Sowing Seeds in the Wilderness

Who fails my "ick test"?

2012-02-15T23:40:00.001-06:00

Mark doesn’t waste any time, does he?—I heard that statement expressed several times this past week. People were noticing that we were still in the first chapter of his gospel, and He was already casting out demons and healing diseases. We are not the first group of Christians to notice that Mark’s Gospel is more like a Passion Narrative with a prologue than a "normal account" of His ministry, whatever that means. In the last three weeks alone, we have heard the story of the demon being exorcised in the synagogue, the fever of Peter’s mother-in-law being healed, and now the story of the leper being healed. And still, we are in the beginning of the book! Mark writes like he did not have a lot of time or like he did not have much paper. Of course, when we consider that Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted only about three years, maybe the disciple learned something from his Master – time is of the essence.

Two weeks ago, we learned that Jesus had authority in the spiritual world. Last week, we learned that Jesus could heal the effects of either spiritual attacks or God’s punishment. This week, the focus of Mark shifts just a bit. As with fevers, leprosy was considered in the Ancient Near East to be a divine punishment. In the Jewish culture, in particular, it was thought to be a sign of judgment upon a notorious sinner. To be fair, Leviticus spends more than a dozen verses teaching priests the symptoms of leprosy, so it is only natural that the Jews felt it had a special place in God’s arsenal of judgments. And just so we are aware, leprosy in the ANE was not only what you and I know to be Hansen’s disease. There were a number of rashes, discolorations, and other skin ailments which could be called leprosy.

The reason that leprosy was more feared than fevers was the result of the disease. You might think that the outlook for those with Hansen’s disease would have been terrible, at least from a health standpoint. Even today, all we can do is arrest the effects of the disease. We, with all our expertise and knowledge, cannot cure it. Without medications, sufferers will often experience infections, gangrene, and loss of limbs after some period of time. As bad as that sounds, there was a worse punishment for lepers. They were considered in the culture in which Jesus ministered to be unclean. To associate with one meant that one became ritually unclean as well. If one socialized with a leper, one had to be purified before one could return to the synagogue. In a very real way, lepers were treated like living corpses. Imagine their lives. Imagine the isolation, the distance (both physical and emotional), the hurt, and the pain. Imagine if you did not have Hansen’s disease, yet you were still force to live apart. Now you know the leper’s hurt and pain. You have a terrible disease and must live apart from us because God is mad at you and is punishing you, at least that is what you have been taught.

Mark wastes no time telling the story. The leper comes to Jesus begging. “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Has he heard how Jesus cast out the demon? Has he heard how Jesus cured the fever? Was it another miracle that inspired him? We are not told. What we are told, however, is that Jesus was moved with pity and stretched out His hand to touch the man. Imagine the shock and horror of all those watching this exchange. The Teacher has just defiled himself! Imagine the shock of the leper. People have gone out of their way since the diagnosis to avoid him, and now Jesus was intentionally touching him. A healthy, clean person was reaching out to him. And not just any person, but a rabbi and a prophet! He of all people would know what He was bringing upon Himself. And Jesus says the kind words, “I do choose,” and He commands the leper to be clean. Immediately, Mark relates, the disease left the man, and he was made clean.

Mark then gives us the stern warning that Jesus gave to the man. First, he tells the man to say nothing. Talk about countercultural! You and I are familiar with televangelists who, usually for a price, can offer you a fix for your ills. If you are not cured when he or she prays, the fault lies with your faith, not them. The ANE had similar charlatans in those days. Men would promote their ability to heal so as to gain notoriety and to increase their purse. Jesus, however, tells the man to say nothing. Simply go to the priest, let him see and judge, and offer the appropriate sacrifice as a testimony to them. Jesus wants no acclaim. He does not seek to promote Himself the way most PR people would teach us to promote ourselves. He understands that miracles, while powerful, do not always produce enduring faith. We have seen this attitude first hand in our experiences. Think of the miracles at Genesis, which, for a few months, produced a great deal of chatter and excitement, but ended with doctors and nurses assuming that the indications or tests were wrong, therefore the result was not as stunning. Jesus is calling for an enduring faith. And Jesus is living under the torah which His Father bestowed upon Israel. He understands better than everyone that bad things can happen to God's people and that God will ultimately redeem them, if they have faith!

Ominously, we are told that the man’s healing is a judgment upon others. The priests, in particular, named the man a leper and unclean. If the healed man follows Jesus' instructions and seeks readmission into the synagogue and among God's people, he priests will be the ones who name him clean and who restore him to the community of God’s people, once the thank offering has been made. Will they recognize that if only God can send the disease of leprosy that the One who cleanses others of it must also be from God? Those of us who have cheated and read ahead know the answer to that question. This cleansing will be among those reasons why Jesus is so harsh in His judgment about the priests.

Of course, we know the man was unable to keep silent. Can you blame him? Against all hope and expectation, he has been cleansed of a disease, touched by the prophet, and restored to community. His response is that joyful response we should all have when we come to the realization of what Christ has done for each one of us. And this man’s proclamation of what Jesus has done is so well done that Jesus is forced to stay out in the country because of the flood of people who flock to Him.

It is fortunate, if not downright providential, that our Healing Service includes these readings. In a few moments, we will gather around the altar rail. I will anoint and lay hands on those seeking healing in their lives. Make no mistake, what we seek is healing, not cures. Some may come forward with the guilt and shame of sin asking simply that God take it away and clothe them in His righteousness. Others may come forward with aches and pains and diseases and asked that they be removed as well. But always, always, we come to the rail praying for the healing that only Jesus can offer. Only He died for us. Only He was raised for us. Only He can give us lasting hope and true healing.

As a result of that healing He works in us, however, you and I become uniquely qualified and obligated to carry that message into the world around us. In a real way, you and I are called to a joyful proclamation not unlike the leper’s in this week’s story. And you and I are commanded, not asked, commanded to take that offer of healing and restoration to those in our midst who are most cut off, who feel most unloved, who live with the worst pain, confident in His ability to redeem all things.

Who in your life is like the leper? Who is it in your life that fails the “ick test.” Who is it, if you had your druthers, would stay “out there” and not be invited “in here.” Brothers and sisters those are the very people you and I need to be reaching. Those are the very people we need to be touching and helping and reminded that they are, too, just like us, loved of God. Maybe it is the AIDS victim in your life, maybe it the person whom you serve at Community Meal, maybe it a stinky drunk or druggie. You see, once we were just as unclean in His eyes, but now we are made clean through His sacrifice. Like the joyful leper today, we should be proclaiming the healing that He gives, that people will continue to come to Him from every quarter.

Peace,
Brian†

Radio Row and Spirit warfare . . .

2012-02-07T23:00:00.000-06:00

I often tell clergy from other denominations that one of the advantages of using a lectionary is the simple fact that the readings force us to move along or to consider those elements of God’s teachings which we might otherwise prefer to avoid. Again, I was blessed this week to know where to go for my sermon, but like many of you, I was uncomfortable as to how to approach the topic without seeming to be freakish—well, more so than usual! I am speaking, of course, of the idea of demons and the spiritual warfare in general. I will say that the topic is clearly of some importance given where I was forced to minister this week and some of our conversations. Some parishioners approached me independently of each other this week to ask me about Mark’s account of Jesus’ exorcism in the synagogue. As I was reflecting on those conversations trying to make sense of the week and discern how best to approach the topic, I chuckled at the beginnings of all those conversations. Only one person had the courage to ask “Do you believe there really are demons?” Everyone else got there; it just took some time.

Clearly, demons are real. Let me say it again just to make sure you really did hear it the first time, yes, I think demons are real. The Gospel writers tell us that Jesus banished demons and that the disciples did also (and failed at least once). I know much of supernatural lore of spiritual warfare is based more upon Milton than upon the Bible, but Paul especially counsels us to be aware of the spiritual battle going on around us. I do not think that God is capricious or in the business to trick us, so I believe that the accounts of the demonic are real.

I know that most of us, as 21st century Americans, would much prefer to believe such tales as fancies. I have heard repeatedly that what were called “possessions” in the Bible were really epileptic seizures, behavior disorders, schizophrenia, and other such quantifiable and diagnosed diseases, as if the people in antiquity were total idiots. Make no mistake, people in the ANE were no more gullible, no more stupid than you or me. True, we are able better to understand the nature of bacteria and viruses. Doctors can distinguish between a migraine headache which is terribly uncomfortable from a headache associated with meningitis, which can be bacterially or virus caused and, so, have a different chance of survival. The ANE lacked much of that particular distinction. To them, it really did not matter if one had pneumonia, bronchitis, allergies, or whatever so much as the fact that one could not breathe correctly. Certain symptoms required certain cures, most of which were learned through trial and error. So, when we read in Scripture that Jesus “cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many diseases” we should probably not be so quick to dismiss the claims as superstitious nonsense. Angels we can accept; demons are a bit tougher to swallow. Why?

No matter the why, Mark in the last two weeks has related two specific exorcisms and some generic ones. If the first specific exorcism is the man in the synagogue last week, what is the second? Take a look a Peter’s mother-in-law. When the pericope begins, we are told that she had a fever. You and I are probably a little too detached from Jewish history and culture and a little too familiar with medical knowledge to understand the spiritual significance of a fever. To us, a fever is a sign of an infection. To those of Jesus’ time, a fever was a separate disease. In the Jewish culture, the fever had a theological significance because of the torah . Both Leviticus 26:16 and Deuteronomy 28:22 were interpreted by many rabbis to mean that God was punishing a sinner, a person who violated the torah. Such an interpretation will probably not surprise those of us familiar with the book of Job. Job’s “friends” are certain that he has sinned against God terribly because of all the calamities that have beset him. Similarly, a fever was viewed by many in Jesus’ time as “proof” of one’s crimes against God. The fever was sent by God to punish or chastise the wrongdoer. Many rabbis even taught that only God could cure a fever. Since it was sent by Him, only He could halt its effects, particularly the effects of higher fevers.

Now, perhaps, the second specific exorcism is obvious to you. Think of what is going on now in our reading. She has a fever which, to the disciples, requires that they tell the Master. Mark records that Jesus took her by the hand, upon hearing of her condition, and lifted her up. Our translators, by virtue of their decision, lessen the impact of what the disciples saw. Apheken means released or abandoned more than left. It conveys a sense of possession or ownership, in this case supernatural or divine, that has been forsaken. In the two other fevers discussed in the NT, the same turn of phrase is used, signifying to those reading and hearing the story, what was really happening. Whether her fever was God’s punishment or some sort of demonic attack, Jesus had the power and authority to heal! If it was divine punishment, this miracle testified to Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God, as who else could stop His punishment but God? If it were demonic, still He had power to bring healing to victims (never mind the significance of a woman set free immediately after a man has been freed).

Keep in mind, too, how Mark describes exorcisms. Those with diseases are healed; those with sin are forgiven; demons, we are told, simply release or go away from the victim after being commanded by Jesus to come out. These are important, significant distinctions. When Mark speaks in terms of possession, he speaks in term of unclean spirits, those forces, beings, however we want to describe them, which attempt to thwart the Lord’s will in the behavior. Put another way, it is the spirit that is inimical to the Holy Spirit in this chapter, which took control of Jesus right after His baptism and works to the glory of God. By contrast, these unclean spirits work to alienate human beings both from God and others. Eventually, in Mark’s Gospel, they will even seem to get the upper hand in the spiritual battle when Jesus is put to death.

So what? That explains then, what about now? How should God’s teaching about demons impact us now? I know we are all more comfortable speaking in terms of addictions and psychoses and disorders. But are we really bringing all the healing power of Christ to bear when we allow modern science and medicine to supplant what God has revealed to be true? To be sure, as C.S. Lewis reminds us in Screwtape Letters, we are as equally ineffective when we think the devil and his minions are everywhere as when we think they do not exist at all. But scripture reminds us over and over again that there are forces arrayed against God, which work hard to see Him defeated and you and I separated from Him. Of course, Scripture also reminds us that the chief weapon of those who fight against God is death. In the end, it was the weapon that those spiritual and physical forces brought to bear on Jesus. Christ’s death and resurrection remind us, naturally, that even that weapon is insufficient to keep us from our Lord. Better still, as children of the living God, inheritors of the firstborn share, you and I have no reason to fear those unclean spirits or anything else we cannot explain! Jesus promised us all that we would do greater works because He would intercede on our behalf with the Father who would send His Spirit upon each of us. You and I and every one of our brothers and sisters have reason to believe that there are forces and spirits working against God, but we have an even better reason to believe we have nothing to fear thanks to that empty tomb!

As I was reflecting on a way to give us an example this week, a number of conversations popped into mind after I listened to a couple of sports talk interviews this week. A number of people had asked me over the last couple months what I thought about the whole Tim Tebow phenomena. Now, as a Steeler fan, I have to admit he is not my favorite person right now. But two interviews have helped me to accept the defeat from a couple weeks ago with a bit of grace. In the first one I heard, Von Miller, the starting linebacker for the Broncos, was being grilled by an interviewer. This interviewer was wanting the dirt. "Tim Tebow must be a horrible teammate being so 'holier-than-thou', right?" "You can't be yourself around him, can you, because he's so righteous, right?" On and on the interviewer baited Von Miller. His attempt was an effort to cause a rift in the team and expose just how much the team despised Tebow. After a couple deft answers, Von Miller asked the interviewer to quit. "All those comments about Tim are the press' creation. He's not at all like that. He is a great teammate. Nobody works harder, nobody works longer, nobody cares more about success for the Broncos than Tim Tebow."

Unfortunately, the interviewer was not done baiting Von. Once again he picked on the whole "in your face" Christian description to elicit a response from the LB. Von Miller gave perhaps the best answer any Christian man could hope to be said of him. "When I was little, I used to get dragged to church. I heard all kinds of expressions. Have you ever heard the expression 'Iron sharpens iron?' I had, but I never understood it until I met Tim Tebow. I like to think being around him makes me a better man. I like to think that he rubs off on all of us because he is a man at peace with himself and world around him. You guys in the media get on him about being 'all religious.' We don't describe him like that. He's one of us. He's in the pits with us slugging it out each week. I hope, one day, people will think of me like they think of Timmy. I hope my sons grow up to be like him. I hope my daughters would marry a man like him. That is what I think of Tim. That is what makes him special!"

I have to admit, I was whooping in the car. I don't know much about Tim Tebow other than what the press relates. I know from playing football that there is enough not happening in the Bronco locker room not to believe the press' commentary and descriptions. We're he a bad teammate, the veterans would be throwing him under the bus. Now, however, a rookie LB was telling a radio DJ to get off his teammate's back. Better still, he hoped that Timmy was rubbing off on him.

A few days later, however, I got to hear the same member of the press interview Tebow. The interviewer was polite but skeptical. He was asking Tebow about fans running over Joe Montana to meet him and questioning how well he fit into a team. Finally, the interviewer went too far and begrudgingly stated that Tim must really be enjoying all the attention. "To tell you the truth, it really worries me." The interviewer was surprised. "I have been blessed with some skills and the opportunity to play a game for a living. It just so happens that I have a platform that many lack. People ask me what I think about stuff. I answer. And they complain that I am forcing my views on them, like I am the one that stuck a microphone in their face. It's clear than many in the world don't like the answers that I give. What worries me now is that I will get too full of myself, to full of pride, and trip up in a way that hurts the witness I want to make. I know if I accept one of the offers of these girls, party a little too hard with drugs or alcohol, or anything else that someone else can do in private, my actions will be publicized. and then everyone will think I am a hypocrite and the truth of the Gospel will be compromised. It is a tough pill to swallow. Hopefully, it and my prayer life and God's grace will keep me on the right path. You'd think people would at least let me live my life rather than root against me and look for me to fail. But nothing is the way the Lord intended."

Think of what Tebow admitted on the radio. We live in a country that supposedly wants everyone to seek happiness. He has found it in his faith. Yet now people are doing their best to help him stumble. Women line up to be the first ex-Mrs. Tebow or just the first woman with whom he has sex. Nobody is praising him for waiting. Teammates describe a great teammate and a better man; yet interviewers are always criticizing his faith and trying hard to sow dissension because of that faith. Why? Why do we want people to fail? Why do we celebrate when "good guys" or "good girls" stumble? Could it be because we have been deluded? Can it be that we have forgotten our inheritance? Can it be that we have forgotten the words of our Declaration of Independence? Are we not in the middle of a war in which the distinctions between the good and the bad are blurred, and failure is cheered. Are we that messed up? Do we really like the Ben Rothlisbergers and Michael Vicks better than the Tim Tebow and Kurt Warners of the world? Are we more excited to see the latter fail than the former repent? Are we more willing to give the former a second chance than to cheer on the latter?

Are demons real? Yes. I believe they are. Too many times we are told that Jesus encountered them simply to dismiss them. And, given how many of us accept angels and their actions, does it seem any less probable that there would be beings fighting just as hard against God? Better still, while we have a particular understanding of demons and exorcisms as a church (that being they must be discerned in community and exorcised by bishops), we are not powerless before them if we encounter them alone. Christ’s death and resurrection signified the beginning of the end of their power. As His rightful heirs, we have nothing to fear when confronted by them. Yes, they might make life hard for us. Yes, they might even kill us. Yet even they must bow to the power of His blood and the authority of His commands. Perhaps, just perhaps, the world would be better served were we to quit pretending as if they cannot exist and name them for what they are. Perhaps, just perhaps, our naming and praying and asking Him to banish them would usher His kingdom that much further into the world, reducing the power and effectiveness of those, including Satan, who fight against Him. Perhaps, just perhaps, our willingness to accept His teaching and His authority would bring that much more healing into the world, healing which testifies to the world His glory and His grace and His power to heal all who are brought to Him!
Peace,
Brian†

Go fish!

2012-01-31T13:34:00.001-06:00

     I suppose, before I get to this week’s readings, I need to do a bit of backtracking. One can tell when the previous week’s sermons were full of spiritual wedgies by the sheer volume of people who want to argue. What surprised me most about last week, of course, was the number of those who complained that I did not write it out in last week’s message. Few of us were present because of the ice drizzle, but I guess those few talked a lot because I had people who were not here last Sunday talking about my sermon. One statement found its way into nearly all those conversations. That statement represents an attitude that must needs be addressed before we as a community can move forward. That statement always began with a form of “I can’t” or “I’m not.” I won’t ask for a show of hands, but how many here today argued with me, either aloud or silently, last week that you were not qualified or able to reach into the lives of particular people and share the Gospel of Christ? Have you come so far in your faith journey really to believe that about yourself and your worth before God? I ask that, particularly, in light of last week’s Gospel reading. Last week, we read Mark’s account of Simon and Andrew’s call. It is a well known story. Jesus says to these two brothers, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Ever wonder why He chose fishermen to be Apostles? Ever wonder why He chose regular people, rather than Temple or political elites, to be disciples? Ever wonder why He chose you?

     Talk to a serious or professional fisherman, and you will learn lots of worldly wisdom. Fishing involves a continual acquisition of wisdom regarding the activity. I have yet to meet the fisherman who thinks he knows all there is to know about fishing or who is not excited to learn something new. I know we have a lot of “amateur” fisherfolk in our congregation, so let me give us some perspective about Jesus’ selections by asking the question “What is the best bait you have ever used?” Listen to the answers. Does anybody here present think that a lure is the best possible bait? No. And why is that? Everybody who fishes realizes that worms and minnows and bugs, what they call live bait, are effective far more frequently than the artificial lures. I am not the fisherman like my dad, but I have learned over the years that each lure is good in particular situations but, outside that for which it was created, marginal, at best. On clear sunny days, lures with flashing metal often capture the attention of fish. On a rainy day, though, they tend not to work as well. Similarly, those lures which are red like a bleeding or injured food, work well in murky water but not so much in clear water. I can’t go on and on, but I know some of you can. Live bait, though, will work in many different environments. If the fish are biting, they will always hit live bait, no matter the weather and no matter the water.

     Obviously, given Jesus selection of Apostles and of some of His later descriptions, evangelism is much like fishing. Some things work, while others fall flat on their face. Programs which purport to have solved all the evangelism issues often fail. Have you ever stopped to wonder why? Evangelism, like fishing, must be aware of the surrounding circumstances. A program which is very effective in NYC might well flop in Davenport because we are very different from NYC. Our concerns, our values, our fears, and our way of life are just different. Similarly, what might work in Davenport might well fail miserably in other places like rural IA or the Deep South. West coast plans probably will not work well Texas. I could go on and on. Programs for evangelism are like lures. They are artificial; they are made for a specific context, they can’t “tempt” everyone equally as well. That’s why He chose Andrew and Peter and you and me.

     You and I are, in a real sense, live bait. You and I are called to live our life in the struggles, in the messes. People we encounter, particularly those with whom we live and those with whom we work, get to see us mourning and joyful and hopeful and tired and whatever else we are as we live our lives. Like the bait that struggles and attracts the predators, you and I are called to live obedient, faithful lives in the midst whatever besets us. People see us, hear us, smell us, and even feel us as we struggle. And it is at those times when we see our Lord at work. He uses our weakness to reach into the lives of others. How do we know?

     An easy example would be Tony the Truck Driver. Does everybody remember him? Tony’s great sadness was the death of his toddler son. I forget the specific details, but Tony’s son died despite all the prayers of his family and his church. As a tribute to his son’s brave fight, Tony had a memorial painted on the side of his blue cab. As Tony wrestled with God while driving that cab (How could God let my son die? How can such a tragedy ever be redeemed?  Why would a good God let evil exist?) he began to notice people broken down along the side of the road. Rather than passing them by, Tony decided that, when God gave him eyes to see the broken down on the highways, he would stop. Keep in mind the pressures involved. As in so many businesses, time is money in the trucking industry. When he is not moving, he is not getting paid. And he decided, he committed to stopping when he saw others in need! As he began this roadside ministry, it amazed him just how many people noticed his cab. At first, Tony thought he was just going to get to tell the story of his son. He hoped the telling would ease the pain. As Tony admitted, he had forgotten God’s promises and grace.

     Tony said that as he began to relate the story of his son’s suffering and death, he became aware of the sheer volume of people who had suffered the same loss. You wouldn't think that in this country, would you? Amazingly, Tony would see a car, stop, be asked about the memorial on the cab and hear the reply “That sounds like my story.” Tony said time after time after time mothers and father would share stories of tragic loss. Sometimes it was their own doing through abortions, sometimes it was a random act like car wrecks or even a baby sitter’s murder; worse, sometimes, there was no explanation, like SIDS. Invariably, Tony would find himself consoling others whose pain was his own. During our last conversation, Tony understood that the pain would never go away. But Tony also was thanking God for his small role in salvation history. Tony said it was the most amazing thing to talk about his Father who had given His Son and who knew the exact pain he was suffering. On a couple occasions, Tony had the privilege of harvesting for the kingdom of God along the side of the road. On a few more, he had the privilege of leading a prodigal son or daughter back into our Father’s loving embrace. In all the rest, he has planted seeds. I don’t get to see Tony any more, since Angel Food ceased operations, but during our last conversation, he had spoken into the tragedy of some 29 families along the side the road. How many more have seen his memorial on the highways and byways of this country and begun anew their struggles with God?

     How many of us are like Tony? How many of us are normal, working stiffs? How many of us have lived through, survived, or experienced particular tragedy or hardship and then found ourselves in relationship with others experiencing the very same pain? Live bait. He chose you and He chose me as live bait to help grow His kingdom one life, one soul at a time. There are no programs, there are no strategies; there is you and me and other disciples struggling to face life’s hardships and sins and to seek His grace in all those circumstances.

     That God uses us as live bait is, perhaps, an interesting notion, but it fails to do Him the honor and glory He deserves. Our lessons this week talk about the lives of the faithful. Part of the difference between lures and live bait is one of knowledge and one of love. Each one of us, no matter our circumstances, who has survived tragedy and sin only to see God’s gracious hand at work in our lives is singularly prepared to love others into the kingdom! We can speak of problems and sins outside our own experience, but how loving are we when we do? Aren’t we, rather, like encyclopedias reciting facts? But in our own experience, in our own joyful thanksgivings, are we not winsome and sincere and joyful in our proclamation of His saving hand? That, brothers and sisters, is why He chose you! That, my fellow pilgrims, is why you are the one He has chosen!

     Of course, just when we think His grace is magnificent, there is more. I know Deuteronomy speaks specifically of Jesus. Jesus will certainly be the prophet of whom Deuteronomy 18 speaks. But, in the season of Epiphany, when we pray to God that His light will shine in our hearts and our lives that the darkness in the lives of those around us will be driven away, perhaps we should look at that prophecy a bit differently. In so much as He is in us and we are in Him, you and I become Moses-like to those around us. Does the idea make you squirm a bit? Good, it probably should. But think for a second how Tony appears to those whom he has served. Think for a moment how you appear to those whom you have served and won for His glory. Moses led God’s people through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Moses intercessed on behalf of God’s people. Moses taught God’s people what it meant to live in right relationship with a loving, holy, righteous God. Is that not our job now? Sure, as a people who are being used to proclaim freedom to slaves in our midst, who better to understand the lesson in those terms? Each time we lead someone from the wilderness to His provision, each time we lead someone out of darkness into light, you and I have been raised up in their lives as a prophet like Moses. So, then, why in the world would you ever think you are not capable, not equipped, to do whatever He has placed upon your heart? Quit fighting Him, and go fish!

Peace,

Brian†

Advent Encounters . . . free advertising from good food!

2012-01-23T19:49:00.003-06:00

     I don’t know his name. In retrospect, I should have seen it coming. I was on another Wal-Mart run, this time in the early evening. The bell ringers were out. It was a very pleasant evening (warm by Iowa standards!). And, as I was going through my little list in my head, he started yelling at me. Fr. Brian! I didn’t know you shopped here. Why are you here? I need to pick up some things for the house. How’s it going? Now, I knew the bell ringer’s face, but I could not place it until he told me why. Why are you coming here? You should be at Hy-Vee or Fareway, not Wal-Mart. I laughed as he laughed and asked him why. You need better than Wal-Mart. By now I made it to him and asked him what he meant. You should be doing your shopping at a better store than here. Maybe you haven’t heard, but I have a lot of hungry mouths to feed. I can’t afford to shop at Hy-Vee or Fareway (except for meat, but THAT is another story). Wal-Mart enables us to stretch our budget. But, do you think you should be slamming Wal-Mart since they are letting you ring a bell out front? Bah! I don’t work for them, I work for the Salvation Army. Speaking of which, I need to thank you and your peeps. For what? Man, you guys made us turkey! Real turkey! And you carved the thing in front of us! And the mashed potatoes and gravy! Oh my God! It was amazing! And then, as if that weren’t enough, you guys followed the Thanksgiving meal with a Christmas meal that was just as good! You guys make me glad to be homeless and to eat at that site.

     Those who know my parish will have figured it out, but the bell ringer was one of those whom we serve at the Community Meal every month. For fifty years, the people of my church have been serving the hobos, the homeless, and the hungry in Davenport a sit down meal. What humbles me about this parish is the effort each and every cook puts into the preparation of their dish. Ask them about why they put so much effort or time into it, and invariably a parishioner will respond that they want it fit for them or others in the church and for our Lord, if He walked through the door and sat down to eat our food. And it is an infectious attitude. You don’t want to be the one who makes the dish that is below St. Alban’s standards. You don’t want to be the one who ruins a meal. Trust me, it changes your perspective when you’re the one in charge of making a gallon or so of Thanksgiving gravy!

     When I first arrived at St. Alban’s and was talking with local clergy, local business owners, and professionals about whether the church to which I was called would be missed were it to disappear, one of the clergy remarked that “everyone at your church worships food rather than God. They are all overweight, every single one of them.” I remembered the comment so clearly because so few people even knew the church was there. And, of those who remembered, one was calling the people fat. As I spent time among them and came to know them, I realized that the clergy who had made the remark did not know the parishioners. First of all, there were some skinny members and healthy members. To be sure, we have more overweight. But it is not like most people are inactive. They simply love food and don’t exercise enough. They exercise and work hard, just not enough to stay lean and mean. Serving among them, I began to ask the lay leaders about the clergy person’s observations. What I learned was that this was a group which had had it planted in their DNA that, in order to earn the right to share the Gospel with people, they first had to serve them. Much of what we do, Father, revolves around food because that is an easy way to serve others and to earn that right to share the Gospel. They feed and then they minister. I seem to have read that pattern somewhere before . . .

     Anyway, I told the bellringer/man we had served at Community Meal that we did not serve them meals to encourage them to accept their circumstance. We served the meals and feasts to remind them that God still loved them. We wanted to give them hope and encourage them to seek a better life or way out, not stay contentedly in the shelters or sewers or under the bridges. I know all that! I just can’t get over how many churches don’t. And then he started yelling to people entering or leaving. It’s Christmas! You should find your way to a church and thank God! And if you don’t have a church, you should go to this man’s church at Fairmount and West Central Park! They are real Christians! They not only tell you that God loves you, but they show you! This went on for four or five minutes. He stopped people and described watching Patti carve the turkey and placing it upon his plate. He smacked his lips over the gravy and the pie. He told how we even brought veggies to given them important vitamins and minerals. He told how the bread smelled and felt. He even bragged about Pauline’s ambrosia because it wouldn’t be St. Alban’s night without her marshmallow salad. People as far away as the other entrance to the east and Gamestop to the west heard him and stopped for a second to listen when he was yelling. Others would stop and listen to him describe portions of the meals to those unfortunate enough to have been captured by his enthusiasm. I kept trying to get him to quiet down. I did not want him getting in trouble with Wal-Mart harassing the customers. He ignored me. Finally, after a couple minutes, he returned to our conversation. You think anyone heard me, Father? Only those with ears, I laughed. Think they’ll come? I don’t know. Most probably won’t. Well, it seems to me, the least I can do is advertise for you. I told him that he owed us nothing. Our meal, like our Lord’s grace, was freely given. I know that. But just like you guys can’t help but feed us the way that you do to show God how thankful you all are, I need to share with others how your peeps make us all feel, at least for a few minutes every single month. God bless you and yours Father.

     There is nothing one can say to such proclamations but thank you. I turned and headed into Wal-Mart to get whatever it was I was there to get. “Maralyn” stopped me again. Is it true? I begged her pardon as my head was elsewhere, trying to figure out what had just happened. Is it true that you make Thanksgiving meals and Christmas meals for the Salvation Army? I told her it was. Why? Well, to make a really long story short, it seems to be the best way for us to reach people. What do you mean? Ever had someone come up and just start telling you about God and how you needed him without really getting to know you? You bet! Christians are great at that. I asked her how it made her feel. I don’t know. I guess it depended on my mood. Usually it just made me angry. You said “Christians are great at that.” I take you are not since that is a different group? Yeah. I tried a few times to get into the church thing, but it just wasn’t for me, know what I mean? Yes and no. What do you mean? Well, it was for me. I need to be in church. But I also understand how churches can turn people off when they do things wrong, when they forget Whom they serve. If it means anything to you, I am sorry that other Christians have been a little too aggressive in their enthusiasm to share their love of God with you. Oh, them I get. What I don’t get is the threat. You know “if you don’t believe you are going to hell.” Why begin a conversation like that? Does it ever work? How can you be so sure. Stuff like that. Gotcha. Well, I am sorry that’s how you have been exposed to our Lord. Sometimes I am, too. Why do you say that? I can’t talk now, but maybe another time I’ll share with you why I am like that. . . She moved to place a sticker on a customer's return item. I waited, and another approached her, and so I moved on . . . for now.

     We talk of ripples in our encounters for His glory. Our relationships and encounters with others go so far beyond what we see and hear, like the ripples from the splash of a rock in a still pond. What was going on this Advent was truly amazing. God was using our service of Him to reach so many individual lives. From “I think I accidentally sold my soul” to the atheist to the lady who wanted her family to understand her perspective on death to the bell ringer to those in the neighborhood so worried about 2012 being the end of the world to the couple that witnessed our singing at the Alzheimer’s home, God was using very simple acts, our efforts to be obedient, and total strangers to reach into the lives of people in our community. Apparently, those in my church have earned the right to be heard by many of those who now reject Himor are seeking Him. Put another way, they and I are now being asked to give a true accounting of our faith. Was all of that for “Maralyn” sake? Did God set up these encounters, cause me to forget so many things when shopping so that I had to make so many trips, and whatever else that went on simply for the sake of reaching into Maralyn’s life? Yes and no. Although He died for each one of us, He also died for all. As we look back thankfully upon and birth and look forward expectantly upon His return, it is important for us to remember the faces and stories of those whom He calls. They are the face whom you and I meet and see every day of our lives. Yes. He brought comfort to the lady who accidentally sold her soul. But her worry and her peace spoke volumes to Maralyn, just as much as a bell ringer shouting in a parking lot. In a few days time, as we approach the babe thankful for what He has done and will do for us, we would do well to fall upon our knees and give thanks to the God who humbled Himself so, and who raised us to heights unimaginable and undeservedly, that His name might be glorified eternally.

Christ’s Peace,
Brian†

Advent encounters . . . Sold my soul?

2012-01-23T17:20:00.000-06:00

Fr Brian! Fr. Brian! Can you come here for a second? The yell was from the deli counter at my local Wal-Mart. I reluctantly headed over. Too many people were in the ICU, there was a lot of work not getting done at church, and we had done little shopping. Karen had asked me stop and pick up a couple things on my way back from the hospital. Do you have a couple minutes? I admitted that I had a few. Hang on. She went back toward the cakes for a minute and then reappeared with an older lady (another employee) in tow. Tell him about your problem. He can help you.

The older lady began with the typical “you are going to think I am crazy, but I have a problem” introduction. I told her I had good ears and was even good at listening to crazy people and to tell me her problem. I think I sold my soul to the devil by accident. Without even thinking, I asked her how much she got for it. What? How much are souls worth nowadays? I haven’t heard of one being sold for quite a while, and I wonder what the going price is. As near as my math could follow, she received somewhere around $1200 for it. I had to admit my disappointment. I figured the price of a soul would be a lot more. But then the other ladies in the deli began to talk about how messed up the world was. The devil is winning right now, so the cost is probably down.

Now, I will admit, I was tempted to just walk away and wish her well. At this point, only one of the ladies knew who I was. But I was set off by their fatalistic attitude. So I asked, “What do you mean by ‘the devil is winning right now’?” You know, gambling is everywhere, people are having sex with tons of people, people drink like fish, the economy is in the crapper, heck people are pepper-spraying people over toys. Open your eyes. I replied that my eyes were open, far wider than theirs. I asked if they new what season we were in. They said Christmas. I asked if they knew the significance of Christmas. Eventually they got around to the religious reason. And Jesus was born. And why is that important? Because He came to save us? Exactly. So why do you worry so about the world? One of the skeptics popped of well, He eventually was killed, so a lot of good coming into the world did Him. And, in case you haven’t noticed, the world has forgotten Him. But He has not forgotten any of us. Jesus came into the world knowing that He would be walking that road to the cross. He died because of all this and because of who we are and what we do. And He did it all because He loved us like no one in the world ever will. He knew that if He failed, you and I and everyone else would stand condemned before God. What makes Christmas awe-inspiring is the simple fact that God became human to save us all. I guess that’s true. Do you believe that He rose from the dead? Three agreed, one doubted, and the other shook her head. Looking into the eyes of the three, I reminded them that they had nothing to fear. If He was raised from the dead, we would be as well.

Of course, my job was not yet done. One of my three assenters believed she had accidentally sold her soul. Looking at her I asked her again, do you believe He died and rose again? Of course I do. Then you have nothing to fear. You can’t “accidentally sell your soul” because it was never yours to sell. What? They all wanted to know. He bought your soul with His flesh and blood. All our souls belong to Him, to do with us as He wishes. That makes a kind of sense. You bet it does. Why do you think people remind us from time to time that no scheme of man, no plot of evil will ever take us from His hand. Omigosh, that sounds like that hymn. It’s my favorite. Really? I love it when we sing it at church or I hear it on the radio. Have you ignored the words? Nothing can take you from Him once you claim Him Lord. I guess I never really thought of it like that. I was just convinced I had been tricked into doing something I shouldn’t have. Well, that’s how the Deceiver works. He imparts guilt wherever possible so that we forget the grace our Lord offers. And, truthfully, he has done a remarkable job on the five of you. Three claimed to believe, one wonders, and one does not believe. Here we are, 2000 years later still celebrating His birth. You ladies see it all, and still you forgot its importance. What did you say you do for a living? I didn’t. Like you, I am just a sojourner in this land. The first voice rang out again, pushaw! He’s not like us, he’s a priest. Nah, he can’t be, he has a wedding ring. Nah, he can’t be, he used simply words. Nah, he can’t be or he would have condemned me for doubting. Ladies, I have a couple errands to finish, so I’ll leave you to your conversations. I do hope this year, when you set around and see loved ones opening gifts, you remember His love for you and the gift He gave you.

“Maralyn” the greeter stopped me as I started to walk on. That was amazing! How so? In less than 10 minutes, you convinced her that she had not sold her soul, and you even gave the doubter and that other girl something to think on. Why would you stop and have that conversation? Did you not hear the fear in her voice? Oh, I heard it. She’s been really upset for a couple days. Then I am doubly glad I stopped. No one at this time of year should ever doubt whether He loves us. She nodded and said she see me later. . . lol

Peace,
Brian†

Glorifying God in our bodies . . .

2012-01-17T14:25:00.000-06:00

     Tough week, eh? This has been one of those weeks, in preaching terms, that I hate. I thought I had a sermon by last Tuesday. But as the week went on, it was clear that I did not. What I had for a sermon was not where we were as a congregation. Oh, it was an ok sermon. It would have worked in a pinch or before Tuesday. But it would by no means have comforted or afflicted given the events this week. Thankfully, God is merciful, even when His pastors are watching their sons play with robots far away from commentaries and from home.

     As most of you know, Robbie’s Lego robot team qualified for the state championships. What many of you may not know was that it was Homecoming at school. This was one of those weeks where Karen and I had to divide and conquer. For reasons known only to them, which probably involve bad memories, bad hairdo’s at their father’s hands, and maybe a curling iron burn or three, the girls no longer allow me near their hair. That meant Karen needed to do their hair before the big dance. That means dad was heading to Ames with about 1000 other screaming and excited 5-8th graders for a day on the ISU campus by himself, and Karen was going to be stylist, mannacurist, therapist, and driver by herself (the drama at schools can be far worse than a soap opera). Needing a sermon was not a convenience. I had left my computer at home as I did not want to be lugging it around all day nor leaving it in the car with all the cold. I was literally stuck as I had to figure out what to preach.

     At least I was not alone. One of the other dads in the group is also a minister. Susan asked me early on Saturday if I was ready for church for today. I told her I was done with everything but the sermon. She laughed and said that Tim was in the same boat. After some gallows humor (sinking in the same boat and all that), she said she would tell Tim. Maybe he wouldn’t worry as much if he knew others were in the same boat. When Tim and I ended up near each other during one of the table phases, we ruefully laughed that we were sharing the same problem. Life at his church had been too hectic for solid sermon preparation. My problem, I shared, was that I had gotten one, but then I needed to cast it aside as it was not what my people needed to hear. Tim asked why and I explained. We shared that commiserating understanding. And then he asked about my old sermon, the one you are not getting. I told him about it briefly. He saw where I was going and joked that he was going to use it. I laughed that I was glad someone would as he walked away.

     I had intended to grab Robbie, just as Tim was grabbing his son, when the conversation began. Uh, excuse me. I am sorry to bother you. But are you two guys pastors? I admitted that we were. Did I hear you both right because it sounded like neither of you have a sermon for tomorrow? Well, I had one, but events conspired against me to force me to consider a new sermon. Why not go with the one that you have? You really want to know? Please. It would not afflicted those comfortable in my congregation, nor would it comfort those afflicted. What do you mean comfort and afflict? A sermon ought to give some measure of peace or comfort to those that are struggling in life, but it ought to give a bit of a wedgie to those who think that because everything is good in life, they are done growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Aren’t all Christians supposed to be happy about everything? No. Who in the world told you that? I thought that you believed that God controlled everything so you were supposed to be happy with whatever He sends you. I believe God redeems all things, but He does not send me evil. I think He weeps with us when loved ones die. I think He understands our fears and worries. We sure are not called to be happy about those things, but we are reminded to be hopeful. We are called to remember that He can take what is meant for evil and redeem it, even something as horrific as death. Everything? Everything.

     Then I asked him to share what was on his mind. He apologized. You are here to root someone on and I’m pestering you with questions. You’d think you were a doctor or something. Only of souls, I joked, and then he began to share. I won’t bore you with all the details. His mother was, for reasons unknown to him, clearly being punished by God yet still willing to worship Him. God had given her rheumatoid arthritis which made her hands gnarled and painful. She used to sew and nit when she was younger, but now it was far too painful. It hurt him to watch her eat, to flip pages while reading, even to put lotion on in the winter. And yet she still thinks God loves her. God had also given her a bad heart. When things in her body get out of whack, she swells up to the point that she looks like she is going to pop if someone sticks here with a pin. And she still thinks God loves her. She has the other normal aches and pains of a woman in her 80’s. Plus, she is kind of alone. All her real friends have died. Dad has been dead some number of years. Still she thinks that God loves her.

     What a testimony! What? You have just told me about a faithful woman who suffers in pain, who has outlived most whom she knew in her youth, and still she knows herself to be a beloved daughter of our Father in heaven. That is the peace which passes all understanding. It is beautiful to hear. Beautiful? Are you nuts?! It’s my mom and she is suffering terribly. And you’re no better. Your people have lost loved ones, people have been sick and in the ICU, there have been tragedies, and you are looking to comfort some and afflict others. What kind of nonsense is that? Gospel nonsense. Gospel nonsense? What do you mean?

I asked him if he went to church. He didn’t. I asked if he knew the Bible well. He claimed he did. I explained that the Gospel was a two-edged sword. For those who accepted Him as Lord and Savior, it was an amazing comfort. For those who rejected Him, it should cause many sleepless nights and ultimately, terror. Terror? How do you figure? I asked he knew the story of Samuel and Eli that we read this week. He didn’t. I explained how Samuel had been consecrated to God by his parents, how he was in training to be a priest, how Eli had been a bad father and bad priest, and then Samuel’s call. Once Samuel and Eli figured out what was going on, Samuel was given a word from the Lord. It was a word that would make the ears of all who heard it tingle. You see, God didn’t speak much or grant visions in those days. It wasn’t quite like the time between Micah and John the Baptist, but it was close.

Anyway, God tells Samuel He will be working powerfully. One of the first things He is going to is to punish Eli’s house. The old priest? Why? Because Eli’s sons have blasphemed God by taking the meat apportioned to God and using it for themselves. Whoa? That seems harsh. Really? What is the job of priests? To teach people about God? What are Eli’s sons teaching the people of Israel? Ah, I see your point. They should not have done that. But still, to kill the sons of a priest? When Samuel gets this word from God, God says that He has told Eli this will be the outcome. Why didn’t Eli do anything about it? Because he is, apparently a bad father and a bad priest. Why do you say that? What would you have done if you were Eli? I would have told my sons to stop. What if they did not cease? I would remove them as priests. He was their boss, right? It would be no different than my kids dealing poorly with my own customers at work. What if they still insisted on taking the meat and ignoring your discipline? That’s a toughie. I guess I would have to get the cops involved to save my business. But pretend you are dealing with God who has just told you that He is going to kill your sons. You know, the Bible claims God is merciful. Maybe I would ask to punish me. After all, I’m the dad. If they are not acting right, it’s kinda my fault, right? I’d have to agree with you. In fact, that is sort of how God works with and for us. But understand, we are in the minority. What do you mean? Eli just says to let God do as seems good to Him. Most commentators proclaim that Eli has great faith by allowing God to make that judgment. What kind of a sick story is that? It is a Gospel story. Well, there’s nothing worth me knowing about it. I would disagree. How do you figure? You don’t know the story, but Samuel is faithful when questioned by Eli. Eventually, Samuel will be confirmed a prophet of God, meaning that God will not be silent for some time. Samuel will anoint both Saul and David as King. He will speak God’s wisdom and judgments to Israel. He hears what God is saying, responds to God’s word, and shares it as instructed. For him, that word of judgment is the beginning of his elevation. Eli rejected that same word. And looks what happens to him. Hmmmm.

     I still don’t see how this applies to my mom and her situation. It doesn’t. Then why did you tell me the damn story? Because I think you stand at a crossroads in life. You have a chance to be like Eli or to be like Samuel. How do you figure? I’m no prophet. I don’t even go to church. Well, it is true you are not a prophet right now, but who is to say what the future will bring. All of it, though, depends upon whether you are listening to His voice calling you through your mother. You are crazy. Am I? Look around. What? Look around. What do you see? A lot of people. How many? I dunno, three levels worth of parents and grandparents plus the kids down there. What do you think the odds were you would run into two ministers in this crowd? I don’t know, I never thought about it, really. Would you say it’s loud or quiet in here? Are you deaf, too? There’s a thousand screaming kids in here and it echoes. That being said, let’s qualify my first question. What are the odds you would find yourself next to two ministers and hear them talking about tomorrow’s sermon? I see what you mean? Do you? Because we were talking about something that interested you, the health of your mom and her faith. No you weren’t. You were talking about your deaths and ICU’s and about pornography. You sure? It’s a big crowd. I heard it clear as day. Did you?

     Those of you who know me probably can have the conversation in your heads. Too many of you and I have had this conversation over the past five or six weeks. We have been remarkably unhealthy. Five of us have been in the ICU. Each of those in the ICU have had to make a decision whether to continue the fight or to surrender to death. That the opportunity was before so many of you has been terrifying to many of your families, if not to you. Plus, we’ve had to deal with normal diseases. We’ve had to deal with the unique families and the pressures that come with them during the holidays. Now, as we begin to enter into the heart of winter, we are stricken with a couple deaths. True, one was not active in our church, but much of his extended family is. And in the case of the other, he and his wife have been active for more than a decade. Their hurt is our hurt. We try to be there in their grief. We try to support them. Some of us make meals, some of us lend a shoulder, some of are simply waiting to be asked.

     Many of us, though, no doubt share the same questions as my new anonymous friend from the Lego championships. With all this happening, how can we ever think we are loved by God? What kind of a sick joke are we being told? Yet into the midst of this hurt, into the midst of this pain, into the midst of this whirlwind of questions, God speaks. God speaks and we are comforted. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God . . . you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body.

     Think on that statement for just a second. When you were baptized into the faith, the Holy Spirit entered into you and began that work of sanctification within you. Better still, now, as our bodies begin to age and break down, the Holy Spirit stays and claims our bodies still as His temple. He does not abandon us for “younger, more vibrant” abodes. He’s not looking for a better neighborhood. He stays. And He continues to keep His promise to redeem all things for His glory. You see, brothers and sisters, unless He comes again before our deaths, you and I will travel a road similar to Rick’s or to Tim’s. All of us will likely either be taken after a long battle or rather quickly, and our loved ones will have only the way we lived our lives to answer their questions about God and His love for us. How we bear the suffering and pain of this world will teach them the greatest lessons in life. If we face life certain of His redeeming power, what an amazing gift for our loved ones! Each one of us knows that this is not our home and that this is not our body that He has promised. Parts can fall off like an old Looney Toons cartoon character, but we can know with certainty that His love for us never changes. His journey to the cross and His death on a cross for our sake serve as incontrovertible proof of that love with which He held each one of us.

     Not only does He love us, though; He has been given the power and authority to do His Father’s will and redeem all things. you and I, as much as we love many of the people in our lives, cannot accomplish God's will for them in this life. Yet, not even the chains of death could hold Him! Just as His willingness to hang on the cross and die testifies to us about His love for each one of us, His resurrection reminds us that He can, indeed, use whatever evil intended for His honor and glory.

     If you are like my new friend and, hopefully, my brother from this weekend, you may be wondering how can this broken body of mine be redeemed for His glory. As clear as day, hers was, right? This is a lady who suffers every moment of every day. Her husband and friends are dead. She can no longer do her hobbies. The pain ruins life as we know it. Yet, faithfully she has endeavored to do those things He has given her to do and always with a word of praise. Why does she suffer so? One thing is for sure, He is using her suffering to reach her son. But isn’t that often the way He works? How often in Scripture does God use suffering to accomplish great things for His name. Sometimes, that plays out before a larger audience, as when Pope John Paul was suffering from Parkinson’s and dying gracefully as the family of the lady in FL was fighting to get her permission to die. One seemed to see death as just the next part of a journey with God, another opportunity to trust in His covenanted mercies. Another seemed more concerned with exerting control.

     Similarly, this mother’s suffering has been a powerful testimony to her son. Though none of us might blame her were she to curse God and His seeming focus away from her, she knows that He loves her. She knows because He died for her. She believes Him because He was raised from the dead. Thus, she faces the pain and hurts of life with a calmness, a peace, which has caused her unchurched son to take noticed. Then, at a loud conference, he chances upon two clergy complaining about the need for a sermon. In the middle of that cacophony he hears their discussion clearly and is provoked to ask. And for nearly 30 minutes, he sits and hears this week’s lessons and finds himself placed in the salvation story of God with a decision to make. Better still, this anonymous saint has given us a blessing (especially your priest). Will He follow Christ and trust Him to accomplish all things in him, or will He reject Christ and forge his own way?

     Brothers and sisters, that is how our Lord works. He takes our sufferings and turns them into opportunities to reach others for His glory. My ministry this past month or so has not only been to sick and ailing parishioners. No, indeed. I have been asked to anoint strangers, to give the Eucharist to those who do not know us, and to share our faith by people who have watched you suffer, people who have watched you suffer and still cling fast to your hope in Christ. They want what they see in you. Whether you realized it or not, you have preached sermons to others, to doctors, to nurses, to other patients, to family members. Brothers and sisters, you were bought at a terrible cost to Christ, his flesh and blood. No matter how broken down, no matter how ratty looking, no matter how unhappy you are with it, He knows it is His temple. He chooses to remain in it, just as He chose to remain on that cross. And He has promised that whatever we suffer, He will redeem, even the very failure of these clay vessels. So what are you waiting for? Glorify God in your body.

Christ Peace,

Brian†

Human Trafficking Awareness Day 2012

2012-01-11T09:00:00.001-06:00

     What will you be doing to mark the occasion of ‘National Human Trafficking Awareness Day’? My answers were pretty simple. I was pretty sure that Sue would be going out to the Truck Stop to minister with Jane watching over her. We would be feeding the hungry in Davenport at the Churches United Community Meal (a ministry founded by three ladies (two of whom were from St. Alban’s) nearly five decades ago). The choir would be practicing. There would be no Eucharist, as the Community Meal just makes that a little too hard on the schedule. I would be working on my notes for Bible Study during the day and teaching a class at night. In between, my daughter has a game at Davenport West, my sons have their last basketball practice, and Robbie has his last Lego Robot practice before we head to the state competition on Friday. As my wife and friends said, “it’ll be a normal Wednesday.”

     The phone calls have reminded me that it is anything but normal. Both Christian and secular press from around the country have called to ask questions and to ask if I would cooperate for their stories. All have deadlines, but some of us have to deal with life and death. I asked one gentleman to call back after receiving a call about a 45 year old father of two who passed away suddenly this morning of a massive heart attack. I am sensitive to the needs of the press, particularly in the fight against slavery, but I try to be first and foremost a pastor to those whom the Lord has given into my care. An extended family is dealing with the shock of suddenness of death; a parish family is, once again, rallying at the grave to sing their alleluias and to mourn with their brothers and sisters who have lost a loved one; and Wednesday is still going on around here.

     The calls and questions have forced me to reflect a bit, however. There have been lots of lessons learned. There have been new friends made. No doubt we have made some enemies, particularly among those members of Congress who are either too lazy, too worried about the next election cycle, or simply uninterested since abolitionists cannot line their pockets with campaign dollars. And we have encountered brothers and sisters engaged in this fight all around the world. How will I mark the day?

     I am not sure. I think this day will be better remembered at some point in the future. For me personally, this day is like nearly every day for the last year. People other than me will be going out. Conversations will occur, people will be seen, perhaps a meal will be shared, and maybe a life story or three will be told. But the sun will come up tomorrow (unless we get our first snow of the season like they are now predicting, or our Lord returns), and there will be a need for more conversation, more sharing, and, hopefully, more freeing. Awareness is nice. It gets people noticed. It makes people pay attention to a problem that for so many years has been hidden in plain sight. But there is still so much work to be done. Until those 27—41 million people enslaved have been freed, our work as Christians to proclaim release to the captives is not over. I think it likely, human nature being as sinful as it is, that just as there will always be hungry among us there will always be slaves and slavers around us until He returns and finishes what we have started. But something has clearly begun. From Atlanta to the Northwest, from LA to the NE metropolis, people are being drawn into this fight. Five years ago, I would have doubted the existence of slavery in our midst. Today, I am painfully aware of its presence and its cost. As my bishop and I commiserated yesterday, it is hard not to see now and to wonder: is it here, too?

     There are faces and images that will likely invade my thoughts until I die. Haunting is not the right word because I am at peace that I did everything I could. But I will go to my grave wondering what happened to Karen the prostitute, to the “I’m just a piece of meat to them “truck driver,” to the Bondslaves of Christ, to the runaways (to be fair, I owe them a beer when we get to the feast!), and to any number of people with whom I spoke the previous three years. There are others who have met Sue and Robin whose faces I do not know, but whose stories we all do at St. Alban's. Until the past few months, we have wondered whether we were crazy or obedient to try and do this. Now, we’re pretty certain we are both. But reporters’ questions and other laborers’ promptings have forced me to reflect, to give thanks, and to take heart.

     I say that we might look back upon this day in the future because, it seems to me, the wider world is taking more notice. Until recently, a $300 Billion industry has been built right under our very noses. We chose to be blind to its presence, choosing the benefits of their enslavement (cheaper goods) to our obligation and promise to respect the dignity of every human being. Even secular Americans supposedly believe in liberty for all. Though slavery ranks up there in organized criminal activities with illegal guns and drugs, we never really heard about it – until now. Though there are likely more slaves around the world today than have existed cumulatively in world history, we are only now becoming aware of the scope of the problem, and of God’s amazing hand raised against it. When I first approached my Vestry more than four years ago and asked for permission to start a new ministry with their backing (yes, we try to discern calls in community here at St. Alban's), neither they nor I had any idea what we were getting into. It seemed silly to us that there might be slaves being traded or used in Iowa. Now, after several successful and failed prosecutions, after listening to the slavery uncovered in Postville, and after encountering for ourselves we know better. The scales have been torn from our eyes, and we see.

     We see the need. We see the lack. And we see His provision in the midst. Had I not, in a moment of frustration and pique, insisted upon this ministry or had the Vestry said no, who knows what would have been in store for us? Looking back, though, we can all see clearly the fruits of obedience. The Episcopal Church Foundation has made it possible for us to continue our ministry together at St. Alban’s. Looking back, we can all see clearly that we quit focusing upon our lacks and started paying closer to His mercy and His gifts. And now our wider church upholds those to whom I minister as among those who really try to be faithful to their baptismal vows and who are willing to grasp their inheritance in this world for the sake of others and His honor and glory.

     Better still, I am now aware of many activities around the country. I am thinking, as I listen to voices in the Church and even to reporters questioning me, that I should probably begin to do a better job of highlighting and praising them for their labors. God is doing amazing things in Atlanta, in New York, in Newark, in Las Vegas, and everywhere else these activities are coming to light. Individual men and women, and brave and determined law enforcement officials, have exposed incredibly complex and profitable rings. We give thanks to God for their bravery and determination and their willingness to share stories of success and stories of failure.

     But He has been no less active in Davenport. What I call “Great Commission Christians” have been raised up out of many different denominations in our fight. Some are local, such as the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholics, some are from more distant lands, such as New Hope Anglican Church in this faraway land called Connecticut, some are individuals (we salute you Captain ; ) and give thanks to your provision those in the Chicagoland area). Some have the ears of the powerful, and some are so weak they are beneath the notice of those who rail against God. Some have been and are important in the church; the influence of others has been in areas outside the Church. Some, particularly those who contacted their senators and representatives last year when we were fighting to get the TVPRA passed, are as yet anonymous to me, known only to our Lord; some, I celebrate life’s joys with and mourn life’s sadness with week in and week out. Only God can take such a disperate group of people from around the country and bring them togther to fight evil in His name so effectively. Each person invloved, whether known by name or church or organization, has enriched our ministry through whatever means given them by God, and each, I hope, will one earn that “Well done, good and faithful servant” blessing that so many of us long to hear, for their work and effort to proclaim release to the captives.

     How will I remember this day? I think, one day in the future, I will look back and say “that was the day when it became obvious to me that the sleeper had awakened.” People who had never before called me began asking all kinds of questions. I have no doubt that there will be great successes and horrible failures in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead as this fight continues. But now, the fight has reached the consciousness of so many Americans. I think a tipping point has been reached because so few are willing to stand by and do nothing once they learn of the problem. With political staffers, I have compared this fight to our country’s effort to eliminate child abuse and spouse abuse. None of us knew the scope of the problem when those pioneers in the fight against those societal blights began to educate us. To be sure, way more funds went to education and awareness than to rescuing those beaten kids or mostly women only a couple decades ago. And if we thought it possible that such heinous activities existed, we were equally certain and adamant that such goings on happened elsewhere, not in our own communities. Now, however, there is very little need to educate or make aware. Everyone is on the lookout. Perhaps, in the months and years ahead, this day will signify the day that the American and worldwide consciousness awoke to the presence of slaves in our midst and determined to eliminate it once and for all. Who knows? Maybe the publicity will even cause a slaver to reflect upon what he or she is doing and to repent, causing the rejoicing in heaven that only the heartfelt repentance of a sinner can bring.

     What can you do to help? That is up to you and your heart. For those financially able, we can always use funds. Meals cost money, and they remain the way for us to begin conversations. Shelters and therapists also have some cost. If you are of a mind to educate and make aware those in your circle of friends, you can even buy a shirt or two, to help raise the awareness of the problem. Nothing makes a workout go faster than a conversation in a gym or on a bike trail. We always covet prayers. And, if you are more of a doer, you are welcome to look for slaves in your midst and join us shoulder to shoulder in the fight against this evil. Such work may involve educating those in your community, teaching a John’s class, developing protocols for health care or law enforcement professions, running a shelter, employing the recently freed, counseling those who have been rescued, distributing cards with information to prostitutes, and the list goes on and on. And everyone can continue to lobby Congress . . .

     The William Wilberforce Trafficked Victims’ Protection Reauthorization Act lapsed in September. Activities which had been declared crimes are no longer, much to this nation’s shame; and what little federal funding that helped is gone. For four months, the bill has been like that bill from ABC’s School House Rock, waiting patiently to become a law. Neither Senator Harry Reid (D- NV) in the Senate nor Speaker John Boehner (R- OH) in the House have seen fit to bring this legislation to a vote. Such is not surprising given the level of apathy in both houses of Congress when it comes to the question of slavery. You can help the legislative process by encouraging your senators and your representatives to quit sitting idly and grandstanding in public about other issues and to pass the TVPRA! And if you happen to live in NV or OH, your voice carries that much more weight in this fight. You hold the power of the ballot box, and your elected officials always remember that, more so in election years.

     How will I mark this day? Ask me in a few years’ time. For now, it’s Wednesday. Death is stalking, and we have an empty tomb to proclaim and a glorious inheritance to share!
Christ’s Peace,
Brian†

Youth on the babe . . .

2012-01-10T12:09:00.000-06:00

     Our reading this Epiphany comes from Matthew’s account of the three wise men and their journey to see the babe lying in a manger. Instead of a GPS system, they depended upon a star to guide them to where the babe was to be found. It is a curious way to travel, is it not? Any way, I guess the star quit moving for a time. Maybe God wanted Herod and the Temple elite to know He was moving in the world again (he had been silent in the time between Micah and John the Baptizer). Maybe the wise men were just confused, expecting to see the child portended in the skies living in a nice palace. No matter the reason, they recognize that they have come to the place that should recognize the baby Jesus best. So they ask a simple question, “Where is the child born king of the Jews?”

     Predictably, everyone is upset. Herod thinks there is somebody trying to steal his throne. Probably the Temple leaders were worried that a civil war was looming which would cause Rome to crack down, once again. Roman crackdowns were never a good thing. So they go looking for the prophesy of Jesus’ birth in what you and I call the Old Testament. It is there that they discover the significance of the town of Bethlehem in God’s plan. Amazingly, when the magi hear this and set out for Bethlehem, the star continued ahead of them, stopping once it was over the place where the child was.

     Now, when they entered the place where Jesus and Mary were, they were overcome with joy, knealt down, worshipped Him, and gave Him gifts. That’s part of the reason we give and receive gifts a Christmas. Does anybody remember what the magi gave Jesus and Mary? Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Anybody know what those gifts represent? Well, only kings and the very rich ever saw gold in those days. So by giving Jesus gold, they acknowledge that He is a king. Why do we sometimes use incense when we worship? Yes, it makes the church smell better, but the smoke also reminds us that our prayers should be rising continually to God. Who swings the incense? That’s right, the acolyte and the priest. In a way, the frankincense teaches us that the magi understood Jesus to be a priest. Here’s the toughest question: what is myrrh? That’s right, it is a perfume. When is it used? Well, when people die, their bodies start to decay. Does everyone understand the word decay? Well, with that decay come some bad smells. Has anyone ever heard of the phrase “the stink of death”? Myrrh gets rid of that stink and replaces it with a pleasant aroma. Can we think of why death might be important in Jesus’ ministry here on earth? That’s right. He will die for us on Good Friday. So the magi understood Jesus to be a Savior. King, Priest, and Savior – these magi must be pretty smart to have all that figured out, huh?

     Well, if we were bringing gifts to Jesus today, what do you think they might look like? I brought some presents to see if they might work and get your opinion. Here, you open the first one. What is it? A heart. Why is a heart important? Yes, it pumps blood. Why does it signify? Love. Do you think love is important to Jesus? How do we know? That’s true, He loved us enough to die for us, even when we did not know or love Him. Can we wrap up love and keep it in a present or box? No? Then how do we best show love? That’s right, by loving God and loving people we meet, and worshipping Him and serving them in His name.

     You open the second box. What is in there? Praying hands. I wonder what they are most like? The frankincense? Why do you say that? True, praying hands are praying. Yes, we do that in church or in home. And what do we call our work? Anybody remember the word liturgy? What does it mean? How about the work of the people? So maybe the praying hands are to remind us that we are supposed to be worshipping and praying all the time--that's your and my work.

     You open the last gift. What is it? A cloth. Yes, that’s true. But what kind of cloth? It’s called a handkerchief. Anyone here know what a handkerchief is for? Yes, blowing your nose. When are they used? Right, when someone is sick or someone is upset. That’s true, to stop the spread of germs, we should not share handkerchiefs. But we should give them to people when they are sad and crying, right? Well, of course, only if we are carrying them. If I said the word compassionate, would anyone know what it means? That’s right, we feel sorry for people who are hurting and we try to help them, either by doing things for them or by reminding them that God loves them if we can’t do things for them. What’s another word for that helping? That’s right, ministry. So what do you think? Would Jesus like these gifts? Do you think He likes them only on this day, but on every day? Do you think maybe we can all try to remember to give these gifts to Him every day? That’s right, it can be our resolution. We adults might say it’s part of our Covenant with Him. Thank you all for your help today.

Peace,

Brian†

What's in a name . . . ?

2012-01-03T12:16:00.000-06:00

     By virtue of the way calendars work and by vice of how hard we like to party on New Year’s Eve, The Feast of The Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ is often overlooked. How many of us wake up around noon on New Year’s Day with a throbbing headache thinking “Darn it! I overslept going to church today?” It probably does not help us that our liturgical calendar seemingly conspires to diminish its significance by sandwiching the day between Christmas and Epiphany, with the Feast day of Stephen and John and the Holy Innocents tossed in for good measure. Fortunately, this year, the day coincides with a Sunday, so more people will tend to be in church reminding themselves of the story and its importance to us.

     Our Gospel lesson from Luke is very short. There is no talk of Simeon’s or Anna’s joy at beholding the babe. We are told simply that the shepherds responded to the angel’s declaration by going to see the baby, that Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, in keeping the torah (Lev. 12:3; Gen 17:11-12), and that he was officially named. No fancy speeches, no amazing sights, if one remembers that the angels have departed by the beginning of our reading.

     As the father of seven children and the pastor of those who sometimes have children of their own, I can tell you that the naming of a child is an interesting experience. Sure, for Karen and me, the first few were easy. I liked Elizabeth, she liked Sarah. I liked Nathan, she liked James. They mashed together right nicely. Unfortunately, that left us with five more sets of names to come up with! You all know the pressure. What names do we choose? If we choose one family name, do we offend others in the family? Is the name easy to make fun of? We have to worry about teasing, right? Is the alliteration hokey? Do we someone with the same name that makes it impossible to use that name (Timothy is out in my family for a couple generations, I figure)? And who among us does not shake their heads when a “celebrity” names their child uniquely or, as I saw in the papers a couple weeks ago, someone chooses a horrible name like Hitler? Then there is the question of meaning. Does the meaning sound like something we want a child to become? It is a tough decision.

     We may think that Mary and Joseph had it easier. After all, God had already declared that His Son’s name would be Jesus. But, should they not have named Him after a favorite uncle or father in the family? But, inexplicably to the extended family, they choose the name Jesus, God saves. Can you imagine the shock and horror? You’re going to call my grandson, my nephew, my whatever, God saves? Are you out of your mind? What kind of a name is that? What kind of pressure are you placing on him, poor thing? But Mary and Joseph are obedient to God’s instruction, just as they try to be obedient to God in all things in their lives. The woman who said “Let it be done with me as according to your word” and the man who “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him,” unsurprisingly, obey God once more, well twice really. They take Jesus to the synagogue to be circumcised in accordance with the torah and they name the babe Jesus.

     With one fell swoop, think of how the distance between God and humanity was closed. Prior to John the Baptizer’s appearance, God had been silent since the days of Micah. His revealed names, Yahweh, Elohim, and even Jehovah were more descriptive titles than actual names. But in one fell swoop, God bridges the gulf. Prior to this point in history, much of the attention has been, rightly so, on God’s otherness, His holiness, and His transcendence. It is, perhaps, no wonder that the Temple leadership focused on appearances rather than hearts because it was hard for them to conceive of His heart, His caring. But in a simple name, much of God’s plan is revealed. God saves. He does. All of Scripture reminds us of that simple truth. Now, the name of the Incarnation will remind us as well. Every time we read a story about Jesus, we should be reminding ourselves that God saves.

     But names also close distances. Names connote a bit of familiarity. Titles remind us of jobs and hierarchies. Names remind us that the other is a person as well. Titles focus us on responsibilities and offices. Names relate us. “Brian” implies a different relationship between you and me than does “Father,” just as “bishop” and “Alan” imply a different relationship between us and him as well. To be sure, there are times when we need to remind ourselves of titles and positions, but there are also times when you and I must be reminded that the "other" is simply human like ourselves. And in this one instance we read about today, none other than the maker of heaven and earth is taking a name for Himself, God saves. No more are we to think of Him as some force or power or officeholder sitting out there impersonally, sight unseen; rather, we are called to remember His glorious name, God saves, and His desire to meet each and every one of us, His desire to be known by us intimately, to the glory of the Father. In a simple name, God saves, we are reminded of the purposes of God and His intention. No more will we be left to flounder in silence. Instead, we will be encouraged to call upon Him by name, and know that He hears us, as a God and as a human, who this day has shed blood for the first time in His efforts to walk in the love that leads to Calvary for all our sakes.

Christ Peace,

Brian†

What will you be wearing?

2011-12-12T14:12:00.000-06:00

     Although many Christians believe that Paul is the only biblical writer to use the image of the wedding dress and the marriage feast to describe God’s plan for humanity, such an understanding could not be more incorrect. Isaiah is among those in the Old Testament who use this theme of a wedding dress to explain what God is going to do for His people. Why do I bring up this imagery? I know that when many of you head to work on Monday and you hear or read on the internet what was preached this Advent 3 weekend at other churches, there will be a common theme of deliverance and transformation. God will deliver us; God will transform us. Truthfully, I think that is what our lectionary editors wanted to be the subject of the week’s sermons. And from an Advent perspective, it makes total sense. We have been delivered from our sins (though we still sin and repent), and we will be transformed completely when He returns. The subject matter certainly seems to fit the season. But I want us to think of the wedding dress for just a moment. It is an imagery to which many of us can relate, and it, too, is an image which captures the essence of what it means to live in the season of Advent, a season of expectant waiting.

     Weddings in the ANE were an excuse for a community party. Depending on the size of the wedding, the economic and social importance of those being wed, the wedding could have been a cause for celebration not only in communities proper, but in the surrounding countryside as well. Extended families would travel in for the wedding. Supplies for a lot of parties and feasts needed to be purchased. Heck, musicians needed to be found. Usually, the weddings would last a week or so, depending upon the resources of the family. The men would gather in the groom's home and celebrate while the women would gather in another place and celebrate. No doubt the men’s party included copious amounts of alcohol and advice (as if that were a bad thing). I am (sarcastically, of course) equally certain that the women’s party included tea, chocolate, and more advice. The eating and storytelling would continue until the time of the wedding proper.

     At that time, the bride would adorn herself in a dress given to her by her prospective husband and process with all the women to the main feast. Think of that for just a second. The groom selected the wedding dress for his bride. Can you imagine the possibilities for mistakes, for errors? I know. Men here are now thanking God that they only had to buy a ring and plan a honeymoon. Can you imagine, gentlemen, the pressure of picking out the right dress? What if you got the style wrong? What if she thought it made her backside look too fat? What if you bought a color that clashed with her skin or eyes? You think making the proposal story memorable was tough! We can't select colors or songs, how would we have ever functioned in those days?

     And ladies, can you imagine the utter helpless feeling? What in the world is he going to select for me? Will it be my size? Will it cover what I want covered and show what I want to show? Will it make me look skinny? Will it be white? Will it be ivory? What if some slick salesgirl convinces him that red or black is the new white? What if he buys a knockoff at WalMart or K-Mart? Does he even know what a designer is? What if he makes me a laughingstock in front of all my family and friends?

     And can you imagine the marital fights later in life if the dress was not up to expectations? “My mother was right. I knew it when I opened that box. You never loved me. You never paid any attention to me. I should have processed the other way as quick as my feet would carry me!” I know some of you cringe when you hear an engagement story started by one of your wife's friends. You know what I am talking about, right, men? You are going to get to hear about it all over again.

     All kidding aside, think of the seriousness with which wedding dresses would have been purchased. What the bride was given to wear told not just her, but all those in attendance, just what the groom thought of her. In those days, in all of Judea, men wanted their women to become Proverbs 31 women. She was to be esteemed more than anything in the world. Her value was incalculable. In New Testament terms, we might say that she was a woman for whom he was willing to die for, just as Christ died for His church. And her dress signified to those present that the groom recognized her worth. As she processed with the ladies to the groom’s house, there would be murmurs of approval. Tears of joy might well be shed. The wedding would take place, and then the real feast would begin, with everyone present.

     You and I, brothers and sisters, are living in that kind of a celebratory week, a pre-honeymoon kind of time. Sorry gentlemen, but you and I and all the women here present are brides waiting on our Lord’s return. We live in that period of time where we are waiting on the wedding and the feast to begin. To be sure, He has already provided us with the garment of praise, the crown of beauty, and the oil of gladness that will mark us as His own forever. His death and resurrection have promised us an attire the likes of this world has never seen. All that sounds amazing! But here’s the part we often overlook: the intimacy that is offered.

     It is hoped at every marriage that there will exist true intimacy. The freedom and ability to share everything, hurts, fears, joys, you name it. What is most amazing my friends is that our Lord calls us to that kind of intimacy with Him! Despite knowing our blemishes, despite knowing our faults, despite knowing our inner being and all those things about ourselves which we loathe, He chooses us to clothe us in His garment, a garment which ultimately cost Him His life. Better still, in that pledge of a garment is the offer to share in an eternal relationship of intimacy that we will never know on earth. The same Lord who fashioned ous, who created the world and all that is within it, who knows our inmost being, wants us to get to know Him intimately, in a way not too dissimilar from the way a bride and groom come to know each other over time. And just as individual brides and individual grooms are transformed into couples through their intimacy, you and I and everyone whom we meet are able to be transformed into sons and daughters of the Lord.  Our minds, as we will pray in a few minutes this Healing Sunday, begin to think His thoughts. Our eyes begin to see what He sees. Our ears begin to hear what He hears. Better still, we become equipped to become His hands and His feet in the world, sharing the Good News of His offer, and showing off the wedding dress He has provided each one of us and offers to all who would look upon it. Why do we long so much for His return? Because we know the love that He brings for each us, a love that He demonstrated both by coming into the world for our sake and by walking that road to Calvary some 2000 years ago! And because we know that then, when He comes again to start the beginning of the feast, we can be rid of these tattered clothes that we each put on ourselves, and find ourselves clothed in attire that He, the Creator and Redeemer of the world, has selected for each of us, attire that makes us stand out in His eyes as pillars of righteousness.

Peace,

Brian†

He comes and He gathers . . .

2011-12-05T23:11:00.000-06:00

I so enjoy those weeks when the sermon is done by Tuesday. One reason, of course, is that it does not happen very often. The second reason, though, is that it is usually very obvious and I feel a bit of excitement about sharing it. This week was one of those weeks in spades. I so wanted it to be Sunday by Wednesday that I thought I would not make it until today! It sounds weird, I know, coming from me. But wait until you hear it. If I do my job well, you will share the excitement too! That’s not to say that I had no difficulties this week. I felt rushed all week, as a result of a number of these conversations. Plus, while I have the stories, I lacked the big unifying theme until Pauline asked me a question this morning.

Why do the members of AA keep coming in earlier and earlier when we meet? To put it in context for those of you who do not join us on Thursday mornings, we meet in the Parish Hall from 10:45am to about 11:45am. We do book studies and Bible studies, depending upon the desire of those present. It is a question we have all wondered at from time to time. Our scheduled time used to run until noon, but we found it easier to stop a few minutes early so they could get settled in time. Admittedly, some of those present for their meeting will have loud conversations. But, when we look closer, we often notice other people straining to listen to our conversations while wanting to keep their distance. I have chalked this response up to the ladies of Thursday morning. They are a fabulous group of ladies, excepting Joshua and me. What makes the time so valuable is their willingness to share both the good and the bad. Youngsters would say that these matriarchs are “keeping it real,” the “it” being their faith journey. Those present will talk about their peaks and valleys and how God was at each, carrying them, cajoling them, or even encouraging them to come back down the mountain. How do I know this? Sometimes, those straining end up spending the most time with me that week. This was one of those weeks.

What made it interesting to me, however, was the subtext in many of the conversations. What’s the big deal about Advent? Why do you guys get all decked out in purple and black? And, do you think He knows my hurt, my pain? Those questions have been similar to your own. What is a holy Advent? Why is it such a big deal? Our conversations, and our reading from Isaiah, remind us of Advent’s importance and our needs.

Chapter 40 of Isaiah reminds us of a dilemma that we all face in our lives. Just as with his contemporary Israelites, who wondered in the face of the Babylonian Exile whether God had been defeated and whether they could ever be restored to their ancestors’ relationship with Yahweh, you and I sometimes face the same questions. Sometimes they are our own: Does He really love me? Why doesn’t He ever answer my prayer? Why won’t He changed me? Why won’t He listen to me? Sometimes, those questions come from those in our midst: why do you follow Him? Do you really believe? If He is good, why did this happen? There are tons more questions that can be asked, but you get the idea. Thankfully and mercifully, God has given us the answers to those questions in a beautiful way in chapter 40. Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. How?, we ask. See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep is His answer and our proclamation.

Sometimes, as Christians, I think we get too caught up in the cross and the empty tomb. It might surprise you to hear those words coming from my lips, but I do think it is true. Often as Christians, when we are confronted by people or by life’s events with those big questions, our default answer is “Jesus saves,” or "Give it over to God," or something along those lines. To fellow Christians, such a statement might make sense. But what of the non-Christians in our lives? Do they have any understanding about the power of those words? Do we even understand what we are saying when we parrot them? Part of the hope and promise of the Gospel, brothers and sisters, is that our Lord comes and and that our Lord gathers. Our God is so powerful that He can accomplish whatever He wills. If He wants the river or ocean to part, it parts. If He determines to execute judgment on His enemies, they cannot escape Him, His power, or His judgment. Even death must yield in the presence of His power; His rule is that absolute. But, despite all that power and all that authority, He gathers. Like a shepherd looking for his lost sheep and fragile lambs, He gathers His own to Him and protects them. Part of our cry ought to be that He comes in power to break power of evil and death with His strong arm, but part of our cry must contain the idea that this power is exercised while He is, at the same time, gathering all those broken by the world and its powers into His loving arms. Can you imagine a more comforting message? Yet how little do we speak in such words.

I was reminded of His coming this week in several excited phone calls and visits. Too often, only our Intercessors hear of the results of their labors, but this was one of those weeks when the stones would cry out even if I did not. It began with Pete. Doctors were arguing in the hospital ICU over whether they should operate. The pledge to “first, do no harm” was in play. Something was terribly wrong with his body. He had lost pints of blood. They suspected his tumor had simply grown and was causing his body to finally break down. Surgery, they thought, might get him a few weeks at best. Was the pain of recovery worth the weeks? During my last visit, he simply asked for me to pray for healing. I anointed him with oil and prayed to God that He bring true healing to Pete. Truthfully, I thought such healing would result only when Pete was carried to our Father’s arms. But God had other ideas. Pete went to Iowa City and had surgery. Iowa City was one of the few places that could balance all his needs and the difficulty of his case. Genesis could not. Pete went through the procedures and now is at home expecting to celebrate at least one last Christmas with his family—something not believed possible by doctors as close as three weeks ago! And Pete and his family have a chance to make a good ending, a chance to be reconciled for hurts and sins, this Christmas season. He comes with power!

Following quickly on that call from Tanya, his niece, I got another excited call from Sue. Allison had been pronounced in full remission by her doctors! You might recognize her name. We pray for her each Healing Sunday by name. You may not know her story. Allison is a three year-old girl. She had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer by her doctors. It was a diagnosis confirmed by other hospitals and doctors. Her time was expected to be measured in a couple months, rather than in a long life. Her family went in search of prayer warriors. Amazingly, through a couple different connections, they discovered ours! Within hours, three Intercessors had contacted me about getting the word out to the rest of the Prayer Chain that Allison and her family needed prayers, desperately. Talk about answered prayers! A little girl goes from full blown stage 4 cancer to remission in the time she was expected to die! He comes with power!

The last one I will share, many of you know. I had to share it on Facebook. Larry, not our Larry, but rather a gentleman from Houston, showed up in my office. He asked if I remembered him. Weirdly, I remembered he had a great story and I remembered he was from Houston. I mention his story because it was one of those stories I had to reward for creativity, if not true need. Listening to him a couple years ago, I decided either it was true or he was the absolute best storyteller I had heard in many years. I bought him so gasoline and some insulin. He was on the prayer list for a time, until I gave up that he was never going to tell us what happened to him. He beamed when I remembered his story and his hometown—he was not the least disappointed that I had forgotten his name. He said he had a couple favors to ask. He tossed on my desk more than double what I originally gave him. I swore to God that day if He provided for me in my need, I would pay in back multiple times. He did through you. I thought to myself this week, as I prepare to finish medical school, who better to give it to serve Him? I reminded him that I don’t expect ever to be paid back. Discretionary funds are reminders of God’s grace, we serve because He first served us. Larry said he understood but that I needed to understand that he had sworn an oath to God, and such oaths always had to be kept in light of answered prayers. I asked if he wouldn’t rather wait until he had graduated (kicking myself with the words get behind me Satan ringing in my ears over what I had just asked). Gracefully he answered that he could see the light at the end of his long, dark tunnel, and it was beautiful to behold. Whether he gave up something over Christmas did not matter much to him now. But that money he gave me might well get another desperate soul in sight of their own tunnel’s end. I accepted the money and asked about the other favor. He wanted prayer for provision for a good landlord and place to live. He had decided to settle here in the QCA and wanted a place to live, a good place. He figured, given how powerfully God answered prayers here, he could save a lot of running around by having us pray that he find a landlord. We prayed. He gave me his number with instructions to call if the landlord showed up here. He promised to call if the landlord showed up in his life—we can never be sure how He will fulfill a promise like this, you know. He might go through you. He might cut out the middleman and just have the landlord "bump into me" out there. Whichever way, it does not matter. He’ll provide. He always does! I still wonder who's jaw was closer to the floor, mine or Vern's, as he whistled on his way out of the office. He comes with power!

But he also comes as a shepherd to gather up the broken. Though He can accomplish amazing things in the world, He cares for those forgotten and abandoned in the world. I was reminded of that, too, this week. One of my visitors included a lady who had fallen away from the church for a time. Her story might be familiar to you. She was married to someone who was abusive. Her faith had dictated for many years that she put up with it. So she did. Trying to be a religious lady caused her to raise a daughter in an abusive home. It should come as no small surprise to us that her daughter, upon reaching the age of maturity, fled the church and fled God. What kind of sick God expects a woman to take a beating? This lady that I mention has travelled quite a distance. As you might imagine, she, too, had no use for such a God. She had been quite content not to serve Him or worship Him in her life. But “events” conspired to draw her back into His loving arms. She eavesdropped of Jane, and Jan, and Karen, and Maralyn and the rest of us on Thursday mornings. Our discussions, she later told me, were real. Some of our ladies had the same problems, the same thoughts, the same hurts and pains as she did. Through it all, though, they had seen God’s deliverance. Listening to them for a few months prompted her to return to church. Her return was one of those perfect “God-incidences” about which we talk. She happened in on a sermon where the clergy apologized for the mistakes of those who had come before, of himself, and of those who will come after. She realized, listening to his words, that God was speaking directly to her hurt and her pain. Yes, humans had failed her. He was sorry. He would never fail her.

Her story would be beautiful, if it ended there. A prodigal daughter returns home! But another part of her is broken. She is a mom. She is a mom who realizes the damage she has wrought in her daughter, a damage that could have eternal consequences if she does not “fix it.” She jokes from time to time that she loves strolling into my office and asking all these really hard questions. All those questions, of course, come from her daughter. You see, her daughter claims to embrace atheism. She fires questions left and right at her mother trying to dissuade her of her faith in God. Mom, not being a trained theologian, admittedly struggles with some. Those are the ones she brings to me. As her story has unfolded before me over the past year or so, I like to think we have caused the daughter to think, to reconsider her relationship with God. Certainly He knows how important that relationship is to the mother, the mother who blames herself for her daughter’s rejection of our Father in heaven. Truthfully, she is wracked by guilt over this far more than over her divorce. Through it all, though, our job has been to remind her of her daughter’s questions and her own circumstances. Prior to the last year, it had been ages since she stepped inside a church to talk with a clergy, rightfully so! Yet day after day and week after week, we chat. And when the daughter has a hard question, we struggle together. And it has become my job, as an extension of your ministry here in Davenport, to remind her of God’s work even in such a singular circumstance. If the daughter is such an atheist, why all these questions? (Truthfully, mom gets excited by the questions now because she recognizes that the daughter may only be prodigal) Better still, how can she explain the fact that she knew a clergy, who was willing to struggle with tough questions, given her life circumstance, save the gentle gathering and direction of her Father? He will gather the lambs in His arms.

Another story comes from one of our local care facilities. I had gone to visit a parishioner with my trusty box. I know with some of you I do not have to, but I bring the box as much as an announcement to the rest of the facilities that God is present as much as anything. He is, after all, the great physician! Missing a parishioner and leaving, I was grabbed by someone I did not know. Understand, some people like their clergy to be anonymous. If they don’t know me and I don’t know them they do not have to fear me being judgmental. He asked if I would hear his confession and absolve him. Things were not going well, and there was a decent chance he would die. It had been quite a while since I had heard the word shriven. So I entered and began to talk with him. He confessed his sins; I granted absolution. As we were wrapping up and I was preparing to leave, the family came in. Why was I there? What was I doing? Who did I think I was? And if I managed to get a word in edgewise, two or three more questions were thrown at me. I note that I have the pastoral skills of a slug oftentimes, but it was clear even to me that there was a fight happening in that room that was essential to that family. When they demanded that I leave never to return, I turned to ask if he had any other needs. One of the boys began to yell at me for not hopping to it. Now, I must confess my hackles were more than raised. I had not gone to see the man—he had asked me to come in. I certainly had not been rude to him or them—the same could not be said of them. Just as the words for the stinging retort formed on my lips, the patriarch spoke.

“Father, I have one more sin I need to confess. I should have done it while we were alone, but maybe it is best that they hear it, too.” The room exploded in a cacophony of protestations about not needing absolution, about not needing a priest, about not needing God. “I repent before God, this priest, and you all that I have failed as your father, uncle, and husband. My chief job should have been to raise you to love and trust God. Instead, I let football, golf games, hangovers, and whatever else was happening in my life take precedence. I have failed you and I have failed God. Now, as you all face the possibility of my death I see the fear in your eyes and the panic in your voice. I have so failed each one of you. Father, do you think He can ever forgive me for that?” The cacophony of voices changed to a bunch of protests about his failure. I reminded dad that He had died for all our sins, all of them. He asked what he could do to atone. I told him absolutely nothing. Such a failure required the cross and His mercy. But, I suggested a prayer that maybe in their remaining time together he would fulfill his role. Dad agreed. Dad agreed so much that when the protests began, this man who, less than a half hour earlier had told me of his uncertain prognosis, roared and demanded silence. “We will pray, Father, all of us.” I have to confess it was a longish prayer. I prayed for healing for all in the room. I prayed that their time together would be spent in the glory of God. And I prayed that everyone in that room would experience that peace that passes all understanding. Though my eyes were closed as I prayed, I am not naïve enough to think that everyone enjoyed it. I am also a sinner enough that I laughed this week as I checked on dad. He had been sent home. The nurses were laughing at dad’s newfound strength. It had been a difficult family when he was on death’s door, as families often are, but something had changed in all of them. I chuckled as I left the facility. A dad got to repent of a terrible sin. Now he had been sent home to celebrate a priceless gift—the opportunity to try and live into the life expected of him even at this late stage—a gift worthy of our Lord’s coming! He will gather the lambs in His arms.

I know I am running long. You all have sales to get to or games to watch, but I heard this tale twice this week, such is its importance. I think He told me it twice, with different specifics, because I know many of you understand the pain of which I will be speaking. I’ll probably conflate the details, but that is ok; if you ever hear the tale firsthand from one of them, you will be enraptured by the differences. Why are all these churches celebrating Advent, Father? His question was unexpected. We had talked at least once a week for several months, but never of weighty matters. Our relationship had been one of polite conversation, until now. When I pointed out that liturgical churches all follow the same season, he pointed out the number of other churches that were following Advent as well. I joked about those churches being led back into the fold and using the season to remind themselves that He has come and that He will come again. But it’s just lip-service. I wanted remind him to be careful of judging others, but the word’s that came out of my mouth were more along the lines of “what do you mean?” Advent is supposed to be a season of expectant waiting. It is a season when we are called to remind ourselves that we are to live our lives as if He might return any second, repent where we fall short and sin, and recommit to do what He commands. So far, so good. I wondered what made him so convinced they weren’t waiting in expectation? He gave his reasons. Truthfully, I still questioned whether he was being judgmental, so I asked what made him an expert in expectant waiting. Twice I heard an answer similar this week.

He explained that his wife had left him. He was divorced. What had gotten him to this point was the result of that divorce. When his wife left him, suddenly from his perspective, he had given up on life (one had been suicidal, the other not). He quit eating. He started drinking. Bathing was an option, one that, as he reflected upon this period of his life, he chose not to exercise much at all. He lost a lot of weight, maybe as much as 60lbs in one case. By the way, it is not a diet that he commends to anyone. Alcohol came to figure prominently in his life. In both cases, the family selected a brother to do the intervention. I’ll not bore you with the details but, the brother managed to convince him he was an alcoholic. After some time, the brother said he would be back in an hour to get him to take him to Genesis or Iowa City, whichever he preferred. When I asked him what had convinced him to seek help, he said it was his reflection. He did not recognize the person in the reflection of the china cabinet. All I can say, Father, is that I was not myself.

Anyway, he turned the shower on super hot and began chopping at his beard with scissors. His wife had never tolerated whiskers, so the beard was new to him. In the shower he scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. He shaved and shampooed. I tried to get the funk of whatever I had become off me, know what I mean? Once his skin was bright red, he got out and dried off. He went to the closet to get his suit. I’m not one of those people who has lots of suits. I own one suit and wear it to funerals and weddings. I work for a living, know what I mean? He distinguishes the suit by changing ties. I went back and forth over which tie. Then he gathered his things in an overnight bag, exited the house, locked up, and waited for the ride. You know, Father, as I stood there waiting for my brother, I didn’t know whether I was coming or going. I was kinda glad I had not eaten cause I might have messed my pants. Would this work? What was wrong with me? How could this happen to me? I wanted desperately to run back into the house, grab a drink, and hide. But I kept seeing my face in the mirror in my head. Who was that imposter? What had happened to the real me?

Sadly, this is where the two stories diverged. In one case, the brother showed up and whisked his soon to be divorced brother off to detox. In the other case, the brother failed to show. You can well imagine the stories from there. In one case, a brother rescued a brother, got him to a place to find help, and loved his brother in thought and deed. In the other case, the brother’s own battles with drugs and alcohol got the better of him. He stood on the curb waiting for the help that never came. Both of them, however, understood Advent very similarly. He will gather the lambs in His arms. Each man realized that he needed something. What both needed was the love of God. In the case where the brother served him, he came to realize in treatment that the funk he so desperately was trying to scrub could never be erased by his own efforts. He needed God to fill him again and make him whole. As for the man whose brother failed him, he came to realize that expectant waiting that involves hope, must be focused on God. Two similar stories. Different twists near the rescue. Same wonderful ending! Both were found and know themselves to be loved by God. Advent for them is not a season. It is a way of life! He will gather the lambs in His arms.

Brothers and sisters, you and I are called to be heralds of His coming kingdom. We are called to a priesthood of reconciliation. It is our job, empowered by His grace, to lead other back into right relationship with one another and with God. One of the best ways we accomplish that task is to share with those in our lives both of His power and of His tenderness. Each of us gathered today knows the big stories in the Bible. We can speak to the Exodus, we can talk of the Exile’s end, and we can certainly speak with authority of His Easter event. Just as importantly, though, we can share stories of His power at work in the world around and through us, whether it is curing cancer or providing daily needs. Yet, not to be lost in those so-called big events is the tenderness of a loving God, who knows us each by name, and who meets us where we are. He meets us at our darkest moments, at those moments when we know ourselves to be most unworthy, most covered in our funk, and tries gently to lead each one of us home with the rest of His sons and daughters. Brothers and sisters, each one of us has a role to plan in His plan of eternal salvation. Advent is that time of the church year when we remind ourselves of His power to save and how He acted to save each one of us. Those are love stories which can reach the world, reach the world for His glory and His honor and for the welfare of all whom we meet!

Christ’s Peace,
Brian†

A community of possibility . . .

2011-11-28T12:08:00.000-06:00

     Too often in this modern world we see ourselves lacking possibilities. Like the world in which Isaiah prophesied, we seem to be more and more accepting of the idea that who we are, what we are to become, how we are to interact with others, and the like are determined. These things are determined by our genetics (good breeding tells, as does bad), by our family systems (families with addictive tendencies will tend to produce more addicts, families with histories of abuse will tend to produce more abusers and more victims), by our socio-economic station (money buys happiness, does it not?), and by anything but ourselves. Much of what seems to be going on in the world around us reflects this belief that the possibilities are not really there. Most of us here in this room remember the creation of the Euro. Within a few weeks, we might all see the collapse of that same Euro and the anarchy that may well follow, unless some economic white knight comes riding to the rescue to keep taxes and retirement ages lower in certain member countries. Occupy Wall Street is, among other things for some people, a demonstration that many people believe the American Dream to be dead to nearly all of us. Those in the 1% might be truly free to pursue their dreams, but it is at the expense of us other 99%, or so the argument goes, unless someone or something, like a government, breaks in and changes the playing field for us.

     This idea that we have no possibilities before us has even invaded our faith. We like to pretend that we are helpless victims. Yes, we are sinners. Yes, we wish we weren’t. But there’s not much we can do about it. God made me an addict. God made me an abuser. God made me slothful. I wish I weren’t, but this is who I am. If He would give me the grace necessary to act differently, I would. But He has not seen fit to, no matter how many times I sincerely ask Him. As pastors, we even encourage this attitude by reminding people and ourselves that it is ok, that we are all loved by God and accepted for who we are. All we do is claim the cross, and everything is fine. In many ways we do not even realize that we have bought into the world’s victimization and baptized it, if you will, to absolve us of our sins and of our failing to live into the glorious inheritance to which He has called us.

     In many ways, we find ourselves in a situation not unlike that described by Isaiah this morning. In this morning’s passage, the prophet declares that Israel sinned, so God had looked away. Because He was looking away from them and remembering His wrath, they could not hope to do anything good. It is a hopeless cycle described by the prophet. God has turned away because His people have sinned. His people cannot do anything worth anything to God because He is no longer with them. All our righteous acts are like filthy rags. What hope is there?

     Isaiah reminds us that when God acts, He is capable of doing amazing acts for the benefit of His people. Unlike the other gods of the ANE, Yahweh acts for the welfare of His people. Mountains tremble at His presence. Watercourses are changed by His command. Events such as the Exodus event, the various victorious battles of King David against military superiority, the covenant with Abraham--all testify that God acts, and acts in amazing fashion, for His people! And, as we look back on the work and person of Christ, we know that He acts amazingly for us even still. But is that it? Is that the end of the story? Are we, like the world and so many religious like to claim, finished? Or is there more to claiming our inheritance?

     Whom does God truly help? Isaiah reminds us that He helps those who wait for Him, who gladly do right, and who remember His ways. Our faith, brothers and sisters, is not a passive response and acceptance of the way things are. Yes we are sinners. Yes we have terrible faults. Yes, God must act to save us. Yes, God must act to circumcise our hearts. But part of living into our faith, part of keeping our covenant with God, is living into the possibilities He has made possible through Christ. Will we, in other words, do our part to see His intervention alive in our lives and in the world? In other places, Paul describes this holy living as a struggle. The Greek word for this struggling includes the root word for agony in the effort put forth. Does accepting our sins and shrugging our shoulders at God’s seeming unwillingness to zap us seem like a struggle? Of course not. Our walk in faith begins at our baptism, brothers and sisters, but it does not end until He calls us home or returns in victory and begins the separation described last week. From the moment of that adoption until our dying breath, you and I are called to struggle, in agony, to do what He calls us to do, to live righteously, to become sons and daughters worthy of our Father. Yes, Jesus did the worst of the suffering, but you and I each have a part to play both in our own spiritual growth and in salvation history. In a way the world cannot understand, you and I are freed to become the men and women and boys and girls He has called us to be, but like all freedom, it includes a terrible struggle.

     Why the talk of possibilities? The world, brothers and sisters, is taking the easy way out and forgetting the call of God and the glorious inheritance made available to all who claim His Son as Lord. It is a far, far easier thing to blame our addictions, blame our behaviors, blame our faults on our circumstances, our genes, on our upbringing or on the world around us. Like a warm, soft blanket, such an attitude gives us an excuse to fall short of the glory to which He calls us. Yet it is that same God who speaks and causes mountains to tremble, who appears and causes the dried twigs to burn and the water to boil, who calls us to become men and women worthy of Him, Kings and Queens in His eternal kingdom. Why the talk of possibilities? Because you and I and all who accept Him as Lord have been redeemed and set free from failure and from "good enough." Our struggle is a struggle for living into our Father's image, our potter's artistry.

     And redeemed, for you and for me, brothers and sisters, means a world of possibilities has been opened to us. Unlike the world around us which accepts the idea that “this is the way that it is” or “that this is as good as it gets,” you and I know better. We are freed to become the people He has called us to be. How do we know? Because we have experienced that redemption in our own lives already. Some of us gathered here have already experienced what it means to be redeemed in our own lives or witnessed it in the life of another. Ever known a hot-tempered person? To be sure, his or her image is distorted. But when God breaks in and they live a life in the manner God has set before us, what often happens? That hot temper is crucified on the cross in Christ’s death, and what was negative becomes an asset for the glory of God. Hot-tempered people become passionate people, people passionate for God and His glory when they engage in the struggle of their faith. Ever known or been an addict? Ever felt the need to fill that emptiness inside through the use of a bottle, a syringe, or some other self-destructive behavior? When that emptiness, through the engagement of our faith, becomes filled with His life giving water, addicts can become lights in a dark world, people grateful for the love which filled their emptiness, people who can speak from experience of the emptiness and the discovered joy at finding what can truly fill it. Ever known or been someone who could not love another? Perhaps you or they felt unworthy. Perhaps you or they were afraid to experience the pain that comes when others whom we love hurt us. Yet, what happens when such people discover the love, the hesed, of God? They become God-lovers, people who realize that their Father will never forsake them, not even in death. And such people can open themselves up to anyone and anything because they know the love with which they are held. And, even better, they can become people who speak lovingly of God’s work in salvation history to those whom the encounter in life.

     The past eight or ten weeks we have been looking at what a redeemed life looks like, brothers and sisters. We spent a great deal of time in Matthew’s Gospel recalling Jesus’ teachings from those last days of His life. It seems only fitting then, as we begin a new church year and enter Advent, that we remind ourselves why it is that we are called to do what we are called to do and just how unlimited our possibilities are. By virtue of our baptism, brothers and sisters, we have already received the gift of the Holy Spirit. What is left for us to do is to live lives which allow Him to remake us like Him. It is right that during this quick season of penitence and expectation that we take a spiritual inventory of our lives. What are those triggers which tempt we to act in ways which we know are offensive to Him, and unworthy of a child of His? Where is the struggle in our life from which we have shied away? Can I avoid those triggers or places? Can I avoid that temptation with His grace, and so live into the life He would have me live? What in each of us should we nail to the cross with our Savior, that He can redeem and restore in us to His glory? Better still! How can you and I live a life open to the possibilities of one born not of flesh but of His redeeming Spirit and so draw others into that same life with us?
Peace,
Brian†

Divine Appointments, smurfs, and other weird happenings while trotting . . .

2011-11-24T18:57:00.001-06:00

     Why on earth would you run a 5k race on Thanksgiving?---It was a question frequently asked of me this year. To be sure, I asked it a lot of myself. For those not on the inside of the decision making process, my brother-in-law Jon, whom I used to think loved me dearly as I did him, called up my wife and asked who all was going to run in the Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot with them. As we are working on the local YMCA’s Lazy Man’s Triathalon, it seemed an easy way to knock out 3.1 miles, at least to some. But, I had gone off my diet the past week, I did need the miles, and hey, how bad could it be?

     Truthfully, my intention as I ran was to thank God for all the blessings of this past year. I often pray as I ride my bike, and so it made sense to use the same tactic while running. I figured my prayer list would be good for at least a quarter mile while running. I thought that the unasked for prayers that I pray for parishioners might total close to a half mile. I could pray for help in the Human Trafficking ministry, in the Community Meal ministry, Winnie’s Place, and a bunch of others that needed His grace. I even knew that at some point, prayers for deliverance would kick in. (Please, Lord, don’t let me die like this!) If they were early enough, this might be a truly prayer-covered event. Plus, the run was for a great cause. More than a quarter century ago, the race was started in Elmhurst, Illinois with the proceeds going to benefit the homeless in DuPage County, a suburb of Chicago. They estimate today that there are 160,000 homeless in the county. They could certainly use the help and the awareness so that all those people can be helped.

     Unfortunately for me, bicycling does not come close to the problems one faces while running. First of all, there were lots of people to serve as distractions. Did I just get passed by a family of smurfs, including Papasmurf with a cane? It is 40 degrees and a wind chill of “it’s too cold to be out here running” and these nuts are running in speedos! I haven’t had so many little kids pass me since I was last on a ski-slope. At least Superior Ambulance is the best in the business, locally, and the hospital is a straight shot from here.– Things like that were running through my head, and while distracting, they were not productive or helpful. Plus, there are obstacles that are in one’s way. “Walkers in the back of the starting area” apparently means “walkers, bring strollers and dogs and line up across the street with your friends near the front” to some. All the bars in Elmhurst opened early Thanksgiving Day to help some runners get fortified for the run. Hey, I'm a big boy. I embrace the Episcopal gospel that when three or four are gathered there is always a fifth, but c'mon! Think drunk drivers are bad? You should try and navigate drunk joggers or sprinters or men on their knees offering the pavement gods their pretzels and peanuts offerings. I wonder how far ahead Jon and Nathan are? What happened to Karen and Sarah? At least I am not like those poor dads whose kids, when asked by runners, "are you lost, little boy/girl?" respond simply "nah, I'm just waiting on dad to catch up!" And there is always the panicked thought “Will I come in dead last out of 8-10,000 trotters?”

     But, after a while, things sort themselves out. The crowds thin as people settle into their running rhythms. The joggers and runners make it through the vise grip of walkers. All that’s left is the runner, the pavement, the internal cadences and thoughts, and the pain. Running in the cold causes its own problems. It hurts to breathe in the cold while getting so hot. There’s a reason God gave us noses with vessels to warm the air that we breathe. Unfortunately, the body’s demands for oxygen trumps His design. And each step causes the lungs to hurt a bit more, to say nothing of the ankles, knees and hips.
It is at this time that it is good to start one’s prayers. Though I was mightily tempted to begin with the prayers for survival, I spent time on the others. Unfortunately for me, I was not even halfway done by the time I finished my prayers and began praying to God for the run to be over. At about the point where I did not care whether the race for me ended at the finish line or the back of an ambulance, I encountered a young boy and his father. Nearly ran over is more like it. The little boy was upset and in pain and wanted it to be over. He was my hero. Then he asked the question.

Why are we doing this? Why can’t we stop and go home and eat? I give the dad a lot of credit, if he ever finds and reads this. He was sucking wind and trying to reason with an exhausted child. Dad was teaching the son a lesson about finishing the things that we start, a true family value here in the Midwest. But why? was the only answer he received from his son. When he noticed me, he apologized for doing this in the middle of the road. No worries, I assure him. It was a great excuse for me stop for a minute. I asked the little boy why he wanted to quit so badly. He told me because it did not really mattered. We got no money for running. We had no chance of winning. Nobody but us was really paying attention.
I asked him if he knew why we were running. Because dad had told him it would be fun. I asked if he knew why dad wanted to run this day. He didn’t. I then asked if knew about all the people around his town that had no home, were sleeping in the cold and the rain, and who would not be feasting on turkey later. He asked if they were very many. And I told him there were more than could fit in two Soldiers' Fields. He asked what good our running was for them. I told him that we had paid money to run, money that would be used to fix them food and give them a place to sleep and to take a shower. Ya. But who really cares if I finish the race or not? I asked him his age. He said he was 8. I asked him what he thought would happen if someone serving a meal to a homeless person or giving a towel or blanket to someone in a shelter happened to mention to that needy person that an 8 year old boy like himself had run, on Thanksgiving Day no less, to help raise money or help raise awareness of that needy person’s condition. You think someone might notice and tell them? I know I noticed. Would you tell people? Of course, but then I’m weird like that. How so? It is my calling to tell people where God is at work in the world today. Wow! Will you really tell people? I will. But you know what will make a great, happy ending? What? If I can tell people how you ran so fast your dad couldn’t keep up with you all the way to the finish.

Just like that, he was off. Dad took just enough time to glare at me and sarcastically thank me for inspiring his son. What do you do for a living, that you tell people where God is at work in the world around them? Oh, sorry, would you tell him I am a priest. A priest! Yep. Why are you running this, isn't this a special day for you? Apparently it was so I could visit with your son and remind myself that His power is made perfect in weakness? What? Never mind. You better catch your son. I don’t know what the finish line will be like, but if it anything like the start . . . But tell him I will share the story, if I am lucky, for many years to come. I will even tell people that God used an 8 year-old like him to feed people who had every reason to believe that no one cares, let alone 8 year-old boys. He waved me off as he scanned the crowd ahead and took off in pursuit.

As I climbed the little hill on the way to the finish line and began to suffer in new ways, I also gave thanks. I gave thanks that so many people took the time and gave of themselves that people most will never meet would be fed and clothed. I gave thanks to God that I was apparently going to live through this race. And I gave thanks for little 8 year-old boys who aren’t afraid to ask questions, questions which most of us asked that day, but had to trust that God would one day answer, especially those who would benefit directly from our sweaty efforts that Thanksgiving morning. Most especially, I gave thanks to God for giving me ears to hear, eyes to see, and the perfect pace so as to come upon an unnamed dad and his boy. But so help me if Papasmurf brags again about running faster than me with a cane, he will be walking with that cane somewhere else for many days hence. Such is the life of those He has redeemed! We are a work in progress, progress that is sometimes slow and often painful. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and a blessed Advent Season.

Peace,
Brian†

Loving them because He first loved us . . .

2011-11-22T11:11:00.001-06:00

     This day we celebrate Christ the King Sunday. In terms of feast days within the church, this is a very new feast. It was not instituted until 1925. Pius XI, the pope who added the feast, realized that the members of the Church were engaged in a terrible spiritual and intellectual battle. Chiefly, the Church saw its members becoming supporters of dictators in Europe and questioning both the Church’s authority as well as that of Christ’s. To the leadership of the faith, secularism seemed to be winning. Pius published a work called Quas Primas, in which he detailed the reasons for the new feast and the effects he hoped the feast would have in this battle. I mention it not just because we celebrate Christ the King Sunday this day, and not because it is an interesting read for those wishing to examine the world in the light of their faith, but because we seem to be involved in the same difficult struggle which gave rise to the feast in the first place.

     I noticed this need last week at the Churches United Thanksgiving services last week. Most of you know of my work with Ron Quay, their director, of Bev’s work on the Board of directors, and our own parish efforts to stay involved in the many ministries of Church’s United. When Ron called me last week, he asked me to speak about the ministries of Church United in an inspirational way and to inform the members present of our work in Human Trafficking in 5-7 ½ minutes. Off hand, he had forgotten the text, but he promised to get back to me. Knowing that time was an issue, I began crafting a sermon. For three or four days I worked on doing my best, within the time allotted, to educate Churches United about Human Trafficking and to inspire those that would be present to continue the good fight. I succeed in keeping it to 8 minutes. No small feat on my part.

     Unfortunately, when I arrived, I was able to engage in and overhear a number of conversations. Chiefly disturbing to me was the spirit of oppression that seemed to be hanging over so many faithful workers in the field like a pall. I had gone to the celebration expecting to meet with a group of Great Commission Christians like ourselves and prayerfully hoping to gain a couple necessary volunteers in our efforts to combat human slavery. What I found was a terrible sadness. People working at food pantries commented how the need was up and they could give only half the food they had before. Some were disappointed that, of 165 member churches or so, fewer than 75 people were showing up. A few were griping about monetary resources. A few were grousing about how overworked they were and how little a difference they were making. Now, as you know, I may have the discernment skills of a slug. But this was so obvious that a blind man would have said “would you look at that!”

     Thankfully, before I strode to the pulpit, Bev preceded me with these words from Matthew, the words that we read, study, and inwardly digest on Christ the King Sunday. I promised them only two stories, as I was constrained by time and wanted to honor Ron’s request. I sneaked in a third story, by way of telling the first two. You know them well. I told them of “horseradish man” and his Ash Wednesday lesson for us, and I told them of Sarah and her white flower which led, eventually, to her escape from human trafficking. By way of introduction, I also managed to work in the death of Stevie’s sister here on Garfield and our neighborhood’s response to the circumstances of her death. And then I led them back to the passage which we read.

     Notice the response of both groups to Jesus’ judgment. Neither group thinks they have had the opportunity to serve Jesus. In the case of the sheep, they claim never to have helped Jesus by giving Him food or drink or clothes or simply visiting with Him. They would have remembered that. He must have them confused with someone else. Similarly, the goats claim that had they seen Him, they would have certainly helped Him. Obviously they did not see Him, and that is why they gave no help. Jesus, however, in answering them takes us back to Genesis. As you did this to the least of these . . . you did it to Me. Jesus reminds us that everyone we encounter has been created in His image. He ties our service of others to our service of Him.

     When we are like the sheep, we serve Him through the gifts and service that we give to the least in our midst. That is why we reach out in love to the homeless and provide them with feasts when a meal will do. That is why we work hard to meet the needs – spiritual, emotional, and physical – of women and children in our community who are victims of spousal abuse. That is why we gathered for almost 5 full years unloading trucks and loading baskets for 5100 families who, in the end, had little or no interest in joining us in our walk with God. That is why those in the choir meet week after week and work hard when, in reality, they’ll be a new song to learn tomorrow. That is why we try hard to meet the discretionary of as many as possible while trying to discern whether the need is real or the “victim” a con artist. And what difference do we really make? The hungry are still here. Battered women still come in. AFM collapsed because of who knows what reason. And we, like fools, have decided to take on a $300 Billion business and are actively recruiting others to come and join us in our efforts. Were the tragedies not so terrible, it would be laughable. But we are called to continue the work, not because of the successes, but because such work glorifies Him.

     Similarly, when we are like the goats, we ignore Him when we ignore the needs of others. When we cross the street to avoid a beggar, when we feel that tug to offer a ride to someone without reliable transportation, when we decide to keep that article of clothing we haven’t worn in years because “you know, I might get back down to that weight this year,” we are choosing not to serve Christ. We are choosing to ignore the fact that those in need were created in His image every bit the same way as you and I. And for our willful resistance to serve Him, we are judged as goats.

     Notice this is not a singular success or failure. The sheep respond to the Master’s call with no thought that they are serving Him. Their service simply flows from their hearts, hearts that have been circumcised by the Holy Spirit. Similarly, the goats ignore Him at all opportunities. Just as the sheep’s service flows from their hearts, the hearts of the goats cause them not to serve others. Had they seen Him, they admit, they would have served Him. Their lack of faith blinds them to His presence in the least. Their hearts are still stubborn and fat because they have not yet been circumcised.

     Such service, though, becomes second only to acceptance of His offer of salvation. For the past several weeks, we have been reading about Jesus’ last teachings during Holy Week. During these final days of His earthly ministry, Jesus spent a great deal of time reminding us of our need to bear crosses and to serve Him. He has explained that the greatest of His disciples will be the servant of all. On and on, He has taught the distinctions that exist between His people and others in the world. Now, near the end, He takes up His scepter and reminds us of the judgment that we all face. That judgment will be without fail. And that judgment will remind us how we served or how we failed to serve Him. It seems a strange way, perhaps, to end a church year by talking about judgment. Yet we are beginning a season of expectant waiting next week, a season in which we will ask Him to come again and usher in His rule, a rule He tells us that begins with a separation. Until then, though, we are called to labor in His fields, honoring and glorifying Him through our service of others. It is through such service that we see His face, a face that first put aside the crown and scepter for a cross, and it is through such service that others may see His royal face in our own, loving them because He first loved us.

Christ’s Peace,

Brian†

How we use our gifts . . . .

2011-11-16T09:10:00.000-06:00

     Why is the poor guy who only got 1 talent condemned? Our Gospel lesson from Matthew this week centered on the Parable of the Talents. It is a parable which probably shocked Jesus’ hearers as much as it does us. For starters, the wealth of the landowner was prodigious, to say the least. Jesus describes a landowner who had 8 talents of gold accessible! In modern money, that probably approaches $2 million, but that sum does nothing to teach us about the shock value which would have been imparted to Jesus’ hearers of the parable. We are a far wealthier society and are coming off a dot-com bubble. We can imagine a couple million dollars with no problem. Heck, many of us around here do not even bother playing the lottery until it gets over a certain amount because, you know, we want to make sure it is worth it if we win--as if a couple million dollars would not really significantly alter our lifestyle. The amount described by Jesus would simply have been almost unimaginable. A silver talent was worth about 6000 denarii. A denarius was a day’s wage. And Jesus is speaking about gold. You do the math.

     So, this master places two million dollars into the hands of his slaves, each according to his ability. That is an important phrase. We are told in a very few words that the master understands the gifts and talents of his slaves. The one with more ability is given greater wealth; the one with the least ability is given the least wealth. There are no false expectations in this story on the part of the landowner.

     The first two slaves, the ones entrusted with more wealth, double the master’s money and receive his blessing. We are not told what they did specifically nor how long the master was away, but both did well with what they had been entrusted. In fact, each receives identical praise even though one clearly made a lot more money for the master than the other. The third slave is where the spiritual wedgies begin to be formed by those of us listening to the parable. The slave, we are told, buries the talent in a hole in the ground. He tells the master that he was afraid of him. You are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. Rather than demonstrating love and respect of the master, the slave confesses to fear. That fear causes him to misapprehend the master. Rather than working for his master, as he would have been expected so to do, the slave is alienated from the master and eventually becomes lazy.

     In fact, the master describes the third slave as being so lazy that he does not even protect the money by giving the entrusted talent of gold to the bankers. Remember, the master recognized that this slave, in comparison to the other two, was the least talented (no pun intended). Perhaps, had the slave given the money to the bankers, that might have been all that the master could rightly have expected of him. Perhaps he had no real skill or talent to make money. Instead, the third slave stands condemned because he did nothing with that talent entrusted to him.

     Perhaps shocking to us, Jesus tells us that the master ordered the talent to be taken away and given to the one who made 5 talents of gold. More shockingly, he orders the third slave to be cast into the outer darkness. Why the judgment?

     Jesus is teaching His audience and us about responsiveness. How we use our own gifts and talents will testify as to our own relationship with God. If we respond properly, we will be like the first two slaves, using the wealth and gifts of our Father to glorify Him. If we are like the third slave, however, we will respond to His love of us by using those same gifts poorly. Perhaps we will use them to benefit ourselves, rather than those for whom He has entrusted the gifts. Perhaps we will try to hide them, rather than displaying them for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom. How we use His gifts demonstrates our relationship with Him. In this parable, Jesus is teaching us for the need for a productive response. We are not called to sit back and rest on His laurels. Instead, we are commanded to take what He gives us and use them for His glory and His honor. Any other use dishonors Him, devalues the gift, and testifies to the world that we do not honor nor love our Master, our Lord.

Peace,

Brian†

A change of perspective . . .

2011-11-11T08:58:00.001-06:00

What are we to make of the Penn State scandal?

     As we live in the middle of Big Ten country, it is a question that is asked by those who drop in and by parishioners. Listening to people here during the last week, people seem divided on JoePa, presumably giving him some credit for the decades of running a program with nary a hint of scandal. Some have questioned whether the firing makes sense, but most realize the position of the Board. Quite a few people have been quick to condemn the 28 year old Graduate Assistant who fled rather than rescue the young boy named as victim #2 in the Grand Jury’s proceedings. All have been universal in the condemnation of the assistant coach who allegedly victimized at least 8 youths considered “at risk” by the commonwealth and common sense. And everyone wonders whether the AD and other school officials were part of a cover-up to protect the pristine image of PSU (prior to last week’s revelations, Penn State was one of only four members of the NCAA never to have been the subject of an investigation for its athletic department) or whether they were browbeaten by JoePa into leaving the former assistant coach alone.

     What are we to make of it? It is a tragedy of epic proportions. The innocence of anywhere from 8 to maybe as many as two dozen young boys was stolen by a trusted figure. Worse, many adults, when alerted to the problems over the years by the victims, chose “not to hear” what the boys were saying. Those that needed to be safeguarded the most were ignored by those charged with the responsibility of watching out for them, even after the accusations had grown in number and credibility. Imagine, this predator was known this year to have brought youths to campus, and nobody said anything. The reputation of an amazing leader has been tarnished by a series of bad decisions. That JoePa had an amazingly positive impact on thousands of (mostly) men during his career cannot be overstated. That his blindness, whatever its root, allowed the victimization to occur far longer than it should also cannot be overstated. I know, he reported the suspected activities to his immediate supervisors. Make no mistake, JoePa was the face of Penn State. Once he became aware of the details of the rape of victim #2, he had an obligation to prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again! He, better than anyone else on that campus, could have preserved the innocence of other victims, the reputation of the school, and his own legacy.

     To a point, I have some sympathy for the Graduate Assistant. People have been quick to condemn him for not rescuing the young boy from the middle of the actions he described to the Grand Jury. While I understand the criticism, I do not believe that such criticism is fair. None of know how we will respond in the face of events. We like to think we know, but until we come face to face with the events, we can never be sure. I am not as quick to condemn him over a failure to act when he walked into the locker room and encountered the events described in the proceeding. However, this same assistant coach encountered the former assistant coach in the presence of other youths and admits he said and did nothing. Really?! Absolutely nothing?! Those events all occurred after he had had time to reflect upon the events he witnessed initially. Yes, I understand the former assistant was a beloved friend of JoePa, but he was also running an organization that helped troubled youths! But the assistant knew, absolutely knew, that his former coach was a predator--he had seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears. He chose poorly in choosing to keep his mouth shut.

     What should we think about the mess? I came across some words from Tim Henderson, who works as a pastor in State College. Mr. Henderson did a fabulous job of refocusing Christians on the real problem at Penn State. He reminded us, in the context of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, that there is a deficiency of love in State College. Godly love, he asserts, would have insisted upon far too many people acting far sooner to protect these youths. They failed to act, he asserts, because there was a lack of godly love, a lack of love for one’s neighbor. The scandal, he thinks, will shake many to their core before it finishes working itself out, because as a community they failed to love their neighbors as themselves. Powerful words, to be sure. And I commend his entire sermon to your reading. They are words which we can take to heart when confronting any evil. How do such terrible things happen? More often than not people, and even His disciples fail Him. The whole mess, as with much in life, points us all to our need for a Savior. PSU was a "clean" program, JoePa was one of the "good guys," and this occurred. . . . Perhaps, with that change in perspective, you and I can begin to change the discussions of blame and loss into discussions of discipleship and of true, godly love. Perhaps, just perhaps, we can begin to get people to see their own need of mercy and God’s grace, just as all those impacted by this scandal at Penn State are also in need of that same grace, that same mercy, that same hope.

Peace,

Brian†

For all the saints . . .

2011-11-09T14:04:00.001-06:00

     Intercessors, Choir, Altar Guild, Community Meal, Winnie’s Place – The ministries card began to fill up pretty quickly last Saturday. As we enter the next phase of our diocesan strategic plan, the diocese is looking at specific ministries which are being done by parishes. They had passed out note cards at convention and asked each parish to fill out four, each color tied to a specific question. Vern and Judy handed me the ministries card, figuring I knew more of what was going on than they. So, it was my task to list all the ministries we had undertaken the past twelve months. Ministry of Presence, Food Pantry, Winnie’s Wishes, healing, World of Warcraft – My card was quickly running out of space, and still I was not done. Ice Cream Social, Picnic, Nerf Wars, Trivia, Canterbury House, Christmas families – I even resorted to changing the orientation of the card in an effort to get more ministries listed. Gas cards, meals, and budgeting for the needy, AFM, offering space to AA, Girl Scouts, the residents of our Ward, and a couple families in our area – That filled the other side, and still I was not done. Jeff and Christine offered the care for the yard, which we in turn make available to the children and preschools in our area. Scott offers plowing. Bev and Linda and Wanda, in particular, take care of the garden – a place appreciated by those struggling and looking to hear God’s voice. How many pastoral visits? How many calls?

     Our collect this day begins with the words “Almighty God, You have knit together Your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Your Son Christ our Lord . . .”. Sometimes, they are merely words that are said aloud in gatherings. But here, thanks to the intentional effort of so many of you, the words begin to describe a mystical, almost sacramental, reality, a reality made possible only through God’s grace and our willingness to risk failure and humiliation as we try and serve Him faithfully. Think for just a second. I did not run out of ministries to name. I ran out of space upon which to write all your ministries! Mission Trip to Tanzania, Befrienders, our Carillon system, ECW, HospiceCare, Churches United – And just how do we name the faithful witness of you in your daily lives? How many co-workers came in to speak with me because of your efforts? How many in your families? In your neighborhoods? How many called? How many e-mailed?

     That same grace, which causes us to be knit together in one body is the same grace which allows us to follow prior saints and become saints to those who follow us in virtuous and godly living. Better still, it is that same grace which causes us to repent when we go astray, and leads us into His loving arms once again. Brothers and sisters, this day we celebrate not just on behalf of all those saints who have come before us but also on behalf of all of you who have struggled, strived, and occasionally succeeded in loving God and in loving our neighbor as ourselves. You might be uncomfortable with the idea that you are a saint, but are you not washed in His blood and clothed in His righteousness? That, brothers and sisters, is one of the joyful rewards of a repentant heart! We can face life, and all its darkness and evils, with the certainty, and the peace that comes with it, that He is preparing that place and reward for each one of us. More amazing still, we can offer to share that joy, that heartfelt thanksgiving, with all those whom He places in our path in ways limited only by our imagination and willingness to serve.

     In a bit, I will end this gathering ith one of the blessings which I love to pronounce: "May God, who has given us, in the lives of His saints patterns of holy living and victorious dying, strengthen your faith and devotion, and enable you to bear witness to the truth against all adversity." Remember, as you hear those words and reflect on your life's toil that for many in the world around us, you are the one living a holy life and you are the one willing to face death triumphantly in the lives of others. This day we celebrate your obedience and your faithfulness, even as we celebrate all those who led each one of us to Him!

Thanks be to God!

Brian†

Another Senator joins the fight!

2011-11-09T13:32:00.000-06:00

Thank you, Saxby Chambliss, for lending your support to the passage of the TVPRA! We are now up to 31 Senators!

Week 8 Rankings . . .

2011-11-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know. The season is more than half over. It takes time for some of the wins and losses to allow teams to separate. I only did the top 20 this week, because so many teams were clustered between an 8.5 and 8.75. Similarly, the difference between the 6 unbeatens at the top is a matter of the opponents' wins, with OSU's opponents having more wins at this point in the season than the others. So without further ado:

1. Oklahoma State 13.625
2. Boise State 13.571
3. Alabama 13.375
4. LSU 13.125
5. Stanford 13.000
6. Houston 12.375
6. Oklahoma 12.375
8. Clemson 11.444
9. Michigan 11.375
9. South Carolina 11.375
11. Virginia Tech 11.111
12. Nebraska 11.000
13. Penn State 10.555
14. Arkansas 10.375
14. Oregon 10.375
14. Southern Miss. 10.375
17. Kansas State 10.125
18. USC 9.75
19. Georgia Tech 9.444
20. Michigan State 9.375

As far as this week's game of the century, Alabama will edge LSU (barely). LSU's victory over Northwestern State means they trail the Tide by 2 bonus points. As they say, there is lots of football yet to be played, but this gives us an idea of what we would be looking at, were the NCAA to adopt a 16 team playoff.

We just hit 30 co-sponsors in the Senate!

2011-11-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Jon Tester, for joining us in the fight to eliminate Human Trafficking by co-sponsoring the Senate’s version of the TVPRA. Sen. Tester’s action brings the total number of Senators as co-sponsors to 30! You Representatives in the House better get to work. We would not want the Senators to beat you in terms of total numbers of sponsors.

A little more support . . .

2011-11-02T12:29:00.001-05:00

Thank you, Michael Bennet, for joining us in the fight to eliminate Human Trafficking by co-sponsoring the Senate’s version of the TVPRA.

What do bad leaders look like?

2011-11-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

     Back when I was in seminary, I was placed in a small group of people I barely knew and asked to share in a discussion about our respective calls. Each member of the group was asked to share a brief story of his or her call and his or her perception of how that call would be expressed in future ministry. During the course of that effort, one of the seminarians joyfully expressed her call in terms of a wedding. She was so looking forward to that day in the future when the choir would vest and line up, the acolytes would get themselves lined up, the music would start, and every head would turn to see her resplendent in her chasuble and simply be touched by her presence among them. She had obviously given a lot of time to the consideration of this image because the detail was amazing. Believe it or not, my pastoral sensibilities were even worse back then (truth be told, I was probably trying my hardest to get drummed out of the ordination process so I could go back to work and make money, all with the sense of “OK, God, we tried it your way and it failed), so I asked the question on the minds of several in the group (I know this because I was thanked for asking it afterwards). “How is God honored in your vision of your call?” Clearly, at least to those who listened to her vision, she had never once considered how God figured into her call. That is not to say that some of us were not naïve at this point in our journey and in our discernment. Some of us were going to build, with God’s obvious blessing, a mega Anglican worship church to rival Willow Creek. Others were simply hoping to draw incredible numbers of unbelievers or unchurched to the love of Christ. A few just wanted to speak the language just so they could blog intelligently about growing the Church of God and laboring in His fields. Most were centered upon doing great things to honor God, and most had a need to stand before Him hoping to hear the “well done, good and faithful servant,” but not her. She wanted to be the focus of her perceived call.
     At first, stories like this might initially surprise and disappoint us. We have high expectations for our clergy (rightfully so), and the thought of them being concerned about such perceptions ought to offend us. Heck, my seminary’s name included the words “for ministry” in its name. You would think that every student that went to school there would have a love or a call “for ministry.” But no. Each of us gathered here probably has horror stories about bad clergy. Many of us can probably name clergy who really liked to be served rather than to serve; who liked to spend time on the golf course, not in an effort to reach the other three members with whom they were playing, just so they could say they had played and tell us what they shot; or who expected always to be treated as special wherever they went, rather than be bothered to be a servant of all. Knowing some of your stories, I know a few of you were told cruel things, simply because the clergy in your lives did not want to put in the work or did not want to empathize. For a time, at least, terrible burdens were given you to bear with no thought to the consideration that He had already born those burdens. Yes the Church of God is full of such “leaders.” But it comes as no surprise to God, and it really should not surprise us.
     In our lesson from Matthew this week, Jesus points out this tendency to His disciples and crowds. He points out how the religious elite wear big phylacteries, have long tassels, love to sit at the head of the table and in the important seat at synagogue. These are the same leaders who go about moping while fasting, who make sure that everyone knows how holy they are, and are warned by Jesus that they have already received their transitory reward. You and I, however, are cautioned not to be like them. We are to remember that we all live on a level playing field. I am loved no more or no less by God than any of you or any of those men and women we serve each month or any slave or slaver we encounter in our life. He walked that path of Holy Week which ends within a couple days of today’s story fully aware of the cost to Him and of our need. He also teaches us that leadership among His disciples is radically different from anything God’s people have ever expected. Those exalted by Him among us, He says, will be those who serve Him by loving God and their neighbor, who truly die to self and allow Him to call them to a new, Risen life which glorifies Him.

     To be sure, it is a temptation for each of us. How many of us really want to serve others? How many of us cannot relate to the Pharisees and the Sadducees and want what we think are the spoils of a righteous life? How many of us really want to believe we are special, and unique, knowing all the while that He thought everyone was special and unique? It is not an easy walk with our Lord -- that much is certain. But then again, nothing worth while is ever easy. Egos are hard to crucify, particularly among those of us who have been set aside to lead us. What we must remind ourselves each day is the fact that our Teacher wants to be everyone’s Teacher, that our Father, wants to be everyone’s Father, and that our Savior wants to be everyone’s Savior. Anyone who models or professes anything else, might ought to be heard, but they ought not to be followed. Armed with that knowledge and certain of His power to redeem, you and I are sent out to assist in the building a of a kingdom not transitory, but eternal. It is a kingdom built, not of our doing or effort or design, but of His grace poured out and through our lives. It truly is only by His gift that we offer Him true and laudable service. So, in which part of the story do you find yourself? The crowds and the disciples? Or the “leaders”? Do you wish to be served and find yourself apart from Him and His teaching, or do you seek to serve? They are simple questions, truly. But the answers speak profoundly to whom or what we serve and hold dear.
Peace,
Brian†

The costs of committment . . .

2011-10-25T13:34:00.000-05:00

     I am often asked “How in the world could you all spend more than three years in a study of one book of the Bible?” The questions come from laity and clergy alike. Who has the patience for such tediousness? Why not pick a book with better stories? Why not go faster? When I am asked those questions, I invariable point to this passage (and a couple others like the temptation story) in Matthew, and a few others in Luke and Mark, as justification. To be sure, we did not start out with that kind of time commitment in mind. But we did take our Lord’s assertion seriously. As a group, we tackled the book with the premise that every single commandment in the torah flowed from one or the other of these Great Commandments: loving God or loving the neighbor. As a group, we struggled mightily trying to figure out how a particular instruction accomplished one of these two commandments. Given that there are some 613 instructions, we probably should have been pleasantly surprised that we finished it in just over three years. Over the course of the study, we discovered that there were 248 do’s and 365 don’t’s. That is a lot of instruction. Now, imagine yourself trying to figure out whether one of those was loving or not loving God or was loving or not loving neighbor. That’s what we faced.
     When considered as a sum of parts, the torah certainly seems expansive and even tedious; but when one remembers its purpose, it becomes a very challenging teaching. Why? Because the torah, as described by Christ, ultimately points to Him. Remember, as we just read a couple weeks ago, the torah was given by God to a redeemed people to teach them how to live in full communion with Him. The torah teaches us both the things (248 things specifically) which we should do to love God and to love our neighbor and things (365 things specifically) to avoid which cause us to act against God or against our neighbor. Admittedly, such detailed study is not for everyone—that’s why it was a voluntary Bible Study (by the way, the members of the class selected it, not me). I can even say with certainty that we did not agree upon which Great Commandment from which each instruction hung. I can also say that, although each member of that study is, for the most part, able to chew meat rather than needing to be fed gruel, all of us came away with a greater sense of how we had sinned against God and just how magnificent the grace was that He showed us. Better still, as we have continued through other books and through worship, each of us has noticed just how foundational Deuteronomy was to Jesus’ teachings. In many ways, these intrepid scholars have plumbed depths which they never before knew existed within Scripture.

     Those of us, of course, who are not yet able to sit down for such an extended period of time in quite as exhaustive a study, might wonder at Jesus words this week. I say that because all of our ability to begin to keep God’s instruction flows from the idea of love. It is precisely in these discussions of love that we forget the meaning of what Jesus was teaching. For us, today, love has become almost synonymous with passion and feeling, little more than gratification. I love ice cream. I am in love with my sweetheart. I love chocolate. I just love your shoes. For us in modern times, love has become a fleeting passion or “feel good.” Witness the number of Christian marriages which end in divorce. Think of the number of so-called Christian parents who walk away from their responsibilities to their children. Consider for just a moment, the loss of perseverance in many aspects of our life. What Jesus is talking about in these Great Commandments, however, was something far more permanent, something far more important than good feelings.

     Jesus was talking of a love which more closely resembles commitment than it does passion. The Greeks distinguished between three different types of love, and Matthew chose the selfless love of agape, which could barely be considered as possible in Plato’s Symposium or other such works. Why? Who does not act for their own self-interest? Who does not prefer the tings which feel good? This idea of doing things at cost and no benefit to oneself is as foreign today as it was when Christ walked the earth. Yet consider Jesus’ model. No greater love than this . . .

     Jesus is calling upon God’s people, in particular those students of the torah, to emulate the love discussed in the Old Testament. God, throughout the entirety of the Old Testament, is often described as loving His people. But His love is a unique love. The Old Testament speaks of God’s hesed toward His people. No matter what they do, no matter how they act, God stays committed to His people. Even when He is disciplining His people, God is committed to His people (like a Father chastising properly a wayward child) and working to redeem them. We might say, we should say really, God's love is a covenant love. Yes, God loves His people passionately. But no matter what His people do, God will continue to keep the obligations His love of His people places upon Himself. That's part, I think, of why He uses the descriptions of a marriage to describe His relationship with His people.

     Compare that to the above mentioned way of marriage in this age. Marriage is hard work. Very hard. A number of us here have been through divorces and remarriages. perhaps some of us, or some of our loved ones are in the midst of these break-ups or newfound relationships. We know that there are spousal behaviors which grate upon us. Worse, we know that there are substantive differences – we are, after all, two distinct persons in a marriage. We might find it inconvenient that he leaves the toilet seat up constantly or that she always wants to talk about serious things during the climactic finish to the week’s big sporting event, but those are , in the end, no big deal. No, the real fights begin when we start discussing how the I is to become part of the “we.” The less able we are to make a marriage into a “we”, the harder it becomes to see the point in staying committed to one another. The same lesson can be applied in parenting, at work, and in a number of life’s activities.
     The selfless love which you and I are called to offer to God and to our neighbor, by contrast, continues simply because we view such activities as a commitment. Some couples commit to staying married because, let’s face it, there are times when that lack of commitment would have driven them to divorce. The same is true of parenting. Who like the nagging, the screaming, teenage angst, and the general lip that children sometimes have? We do it, and try to do it well, because we are committed to the relationship. No matter what the child does, we still remain the father or the mother. And we pray we survive those difficult ages, or perhaps, we pray that the kids survive those difficult ages.

     Jesus, in these two great commandments was calling us to that kind of relationship, that kind of love. Knowing that God has acted once and finally to redeem us, how can we ever not love Him? Yet, how many times do we withhold our love and choose, instead, to love ourselves and trust our own efforts? Knowing that He died to save us, how can we ever not reach a helping hand out in love? To be sure, neither of these committed or covenant loves are easy. Too often, the world makes God’s seem like He is anything but a Father in heaven. We begin to seek passion in the arms of lovers, balms to our pains and sufferings in an empty bottle or drug, and validation in our rung on the corporate ladder or the various material goods that we try to possess, rather than seeking to trust and follow and commit ourselves to God. We think we have needs, we think we know the best time and best way for Him to help, and complian bitterly how rarely does He seem to act when we tell Him. Does that still sound like His love? Does that sound like something can draw others to Him?
     And who wants to risk truly loving His neighbor? If we get nothing back, why do it? Never mind the fact that sometimes, the best love one can show, is to say no. Just as a parent tells a child no, hopefully for the child's benefit (don't eat that and spoil your appetite, don't you dare leave the house dressed like that, yes, you must be home by . . . ), you and I are called always to act in the interest of the other. Who wants to tell a young couple that they should not live together even though everyone else is doing it and we don’t want to seem to prudish? How many of us really want to argue with a tax cheat and remind them that God has declared tax cheating stealing? It’s a victimless crime, right? Who really wants to speak the peace of God into a relationship that is about to be severed or about to result in war for fear that we might be considered “Jesus freaks?” It sure is not easy.
     Following God, though, is hard work. He described it as a cross. Let's be honest, the perfect love for Him was the cross. When we undergo that sacramental experience of baptism, we remind ourselves that we have died with Him. We ask God for the grace to bury our selves, the I, in the tomb with Him. And we ask Him to give us His eyes, His ears, and His heart -- we ask Him to give us life. We have, in other words, committed our mind, our will, and our heart to Him and to doing what He wills. Committed love, brothers and sisters, is the love about which Jesus was speaking to the Pharisee. Committed love, brothers and sisters, is the love that God had for you and for me and which ultimately drove Him to the cross for our sakes. Committed love, brothers and sisters, is the only way that you and I can be freed from our bonds. Committed love, brothers and sisters, is the obedient love which leads to true freedom and true joy, both now and for all eternity!
Peace,
Brian†

A half dozen join the fray

2011-10-25T13:09:00.000-05:00

It has been six days since any member of Congress decided to join the fight against Human Trafficking and 10 full days since any members of the House of Representatives got behind the TVPRA! Thank you James Moran, Michael Doyle, Steven LaTourette, Hank Johnson Jr., and John Garamendi for lending your support in the fight against slavery and becoming a co-sponsor of the TVPRA. Not to quibble or anything, those of us engaged in the fight would like to point out that it has been 25 days since the TVPRA expired. That means law enforcement officials have lost the ability (and hammer) to charge perpetrators with harsher, more deserving crimes and that NGOs who work with victims have lost funding. How about doing us all a favor and encourage your co-workers to get to work for a minute and pass this bill! If your Senators are not listed at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:s.1301:# as co-sponsors or your representative is not listed at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR02830: as a co-sponsor, please take a moment to contact them and be the voice of those forgotten.

Guess WHo is coming for dinner . . .

2011-10-21T13:57:00.000-05:00

Our community meal provided another one of those “God moments” which I have come to enjoy. As is our habit at St. Alban’s, I was asking those present what they preferred next month. In years past, they have asked us to avoid turkey because everyone kept bringing turkey. More recently, however, at least with the dip in the economy, turkey for November has been rare at the site. This year, they asked for a real thanksgiving dinner: “you, know, Father, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, the works!” The request by some of the “old guard” of the meal did not set well with some of the newer faces. “Who do you think you are to tell him what to bring?” “Had he not wanted to know, he would not have asked.” All I could do was smile and hope that Thelma had heard the exchange from her position near His throne. But, little did I know, there was still more teaching to come.

Three of the so-called old guard asked me if I had a relationship with a particular pastor. I had known this pastor for almost 4 1/2 years. “Would you mind speaking to him about the quality of the food his church?” For the next few minutes, I heard story after story about how a church was outsourcing its service ministry. A food preparer was being paid by a wealthy church to create a nice meal for the homeless, hobos, and hungry. Knowing this pastor and a few of the members of his church, I have no doubt that this effort was well-intentioned. People are busy. Cooking for up to 135 people takes time. If one has the resources, why not farm it out? Plus, if a restaurant is given the business, they are usually well prepared to create a seamless meal for so many people. Those of us who still do it ourselves often end up with a hodgepodge of food. Even when we try and make the same things, we all have our personal flair to recipes which end up making some items a bit different. The problem, at least as seems to be according to the stories, is that the business tasked with preparing the meal is a bit more concerned with the profit and less concerned about feeding the hungry. The attitude seems to be “Beggars cannot be choosy.” Why was this a great teaching? Let me digress a moment and then I will get to the rest of the story.

I had been at St. Alban’s less than two weeks when the invitations came. In the course of a couple days, Charlie, Robin, and Sue all invited me to go to the Community Meal. Being a new pastor and wanting to get an idea in which ministries the church and the members of the congregation participated, I quickly obliged. It was a well-oil machine. The food was set out buffet style, the bread was buttered, and servers were ready to go. I asked for an “out of the way job” and was handed a gallon of milk by Charlie and told to head into the dining area. I had a blast! People were asking for a drink, for blessings, and for prayer. Talk about an awesome ministry. Plus, I was accompanied by about 14 parishioners, and that didn’t include those who had made or purchased the food and were not there with us to serve. This was Gospel ministry at its best.

Little did I know that my simple willingness to serve and watch would ingratiate me with the spiritual matriarch of the church. 45 years before I arrived (5 years before I was born), Thelma and two friends had noticed the hungry in our community and had decided to do something about it. The Catholic Workers’ House agreed to host a meal that these ladies would prepare. Over time, the ministry grew. It grew both in terms of numbers served and in terms of churches participating. Looking back on the history of the ministry, it is no wonder.

Thelma shared that the ladies wanted to make it a meal. Some places did soup and bread. They wanted a meal. They recognized that the need was so great, more people, preferably more churches, would be needed. What could have been viewed as their personal fiefdom was, instead, thought of as an effort that needed way more help. It was also important to them that the meal be a sit-down meal rather than brown bag or take out. This, as one can imagine, can caused some logistics issues over the years. It is far easier to find places from which to distribute food than to find places where people, perhaps not bathed and a bit unkempt, can sit down and eat.

When I asked Thelma about this last bit, she explained that the ladies had felt they wanted to get to know those whom they intended to help. Giving them a bag of food and sending them on their way kept the process too sanitary. They wanted to hear the stories, to get to know the victims of hunger, so they could maybe help fix some of the root causes. The ministry grew, she explained, and was able to survive attacks by local politicians because the recipients were no long anonymous faces. They were real people with real problems. I should add, as a by note, that Thelma was driven by her encounters to do, or make her beloved husband do, some amazing things for those placed in her path. Can you imagine washing the underwear of the homeless in your community? Thelma (via Norm) did it. Can you imagine helping the homeless in your community get a job? Thelma did it. Can you imagine going to the culverts and abandoned houses and delivering food to those too sick or too afraid to come to the meal site? They did it. Can you imagine taking individuals from your homeless community to the doctor and paying for the visit because you feared they had tuberculosis, pneumonia, or some other serious ailment? They did it. Theologically speaking, Thelma’s ministry was a restoration of dignity. Those ladies that gathered together with that new idea in the 1960’s understood, even if they could not articulate, that part of our job as Christians is to remind people whose image they bear. Said more simply, she simply tried to remind them of the dignity with which they were created and of the Father who loved them deeply.
Fast forward more than fifty years. Homeless people were speaking up and asking someone to speak gently about the food being served. While the new faces were telling them they had no right to criticize the food, the old guard was saying “yes we do. Like them, we are children of God and ought not be expected to eat garbage. If they are His children, they should be making or buying real food.” It sounds a bit ungrateful to the ears of some, but the man who runs they shelter says this particular third party food is by far the worst that they eat. But is it ungrateful for the hungry to call those blessed with food in abundance to account? I think not.

As disciples of Christ you and I are called to be good stewards of whatever resources He gives us. We are also called to love our neighbors as ourselves. And we are to remember that when we clothe the poor or feed the hungry, we have clothed and fed Him. As it turns out, this other church simply was not doing quality control. Nobody there was tasting the food (they were making sure every bite was available for the hungry). Now that they know what is going on, I am sure the quality will improve or the contract will be cancelled. But how many of us, when we are serving the hungry the few times that we do it settle for “that’s good enough?” How many of us cut corners when fixing food for the hungry? How many of us serve food that we would not serve our families , let alone our Lord were He to join us for a meal? And how many reading this brief summary of a Wednesday night’s meal thought that the homeless were ungrateful to criticize the food? How dare they? In our faith tradition, the Eucharist becomes that “pledge” which reminds us of the bridal feast to which He calls us. In our ministry, the food that we serve at meals can serve the same purpose. Our meals, done right, can serve as moments of hope for the hopeless and as a reminder of the love with which our God holds them. IF WE REMEMBER HIS CALL AND IF WE REMEMBER IT IS HIM WHO WE SERVE IN THE FACES OF THOSE PRESENT. So, what are you making for your next effort to feed the hungry in your midst? Do you think He would like it? Or would He look at you with those knowing eyes and wonder why you settled for good enough knowing that the King was present?
Peace,
Brian†

One at a time . . .

2011-10-19T08:53:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Jeff Merkley, for becoming a co-sponsor of the TVPRA. That brings the Senate to 28!

More movement in the Senate

2011-10-18T10:25:00.000-05:00

Senators Robert Casey, Jr., Al Franken, and Rob Portman became co-sponsors of the TVPRA yesterday. Their participation now means that fully 27 US Senators are co-sponsoring the Federal Government's best weapon and support in the fight against slavery. That means that more than 1/4 of the US Senate is now sponsoring the bill -- that's almost triple the number where this began at the end of September when Congress allowed the 2008 TVPRA to lapse. So keep those phone calls and e-mails going!

With so many Senators participating, however, I decided it was time to take a look at who was helping and a look at who is absent. Interestingly, both senators from the great states of Massachusets, California, Minnesota, Florida, Ohio, and New York have become co-sponsors of the Federal Government's best weapon and best support in the fight to end human slavery. The Library of Congress, unfortunately, does not break the sponsors' names down by political party, but maybe blog readers can comment on whether the effort has crossed party lines in the Senate as it has in the House. Certainly, each of those states mentioned has been touched by slavery cases which made national headlines, so their senators' support in this fight is understandable.

But that got me to thinking: who is missing that should not be missing? In other words, what senators are ignoring those high profile cases which have occurred in the cities and towns of their constituents. Naturally, given that I live in Iowa, I am very disappointed that neither Senator Harkin nor Senator Grassley has chosen to support the law. I suppose our esteemed senators are simply unaware of the US vs. Bowie case, which originated in Cedar Rapids and was one of the earliest successful prosecutions in the United States with respect to modern day slavery. Then I got to thinking a bit more (always dangerous). Both Senator Harkin and Senator Grassley must never have heard of what happened here in the QCA with the Eagles' warehouse, must not be familiar with the Williamsburg Sex Ring, must have overlooked the Leonard Ray Russell case in Denison, and must have not noticed the husband and wife in Decorah who held girls captive for sex, the sex slaves in Council Bluffs, and even those that had been enslaved in Postville. Of course, with so many successful prosecution in so many different parts of the state, one can begin to wonder what exactly the two are doing to help eliminate human slavery if these cases have gone unnoticed by them or their staffers. With so many successful prosecutions under either the Iowa law against Human Trafficking or the TVPRA (depending upon the case), one would think that both would find the time to join us in the fight. But, maybe they think these cases eliminated slavery in its entirety in Iowa.

Of course, the Iowa delegation is not the only one acting in a confusing manner. Neither Senator from South Carolina has chosen to join this fight. I mention the oddity of that fact simply because of the case of Miguel Flores and infamous "Red Camp" located near Manning. Though the case was finally prosecuted in October 1996, authorities had been aware of some of the atrocities since at least 1993. For almost 4 years, the case languished as prosecutor after prosecutor was assigned to the case. Though, once the facts became known by the mid 90's, these camps were located in SC, GA, and FL and housed between 400-500 slaves, the government was painfully slow to act. Witness interviews were scheduled at times convenient only for the prosecutors who, get this, were surprised the slaves could not always get free to come in when the appointments were scheduled. When the defendants in the case finally pled guilty in the spring of 1997 to various charges, the case was acknowledged nationally as the largest contemporary case of Agricultural slavery in the three decades leading up. Maybe the senators from SC think that the successful prosecution eliminated all human trafficking from SC and so they do not need to be bothered.

Also conspicuous by their absence are the senators from New Jersey. Although there have been other cases, the Hondoran sex ring that was busted in late summer of 2006 comes to mind. This ring was infamous in the number of minor girls that were brought to Hudson County and for the conditions in which the slaves were expected to work and to live. Luckily for the sisters who were trafficking the Hondoran girls, they found a prosecutor that allowed them to plead guilty to charges of harboring and smuggling illegal aliens, forced labor, and conspiracy. Had they been prosecuted under the TVPRA, the penalties would have been far more severe. Bad timing for the criminals, I suppose. Had they been busted in the past 18 days, the prosecutors couldn't even threaten some of the TVPRA penalties because Congress has allowed the law to lapse!

Other states' senators are completely missing from the list of co-sponsors of the TVPRA. Maybe Alaska's senators have forgotten about the Chugiak man who brought Russian women and girls into the country and forced them to dance nude at a local strip club. But where are Texas' senators? West Virginia's? Virginia's? Oklahoma's? The list could go on. As of today, October 18, only 19 states have senators committed to fighting slavery. Have yours joined the fight? Or do they choose to let slavery thrive in your communities?

Peace,
Brian†

Whose image are you?

2011-10-17T22:52:00.000-05:00

Continuing our journey through the events of Holy Week in Matthew’s Gospel, we find ourselves this week in on the plot of the Pharisees and the Herodians. Remember, Jesus has taught in three parables, condemning the Pharisees and all the religious elite of the day for their efforts at self-aggrandizement and their unwillingness to follow God. So, during these confrontations, the Pharisees apparently leave to plot against Jesus. Remember, too, the tensions created by the Palm Sunday entrance of Jesus. The people praised Him upon His entry and seem ready at a moment’s notice to make Him king. The political establishment knows far too well what happens if Jesus plays out this string. Rome will send in its armies. Many heads will roll. What power and influence they enjoy will be destroyed. Amazingly, these two groups seem to have hated each other through history, but, in recognition of the threat posed by this carpenter turned rabbi from Nazareth, both unite to trick Him into either committing treason against the emperor or upsetting the populace, His base of support.

Of course, the Pharisees are not stupid. They know that the game they are playing is dangerous. They know that if Jesus takes offense at them, their power is precarious. Jesus has healed all who have come to Him this week. His powers are renowned throughout a large portion of Israel. All He has to do is give the word, and they could be tossed out or worse. So they send in their students. It is a crafty ploy. If Jesus takes offense, they can apologize for the unbridled enthusiasm of their youth. They can promise to better instruct their students and end the threat against themselves. If, on the other hand, Jesus gives them one of their hoped-for answers, they can remove Him as a threat. It is a diabolical plan.

So, the two groups come to Jesus and ask Him whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Bubbling behind this question is a long forgotten controversy. Although you and I might not be able to relate with respect to the question, it was very important at the time when Jesus walked the earth. Believe it or not, people fought about taxes, a lot. Some groups argued that taxes were too high or should never be paid because to pay them was an affront to God. Similarly, some groups argued that the people enjoyed the benefits of the Empire and that taxes were necessary for all to enjoy the basics such as good roads, good bath houses, strong defense, and the like. It was a hotly disputed question, very much different from our own – yes, that’s right, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Although, all kidding aside, some researches claim that nearly half of all income in Israel at this time went to pay taxes. Think of that for a second. Half of your money going to taxes—can you imagine how mad you would be?

The hope behind the question is that Jesus will be forced to answer one of two ways. If He says that they should not pay taxes, the Pharisees can go to the Roman authorities and claim that Jesus is committing treason be encouraging people not to pay taxes. If, on the other hand, Jesus says to pay the tax, the people will begin to turn on Him. Imagine yourself of average means. Half of your money goes to pay your taxes to Caesar, to the Temple, and to the local authority. And did I mention that extortion was rampant? How would you feel about taxes? Their hope is that if Jesus says the tax is legal, whatever goodwill He has generated will begin to dissipate as fog on the morning sun.

And just so we understand how crafty the question, look at how they introduce the question. They call Him rabbi, a sign of respect. The talk about His lack of partiality and His unwavering commitment to teach the truth. Talk about buttering Him up!

Yet, Jesus sees through their plot and their deception. He brazenly accuses them of doing what they really are doing. But, rather than yelling at them, He takes control of the conversation. He asks them to show Him a coin. Someone obliges Him. If you have ever seen coins from this point in history, you know what they show Him. On one side of the coin would be the profile of Caesar. On the opposite side of the coin would be the goddess, Pax (peace), and the words “High Priest.” Around the edge of the coin, at this time, would be the words, “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus.” Naturally, the conspirators answer, “Caesar’s.” And Jesus gives the wonderful answer that we should give to Caesar those things that belong to Caesar and the things to God that belong to God. It is a remarkable answer, one totally unexpected in the minds of the conspirators.

Jesus’ answer testifies to the fact that He is not a threat to the current political order. Yes, the Kingdom He is advancing is revolutionary. His kingdom will, however, be forced to operate within the current world, including the various political and economic orders, until His return in glory. Better still, the citizens of His kingdom, will have obligations to the authorities in charge in this world. Paul and Peter will both remind Christians that we have these obligations and that we are to submit to them, even as we understand that such obligations will one day fade into non-existence. Finally, while Caesar is concerned with and owed trivial things such as denarius, God is more concerned, and owed, everything. Just as Caesar’s image is imprinted upon the coins, God’s image is imprinted upon us. Subtly, Jesus’ answer harkens back to Genesis. The Pharisees-in-training certainly understand this. If we are “minted” in His image, then we owe Him everything. Even more profound, knowing that He has given us stewardship over the things that He has given us, we are required to offer up the entirety of our lives and our goods to God. No doubt this answer, when given in testimony to Pilate in a couple days hence, will help Pilate to understand that the charges about Jesus being an insurrectionist are untrue.

Though the answer is simple, its application seems anything but. How often do we hear of “Christians” cheating on their taxes? How often do we, as Christians, fail to give everything in joyful service to God? How often do we forget that it was in His image that we were created? How often do we carve out areas in our lives which we think are sacred or more important to God and then spend time and effort and energy trying to fix for ourselves the things we think are beneath His notice? We might trust Him with our eternal souls, but do we trust Him with everything we are and everything we have? Brothers and sisters, one of the amazing truths of the Gospel is the way in which you, and I, and everyone whom we meet was wondrously and gloriously made! Jesus remarks about the fact that God knows every hair on our head, He knows us so well. Yet we partition off part of our lives as “belonging to us” when, in reality, it should all belong to God. Jesus’ words ought to cause us multiple times each day to examine our loyalties and to prioritize them, not as seems good or best to us, but as He has already revealed to us. Our value to Him is incalculable—He has demonstrated that on the cross. His power to redeem all in our lives is sure – He has demonstrated that through His victory over death with the empty tomb. What will you give Him this day? That which He asks, or only that which you are willing to give up?

Peace,

Brian†

Drips of waters remove granite -- it just takes too long for victims' sake

2011-10-17T10:34:00.004-05:00

We added Janice Schakowsky as a House co-sponsor late Friday for the TVPRA 2011. Thank you, Rep. Schakowsky for joining the fight. Now, let's get the bill passed and continue the fight to end human slavery!

Peace,
Brian†

The finish line is in sight!

2011-10-14T07:48:00.000-05:00

Three more members of the Senate, Richard Durbin, Bill Nelson, and Debbie Stabenow, joined as co-sponsors of the Senate version of the TVPRA, bringing the total number of Senators to 24! Better still, the bill was placed on the legislative calendar. The finish line is in site, but there a bit more to go. Keep nagging your senator if he or she is is one of the 76 Senators who, for reasons unknown, have chosen to ignore the problem of slavery in our age! Those in Iowa reading this or hearing about it might well ask both our senators and all 5 of our Representatives why they ignore this problem, despite the court record which demonstrates the need for the TVPRA.

Peace,
Brian†

6 more members of Congress join the fight!

2011-10-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

Thank you Sanford Bishop, Jr., Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Jay Inselee in the US House of Representatives and Johnny Isakson, Any Klobuchar, and Kay Hagan in the US Senate for joining us in the fight to end slavery in America and around the world through the sponsorship of the TVPRA. Although the temptation for politicians to do nothing (see the Iowa delegation for a disturbing inactivity despite the numbers of convictions in our state) weighs heavy on many politicians, as the bill now seems poised to be re-authorized within days, these six individuals are taking no chances. They are lending their support to help get the bill to the President's desk, so that we can get back to the important work of identifying and helping those enslaved around us.

It is still not too late. If your Senators or Representatives still are not behind this bill, contact them and let them know that you are watching . . . and voting in the next election.

Peace,
Brian†

What's your attire?

2011-10-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

     Our Gospel lesson from Matthew this week would have shocked Jesus' listeners. To remind you where we are in Matthew's narrative, this is during Holy Week. Jesus has rode in on the donkey to the acclaim of the people. Jesus has turned over the tables of the money changers and driven out all the vendors from the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus has healed those who have come to Him. And He has been teaching in parables. The religious elite in Jerusalem want to silence Him. The people clearly adore Jesus. Their honoring of Him with palms and shouts of "Hosanna" and His willingness to accept such adoration is dangerous to them. They have worked out an uneasy truce with the Roman occupiers, a truce dependent upon their ability to keep the peace. Jesus, to them, is clearly dangerous not just to the power and way of life, but to their very lives. So they have accosted Jesus and asked Him, essentially, why a nobody carpenter from a backwater town would ever presume to speak to them or about them in this fashion.

     Jesus follws these questions with a series of parable about God's judgment of the religious elite. We have explored them the past two weeks in the parable of the two sons and the parable of the wicked tenants. Given those two parables, it is no wonder that in a few days, the religious establishment will conspire to put Jesus to death. But Jesus is not finished. He follows up the first two parables with another, transitional, parable. I say transitional because Jesus is moving from His condemnation of the religious elite to the final instructions for His disciples and the crowds.

     But in this parable, Jesus tells the story of a king who plans a wedding feast for his son. Thankfully, we are coming off a royalty wedding which might help us understand a bit of significance. How many of us, independent Americans, made time to watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate? We who are heirs of those who through off the oppressive English basically became British citizens again. We could not get enough information or camera angles. What a dress? Look at his uniform! Look at the trees in Westminister. Doesn't the queen look good? I wish I could ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Who designed that dress? That hat? On and on we were mesmerized by the event. How many of us would have loved to have received an invitation? How many weddings have tried to copy things seen in the royal wedding? That is the kind of affair which Jesus is describing in the parable. Weddings were huge events in the ANE, anyway. But now the king is throwing one for his son! Who would not want to go?

     But, apparently, many of the important invitees forgot about the feast or just do not care. Maybe the kids knocked the invitation off the refrigerator, maybe the invitation was lost in the mail -- for some reason the people do not come to a wedding to which everyone would want an invitation. So, once again the king send his slaves to remind them of the event and its opulence. The feast is ready -- the oxen and calves have been slaughtered. The wine is exquisite. Hurry!

     In the parable, those who are reminded of this invitation simply ignore it. Though it would have been unthinkable to his audience, the invitees are concerned about their businesses or their farms. Some are apparently annoyed at being asked again and decide to mistreat or even kill the messenger-slaves. Naturally, as the people hearing this parable would expect, the king is enraged. He has been dishonored! Not only have the people ignored the wedding feast, but they have mistreated His personal envoys. Can you imagine the audacity of doing that to Queen Elizabeth in this day and age? How much more powerful were kings in those days!

     So the king kills all those who dishonored him and burned their city. Nothing is left. So who will share in the feast? The king sends slaves out once again and tells them to invite everyone they find to the feast. Fortunately, the slaves find enough people, both good and bad. That is not surprising. Imagine had the aristocracy of Britain blown off William & Kate's wedding. Given the sheer numbers of those lining the streets and outside Westminster and those watching at home on the telly, I'm thinking she could have filled her hall on short notice as well. The wedding hall is stuffed with guests.

     Understand, of course, the implication. As we have talked about repeatedly, wedding feasts were events. Wedding feasts were times of great celebration and hope. I know we don't have much of a dress code in the United States nowadays, but that has not always been the case. There was a time when air travel or church meant that one dressed up. There was a time when dark blue or black was the attire of funerals. There was a time when one never wore white shoes in the time between Labor Day and Memorial Day. There was a time when parties were held and women showed up in evening gowns and men in their dashing tuxes and suits. It was like that in the ANE.  The crowds and disciples and religious elite knew that one always wore ones best to weddings. And to a kings wedding--why that would necessitate the finest clothes one could possibly afford.

     Of course, the king comes down to the hall, sees the hall packed, but then notices one man dressed casually. Everyone else has understood the significance of the event and of the one hosting the event. They have taken the time to wear their best wedding robe. This poor chap has decided that neither the event nor the host was worth putting on his best. He has come as he wanted, not dressed for the ocassion. I am sure that some of us sitting here may want to excuse his behavior. Maybe the man was poor? Maybe he did not have the money to buy new clothes. Keep in mind the rest of those present, the good and the bad. In Jesus parable it is clear that people are there from all walks of life. Those respected and not, those wealthy and not, those in honorable professions and not--they have all shown up properly dressed. All but the one man. The implication is, naturally, he has the clothes available. Had he been to poor to buy a wedding garment, he would have had an answer. Had he been working in the fields and rushed so as not to offend the king, he would have had an answer. Yet, standing before the king, he has no answer.

     Amazingly, the king approaches him and addresses him as "friend." This would have shocked the crowds within hearing of Jesus' voice. Those closest to thrown have already rejected the invitation. Many have been killed. The man addressed in the parable does not even have a name. Yet the king addresses him familiarly. Unfortunately for the man dressed inappropriately for the wedding, he has no words for his king. He has committed a terrible breach of etiquette. He has insulted and dishonored the king.

     Predictably, the king has the man trussed and tossed out into the darkness. The man has not responded to the gracious invitation of his king as he should have. So the king judges and rewards him for his behavior. While everyone else will be enjoying the feast and all its spectacles, this man will be thrown out. And the king observes that all are invited while few are chosen. The king, of course, has the perspective of knowing that all have been invited and that some have rejected the invitation. Yes, I know that our translators chose many for the Greek word polloi, but the Greek word without its article usually stands for the word "all" or "everyone." People from all walks of life received the invitation to this feast. Initially, only the aristocracy or the powerful rejected the invitation, but even the regular "good" and "bad" people have been called to respond. At least one invited guest is judged for rejecting the invitation and judged for that rejection.

     How the parable applies to real life is not too hard to see. The king is our Father in heaven. Amazingly, He is preparing a wedding feast for His Son. Those initially invited--Israel. The slaves and servants sent -- His prophets who have called His people to prepare for His invitation. Those invited in lieu of the rejection by God's people -- the Gentiles, those viewed as both good and bad by His people. The robe? Why many of us can easily see that it is the righteousness imputed to us by Christ. But what of the man who refused to wear the wedding robe? Who is he?

     Truthfully, we might be tempted to consider him to represent Judas. Certainly Judas heard the invitation and seemingly accepted it, only in the end to betray His Lord. It sort of fits. But look again. How are people in this story judged? The king judges them individually based upon their response to His gracious invitation. To those who should have been invited to the wedding, he gives multiple chances. But he also shows graciousness to those who had no expectation of entry to the feast. Buried within each response, of course, is the idea of personal accountability. Both the initially chosen and those invited last minute have the identical invitation. Each can choose to accept the invitation and honor the king. Or each can reject it and worry about the things they think are more important. The choice is theirs. But so is His judgment.

     Brothers and sisters, one of the important lessons of this parable is personal accountability. Each person, the polloi in the story, are invited to the king's feast in honor of his son's wedding. Each has a response to that invitation. Those who accept the invitation and embrace it, wear the appropriate clothing, are invited into an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime event. Those who reject it, whether by rejecting the invitation outright or by ignoring what must be worn, are culpable for their hardened response.

     One of the great blessings of the Gospel and, perhaps, also one of its most terrifying aspects is the fact that we are each accountable for our heart's response. Our invitation to the feast does not depend upon our relative importance in this life. Our invitation does not depend upon a lottery, or our profession, or who we know, or whether our family is good or bad. Our invitation does not depend upon our illnesses, our infirmities, or even whether we are, when we receive it, good or bad. It is dependent entirely upon God's grace, a grace that causes Him to extend the invitation to all. Our contribution to this feast is minimal. He asks us to bring no gifts. He asks us only to dress appropriately, in holiness and righteousness. Unfortunately for us, were we left to our own devices, our clothing would not be suitable for the ocassion. And so, while we were yet bad and stinky and unworthy of such an invitation, He sent His Son to clothe us. And through His blood, you and I are cleansed and made worthy to stand before our King, our friend.

     And yet, the man with no robe ought to remind us of the seriousness of the decision. If we show up at the party but forget to robe ourselves properly, He will still hold us accountable. Like those who have rejected the invitation out of hand, neither are we allowed in if we do not respond from our hearts as called. All He demands for entry is a repentant heart and an acceptance of His Son's offer to lead us in this life and all eternity. It seems so simple, and yet it can seem too hard. Trying to enter the party without the demanded attire is, in the end, no different to our Father in heaven that rejecting the invitation in the beginning. So, whose robe are you wearing as you stand reading to enter into His house? Clothes of your own fashioning or the fashioning of some other tailor? Or are you bathing yourself in the righteousness afford by His Son, and clothing yourself in His righteousness. In the end, only one answer enjoys the happy ending and the blessing of our King. Which do you choose?

Peace,
Brian†

Now where have I heard this story before?

2011-10-10T11:05:00.002-05:00

     Our reading from Exodus is very well known. While Moses was up on the mountain getting the torah from God, the people of Israel rebelled. What is worse, the rebellion seems awfully quick in our minds. Not too long ago, God delivered Israel and destroyed the chariots of Pharaoh. Heck, in the verses right before our reading this week, God is sharing the instructions of the tabernacle. How in the world do we go from such heights of deliverance by and communion with God to such sinful behavior so quickly?

     One of the problems that we face when confronting our reading this week is that it is cut off from the rest of its narrative. In truth, the story that we read this week belongs in an extended section that includes all of chapter 32, chapter 33, and chapter 34. Those three chapters, in an amazing way, teach us about rebellion, mediation, and restoration. And when we think of the reading in the context of that story, we perhaps get a better insight as to the questions of how and why Israel did what it did.

     For starters, Moses, at least until this point in the story, has been the only source of contact with God, and he has failed to return. So they come to Aaron with the request to make a golden calf. To be sure, what they did was wrong. God will punish them for their sin. In fact, they will be forced to drink from the gall of their sin and be killed. But what is their sin? You and I might quickly be tempted to say “the creation of the calf.” But the creation of the calf is not as wild an idea in their context as it might seem to us. Calves and bulls were thought to be pedestals for the gods they represented. In other words, it is likely that Israel did not picture God in their mind as a calf or bull; rather, they probably thought that the calf drew God closer to them. Certainly, the text seems clear that they understand that God delivered them. Further, the day of celebration after Aaron complete the calf is dedicated to God. Perhaps the fact that the calf is made from gold suggests that they thought the calf like the ark, a way to stay connected even better with Yahweh, because the calf enthrones Him and associates Him with them, as if God was not always with them and did not always hear them. What they have done is to violate the second commandment, not the first.

     God, of course, is enraged, and rightfully so. Though He is meeting with Moses, He is fully aware of what the people are doing. Time and time again they have questioned God. What will we eat? Can't we get something better than manna? How will we ever escape Pharoah? He tells Moses that He will destroy them all and create His nation from the offspring of Moses. Technically, of course, the covenant with Abraham is still enforced by God. Moses was a descendant of Abraham; so, were God to execute His judgement and "start over" with Moses, He would still be keeping His word to Abraham. Thankfully, Moses steps into the breach. He intercedes on behalf of Israel and asks God to remember His promise (as if He could forget) and to remember His glory. If Israel is destroyed by God, the Egyptians and the rest of the world will not be in awe of Him. Instead, they will point to the fact that God needed to lead His people into the wilderness to die because of a shortage of graves in Egypt. In a world which believed that the order on Earth represented the outcome of the spiritual battles in heaven, such an idea makes sense. Moses is telling God that Egypt and others will draw from the destruction of Israel the idea that Yahweh had lost to Ra. Moses’ plea, of course, is successful. God relents of the total destruction of Israel, which would have been righteous judgment, and sends Moses back down the mountain, where Moses, we might say, does not take his own advice.

     What follows, though riddled with many deaths, is eventually a good story. God’s people are eventually restored. Though their rebellion merited death, the mediation of one individual and the grace of God allows for restoration of God's people. Perhaps that is a story that sounds familiar to you? It should.

     The truth is, this story in its redemptive arc, ought to give us hope. Too often you and I encounter people who think, by reason of their particular situation or sin, that they cannot possibly be loved by God. Maybe we even think it about ourselves. So many people keep buried, hidden from view, those sins which make them unlovable in their own eyes and, in their view, in God’s. Yet think on our story this week. The predominating sin was a question of trust: was God with them? Clearly, they were worried. Certainly their motivations were understandable. Yet their actions and behavior testified to the fact that they believed Him no longer with them--they could not trust Him. Though He had promised and kept the covenant, in amazing ways culminating in the experience of the Red Sea, they felt the need to take matters into their own hands. Perhaps, in that way, they are not so different from us. Though we live this side of the cross and empty tomb, how often are we or people we know seduced by the Enemy’s suggestion that we are not worth of God’s love nor His redemption? How often are we drawn to "earn" our way onto God's good side by performing those good works mentioned in our collect this week? And how often do we and others despair when we come to the realization that we can never balance our sins.

     It is precisely then, brothers and sisters, that the hope and the promise of the Gospel ought to come shining forth in our lives and in our hearts. When we get to that level, when we begin to understand our failings in all honesty and all humility, that is when we really allow God to go to work on us. It is only then that we can begin to realize the love that God has for each one of us and for all those whom we encounter in our lives and in our works. Often, as Christians, we focus on the cross and the fact that Jesus died for us. But how often do we focus on the fact that He did all that knowing your and my secret sins, those things we hide from one another and the world? Think of the love He must have for each one of us. He knew us better than anyone, and still He thought each one of us, and everyone else, worth saving. If your reflection of that simply truth, brothers and sisters, does not drive you to shed a tear or two in joyful thanksgiving, there is something wrong with your heart.

     Brothers and sisters, this story written some three millenia ago really is for us. So often we judge our failures and our sins in our own eyes and in our own hearts, forgetting that amazing work which He has done for us, despite knowing us intimately, the good and the bad. But such is His grace that there nothing in our past or future cannot be repented of, and such is His power that nothing cannot be accomplished for His glory! From time to time, that is a truth worth remembering and always a hope and joy worth sharing!

Peace,

Brian†

We can move mountains . . . and even Congress!

2011-10-06T14:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday ended up being a tipping point in this year's efforts to get the TVPRA renewed. After sitting on its rear-end for the past several weeks and even allowing the previous law to expire last Friday, Congress got moving thanks to calls and e-mails of its citizens. Unexpectedly, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs added the bill to its docket and passed it unanimously! Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen specifically thanked all those "who took this unseen issue and made it a top priority." Better still, the chairman stated "I am committed to move this bill forward.

While that was happening, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary announced it would take up the bill today. The hope is that the full House will vote today, the full Senate tomorrow, and that the President will sign it no later than Monday!
On top of all that, 6 more Representatives joined us in the fight against Human Trafficking by becoming co-sponsors of the bill. Thank you Marcia Fudge, Bob Filner, Bill Johnson, Ted Poe, Peter Welch, and Brad Sherman for lending your support in so visible a way! And thank you all who lobbied your Congressional delegation to make this happen!

Peace,
Brian†

Thank you, Senator Heller!

2011-10-05T09:26:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Dean Heller, a senator from NV, for joining us in the fight against slavery yesterday. We are up to 18 co-sponsors in the Senate! Unfortunately, it has now been 5 days since the TVPRA expired. How many more people have been enslaved? How many victims are not receiving the care we promised? How much longer must their cries go up?

Peace,
Brian†

Have you fallen on the Capstone or is it falling on you?

2011-10-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

For the second time in the last six chapters, Matthew has recorded a terrible judgment by His master on the religious elite. In chapter 16, Matthew records that after denying the Pharisees and Sadducees their sought-after sign, Jesus left them and went away. Seemingly, His offer of grace and repentance has run its course with those He knows to be hard-hearted to His call. Similarly, after the parable of the Wicked Tenants, Jesus pronounces terrible judgment on the elite once again, even as He acknowledges what they are about to do. Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Wow! Jesus has just told the religious leaders that the honor, power, prestige, and hope that were, by right of birth, open to them, will be taken away and given to others. The very people who had been charged with pastoring God’s people will not inherit it because they have not produced the fruit demanded by Yahweh. Can there be a more tragic and fearful judgment?

Make no mistake, the chief priests and the Pharisees knew that Jesus was talking about them. Matthew makes that clear. But so afraid of losing power, so afraid of the very people to whom they were charged with pastoring were the religious leaders of the day, they were unable to protect that which they valued, wrongly, more than anything in the world.

I mention this “taking away” as a warning to us all. As many of you know, I had a few extended conversations with the founder of Angel Food during last year’s holidays. This passage was one of those that popped into my head as we were talking. What had started out as a wonderful ministry, a ministry which sought to help stretch peoples’ grocery dollars, had morphed into something else. This wonderful ministry had become an opportunity for entitlement and enrichment. A ministry which was based upon looking the needy in the eye, getting to know them by name and face, and feeding them in Christ’s name, decided it needed a private jet to avoid the crowds. A ministry which sought to stretch dollars as far as possible, found itself paying incredible amounts to its officers, who were, as many of us here know, often unreachable. A ministry which had sought to speak God's grace into a world that had become so skeptical of religious leaders that many participants expected a rip off a some point, was, at its winding down, choosing to keep its officers enriched at the expense of those food stamp families who could least afford the ripoff. And the fact that God was taking this away from those whom He had gifted was plain for all to see, except those blinded by what they had forgotten.

Despite the worst economic climate since the Great Depression, the national numbers of the ministry continued to fall. Nationally, they experienced what we experienced locally. As we were falling from 250 families served a month down into the 80’s and 90’s each month, the national ministry fell from over 700k families served to under 200k each month. Was the quality bad? No. Was the value terrible? No. Then why the decrease? In the midst of the worst economy in many of our lives, the ministry dried up. As the need was increasing, the ministry was decreasing. Therefore I tell you that thekingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

Brothers and sisters, even today God is at work in the midst of us and the world. Where people are doing His work, often against all odds and expectation, He often blesses, but the converse is true. If we, as His chosen people, forsake our inheritance, He will take it away and give it to others who will produce fruit. And just as His blessing will glorify Him, so will His removal of those same blessings also serve Him.

What do I mean by that? Think of what has happened. Despite the economy and despite the need, the ministry collapsed. Look at the benefits of those low numbers. How many of us had people tell us that it was now ok for us to steal their money? They came into the ministry expecting us to steal from them eventually. Once the amount of food they received was greater than what they ordered, they even bothered to tell us that it was ok if we stole their money because they were ahead. Because we saw the warning signs, not a one was ripped off. No one lost any money. Could that have happened at its height?

Or consider the financial allegations. The ministry was founded to serve and we were committed to serving those most in need, those who have to choose between food and other essentials. Time and time again, the cost of the food increased because of "transportation" costs. Diesel is up, so is the cost of food. To be sure, most of the units were good values, but was the increase necessary? During the period when we served as a host site, the four officers' salaries went from around a combined $200,000 to somewhere in the neighborhood of an estimated $2.2 million combined last year. And did I mention the $1.1 million loan the family took out against the ministry? How about the allegation that the family may have been using a nonprofit business to funnel revenues and income to an insider controlled for profit business? In some ways, outsiders might rightfully argue that those leading this ministry enriched themselves on the backs of those who could least afford the cost. Yet, thanks to the decline in the ministry, how few are the number of people who have heard of the seeming failures compared to how many it could have been!

Now, while it may sound negative to our ears, this taking away, listen to the rest of His judgment. He will give it to those who will produce fruit. What was taken away from the Jewish religious establishment some two thousand years ago was given to fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes and Gentiles like you and me. Why? Because of our fruit, the fruit of repentance.

When wrapping up His teaching against the priests and Pharisees, Jesus reminds us that there are only two responses to the Gospel. Either we fall on it and are broken, or it falls on us and crushes us. And it is precisely when we are totally broken that He goes to amazing work in and through us! Just when we seem most unworthy, when we realize our utter incapacity to save ourselves, He reaches in, circumcises out heart, and sends us out into the fields to plant, to nourish, and bear fruit of that understanding. Thankfully and mercifully, He gives us a choice. Will we serve Him and all those whom we meet in His Name, or will we serve ourselves and find ourselves, at the end, crushed by His judgment? Better still, when we choose unwisely, and find that stone falling upon us, all He demands is that we repent. He has already paid the price for our failure on Calvary. It is not as if the religious leaders had no hope. At some point during what you and I call Holy Week, some of these leaders had to wonder. He knew what they were doing in secret and talked about it openly. He faced their plotting and scheming like a lamb led to the slaughter. And then, when the “problem” His teaching and authority seemed to have been buried in the tomb with His death, the Lord did something marvelous! He raised Him to new life and offered that life and His Spirit to all who would be broken by Christ’s work and ministry to us!

Brothers and sisters, to what ministry is He calling you? Late at night when you cannot sleep or during the days when you would rather be doing something far more significant than whatever it is you are doing, to what ministry is He calling you? What ministry has He prepared for you, that His name might be glorified? To whom is He sending you? Will you answer that call and allow yourself to be used to grow His kingdom? Or will you fight it, and risk the judgment of the priests and Pharisees? He has given us each the opportunity to choose? How do you answer Him?

Peace,

Brian†

Add one more voice to the fight . . .

2011-10-04T10:35:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Barbara Mikulski, for lending your support to the passage of the TVPRA in the Senate! S.1301 now enjoys 17 co-sponsors and H.R.2830 has 21! If your Senators are not on the list at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:SN01301:@@@P# or your Representative is not on the list at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR02830:@@@P# , please take a moment and call or e-mail him or her and ask them to help stamp out slavery once and for all!

Peace,
Brian†

Senators join the fight against slavery . . .

2011-10-03T09:19:00.000-05:00

Although thousands of people were abandoned by the inaction of our Congress last Friday, and hope has been allowed to expire for somewhere between 27 and 41 million people around the world, some Senators from around the country committed to helping in the fight against Human Trafficking. To be fair, a couple were co-sponsors before last week's effort to get pressure Congress to pass the TVPRA through Social media, but your phone calls and e-mails encouraged them to make sure their names were added to the list of those fighting human slavery. Thank you to Daniel Akaka, Richard Burr, Mary Landrieu, Mark Udall, and Ron Wyden for lending your support to the passage of the 2011 TVPRA. And thank you to everyone who has posted the inaction and what to do on Facebook, Twitter, blogs or shared with friends, co-workers, and family face to face. You hard work last week cause 16 members of Congress to join the fight. Still, the bill languishes in Congress, so we have more work to do! If your Representative or Senator is not listed as a co-sponsor, ask them why! Let them know how you feel and that you will be sharing with your friends and family your feelings about their lack of support. Maybe your grass roots effort can help get elected people who remember that this is the land of the free!
Christ's Peace,
Brian†

Circumcized hearts can conquer inertia and open eyes

2011-09-30T14:33:00.000-05:00

After Tuesday's phone calls and e-mails, I started trying to get the word out that the anti-human slavery act, known in Congress as the William Wilberforce Trafficked Victims Protection Re-authorization Act (S.1301 & H.R.2830), was languishing in Congress. Thanks to some quick responses from people in parts of the Episcopal Church (Julianne, Ellen, Rebecca, Lynette) and from those in other churches (Bryan, Kris, and a couple I never got their names in the SE) and other organizations, the word is getting out. Better still, the phone calls and e-mails are having an impact in the US House. This week alone, 11 members of the House have signed on as co-sponsors of the TVPRA! Thank you Keith Ellison, Barney Frank, Randy Hultgren, Carolyn Maloney, Jim McDermott, Mike McIntyre, Mike Pence, Jean Schmidt, James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Louise McIntosh Slaughter, and Nydia Velazquez for joining us in this important fight and more than doubling the number of sponsors in one day.
Unfortunately, neither the House nor the Senate has brought the measure to a vote, so the Act will expire tonight at midnight Eastern. For those of us in Iowa, especially, still no elected member of Congress has chose to lend their name as a co-sponsor of the anti-slavery effort. Please continue to tell your friends and co-workers about this issue and that they, too, can help make a difference.
He has sent us to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed. . .

Christ Peace,
Brian†

so, who are these people that have a good opinion about Congress?

2011-09-28T00:34:00.000-05:00

I must confess, I don't pay as close attention to some things as I used to. Time was many years ago, I would exhaust a subject. I mention it because I am having a hard time today understanding how anyone could highly value our Congress. I know from headlines and pundits on the background television that Congress is setting record low approval ratings almost weekly. The last I heard, Congress' approval ranking was somewhere near 18%. After today, I think the survey must be flawed. How could the rating be that high? And before some political science pundits or sociologists jump into the fray too much about how people hate Congress but love their own Senators and Representatives, I am going to have to call bs. Ask those same people if they have ever spoken to a Representative or Senator and got a common sense response. I am betting the yesses, and those who approve of Congress, are in the single digits. Why so glum?

Tuesday was shaping up to be a normal day. Orders of Worship and Prayers of the People were in my future. Then the phone rang, and it rang again, and my wife sent me a quick link. It seems that our beloved Congress has not been inspired to take up the question of Human Trafficking. As I Facebooked and included in my church Bulletin for the past five or six weeks, the William Wilberforce Trafficked Victims Protection Reauthorization Act is set to expire September 30. The TVPRA contains some of our best support in the fight to eliminate human slavery in the United States and around the world. As I printed and FB'd those notes over the last month, I had no doubt the bills (S.1301) and (H.R.2830) would pass. After all, who wants to be perceived as a supporter of human slavery during an election cycle when approval ratings are so low? Now I was being asked if I could help spur some movement on the part of politicians to get a no-brainer passed.

I won't throw specific Senators and Representatives under the bus, yet. After all, I have only spoken to staffers so far. I am willing to give the Senators and Representatives the chance to come around on this issue. Thus far, only 16 out of 100 Senators are sponsoring their version of the bill, and only 10 of 435 members of the House are sponsoring theirs. I have some patience, but it is likely to expire somewhere around midnight this Friday. But I do have a few observations I would like to share which might improve the image of Congress.

#1 You work for me and all your constituents. When your staffers speak to us with condescending voices reminding us just how valuable your time is, we begin to wonder whether you are the right person to represent us. If I am taking the time to reach out to you on an issue, your staffer better pretend to care. I am sure our time is at least equally valuable. For constituents to waste the time working through your labyrinth of gatekeepers is a pretty good indication that the issue is important to them. I would suggest hearing them out because in this day and age, social networking media gives them the ability to share with tons of people the wonderful attitude of your office and, by extension, you.

#2 Consider carefully the competing principles of the proposed bill and your party politics. While I can appreciate that there is a difference of opinion regarding immigration policy in this country, I am wondering if anyone outside of Congress believes that immigration principles trump human enslavement? Just to remind you, in case you have forgotten your American History, we fought a war about human slavery. More of our sons' blood was shed in that war than in any war we've fought. That fight was so bitter that it is still talked about today in some parts of the country. And you want me to think that there are important principles competing with a moral imperative? Most Americans think human slavery is bad. Most Americans are never going to believe that people are seeking to be enslaved so that they can claim amnesty and permanent residency status later under the TVPRA. Quit toeing the party line for politics' sake and get to work representing us.

#3 When your staffer promises to get back to constituents in a set amount of time (particularly when they are researching the bill we brought up because they and you know absolutely nothing about it), they really should follow through. I know. Courtesy in DC is dead. Important things can come up. Foreign powers might attack us, the economy might crash again, there might be an unexpected family emergency -- I get it. But when those things do not happen and your staffer does not return our call, we begin to think that they and you value your time far more than you value ours. After all, you set the tone for the office.

#4 Try hard not to BS us. The cliches and rambling answers work well with the press when they love you, but not so much with us. "The __________ has been too busy to add his/her name as a sponsor the past 6 weeks, but you can rest assured they will when they get the time" is a stupid answer, particularly regarding moral imperatives like human slavery. Yes, I know, the recess was so hectic. So much golf. So many trips. And the time spent in the air! Thanks to your staffer, you are now on record as saying that you are too busy to worry about those enslaved in our midst. You are too busy to fight the second or third largest illegal activity (guns and drugs being the other two). Unless the economic mess gets solved in the next few days or peace is restored to the Middle East, I'm not buying it.

#5 Your staffers should really pay attention to whom they are speaking. Anyone can tweet or fb or whatever, but some people have additional access to the press. Some of us get interviewed by the local press, you know, the ones that your constituents read, watch or listen to. Where before someone might count you and your staff an ally and a leader in the fight against human slavery, someone might now need to lament your seeming support of slavers or your seeming lack of interest in the fight to free slaves. Repeated over and over and it can become an unnecessary election issue for you.

It is late and I'll quit berating members of Congress for now. Who know, maybe the efforts to day went vial and their boxes were flooded with requests to join the fight? Maybe those staffers were exhausted and did not represent the mind of those Representatives and Senators to whom we reached out today. Maybe those Senators and Representatives will decide to put aside politics for a brief time and help us remind ourselves that we are the land of the free. But seriously, who are these people that think this way of doing business is good?

Peace,
Brian†

Are you like the first or the second?

2011-09-27T23:13:00.002-05:00

Our reading from Matthew this week once again gives spiritual wedgies to those who think that Jesus was “a good guy” or “a hippie before His time.” Stories such as this week’s appear just enough to make us uncomfortable, sometimes, about His behavior. As we noted at Wednesday’s class, Jesus often has a seriousness or edge to His teaching. More often than not, He is demanding that people make a decision about His identity and where they will place their faith. Today’s readings illustrate that “edge” quite well.

To place the story in the timeline, this is the second day of Holy Week. Yes, that Holy Week. Yesterday, in Matthew’s narrative, Jesus has entered the city of Jerusalem in triumph riding the donkey and colt. The crowd went wild. Could He be the messiah? Was He coming to claim the throne and deliver them? Upon entering the city, Jesus went immediately to the temple. Matthew records that it was at this time that Jesus overturned the money changers tables and the benches of those selling doves. His pronounced judgment is that God’s house of prayer has been turned into a den of robbers. Then, just when we and the temple leaders are no doubt certain that He has lost all control of Himself, He heals the blind and the lame, all of them, who come to Him. Rather than rejoicing at the healings, we are told, the Temple leaders become indignant. Imagine, they are indignant despite the miracles which occur in their presence!

This morning, Jesus has gotten up and headed out to the Temple. On the way, He has cursed the fig tree for not bearing fruit. And He gets to the Temple and begins His routine of teaching those interested in what He has to say. All that sets the background for today’s reading.

The same Temple leaders who were indignant yesterday come to Him with a question: by what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority? Whether the leaders were trying to re-establish their pre-eminence after yesterday’s actions or they are trying to trap Jesus as part of their conspiracy, we do not know. Perhaps they intended to shame Him for not having the right degree to teach in the Temple. Maybe they are still questioning how He heals. Certainly, Jesus knew where they intended to go in their line of questioning. He tells them He will answer their questions but only on the condition that they answer His first. “Was John’s baptism of heaven or from men?”

Jesus’ question has placed these religious leaders on the horns of a dilemma. If they proclaim that John’s baptism was from heaven, then they have to admit that Jesus is the One for whom John paved the way. Naturally, they cannot accept this. For starters, He claims to be the Son of God. He often rebukes them in public, “knowing full well that they are supposed to play nice in the sandbox.” Heck, yesterday He dared to throw out the vendors and money changers – doesn’t He know that the Temple needs money? No, they cannot accept that this carpenter’s son from Nazareth is at all significant, let alone God’s Anointed.

Of course, if they say that John’s baptism comes from men, the crowd is not going to be very happy with them. In fact, they fear that if they give this answer, the people may revolt because they all held that John was the first prophet since the passing of Micah. For the centuries between Micah and John, God had been silent. Naturally, the people feared that God had abandoned them. But John’s voice in the wilderness gave them hope! Woe to the Temple leaders that want to fight that battle! Plus, if they admit John’s baptism was from heaven, the people might remember that they were not baptized in John’s repentance. That will not do, either.

So, in an effort to be clever, the leaders say that they do not know from where John’s authority came. Like those in our midst who keep putting off until another day whether they believe or not, they have already given their answer. In fact, just as He accused them earlier in Chapter 12, He judges that they have hardened their hearts to God.

In football terms, the temple leaders have been forced to punt. They have come in with the intention of restoring things the way they were only to find themselves now on the defensive. Rather than walking away from them, Jesus chooses to teach them His judgment of them through the parable of the two sons. When finished with His narrative, Jesus asks them which of the two sons was the obedient son? The leaders quickly answer that the first, the son who refuses to work but then goes into the vineyard, is the obedient son. And Jesus then explains how the parable applies to them and to the tax collectors and prostitutes. The leaders are like the second son who says the right thing but does nothing. He claims to honor the father, but in reality he rejects the father. Similarly, the temple leaders ignore the spirit of the torah when possible and use the letter of the torah to create burdens on the people they are supposed to be shepherding. The tax collectors and prostitutes, on the other hand, are like the first son who, at first, dishonors the father, but then repents and goes to work. The fruits of his repentance, as it were, are his dirty hands from the vineyard. The tax collectors and prostitutes gathered around Jesus did ignore their Father for a while. But when they were confronted by John’s call to repentance or Jesus own ministry, they repent. The ones who should have recognized Jesus are blind, and the ones who should have missed Him see! The leaders fight Him tooth and claw and reject His authority even to the point of His death, while the tax collectors and prostitutes submit to His teaching and His authority.

Brothers and sisters, for all its uncomfortable teaching this is an easy parable with which to get comfortable, if we think we are one of the good guys. No doubt we would all like to think of ourselves standing behind Jesus, on His side – as it were, watching Him hold the Temple leaders accountable for their hardness of heart. Like little kids, we can imagine ourselves blowing raspberries at the bad guys in the story. Yet think of the tragedy in these lines. The very people who should have best recognized Jesus as He was among them were so hardened in their hearts that they missed Him. Their agendas and ambitions, their worries and fears, caused them to reject Jesus and His Gospel and to put Him to death! Rather than pointing all Israel to Him, as did John, they conspired against Him, even after His death and Resurrection.

Are we, in the end, really any better? How many of us reject Him for a time? How many of us would ignore prayer, ignore worship, ignore every single call that God has on our lives as our Lord and Savior, because we have our own agendas? How many times in our lives are we the bad guys in this story? I’m too tired. I’m too busy. The house needs cleaning. I want to play golf. I want to sleep in. I did my time on the Vestry once. I got 50 yard line tickets. I want splurge on me. On and on we display our own hardnesses of heart. Time and time again we fight against what He wants to accomplish through us. Like the temple leaders, He forces us repeatedly to answer who we think He is.

In the end, brothers and sisters, it really is a question of authority. From whence do you think it comes? If it is a good story, a nice moral tale with a tragic end, then we are, as Paul says, most of all to be pitied. If Jesus’ authority was His own creation, He is no different than any cultish or charismatic leader who came before or after and we are stupid to be anything other than the second sons of His parable. But if His authority is of God, look out! If the story from that holy week is true, why do we chafe so hard against His authority? Thankfully and mercifully, brothers and sisters, all He requires of us is repentance and an effort at obedience, if we believe He is the messiah. And in that repentance and in that willingness to obey, even if we fail and subsequently find ourselves repeating the process, we find ourselves gifted with the very privileges and responsibilities He first offered those leaders, privileges and responsibilities and love which impel us to carry forth into the world around us the opportunities for others to become first sons and daughters of their Father in heaven.

Peace,
Brian

A visit to the eye doctor . . .

2011-09-20T11:23:00.000-05:00

The parable of the workers in the vineyard is another of those parables well known both within and outside the church. For some, it is a stumbling block to accepting Christ as Savior and Lord; for others, it is a lesson in humility. I must confess I have heard a number of sermons on the parable which reminded listeners that we all get the same reward, no matter how we serve God and His Church. Truthfully, I think those sermons that concentrate on the reward, the denarius, miss one of the focal points of the parable. As with the last couple weeks, Jesus is teaching His disciples. While the parable may have been heard by outsiders, it is clearly intended for those who already follow Him. Jesus uses a part of everyday life to explain to His disciples what it means to take up their cross and follow Him.

Peter has just asked Jesus to remember that they (the disciples) have given up everything and followed Him. What then will be their reward? Understand, all those who have chosen to follow Jesus have truly stepped out in faith. All have left livelihoods. Some have left families. All have even given up a bit of anonymity with respect to the Temple leaders and are now known to follow the rabble-rouser Jesus. Peter’s question about their reward is understandable. Should not the first followers get a pretty good reward in comparison to others? And if they don’t get material rewards in this life, as some of the rich young men whom they encounter do, what do they get? It is that same self-centeredness which plagues the Older Brother in the story of the Prodigal Son. Our sense of justice, as well-meaning as it may be, is simply wrong. Like the Older Brother and the “Friend” in this parable, those who do more think they deserve more. It sounds reasonable, but is it Gospel-living?

Families in the ANE, just as today, often lived hand to mouth. These gatherings of day-laborers thus became important in the provisions of daily life. Workers would gather to be hired, the hope being that they would make money to support themselves and their families. As with us, some were more motivated than others. Additionally, there was a perception among those that hired that some were more motivated, and therefore better, than others. The real “go-getters” gathered at dawn. Those a little slower or maybe distracted would have been in the second group. You know those who would not make it out until 12 noon or 3pm. Those would be the ones we labeled as lazy. They slept in or they were distracted. Maybe they drank too much the night before at the local bar. But in this marketplace, there is real need. Workers are still gathered at 5pm hoping against hope for the chance to provide for some of their daily needs. If you have ever been one of the last picked in gym class, you can well imagine who these fellows were. To other hirers, they no doubt looked incapable or unwilling to do the work. Yet, they stood in the marketplace at the eleventh hour hoping for just 1/12 of the daily wage.

When the spokesman for those who have worked the longest grumbles, the landowner gently confronts him. What’s your problem? You are being given precisely what we contracted. Is your eye evil? Understand, the landowner is asking the laborer what his eye is focused upon, just as Jesus is asking you and me what our eyes are focused upon. If he or we are focused on the idea that material treasure equals our value or our security, then we are allowing evil to creep into our lives through our eyes. Our focus is misplaced.

One of the uncomfortable truths in Scripture is that you and I are of both profound importance to God and of no significance. He valued us enough that He died for us, but we have nothing worthwhile to offer Him, apart from a thankful and joyful heart. When we begin to think that our gifts of time, of talents, and of treasures in any way cause us to merit reward from Him, we have, in truth, eviscerated whatever good we have done. God has called us because He is gracious. We should have a grateful heart for our own salvation and a joyful heart for what He has done both in the calling of ourselves and in the calling of those gathered around us. Far too often, though, we are like the grumbling worker. We compare ourselves to others forgetting that before Him, we have all fallen short, all of us. Comparing ourselves to other Christians, just as the worker did to other workers, will cause us to forget the true wisdom and fairness of God, and to become envious of one another. A church that allows such comparisons to take root will quickly become a body focused on evil and not upon God. A group of “believers” focused upon such comparisons can have no unity or fellowship, nor can it demonstrate in any way how kingdom-living can affect those in the world around us.

Just as Jesus was secure in His loving relationship with His Father in Heaven and was able to drink from the cup prepared for Him, certain that His Father would never forsake Him, even to the point of death on a cross, so should you and I be assured of our Lord’s love of us. That He hung on that cross two thousand years ago demonstrates His incontrovertible love of us and all others in our daily lives. His glorious Resurrection, similarly, reminds us all of His unassailable power to accomplish what ever He has purposed in our lives. Armed with those two certainties, and with the joyful and thankful heart that comes with them, you and I are sent out into His fields not to grumble, but to show others how His kingdom has already and is changing the world. That, brothers and sisters, is the only reward that does not pass away, as our opening collect reminded us this morning. That, brothers and sisters, is a call worthy of any son or daughter of our Father in Heaven. So, upon what is your eye focused? Your calling? Or your desires?

Peace,
Brian†

More discipline . . .

2011-09-12T13:29:00.000-05:00

Our passage from Matthew this week continues with that four-letter word we like to call discipline. Recall last week, after the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus gives us clear instructions about how we should deal with one another when one of us sins against another. This week, the focus shifts a bit. Last week, we were instructed how to correct our brothers and sisters who have wandered astray, even to the point of excluding them from the Eucharist. In light of all that, Peter’s question probably seems reasonable to you. “Well, Lord, how many times do I have to forgive someone?”

Peter, of course, understood his question to be generous beyond any reasonable expectation. Most Jews believed that they only had an obligation to forgive someone three times or fewer, depending on the school of thought and the “cliff notes” version of the Scriptures which informed their study. The thought was that once a person had been forgiven once, twice, or three times (depending upon the teaching), their willingness to recommit the same sin was evidence of the fact that their prior repentance was not really repentance. In other words, they said they were sorry, but they really did not mean it, as evidenced by their continued behavior. Can you imagine how hostile some marriages must have been? How hard must it have been to keep a true friend? So, when Peter asks the question of Jesus, he is more than doubling the cultural expectation he has been taught. Peter’s offer, “as many 7 times,” seems very merciful.

Jesus, of course, knows our hearts. He knows our proclivity to recommit the same sins over and over and over again. Perhaps, sitting here, you have a sin or two that plagues you. No matter how hard you try not to do that particular sin, it comes back. You fall prey to temptation and hurt someone else and dishonor God. Sometimes, like an addiction, it is unintentional. We do the sin because, quite simply, it feels good. Sometimes, we do a particular sin because we fall prey to the mindset that we want to get even. Occasionally, though, we sin entirely unintentionally. We are sometimes just blind to our actions and our consequences. Does this make us bad people? Sure, before we meet Christ on our road to salvation. All sin separates us from the love of God and leads to death. But what about afterwards? What about the sin that plagues us for years and years after our baptism, our confirmation, our renewal of vows, or our simple determination not to commit a particular sin? What happens to us who claim to be Christian and yet still sin?

In this passage, Jesus reminds us that, as His body here on earth, we have two obligations. First of all, whenever we sin, the solution is easy. We are called to repent of our behavior and to ask God for the grace to avoid that particular temptation. That’s pretty much it. No matter how “bad” the sin, we are called simply to repent. He finished His work on the cross knowing that we would commit whatever sins which plague us. Secondly, and more properly the focus of this pericope, we are called to accept the repentance and show mercy. What makes it harder is that we are not called to forgive another a mere 7 times, as Peter suggests, but rather all the time. You and I are called to be people who incarnate the message of mercy from our God. Yes, I know some translations say 77 times and others say 7 times 70 times—the Greek could mean either. But the number 7 holds a special place in God’s economy. It is the number of completion. On the seventh day, He rested. The Resurrection of our Lord occurred on the seventh day, which is why we see groups such as 8^th day reminding us that creation is being perfected in Christ. We are called to forgive all those who repent until their sanctification is complete. All those who truly repent, including ourselves.

Forgiveness is not easy, to be sure. We have far too many opportunities to be hurt in this world. Yet Jesus commands forgiveness on the part of His disciples, He does not suggest it. Harder still, He insists that forgiveness must come from the heart, not just the mouth. Just as all the evil acts come from the heart, so too do those virtues which He values. Such mercy and graciousness, of course, flows from a knowledge of our own behavior and from what Jesus did that Maundy Thursday through Holy Saturday. How many times do you and I sin (we think in private), repent, and then expect or hope for Him to forgive us, all the while clinging to His cross or His blood? That same hope must be provided to others! As disciples who follow Him, we recognize that any hurt against us is a hurt against Him. Any embarrassment we suffer, He suffers. Any pain that is inflicted upon us, He feels. Why do you think His passion was so graphic? He took all the punishment you and I would love to give when lashing out against those who sinned against us when He went to the cross to die for us? You think the scourging felt good? You think He liked the spittle? The mocking? The punching? The death? When Scripture claims that He took the punishment for our sins, it means that He took the punishment for all our sins, both those we commit and those committed against us. How we deal with sin, for Him, is a matter of eternal consequence.

We are called to show forth forgiveness from our heart because we have been forgiven much? Each and every one of us gathered here today is a recipient of that mercy. Better still, those not here can be a recipient, too. Even those who have harmed us greatly. Brothers and sisters, what grudges are you holding? What hardness of heart prevents you from forgiving someone or many someone's who sinned against you? Take this time, this day when we celebrate Healing Sunday and we remember all those who died in an act that many in our country would consider unforgiveable, and begin the work of forgiveness from your heart. If it is not yet within you to forgive from the heart, pray the Lord to give you that grace to forgive. Help me, Lord, to forgive that person for the hurt, the pain, and the embarrassment. Help me to see them as You see them, just as You see me. Pray that He open your eyes and ears to see and hear how often you have sinned against Him, and ask that He begin the process of circumcising your heart, that His mercy, His forgiveness might shine forth in your life!

Peace,

Brian†

Tales of redemption . . .

2011-08-30T10:06:00.001-05:00

     As the e-mails, phone calls and personal visits increased last week, I realized that we perhaps do not pay close enough attention to how God uses our crosses to reach into the lives of those around us and spread His kingdom. I say we because it is a failure on both our parts. Sometimes, I err on the side of caution and do not share particular redemptions because I “know” that the parishioner will refuse permission anyway. At other times, however, people are sometimes slow to share their stories. Perhaps it is humility, perhaps it is fear that they might become a sermon illustration and don't like the attention, or perhaps they really believe that their particular crosses are irredeemable. Whatever the reasons, we tend to come up short when it comes to sharing redemptive stories about ourselves. And that is a terrible loss for this body gathered at St. Alban’s. What better encouragement can be found than in our own stories? Better still, as Jesus instructs us in this week’s readings and the psalmist reminds us (though we admittedly skipped a lot of it in our lectionary this week), God is always at work redeeming His people and their suffering.

     I spoke of Martha’s impact on the soldiers with whom I have spoken, but others among us had a hand in their care. Chief among those others was George. While we may think of him as a father of wonderful girls, a great brew master, or our Senior Warden, George has had another life, that of a career soldier. Among his contributions to the military has been his somewhat critical study and presentations of how troops are deployed and brought home versus how they were in past wars. Whether it was his own “civilian” experiences of waking in the morning in Davenport and finding himself some 30 hours or so later in a combat zone or just his discussions with soldier after soldier, George has been a champion of the need for more “debriefing time” for our soldiers. In wars past, soldiers would spend a week or two in transit together. While outsiders might view their time drinking or playing cards as wasteful, older veterans claimed that was the time they could talk about what each one was feeling or had experienced without judgment. Everyone present had experienced their own horrors. And that time together and the common experiences forged a brotherhood which allowed our soldiers to decompress before civilian life. It can be a challenge taking on the inertia of the military. It might not be good for his civilian career. Nevertheless, George has chosen to highlight the existing problem to improve the “resettlement” of our soldiers into society. But, if the military continues to listen to such criticisms and acts upon them, think of the benefits! Soldiers will be helped, military families will be helped, and co-workers will be helped.

     I mentioned Hannah’s words to me, but another parishioner’s words to me were just as comforting. Last Friday, a man called me at home in need of help. He was at the Flying J. To make a really long story short, he claimed to have been abandoned by a trucker. He was an Episcopalian from a church in North Dakota and needed help. Since it was the 19th, Discretionary Funds were spent (and, I explained to him, could have been spent many times over in August). But he was persistent. I reached out to some parishioners that I knew were usually good at prayerful discernment of need and, better still, possessive of the resources he needed. As I shared the story with one of our parishioners, she asked her usual questions. As I was complaining about not being able to meet his need so far and his response, her memory was jogged. “I think it’s a scam, Father. You may have forgotten, but this sounds like a guy from the Flying J when you had been here maybe a year. He called the bishop’s office. He chewed you out unfairly. They both have the same name and are from the same diocese. I think it’s a scam and we shouldn’t be giving him help. Besides, you have already talked to how many parishioners?” I answered. “We may not have a ton of resources, but we’re by no means miserly. That so many have been unable to help with this makes me think this is God’s way of helping us be good stewards. Quit answering your phone. It’s your day off. If he wants to yell at someone, he can call me.” I did not share her number with him the next time he called, but I did share her thoughts about our previous encounter. He hung up and did not call again. The parishioner later apologized. She agonized a couple days over what she had said to "the priest." I" was taught that we were never supposed to speak to priests like that. Besides, you are the one that is supposed to be able to discern these things best." I, of course, told her there was no apology owed, but rather a thank you. Her discernment and her willingness to speak with boldness has saved me some worry and the church some money -- the man never denied what she said. Plus, whether she likes it or not, in our Lord's eyes, she is a priest in His eternal kingdom, too!

     One of my favorite stories is a reminder to many of you. Toni the trucker has one of the most amazing stories of redemption. Toni is one of those parents who has had the terrible experience of losing a child. In Toni's case, his child was five at the time of his death. Toni's testimony is out there for the world to see. You see, Toni took his truck and made it a billboard for the redemption in his life. After terrible mourning, after cursing God and all sorts of lashing out, Toni recalled God's promises. As a memorial, he decided to have an angel and note of remembrance placed on his truck. Those of us who have seen it when he delivers food for Angel Food know it stands out. One of the gifts that Toni received from God through this terrible experience, though, was an eye to see those in need. In days past, Toni admits he rarely saw disabled cars as anything but an obstacle to be avoided. Now, however, he sees those cars, more importantly those people in the disabled cars, as people in need of help. Nowadays, he stops. What has truly amazed him has not been the needs: out of gas, flat tire, broken belt, and etc. are very predictable. No, what has surprised him has been the sheer number of people who have broken down in his path who have lost a child or baby. They see his truck, they ask about its meaning, and they hear his testimony. The last time we spoke with Toni, he had prayed with about three dozen cars for God to comfort them in their loss of a child. As Toni has prayed to the Father who knows what it truly feels like to lose a Son, amazing windows into souls have been opened. Toni now knows that his son's death, while still tragic and painful to Toni and his wife, has been used by God to reach into the suffering experienced by other parents bearing the same cross. Better still, his son's death and Toni's willingness to share his hurt and pain and God's redemption have returned home several prodigal sons and daughters to their loving Father.

     So great is our God, brothers and sisters, that His redemptive acts in the world around us are not limited to just the "Christians." Many of you know that a lady lost her life on Garfield tragically this summer. Her boyfriend allegedly ran her over several times. The shock and anger and other emotions have been evident in those who have come to speak to me. Part of the redemption has been the neighborhood's increased awareness of domestic violence. But, thankfully and mercifully, God does not think small. When He acts, He often goes bigger than we can ever ask or imagine. One of the victim's family is struggling with her death. His anger towards the alleged perpetrator, to this neighborhood, to God, to local law enforcement, and to a host of others is palpable. As he was railing at me this week about his certain knowledge that God does not act, if He exists, and that Christians were just like him--going about their lives ignoring the suffering around them, I asked him to turn around. I won't ask people to raise their hands, but how many of us hate that never-gone-for-more-than-a-day pile out in the entrance hall? We get rid of a load, and another appears almost immediately. It's an eyesore to many of us. Yet, as I shared with this gentleman, it is also a testimony to God's work in our lives. Everything in those piles comes from people in our neighborhood. Almost none is from us right now. As I explained to the brother, those that have come to talk with me have determined never to assume there is no abuse in their neighborhood. As an unwritten memorial to the neighbor whom they did not know, they bring items for Winnie's Place, that other women might have the courage to flee situations of domestic abuse and have some items to start their new life. The brother's angered dissipated almost immediately. He was incredulous that total strangers would give like that. "Wow, maybe they really did not know she was being abused." Better still, skeptical as He was about whether God exists or acts in the world, he had to admit this was a wild coincidence. "It gives me something to think about, that's for sure." It gives me something, too. A greater sense of awe and wonder of our God. He takes our faithful service with food, nonmember's and in many cases non-Christian's increasing awareness of a social ill in their midst, the tragic death of a daughter who was created in His image, and reaches into a suffering brother's life and the lives of other women and children who have been largely forgotten or ignored by society.

     Brothers and sisters, how many among us have suffered addictions? How many have suffered divorce? How many have suffered need? How many have suffered disease? How many of us have experienced untimely deaths of loved ones? I could go on and on about potential crosses in the lives of those of us gathered here. Each of us have crosses; some gathered here have more than one. No doubt they have all been painful and, perhaps, shaming. How many of us, however, have been left to wallow in our grief? How many of us have been left to live with the shame of our failures? Not a one! More amazingly, how many of us have later encountered someone in the exact same condition which we were? How many of us have had a chance to impart our insights and our hope to those in similar circumstances to those we once faced? Each of us who gathers in this place and celebrates the Eucharist as a local body of Christ literally gives thanks for the redemption of our lives! True, chiefly we celebrate the salvation of our lives for all eternity. But we also celebrate how each week he uses our failures and our weaknesses to reach into the lives of those whom we encounter daily, how our God is so great that He can take men and women like us, and in our circumstances, and build a kingdom full of saints. To be sure, the crosses are heavy. To be sure, they are always painful and sometimes scary. To be sure, we would often like to put them down before He is finished using them and us. Yet when has He ever let you down? When has He ever been unable to overcome what is happening in your life? Why not think of sharing (or allowing me the privilege) of sharing your story of personal redemption with those of us here? Your story may well be the seed which blossoms into amazing kingdom fruit in the lives of us gathered here or serves as a beacon that calls the lost in the community surrounding us into the loving arms of our Father!

Peace,

Brian†

Who do you say that He is?

2011-08-22T14:33:00.000-05:00

     When I looked up the readings for this week last Monday, I wondered how in the world I could ever illustrate my sermon. A good paper immediately popped into my head, but, as you know, there is a big difference between a paper and a sermon. Sermons should help bring His Word to life! How could Peter’s confession ever come to life? Then the week hit me . . . .

     Each week, those of us who gather for the Rite 2 Eucharist ask God to “sanctify us that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace.” Twice in the last couple years, we have looked at our Eucharist in an instructed manner, but have we examined what it is we are doing when we pray these words? Sure, we wanted to be united. Of course, we want peace. But why in the world would we ask for constancy? Why should we care, and why might we ask God to make us, unwavering in our faithfulness? Peter’s confession, I think, gives us at least three reasons.

     I sometimes feel I do Peter a disservice. I feel like I spend too much time highlighting his faults. Peter, Paul, James, and the others about whom we read were those who took up Christ’s mantle and mid-wifed a church into the world. Certainly our Lord birthed the church, but His friends and disciples had to pick up the baton once He had ascended and put His teachings into practice. Yes, this was all done under the providence of God. Yes, this was all empowered by the Holy Spirit. Yes, Jesus knew the men and women He was choosing for these roles. But Peter and the others had a role. We should always remember their faithfulness through which God worked to bring about the church and advance His plan of salvation. But there is a madness to my method. You and I are no different from Peter. You and I have skills which the Lord can use to advance His kingdom, and you and I have moments where we fight Him tooth and nail. We might not be skilled fishermen, as was Peter, but we are skilled. And like Peter, we have chosen by God, redeemed by God, and He has begun amazing work in us. Peter, though, deserves some honor and credit. The lessons that he learns from and the grace that He receives in light of His failures transforms him into an amazing leader, a leader worthy of His teacher’s mantle.

     In our Gospel lesson this week, Jesus takes His disciples to Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea Philippi was renowned for its temples. It was one of those regional towns where one could go to “get right” with a number of gods, be they Ba’al, be Greek gods, or even the Caesars. In the shadows of those gods, Jesus asks the disciples what people are saying. The answers that the disciples give should not surprise us. Herod himself worried that Jesus was John the Baptist come again to torment him for John’s unjust death. Certainly people reasonably expected Elijah to return with God’s anointed. After all, Elijah had ascended without dying. Given Jeremiah’s own treatment of the Jewish leadership, it is no small wonder that some align Jesus with Him. Jesus accepts these answers but then forces the disciples to make their own answer: Who do you say that I am?

     Peter’s answer is correct. Jesus goes on to affirm that Peter’s faithfulness has resulted in this blessing from God. What Peter has announced cannot be reached by reason. Peter’s pronouncement cannot be handed down through the ages. Yes, Peter has failed at times. Yes, he has sunk in the water and he has thought Jesus a ghost and he has wanted to stay on the mountaintop. But he has also endured. Peter has taken Jesus’ remonstrations grown in his faith. By the time of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, much of the pride and all the doubt will have been tempered out of him. In fact, he will become an amazing instrument of grace. And his faithfulness serves to remind us who calls us and how we are expected to serve Him and of our absolute need for constancy.

     Peter’s confession reminds us that we must be faithful in our spiritual perception and reception. Most of us gathered here are blind to the realities which should guide our spiritual development. What do I mean by that? One of the foundational aspects of our faith is His call, His demand upon us, to gather and worship and praise Him. How many of us here make the commitment to make it to worship daily? Weekly? Monthly? Twice a year? We claim to want to be open to His guidance and to be ambassadors for the advancement of His kingdom (to say nothing of the baptismal covenant in our tradition where we promise to gather), yet we fail to find the time to be able to gather on a consistent schedule. Sorry, God, I have to work. Sorry, God, the kids have sports. Sorry, God, I need sleep. Sorry, God, your spokesperson at my church is boring and I can be bored at home! We want Him to change us, we want Him to transform us, but we want these on our terms, not His. How does our gathering change our spiritual perception?

     As we read these stories and hear of God’s saving grace, we begin to attune ourselves to His work in and around our lives. Many of you know that a diagnosed, self-medicating, paranoid-schizophrenic walked into my office earlier this week. He was tired, so very tired, and angry. Unlike previous visits, he was more focused on killing himself than focused upon killing others. Do you think it’s painful? Do you think God will forgive me? How can I live with the hurt? What many of you might not know is that his sister was killed over here a few months ago. She was a battered woman. She should have been living at Winnie’s. Her husband/boyfriend ran her over (and backed up several times) because he loved her. This gentleman who came into my office this week hates the neighborhood of our church because the people here allowed this to go on in their neighborhood. All it would have taken, he’s convinced, is one person to have reported the abuse. His anger prior to this has been with the neighbors and the cops. Now, he was tired of fighting.

     Our conversation turned, however, when I pointed out the stuff in the entrance. As you all know we help Winnie’s as much as possible. What you may not know is the neighborhood’s response. In the days and weeks following the murder, our neighbors have come to visit. This is Iowa. This is a neighborhood with a church. We should be safe here. How can God be present and loving and allow this to occur? Over and over I have had these kinds of conversations. The result has been a commitment on the part of our neighbors to help save others. They are too late for our visitor’s sister, but they will do their best to make sure it never happens again. Everything in the hall came from outside my flock to help other abused women in memory of your sister. From the moment he heard those words out of my mouth, the conversation changed. Seeds that had been planted in his youth about God’s redeeming love began to germinate. Is this why you gather your people every week? It is part of it. Why else would you gather? To thank Him for all that He has done for us. You know. He’s seemed so far away from me for so long. Do you think maybe it’s me that drifted from Him? And do you think He’d take me back knowing who I am today and where I’ve been? You can fill in the rest of our conversation.

     Part of why we pray for constancy, however, is so that we can recognize His hand at work in our lives. That is not to say that we ignore our lives. Yes, we go to work like others to pay our bills. Yes, we have good things and bad things happen in our lives. Yes, we have neighbors that we like and dislike. Yes, we can catch bad diseases. Yes, we can get fired. Yes, we can become addicted. Yes, we can even become so selfish that we destroy our relationships. The difference is that, usually over time, we become attuned to recognizing His grace and power in our lives. And that attunement allows us to look for the hope that He gives us. If He is the messiah, the kingdom has come near. We need only to look for it where we are. Perhaps He will use us and our condition miraculously to reach others. He might cure a disease that thwarts doctors, He might bless us with a winning lottery ticket, He might give us the opportunity to say “I am sorry” to one we have hurt, He may even use our faithfulness in the midst of suffering to speak directly into the suffering heart of another. As long as we are attuned, we have His hope. It’s when we drift away that our cares and disappointments are used by the enemy to convince us that He really is not close, that we really are not worth His love or time.

     We also pray for constancy, however, because we need to get to know Jesus on His terms rather than our own. Peter’s confession follows the Jewish leadership’s demand for a sign. Jesus knows their hearts (and the number of signs He has already given) and so refuses. And a simple fisherman gets the honor of proclaiming Jesus the messiah rather than the chief priest or others who should have known. The “wise” in the world are made to look very foolish, indeed. It is a trap into which we can all fall. How many of us made the mistake in our youth (or early spiritual journey) of picturing Jesus as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Savior rather than the Jewish messiah that He was and is? How many of us have convinced ourselves that He would be just like one of us, were He to appear in our midst. That He’d understand the pressures of the world, that He’d know our stress and bless who were are rather than remake us in His image.

     This point was driven home at our Ward 2 meeting yesterday. The question of the homeless came up. They stink. They look terrible. They are kinda scary. Can’t we ship them out? I pointed out the dearth of facilities in our area and the fact that all the homeless have names and stories. The priest speaking against the dehumanization of the homeless tempered the discussion for a bit, but only for a bit. After the meeting, I was asked repeatedly to assert that God would ascribe to this group’s plan or that group’s plan to deal with the homeless in our midst. He’d agree with my plan, right Father? Imagine their surprise when they, at least those that claimed to be Christian and followers of Jesus, had forgotten the basics in His eyes. A few obstinate wanted to know if I thought He’d agreed with my plan once the homeless had been fed, given a place to wash, given a safe place to sleep, given medical attention, and given time to be known. But most went away sheepishly because they wanted Jesus on their terms rather than His.

     Related to the constancy in attunement and in knowing Jesus on His terms is our need to live with His cross as both instruction and invitation. For those of us who accept Him as the messiah, the Son of the living God, whose death reconciled us to our Father, the cross is a reminder of the cost of our salvation. When we reflect upon His offer to us, His willingness to die for us, and His love of us to see us safely through, we cannot help but fall to our knees in thankful joy and adoration. You would do that for me? His offer reminds us of His demand to follow Him and to bear crosses of our own to His glory. And our crosses are not meant to be born seasonally. They are not picked up in Advent and Lent as devotions. Rather, our crosses are gratefully accepted in our daily life and work as the means through which others learn of His saving offer. Our crosses are, in a sense, the tools of our lives. When we are asked why we serve for seemingly no benefit to ourselves, why we are joyful in the midst of hard times, and how we can sing alleluia even in the face of our own death, we know that we have served Him well and extended His invitation to others. Better still, we rejoice as we recount to those who have asked it of us the account of saving grace within us. At those blessed moments, we know we have lived into our baptism, truly died to self, and have been raised to life in Him! In those wonderful moments we know ourselves to have been sanctified by Him.

Who do you say that He is?

Peace,

Brian†

Feasting on the crumbs . . .

2011-08-18T09:49:00.001-05:00

     Sometimes the lectionary editors get it right. While I often scratch my head and wonder what they were thinking when they paired particular readings, this was a week where I was able to laugh all week. Matthew’s telling of the faith of the Canaanite woman is paired with the periscope on the teaching about the “garbage” that comes out of the mouth is that which corrupts and that with Jesus’ reminder that the blind lead the blind into big pits. You may wonder why I find these pairings amusing. Put shortly, I have been able to read on our listserv the nonsense that is being preached in many of our churches around the country this weekend. For many, this is a weekend when Jesus is “cured of His racism.” From this weird perspective, Jesus has a particular failing. He is a racist. And the woman shows Him just how blind He is to the plight of other races. So, through her perseverance, He learns to love others than Himself. Those of us who are accustomed to believe that Jesus was without sin may well wonder how one can avoid sin and still be a racist. Of course, even more basic than that, those of us who believed that He died on the cross while we were yet His enemies have to scratch our heads at the idea that He needed to learn to love others. And, what kind of God needs to be taught something? Do we really want to worship a God who makes mistakes or has errors in judgment or was once racist? Yet that is what a number of others in our faith tradition are hearing this week. Truthfully, I understand the need to paint Jesus as a racist. This week’s Gospel account asks some hard questions. Jesus initially acts in a way which seems to be inconsistent with what He preaches. Why?

     On a week when we celebrated the life and death of a wonderful Anglican theologian John Stott, a theologian who often lovingly demanded of his students that they not be sloppy in their understanding nor sloppy in their doctrine nor sloppy in their service of God, it seems appropriate that we tackle this reading head-on. Jesus has travelled intentionally to the region of Tyre and Sidon. This is a journey of some fifty miles. By foot! Yes, Jesus and His disciples have walked quite a distance. There is a great teaching about to occur, but Jesus is the one who is teaching. He has led His disciples and us on a long journey with a purpose in mind. We are told that the first person He encounters is this Canaanite woman. She cries out in supplication “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” At first, Jesus is silent. He ignores her plea. We can well imagine her increasing desperation. Certainly, the disciples got sick of her voice. They ask Jesus to send her away. She will not stop crying after them. Finally, Jesus stops to acknowledge her need.

     Those of us expecting Jesus immediately to heal her have to be very disappointed. He tells her that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. Certainly, His ministry has born out the truth of Isaiah’s witness in chapter 53 among other places. The people in Galilee have earned judgment which would make Sodom and Gomorrah cringe. They have rejected Jesus, and their lack of faith caused Him to do no miracles and to move on. The religious leaders of the day have stood opposed to Him from the very beginning, earning His condemnation right before our reading this week that their worship is in vain because their hearts are far from Him. The very people who should have recognized whom Jesus was have rejected Him. Yet this lady of Canaan has correctly identified Him. She may not understand the theological-speak as would we, but she knows Him to be the Son of David. She knows Jesus is heir to the rightful King of Israel. She is a trespasser in His land. She is not of His people, so all she can ask for is His mercy, His undeserved mercy.

     So great is her faith in Jesus, by the way, that she as turned from the societally accepted place of healing to Jesus of Nazareth. Outside the city of Sidon existed a temple to Eshmun, a Canaanite god of healing. For this lady to approach Jesus means that she has rejected her own peoples’ teaching. Perhaps she has taken her daughter there and learned that the idols have ears but cannot hear and lips but cannot speak. Perhaps she has simply heard of the healings done by Jesus. Certainly, her kneeling and persistence indicate that she was certain that Jesus could heal. The question is whether He would heal her daughter. All we know is that she turns from her gods to Jesus.

     Rather than take injury at Jesus’ words that He was sent to Israel, the woman is emboldened in her faith. She kneels before Jesus and asks Him, begs Him to help her and her daughter. There is no recrimination. There is no charge that He is being racist. If anything, her position as supplicant reinforces the idea that she knew of the covenant made with Abraham. You remember that, right? We read about it a few weeks ago. God promised to make Abraham and Sarah’s offspring number greater than the stars, and they, in turn, would become a nation of priests, a light unto the world. Jesus is not being racist. He is simply fulfilling His role. He was sent to Israel, that Israel might claim its inheritance and live into its covenant with God.

     Now that she is kneeling and persistent, Jesus has to honor her supplication, right? Nope. Once again, Jesus confounds us. He tells her that it is not right to take food from children and give it to the dogs. In a day and age of Westminster Dog shows, we might not get the insult here. I know I wouldn’t mind living some of the pampered lives of dogs I have seen on television. I know I wouldn’t mind winning some of the prize money! Yet Jesus’ words should have been taken by the woman as an insult. Jesus is clearly labeling the nation of Israel as God’s children and her among the dogs. Dogs, remember, were usually thought of as animals which ate dead things. To interact with a dog was to become impure. Naturally, Israel did not think kindly of Spot or Old Yeller. Dogs were animals which forced them to be unable to worship. Worse, the image of such dogs were used to describe the enemies of God and His people. 1 Samuel, Proverbs 26 and even Psalm 22 all use the image of a dog to describe those outside His covenant people. Jesus has even used the image before in the Sermon on the Mount to describe those who reject or fail to recognize His offer of salvation and the nearness of the kingdom of God.

     Rather than being offended, she recognizes the truths of His claims. He was sent to Israel. But another truth is clearly imbedded in her thinking: salvation of everyone else is of the people of Israel. She takes Jesus’ imagery and twists it to suit her needs. A few dogs were domesticated and fed in the house. They were certainly the exception rather than the rule. But it happened. And taking that image she offers her understanding of God’s covenant. Yes, they were the initial recipients of God’s offer of grace. They were, however, not to be the last. Israel was called by God to bear witness to His love, His mercy, His hesed (covenantal faithfulness) that others will receive His blessings through them! Thus, she sees the rightness of Jesus’ answers. He was sent to Israel. He is their king. But God has promised that others will be blessed through them. As their rightful king, as their rightful messiah, she can ask Him for His crumbs. And He has it within His power and His authority to grant what she asks! Yes, Israel comes first. But all will have a chance to become His children. A Canaanite woman understands God’s promises and presence far better that Nazareth, than Jerusalem, and much of Israel.

     Jesus now proclaims her faith. In fact, such is her faith that He honors her for having great faith! And her need is answered. Immediately, we are told, her daughter is healed. There is no formulaic administration; there is no laying on of hands. Jesus commands that her request be granted, and it is! It is that simple. The crumbs of God’s table are enough to satisfy all who seek Him. And she is exalted among those who recognize Jesus for who He was. Those who use Rite 1 to worship are reminded of her perception of God’s truth and her great faith every time they gather and recite the Prayer of Humble Access. We are not worthy to eat His crumbs. Still, He is merciful to all who seek Him.

     How does this play out in our lives? Why is this teaching important? This past week, I was reminded of its centrality in our lives and to Matthew’s Great Commission in our service at the Community Meal. There was, I confess, some ungratefulness at our gathering on Wednesday. Some of the newcomers were complaining about the food. Who wants barbeque? Who wants meatballs? You guys are the best and this is all that you do? It was then that a big black hand appeared on my shoulder. I looked back, and one of the regulars said “I got this, Father.”

     “Why are you here?” he asked her. “Because I am hungry” she replied. He snorted, “Not hungry enough.” She went to argue but he raised his hand and told her to shush. “You are not really hungry. You do not even have to be here,” he asserted. “What makes you say that? She asked. I wondered the same thing myself. “If you were truly hungry, if you had truly gone some time without food, you’d be grateful simply for the fact that some was in front of you. And if it had been a while since daddy kicked you out or you left in a spat, you’d know that we don’t get barbeques or to even choose what we want to eat in this world. These people asked us, asked us, (pointing a big finger at himself and then gesturing to encompass the room) what we most desired. They could have brought us anything, and we would have been thankful. You see, we need the food or we starve. Until you understand need, you will never be thankful for anything in this life. Why don’t you run home and tell daddy you’re sorry. That way, you are not taking what so many others need.”

I don’t know his name. It has taken me months to get him to say hello, let alone have a conversation. I used to think he was a mechanic—that’s what his clothes said, until Charlie pointed out that he seemed always to have a different name on those clothes. Sometimes I would ask him if any of his clothes were correctly named. He just smiles and shrugs. I do know he is a huge fan of the Big O and Bill Russell. When the “kids” start talking about the newest star, with the possible exception of Kobe, he’s very dismissive. When I agreed with his comparison of Lebron to Wilt, he decided I might know a little about basketball. Our relationship is, as they say, a work in progress.

     He looked at me and asked, “Was I too harsh, Father?” as she huffily left the meal site. I laughed, “You’re asking me?” “Why you laughing?” he asked. “Because you probably saved me from saying something unpriestly like ‘if you don’t like it, there’s the door,’” I replied. “Truthfully though, we do not know why she left home. She could be abused just as easily as she could be a spoiled brat.” “Nah” he said. ‘Why’s that?” I asked. “If she were abused, she would have never complained to you like that. She would have been too afraid to speak to you like that now. Abused girls are far too timid. Maybe later, were she. But not now.” I wished I could be as certain as he was in the assessment. “If it makes you feel better,” he offered, “I’ll keep an eye out for her. If I see her on the streets, you might be correct that she’s not a brat, just scared. She’ll need a friend or two . . . “

     Unless you have experienced need, you cannot be thankful. His words expressed the sentiments of the Canaanite woman. You and I, we will learn as we progress through Matthew, are a sent people. We are sent out to the ends of the earth to proclaim God’s love and salvation to all whom we encounter. So often, we pray “Please, God, don’t make me speak or give money to that bum. Please, Lord, do not drag me overseas for mission. Please, God, don’t open my eyes to the need in my midst.” And yet, as His redeemed people, you and I ought to know the joy and relief that comes from met need. While we were His enemies, He went lovingly to that cross. Our response to His offer ought to be to shout it from the roof tops, to be overwhelmingly joyful in our lives, to be a thankful people in the midst of so many cares and concerns. Best of all, brothers and sisters, we should feel honored. Honored. For reasons known only to Himself, God has chosen you and me as His ambassadors and sent us into the world to proclaim His love. Could there be a greater job? Could there be a more important work? No. Ours is to remind people that they are loved by their God and saved by their God, if only they will admit their need and seek Him. Ours is to identify the persistent seeking in others and to steer them to the One who saves, the One whose crumbs are more satisfying than any of the feasts of our own creation!

     One last note on the Canaanite woman and what we learn: Scripture does not occur in a vaccuum. There is a Paul Harvey moment to this narrative which we will, unfortunately, skip as we progress next week to Peter's confession of Jesus as the mesiah. Jesus leaves this region and returns to the Galilee region. Mark recounts that He specifically returns to the Deapolis, the mostly Gentile region on the southeastern side of the Sea of Galilee. It is there among the Gentiles where Jesus performs healing miracles and another feeding miracle. True, He only feeds 4000 men, besides the women and children, but think of the imagery! His mission is not complete until the Gentiles are drawn into that feast He initiates! Brothers and sisters, His crumbs do satisfy needs, just as our heroine reminded us today. But our Lord calls everyone, every single person in this world, to His feast. Right now, in this world, the crumbs from that feast give us the slightest touch of His blessings.  And those crumbs, and His invitation, ought to remind us that His kingdom has come near. And one day, one glorious day, we and all those who have responded to His call will share in that marriage feast when heaven is joined to earth and His purposes truly become our own!

Peace,

Brian†

Walkin and sinking in water . . .

2011-08-08T12:48:00.023-05:00

     The story of Jesus walking on water and Peter going out to Him and then sinking is well known. I daresay it is a story which is fairly well known by those outside the Church. Admittedly, one of its primary purposes was to teach the Apostles, disciples, and us that Jesus really was the Messiah. His ability to walk on water in the midst of a storm teaches us about His authority and His power. Plus, given the ANE’s association of chaos with water, the story would have likely evoked an even greater appreciation of His power: He treads on chaos. Part of the danger for a pastor of being on vacation is the potential disconnect between the pastor and the people. As most of you know, I am often blessed to get amazing illustrations during the week leading up to worship. Better still, I get a sense of where people are struggling in their daily lives and am able (hopefully) to teach where Scripture speaks into our lives, both collectively and individually. But that is precisely where I found myself this week. We had some great readings, but I had no idea which story was speaking most strongly to us as a congregation or to you as individuals.

     As I was considering the story of Peter getting out of the boat and sinking, though, I was reminded of some other lessons taught in this story. Admittedly, we live these lessons well as a congregation, but I believe we are well-served to remind ourselves of their truths.

     (1) Jesus loves me, this I know. Sure, we all know the song, but do we ever inwardly digest its meaning? One of the dangers of human thought is that we tend to view blessings as signs of God’s approval or favor. If our bills are paid, our relationships are solid, and life seems generally good, we often think that we are favored by God. The problem with that thought, as we are reminded in Job and elsewhere, is the corollary: if things are bad then He views me unfavorably. The truth is, of course, He loves us no matter our circumstances. Whether things are going well or terribly, He loves us. Whether we are His disciples or His enemies, He loves us. We know this because He chose to die for our sins and restore us to our Father in Heaven. In fact, He loves us like no one else we know ever will.

     How do we know that? Place yourself in Jesus’ shoes for just a second. You have just fed 5000 men, besides women and children and had 12 containers full of leftovers after everyone was satisfied. Now, you come walking to your followers on the water. One asks you to call him to you. As he approaches, he loses faith and begins to sink. Better still, you know that he will deny you three times. In fact, you know all his strengths and failings. Would you reach out your hand to save him? Or would you be tempted to start over with someone else? Over and over and over, though, Jesus reaches out that saving hand even when we are “of little faith.”

     (2) He really is with us. I know it is tempting sometimes to view these stories as events that happened in a mythological past. “Ah, if only I would have -- seen the empty tomb/been the one walking on water/seen the Transfiguration/witnessed the Ascension/fill in your favorite miracle – then my faith would move mountains, indeed!” Sometimes, we act as if we do not believe that He is risen from the dead and, better still, with us until the end of the age. But He made that promise, and He answers our prayers. We do well when we remember that He really is with us and ready to stretch forth that hand just as He did for Peter. That hand may not seem miraculous as Jesus' in this story, but it will support you all the same.

     (3) When the storms of life seem overwhelming, when we feel like we are drowning in our burdens, we need to keep our focus on Him. When Peter focused his attention on Jesus, he walked on the water just fine. It was only after Peter began to notice the wind and the waves and the “oh my gosh I am really walking on water” that Peter began to sink. But where you or I would be wondering whether we could tread water or make it back to the boat before we drowned, Peter returned his focus and attention to where it needed to be: On Jesus. And even that little faith and that call for help was enough. Jesus, once again, redeemed him.

     How do these truths play out in our lives? I mentioned that we already live them. For 40+ years we have been feeding the neediest in our community. Better still, you have not just been going through the motions but giving them things you lovingly prepared. Whether it’s Charlie’s meatballs, Pauline’s ambrosia, and countless other favorite menu items, you have called upon His power and attacked hunger with a feast. How many times have we made enough to serve 50 and served 100 or more? And who has ever gone away unsatisfied? Do you really think that we, as messed up as we are, are that good at planning? No, we depend upon Him to stretch the food that all might be blessed.

     How many times have our intercessors called upon Him and He answered in amazing ways? Sandy’s ability to return home from her mission trip to die is just the most recent example. Much of what they do in behind the scenes and in confidence, yet each one cannot stop with just one story of His miracles among us. Ask them, and a list begins to form. The dead have been raised, the sick have been healed, the broken have been made whole, and all this simply because they dared to lift their voice and ask Him to act.

     These truths are such a part of this parish that they may not even be noticed by you. I remember an amazing conversation after my second Annual Meeting here. For a second time there was little bickering, little fighting, really very little angst. It seemed weird to me because we had no real money. My last church could at least depend upon its endowment when the pledging came up short. Here, there is no endowment, no safety net. I was worried whether people understood the budget and how tight things really were. Jan heard me griping and worrying and said “Father, we have never been blessed with a lot of money. We have never had a ‘rainy day’ fund or excess to put away. We consider ministries, and then we pray for God to provide whatever is needed: money, people, expertise, whatever. Amazingly, He always provides whatever it is that we need. And, when He does not provide, well, then, we know that we probably are not doing the things He would have us to do. So relax. If it is something God wants, He will make it happen.”

     Flash forward three more years. You have done amazing things in His name in the few years that I have been privileged to serve here, and He has met our needs, in ways beyond ours (or at least my) wildest dreams. We are a vanguard in the burgeoning movement to wipe slavery from the face of the earth. We have helped provide clean drinking water for two villages overseas. We have inoculated villages whose residents we will never meet. We have helped more than 5000 families in our community to eat well, at least for a time. If I had a dollar for every gas card we have distributed, I would have money for a few more gas cards – lol. We have lived as if we believe He is risen and as if we believe He is with us and as if He will answer us. And look at what we have done in His name! Brothers and sisters, you are already out of the boat and walking. Just remember, keep your focus where it needs to be, that He might be glorified in us and in our service of Him, that others might reach out their hands to Him and experience that same love, that same strength, that same power to save.

Peace,

Brian†

His grace leads to our transformation . . .

2011-07-24T20:47:00.000-05:00

   How great is God's grace? How amazing is it? I suppose we might make the argument that God could have inspired only the Gospels, and you and I would have known of His love of us. Fortunately though, since some of us are a bit hard-headed or a bit slow, He tells of His grace in many different ways.

   This week's story about Jacob might seem a bit strange to our ears. A man serving as a slave for his uncle, two daughters being given away with no account of their thoughts on the matter, a man being duped to sleep with the wrong girl—there is much for us to shake our heads at in consternation. Heck, hasn't all that been a repeated theme on some Soap Operas? But the story, read in isolation, might seem a bit disconnected to the rest of Jacob's story. Recall why we are where we are. Jacob conspired with his mother and tricked his father out of his older brother's blessing. He and his mother have, once again, conspired to deal with his brother and father's anger. Rebekah sent her younger son on a mission to find a bride. Her hope was he would, no doubt, but she also hoped Esau's anger would abate. Esau seems to have been impetuous at times. I mean, really, who gives up their inheritance for a bowl of lentil stew? Maybe a great steak, but lentil stew? And lest we forget, Rebekah was also the mother of Esau. Who knows a child better than a mom? Maybe some time away will help speed the cooling off period.
So, Jacob arrives at Laban's place. He spends some time there about which we hear next to nothing. Was Rachel so beautiful and graceful that he was thunderstruck? Did they strike up some great conversations over the goat's milk? We just don't know. Scripture seems to think that part of the story was unimportant. We do know that whatever happens causes Jacob to be willing to serve 14 years for Rachel. What Scripture emphasizes in this pericope, however, are some valuable lessons and some amazing insights. Clearly, sibling rivalry is nothing new. Last week, we read about the tussles between Jacob and Esau. This week, we hear that Rachel is beautiful and graceful but that Leah has unique eyes. Yes, I know our translation says “lovely eyes,” but the word translated as lovely is unique to Scripture. We're not sure as to its meaning. Her eyes could have been crossed, for all we know. It could also have been the idiomatic way of saying in ancient times “she has a great personality.” Anybody here not know what is meant by the “she has a great personality” line? Those of us asked to wingman on blind dates knew it was the code for “she looks like a water buffalo, but she is really funny. Thanks for doing this.” And ladies, ever describe another lady with a “great personality”? Ever mean it truly as a compliment? So, we are being set up for sibling rivalry among the ladies in this story.

   So, Laban comes to Jacob and asks what he wants. Jacob wants Rachel, you know, the lovely one. A bargain is struck. Seven years labor for the hand of Rachel. For those of us concerned about whether there is true affection at play here, ask yourself this difficult question: “Would you have served seven years for your spouse?” Maybe if we reverted to that system, our divorce rate would decline dramatically, but that is a sermon for another time!

   Seven years pass. Jacob's reward is finally at hand. The party must have been huge. How else could Jacob have been fooled? Gentlemen, ever thought of explaining to your wife using the words “Hey, I thought I was sleeping with you” with the expectation that she would buy it? Ladies, ever buy it as a good excuse? So now the tables are turned. The trickster has been tricked. Some in other churches will no doubt preach this lesson on the divine justice or humor of God. Is there a more appropriate thing to happen to Jacob? If nothing else, he should have some empathy for what he has done to his brother and father his whole life. But, while issues of justice and humor are certainly present, I wonder whether they very important in our lesson.

   So Jacob is furious. Laban shrugs off his anger with a “in our way of doing things, a first born daughter always gets married first.” Should Laban have mentioned that in the beginning of the seven years? Sure. And he knows it. But he tells Jacob to finish the honeymoon with Leah, and he can have Rachel too, as long as Laban gets another seven years labor to boot. By the way, for those of us who have read the torah, this marrying of sisters to the same man will be prohibited. But Jacob agrees to the terms. Though he presumably does not want to, he fulfills his responsibilities to Leah. Then, he claims his prize and his next set of tasks.

   I asked about God's grace at the very beginning. You may wonder where His grace is. This family is messed up! Sister rivalry, dishonest father-in-law, dishonest hero, an unloved bride. But this is the royal family. They should be better than this, right? I mean, Abraham never lied to anyone, right? Sarah never took matters into her own hands to fulfill God's covenant in her time, right? Isaac never failed his sons, right? Rebekah never favored one son over another, right? By the way, speaking of the covenant, you know the one where God promised to make Abraham's descendants more numerous than the stars in the sky or the sands on the beach. The same one He made with Jacob last week where he promised that his descendants would be like dust on the earth. How's that working out so far? Jacob has just served seven years and has the wrong wife to show for it. Isaac and Rebekah only had two sons, and they may kill each other before it's over with. And nobody seems willing not to try and serve their own interests. All are like me in the sense that they know what God wants, how to do what He wants, and that He needs my help. Each seems concerned with acting on their impulses or emotions rather than trusting the Lord to keep His covenant. Given their “help” it is amazing that His story ever gets a chance to unfold. Yet despite all these connivings and deceits, despite all the selfishness and self-aggrandizement, God still manages to see thing through.

   So complete is His power that all their selfishness cannot thwart Him. So amazingly is His control that their deceits will know confuse or confound Him. And such is His love and grace to them and to us that He will work through their messes, even when the ultimate cost for their sinfulness will be His own punishment to bear. They may give up on Him after a time, but He never gives up on them. Though the royal family seems small when this passage ends, it is just a few passages away from twelve sons and one daughter (though that path is rocky and full of its own rivalry, rape, and selfish brats). Though Jacob does not deserve the honor of being in covenant with God, let alone a great-great-great-great grandfather of Jesus, his story is preserved for edification and for our wonder.

   All of us sitting here probably recognize ourselves in these stories. Perhaps we are the schemers, perhaps we are the victims of schemers, maybe our mothers and fathers played favorites, maybe we are the parents or grandparents who favored our children or grandchildren, maybe we have been described as “having a great personality,” maybe we have spoken of others in those terms knowing and relishing in the hurt it would cause. Chances are, we see ourselves or our circumstances in these stories of the Old Testament. And that is a good thing, an amazing thing! No matter how far down the path of selfishness and sinfulness we find ourselves, we can always be reminded by these stories of His power and His grace to redeem incredibly bad circumstances or choices.

   As we have watched the past few weeks, Jacob has undergone an amazing transformation. The selfish, greedy, conniving sob who thinks nothing of fooling his father or stealing from his brother has become a patriarch of our faith. The same man who stole birthrights, who played favorites with his mother, and who eventually took even an inheritance destined for another will become a man who serves for 14 years to get a wife, who will lose his hothead ways and amazingly offer peace to those who rape his daughter, who will wrestle with God for His blessing, and who will return to his brother (though not without some of the old Jacob showing through) to try and reconcile with Esau. God offers us that same transformative grace to become His beloved son or His beloved daughter, children birthed by the Holy Spirit in His image through the amazing work of His beloved Son.

   You and I can even read these stories and remind ourselves of the need for patience when dealing with God. If He can close and open the wombs of women whether they are young or very old to keep His promises, if He can overcome the schemes of evil choices or people, if He can raise His Son from the dead after three days, there is nothing, no single thing that He cannot do for us. Best of all, that covenant that He made with Abraham and Sarah, with Isaac and Rebekah, with Jacob and Rachel and Rebekah and Zilpah and Bilhah, He offers to each one of us, to our offspring, and to all those whom we meet in our daily lives and work. Amazing grace, indeed!

Peace,
Brian†

How sweet the sound . . .

2011-07-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

   Amazing Grace is, perhaps, one of the best known songs in Christian music. In fact, it is so well known that when Nicole chooses a more contemporary version of it, I still hear how “they should have left well enough alone” from a number of well-meaning parishioners. As each of you knows, I am very fond of some of the traditions of the church. While I recognize that King James’ language is perceived like a foreign language by contemporary society and I understand that the evolution of language almost dictates that most churches use Rite 2 as the primary worship service, I would feel something amiss were it not for the early service each Sunday. There is a continuity that stretches back nearly to the formation of our church in that language. Similarly, while I great enjoy some of the modern “re-do’s” of Amazing Grace, I find myself needing to hear what I think of as the original every so often to remind me of where I have been and Who it is that leads me now.

   That similar theme of hearkening back and remembering the familiar, as well as the idea of Amazing Grace, are prevalent in our story from Genesis today. Those of us unfamiliar with the story might wonder “why the big deal?” What makes this story significant? To remind you of God’s narrative, Jacob is on the road. Once again, unsurprising to those of us who have followed his journey thus far, Jacob has schemed, plotted, and tricked his way to get what he wants. What’s worse is that he did all these bad things to his twin brother! Perhaps you have heard the stories of how close twins usually are, often to the point of making people think ESP is real. I know there is a tennis doubles pair of twins, and I am certain that some of their advantage is their opponents’ belief that they are communicating in ways unavailable to most of us. That close twin, Esau, is the one whom Jacob has wronged. Of course, Jacob’s plotting has not been in isolation. Sweet Rebekah, you know—the lady who watered the camels a couple weeks ago, the mother of Jacob and Esau has conspired to elevate her favorite son to the detriment of her other son--talk about playing favorites! As her husband Isaac was dying, she helped trick him into believing that Jacob was Esau. So, when the time came and Isaac was to give his dying double-share blessing, he gave it to the second son rather than the firstborn. Esau, predictably, was furious! In 27:41-42, Esau vows to kill Jacob. Of course, this is the same Esau who gave up his birthright for some lentil stew. Nevertheless, Rebekah has to plot and scheme some more. She sends Jacob away ostensibly to look for a wife, providing, she hopes, some time for Esau to forget his anger. Of course, what should be a journey of a few months ends up being a quest of some dozen years!

   But now, Jacob is simply on the road. He knows what he has done. Worse, he knows that what he has done was wrong! Terribly wrong. He tricked his father. The real victim was his twin brother. And now he cannot stay home because his brother is, rightfully so, enraged. How did he feel? What must have been going through his head? Maybe you are fortunate to live in a family that has no plotting or no scheming, but I rather doubt it. How have you felt when you tricked or ripped off a close brother or sister? What shame have you felt when scheming to take advantage of a parent? Perhaps, just perhaps, you have used the confusion and fear at the end of life to steal your own inheritance? A piece of furniture was promised to someone else but you weaseled your way into it? Perhaps you have been the victim of a family member’s machinations. Maybe, being the victim, you acted like Esau and started doing things which enraged your dying loved one simply because you felt them careless enough to allow themselves to be tricked! This is a well known story. Yet even when things are darkest, even when we are least deserving (can you imagine anything worse than screwing over a family member?) we are not cut off.

   God appears in a dream to Jacob and reminds him that the covenant which He swore with his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac is available to him, even when he least deserves it. Such is God’s grace that He is willing to extend His mercy to Jacob, if Jacob will choose to follow God. There is still time, if Jacob will choose wisely. Amazing Grace, indeed!

   Jacob awakes and realizes that he has slept on holy ground. Even there, on the road of dejection and deception, God is with him. Better still, the Lord offers Jacob a choice: follow Me and your family will be present everywhere like the dust on the ground, ignore Me at your peril. Jacob awakes and creates an altar. He names the place on the road bethel, which means “House of God.” And Jacob, in that moment, chooses to follow God wherever He leads. And notice what he asks of God – if You, O Lord, will lead me to my father’s tent in peace, then You shall indeed be my God! He does not ask for wealth, he does not ask for land, he does not even ask for a suitable wife, he does not ask for anything but to return home in peace. He recognizes the harm he has caused. He recognizes the evil he has done. And He realizes that the only one with the power to bring peace to what he has done is the Lord.

   Brothers and sisters, perhaps you have found your family history in our story today. Maybe you are Jacob, maybe you are Esau, maybe you have been a co-conspirator like Rebekah, maybe you have been careless like Isaac. Maybe you are fleeing that evil. It does not matter who or where you are, however. The same covenant which He offered to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, He offers to you! That you may know that He knows the evil of your actions and heart at times, He offered His Son! And that you may know that He has the power to redeem all our evil, He raised that Son from the dead! There is no place in your journey too far away. There is nothing you have done which He cannot redeem. And such is His grace, His amazing grace if you will, that He gladly accept you into that amazing covenant of love, and promises to see you blessed, just as He has each of His sons and daughters who came before, if you will simply accept His proffered grace and commit yourself to go where He leads, serve whom He places in front of you, and share your story of His amazing grace in your life with all who would ask it of you.

Christ's Peace,
Brian†

Claiming her inheritance . . . and blessing me!

2011-07-06T14:26:00.001-05:00

I assume that as I grow older this day will take on some significance. At this point in my life, it simply reminds me of what theologians call the tension between the “already and the not yet.” In a way, this day marks a day in which my daughter, Amanda, has really grown up. Of course, this growing up was begun and completed some time ago in her life of faith, but today marks one of those milestones upon which I will look fondly in the years to come.

To take a step back, Amanda came to me some months ago. She had returned from an academic reward that cost us (and her Grandpa George and Grandma Elaine) some significant funds. She had received an e-mail about an unplanned mission trip to Tanzania. Naturally, she came and asked dad if she could try and go. Being a priest with seven kids paid the minimum for the diocese of Iowa, I responded in typical fashion. Bills and tuition needed to be paid, other kids needed shoes and clothes—there simply was not enough money. If she had been a few weeks earlier, I could have given her the choice of the conference or the Mission Trip, but the money was all spent. I did not notice her dejection as she walked away.

The next day, Amanda returned with a question: could she try and act like a “real” missionary and raise the funds herself? She wanted to write a letter, do some fundraisers, the “works.” Now, I serve an amazing congregation. By and large we are a very healthy parish. We might seem a bit intrusive for those that are new, but it is only because most care a lot about those to whom God has called them to minister. This is probably best expressed in their giving. Few in the parish do not give sacrificially. Of the few that do not give sacrificially, some of them “just tithe.” Knowing this, I had to be honest with Amanda. There was no way that would happen. There simply were not enough resources available in the parish. Not to be deterred, Amanda asked if she could send the letter out to the parents of her friends from school? I responded in the typical, making economic sense manner. “Have you not heard about this recession? Besides, why would non-Christians ever give you money to help evangelize?” She had no answer, but she was not going to give up.

A couple days later, she brought me the letter. She had crafted a missionary letter asking for financial support. The letter described how the previous trip to Tanzania had made her feel, what she wanted to do, and, most importantly, how she felt that God was calling her to this ministry. It is not very often as a parent that I like having my own words thrown back into my face, but, thankfully, I am also a priest. When people preach my own sermons at me, I am often doubly-blessed. Not only does the mini-sermon often get me out of my particular funk, but it reminds me that people sometimes do listen to my sermons on Sundays. Amanda, of course, hears and sees a sermon all the time. Talk about inwardly digesting it.

Naturally, I apologized to Amanda for failing her both as her priest and as her father. Clearly, something important had happened to her in her prior trip to Tanzania. Because I was not there, I had missed the subtle signs. But, when she needed to break out the metaphorical hammer and knock some sense in me, she did! One of the two people in the world that should have been supportive of her no matter what, her father, had failed her terribly. Worse, her priest had failed her. Clearly, she was experiencing some sort of call. As we talked further, I was not sure that this was it. I actually pondered whether she had glimpsed a vision of her future life’s work and was simply confused as to the time. I spelled out the obvious challenges, but I told her to put out the letter and share her story. Amanda replied that she knew it was going to happen. This was something God was calling her to do, and He makes all things possible.

As I reflected on the events of those few days with my wife later, I learned that I had not only been unsupportive but gruff in my dealings with my daughter. Thankfully, Karen had been a far better parent than I. She had encouraged Amanda to keep nagging and to write the letter. Karen had been nearly ready to kill me for crushing a spark in our daughter, but her support had served to fan the flames in Amanda’s call. But rather than step in, she had let Amanda fight her own battle and assert her own thoughts about the trip.

Some $2500 later, some countless prayers later, we received the call that she was in Dulles waiting for her trip to Dar. She wanted to say goodbye to everyone before she left. Unspoken, of course, were the fears. Before this all started, Osama bin Laden was alive. Now, threat levels around the world have changed. And Americans in Dar Es Salaam have been targeted before. Not a few parishioners have journeyed into my office since his death wondering if we had thought this all through. The parishioners whom I serve often amaze me. Imagine the difficulty some had in coming to ask me if I had considered that she might be the victim of a terrorist attack while abroad. What if had not? What if I had? And though some fumbled, all spoke from the heart. Their concern for Amanda and for me and for Karen was amazing. What if . . . ?

Truthfully, I cannot say that I am too worried by the what if’s. Though Karen and I gave, for us, some significant funds to make this happen, we can rest in that peace that passes all understanding that His sovereign hand was at work in all of this. Had He not lit the spark, had He not fanned the flame, had He not given her the words – this would not have happened for Amanda. So if she journeys there and meets her death as a martyr, I will trust in His grace to carry us through. This is not the end He has in mind, but He will overcome all efforts to thwart His will. No one and no thing will separate her from His love nor, in the end, separate us in His love. The same God who provided for this will provide for our eternal needs as well, of that I am certain. I can only hope, as I have reflected on that possibility with some of the more determined of my flock, that I can testify to that kind of provision and that kind of promise in the anthem of a burial in a way that honors Scott & Sarah, Bryan & Lisa, and so many of our friends and colleagues who have been asked to walk that terrible path before. . .

But that, of course, is to dwell on the negative possibility. My expectations are far more joyous. I keep asking myself “what were the odds this would happen?” How many $20, $25, and $50 checks did it take? How many hearts were moved to make this trip possible? How many non-Christians, like the Egyptians during the Exodus, gave for some reason even they do not understand to help further God’s plan? And so I look to her trip with expectant eyes. What in the world does He have planned that would require her presence half a world away?! What divine appointment, what word has she been called to speak that glorifies Him or brings the dead back to life? Will she be causing rejoicing in heaven? The possibilities are as endless as His love and His provision.

During each Celebration of New Ministry, the newly appointed minister kneels in front of the new congregation and says aloud the words “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof; yet You have called Your servant to stand in Your house, and to serve at Your altar. To You and to Your service I devote myself, body, soul, and spirit. . . Make me an instrument of Your salvation for the people entrusted to my care . . .” Every now and then He grants us the opportunity to see how we are being used. Whoever first wrote that prayer certainly understood their need for His grace in their life. As we laid hands on Amanda and prepared to send her off last week, those words appeared blazoned before my eyes. Though I am often moved by such sending services (I know the worries and fears of the loved ones left behind whether the one sent is going to war, going to college, or simply transferring with a job), I was reminded of how truly blessed I am. Truth was, I could barely say a prayer. He has kept His covenant with my next generation and has begun already to use them for His glory. Would that all of us who are mothers and fathers, grandparents and great grandparents live to see such hope and such promise! Would that we would all remember that our chief responsibility when children are placed by Him in our care is to teach them to love and follow Him wherever He leads—even when He leads them to do things we think are impossible!

Peace,
Brian†

He makes the ordinary holy . . .

2011-07-05T11:25:00.002-05:00

One of the distinct honors of serving as a priest in this community is that I get to set at the hub of a wheel of activity. Far more often than you know, your “no big deal” actions, words, or example radically impacts the life of those around you. I thought of several good examples of ordinary stuff which God used to bless someone in our midst. Better still, as I was asking permission to talk about these ordinary things, I earned more about the ripples. Person B was all about letting me share how Person A had truly blessed them, but then they, in turn, did not want me talking about how Person C had been moved by their response. I suppose modesty and humility are good qualities, in moderation. We are going to have to work on our willingness to share some of these stories, however. One of the reasons we gather each week is to remind ourselves how God is active in our lives, in the lives of those around us, and in the world. To not be able to preach on some of those actions and blessings not only hamstrings the preacher, but, I believe, starves each of us of a bit of the bread which He shared. That all being said, amazingly enough, our readings give us a great example of what I am talking about.

Place yourself in our story in Genesis. Which character do relate to today? Are you, perhaps, Abraham—wandering how on earth God is going to keep His promise to you now that your beloved wife, Sarah, is dead? How can he and Sarah have countless offspring if she has passed? Perhaps you are Isaac. All your life you have heard how special you were. Talk about a change-of-life baby! And yet, there was this time that dad seemed willing to do something horrible to you. Maybe you relate best to the servant. The master/boss has given you another impossible task. To make matters worse, the master/boss has placed certain conditions on how the task must be completed. Rather than trusting you to do it quickly and correctly, the master/boss has just turned a hard job into a damn near impossible one. Maybe you relate best to Rebekah? You have a kind heart, but it has done you no favors so far. You are of a marriageable age, yet you are not even betrothed. Maybe, you relate best to the camel?

Each of our characters today had a particular need and concern. Abraham likely wondered how on earth God would keep His promises in light of Sarah’s death. Isaac, we are told, missed his mother terribly. The servant had to struggle with the responsibility placed upon him by Abraham. Each had a reason to wonder whether God still cared about them and whether He was able to keep His promises to them. So what happens?

Abraham sends his servant to find a suitable wife for his son. He wants Isaac to marry a girl from home, not one of these Canaanite women (later, we learn that Canaanite women will lead Israel’s sons from the worship of Yahweh into Exile, so Abraham’s desire is good). Isaac must marry a woman who can bear the testing of God and not turn aside. This “following God” stuff is hard. It is not for the weak or for the idolaters. Naturally, Abraham tells the servant to go back to where he was from and where he found Sarai. Of course, knowing the temptations, Abraham does not allow Isaac to go and the servant must go in a round-about way. In this way, Isaac won’t be tempted to go “home” if he does not know where "home" is.

Having completed the (from the servant’s perspective, pointless) journey, now the servant must get to work. How does one invade such a close-knit culture to find a wife suitable for his master’s son? It can’t be done. Why, if only finding such a wife were as easy as watering ten camels?

Into our story appears Rebekah. She offers the servant water and then, in a radical show of hospitality, offers to water the camels. Immediately, though, the servant recognizes the hand of God at work! Rebekah has offered an incredible gift, a gift worthy of Abraham and Sarah in the eyes of the servant. And so he asks her to consent to marry his master’s son. You and I might not think it particularly romantic, particularly if we have ever been on a blind date. He asks her to consider how much wealth God has given Abraham. He asks her to consider his journey to this point. And throughout this “sales” pitch, the servant gives all credit to God. Rebekah might wonder what Isaac looks like, but she knows that he is blessed and directed by God. And she accepts the offer.

The return journey is not mentioned. The faithful obedience and responses of our characters has already occurred. But notice how the story ends. Rebekah and Isaac share that “love at first sight” experience. They know, by the words of the servant, that God’s hand is upon their marriage. And so Isaac takes Rebekah, gives her the matriarch’s tent, and becomes her husband. Everybody wins. Certainly Isaac and Rebekah get a great deal out of all this – a spouse. But Isaac is even comforted over the loss of his mother by the new presence of his wife. Abraham now has an apparently beautiful daughter-in-law. Can grandchildren be far behind the marriage? After all, Isaac and Rebekah are much younger than when he and Sarah had their first. The servant has learned that God’s sovereign hand is upon this family. How well do you think he will serve in the future, knowing his master's unique relationship with God? And Abraham learns that his servant will do seemingly stupid and crazy things to fulfill his wishes. A common occurrence in those days—finding a suitable wife--is used by God to reassert His covenant with a faithful family. The ordinary is blessed. The common is made holy.

Brothers and sisters, such is his promise to you. If I talked to you this past week or two about some particular “ordinary things” in your life, then you know God is active in your life. God has taken your words at work, your visits during free time, your willingness to carry a sack or fix something broken to bless another. That particular blessing, in turn, has been seen and heard by others. And for a few moments, many of us have found ourselves in the activities not unlike what we read about today. But, I think, most importantly, we have been reminded of something truly amazing. In His kingdom, there are no ordinary people. In His family, there are no ordinary children. In His kingdom, there are no second tier shrines or temples. In His kingdom there are only Princes and Princesses. In His kingdom there are only first-born children in His eyes. In His kingdom, all become a worthy dwelling place for His Spirit. There is no ordinary. There is only exceptional!

Sitting there today you may be a scoffer. Have you seen my temple, Brian? It’s crumbling and teetering and it isn’t exactly up to code, if you get my drift. How can I reach others for His name’s sake with everything going on in my life? My family put the shun in dysfunction—how can I ever hope to be drawn into His? The truth is you cannot, unless He draws you in. Just as you cannot be that truly exceptional son or daughter, that prince or princess, unless He calls you. But the glorious news is that He calls and He makes new! He takes that which we are at war with in our bodies and uses it to glorify Himself. When we were each unlovable He went willingly to the cross. When we each felt inadequate to the task set before us He promised us a Counselor. And just to remind us that none of us were “ordinary” but special, He ascended back to be with the Father and took part of our “fully human” with Him. To be sure, we and other Christians still make mistakes, we still screw up, we still sometimes find ourselves losing our faith. But to remind us of our heritage and His love, He still excels at taking the ordinary in our lives and using it to advance His kingdom, one precious son or daughter at a time, a son or daughter worth dying for—just as He died to save each one of us!

Peace,
Brian†

A mantle worthy of Our Father who art in heaven . . .

2011-06-22T16:48:00.002-05:00

It is that wonderful day of the church year when everybody who has an assistant is rejoicing: Trinity Sunday. When I entered the ordination process and as I worked my way through seminary, I was told (and this was an experience shared by a number of my classmates) that Trinity Sunday was one of those days we would receive all kinds of invitations to preach. As I was pastoring a church in Ohio, I laughed how so many clergy were free for Pentecost but always tied up the very next Sunday. I’d have to check the red book, but I don’t believe we ever celebrated the Eucharist on Trinity Sunday the entire three years I was there. Explaining a mystery is tough work. Explaining a mystery in a few short minutes is worse. Fortunately, I guess, I have always had to preach on Trinity Sunday (at least until this year), so I do not know any better. I simply try and tackle what is going on in our lives and how it relates to the readings. Hopefully, if God shows up, you and I learn something. If not? Well, it’s Trinity Sunday and I have that as an excuse.

I suppose the seeds for this week’s message were in the HOB/D listserv last week, in conversations with some WoW youth, in conversations with some of you, in the press, and in my reflections on Father’s Day. My thoughts on fathers began with a post on the listserv in which one of the priests asked all those on the list to jettison the titles “Father” and “Mother.” As one who preferred “Pastor,” I thought “Good luck with that. While you are at it, create peace in the Middle East and fix our economy.” I suppose she thought she meant well. From her perspective, the titles of “Mother,” “Father,” “Brother,” and “Sister” gives the impression that we organize ourselves like a family. Who wants to join another dysfunctional family when we all have one at home? Plus, don’t the titles undermine the ministries of those without one?What followed was an incredible discussion. What made it incredible was the sheer number of responses. I am guessing there were nearly 200 posts either in favor or opposed to her suggestion. What wassad, from my perspective, was the suggestion from a new delegate that we discuss successful ways of evangelizing in our respective communities instead. For the first two days, that post drew a grand total of 2 responses. It was only when that poster pointed out the energy being spent on title discussion relative to the energy seemingly being spent on the Great Commission that people began to share some of their ideas.

In the background of all of this were various headlines relating to Father’s Day. It seemed like the AP had a new headline on Yahoo all week. 27% of all dad’s live apart from their kids! Nearly half of all fathers in United States have a child born out of wedlock! On and on droned the headlines. I shared with you last week the tough decisions being made by a dad to help his children and himself through one of life’s valleys—an addicted mom. I heard at least a half dozen times from teens how they wished their parents would take up an interest in the things that they like (like WoW). When I pointed out that WoW was pretend, the teens each responded to the effect that “the time you spend playing with you kids, planning for the next raid, or gratsing each other for ‘dings’ or ‘chieves’ sure isn’t.” I am often saddened as a parent at the number of kids at my children’s school who thank Karen and me for coming to the games and cheering them on. “My mom and dad are too busy, but it sure is nice to hear my name called out in the stands.”

I suppose my nadir of reflection surrounding fathers happened on my drive back from WV. I was a bit put out and feeling petty. I was sorely disappointed that my dad had chosen to leave right after the wedding. I had driven nearly 12 hours, and he and I had only spent a couple hours together--admittedly half of that was spent in that heaven on earth known as Bob Evans. Couldn’t he stay the night? The truth is, I could not have done much with or for him. Karen and I spent what we had on the trip. And we were exhausted. All four of us were probably asleep Saturday night far sooner than the kids back home! But it would have been nice to spend more time with him. As it turned out, though, God had a job for him. The next morning, he went to church at home. At church, he learned that a member had allegedly shot and killed his son. The mother was understandably beyond upset. Their 13 year old son was dead. His father, her husband, was arrested as the killer. She was grieving and worried. What’s going to happen to her husband? Where was her son’s body? Many of you know my dad is a lawyer, so he left church for the sheriff’s office. He walked that morning where few others in that community of faith could. His gifts and talents were put to use by God providing some small comfort and some significant assistance to a family wrecked by pain and guilt. While the minister tended to the wife/mother and the youth pastor tended to the youth, dad did what he could do better than most. And I was reminded of a couple serious discussions of fatherhood, discussions which seem very appropriate this Father’s Day.

A couple years ago we were reading The Shack as a group at church. At one point during the book, “Papa” says to the dad in the story that he revealed himself as a father in Scripture because he knew that one day in the future, people would forget what a father was supposed to be like. This statement struck a chord with many of us in attendance. That observation stuck with me because the group was all women. They realized that fatherhood has begun to lose its meaning in modern society. Certainly, we can look in the newspapers or think of or own stories to remind ourselves of its truth. What does society teach us about fatherhood? What has God revealed to us about fatherhood?

During our discussions, one of the big differences noted was the idea of unconditional love. Does God let Israel deal with the consequences of their sins? To be sure. Does God sometimes follow through with His punishment even when Israel repents? Absolutely. But always, always He reminds them and us that He loves them and us and cherishes His relationship with them and us. Unlike our OT fathers, we know His absolute love for us through the person and work of His Son. What they saw with blurry vision, you and I can see clearly in the hindsight of history. Certainly our readings this year have focused on Jesus’ role in restoring us to our Father in heaven and on His gift of the Holy Spirit to empower us to glorify Him truly. But behind all of this lies a behavior which all of us as fathers are called to emulate.

Part of that clergy’s problem with titles and part of the reason that so many kids or adults lament their relationships with their dads is because so many have bought into the world’s description of fatherhood and forgotten the Father’s example. As men, particularly Midwestern men, many of us are good at “working hard” to “climb the ladder.” Some of us, certainly not me, are good at “cleaning up after our own messes.” Our measure, at least by worldly standards, is our bank account, our titles, and our independence. Even when we do good things for our kids, we like to point it out to them. We want respect from them because we’ve earned it, at least in our minds. To add to the difficulty, bad relationships are often glorified. Whether we watch MTV and see the teenage dads or Deadliest Catch and see those interesting relationships, we see negative examples glorified and think we deserve respect just for trying to be a good dad.

Our Father in heaven though, displays a different priority of virtues. There is nothing wrong with wanting respect. There is nothing wrong with hard work, or independence, or goal setting, or many other virtues providing they are kept in their places and don’t gain control of our lives. How do we prevent that from happening? Through the emulation of that truly counter-cultural and virtue exhibited by God in all His dealings with us: humility. Dads, have you ever taken the time to think how your Father in heaven has dealt with you? Does His relationship to you in any way remind you of your relationship with Him? Put a different way, when in any dealing with you has God not exhibited humility? I’ll save you the trouble by reminding you that the answer is never. Any dealing he has with us, by definition, is an exercise in humility. We rightly think of the cross as a humiliating experience for the Son, but God did not need to save us, ever. It is simply His willingness to abase Himself, His unwavering desire to do whatever is necessary to save us, to lead us, and to guide us back to His love which motivates Him to act. Whether He is forging a covenant with Abraham, freeing our ancestors in Egypt, returning our ancestors from the Exile, incarnating Himself in human flesh, or sending us His Spirit that we might fulfill His plan for us, He is always coming down to our level of His own volition. We cannot make Him. Impelled by love, He comes down to where we are. He shows grace to those whom He chooses, not any who deserve it.

Dads, is that how you deal with your kids? Is that how your dad dealt with you? Yet think of His gracious actions in your life? How many times have you known Him to act to help or to save you? How many times have you forgotten that being a dad is a gift and not a right? How many times have you forgotten that your primary job is to steer your kid’s attention, love, and devotion to the One Father who will never disappoint, the One Father who, despite who you were, acted to save you for all eternity? That, fathers, is a humility which we should all embrace because, truth be known, we really excel at making a mess of things. I often joke, but with an edge, that dysfunctional is what the Bible calls “normal.” I dare you to study the Bible and find a family that matches what sociologists and psychologists want to pass off as ideal. The whole story of the Bible is about God’s willingness to humble Himself, for Him to forgo the honor, respect, an glory owed to Him for a time, that you, me, and everyone we know or met might share in that same honor, that same glory for all eternity. Though we do not deserve it, He longs to share eternity with us.

The best lesson regarding that humility and that love naturally begins at home. That best lesson, dads and for later in life sons, begins with us. Each day, you and I are called to be thankful that He called us into relationship with Him. We model this thankfulness through prayer and by gathering at worship. We do this by serving our wives, our children’s mothers, and by loving them as Christ our Savior loved the Church. And we do this that our sons might grow up to be the Fathers He has called them to be. We do this that our daughters might grow up unwilling to settle for what society says is available, but to find young men worthy of their love and capable of raising up the next generation into the family He has called us all. We do this all with a sense of reverence, a sense of awesome responsibility, and a certainty of knowing that, without His grace and humility, each one of us would surely fail in our efforts. Fathers, we live in an age that has forgotten the importance of fathers. It is time for you and for me to take up His mantle of humility, and through prayerful love and service of those whom He has entrusted to our daily care, and remind the world that its Father in Heaven wants nothing better than to call us all His sons and His daughters.
Peace,
Brian†

Find your voice . . .

2011-06-13T12:55:00.002-05:00

And a tongue rested on each of them! – When this week began, I had in mind a beautiful theological effort for a sermon. Pentecost is one of those days during the church year that a lot of people come. True, it’s not as important to many families as Easter and Christmas, but it still has an important place in our lives, even if we're not quite sure why. And given some of the criticisms surrounding the rest of our Communion’s inability to understand the ministry of the laity, it certainly seemed a good time to spend discussing all our ministries in light of the Comforter’s presence in our lives. Unfortunately for me, God sometimes does not agree with what I intend to do.

I had a gentleman enter my office on Monday. He needed to talk. By virtue of his addiction, he had destroyed his family, his job, and his reputation. Most of his friends had dropped him. His family had given up on him. Now he is getting help for his addiction, but he wanted to know that it was ok to have screwed things up. Imagine his surprise when I pointed out that he had screwed things up even more than he thought, particularly with his kids. After a long discussion, he said “Father, I just want to know that everything will get back to the way it was before, so long as I get help.” Naturally, I could not give him those assurances. What I could offer was that if he finished “coming to himself” using the words of the Prodigal Son, eventually, things might improve. It would depend in large part whether his kids were Christian. “Why does that matter?” I explained that Christians should understand the need for forgiveness and mercy far better than the rest of the world. “Why?” Because that is what He has given us. And as His disciples, that becomes one of our best witnesses to the world. “What if I am not and they are not?” I asked him how he could ever expect to find common ground, given things he had done to them and to those whom they loved? Needless to say, our conversation will be continuing for some time. I think God has called him; the question is whether he will come.

Later this week, I was playing WoW. Now, I have been incredibly busy since Cataclysm came out. I, who used to be one of the best priest healers on my server, have yet to down the first boss on the way to destroying Deathwing. Life around here has been busy. But I was finally in a group working my way down the volcano when I was whispered. It got so deep and involved, I had to leave my raid group. “I am so glad you got on.” Why? “I just wanted to let you know you were right." About what? “About what we were going through and going to go through if dad divorced mom.” As background, you should know that his mom had an addiction to drugs. Her habit was destroying this family, destroying it emotionally and financially. I had told the boy some months ago that, at some point, his dad would probably be forced to divorce her, if for legal reason only. Once that happened, there would likely be some serious emotional explosions within the family. He was thanking me for preparing him for what was to come. “Thank you for listening and thank you for understanding and thank you for caring. A lot of my friends were like, ‘it’s no big deal.’ It was bigger than I thought, or dad or my sister, for that matter. We’re better off for it, but it was really hard.” That’s good to know. “I’m just glad life will get easier now.” Life will go on, but it will still be hard. “Whaddaya mean?” Events will still happen. She is still your mom. A piece of paper doesn’t really destroy a relationship. It changes it, but it doesn’t destroy it. Plus, if you are lucky, she might realize what has happened and come to herself. “Whaddaya mean?” Have you considered that your dad’s actions and those of you and your sister might cause her to realize what she is doing? One day, she might awaken from her fog with terrible guilt and come to you and your sister and father seeking forgiveness. Wouldn’t that mess things up for you guys? “Holy $#@&! You don’t think that can happen, do you?” It can and sometimes does. “I dunno how I would respond.” You have told me repeatedly you are a Christian. Are you? “Of course!” How do you think God would call you to respond to her, were that to happen? “What about the hurt?” He bore it. “What about the financial injury?” He bore that. What about the embarrassment she has caused? He bore that, too. “I hate talking to you – lol. I guess I need to start praying that she does, don’t I.” Not just for her, but for yourself, your dad, and your sister. “Heavy stuff, Father.” It’s far lighter than what He did for us. “I can’t say thank you for this advice right now.” I understand. “I am gonna be pissed if you are right.” I know. But I am around. You can always tell me I was wrong. “That would be fun, but I don’t think I’m willing to cheer against you.” We finished some small talk and then he logged off.

It dawned on me after this conversation, that this was the fourth serious divorce consequences discussions I had been involved in less than two weeks. Plus, as I thought, I had been involved in two serious discussions about survivors’ guilt and the death of newborns. That’s when it hit me. Yes, God gave us this day the gift of tongues to proclaim his Gospel in all the languages of the world. But He gave us tongues in another sense, as well. Each one of us is shaped and informed by our own experiences. Every one of us brings a different background to our faith. Yet you and I are called to proclaim with authority His saving help not just through the ages, but in our lives. In a real way, you and I have been given various dialects in which to speak. I may understand the emotions of the children of divorce or the survivors’ guilt that comes when the newborns of dear friends are lost, but you might better speak the language of addiction, the language of mental illness, the language of financial failure, the language of the felon, or any number of other languages far better than me. I might speak the language of WoW or finances, but you might speak the language manufacturing or hunting. And this day in particular, we celebrate that God has acted in the lives of each one of us and empowered us to proclaim His release to those around us. He has taken what was meant for evil in our lives and used it for good; He has made the common in our lives holy. Who better to hear His proclamation by our lips than those imprisoned by similar circumstances in their own lives?

Pentecost reminds each one of us that He has sent His Spirit, His Comforter, to assist us His redeeming work. Pentecost reminds us that His story is our story and that the narrative of our lives can be used in His redeeming purpose. A weighty thing to be sure! But a purpose worthy of a celebration, a celebration of a people redeemed and sent out to proclaim that redemption to the world!

Peace,
Brian†

Signposts . . .

2011-05-23T13:29:00.002-05:00

I was at First Lutheran Moline last week when we had one of those discussions that reminds us of our age came up. Unfortunately, it ended up being a great sermon illustration, too. George and Annette and a number of us were celebrating Kaily’s accomplishments as an organist and as a singer at her recital, when George decided to share a conversation he had had with another of the girls who was performing. Everyone here, by now, is familiar with GPS devices. I am told that cars purchased within the last three years usually have them as a standard accessory. Heck, I was reading that my family is fairly normal, at least in the sense that we name our GPS – she has a British voice, so we call her Lizzie (short for Elizabeth).

George was explaining to this young lady that there was a time when GPS did not exist. How did you get to where you were going? In the beginning, we had these papers that were folded up. Driving to places often took two people. One person, usually the man, was the one who drove the car. He managed the wheel and the old device called a clutch. The other person, usually the wife, was responsible for the paper. It was her job to unfold the paper, pretend like she knew where they were on the paper, and give the opposite directions required to get to the destination. If they were to go north, she instructed the man to turn south; if they were supposed to turn left, it was her job to instruct him to turn right or “this way” while in traffic when he could not take his eyes off the road. Eventually, George shared in all serious wisdom, the man was expected to realize that Memphis was nowhere near Chicago nor Kansas City to Minneapolis. Then the man would pull over, turn the paper correctly, re-straighten the folds, and figure out the quickest way to get back on track to the destination. There was no recalculating? she asked. No, he somberly replied, this was not a device but rather paper. It was called a map and it was our job to do the recalculating. That could only be done if you could read the map. Some lines were good or fast roads, others were slower or bad, still other lines might not be roads at all but rather borders, or county lines, or even time zones. And the blue ones were always water. Wow. She replied, clearly impressed by George’s narration. I had heard of Mapquest and seen it on my computer, but I had never met anyone who had ever used it as a primary navigation tool. It was at this point that our beloved Lt. Col. and Senior Warden recognized the need for a retreat and several beers to recover from the shock an awe of discovering how old he really was in his daughter’s friend’s eyes.

Thomas, this morning, is not that different from our young teenager bantering with George, were she to find herself in the dark ages of maps and clutches, or perhaps ourselves. Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus’ response? I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. How would you ever give someone directions to heaven or to where Jesus and the Father currently are? It seems rather hard. We have no address. We can’t punch it into our GPS or computers. It’s an impossible request. Thomas seems right to our ears when he says that we do not know where Jesus is going (went). His question, and ours, might seem right, and Jesus’ answer of no help, but is that true?

Part of Jesus’ purpose for coming down from heaven was to show us how to live in communion with God. Remember, part of Jesus job was to fulfill the torah. Israel could no more live a holy life, a life under the torah, given to them at their redemption from Egypt, than can you or I. Yet, part of the purpose of the torah was to teach Israel, and by extension us, what it meant to live in full communion with a holy, righteous, just, loving, God. Jesus, though, managed to keep all the torah. He lived a sinless, blameless life. You and I might be decent people by modern standards, but we still sin. Jesus did not. In that way, He who knew no sin could become sin and bear our punishment on the cross. He died for our sins so that we could share in His righteousness. He was the perfect offering for us. That is not to say he lived a life with a “holier than us” attitude. As we noticed this Lenten season, the one who should have been judging our need for repentance joined us in the waters of Jordan. Nor was it to declare that God’s righteousness and holiness were misunderstood. No, indeed. When Jesus was confronted by sin, He called it for what it was and called the sinner back into right relationship with God. In this sense, the sense of an example, He shows us the way, the truth, and the life of the believer. How do we find Jesus now? Live a life like He did, to the best ability and grace given us. We study what He teaches, we learn what He would have us to know, and we pick up our own crosses and follow Him!

The other sense, of course, deals more with His work on the cross and His glorious Resurrection. He who knew no sin became sin. Jesus died on that cross for you, for me, and for everyone whom we meet in our daily life and work. Throughout the Old Testament, God reminded Israel that He desired that no one should die, no single individual should die; rather, He wanted the world to repent and turn to Him, the God and Father of all. The punishment that was required for the sins of all humanity was born by His Son. Now, when you and I and all others sin, all that is required is that we repent and ask Him for the grace to follow more closely in His footsteps. He has paid the price for our failures, our sins, in God’s inscrutable eyes. To be sure, we are still human, we will still continue to sin, this side of the grave. But His work, His sacrifice, makes it possible that you and I might become better disciples as we are matured in our faith. Practically speaking, what does such a life look like?

Like the map user which must figure out where one is in relation to where one should or wants to be or the one who makes a wrong turn while using a GPS, the recalculating has already been done for us. You and I, during the course of our lives, will face countless forks and intersections in our faith journey. Sometimes, we will discern where He is and where we should go. At other times, our discernment will fail us. At still other times, we will choose to ignore our conscience and His voice and go where we want to go. The great news is that He has already recalculated our route and can still direct us to our ultimate destination, eternal life with Him. All we need to do is to repent (again) and start listening to Him and following Him where He leads us.

Can’t we get there on our own or by another route? These words sound so harsh, particularly to our American pluralized ears. Sadly, many Christians have chosen to use these words of Jesus as a club. “You don’t know Him so you don’t get to enjoy His offer.” “Will people get into heaven who do not know Him?” is perhaps the question that worries us. After all, He says elsewhere that He has other flocks. Whatever and wherever those other flocks are, and this is not the reading to discuss them, He makes it clear that they are His. The other flocks are not getting to Him by means of any way apart from Him. By why would we ever risk our salvation, or the salvation of our families, our co-workers, or our friends, on His uncovenanted mercies? Why keep silent when we know the way? Can you imagine ever being given the gift of prophesy to know this week’s Powerball or MegaMillions drawing and not use those numbers? And what He offers is of infinitely more value than the money offered in those lotteries. In a very real sense, He has called you and me and promised to use us, all of our joys and all of our sorrows, as signposts for others to His saving embrace. And it is our job to give those directions to all whom we encounter, whether they know they are lost or not. But, in giving those directions, brothers in sisters, we are called to remind ourselves that sometimes we are a bit lost, sometimes we have forgotten our way, and that we are, in the end, fellow travelers with all whom we encounter, seeking to follow the path He has set before us, trusting that He will lead us, and all others whom He has saved, to be home with our Father forever.

Peace,

Brian†

Journeying, eating, and dwelling . . .

2011-05-16T13:48:00.002-05:00

We have certainly heard a lot of Psalm 23 over the past few weeks. I think, with the only exception being Tony’s funeral, this will be the 8th time in only 3 weeks or so that many of us have either heard or participated in reading the psalm. Let’s face it. It is one of the best known pieces of Scripture. It’s one of those pieces of Scripture which seems to be as well known by the unchurched as it is by the churched. Why?

For its brevity, Psalm 23 takes up a number of themes. Better still, as with all great poetry, its few words convey all kinds of depth of meaning. For example, one of the messages of this psalm, I think can be argued, is the idea that life is a journey. Certainly, the Hebrews understood much of their existence to be a journey. Often, they referred to themselves as “wandering Arameans,” a clear reference to the fact that Abraham and Isaac and the rest of the first family were called out of their homeland by God on a great journey. Their life in Egypt, both the good times and the bad, was considered a “sojourn.” Certainly their experiences in the wilderness after being freed from Egypt was a wandering. They did get a few generations of life in the Promised Land, but their rejection of the covenant with God earned them the punishment of the Exile. Throughout their journeys, both physical and spiritual, Israel was reminded that they were just passing through. Their focus was supposed to be Yahweh, both in the good times and the bad.

Similarly, you and I as Christians are often reminded that we are “wandering Arameans” and “pilgrims.” What we were and what were are now are not our final destination. At some point, you and I will be re-created and called home to be with our Lord. But, as we journey through both the wonderful experiences of life and its terrible tragedies, you and I are called to keep our focus of God and His promises.

Another beautiful image in these 6 short verses is the promise that God is preparing a table, a feast, for us, sometimes right in front of our enemies. For the people of Israel, this promise was to be expressed fullest in their possession of and continuing existence in the Land Promised to their forefathers and foremothers. For us, of course, this idea is realized differently. Certainly, unless we are among those fortunate to be alive when our Lord returns, we will all walk through the valley of the shadow of death. As I noted earlier, death has touched all of us at least once in the past three weeks, and some of us have been touched as many as 8 times! Death is always stalking us, as are many of the sufferings of this world. How many of us are fighting diseases? How many of us are worried about provision? How many of us wish that certain relationships could be restored?

Just as God fed Israel with manna and quail during their journeys and led them into a land with vineyards and milk and honey (and lots of enemies), you and I are fed in the midst of our trials. Each week, although some of us a few more times than just once, we gather at the Eucharist and remind ourselves of the pledge God has given us. We remember His faithfulness and remind ourselves to trust Him, wherever He leads us. More than infrequently we hear of amazing provision or miracles in the midst of this world, and oh how those stories inspire us! Think of Fr. Jeremy’s story of healings and protection towards the end of Lent. Think of the wonderful stories of how “money appeared” or “bills got lost” or whatever in our midst that allowed us breathing space, rest, in the midst of our cares of provision. How many times do checks happen to appear from those who watch our ministries just when we need them the most? How big is our prayer list because people notice that our intercessors get clear answers from God? And how intent are we in sharing those stories of miracles of provision or of healing? We each need to hear them in the midst of our enemies so that our faith will be strengthened and our confidence in God will be increased. Better still, for just a few moments when we hear of these amazing acts and gifts of God, the jeers and taunts of our enemies, and His, are muted.

Of course, perhaps most importantly, one of the themes of this psalm is the idea that we will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Certainly, there is a peek-ahead to the end times, when His people are called home into restored communion with Him; but there is also included here, I believe, a reminder that we are already experiencing some of the benefits of that future state. His goodness, we are promised, follows us all the days of our lives. Just as such a promise would have been hard for a non-Jew to accept in the face of the Exile and any number of persecutions, so, too, might a non-Christian find our claim absurd. You have just talked of death, of disease, of broken relationships, and of privation. How can you claim that you dwell in the House of the Lord? Much as Ann Vosskamp’s book suggests, you and I are called to look for God in the seemingly insignificant events in our life. Maybe we work ridiculous hours each week. But maybe, in the midst of that work, we take time out to spend time with a beloved child or grandchild. Perhaps, if the sacrifices we make while working directly benefit that beloved youth in our life, we can begin to understand a bit better His work on our behalf. Our Father in heaven. Maybe, if we have heard of His actions in the world around us, despite the attacks and hassles of the enemy, you and I might come to look at those bad events in our lives as places where God is most at work in our lives. Perhaps, just perhaps, we may be given eyes to see and ears to hear with excitement how He will redeem the newest problem in our life. In other words, our problems become opportunities for us to see better His handiwork in our lives and opportunities for us to give Him increasing thanksgiving and praise for what He has done for us! That is a dwelling place to which we should all aspire!

Six short verses--such incredibly, densely-packed verses! Yet they are verses which provide amazing comfort. Though we often forget it, such is part of what they were intended to do. In the order of the psaltery, 23 naturally follows 22. You and I as Christians may know the numbers, but we might forget the meanings. Psalm 22 begins with the Anointed’s words “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” While it is by no means a psalm of failure, but rather a psalm that reminds us of God’s promises and powers to act, Psalm 23 reminds us each of the specificity of His promises. Yes, we are on a journey, surrounded and attacked by enemies of God who would like nothing better than to see us stumble or be misled. Yes, death stalks us. But, in the end, God triumphs! Through the death and resurrection of His Son our Lord, you and are reminded that He has the power to see us each safely home and that, from time to time, we will be given glimpses into His future victory. Armed with than knowledge and restored by His food, we are once again sent back out into the world to share His story of grace, His story of love, His story of provision with the world around us. Better still, we are sent as ambassadors to seek others and call them into this amazing relationship and journey with Him!

Peace,

Brian†