Wasteful Worship

John 12:1-11

Waste not want not. It’s a phrase most of us are familiar with. Depending on when you were born it may mean different things to you than to your neighbor. When I was growing up my mom used this term usually to refer to the food on our plates. When my grandmother was a young girl it would have been used to talk about flour sacks, tin foil, hose, pieces or wood or scrap metal, glass, etc. 

Waste is a very different concept for different people. My grandmother never used Ziploc bags for anything. She found their very existence wasteful. She had Tupperware, the good kind, and cloths to wrap food in. My Mom on the other hand loved plastic Ziploc bags. She had them in every size and style. She loved that they were disposable because it meant less time washing dishes. What was wasteful to my Grandmother signified freedom for my mom.

In today’s scripture we are told about a woman, named Mary, who uses a very extravagant gift on Jesus’ feet. No, she doesn’t give him a pedicure, she washes his feet with this costly perfume and the dries it with her hair.

While in our day and time this would be seen as odd, quirky, personal space invading behavior, it had completely different connotations in Jesus’ world. First, the disciples and Jesus are spending time in Bethany and Mary, Martha and Lazarus’ home. This is this same family that a chapter before has experienced the miraculous return from the dead of their brother. Jesus has been said to love these three. They are close to Jesus and he has reunited them. 

Here they sit at a meal together, reclining at the table. Martha is serving, and Lazarus sits with Jesus. In walks Mary with a pound of perfume made from pure nard. Judas tells us it is worth 300 denarii- 300 day’s wages. She takes this perfume and pours it all over Jesus’ feet. 

Have you ever been in a room where someone sprayed on perfume? It doesn’t take long for that scent to waft towards you, even in a room as large as this sanctuary. Scents are powerful. When I served as a hospital chaplain and later as a hospice chaplain, scents were forbidden because they could affect people in so many ways. Not only are people allergic or sensitive to them, scent is also one of the most powerful connections we have to memory. Just a hint of Oil of Olay original scent brings my Grandma into focus for me.

Here, a pound of the stuff is poured out. The smell would have overpowered the room. Everyone would have taken notice. No one could have ignored or not recognized that this was happening. What Mary did was not a private hidden act, but a public bold statement.

To add to her boldness, Mary dries Jesus’ feet with her hair. To do this, her hair would have had to have been uncovered, and more than likely loose. These things were not done in mixed company in those days. Women kept their heads covered. It was proper, dignified, required. Here, Mary uncovers her hair and drapes it over a man’s feet. And a man she is not married to or even related to! The horror. This was a huge huge social no no! This kind of thing wasn’t done. Period.

In other versions of this story people watching are amazed that this loose woman, a stereotype based on the loose hair, would dare to approach Jesus in such a manner, and that Jesus would allow it to occur. In John’s version no one seems shocked that Mary has unbound her hair, but they certainly take issue with the use of the perfume.

There are always the fiscally conservative among any group. People must keep an eye on the cost of things. Within most religious institutions there is a treasurer, perhaps a finance committee or even a Board of Trustees that is responsible for giving an accounting of funds received and funds used. In most cases this is an accountability issue. We want to make sure that funds and facilities are being used to their fullest potential. There is nothing wrong with that. We should be good stewards of what we are given to be stewards over. 

Judas was the treasure of the group. It makes sense that he would call this use of resources into question. Three hundred days wages was a lot of money. Nothing to laugh at. Of course, he would want to know why it was being, in his mind, waisted like this. 

John throws in the snide comment that Judas used to steal from the common purse and that’s why he was so interested in the value of the perfume. Could be truth, although none of the other Gospel writers tell us this about Judas. It could be character assassination, to keep Judas solidly in the betrayer category John seems fond of. 

So, there is Mary, sitting on the floor, wiping Jesus’ feet, her hair, hands, whole house covered in the scent of her worship. And there sits Judas judging her. 

Mary didn’t just stumble upon this costly perfume. This was the kind of perfume used to anoint the dead. It was used to keep the body from smelling. She had this perfume, not because she kept a store of such extravagant and expensive things. She had it because her brother was dead, had died, and it was needed. 

But, but she hadn’t had to use it for its intended purpose. Her brother Lazarus is alive! Sitting at the table with Jesus and the disciples, eating and drinking with them. Out of her extreme gratitude, an act of worship, she pours it out over Jesus’ feet. This extravagant, wasteful act is anything but wasted. 

Jesus holds her up as an example saying that this perfume was to anoint him for his burial, which would come in a few days’ time. Mary might not have known at that point that her gift would be one to and for a dying Jesus, but it was a gift of worship. 

Thursday night I went with Chrissy to the Winning Women gathering at Restoration church. Pastor Angela told a story at the beginning about a time she was speaking at a women’s event and she felt the Lord telling her to bring a rose for every woman in attendance. Her first thought was, that’s going to be expensive. But she did it. She bought dozens of roses and handed one out to every woman there. When she was done she had three left over. She felt pretty good about that. Then she heard the Spirit urging her to give all three of those roses to a woman seated near her. So, she did. The woman began to cry and left the auditorium. Years later she ran into this woman at the store. The woman recognized her. She called out to her to thank her for the roses. She said that she had never been given a flower in her entire 46 years of life and that those roses had shown her she was valued, special and loved.

Because of this encounter, Pastor Angela likes to give things away at the women’s meetings. I thought it was a very sweet story but put it out of my mind. Then another leader asked us to pick up our purses and prepare to be the first ones to bring an item to the front. 

Now, you all know I don’t carry a purse. Chrissy had already commented that I wasn’t going to win anything because I don’t carry a bag with me. The very first thing called out for was an expired drivers license. While I don’t carry a purse, I do carry a wallet. And in that wallet are two expired drivers license along with my current one. So, I went to the front to claim my prize. Pastor Angela was holding up a box filled with cooking things and I looked at it and reached in for the oven mitt and started to pull it out to take. Then she shook her head and said, “No honey, you get the whole basket.” 

They gave away at least 6 baskets or gifts, each beautiful, filled with goodies and extravagant. 

I’m sure there are some who might say these gifts are wasteful. They don’t take up an offering, the women who come all attend different churches. There is not a mention of regular worship times. But to this group these gifts are an act of worship. A way of sharing the love that they have received and continue to receive from God with others.

What is wasteful worship? I am sure, if we were to look closely we could find ways that others see our worship as wasteful. Perhaps in the time spent on praises and prayer requests could be better used, or the passing of the peace could be streamlined. But these things are not here just to take up time. They are a part of our worship. A time for connecting with God and with one another as God’s children.

To Judas, it was Mary’s worship, pouring out something that could be used in other ways onto feet, onto hair, onto the ground. Jesus doesn’t agree. 

And I’m sure Mary was reminded of the approval of her worship throughout that week, Holy week. The smell would have clung with her, to her hands, in her hair, as she watched Jesus walk the path to Calvary. As she watched him hang on the cross, the scent of her worship surrounded her. As she saw him laid in the tomb, the scent lingered. When she heard the good news of his resurrection, the scent turned from mourning to dancing. Her wasteful worship lingered as a witness of the power of Christ, yes even power over death.

Worship with a purpose is anything but wasteful. May our worship be extravagant, loving and overpowering so that it stays with us throughout the trials and suffering of our lives. May our worship bring witness to Jesus’ power, yes even the power of resurrection and new life.

Sunrise Service Easter 2017

Easter, April 16, 2017, Sunrise John 20

In 1650, Thomas Fuller, English theologian and historian said in his travelogue A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine and the confines thereof “It is always darkest just before the day dawneth.” People have debated for hundreds of years whether this is a fact or just a thoughtful notation. But there is no debating that this phrase has captured the human imagination.

There is an element of truth within it that speaks to us on deep levels. We’ve experienced the darkness and we know it can seem the most overwhelming just before the light breaks through.

Mary began her journey in this passage surrounded by the darkness. While it was still dark, John tells us, Mary made her way to the tomb where Jesus’ body had been placed. The darkness she walks through may indeed be the darkest time of her soul.

She is going to the grave of a man who gave her everything. Jesus had healed her from seven demons. Jesus had given her a spot among the faithful followers, roaming the countryside, sitting at his feet, soaking up the joy of his presence.

What will happen to her now? What will become of the life she has been shown? How will she ever be able to move past the darkness?

I think this is when Mary is the most relatable to me on a personal level. I’ve battled with depression throughout my life. There have been times when the darkness seemed impenetrable. Times when I could not imagine ever seeing sunshine again.

I, like most of us here today, have felt the pain of losing a loved one to death. We understand how it feels to go to the graveside, in the darkness of our grief and sit and wait, gathering that darkness like a blanket around our shoulders.

In her grief, in the dark, Mary went to the final resting place of Jesus, and when she arrived she saw that he was not there.

He was not there. Jesus’ body was gone. I wonder if she took a quick step back and counted the graves, just to make sure she was at the right place.

This past January, I returned to New Mexico for my Aunt Joyce’s funeral and while we were there the family decided to visit my grandparents grave site as well. Only, we couldn’t find it.

I’m sure it looked odd to see close to sixty people walking around that small cemetery looking for a headstone. Each of us remembered that the grave was on the West side, with the name facing the road, one row in from the edge. But it wasn’t there.

Finally, someone spotted it, two rows in, with the name facing a different direction. The confusion was caused by an extra row of bodies being added since their passing in 1983 and 1997 respectively. But no one can account for the stone being turned.

This confusion cannot begin to compare to Mary’s. Jesus is not misplaced. She has not miscounted tombs. He is simply no longer there.

In her angst, while it is still dark, she ran back to tell the disciples. Peter and John, the beloved disciple, return to the tomb with Mary. They ran to the tomb and find it empty, just as Mary had said. They entered the tomb, found it empty and believed. Believed what exactly? I think they believed Mary. They believed that Jesus’ body had been taken. They believed the darkness. The next verse says, “for yet, they did not understand the scripture, that he must be raised from the dead.”

Peter and John return home, still in the dark, still unaware of what this might mean. Still bound to and by the darkness.

Mary could not leave the place she last saw Jesus. She began to weep outside of the tomb. She cried tears of frustration, of loss, of fear, of love. It was bad enough to have Jesus die, but to not know where he body was? To not have a concrete place to take her thoughts and memories? This was like losing him all over again!

She looked into the tomb and saw two messengers, angles, dressed in white, one at the foot and one at the head. And in her darkness, she didn’t even seem shocked or surprised. She asked to know where Jesus’s body had been taken.

She turned around from the tomb and bumped into a man. And supposing him to be the gardener she asked, “If you have carried him away please tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away.”

In the darkness, she could not recognize who was speaking with her. In the darkness, her grief kept her blind. In the darkness, she was bound to earthly understanding.

In the darkness, we too sometimes do not recognize the voice of Jesus. In the darkness, we too allow grief and loss to keep us blind to truth. In the darkness, we are bound to earthly understanding.

“Mary” With a word the sun began to shine. With a word, the scales fell from her eyes. With a word the creator of the universe reminded Mary of who she was, and whose she was.

“Teacher.” She responds. In that moment, the sun shined out. In that moment, Mary not only identifies Jesus, she also identifies herself; for what good is a teacher without a disciple?

“Do not cling to me,” Jesus told her. Don’t cling to the old way of understanding. Don’t let the darkness, the past, hold you captive any longer. You are free of all that darkness now!

This is the message for us as well my friends. As the sun dawns brightly in our lives, let us set aside the darkness that clings so tightly. Let us be unbound, set free.

And when we have been unbound, when we have faced the dawn, let us go and boldly proclaim “We have seen the Lord!” Alleluia! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

Hydrate (Sermon for Lent Year A 3)

John 4:5-42

I chose to have us hear the Gospel today as readers’ theater for two reasons. One, it is a long text, the longest recorded conversation we have between Jesus and anyone else in scripture. And two, I think there is a benefit to hearing this passage in different voices. It allows us, perhaps, to hear things we might not have heard, or notice things that previously went unheard.

We are now in week three of our Boot Camp for the Soul, we have acknowledged the need for change, recognizing with Jesus in the wilderness that the pursuits of power, wealth, and abundance are not what we need to be seeking. Last week we spoke of the need to reset, to begin again as newborns in the faith, setting aside the old way of living and joining Nicodemus on the road to new life.

Today we are invited to Hydrate, by none other than Jesus himself.

Hydration is important, one could, without exaggeration say essential. We have all heard the admonition to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day to maintain hydration levels. I might add here that this does not mean 8-10 8oz glasses of any liquid, for when it comes to hydration all liquids are not created equal.

In fact, our desire to drink things other than water has helped us become dehydrated. Many of you will remember that, in the late Summer/early Fall of last year, I asked for prayers for my mother. She had been attending a football game in Arizona and passed out in the stands. Doctors determined she has severe dehydration. This was a shock to both of my parents.

You see, Linda is rarely found without a beverage in her hand, usually a route 44 cherry Vanilla Doctor Pepper from Sonic. When she’s not nursing one of those, she is drinking coffee or hot Tea. There are always multiple cups around her home in some stage of being consumed, and even the odd opened and sipped from Dasani bottle.

She consumed a lot of liquids, but these liquids were not the ones that bring hydration, they did not sustain life.

In our scripture for this morning we find a tired and vulnerable Jesus. John does not tell us of his lowly birth, his precocious childhood, or even his temptation in the wilderness. Up until now we have had the rock star Jesus who has taken the countryside by storm. But in this moment, we see a man, sitting alone tired, thirsty, human.

It is the heat of the day, a time when no one would be coming to the well. Women did this back breaking chore early in the day and prayed they did not have to return until the cool of the evening at the earliest. Women and children all over the world still gather in the cool of the morning to get the water they need from wells such as this. No taps, no bottles, now water treatment facilities. Unless you are the mother’s in some areas of Flint Michigan, who still gather daily for bottles of water because the water from their taps is unfit to consume.

A woman comes to the well, either because she ran out of water and needed an emergency fill up, or because she was avoiding the other women of town. She sees this man and in their shared vulnerability, they have a life changing conversation.

They speak of thirst, of need, of loss. She openly questions Jesus’ motives. She’s used to men giving her the run around. Jesus answers her and offers her something more than the stagnant well water. He offers he living water, flowing streams of water that renew, and refresh consistently.

Jesus speaks to her about her life. Without judgement, there is no mention of sin or repentance in this passage. Just a statement, “I know where you are coming from, I’ve seen what your life looks like. I’m offering you something different.”

This is an invitation. An invitation to imagine that even our most cherished practices matter little if they do not facilitate a relationship with the living God. An invitation to recognize that it is the very Messiah and Son of God who is speaking to her and affirming her worth and value. An invitation to leave behind her burdens and share with others the joy she has encountered in their meeting. These invitations are surprising in that the come from a man to a woman, a Jew to a Samaritan, and a rabbi of relative power and authority to someone who had neither. They are also surprising because each invitation also involves challenge – the challenge of getting over one’s piety as an excuse for keeping a distance from God; the challenge of accepting the new identity Jesus offered; and the challenge of imagining that God could and would use her to share the good news. Invitations aren’t devoid of challenges, and challenges can themselves be empowering when offered out of regard, acceptance and affirmation.[1]

The woman leaves Jesus, and her jar, at the well. She runs out into the community. She doesn’t need a jug to carry this later. The living water of Christ is bubbling up within her. She is now the vessel carrying good news to others!!

The disciples return to Jesus and beg him to eat something. They want to keep him strong and healthy, after all. But Jesus knows something they do not know. Jesus knows that man does not live by bread alone. He is also fed by the word and will of God.

Jesus gives them these words:

"My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

Jesus is speaking about bread, but also the sustenance that can only be found in the word of God. He’s talking about the feeding of the 5,000 from a few barley loaves, and the feeding of the world through his own flesh and blood.

Jesus is showing the disciples that here, yes even among the Samaritans God has already been at work, the harvest is ready, the seeds have been sown. This is significant! God is at work even outside of the people of Israel. Seeds have been planted and they are ready for the living water of Christ so that they can be harvested.

There is a seamlessness in this story between symbolic and physical sustenance, an unbreakable connection between metaphor and the material. An experience with Jesus, my friends, has real world consequences.[2]

In the Eastern Orthodox church this woman is called Saint Photina. She is the first evangelist, the first to share the good news that Jesus is Lord. Her belief in Jesus changes her life in radical, real ways that impact her entire community. She is held up as an example to follow, because she accepted the invitation to drink living water.

Not all liquids are created equal. Some lead us into a false sense of security, perhaps like the relationships that had promised this woman, Saint Photina, security over the years. The things that we choose to turn to for sustenance can instead do real damage. Things like unhealthy relationships, addictions, the prosperity gospel, pride, these things lead to a dehydration of the spirit.

May we instead turn to the living water, and may we become vessels sharing that water with the whole world!

---

[1] David Lose, In the Meantime Lent 3 A: Living Water, Living Faith

[2] Jill Duffield, The Presbyterian Outlook 3^rd Sunday in Lent

Longing to belong

John 21
Do you remember the first time you felt like you truly belonged? I'm not talking about a time when the right people accepted you,  when you felt like you fit in. I mean the time when you realized you belonged, just as you were, without any additions or subtractions.

For very fortunate ones among us that feeling of belonging came from our families of origin. Our mothers fathers siblings and grandparents loved us just as we were and made a point to let us know. But others of us struggle for many years to belong some of us here or still facing that struggle. My sense of belonging as I am is tied back into my baptism. Knowing that a group of people spoke words of love and acceptance over me and gave me the title child of God at six weeks old has kept me from completely losing my identity.
Belonging is core to our experience as human beings. We long for our family, our group, our tribe to embrace us and tell us we are good enough just the way we are. And when we find that belonging we become fiercely loyal – until we aren't. Because there are those times when we will question our connection. There are those times when doubt, fears, whispers will get in close enough to separate us from those we love.

Peter and the disciples I've been through the ultimate separation from their tribe – Christ had been put to death. They had locked themselves in the upper room and watched as their identity, their sense of belonging, slowly slipped away. Until – until the women brought the good news of the resurrection to their broken hearts. Until – until the risen savior how to come twice to stand among them and offer them peace and reassurance. They rejoiced they celebrated and then, they went fishing!
Wait, fishing? I suppose there is the thought of fishing being celebratory relaxing me time. But in this case – not so much. In this case the disciples of seen Jesus twice they've been given the Holy Spirit, they've been given the ability and responsibility of forgiving sins and they have been sitting in the upper room trying to figure out what to do next.

Peter get sick of it and announces I'm going fishing. This isn't a pleasure cruise, he's going back to what he knows. He's going back to the way of life he knew before. He goes back into the world hoping to find a purpose once more. Well Peter is the only one who's words of denial are recorded in the Scriptures, the other disciples deny Jesus as well. They ran away during the hours following Jesus his arrest and death. They had altering their backs on the belonging they have received.

It's safe to say they all were unsure of what to do next – who they would be – where they would belong – and so they go back to what they know – back to the way of life they lived before. And then – in the Munding of their normal every day tasks, which state by the way were spectacularly bad at that day, they met once more the risen Lord.

In the midst of a rough time of fishing he calls to them from the shore to put their nets on the other side and to hold the catch of the 153 fish without breaking the nets. This reminds us of the call story we heard in Luke chapter 5 a few weeks ago. Where Jesus gave them the same instructions and they holding to catch swamped the boats. If you recall, after that catch, Luke records them leaving the fish on the shore and follow Jesus.

Here, John has Peter dive off the boat and race to Jesus his side where Jesus has already cooked breakfast on the beach. They all break bread together they feast, they remember.

They remember being called – setting their lives down to follow this man. They remember the miraculous deeds they witnessed, the helix, the casting out of demons, the raising of the dead. And they remember they remember their denial of Christ. They remember saying they did not belong to him by their words and actions.

It's almost as if Jesus can hear the words in their heads but I let you down Jesus, I turned away, I walked away, I have sinned, I have fallen short, I am not enough.

Do you love me?

Jesus interrupt Peter and our thoughts of failure with these simple words. Do you love me?

Love here is agape love, unconditional love holy love God like love. Peter responds you know I love you. I philio you, brotherly love I belong to you. Jesus says feed my lambs.

Do you love me? Again agape you know that I love you again brotherly love. Jesus says take care of my sheep.

Do you love me? Jesus asks again this time brotherly love. You know all things you know that I love you says Peter. feed my sheep says Jesus follow me.

Here Jesus offers Peter three chances to claim him once more. To voice again his belongings. But Jesus is offering more than that, he offers a sensible longing and gives peter a clear new purpose. Replace a lot of conditions on our love for God. Sometimes it's guilt and shame as was peters problem. Sometimes it's painful memories of painful experiences. Sometimes it's reluctance to except that God is God and we or not. It doesn't matter though. If we love God and anyway, no matter the limits are conditions, the required response is to care for the children of God, especially the vulnerable ones.

Love me as much as you can right now – all love you completely

love me and show that love by caring for others – I'll provide for you.

Love me by following me, and you will always belong.

Not my friends, Christ comes to us in our every day lives and says follow me. Christ comes into our illness in times of distress and offers healing. Christ comes into our locked rooms, our dark corners and gives us peace. Christ comes to us even when we feel that we've let him down and offers us love – belonging and purpose right where we are – just as we are.

All Saints Day Rough Draft

Here is a very rough draft for tomorrow morning. I obliviously need to add All Saints references but due to the craziness of Halloween being a Saturday and have three littles; tonight is not the night. I'll try to fix it in the morning!

John 11: 1-45

Those of you who participated in our Women of the Bible study in the fall have heard me say this before, “I LOVE this story! It is my favorite!” Of course you also heard me say that about many other of the passages we studied together. But there is something so very special about this particular text. It’s not just the obvious parallel between Lazarus’ death and resurrection and Jesus’ death and resurrection, although that’s important. It’s not just the relationship Jesus has with Martha, Mary, and their brother, although it is touching. The special-ness of this story is so much more than all of that. There is something about this story that reaches into the very deepest parts of me and awakens my soul to the goodness and mercy of God! It’s transformational. It calls us to new life. But there I go, getting excited and getting ahead of the story!

I am struck by Martha in this passage. In Luke’s account of these two sisters’ we are shown a woman dedicated to service to the point of overlooking the importance of time spent with Jesus. The only words we hear from her are those of complaint. And we are told that Mary, the one who sits as a disciple has chosen the better part. We are often left with a feeling that Mary’s faith was stronger than Martha’s. But here it is Martha who runs to meet Jesus outside of the city. It is Martha who first states “If you had been here Lord my brother would not have died.” Too often we are tempted to cut her off right there, as a questioning or even accusing grieving woman, but we must hear what else she has to say. “If you had been here my brother would not have died, but even now,” she continues, “Even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Martha stands there with tears in her eyes and grief in her heart daring to hope, to trust, to ask. Faith seems to pour out of her. Jesus’ reply is simple “Your brother will rise again.” And yet, despite her hopeful tone, her grief keeps her from hearing their truth. “Yes Lord, I know that he will rise again in the last days.” Martha gives the safe Sunday school answer one that may not really comfort, but sounds right in the moment.

But Jesus will not allow her to stay in the safe thoughts of the sweet by and by. Jesus will not let us stay in our safety zones. He challenges her “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Do you believe this? Jesus looks into her eyes and asks her to really believe, really trust these words that sound too good to be true. Do you believe? “Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

Martha gives a complete confession of faith. She says that she believes God will listen to Jesus, that she believes he is the resurrection and the life, that she believes he is nothing less than the messiah. In fact Martha’s confession is not too different then the ones we use in worship to state together what we believe. The apostle’s creed, the Nicene Creed, even the one we used today “We are not alone” all have elements taken from Martha’s confession. We too say we believe that God listens; we too say we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life; we too say that he is indeed the Messiah. And we too have moments like Martha has in verse 39.

Martha, who has just given a complete confession of faith balks when Jesus says “Roll away the stone.” She replies “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." She has just confessed Jesus to be the Christ and here she takes a step back. How often are we like Martha? We confess our belief, we even take steps to make changes in our lives, but when it gets to the hard stuff we regress. We go back to our unbelief because it is less challenging. We go back to what we know because we are comfortable. We go back because there is less resistance. We go back because we are scared of what real transformation holds.

Here stands Martha filled with the fears of the dead body, the fears of the stench, the fears of her old life. And Jesus tells her “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” The same has been said to us. “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

We, like Martha need this reminder. The reminder that God is God; That Jesus is indeed who he claimed to be; that the Holy Spirit is with us even now. We join in worship to be reminded. WE say confessions of faith to be reminded. We pray for and with one another to be reminded. We read the scriptures to be reminded. We rehearse these facts so that one day we will not need reminding, we will know. So that one day we won’t need transformation, we will be transformed. So that one day we won’t question Christ’s power but will, like Martha be a witness to it!

After he had said this, Jesus prayed. Then he cried out “Lazarus, Come out.” And the dead man walked out of the tomb still in his grave clothes. Lazarus had been raised, he had been resurrected, he had been transformed. “”Unbind him, and let him go.” Jesus commanded. For once you have experienced the transforming love and power of Christ you must allow yourself to be unbound. Lazarus was no longer bound to the grave, new life had been given. We are no longer bound to the slavery of sin; we are no longer bound to the grave. Yet we sit in our grave clothes afraid to be unbound, afraid to embrace God’s transforming power. We balk at new life. Yet Jesus commands “Unbind them, and let them go.” Embrace the resurrection and the life.

So you may find yourself asking “What does it look like Pastor? What does it look like to be unbound?” If you are unbound you will commit yourself to doing God’s will. It must be strategic. You do not choose a path for convenience. It is not about you. The determining factor is not “will it be convenient and safe?” The real determining factor is “is this what God is calling me to do for the kingdom of Christ? Does God want us to go there?”

God’s vision must be bigger than just growing our churches, building our buildings, paving our parking lots, meeting our budget, or implementing the latest programs. God’s vision always extends to all the peoples of the earth. This vision by its very nature calls us into relationship with those different from us, culturally, economically, religiously, socially, and politically. His ultimate purpose and vision is reflected in Rev 7:9 “I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and people and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes.” We must be willing to let God take us into new and unfamiliar territory if we are to embrace his vision.

Once Lazarus was unbound, many believed. And Martha believed, the gospel writer could have added, for she had seen the glory of God. So to can many more believe if we will accept the transformation, rise up from our self imposed graves and be unbound. We have been set free! Believe and see the glory of God!

Hunger John 6:24-35

John 6:24-35

The summer break is coming to a close and for some of us there is joy for others disappointment. I have found myself reviewing the events of the summer, what few I can remember in the quick way in which it has past. We will all be doing some reviewing of the summer, in fact of the year during our pot-luck later today.

This summer the girls have taken art lessons. They have painted, drawn, colored and sculpted. Most of these lessons have been at the Huntsville Muesem of Art. And what I have learned is that the museum of art is synonymous with ducks. Yes, you heard me correctly, ducks, and fish if we are going to get down to it.

Every time I took a child to the lesson or picked them up from the lesson they wanted to feed the ducks and koi. And usually we did just that. One particular day Zanna Wyatt and I stayed at the park throughout Sara’s lesson and walked around feeding every duck and koi we came across.

When we crossed over the koi bridge a mass of fish arrived at out feet before we even threw one piece into the water. Their little mouths came out of the surface desperately seeking food, Seeking their manna from heaven as it were; their daily bread.

They reminded me of the crowds in today’s Gospel lesson. 

Jesus has just fed the 5,000 men, not to mention women and children, and gotten on a boat with the disciples to head across. When the crowd realizes he has left they go in search of him. When they find him in Capernaum they ask “when did you get here?” 

A simple question, not too out of the ordinary, one I’ve asked others many times before. But Jesus’ response is very different. 

“You are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

What ? 

Is Jesus really getting on to a group of hungry people because they are hungry again? Is Jesus putting them down for seeking after another meal in a food insecure society? 

I don’t think so. I think he is trying to open their eyes to look past their stomachs and see that the bread is more than just bread.

It reminds me of the preachers whose churches were across from each other on a road heading out of town. They placed signs in their church yards that said “Turn yourself around, the end is near.” Just as they finished putting the signs in the ground a man came driving by. He leaned out his car window and yelled “Get a life you religious nuts!” As his car went around the bend the preachers heard a big splash. One looked at the other and said “Well, do you think we should have just written Bridge Out?”

Its not about the sign, but its about what the sign points to: something else, something greater. 

The feeding of the 5,000 was supposed to point people toward something more, toward a greater understanding of God and God’s love for us. The bread was not the end game! It was the appetizer!

The crowds are short sighted, can’t see past their stomachs. But before we judge, how often are we the same?

How often have we seen God’s goodness and mercy poured out and asked for more, rather than thanking for what’s been provided? How often have we grabbed our nourishment like a fast-food Christian; expecting the grace of God to be handed out on our terms on our time table at a price we deem worth paying?

The crowds ask “What work of God can we do to earn the bread that fills forever?” and Jesus says “Believe in him who has been sent.”

Believe.

This word is not what they were expecting. Its not what we expect when we seek God’s nourishment in times of spiritual and physical hunger. Believe.  Trust, rely upon, put faith in, acknowledge as a reality that Jesus was sent by God and then, live it! This is what Jesus asks the crowd and us to do. To really live into our faith, not just when our bellies are full, not just when we can see where we are headed, but all of the time, believe.

Here are these crowds who have already seen a sign from God asking again for another one, to Prove Jesus is the real deal. “Our ansesters ate manna in the wilderness. Moses gave them bread from heaven. “

You can hear them saying “Moses fed them every day, but here we are hungry. Every day Moses offered them food. You’ve only fed us once.”

Jesus reminds them, it wasn’t Moses who fed but God! God sustained the Israelites in the wilderness. God who offered daily bread, daily provision. And certainly the manna kept the people fed, but it too was a sign! It was a sign that God would be faithful in God’s love and commitment, even when the people groaned and complained against God. God showed love no matter what!

And times haven’t changed all that much have they? From the years in the desert, to the time of Christ, from the koi in the pond, to you and me. God still reaches out to meet us in the midst of our complaining and groaning, in the middle of our arguing and rebellious sinning, to offer us a physical sign.

Do you know what that sign in my friends? Holy Communion, the Lord’s supper, the Eucharist.

In communion Christ offers himself to us once more reminding us of his words “I AM the bread of life , the true bread that comes down from heaven. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.”

So does that mean that once we eat this communion today we will never be hungry again? No, of course not! What it means is that when we receive this bread we receive again the promise of God, that God will sustain us through life and even death!

Through this sign Christ becomes a part of us spiritually, physiclally, strengthening us to serve others in his name while we live this life, stergnthening us spiritually by reminding us that we are forgiven for our sins and made righteous in God’s eyes so that we might share in the resurrection to eternal life.l

Jesus shakes his head at the crowds and us, not because we are hungry, but because we haven’t learned to trust. It’s about trusting God to love us even when we are unlovable sinners. It’s about trusting that God will provide all that we need, truly need, in this life. It’s about trusting God to keep the promises made about forgiveness and eternal life. It’s about trusting God to really be in control. 

God’s provision is everywhere, if we only have eyes to see! May our eyes be opened, our spirits be filled, our faith secure. Amen and Amen.

Easter is coming quick!

I'm still working away on the two sermons for tomorrow morning.
In the meanwhile, Here are the two I preached last year:
Sunrise:

John 20: 1-18

Have you ever watched the sunrise? This may sound like an odd question to ask at an” Easter Sunrise Service.” Have you ever REALLY watched a sunrise? I’ll be honest with y’all; I’ve never really watched the sun rise in East Tennessee. Perhaps I’ve still not adjusted to the Eastern Time zone, or perhaps I’ve just not taken the time. But in Texas I watched a lot of sunrises and sunsets. There was one particular place that I loved to watch the sunrise, Palo Duro Canyon. Palo Duro is a beautiful canyon near Amarillo, Texas sunk deep in the middle of the flattest land you can imagine. We used to camp there a lot, Steve and I even camped there on our honeymoon. There was just something so special about watching the sunrise. The sky would be pitch black and slowly it would turn navy. Then shades of green and orange would begin to streak the sky. Slowly a round red orange sun would climb over the edge of the canyon. I remember looking at the sunrise stretch across the horizon and being in awe. What was so amazing to me was thinking about the people who had yet to see the sunrise, people to the west who had no idea the wondrous sights God’ had in store for them that morning.

Mary, our scripture tells us, went to the tomb in the darkness of the morning, before the sunrise. She could not know what she would find when she arrived. She went in the darkness expecting to find the tomb and inside the tomb the body of her Lord. We do not know why she came, or even how many times she had come before in the past three days. She was full of grief, sadness, mourning, and she came to the tomb to grieve some more.

But when she arrived in those pre-dawn moments she was amazed. What she found was not what she was expecting to find. Instead of a sealed tomb with a body inside, she found that the stone had been rolled away and the Lord was missing! In the darkness she panics, in the darkness she fears. In the darkness she runs off to the disciples to seek help and guidance. In the darkness she seeks out anything that will calm her confusion. She found Peter and another disciple and tells them that the Lord is gone. His body has been taken. Peter and the other disciple run back to the tomb to see for themselves. And when they arrive they find the tomb as she has said, stone rolled back and empty, and they believed.

They believed, not the words of the Christ himself who said that he must die and be raised. No, they believed Mary, that the body had been taken. And so they, in the pre-morning hours return home, in their darkness. In their darkness of doubt, in their darkness of fear, in their darkness of grief.

We all have had times of darkness haven’t we? Some of us sit here this morning covered in that darkness. We have suffered loss, the loss of a mother, brother, child, friend. For some of us our grief is fresh, like Mary’s was that morning. Others have lived with the grief so long that it’s just a part of who we are now. Some of us are covered in other kinds of darkness, the darkness of poor health, addictions, divorce, unhealthy work environments. But what ever the case, we have all spent time in the dark, the dark that wraps so tightly that it threatens to suffocate.

I think that is where Mary was when she was left by herself at the Tomb just as the dawn was beginning to break. She sits there sobbing when she looks again into the tomb. And when she does yet another surprise awaits her. Two angles sitting in the tomb where Jesus had laid! They ask her “Woman, why are you crying?” And Mary’s grief is so deep, her darkness so encompassing that she doesn’t ask “Who are you?” or “What are you doing hear?” She doesn’t seem to register the angels at all. She replies only “They have taken my Lord and I don’t know where they have put him!” The she gets up and turns from the tomb.

In the midst of our darkness it’s hard to see where God is working. Two angles stand before Mary and she can only ask where Jesus’ body has been taken. When we are at our lowest and darkest we too can miss God at work.

When Mary turns from the tomb she sees Jesus, only she does not recognize him! She mistakes him for the gardener. And while she’s trying to process he speaks to her. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" And as the sun peaks over the horizon she replies in desperation, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." It is her last effort and understanding what is going on in human terms. It’s her last effort to find an answer that makes sense. In her darkest moment she even accuses this man of stealing Jesus’ body. Blaming Jesus for his own disappearance. Blaming God for being distant when he’s right there with her.

Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" which means teacher. And in that moment the sun rose in Mary’s life. In that moment the darkness was shattered by the full light of day! In that moment Mary realized that Jesus did not abandon her, he did not leave her alone, but rather he had conquered death!

In the same way we, in our darkness don’t always see the Lord, but he’s there. He’s there whispering our names, revealing himself to be the living risen One. Braking through the darkness and bringing with Him the full light and glory of God. He is here for us just as he was there in the garden for Mary. Offering us hope, love, and the promise of a new and better life. Do you see him? Can you hear him calling your name?

Mary did, and it turned her world around. She rushed to him, held him, and then she was given a job. “Go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary was told not to keep Jesus to herself, but to be the apostle to the apostles. She was told to bring the light into the darkened lives of the other followers of Jesus. She was to share the good news, that Christ is Risen, He is Risen indeed!

And once we have heard his voice, once we have stepped out of the darkness and into the dawn we too are given this charge. Mary cried out “I have seen the Lord.” And boldly proclaimed his resurrection. So we are to go out into the world with shouts of thanksgiving and praise, sharing the good news. Helping to break people out of the dark nights of their souls. Praise be to the risen Lord. Christ is Risen, He is Risen indeed!

10 Am service

John 20: 19-31

Ten men were sitting together in a house. Each one looked around at the others not knowing what to say. They were more than friends, more than brothers, yet they could not quite trust one another anymore. They had locked the doors because they couldn’t trust anyone else either.

This is where we find the disciples as our scripture lesson for this morning begins. They are in a room gathered together in the evening. They are waiting, even though they are not sure of what they are waiting for. John and Peter have both seen the empty tomb with their own eyes. No doubt they had many questions about what that empty tomb meant. Mary had rushed to tell them that she had seen the risen Christ. He had spoken to her! Did they really want to believe her? What would it mean if Jesus was, dare they think it, alive? No doubt this is one of the reasons they had locked themselves in that room.

They were afraid of what would happen if the Jews found them. After all Christ had been crucified, could they expect less? They were afraid of what a risen Christ might say to them. They had all abandoned him in his hour of need. No doubt this is one of the reasons they had locked themselves in that room they felt guilt at betraying him. Guilt and Fear.

How often have we found ourselves hiding? Hiding from God, from family, from ourselves. How often have we locked ourselves up in our own rooms hoping against hope that nothing bad would find us, that we could hide away our shames? “I’ve done so many bad things.” We say to ourselves, “I’ve lied, I’ve cheated. I made a mistake. My marriage failed. My finances are horrible. I am a failure. I can’t do anything right.” We lock ourselves up and we cower in the darkness. We, like the disciples feel abandoned and alone. We, like the disciples have heard the whisperings that something amazing has happened. But, like the disciples we don’t really believe it so we sit in the dark alone and afraid filled with our anxiety.

While the disciples were sitting in this locked silent tomb of a room a voice called out, “Peace be with you.” They looked up and saw the Christ standing before them. Jesus had entered their locked room. No doubt some eyes darted to the door to see if it had been opened but the locks were firmly in place. The disciples looked around at one another hoping that the others would confirm this vision. Jesus had entered the room and offered them the one thing their hearts desired, peace. They must have wondered whether this moment was real or just a group hallucination. Maybe some of them thought it was a hoax. And before they could think to ask him, Jesus showed them his wounds and all doubt was removed. Then the disciples rejoiced in his presence!

Think of it, Jesus appearing in a locked up room. A self made tomb of sorts. Jesus doesn’t wait to be invited, He invades! He doesn’t wait for the disciples to crack the door; he won’t let a silly think like a lock stop him. He barges in to offer new life to the disciples and to us.

While we sit in self imposed exile Jesus invades! While we try to hide our failures and mistakes, our missteps and misfortunes Jesus slips past our defenses and into our tombs. There is no hiding place good enough, no corner too dark for our Lord and Savior. Jesus has faced death, death on a cross; it doesn’t get any darker than that! Jesus seeks us out offering us the one thing we crave most. He calls to us saying “Peace, peace be with you!” No words of condemnation, no I-told-you-so, no how dare you! His words are simple and loving “Peace be with you.”

Jesus not only offers peace to the disciples, and to us, he issues a mission. “Peace I give you, but you also have a job to do. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jesus gives the disciples a commission. It is not the great commission from Matthew; it is somehow even more than that. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. The disciples are to be Christ’s representatives on earth, his ambassadors. They are to continue his mission on earth, to heal, to pray, to stand up for the oppressed, to care for the widows and orphans, to love as Christ dared to love. They are to be new creations. In a scene reminiscent of the creation of Adam, Jesus breaths his spirit, the Holy Spirit, upon the disciples filling them with new life. He tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. Receive, take it in, breath it in, claim the Holy Spirit all of you!

When Jesus seeks us out in our deepest darkest hiding places he offers us new life. He looks at all of our brokenness, all of our fear, guilt, disloyalty, and still offers peace. Jesus whispers to us “I know you have made mistakes, I felt them. I know you have done wrong, I suffered for it. I know that you have sinned; I carried them with me upon that cross. But they have died with me and remained dead. I have something for you, new life.” Jesus, the one who has invaded our hiding place breaths out upon us. He gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to us freely. He tells us to receive this gift, to make it a part of ourselves, to accept it as new life. And for this, we like the disciples should rejoice!

With the new life given to us and the disciples comes a new way of living. Jesus gives one guiding principle of it after telling them to receive the Holy Spirit. He tells the disciples “If you forgive sins of any; they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” What amazing words of comfort these must have been. This group of men had abandoned Christ, each one of them for their own reasons. They had sat in this room wondering if they would ever be able to forgive themselves or one another. Perhaps they felt trust had already been broken. And here, Jesus tells them to forgive one another. If they forgive one another, trust can be restored, relationships can be made right. It is not too late! If they forgive one another they can be God’ messengers to the world. But if they do not forgive, if they retain or hold on to one another’s sins they will never be lose of them. If John were to always hang over Peter Peter’s betrayal they will never be able to love one another and work with one another. Forgiveness is the gift they can offer each other to restore relationship. Forgiveness is the gift Christ offers the disciples to bring them to new life!

These same words of Jesus apply to us today. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Jesus, who has invaded our tombs and offered new life, also offers forgiveness. He remembers our sins and shortcomings no more because we are new creations! If we forgive one another then we are free to more on from hurts and pains. We are free to live the new life to which we are called. But sometimes forgiving others is not our difficulty. Our difficulty often lies in forgiving ourselves. Again and again we beat ourselves up for poor decisions we’ve made. Again and again we tear at ourselves for failing. Again and again we hide away our shame over our sins. But I ask, how can we expect to experience new life when we cling to the old? How can we ask God to do a new thing if we won’t accept that the old has been washed away? What are we really telling God when we say “Take all of me!” and then proceed to take things back day by day? How can we trust God to forgive, when we won’t begin to forgive ourselves? Hear the Good News! Jesus Christ is Risen, He is Risen indeed! Through his resurrection we have been given new life! A life filled with his Holy Spirit and with a commission to live as ambassadors of God on earth. It is a commission that through the acceptance of the Holy Spirit we can accomplish. How do I know that? Look at the rest of the disciples’ tale.

One week after this event they all gathered together again, this time in hope and anticipation. But who was that over in the corner? Why it was Thomas. Thomas was not there when Christ first appeared to the disciples. Perhaps he was too afraid of his own guilt. Perhaps he was spooked by the stories of a living Christ. But at some point during the week these disciples have reached out to Thomas. They have forgiven him for his abandonment; they have forgiven him his fear. They have shared the good news with Thomas that Christ is risen. They have invited him to fellowship with them. They have restored him to community. So hear Thomas sits, as the disciples sat the week before. He was afraid, he was nervous, but he had a glimmer of hope because the disciples had shared the good news. And Jesus did not disappoint. Into the locked room he intruded yet again. He showed his wounds and even offered to let Thomas touch them. Thomas did not touch them. He did not need to. The Lord had appeared to him, the Lord had invaded his life and Thomas’ response was true praise “My Lord and My God!”

Restoration is possible, resurrection is possible. New life is offered, and the Holy Spirit is given. The gift does not stop with you or me any more than it stopped with the disciples. What good does this new life do if we live it in a locked room? The disciples went out into the world telling those they knew and later those they did not know about the good news! They forgave one another and themselves. They lived the life God called them to. So we too should forgive. We too have been offered new life. Claim it! Live it! Trusting that the God who invaded the life of the disciples still invades our lives today. To God be the Glory, Amen!