends, special friends, the ones with an extra room and beer in the cooler for when he is officially discharged from his former life of wealth. And, how is he going to pull it off? He’s going to forgive part of the debt that his soon to be best friends owed his master. “Here, you only have to pay 50% of your bill. Hey, you over there, you only have to pay 80% of your small bill.” In other words, he’s going to build his future doing the exact same thing that got him into trouble in the first place: squandering his master’s profits on himself! I think we call that irony, or just plain idiotic.
Of course, you know what happens next. The master gets wind of this in no time flat (surely from one of the grateful indebted people who fell at his feet and thanked him profusely for his mercy). With dribbles of gratefulness still gleaming on his toes, he strolls determinedly right up into the face of his former manager, and says, “You my friend are a very commendable person, but you’re still fired.”
“Commendable?” Jesus, what are you talking about? “Commendable?” We are supposed to hold up this thieving scoundrel as a role model of faith? Jesus, you’ve been known to bend the rules, no ritual hand washing…eating with sinners…working on the Sabbath…but stealing is a commandment. It is one of the Big Ten. Heck, this guy is so stuck on money that he’s crossing the boundary of the biggest commandment of all, number one: “You shall have no other gods.” Money and God…you can’t have both, don’t you remember Jesus? But, come to think of it, is the guy still crossing that boundary? Wait a second here, maybe Jesus hasn’t gone off of the deep end.
Now, I’m going to propose something here that’s a relatively fresh insight, and I’m not saying that this guy doesn’t have a problem with commandment number one, but it seems to me that the guy has suddenly lost his trust in his money; at least temporarily. All the guy cares about now, after being fired, is having the basics: a place to sleep and some food to eat. Granted, this is still selfish stuff; he still did what he did to save his own backside. But, look at what his selfish actions caused to happen. Because of his selfish actions, the poor were forgiven some of their debt; some as much as 50%. Oh, you didn’t realize he dealt with poor individuals. When money is your god it is hard to see who it affects. I am not poor by any means, but I do understand that 50% forgiveness off of my mortgage would be nothing short of a miracle from God. And, look what else happens here: the shrewd manager may have lost some of the master’s money, but the manager makes a great name in the community for his former master, a former rich man who is now known as a caring and generous rich man. You can’t pay for that sort of publicity.
Probably for the first time in his life, the former manager did something that actually benefited others more than it benefited himself. And, he was commended for it. Of course, it was something small and it was stained with sin and human imperfection, but it was something that benefited others more than it benefited himself.
God can use our stained selves and our selfish actions for great things. God can take selfishness and shape it into justice and food for the poor. God can take selfishness and mold it into a grace so sweet that people sing the praises of God our divine master.
It is true that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. Even our finest actions are stained with sin and selfish reasons. Here’s an example. A lot of people express to me that they feel good after helping someone else out.
“Why do you work to help abused children find a safe home when it is such hard work?”
“Someone needs to protect and help heal the child, and it makes me feel good.”
“Why do you serve soup to the poor everyday when you could be out shopping the wonderful nearby stores?”
“The people need fed, and it makes me feel real good.”
That’s fine, those things make me feel good also, but doing something helpful in order to gain a good feeling is still selfish. The selfish act still puts my need to feel good and appreciated before the only one who is good: God, thereby trampling on the first commandment. We are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. But, Christ is able to take the stained good action from us, wash it clean with forgiveness, and deliver it to the needy as a pure act of grace and love. Thanks be to God alone for that one.
Now, we could worry obsessively about sinning while doing something good for our neighbors, decide not to risk sinning, sit around the house surfing the internet and eating chocolate cream filled tasty cakes, or we could take the dishonest manager’s lead and sin a little. Go ahead and sin a little. Feel good about giving out some of the money that God has entrusted to us, use some talent that God has gifted us, and waste it on any person in need who could really use it. Tell them, “It’s not me you should thank, its God,” when they offer their deepest appreciation. And, invite them to worship so that they can fall down at the feet of the one who really made our selfish, sinful act into an act of divine grace; Jesus Christ.
Go ahead and sin a little for the good of others. The sin staining you and staining your actions has been buried and put to death with Christ. Don’t worry, all the person who is depending on you sees when they look into your eyes and witnesses your loving action is Christ Jesus come down to care for them. They have been remembered. They are loved by God after-all. Thanks be to God.
Go ahead and sin a little for the good of others; God can use a sinner like you for great things. So what if you’re not perfect or not yet ready or not good enough? Still struggling with the same sins you were struggling with when you were 16 or 3? Fine. If God can use someone like the dishonest manager, God can use someone like you. Not careful with the talents and wealth God has given you? That’s fine; spill them all over the place; spill them where the poor may be clothed and fed and the sinner might find much needed forgiveness. Be careless and spill God’s love everywhere. Christ Jesus uses careless sinners like us everyday. Thanks be to God.
So, as we explore this confusion together this morning, let’s start where I always start when I’m lost; we’ll start with something that I understand. And the something that I understand with great authority is how to be a rotten sinful person. So, here we go!
We have a rotten sinful person who could look a lot like me if you need a visual, and could be alive today, and could be the manager of a large business owned by a rich master like Bill Gates or Ted Turner. The manager is entrusted with all the money of the master’s business. The manager is the big shot. So, when he saw the company had purchased nice, sleek, silver pens that wrote just right and made you look like you were someone who signed important things, he didn’t have any problem taking one or two or nine home with him. He’s the manager. And, when someone paid a little extra that was owed to the company, a mere $30 extra, he knew no one would notice such a small amount going into his stomach for lunch. And, when he saw that all the other big managers were buying for a company car the new Bugatti Veyron supercar which can go from zero to 60 in less than 2.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 253 miles per hour; only 300 made with a 10 month waiting list, he knew he would be seen as a real player if he got one. He was under the power of money and what it could do for him and he liked it.
Then the day came when the owner, his rich master, discovered a few holes in his profits. The small 1.4 million dollar hole that the sports car took out might have been it.
“You are fired. Tie up loose ends and be out of here by the end of the week.” The words hummed through the former manager’s defeated soul.
“Shoot, I’m going to lose everything: my house, my sports car, probably my wife and kids, my dog…he won’t even want to be around me I’ll be so depressed, my honor, my respect…dang…the only thing that can pull me out of this mess is to write a song about it, buy a guitar, and become a country singer. ‘I lost my house, my sports car, my wife…’” No, he doesn’t do that, he comes up with a much shrewder plan: he decides that he needs friends, special friends, the ones with an extra room and beer in the cooler for when he is officially discharged from his former life of wealth. And, how is he going to pull it off? He’s going to forgive part of the debt that his soon to be best friends owed his master. “Here, you only have to pay 50% of your bill. Hey, you over there, you only have to pay 80% of your small bill.” In other words, he’s going to build his future doing the exact same thing that got him into trouble in the first place: squandering his master’s profits on himself! I think we call that irony, or just plain idiotic.
Of course, you know what happens next. The master gets wind of this in no time flat (surely from one of the grateful indebted people who fell at his feet and thanked him profusely for his mercy). With dribbles of gratefulness still gleaming on his toes, he strolls determinedly right up into the face of his former manager, and says, “You my friend are a very commendable person, but you’re still fired.”
“Commendable?” Jesus, what are you talking about? “Commendable?” We are supposed to hold up this thieving scoundrel as a role model of faith? Jesus, you’ve been known to bend the rules, no ritual hand washing…eating with sinners…working on the Sabbath…but stealing is a commandment. It is one of the Big Ten. Heck, this guy is so stuck on money that he’s crossing the boundary of the biggest commandment of all, number one: “You shall have no other gods.” Money and God…you can’t have both, don’t you remember Jesus? But, come to think of it, is the guy still crossing that boundary? Wait a second here, maybe Jesus hasn’t gone off of the deep end.
Now, I’m going to propose something here that’s a relatively fresh insight, and I’m not saying that this guy doesn’t have a problem with commandment number one, but it seems to me that the guy has suddenly lost his trust in his money; at least temporarily. All the guy cares about now, after being fired, is having the basics: a place to sleep and some food to eat. Granted, this is still selfish stuff; he still did what he did to save his own backside. But, look at what his selfish actions caused to happen. Because of his selfish actions, the poor were forgiven some of their debt; some as much as 50%. Oh, you didn’t realize he dealt with poor individuals. When money is your god it is hard to see who it affects. I am not poor by any means, but I do understand that 50% forgiveness off of my mortgage would be nothing short of a miracle from God. And, look what else happens here: the shrewd manager may have lost some of the master’s money, but the manager makes a great name in the community for his former master, a former rich man who is now known as a caring and generous rich man. You can’t pay for that sort of publicity.
Probably for the first time in his life, the former manager did something that actually benefited others more than it benefited himself. And, he was commended for it. Of course, it was something small and it was stained with sin and human imperfection, but it was something that benefited others more than it benefited himself.
God can use our stained selves and our selfish actions for great things. God can take selfishness and shape it into justice and food for the poor. God can take selfishness and mold it into a grace so sweet that people sing the praises of God our divine master.
It is true that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. Even our finest actions are stained with sin and selfish reasons. Here’s an example. A lot of people express to me that they feel good after helping someone else out.
“Why do you work to help abused children find a safe home when it is such hard work?”
“Someone needs to protect and help heal the child, and it makes me feel good.”
“Why do you serve soup to the poor everyday when you could be out shopping the wonderful nearby stores?”
“The people need fed, and it makes me feel real good.”
That’s fine, those things make me feel good also, but doing something helpful in order to gain a good feeling is still selfish. The selfish act still puts my need to feel good and appreciated before the only one who is good: God, thereby trampling on the first commandment. We are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. But, Christ is able to take the stained good action from us, wash it clean with forgiveness, and deliver it to the needy as a pure act of grace and love. Thanks be to God alone for that one.
Now, we could worry obsessively about sinning while doing something good for our neighbors, decide not to risk sinning, sit around the house surfing the internet and eating chocolate cream filled tasty cakes, or we could take the dishonest manager’s lead and sin a little. Go ahead and sin a little. Feel good about giving out some of the money that God has entrusted to us, use some talent that God has gifted us, and waste it on any person in need who could really use it. Tell them, “It’s not me you should thank, its God,” when they offer their deepest appreciation. And, invite them to worship so that they can fall down at the feet of the one who really made our selfish, sinful act into an act of divine grace; Jesus Christ.
Go ahead and sin a little for the good of others. The sin staining you and staining your actions has been buried and put to death with Christ. Don’t worry, all the person who is depending on you sees when they look into your eyes and witnesses your loving action is Christ Jesus come down to care for them. They have been remembered. They are loved by God after-all. Thanks be to God.
Go ahead and sin a little for the good of others; God can use a sinner like you for great things. So what if you’re not perfect or not yet ready or not good enough? Still struggling with the same sins you were struggling with when you were 16 or 3? Fine. If God can use someone like the dishonest manager, God can use someone like you. Not careful with the talents and wealth God has given you? That’s fine; spill them all over the place; spill them where the poor may be clothed and fed and the sinner might find much needed forgiveness. Be careless and spill God’s love everywhere. Christ Jesus uses careless sinners like us everyday. Thanks be to God.
Reflection on Luke 15:1-10
During worship, we come together as a gathering of the found. People have all kinds of reasons why they come to church. Some come because they have friends in the church that they like to gab with. Others come out of a deeply rooted sense (fostered by their parents no doubt) that going to church is the right thing to do Sunday mornings. Some come because of the amazing preacher. Still others come because they know that there will be a tasty fellowship treat following the service just up the sidewalk, turn right, up the stairs, and through the red door into the parish house…it starts around 11:15…all are welcome. Of course, there are much nobler reasons for coming to worship, and most of you are no doubt people with a noble reason.
Despite even noble reasons, I would like to make the claim that the true reason that we are gathering here this morning is because we were found. We are a people who, for some reason, have made a habit of getting lost, and miraculously God has come to the rescue. We are a once lost, now found people who get the opportunity to be reassured in the Christian community weekly that God will not forget or forsake us. God has forgiven us. Not even sin or death can keep us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We are a once lost, now found people whose famished and hungry souls get to be restored and reenergized with the body and blood of our Lord. We are a gathering of sinful, broken people who have been found. We are truly nothing more than that. We are not great people. Our actions are not necessarily more righteous than anyone else’s. I know an atheist who is making a profound impact on the lives of the poor in Africa through the Peace Corp. She is a good friend. I cannot say that my actions are any greater than hers. That being said, we are also nothing less than the found people of God. We are a people who God has taken the time to find and gather in God’s holy name. That is why we rejoice with God this Sunday morning. We have been found.
Let that truth ring lightly through your souls while we consider something else this morning. There are a couple of completely obvious things in our biblical text from this morning that I want to make sure are not overlooked because of the fact that they are so obvious. The first is that both the sheep and the coin in our parables get lost. One sheep did wander off while the shepherd was encouraging the rest from behind as shepherds do, and the woman’s dowry coin (the wealth that was solely hers, no one else’s) did rip off of her headdress and roll into a dark corner in her home. Getting lost is not something to be taken lightly. As I read the words of a close friend’s e-mail to me late last Saturday evening, “everything is dark, God is no longer in my life,” I knew that getting lost is not something to take lightly. It is terrifying to roll into a dark corner and not be able to see the light. In the darkness you can do nothing but grasp around. Hopefully, “Oh my God please,” hopefully, you will grasp onto something familiar and safe; something that will pull you from the darkness into the light. But, the truth is that you are just as likely to grasp onto something sharp and harmful, or wander further into the deep. When in the dark, the right way and the wrong way look the same. They are both black.
But, you are not in the dark. Everyone gathered here today has been found. We are a once lost, now found people who know deeply to our core the second truth that these two parables reveal to us. Everyone is precious to God. Everyone is worth finding. Might I even be so bold as to say that Christ somehow does not feel complete unless Christ finds everyone who has been lost. I am not saying that Christ is dependent on us. But, I am saying that Christ experiences a loss when we wander away.
Look at the examples Christ himself uses. The shepherd is no shepherd at all if he loses his master’s sheep. He is a worthless shepherd if there are sheep missing.
If you look at the woman who loses her dowry and you will see this aspect of God even stronger. As I said before, a woman’s dowry was her only wealth in the ancient Israelite world. To lose even one coin would be to lose a part of her self. Of course, she frantically searches the house to find her lost coin, because in a very real economic way, her worth is not complete without it.
Shepherds are not complete without all of their sheep. Women of the ancient world were not complete without their entire dowry. Parents are not complete without all of their children. Siblings are not complete without their brother or sister. God is not complete as long as God’s children are lost. God definitely recognizes when a child is missing from the dinner table. Our own parents would be devastated if we didn't show up at the table, so it is not hard to understand how God is not complete unless every last one can be found.
God is so passionate about us that God sent God’s only son to risk his life and find us; to save us from the darkness; to bring us out of the blackness of sin into the light. We are a once lost and now found people; nothing more, but also nothing less. Nothing more, because we are not wonderful and great and perfect; we are simply human. This was the Pharisees mistake when they questioned why tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus. Somehow they made the mistake of seeing themselves as better than other sinners. But, we are also nothing less than the children of God who complete the body of Christ when we are found. God is complete when we are found.
We are a once lost, but now found church. Our foundness and oneness with God does affect us in a very real way. We feel the same emptiness and pain that God feels when God’s children are lost. The loss of a child affects the whole family. The emptiness of that spot at the dinner table compels us, not out of obligation, but out of love to find and search and invite. We are a found church, but that also makes us a finding church. We are a church that searches in the dark areas and reaches out a hand so that people can find the light. We are a church that welcomes the tax collectors and sinners and gladly eats with them at the Lord’s celebration of return. We are a church that does not give up in searching and finding because God does not rest until every last child is found. Who do you know that should not be given up on?
Despite even noble reasons, I would like to make the claim that the true reason that we are gathering here this morning is because we were found. We are a people who, for some reason, have made a habit of getting lost, and miraculously God has come to the rescue. We are a once lost, now found people who get the opportunity to be reassured in the Christian community weekly that God will not forget or forsake us. God has forgiven us. Not even sin or death can keep us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We are a once lost, now found people whose famished and hungry souls get to be restored and reenergized with the body and blood of our Lord. We are a gathering of sinful, broken people who have been found. We are truly nothing more than that. We are not great people. Our actions are not necessarily more righteous than anyone else’s. I know an atheist who is making a profound impact on the lives of the poor in Africa through the Peace Corp. She is a good friend. I cannot say that my actions are any greater than hers. That being said, we are also nothing less than the found people of God. We are a people who God has taken the time to find and gather in God’s holy name. That is why we rejoice with God this Sunday morning. We have been found.
Let that truth ring lightly through your souls while we consider something else this morning. There are a couple of completely obvious things in our biblical text from this morning that I want to make sure are not overlooked because of the fact that they are so obvious. The first is that both the sheep and the coin in our parables get lost. One sheep did wander off while the shepherd was encouraging the rest from behind as shepherds do, and the woman’s dowry coin (the wealth that was solely hers, no one else’s) did rip off of her headdress and roll into a dark corner in her home. Getting lost is not something to be taken lightly. As I read the words of a close friend’s e-mail to me late last Saturday evening, “everything is dark, God is no longer in my life,” I knew that getting lost is not something to take lightly. It is terrifying to roll into a dark corner and not be able to see the light. In the darkness you can do nothing but grasp around. Hopefully, “Oh my God please,” hopefully, you will grasp onto something familiar and safe; something that will pull you from the darkness into the light. But, the truth is that you are just as likely to grasp onto something sharp and harmful, or wander further into the deep. When in the dark, the right way and the wrong way look the same. They are both black.
But, you are not in the dark. Everyone gathered here today has been found. We are a once lost, now found people who know deeply to our core the second truth that these two parables reveal to us. Everyone is precious to God. Everyone is worth finding. Might I even be so bold as to say that Christ somehow does not feel complete unless Christ finds everyone who has been lost. I am not saying that Christ is dependent on us. But, I am saying that Christ experiences a loss when we wander away.
Look at the examples Christ himself uses. The shepherd is no shepherd at all if he loses his master’s sheep. He is a worthless shepherd if there are sheep missing.
If you look at the woman who loses her dowry and you will see this aspect of God even stronger. As I said before, a woman’s dowry was her only wealth in the ancient Israelite world. To lose even one coin would be to lose a part of her self. Of course, she frantically searches the house to find her lost coin, because in a very real economic way, her worth is not complete without it.
Shepherds are not complete without all of their sheep. Women of the ancient world were not complete without their entire dowry. Parents are not complete without all of their children. Siblings are not complete without their brother or sister. God is not complete as long as God’s children are lost. God definitely recognizes when a child is missing from the dinner table. Our own parents would be devastated if we didn't show up at the table, so it is not hard to understand how God is not complete unless every last one can be found.
God is so passionate about us that God sent God’s only son to risk his life and find us; to save us from the darkness; to bring us out of the blackness of sin into the light. We are a once lost and now found people; nothing more, but also nothing less. Nothing more, because we are not wonderful and great and perfect; we are simply human. This was the Pharisees mistake when they questioned why tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus. Somehow they made the mistake of seeing themselves as better than other sinners. But, we are also nothing less than the children of God who complete the body of Christ when we are found. God is complete when we are found.
We are a once lost, but now found church. Our foundness and oneness with God does affect us in a very real way. We feel the same emptiness and pain that God feels when God’s children are lost. The loss of a child affects the whole family. The emptiness of that spot at the dinner table compels us, not out of obligation, but out of love to find and search and invite. We are a found church, but that also makes us a finding church. We are a church that searches in the dark areas and reaches out a hand so that people can find the light. We are a church that welcomes the tax collectors and sinners and gladly eats with them at the Lord’s celebration of return. We are a church that does not give up in searching and finding because God does not rest until every last child is found. Who do you know that should not be given up on?
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Reflection on Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
If you are standing outside when the foundations of the earth shake, you will notice something curious and unsettling; the term solid ground is an illusion. You will notice that the solid ground in fact moves like an ocean as waves of soil is tossed a foot into the air and then settles back down only to be tossed up once again. Houses rise and fall like boats on the rough seas and people pray that their houses will hold through the storm. When the foundations of the earth shake, the only thing that stays secure is the foundation itself; rocky crags and granite mountains proclaim their solid majesty while the soil dances around them.
But, when God shakes the foundations, even the mountains quake and crumble. Did not the mountains quake whenever God spoke to Moses and the prophets? When God’s word of truth is spoken, it rumbles existence, and we clearly see that the term “unmovable mountain” is also an illusion. They too can dance in waves like the soil. The foundation of all existence is not a geological bedrock after-all, but the Word of God, whom we know as Christ Jesus. The Word was in the beginning when order was brought out of chaos and the world formed. The Word is with us now, still creating order out of chaos and shaking the false order that humans create. The Word will still be in the end when the world is shaken for the last time, and everything crumbles apart except everything and everyone that Christ Jesus has set solidly into the foundation itself. Jesus Christ is the unshakable foundation who “is the same yesterday and today and forever.” If you have been claimed by Christ, then you can be found in an unshakable foundation.
Christ may be holding you fast, your feet may be buried forever in the unshakable foundation of God’s unconditional love, cemented there through your baptism, but that does not mean we always remember this fact. As you may have noticed during both the toddler and the early teenaged years, it is a truth of life that people have a tendency to stumble because they do not remember where their feet are. But, you do not have to be a toddler or a teenager to stumble in our relationship with God. In our consumer driven reality where we are told through enticing commercials that happiness can be bought and courage is kept to a minimum because of the discomfort it may bring to us or to our families, it is easy to forget where our feet are. It is common to forget that our feet are grounded in Christ. Much easier is pretending that our feet are grounded in the comforts of the world or the false constructions of the mind. One of the more unsettling truths for us about God is that God has no problem shaking these false foundations. If you have ever struggled in your faith, it is quite likely that you have experienced what I like to call a "God quake."
Most people experience a God quake when they enter their first college religion course, and are told outright that the god they believe in, the god they have held onto since childhood, is not real. In the least, people are told their god only partially resembles the true God. The first year of seminary, for those who enrole, is a year of complete decimation and despair as God uses the professors to completely tear down the gods we have constructed for our false foundations of security. Some leave the school and go back home trying to put the pieces of their false god back together. Most stay and wait until their life becomes less dizzy. Only then can they look down and see the truth.
Most times when you start to feel uncomfortable in worship because of a word spoken or an action done or unanswered prayers linger, you will discover that you are on the verge of a God quake. The quake will honestly be horrible. It will shake your formerly confident soul. It will make you question your life. It will make you question who God is. It will tear down all of your security and will rip off all of your protective clothes and you will be naked before God. And, only when God has shaken all of our securities away will we be able to look down and see, as if for the first time, that our feet are stuck in the foundation of Christ’s unconditional love. And, we realize, as if for the first time, that only in Christ and his unconditional love can we trust.
When the foundations have been shaken, we see through new eyes; Christ’s eyes. We see strangers who need the kindness of others. We see prisoners who have been forgotten by everyone, because they have been deemed worthless. People who are abused and tortured are no longer seen as statistics or too far overseas to be concerned about. Anything that would destroy the relationship we have with our spouse no longer looks as pressing or appealing. We see that money and the things it buys is truly a weak foundation; it can be put to better use than building false, useless foundations for ourselves. When we see through new eyes, Christ’s eyes, we see people just like us, who are in sin, and have not yet figured out how to look down at their feet. They do not yet realize that they don’t have to sin in order to make it in this life. If they would just look down they would see that they have been claimed by Christ. Christ has cemented them into the unshakable foundations. They simply didn’t see it before! Wouldn’t it be great if someone would point out that truth? Wouldn’t it be great if they heard these words of truth from Christ: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Because of these words we can all say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Jesus Christ is our unshakable foundation. Look down! Look down and see the truth. You are fixed into an unshakable foundation. You have been claimed by God and are eternally loved. Now go in peace, put on the eyes of Christ, and share that love. Thanks be to God.
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
But, when God shakes the foundations, even the mountains quake and crumble. Did not the mountains quake whenever God spoke to Moses and the prophets? When God’s word of truth is spoken, it rumbles existence, and we clearly see that the term “unmovable mountain” is also an illusion. They too can dance in waves like the soil. The foundation of all existence is not a geological bedrock after-all, but the Word of God, whom we know as Christ Jesus. The Word was in the beginning when order was brought out of chaos and the world formed. The Word is with us now, still creating order out of chaos and shaking the false order that humans create. The Word will still be in the end when the world is shaken for the last time, and everything crumbles apart except everything and everyone that Christ Jesus has set solidly into the foundation itself. Jesus Christ is the unshakable foundation who “is the same yesterday and today and forever.” If you have been claimed by Christ, then you can be found in an unshakable foundation.
Christ may be holding you fast, your feet may be buried forever in the unshakable foundation of God’s unconditional love, cemented there through your baptism, but that does not mean we always remember this fact. As you may have noticed during both the toddler and the early teenaged years, it is a truth of life that people have a tendency to stumble because they do not remember where their feet are. But, you do not have to be a toddler or a teenager to stumble in our relationship with God. In our consumer driven reality where we are told through enticing commercials that happiness can be bought and courage is kept to a minimum because of the discomfort it may bring to us or to our families, it is easy to forget where our feet are. It is common to forget that our feet are grounded in Christ. Much easier is pretending that our feet are grounded in the comforts of the world or the false constructions of the mind. One of the more unsettling truths for us about God is that God has no problem shaking these false foundations. If you have ever struggled in your faith, it is quite likely that you have experienced what I like to call a "God quake."
Most people experience a God quake when they enter their first college religion course, and are told outright that the god they believe in, the god they have held onto since childhood, is not real. In the least, people are told their god only partially resembles the true God. The first year of seminary, for those who enrole, is a year of complete decimation and despair as God uses the professors to completely tear down the gods we have constructed for our false foundations of security. Some leave the school and go back home trying to put the pieces of their false god back together. Most stay and wait until their life becomes less dizzy. Only then can they look down and see the truth.
Most times when you start to feel uncomfortable in worship because of a word spoken or an action done or unanswered prayers linger, you will discover that you are on the verge of a God quake. The quake will honestly be horrible. It will shake your formerly confident soul. It will make you question your life. It will make you question who God is. It will tear down all of your security and will rip off all of your protective clothes and you will be naked before God. And, only when God has shaken all of our securities away will we be able to look down and see, as if for the first time, that our feet are stuck in the foundation of Christ’s unconditional love. And, we realize, as if for the first time, that only in Christ and his unconditional love can we trust.
When the foundations have been shaken, we see through new eyes; Christ’s eyes. We see strangers who need the kindness of others. We see prisoners who have been forgotten by everyone, because they have been deemed worthless. People who are abused and tortured are no longer seen as statistics or too far overseas to be concerned about. Anything that would destroy the relationship we have with our spouse no longer looks as pressing or appealing. We see that money and the things it buys is truly a weak foundation; it can be put to better use than building false, useless foundations for ourselves. When we see through new eyes, Christ’s eyes, we see people just like us, who are in sin, and have not yet figured out how to look down at their feet. They do not yet realize that they don’t have to sin in order to make it in this life. If they would just look down they would see that they have been claimed by Christ. Christ has cemented them into the unshakable foundations. They simply didn’t see it before! Wouldn’t it be great if someone would point out that truth? Wouldn’t it be great if they heard these words of truth from Christ: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Because of these words we can all say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Jesus Christ is our unshakable foundation. Look down! Look down and see the truth. You are fixed into an unshakable foundation. You have been claimed by God and are eternally loved. Now go in peace, put on the eyes of Christ, and share that love. Thanks be to God.
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Reflection on Luke 13:10-17
As some of you may know, a number of weeks ago my wife and I took a one night vacation to Wine Country Cabins on Lake Seneca. The cabins were small, uncluttered, and mercifully quiet, with only the sound of the lake gently lapping against the shone. There was a TV, but we didn’t use it. We simply spent some time on our small porch, staring out at the lake, reading a good book. The refreshing calm of that one night vacation was as restorative as a two week vacation with extended family. That night, I truly understood that the Sabbath was not a rigid rule that God came up with just so that God could have something by which we might be tested. Rather, it is a gift to a tired, tired world.
It is a gift of rest beside still waters that refreshes the soul. It is the gift of an entire day devoted to nothing but resting in God’s word, resting in a loving embrace with a spouse, and resting a tired body. So, it is curious to me that the commandment to keep the Sabbath is probably one of the most universally broken commandments in existence. Honestly, I have not killed anyone lately, I don’t have time to steal right now, Mom and Dad are good, and I wasn’t planning on committing adultery very soon. But, ask any pastor if they’ve kept the Sabbath, if they have refrained from working, and see if they give you an honest answer. Even with the best intentions of worshipping God fully, someone will inevitably tell you to remember their Uncle Larry in the prayers of the day. And, while the rest of the congregation is taken to a blissful rest in the powerful and beautiful voice of the organ, the pastor is recalling the whole time: “Larry, Larry, Larry.” Of course, we cannot forget the hospital visit that needs to be make before the day is over. And yes, we cannot forget that little Bill needs new sneekers.
Pastors aren’t the only violators though. On internship I once asked someone if they kept the Sabbath and he answered, “Of course, you see me every Sunday.”
“Yes I do,” I responded, “But, is it a day of rest for you?”
“Oh yeah,” he said. After church I eat a light lunch and then I take a short nap.”
"Good," I thought.
Then he continued, “After that I usually mow the lawn and pull the weeds from the flower bed. I pay the bills and sometimes I get the grocery shopping done that I haven’t been able to do. The grandkids are usually dropped off in the evening and we entertain them.”
I wasn't convinced that he was very rested.
I also remember asking a mother with six children if she ever took a Sabbath Day of rest. She just laughed at me.
And, I think that it has always been that way. From the very beginning people have been testing the boundaries of the Sabbath. There are chapters upon chapters of case law in ancient Judaism in which Rabbis debated what was and was not allowed on the Sabbath. “Is it OK for me to water my donkey?” “Is it O.K. to milk the cow? I’m sure the thing is going to explode if I don’t.” “Can I walk to my neighbor’s? It’s a long walk. Walking isn’t work is it?” “Can’t we at least get a drink of water? What do you want us to do? Just sit around all day and dehydrate?”
Answering some of those very questions, preacher Barbara Brown Taylor in a sermon about the Sabbath remarked that what all of the Jewish Sabbath restrictions have in common is that they ask us to refain primarily from acts of creativity. On the Seventh day God rested from creative, meaningful acts, and we should too. In other words, the Sabbath is the day where we allow God to take care of things. It is the day that we refrain from helping God. Only on the Sabbath do we intentionally recognize that God is capable of managing without us. It is the Lord's day in the truest sense. The Sabbath helps us to remember that God is God, and we are not. This is hard for Christians to hear. Christians are people who care and love others. Meaningful acts are what make us who we are. We can not rest from that, can we?
We have Luke 13:10-17 after-all. Does not that tell us that as Christians we cannot rest? That story basically spell out that we are not bound to those ancient Sabbath laws, does in not? Luke 13:10-17 is the story of the bent over woman. This woman hobbles near Jesus on the Sabbath. She is severely crippled and has been burdened with that state for eighteen years. Jesus sees her, and with compassion, heals her. "How dare she walk near Jesus and allow herself to be healed on the Sabbath," she is chastised by the religious leader. The retort is ridiculous of course, but the religious leader wasn’t truly angry with her. He was, not so subtly, angry with Jesus for working on the Sabbath. And, in response Jesus says those words that all of us Christians take as license to throw away the Sabbath commandment, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” (NRSV, Luke 13:15-16)
It is easy to get confused here. We Christians feel the need to be God’s helpers so strongly. "We cannot take a Sabbath. We cannot rest, and here is proof!" Of course, our proof is as unstable as a child standing on a bike, moving down a hill, with no hands. Jesus doesn’t throw away the Sabbath here. Through Jesus’ healing touch, God simply allows one more person the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful gift of a day of rest without pain and burden. Like anyone would do for their donkey, she is untied from her burdened and led to the still waters to drink and to rest in the soft grass.
As you have probably already figured out by now, we are not punished for the sin of breaking the Sabbath. There is no jail time, and I am willing to bet that there probably is not a place in hell designated for those who paid their bills on the wrong day. Rather, we are punished by the sin of breaking the Sabbath. When we break the Sabbath, we miss God’s wonderful gift of refreshment and rest. Just like the child who falls after standing on a moving bike with no hands, there is no more punishment needed to make the point. There is no more punishment needed after we have run ourselves dry of energy, dry of a close relationship with our spouse, and dry of a close relationship with God.
It doesn’t have to be that way. The gift of the Sabbath is offered every week. God will be able to handle things for a day without you. Let God work on you, instead of the other way around. Feel the word of God refresh your tired brain. Feel the warmth of a loved one held close. Feel the nourishment of God’s body and blood restore your body. Feel the peace of silence. Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.
All biblical quotes are from: The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
It is a gift of rest beside still waters that refreshes the soul. It is the gift of an entire day devoted to nothing but resting in God’s word, resting in a loving embrace with a spouse, and resting a tired body. So, it is curious to me that the commandment to keep the Sabbath is probably one of the most universally broken commandments in existence. Honestly, I have not killed anyone lately, I don’t have time to steal right now, Mom and Dad are good, and I wasn’t planning on committing adultery very soon. But, ask any pastor if they’ve kept the Sabbath, if they have refrained from working, and see if they give you an honest answer. Even with the best intentions of worshipping God fully, someone will inevitably tell you to remember their Uncle Larry in the prayers of the day. And, while the rest of the congregation is taken to a blissful rest in the powerful and beautiful voice of the organ, the pastor is recalling the whole time: “Larry, Larry, Larry.” Of course, we cannot forget the hospital visit that needs to be make before the day is over. And yes, we cannot forget that little Bill needs new sneekers.
Pastors aren’t the only violators though. On internship I once asked someone if they kept the Sabbath and he answered, “Of course, you see me every Sunday.”
“Yes I do,” I responded, “But, is it a day of rest for you?”
“Oh yeah,” he said. After church I eat a light lunch and then I take a short nap.”
"Good," I thought.
Then he continued, “After that I usually mow the lawn and pull the weeds from the flower bed. I pay the bills and sometimes I get the grocery shopping done that I haven’t been able to do. The grandkids are usually dropped off in the evening and we entertain them.”
I wasn't convinced that he was very rested.
I also remember asking a mother with six children if she ever took a Sabbath Day of rest. She just laughed at me.
And, I think that it has always been that way. From the very beginning people have been testing the boundaries of the Sabbath. There are chapters upon chapters of case law in ancient Judaism in which Rabbis debated what was and was not allowed on the Sabbath. “Is it OK for me to water my donkey?” “Is it O.K. to milk the cow? I’m sure the thing is going to explode if I don’t.” “Can I walk to my neighbor’s? It’s a long walk. Walking isn’t work is it?” “Can’t we at least get a drink of water? What do you want us to do? Just sit around all day and dehydrate?”
Answering some of those very questions, preacher Barbara Brown Taylor in a sermon about the Sabbath remarked that what all of the Jewish Sabbath restrictions have in common is that they ask us to refain primarily from acts of creativity. On the Seventh day God rested from creative, meaningful acts, and we should too. In other words, the Sabbath is the day where we allow God to take care of things. It is the day that we refrain from helping God. Only on the Sabbath do we intentionally recognize that God is capable of managing without us. It is the Lord's day in the truest sense. The Sabbath helps us to remember that God is God, and we are not. This is hard for Christians to hear. Christians are people who care and love others. Meaningful acts are what make us who we are. We can not rest from that, can we?
We have Luke 13:10-17 after-all. Does not that tell us that as Christians we cannot rest? That story basically spell out that we are not bound to those ancient Sabbath laws, does in not? Luke 13:10-17 is the story of the bent over woman. This woman hobbles near Jesus on the Sabbath. She is severely crippled and has been burdened with that state for eighteen years. Jesus sees her, and with compassion, heals her. "How dare she walk near Jesus and allow herself to be healed on the Sabbath," she is chastised by the religious leader. The retort is ridiculous of course, but the religious leader wasn’t truly angry with her. He was, not so subtly, angry with Jesus for working on the Sabbath. And, in response Jesus says those words that all of us Christians take as license to throw away the Sabbath commandment, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” (NRSV, Luke 13:15-16)
It is easy to get confused here. We Christians feel the need to be God’s helpers so strongly. "We cannot take a Sabbath. We cannot rest, and here is proof!" Of course, our proof is as unstable as a child standing on a bike, moving down a hill, with no hands. Jesus doesn’t throw away the Sabbath here. Through Jesus’ healing touch, God simply allows one more person the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful gift of a day of rest without pain and burden. Like anyone would do for their donkey, she is untied from her burdened and led to the still waters to drink and to rest in the soft grass.
As you have probably already figured out by now, we are not punished for the sin of breaking the Sabbath. There is no jail time, and I am willing to bet that there probably is not a place in hell designated for those who paid their bills on the wrong day. Rather, we are punished by the sin of breaking the Sabbath. When we break the Sabbath, we miss God’s wonderful gift of refreshment and rest. Just like the child who falls after standing on a moving bike with no hands, there is no more punishment needed to make the point. There is no more punishment needed after we have run ourselves dry of energy, dry of a close relationship with our spouse, and dry of a close relationship with God.
It doesn’t have to be that way. The gift of the Sabbath is offered every week. God will be able to handle things for a day without you. Let God work on you, instead of the other way around. Feel the word of God refresh your tired brain. Feel the warmth of a loved one held close. Feel the nourishment of God’s body and blood restore your body. Feel the peace of silence. Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.
All biblical quotes are from: The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Reflection on Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
This week my wife and I drove into Chicago to be a part of the National Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I don’t know if you’ve been to Chicago, but downtown Chicago is a beautiful city filled with gloriously carved stone skyscrapers from the early 1900s and dozens of shimmering towers from today. The sight of these lit towers from a sailboat on lake Michigan at night simply takes your breath away. The cityscape beckons you back toward the shore; promising that when you step onto the finely carved granite and cement you will find the very thing for which your soul has been craving.
From the edge of the city a thirsty soul can see a rich community of artists. Immediately, the lonely and displaced artist’s soul is beckoned to come closer. There is the “golden mile” filled with fine shops luring you in from the outskirts. Each of these shops offers only the best. Do you desire to appear better? Not looking so hot? The golden mile will fulfill your desire with custom made designer shoes and custom fitted dresses. Do you desire relaxation? The golden mile is filled with five star hotels to cater to your every desire. Massage? Right away. Fine food? Coming sir. Tattoo? Down the street, two blocks to the left, turn right into the alley, the door behind the dumpster. The city promises that every desire can and will be fulfilled.
As my wife and I traveled toward this glorious city of promise, I saw all of these cars streaming into the city. Other people were also drawn in to quench their thirsty souls. I saw all of these cars intimately: bumpers in my windshield; truck grills practically in my trunk; people drinking coffee, not watching where they are going and practically sitting in my passenger’s seat. All of these people were putting up with everyone else, kindly honking their horns at each other, and greeting each other calmly with an interesting greeting of the finger; just so that they can find the promise of the city. And, I thought to myself, “Self…Why aren’t this many people steaming into church?” Isn’t this scene of city traffic the very thing all Christians dream to see just outside the church door? After-all, God has given the church a special promise that will water the soul of any spiritually dry person. It is a fact that every person who enters Chicago will be disappointed by its inability to fulfill the cravings of their life. No matter how well the things the city has to offer is marketed, obtaining stuff will always leave us with just a lot of stuff, rather than a quenched soul. God’s promises, on the other hand, will never leave us dry. So, why are not people cutting off other people on the highway in order to get into church where the thirst quenching promises of God can be heard?
Do not forget how powerful God’s promises are. It is easy for the faithful to get discouraged and forget. It is easy for the words of God's promises to ring dryly in the ear because it has been heard so many times. Do not forget how powerful God's promises are. God promised Abraham land and a great world full of descendants. You know Abraham: landless cattle herder Abraham; non-convinced, questioning God all the time Abraham, childless old, old, old, old Abraham. He had no reason to have faith. But, the assurance of the things hoped for: the promise of land and the promise of many descendants, kept him moving and motivated in life. He strove to reach God’s promised city despite the fact that he knew he would never see it or enjoy the fruits of God’s promise directly. He would not see the great city of Jerusalem. He would not see the earth populated with his descendants. That is how powerful God’s promises are. They draw us in even if we will not directly benefit from them. They draw us in like moths to beautiful blue lights. Of course, God doesn’t kill us, and God isn’t blue, so that’s a bad example. Some better examples: God promises do draw us close like the smile of a newborn child or the beauty of a forested mountain at sunrise or the mystery of a glorious lit city at night.
We still find ourselves drawn toward the promised city of God. The beautiful city comes down to us out of heaven. There is no temple because God is there. God is no longer far far away. God is right there. God’s light shines bright, not only on the people of the city, but it spills out of the gates of the city to the four corners of the earth. The gates are wide open and everyone the light touches is invited in. There will be no more separation or segregation or hating or sinning of any kind. Crying and weeping will be no more. All will be given the chance to wash their robes in the waters coming from the throne of Christ and forgiveness and love will make everything clean and new. Hunger will no longer plague people as the tree of life provides more than enough food for all.
These images from Revelation provide a powerful promise to us and I find that I am drawn to the city of God. How can you not be? How can we not want to be a part of the city without hatred? How can we not get excited about a city where everyone, even the too short or too fat or too skinny or too dumb or too whatever, are all accepted in? How can we not get excited about a place where forgiveness has the last word and all of our hurts and pains and sins are washed away forever? Who reading this doesn’t want to be a part of that? No one, of course! Who reading this doesn’t want to tell others to get in the backseat of the car and come along for the glorious ride? No one, of course!
So I am forced to ask: with the promise of such a glorious city, why aren’t people knocking down the doors of the church wanting to be a part of it? This is a question I take very seriously. This is a question that God’s church cannot afford to ignore. This is a question that our own congregation cannot afford to ignore. And, the only way we can answer this question is by looking first at the messengers of this glorious vision; ourselves. So, here’s a question to us.
Is this congregation a church of wishful thinking or a church of faith? There is a difference between wishful thinking and faith after-all. Wishful thinking anticipates some great thing to happen out of the blue. Expecting to catch a pop fly for the first time when one has never put on a baseball glove before in life is wishful thinking. Faith is the assurance of something hoped for. Expecting a major league player with a perfect record to catch a pop fly is faith. Faith is the assurance of something hoped for.
Here’s the difference between the two types of church. A church of wishful thinking wishes more people would quit whatever they are doing on a Sunday and fill the pews. The church of faith sees that God has opened the table to everyone and therefore invites their friends and family and neighbors to come in and eat. A church of wishful thinking wishes people would get their acts together, and because of this expectation, gets bogged down in correcting little misdemeanors like forgetting to turn off a hall light or misprinting something in the bulletin. The church of faith experiences the forgiveness of God every morning, and shares that forgiveness freely with everyone around. A church of wishful thinking desperately wishes to raise lots of money from bake sales and yard sales, so that they will get enough to pay the pastor and the light bill. The church of faith gives freely from God’s gifts to them for the healing of the world and for the healing of those in need in their community. They understand how truly blessed they are. Any proceeds from a bake sale or yard sale is seen as a gift from God so that ministry to the poor, disadvantaged, or abused can occur. A church of wishful thinking wants to see immediate results from the efforts of their people in leadership. The church of faith prays that God will cause to sprout the seeds that everyone in the church casts on the ground. They expect this to happen in God's own time, just as God’s promises to Abraham sprouted in God's own time.
The church of wishful thinking is a church that is bitter; expects much, but does little; desires a full church, but does not desire God. I am afraid that many churches can in some way be characterized as a church of wishful thinking. The church of wishful thinking will never see a traffic jam outside its doors. No one wants to be a part of such a misdirected church?
But, we don’t need wishful thinking when we have a God who promises a beautiful city where everyone is lovingly accepted, and washed clean; even those of us who have messed up trying to do this church thing correctly. Who needs wishful thinking when forgiveness for everyone is available now and bitterness can be wiped away right now? Who needs wishful thinking when God promises a city where everyone is welcome & division will be no more? Who needs wishful thinking when God is present with you right now, filling the room with life & love? Who needs wishful thinking when the deepest desires of our soul are being filled right now so tightly that we can’t possibly contain it? Who needs wishful thinking when we have faith; a faith that moves mountains, a faith that moves us out of here, a faith that endures forever?
From the edge of the city a thirsty soul can see a rich community of artists. Immediately, the lonely and displaced artist’s soul is beckoned to come closer. There is the “golden mile” filled with fine shops luring you in from the outskirts. Each of these shops offers only the best. Do you desire to appear better? Not looking so hot? The golden mile will fulfill your desire with custom made designer shoes and custom fitted dresses. Do you desire relaxation? The golden mile is filled with five star hotels to cater to your every desire. Massage? Right away. Fine food? Coming sir. Tattoo? Down the street, two blocks to the left, turn right into the alley, the door behind the dumpster. The city promises that every desire can and will be fulfilled.
As my wife and I traveled toward this glorious city of promise, I saw all of these cars streaming into the city. Other people were also drawn in to quench their thirsty souls. I saw all of these cars intimately: bumpers in my windshield; truck grills practically in my trunk; people drinking coffee, not watching where they are going and practically sitting in my passenger’s seat. All of these people were putting up with everyone else, kindly honking their horns at each other, and greeting each other calmly with an interesting greeting of the finger; just so that they can find the promise of the city. And, I thought to myself, “Self…Why aren’t this many people steaming into church?” Isn’t this scene of city traffic the very thing all Christians dream to see just outside the church door? After-all, God has given the church a special promise that will water the soul of any spiritually dry person. It is a fact that every person who enters Chicago will be disappointed by its inability to fulfill the cravings of their life. No matter how well the things the city has to offer is marketed, obtaining stuff will always leave us with just a lot of stuff, rather than a quenched soul. God’s promises, on the other hand, will never leave us dry. So, why are not people cutting off other people on the highway in order to get into church where the thirst quenching promises of God can be heard?
Do not forget how powerful God’s promises are. It is easy for the faithful to get discouraged and forget. It is easy for the words of God's promises to ring dryly in the ear because it has been heard so many times. Do not forget how powerful God's promises are. God promised Abraham land and a great world full of descendants. You know Abraham: landless cattle herder Abraham; non-convinced, questioning God all the time Abraham, childless old, old, old, old Abraham. He had no reason to have faith. But, the assurance of the things hoped for: the promise of land and the promise of many descendants, kept him moving and motivated in life. He strove to reach God’s promised city despite the fact that he knew he would never see it or enjoy the fruits of God’s promise directly. He would not see the great city of Jerusalem. He would not see the earth populated with his descendants. That is how powerful God’s promises are. They draw us in even if we will not directly benefit from them. They draw us in like moths to beautiful blue lights. Of course, God doesn’t kill us, and God isn’t blue, so that’s a bad example. Some better examples: God promises do draw us close like the smile of a newborn child or the beauty of a forested mountain at sunrise or the mystery of a glorious lit city at night.
We still find ourselves drawn toward the promised city of God. The beautiful city comes down to us out of heaven. There is no temple because God is there. God is no longer far far away. God is right there. God’s light shines bright, not only on the people of the city, but it spills out of the gates of the city to the four corners of the earth. The gates are wide open and everyone the light touches is invited in. There will be no more separation or segregation or hating or sinning of any kind. Crying and weeping will be no more. All will be given the chance to wash their robes in the waters coming from the throne of Christ and forgiveness and love will make everything clean and new. Hunger will no longer plague people as the tree of life provides more than enough food for all.
These images from Revelation provide a powerful promise to us and I find that I am drawn to the city of God. How can you not be? How can we not want to be a part of the city without hatred? How can we not get excited about a city where everyone, even the too short or too fat or too skinny or too dumb or too whatever, are all accepted in? How can we not get excited about a place where forgiveness has the last word and all of our hurts and pains and sins are washed away forever? Who reading this doesn’t want to be a part of that? No one, of course! Who reading this doesn’t want to tell others to get in the backseat of the car and come along for the glorious ride? No one, of course!
So I am forced to ask: with the promise of such a glorious city, why aren’t people knocking down the doors of the church wanting to be a part of it? This is a question I take very seriously. This is a question that God’s church cannot afford to ignore. This is a question that our own congregation cannot afford to ignore. And, the only way we can answer this question is by looking first at the messengers of this glorious vision; ourselves. So, here’s a question to us.
Is this congregation a church of wishful thinking or a church of faith? There is a difference between wishful thinking and faith after-all. Wishful thinking anticipates some great thing to happen out of the blue. Expecting to catch a pop fly for the first time when one has never put on a baseball glove before in life is wishful thinking. Faith is the assurance of something hoped for. Expecting a major league player with a perfect record to catch a pop fly is faith. Faith is the assurance of something hoped for.
Here’s the difference between the two types of church. A church of wishful thinking wishes more people would quit whatever they are doing on a Sunday and fill the pews. The church of faith sees that God has opened the table to everyone and therefore invites their friends and family and neighbors to come in and eat. A church of wishful thinking wishes people would get their acts together, and because of this expectation, gets bogged down in correcting little misdemeanors like forgetting to turn off a hall light or misprinting something in the bulletin. The church of faith experiences the forgiveness of God every morning, and shares that forgiveness freely with everyone around. A church of wishful thinking desperately wishes to raise lots of money from bake sales and yard sales, so that they will get enough to pay the pastor and the light bill. The church of faith gives freely from God’s gifts to them for the healing of the world and for the healing of those in need in their community. They understand how truly blessed they are. Any proceeds from a bake sale or yard sale is seen as a gift from God so that ministry to the poor, disadvantaged, or abused can occur. A church of wishful thinking wants to see immediate results from the efforts of their people in leadership. The church of faith prays that God will cause to sprout the seeds that everyone in the church casts on the ground. They expect this to happen in God's own time, just as God’s promises to Abraham sprouted in God's own time.
The church of wishful thinking is a church that is bitter; expects much, but does little; desires a full church, but does not desire God. I am afraid that many churches can in some way be characterized as a church of wishful thinking. The church of wishful thinking will never see a traffic jam outside its doors. No one wants to be a part of such a misdirected church?
But, we don’t need wishful thinking when we have a God who promises a beautiful city where everyone is lovingly accepted, and washed clean; even those of us who have messed up trying to do this church thing correctly. Who needs wishful thinking when forgiveness for everyone is available now and bitterness can be wiped away right now? Who needs wishful thinking when God promises a city where everyone is welcome & division will be no more? Who needs wishful thinking when God is present with you right now, filling the room with life & love? Who needs wishful thinking when the deepest desires of our soul are being filled right now so tightly that we can’t possibly contain it? Who needs wishful thinking when we have faith; a faith that moves mountains, a faith that moves us out of here, a faith that endures forever?
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Reflection on Luke 11:1-13
When you watched him pray alone in his corner of the garden, sweat running down his face, you knew that what was being said really mattered. When you watched him pray, his eyes were open, staring intently; like he actually expected an answer. When you watched him pray, you saw a trusting child talking to his loving Daddy.
“I want that,” the disciple must have thought looking at Jesus’ relationship with his Father. “I want to pray like that.”
When Jesus had returned from praying the disciple asked, “Lord, teach us how to pray.”
This desire for genuine prayer is a thirst that has lingered dryly for thousands of years. We still hear parched souls pleading, “How do you pray?”
A pastor was stunned when a prominent and (by all outward appearances) faithful member walked up after worship and said, "I have really enjoyed the sermon series you and the other pastors have given on prayer. And I really feel called to pray more. The only problem I have is that I just don't know how." (Michael Foss, Power Surge)
The pastor was again stunned when a pastor walked up after a conference that stressed the importance of prayer in any ministry and remarked, “You are assuming," he said, "that we pastors know how to pray. But many of us don't." (Michael Foss, Power Surge)
“How do we pray?” What a silly question thought a five year old girl with pigtails when she was asked by her Sunday School teacher. “You open your mouth and talk,” she said intelligently as she colored her picture of Jesus praying by the rock.
She’s right. Prayer is nothing more than conversation with God, and this simple answer has come out of my mouth many times when people have asked me how to pray. “Just open your mouth and talk.”
But, in giving this answer I think that I have let a lot of people down because I think that I answered the wrong question. People really do know how to pray. We really do understand that prayer is simply conversation with God. The problem is the same problem you have when you try talking about something extremely interesting and intelligent with Uncle Frank who is your Father’s cousin’s uncle’s grandfather, and whom you’ve just met and are now stranded with alone on the back porch. What do you say? You don’t know this man. You wouldn’t share your deepest needs with the guy. So, you talk about dumb stuff like the lawn and the hornet’s nest in the attic. The problem is that you don’t yet trust the man. And, when we ask, “How do I pray?” I think we are actually asking this much deeper question; we are actually asking, “How do I trust?” “How do I get into a deeper relationship with God?” This is not a question that can be answered through a flippant remark from a five year old girl with pigtails. But, it is a question she does know the answer to. Children inherently know how to trust very well, so it is not surprising that Jesus answers with a very childlike answer.
“When you pray, say: Daddy, let your name be holy. Send us your kingdom. Give us food everyday. Forgive our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And, please do not test us.” Every child trusts that their parents will give them a stable home (send us your kingdom). Every child trusts that their parents will feed them (give us food everyday). Every child trusts that they can mess up big time and still be loved (forgive us our sins). Every child fears having their love being put to the test (do not bring us to the time of trial).
How do we pray? How do we trust God? Jesus answers, “just try it, and you will not be disappointed.” “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you,” he promises as incentive to try.
But, this is not an easy thing to do for many of us. Trust is an act of courage. Faith is an act of courage. We don’t know how it will turn out. We aren’t in control of the results. Trusting someone else means that ultimately, we are not the shapers of our own lives. But, that’s the whole point of prayer, isn’t it. We are not in control. The world isn’t ours to conquer. Our lives are not our own. Our lives were purchased with a price, the death of God’s own Son. Our lives are not our own. You are owned by God. You are God’s precious child. True prayer does not allow us to take that fact lightly. So, Jesus urges us to take a few steps back in maturity and do what children do so well; trust our heavenly daddy.
Because she believes that trusting our heavenly father is so essential to life, Catherine Foote helps children who have suffered under abusive fathers pray to their very different, loving heavenly father through this prayer:
Daddies hold their babies,
daddies hold them soft.
Strong daddy arms
hold babies up
and gentle is the hold.
Daddies laugh with babies,
daddies smile with love.
Warm daddy eyes meet new eyes
and easy is the laugh.
Daddies care for babies,
keep them covered safe.
Big daddy hands reach baby hands
and tender is the care.
Daddies and their babies,
eyes and arms and smiles and love.
Then a daddy hurt a baby
Baby cold with fear,
Baby crying new tears,
Baby frightened, lost.
No more smiles for baby,
No more shelter here.
And God, they call you Daddy,
God, they say you care.
Do you hold your babies?
Do you dry their tears?
Do you match them smile for smile?
Do you shelter safe?
God, that daddy stole your name.
God, that daddy made me mad.
God, I want a daddy back
(daddies hold their babies).
God, please daddy me.
Amen.
(Survivor Prayers: Talking with God about Childhood Sexual Abuse, pp. 44-45)
We all need our heavenly daddy. We all want our heavenly daddy. That’s why we ask the question, “How do we pray?” in the first place. So, how do we pray? It takes courage to trust God. But, Jesus promises that when we “ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
“I want that,” the disciple must have thought looking at Jesus’ relationship with his Father. “I want to pray like that.”
When Jesus had returned from praying the disciple asked, “Lord, teach us how to pray.”
This desire for genuine prayer is a thirst that has lingered dryly for thousands of years. We still hear parched souls pleading, “How do you pray?”
A pastor was stunned when a prominent and (by all outward appearances) faithful member walked up after worship and said, "I have really enjoyed the sermon series you and the other pastors have given on prayer. And I really feel called to pray more. The only problem I have is that I just don't know how." (Michael Foss, Power Surge)
The pastor was again stunned when a pastor walked up after a conference that stressed the importance of prayer in any ministry and remarked, “You are assuming," he said, "that we pastors know how to pray. But many of us don't." (Michael Foss, Power Surge)
“How do we pray?” What a silly question thought a five year old girl with pigtails when she was asked by her Sunday School teacher. “You open your mouth and talk,” she said intelligently as she colored her picture of Jesus praying by the rock.
She’s right. Prayer is nothing more than conversation with God, and this simple answer has come out of my mouth many times when people have asked me how to pray. “Just open your mouth and talk.”
But, in giving this answer I think that I have let a lot of people down because I think that I answered the wrong question. People really do know how to pray. We really do understand that prayer is simply conversation with God. The problem is the same problem you have when you try talking about something extremely interesting and intelligent with Uncle Frank who is your Father’s cousin’s uncle’s grandfather, and whom you’ve just met and are now stranded with alone on the back porch. What do you say? You don’t know this man. You wouldn’t share your deepest needs with the guy. So, you talk about dumb stuff like the lawn and the hornet’s nest in the attic. The problem is that you don’t yet trust the man. And, when we ask, “How do I pray?” I think we are actually asking this much deeper question; we are actually asking, “How do I trust?” “How do I get into a deeper relationship with God?” This is not a question that can be answered through a flippant remark from a five year old girl with pigtails. But, it is a question she does know the answer to. Children inherently know how to trust very well, so it is not surprising that Jesus answers with a very childlike answer.
“When you pray, say: Daddy, let your name be holy. Send us your kingdom. Give us food everyday. Forgive our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And, please do not test us.” Every child trusts that their parents will give them a stable home (send us your kingdom). Every child trusts that their parents will feed them (give us food everyday). Every child trusts that they can mess up big time and still be loved (forgive us our sins). Every child fears having their love being put to the test (do not bring us to the time of trial).
How do we pray? How do we trust God? Jesus answers, “just try it, and you will not be disappointed.” “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you,” he promises as incentive to try.
But, this is not an easy thing to do for many of us. Trust is an act of courage. Faith is an act of courage. We don’t know how it will turn out. We aren’t in control of the results. Trusting someone else means that ultimately, we are not the shapers of our own lives. But, that’s the whole point of prayer, isn’t it. We are not in control. The world isn’t ours to conquer. Our lives are not our own. Our lives were purchased with a price, the death of God’s own Son. Our lives are not our own. You are owned by God. You are God’s precious child. True prayer does not allow us to take that fact lightly. So, Jesus urges us to take a few steps back in maturity and do what children do so well; trust our heavenly daddy.
Because she believes that trusting our heavenly father is so essential to life, Catherine Foote helps children who have suffered under abusive fathers pray to their very different, loving heavenly father through this prayer:
Daddies hold their babies,
daddies hold them soft.
Strong daddy arms
hold babies up
and gentle is the hold.
Daddies laugh with babies,
daddies smile with love.
Warm daddy eyes meet new eyes
and easy is the laugh.
Daddies care for babies,
keep them covered safe.
Big daddy hands reach baby hands
and tender is the care.
Daddies and their babies,
eyes and arms and smiles and love.
Then a daddy hurt a baby
Baby cold with fear,
Baby crying new tears,
Baby frightened, lost.
No more smiles for baby,
No more shelter here.
And God, they call you Daddy,
God, they say you care.
Do you hold your babies?
Do you dry their tears?
Do you match them smile for smile?
Do you shelter safe?
God, that daddy stole your name.
God, that daddy made me mad.
God, I want a daddy back
(daddies hold their babies).
God, please daddy me.
Amen.
(Survivor Prayers: Talking with God about Childhood Sexual Abuse, pp. 44-45)
We all need our heavenly daddy. We all want our heavenly daddy. That’s why we ask the question, “How do we pray?” in the first place. So, how do we pray? It takes courage to trust God. But, Jesus promises that when we “ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
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