I should have known this week would be hectic. The sign was there. It was not even 9:00am on Monday, and I already had an outline for a sermon. My day began, as usually, with me reading dispatches from the HOB/D Listserv. One of the delegates in our church had posted a link to a survey proclaiming Episcopalians as the most literate denomination in the United States. That same study went on to remark that Episcopalians were the most biblically illiterate mainline denomination in the United States. In other words, we like to read, we just do not like to read the Bible (by the way, this is how we described ourselves to the pollsters, not how they describe us).
Then, as I was driving to church from the kids’ school, I turned the radio channel from K-LOVE to the local Sports’ Talk radio. And to my pleasant surprise, Mike & Mike had one of my favorite singers on their show. As they were introducing him, they were describing him as a part-owner of the Miami Dolphins, a fan of the Miami Heat, the owner of the naming rights for the football stadium, and by other sports related markers. I am speaking, of course, of Jimmy Buffett. As it turned out, he had a new album coming out last week, and he needed to do some promoting. For the first time in some years, Buffett was releasing all new songs on an album (often he simply repackages old tunes and tries to take our money). When asked whether he thought any of these songs could become a classic Buffett tune, Buffett remarked that there was one.
Buffett went on to share with the hosts and the audience his thoughts regarding “We’ve got a lot to drink about.” Buffett points out that the hard part of this song was figuring what to include and what not to include in the lyrics. We have a recession, we have bailouts, we have bailed out companies refusing to work with the very taxpayers who bailed them out, we have high unemployment, we have wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Iran wants nuclear weapons, North Korea has them—his list went on and on. What do you include in a song like that? Yes, Buffet said, we have a lot of pain to numb; we have a lot to drink about.
Now, you might be wondering what the two do with one another and our readings this week. Are we not still talking about Advent and John the Baptist? One of the themes throughout our readings this week is the idea of fear. Enemies have hounded God’s people. Sometimes, those enemies are external, like foreign armies. Sometimes, those enemies are internal, like the tax collectors who make their living extorting their brothers and sisters to pay for their licenses. Yet all the authors remind us that the Holy One is near, that He will dwell with His people, that He will protect his people, that He will save and redeem His people. So in the midst of these enemies, God’s people are reminded that they need not fear.
You and I get this exhortation often during the church year. How do we end the Eucharist most Sundays? Think of the blessing. “The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And the blessing of God Almighty . . . . “ One of our last acts, as we worship together week in and week out, is to be sent out with that reminder of our needed focus. Why? Because we are headed out of church into a wilderness that has every reason to want to numb itself from the pain. In describing his song, Jimmy Buffett was only talking about the big picture. You and I are called to work locally and often individually. To him, unemployment may be high; but you and I know people who have lost their jobs, who do not know where the next meal is coming from, or when eviction will happen. To him, the healthcare crisis is nearly overwhelming; but you and I know people who cannot seek treatment because they lack funds and insurance. And so they risk death or other consequences which, in turn, impact their own families. To him those wars are events happening “over there.” To us, those wars are impacting our brothers and sisters who offer their lives that others might experience that dream we take for granted, freedom. Anger? Pain? Hurt? We see it on the faces of those whom we serve and with whom we interact on a near daily basis. And I have yet to mention the floods, the fires, the crop failures, the human trafficking, the battered women and children, and any other of localized issues of which Mr. Buffett is unaware or unwilling to mention in a song. We’ve got a lot to drink about, if we choose to numb the pain rather than face it.
But you and I are disciples of Jesus Christ. Like that wonderful prophet John the Baptist, you and I are sent into the wilderness to proclaim the Good News! You and are I called into the world to proclaim His peace, to proclaim His coming near, to proclaim His saving grace. While the rest of the world runs from the pain and hurt or tries to numb itself from the pain, you and I are sent as His hands, His voice, His heart into painful situations. And we witness to a needy world that God became human, that God walked that path to Calvary--healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and giving hope to the hopeless—that He died for all our sins and took that pain and consequence upon Himself, and that God raised Him that wonderful Easter morning, and that the same God who raised Him to new life has promised to raise all those who believe in Him to eternal life as well! You and I are given a peace that passes all human understanding and called, not to sit and idly watch the world pass by and cluck our lips, but to share that peace with all those with whom we come in contact. The events of this world, the tragedies of our lives, have already been conquered by the Risen Christ. That is our hope! That is our promise! That is our peace!
Brothers and sisters, as a denomination, we may not be very good at telling a pollster chapter and verse of a specific biblical quote (and we should not take pride that we do not know our Bibles as well as our brothers and sisters in other denominations), but we are not necessarily biblically illiterate. Many parts of our service in the Book of Common Prayer are taken nearly verbatim from Scripture. And so, in a way, you and I are bathed in the teachings of Scripture each time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist.
Do we have a lot to drink about? You know it. But unlike those who pound beers or drinks looking for an end to the pain, you and I lift a chalice, proclaim the mystery of our faith, and rejoice that the One who redeems, the One who saves, has called each one of us to that wedding feat at the end of time. And no power on earth or in hell can separate us from that party. That’s the peace He offers each one of us. That’s the peace He offers everyone in the world. And, reminded of that certainty, reminded of His promises, we go forth into the world to do all the work He has given us to do. Not fearfully. Not worriedly. But confidently, assuredly, and peacefully!
Christ Peace,
Brian†
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Calling all John's . . .
Luke tells us that John the Baptist was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah as a “voice crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God’.” But which prophecy is being fulfilled?
Certainly, John’s act of calling to Israel to repentance is consistent with the prophesy. After all, John’s ministry is to call the world’s attention to the Messiah, and he certainly does that. In the few verses about him in the Bible, John consistently reminds his listeners and us readers that the one Whom he announces is far more significant than himself. But have you ever considered that you are called to this kind of ministry every day? And so, in a sense, your witness to Christ is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy. Heady stuff? Consider . . .
Physically, the journey from Jericho to Jerusalem is demanding. It’s not like climbing the Himalayas, but it is uphill. And the sun can be scorching if one walks at the wrong time of day. Add to that the wildlife, the rocky terrain, and brigands, and we can get a sense of why the prophet was concerned with leveling mountains and smoothing the roads. But if we think about it, sometimes the Church makes salvation like that for those around us.
Sometimes we clergy speak a little too theological. We sometimes use words like propitiation, atonement, unmerited grace and the like when talking about God. It might be an accurate and descriptive truth to a Bible study group, but is it for the unchurched? Similarly, as I am experiencing at the truck stop, sometimes we use different languages in different situations, even though we would all claim to be speaking English. In the few short weeks of that new ministry, I have learned that it will take a lot of work for me to become a “bud.” I am, in their eyes, apparently still a “sir.” Such difficult terrains are experienced by those who try to fill in as youth ministers when they, themselves, lack the call. I could go on and on with such examples.
But God has called you into ministry. God has allowed you to be formed by your experiences. And He will take your language, your experiences, your life and use it and you to reach others, if you will but let Him. Can you reach others with whom you share no experiences or common lives? To be sure, all things are possible with God. But who better to reach those from broken families than those of us who come from families with issues and subscriptions of our own? Who better to reach athletes than those who played sports themselves. Who better to reach artists than those with an eye for beauty? Who better to reach those dependent upon chemical substances than those who have been freed from such burdens by our Lord.
Brothers and sisters, in a very real sense, you and I are called to be those voices crying out in the wilderness. You and I are called to go forth in the world proclaiming salvation to all with whom we come into contact. You and I, like John, are called to place the world’s focus on the One who can save. You and I are called to share with those in our lives the paths He has smoothed for us, the valleys He has filled in for us, the mountains that He has leveled for us that we might be drawn to Him and promised life eternal. And faithfully, He turns those wildernesses into gardens and sadnesses into joy!
Peace,
Brian†
Certainly, John’s act of calling to Israel to repentance is consistent with the prophesy. After all, John’s ministry is to call the world’s attention to the Messiah, and he certainly does that. In the few verses about him in the Bible, John consistently reminds his listeners and us readers that the one Whom he announces is far more significant than himself. But have you ever considered that you are called to this kind of ministry every day? And so, in a sense, your witness to Christ is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy. Heady stuff? Consider . . .
Physically, the journey from Jericho to Jerusalem is demanding. It’s not like climbing the Himalayas, but it is uphill. And the sun can be scorching if one walks at the wrong time of day. Add to that the wildlife, the rocky terrain, and brigands, and we can get a sense of why the prophet was concerned with leveling mountains and smoothing the roads. But if we think about it, sometimes the Church makes salvation like that for those around us.
Sometimes we clergy speak a little too theological. We sometimes use words like propitiation, atonement, unmerited grace and the like when talking about God. It might be an accurate and descriptive truth to a Bible study group, but is it for the unchurched? Similarly, as I am experiencing at the truck stop, sometimes we use different languages in different situations, even though we would all claim to be speaking English. In the few short weeks of that new ministry, I have learned that it will take a lot of work for me to become a “bud.” I am, in their eyes, apparently still a “sir.” Such difficult terrains are experienced by those who try to fill in as youth ministers when they, themselves, lack the call. I could go on and on with such examples.
But God has called you into ministry. God has allowed you to be formed by your experiences. And He will take your language, your experiences, your life and use it and you to reach others, if you will but let Him. Can you reach others with whom you share no experiences or common lives? To be sure, all things are possible with God. But who better to reach those from broken families than those of us who come from families with issues and subscriptions of our own? Who better to reach athletes than those who played sports themselves. Who better to reach artists than those with an eye for beauty? Who better to reach those dependent upon chemical substances than those who have been freed from such burdens by our Lord.
Brothers and sisters, in a very real sense, you and I are called to be those voices crying out in the wilderness. You and I are called to go forth in the world proclaiming salvation to all with whom we come into contact. You and I, like John, are called to place the world’s focus on the One who can save. You and I are called to share with those in our lives the paths He has smoothed for us, the valleys He has filled in for us, the mountains that He has leveled for us that we might be drawn to Him and promised life eternal. And faithfully, He turns those wildernesses into gardens and sadnesses into joy!
Peace,
Brian†
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