Ramblings

"Little Flock" - 8/11/2019

Sermon based on the Gospel text from Luke 12: 32-39.  Preached at Hope Lutheran and the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection.

This question, is not about the President of the United States; Twitter — love it, hate it or just don’t care much?
For the many who do not know, Twitter is an international, micro-blogging platform where users can post and interact with messages known as “tweets.” Tweets were originally restricted to 140 characters but in the fall of 2017, this limit was doubled to 280 for all languages except Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Registered users to twitter can post, like, and retweet tweets, but unregistered users can only read them. Suffice it to say, this sound-bite approach to “a penny for your thoughts” was and is a polarizing presence in our culture.
Twitter --- politics aside --- either can be loved, hated or just another thing to be ignored, regardless there are many who are finding new ways to apply the platform. For example: Twitterature. Two University of Chicago students over the last couple of years have turned the classics from their English lessons into a book of Twitter summaries. As if the little yellow cliff notes didn’t castrate the classics enough, this new “genre” of “writing” reduces classic literature into 280 character tweets.
As you probably suspect, things like metaphor, parallelism and thought development all yield to e-grunt. The book editor at Penguin calls it “huge books made ridiculously small; great stories told in silly voices.” Hamlet. Of Mice and Men. Huckleberry Finn. Dante’s Inferno. And almost 80 other great works have been so converted in to 280 Twitterature. And as you can imagine, the authors’ summaries use text-speak such as OMG! and LOL, and ALL CAPS TO EMPHASIZE A POINT!!!!
If you are wondering where I am going with this there is a connection. Today’s gospel is a short course on eschatology; the arrival of God’ full kingdom. Although longer than 280 characters, Jesus provides a short preview of death, God’s reign, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind. Now to prime the pump, before engaging in the words of Jesus let us take a short pop quiz:
1. In what year did William Miller predict “the second coming of Jesus Christ?”
A. 2012
B. 1844
C. I’m bored — why are we talking about dead people?
Who was William Miller? He was a convert to Christianity who felt that the Bible could be deciphered so that we could predict when Christ will come again. Up to that time, generally speaking, the Church took the view that the time was more or less unpredictable.
2. Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins is:
A. My other Bible
B. Sitting at Goodwill next to The Prayer of Jabez
C. A hit country song
The Left Behind series is a fictional account with roots in William Miller but focuses on one key fictional account that there is rapture before Christ’s coming. Rapture is a concept partly based on Revelation 20 along with a view that things are broken down into thousands. Perhaps you have heard of premillennial, a millennial, postmillennial. Those descriptions are of course not hipsters and their phones but a description of people who are involved in this thousand year, rapture, second coming thinking.
Last question.
3. Eschatology should be:
A. A major at all universities
B. A topic in the National Enquirer
C. Does the quiz count as the sermon, or is there more coming?
Well, again regardless of how you answered any of those questions. I would suggest that all of us have something to learn from Jesus in what I call “practical” eschatology. Today is a short lesson on God’s full reign.
First the context. Earlier in this chapter, the author of Luke places Jesus in the presence both of his disciples and the large crowds (12:1). Jesus appears to be speaking primarily to the disciples, though within earshot of a large number of people. Even though teaching the disciples, “someone in the crowd” in verse 13, for example, is able to interrupt with a question.
Right before today’s lesson, Jesus follows the parable of the rich fool with appeals to live without anxiety. Worrying about food or clothing is unnecessary in light of God's love and grace. “The nations” in verse 30 worry about such things --- that is to say, people who think and act in light of the world’s assumptions will find themselves riven with uncertainty and anxiety. Whereas followers of God will not be so inclined toward fear.
Jesus follows with our first learning found in the phrase: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v. 32). Jesus is transitioning from the parable and his appeals, warning about the world’s assumptions into how we understand God’s kingdom and its full revelation. It is transitional because Jesus understands that this God centered worldview brings its own anxiety. If we don't focus on the basics food and home, how will we survive? We don't know any other way!
In light of the anxiety caused by such a radical re-orientation toward God --- away from the worlds view scarcity, and toward God’s abundance; away from anxiety and toward reassurance of God's care --- Jesus encourages his listeners not to worry: “Do not be afraid, little flock.” Jesus reminds us that the biblical approach is we are to choose trust in God’s often unseen ways, even when it isn’t easy or comfortable including in the coming of God’s reign.
Jesus’ words are full of care and assurance: “your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” God wanted to do something good for the “little flock” and so freely gave them the kingdom --- the reign of God --- in which tables are open, status is upended, and all people are treated with respect. In God's kingdom --- on earth as it is in heaven --- there is no scarcity, not of food, nor of human dignity.
Now please note that Jesus also reminds us that God has already given this kingdom. It is not something that kicks into effect after we die or in a cataclysmic event, but something that is present right now. It has already been “freely given” in Christ. Like a benevolent parent, God gives us grace and love that his cherished one’s need --- including the perspective that our life is truly fragile. We can die, we will die, and the Kingdom of God will fully avail itself on any day, regardless we have signs of the kingdom now.
This leads to our second short course on eschatology; “[W]here your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (v. 34). Part of living out the eschatology --- knowing that the kingdom has come and will be fully revealed --- means having an eternal perspective. If we are very fortunate, we may have a long life and die peacefully in bed. Although statistically speaking dying peacefully in bed will not happen to many of us, God wants our years lived in the world with our hearts hell-bent --- so to speak --- on life eternal and why Christ came.
Practically speaking, that means having a very loose hold on stuff --- not our stuff having a firm hold on us. Jesus talks specifically about one topic: giving alms --- charity given directly to the poor and needy. Regardless of what that charity is, charity is one outward expression of an inward reality: Christ-followers who see stuff like money as a temporary means to an eternal end.
This leads to our third learning; “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit” (v. 35). Jesus gave a parable that tells of servants --- in other words us --- waiting for their master --- Christ --- to return from a wedding banquet. If this sounds like you have heard it before it is because Biblically speaking “wedding banquet” is a well-used image for the eternal kingdom of God. Because “the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (v. 40), the servants are supposed to be prepared for his arrival at all times on the edge of their seats.
Now to remind us, the Lord is not grim-faced in this parable as he “comes and knocks.” “The son of Man” will not come with a fearsome accounting of one's misdeeds. “The son of Man” will not come with pious exhortations to try harder. “The son of Man” will not come to put anyone in their place.
Quite the contrary. Where is the Christ coming from, he's coming from a party, with a spring in the step and a song in the heart. To those who are watching, “he will fasten his belt” --- that is, he too is in a condition of heightened anticipation and readiness for action --- except that, in this case, this action will be to “have them sit down to eat, and he will come to serve and serve them.”!
Talk about status reversal. Before we are servants and now we are being served. Just as serving the weak is the same as serving the Almighty, so the Lord comes to those who have been waiting, draws near to them, and serves them. This is what God's full reign looks like.
Our fourth and final learning about Christ’s coming is that the Lord comes as a “thief.” The thief is secretive, like Jesus. The thief quietly breaks in, like Jesus. Most of all, we don't KNOW when the thief is coming, like Jesus. If we think our house, or our lives, are about to be broken in to, we will post up our defenses ---psychologically to be sure, even physically if we feel enough threat. If we come to faith out of fear, then the roots of our faith is self-protective not rooted in the gift of grace and love. That's why the Lord uses so much misdirection. He comes in ways we do not expect, and a time that is “unexpected.”
How does this short primer on eschatology help us? Practically speaking we do not need to buy another book, or watch another movie, or listen to anyone who tells us what to look for. Christ doesn't bother trying to tear down our puny defenses. Christ doesn’t bother to give us a timeline, Jesus sneaks around them instead. And if we do so anyway, know this whatever we read, or see we are not to be afraid as God’s little flock.
Oddball and out-of-sync with our current arrangements all this may be, but this is the way of God’s fully revealed kingdom. So to reduce this practical eschatology to a Twitter feed, here’s what we have: The kingdom of God has come in Christ; we are not to fear; we are to adopt the perspective of eternity; in the meantime, we are to be ready for action; It will fully come like a thief. That by the way is 186 characters. Pretty much says it all. Amen.

"Brand Jesus" - 8/4/2019

Sermon presented at Hope Lutheran and the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection on August 4, 2019.

Moment of silence for El Paso and Dayton in aftermath of mass shootings.

Prayer: Gracious Lord who loves us so perfectly, help us to better love you and each other. We weep for the gun violence that kills children and so many others, where guns have replaced prayers and where homes now breed frustration. May hearts be changed through your Holy Spirit that justice, mercy, all our resources and, yes, even guns might be used rightly under Heaven, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.

Walk into your average middle or high school in the US and you’ll encounter some of the most self-conscious people on the planet. Teenagers are a jangle of nerves and emotions. So, on one hand, they can be arrogant, hateful and sometimes both. And on the other hand they are some of the most sensitive of any age group particularly to injustice. They eye roll a lot.
We see this in but one example --- clothing. For countless generations, some young people begin the day believing that every fashion choice is a critical one. After all, everyone else is watching! It’s important to make a statement with what you wear or don’t wear.
But then imagine these same students walking into an art class and noticing that their teacher has worn the same boring outfit day after day, month after month! Like, really? Aren’t art teachers supposed to be all colorful and stuff? Or have they been around tempera paint and hot glue a little too long?
Actually, meet Julia Mooney, an art teacher at William Allen Middle School in Moorestown, New Jersey. At the beginning of the 2018 school year, she decided to put on a simple gray button-down dress and then wore it every school day for 100 days straight. It wasn’t about being weird. For Ms. Mooney, it was about initiating a conversation with her students about the “culture of excess;” a culture of excess that has filled American closets to overflowing with cheap clothing that isn’t ethically sourced or manufactured and that, most of the time, eventually winds up in a landfill or dumped in poorer communities undercutting local businesses.
The typical American --- not just teenagers --- now buy 60 percent more items of clothing than we did 15 years ago --- and keep them half as long. Ms. Mooney thinks this is a major problem on a lot of levels. “There’s no rule anywhere that says we have to wear a different thing every day,” says Ms. Mooney. “Why do we ask this of each other? Why do we require that we each wear something different every day and buy more clothes and feed into this fashion culture?”
Instead, Ms. Mooney advocates for what she calls “sustainable fashion”: wearing clothing that’s made in an eco-friendly way along; buying fewer, but better-made pieces of clothing; wearing the same clothes more often; and making sure they’re recycled when they are replaced or no longer needed.
What was the reaction from the staff and students? Some students began their own experiment of wearing the same clothes on consecutive days. Some of the other staff got into the act as well. And, yes, in answer to the obvious question, Ms. Mooney does wash her dress frequently! It’s not about hygiene — it’s about wearing something of quality for the long haul while making a difference in the world.
Ms. Mooney is not alone in her thinking. Look at our gospel and in particular our 2nd lesson. In Colossians 3, the author makes a similar statement about the sustainable fashion that marks the “outfits” of Christians. For the author this fashion isn’t so much about what disciples of Jesus put on their bodies but about how they clothe their “minds” (v. 2). Because Christians have been “raised with Christ,” we should “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (v. 1). It’s about a mindset that seeks to sustain our lives that are “hidden with Christ in God” until Christ is revealed (v. 3). For the author, the only label that matters is the one put on us by the risen Christ!
We live in a culture where people seem to change their minds as much as they change their clothing. If you are what you wear, then the author of Colossians says in this part of the letter that we are --- “fast, cheap and easy” --- when it comes to our spiritual clothing as well as our lives. If we are going to live sustainably, with integrity, then we have to be willing to first do a purge of whatever we have been hiding not only what may lie in our literal closets but in the shadows of our lives. “Put to death, therefore, whatever is in you that is earthly…” says Paul (v. 5). Earthly of course does not mean to throw away our expired cans in the pantry or rotting produce in our refrigerators, rather get rid of all that we have been keeping that doesn’t fit anymore: “the ways you also once followed” when you were living life apart from Christ (v. 7). Dump things like “anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive language from your mouth” (v. 8). These are the things that the rest of the world puts on and displays regularly as a way of comparing themselves to one another.
Instead we are to have a new mindset, one that is sustainable, that begins with stripping off “the old self with its practices” (v. 9) and replacing our spiritual wardrobe with a new one — a “new self” that is “being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator” (v. 10).
In other words, the wardrobe we’re called to wear is the one we were given from the beginning when God created humans in God’s own image (Genesis 1:26-27). Now we need to be careful because what is meant by this “image of God” has been debated for centuries among Christians and Jews. It is not that we resemble a God who has two legs, eyes and ears, walking around on puffy clouds. Instead, the author of Colossians suggests that since Christ’s character is in the image of the invisible God (1: 15) we are to remember that those first humans started out “naked and unashamed” and it was only after their brokenness that they began comparing themselves to one another and “knew that they were naked” (Genesis 2:25; 3:7).
The author of Colossians reminds us that the character with which we were originally outfitted was the character of God, which bears no shame. Christ, the model of that divine character, enables us to put on our original wardrobe through his defeat of our brokenness and separation from God in his crucifixion and resurrection.
Meaning that unlike a few trend setters and designers in the fashion world who set the agenda, the renewed and sustainable wardrobe of the church in Colossae, says the author, is sustainable, universal and designed to be worn by all kinds of people (v. 11). Whether you’re a gentle soul who prefers to wear tweed or a slave to the newest fashion, what matters is not what we wear on the outside but what we are wearing inside. “Christ is all and in all,” says the author, and as Christ is within, then our spiritual mindset will reflect Christ regardless of whether our outer clothes come from Walmart or Prada.
What does that sustainable spiritual character look like? I think like most of our closets, a sustainable spiritual character needs to have some basic pieces that are the foundation for the everyday. Therefore, it is less about other people and more about ourselves; the base layer. It is not all about “tighty whites.” “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience” (v. 12). Those are foundational, whether male or female, gay or straight, elderly or young.
Notice that the author says that we should clothe ourselves with these things, which means that they are a mindful choice for ourselves. Just as a person stands in front of his or her closet every morning and wonders what to put on, the author suggests that we who have been “raised with Christ” make a daily mindful process to put on Christ’s character; a base layer that translates into our daily life. We are to “bear with one another” and “forgive each other” as the Lord has forgiven us (v. 13).
But over all these things we are to put on love, “which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (v. 14). Love is the base mindset that forms and completes our base ensemble and marks us as belonging to the Jesus brand. It’s the article of our spiritual character that becomes more broken-in and comfortable with extended, everyday use. Furthermore, love never wears out, never goes out of style and is always culturally appropriate and yet non-violent love can challenge things from “Jim Crow laws” to racisms itself. We’ve been given the perfect pattern of love in Jesus, and as we let the “peace of Christ” rule in our hearts, we become “one body” that can influence the world as part of Jesus’ brand as well (v. 15). Our mutual sharing, our admonishing one another in wisdom, our worship and our every word and deed are commercials that point to Christ (v. 16).
In our Gospel Jesus tells a parable of a man who, for all his self-centered strategizing, doesn't run his own life after all. The decision to build bigger barns is entirely reasonable, even smart. Yet, God calls him a “fool.” His foolishness is not in his attempt to “be merry,” to be wealthy. No, the man is a fool because, in pursuit of profits in the market, he has acted in disregard for his neighbors. To which God says out loud what all of us refuse to acknowledge: “Hey, you can't take it with you.”
In discerning whether one should place their interest in their own self, or the needs of their neighbors, it might be prudent to consider God's opinion on the matter. Ms. Mooney understood that what we present to the world from our inner selves can spark a conversation. She caught the attention of some students and staff by doing so.
When we make the daily choice to put on the character of Christ even before we put on our clothes, it is a statement that the neighbor can’t help but notice. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (v. 17). Brand Jesus is not only sustainable forever, we don’t need larger closets or barns to house it, and our neighbors notice! Those young people who ponder their mornings in front of the mirror in a way do have it right, who wouldn’t like to be known by what they wear? Amen.

"Ignition - Prayer!" - 7/28/2019

Sermon presented at Hope Lutheran and the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection based on Luke 11.

In the movie Sister Act when the main character Sister Mary Clarence arrives at the convent at their first dinner, Sister Mary Patrick invites the new sister to prayer. Sister Mary Clarence played by Whoopi Goldberg responds: “That is very thoughtful of you, Mary Patrick. But I really ... Oh. Yeah. Yeah. I can ... I can do that. Uh. Sure. Oh. Fudge. Uh. Bless us. O Lord for these Thy gifts which we're about to receive. And. Yea. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of no food, I will fear no hunger. We want you to give us this day our daily bread ... and to the republic for which it stands, and by the power invested in me, I pronounce us ready to eat. Amen.”
I always get a charge out of that particular scene, because although the Whoopi character we later find out went to Roman Catholic schools, she never gained comfort in praying out-loud. I find that same response when I have been in situations with folk who are asked to pray out loud. Although, they may have been part of a church since birth, when asked, they are caught like deer in the headlights. Now before we get all “holier than thou,” I wonder what if we were to take the challenge, should we on Sundays start drawing names from a hat and invite those picked to lead this community in prayers?
This other point may be easier to swallow. “Children are now half as likely to know the text of the Lord's Prayer than they were 40 years ago.” That's the lead of an article in the British Newspaper The Telegraph, published in March 2012. It was reporting the findings of a survey of 1,000 children ages 6-12 and 1,000 adults who were in that age group 40 years ago. It found that 92 percent of the adults said they knew the Lord's Prayer at that age, while only 55 percent of today's children knew it. While the survey about the Lord's Prayer was conducted in Britain, I suspect that a similar poll in this country would yield similar results, for secularization is a feature of our society as well.
Again before we get all high and mighty and go into another litany about who is at fault --- always the fault of others --- never ourselves --- many of us may have memorized the Lord’s Prayer but end our prayer life at that point, in our fabricated check list of what Christians are supposed to do.
So, let’s review, if nothing else, what is the purpose of the Lord's Prayer, as a basic framework and vocabulary whereby a person can have a sense of addressing God as a jumping off point into a deeper life of prayer. And just as the learned lyrics of a hymn or the memorized lines of a Bible verse can help us when in dark valleys, so can the remembered words of a prayer. At the very least, the Lord’s Prayer is a good way to reach out in the darkness toward the source of light.
First some background, the gospel for today includes Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer, along with a parable and commentary from Jesus about persistence in prayer. Luke's version of the prayer is shorter than the one from Matthew 6, containing only five petitions instead of the seven in Matthew. But the included five are all key: the first two --- “hallowed be your name” and “your kingdom come” --- are spiritual linkages, and the other three --- for daily bread, for forgiveness of sins and being spared the “time of trial” --- ask for help with daily life. And of course, neither Matthew’s version or Luke’s version include “thine is the kingdom and the power….,” because that is the doxology which I will not get into today.
Another difference between the two renderings is that in Matthew, Jesus gives the Lord's Prayer as a model in the course of a larger discourse about praying in general, whereas in Luke, it is in direct response to a request from a disciple, who says, “Lord, teach us to pray .... as John taught his disciples.” We don’t have whatever prayer John taught but the larger question is to wonder why the disciple made that request in the first place. After all, all the disciples as far as we can tell were children of the synagogue. They had grown up going to worship and hearing public prayers. So didn't they already know how to pray?
Regardless of the background, apparently the disciple felt whatever they were taught needed some support, or reinterpretation, at least in any way that this person felt in light of what he was discovering about God in Jesus' presence and the spiritual life Jesus modeled. Maybe the prayers heard or memorized didn't translate easily into a life experience with Jesus? Indeed, in Matthew, Jesus referred to “hypocrites” who stood and prayed in the synagogues “so that they may be seen by others.” That doesn't sound like much of a teaching example! In any case, the fact that Jesus responded by giving this prayer as a model suggests that Jesus understood that praying is something with which people need help.
So, let us take the time to review the purpose of the model because it's not just newcomers or people at the edges of the faith who need a reminder. And although praying out loud before others is not something everyone is to do, our personal prayers may be fraught with problems of a wandering mind, sleepiness, itchiness to get on with the demands of the day, the boredom of praying about the same topics over and over, and philosophical questions about praying itself --- such as ‘If God knows what is in my heart, then why do I have to tell God?’”
While we could discuss that question and others, we are probably better with the Lord's Prayer to highlight that Jesus didn't address the philosophical nature of prayer questions. Instead, Jesus said, “When you pray, say ...”, which perhaps we can take to mean that it's more helpful to speak --- even to recite --- a set prayer than not to pray at all because we have unanswered --- and probably unanswerable --- questions about conversing with God. Jesus simply said, "When you pray, say ...” Jesus therefore intended for the prayer to be a springboard for a deeper prayer life therefore it is important to understand several things about the Lord’s Prayer.
First, I know I am being old fashioned when I suggest this because I am using an image that is based on my life experience, cars before power steering and brakes and automatic transmissions. I even remember when cars had a “choke.” And as most of you are too young to know just imagine life before electronic start, think of the Lord’s Prayer as a “choke” to get a cold engine started; adding fuel to ignite the spiritual chambers. In other words, we are to recite the Lord's Prayer to “warm our spirit” so that we can more easily enter into other praying and meditation. The Lord’s Prayer is not meant as end all, be all, of all prayers, it is just the beginning.
For example, I remember a person in a former congregation when we were chatting about prayer who mentioned that she prayed daily and I asked innocently, what did she pray? She said “The Lord’s Prayer.” To which I responded “And….????” She looked at me like I was crazy, the Lord’s prayer is the kickoff, or the post-game show to something deeper.
Second, we are to ask questions such as, “With this line, what am I asking God to do?” “What am I offering of myself in making this petition?” “Which petitions are the hardest for me to really mean when I pray them -- and why?” “What else should I pray for as a result?”
Here is a suggestion that does not appeal to me but it may appeal to you. Use the lines of the Lord’s Prayer as the topics of a prayer journal. Keep notes under each petition about how you have responded to, changed, gained new understanding or still need to learn about the subjects of that petition. Martin Luther, our namesake did that and is the basis for a portion of the Small Catechism; we are to pray the Lord’s Prayer while thinking about the meaning of each sentence
Another reminder is that the Lord’s Prayer helps us settle our lives, when our mind rebel against praying our own prayers. I know that seems to contradict what I said earlier, but praying something is better than praying nothing. But we are not to get settled with what just comes out. In other words, we are praying the Lord’s Prayer when our heart is aching so bad that we can't form our own petitions. Along with the understanding that it will become a channel through which God's Spirit can flow.
And perhaps most challenging of all, let us consider using the Lord’s Prayer as a shorthand way to teach others about God and faithful living. Just as we might say to people, “I love you,” let us help others understand what prayer means without having to always explain what it means.
Let me give you an example. Now I know this is a controversial, political issue but hear me out as I am bringing this to illustrate prayer. A while back there was a controversy about the phrase “thoughts and prayers” in response and regarding numerous school shootings. Some criticized people who responded to school shootings with “thoughts and prayers” but then took no action on addressing the fundamental issues that may have led to the shootings in the first place. Obviously there are issues of whether or not to have firearm control, along with what how and should firearms be sold. Couples those issues along with mental health, drugs and alcohol, bullying, poverty, parental neglect to name just a few.
However, for me the criticism over “thoughts and prayers” as one’s only response was a fair one for two reasons. First, it is a criticism of how far people of faith and people of no faith misunderstand prayer and the Lord’s Prayer specifically. And second, that people of faith have been guilty of “thoughts and prayer” as a knee jerk response so that people of no faith think of it as a meaningless excuse.
The task is ours as Lutherans to illustrate that prayer is like saying “I love you” to God and to others. Prayer is our time and effort in response to God’s love. Yet, just like we say “I love you” there are actions that support those words. When my grandmother said “I love you” it came with a whole set of experiences from warm, homemade cinnamon rolls, to a kiss and hug, to a card with money for a birthday.
We are to help our world and nation understand that when we pray the Lord’s prayer and say “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us” it is not meaningless words but that God forgives us, loves us and … we forgive others, we love others; the words of our prayers are concrete not only in God’s response to us but in our response to the world.
Centuries ago, God told Israel, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Also known as the first half of the “Shema.” God then told the Israelite adults to not only “keep these words” themselves, but also to “Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). We can do the same with the Lord's Prayer, a visible, model prayer not only to recite, but as a springboard into a fuller, spiritual life.
Practicing, teaching and modeling the Lord's Prayer may not turn the world around spiritually or be the start of a worldwide religious revival. I don’t believe it is intended rather it points to grace alone, faith alone. But the Lord's Prayer is a spiritual starting point, a way to reach out toward God when we're too numb, too much in pain, too blind, too angry, even too tired to do much else. From young children to the oldest adult will benefit from it and enough reason to recite. Praying something is better than praying nothing. So yes, the only time some may say a prayer out loud is the Lord’s Prayer, at worship with others, but the Lord's Prayer is the ignition as the words become our own in our daily life. Amen.

"Our timely responsibilities" - July 21, 2019

Sermon based on Luke 10: 38-42.  Manuscript basis for sermon preached at Hope Lutheran and the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection.

Some sisters have a unique bond, a special relationship. Some sisters can be the best of friends, encouraging one another when there's trouble, as well as sharing clothes, and supporting each other with phone calls and texts that speak right to the heart during the ups and downs and drama of life.
It's the positive side of sisterhood that Sisters Day aims to celebrate. Seriously, just when you thought you'd caught up with every holiday obligation, it turns out there's another. The first Sunday in August is National Sisters Day which aims to recognize and celebrate the special blessings that a sister brings into one's life. Now, before you begin to think --- yet another manufactured, Hallmark moment --- think again. If you were to take five minutes and hit up Pinterest.com, the “idea” web site that's hugely popular with “do it yourselfers”, and do a quick search on the topic. You'll find all sorts of projects on the subject of sisterhood. Clearly there's something about having and being a sister that needs to be, and is already being, celebrated.
But you will also see another aspect of sisterhood for while some are the best and most intimate of friends, sisters can also be the bitterest of “sis-lings.” Some sisters are not the best of friends but bitter and broken. I am only speculating but I suspect that some sisters can push one another's buttons and compete for attention in a way that can lead to lots of eye rolling, door slamming, tear jerking, and not-so-passive-aggressive comparing and competing.
Take for example Eppie Lederer and Pauline Phillips, two of the world's more famous siblings who had a sisterly conflict. Both now deceased but when both were living, they engaged in a very public battle for the title of “America's favorite advice columnist.” Hard to know for some but before Google search, people would turn to newspapers and advice columns like Eppie and Pauline --- or “Ann Landers” and “Dear Abby” as they were known for advice. Yet just think of it two sisters both giving advice, estranged “sis-lings.”
But perhaps the most well-known example of the unique relationship of adoration and irritation shared between sisters is found in today’s chapter 10 of Luke's gospel. Although we are working with just a little information it seems that Mary and Martha when Jesus began teaching, speaking the word, as our text suggests, they responded differently. While they obviously either by life circumstance or choice shared a home together --- their differences welled up in a moment of deep frustration, a moment where their seemingly contrasting character and personalities took center stage. And while this moment so beautifully captured by Luke, may be just one of many for them, it is an important one for us. Sure, it highlights a relational dynamic we can all relate to. But more importantly, Luke redeems and utilizes their moment of sis-ling to bring to life a simple truth about following Jesus that each one of us, sister or not, need to pay attention to.
Let’s take a moment to review because the context is critical in grasping the learning for us. Just before we hear of Martha welcoming Jesus and possibly more into her and Mary's home, we're told the parable of the … Good Samaritan, where Jesus vividly and scandalously illustrates a Kingdom spirituality; what it means to live in harmony with the values of the kingdom of God where all people are neighbors. It was Jesus' way of bringing to life, in story form, one half of the “great commandment,” what it looks like to love one's neighbor as one's self.
But the lesson is not over. In this moment of sis-ling action and reaction, we see two very different responses to the first half of that all-important commandment. Mary and Martha are not just two very different sisters. They are sisters with two very different takes on what it means to love the Lord your God with all you've got.
While the text doesn't tell us that Martha is the older sister, I tend to think so. Thinking about the details, overflowing with a sense of authority, Martha has all the characteristics and then some of a Type A, first-born sibling. Not only does she proactively invite the would-be Messiah into her home, reconsider the “they” of verse 38. How many of “they” were there? Does this still include the 70/72 who went out on mission and returned? If so, then Martha has a legitimate gripe. Even whipping up some “pita bead and humus” would be challenge if you have 70+ people who suddenly show up for dinner but Martha dives head first into serving. For me that is an “older sister” type: she has the idea for a grand party but then can't even relax enough to enjoy it. “Martha,” Luke tells us, “was distracted with much serving.”
Such attention to the details is not in and of itself a bad thing. In fact, it can be a very, very helpful thing. Psychologist Dr. Kevin Leman, author of The Birth Order Book: Why You Are the Way You Are, asserts that this older child bent on life is what accounts for the fact that so many astronauts, presidents and leaders in general are firstborns. They tend to strive to meet expectations. Whatever Martha’s birth order, this was certainly the case. Jesus had come to dinner, and she would not be caught flat-footed, rude or with a hair out of place.
Martha's view of the world was very clear. Perhaps we can relate. For her, that which was expected trumped what was immediate. And responsibility was what was expected. Those of us who are wired --- be it through birth order or otherwise --- meeting obligations --- can't stand when someone else doesn't seem to live with the same sense of responsibility. Thus, Martha is not entirely off-base by suggesting that she doesn't have enough help in serving. In fact, she seems to assume that Jesus would agree her. “Tell her then to help me,” Martha says, in the imperative.
Jesus acknowledges her concern --- “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.” Yet, “there is need of only one thing.” Stick with pita and humus! Don’t focus on putting out such a large spread. We also need to state the obvious as well. In the context of that time -- and perhaps ours --- one might simply have assumed that of course Mary should be helping. Serving meals is women’s work, after all.
Jesus won't go there. In Mary’s revolutionary action of ditching her expected gender role of “helping in the kitchen” as well as responding differently than Martha, Jesus --- the Lord! --- backs her up. Luke within scant details seems to suggest that Mary's approach is an important contrast to the Martha’s of the world. While Martha was driven by a sense of duty and the gender roles of that day, Mary responded differently. For Mary, that which was immediate trumped that which was expected. Mary for whatever reason responded more to the moment --- at least on this day --- and the value of pressing “Pause” on the expectations of her sister, others and the culture. Mary yielded to what was unfolding in front of her. Yes, this would frustrate her sister, and not fit gender roles, but some things, to Mary, like the Samaritan in the parable were worth changing course for. This was one of them. We almost get the sense as well that Mary was not even aware that she was shirking responsibility. For example, Mary must have overhead Martha saying what she did to Jesus, yet we get no response that Mary even heard.
But that is just the veneer of this lesson, for what does this mean for us 21st century Americans? The challenge in today’s gospel is that Mary's approach to this moment proved to be marching more in line with the priorities of the kingdom of God. Yes, both sisters were simply trying to love their Lord. One tried to love him with all her activity, her busyness and her attention to culturally expected details. The other loved him by dropping what was expected and dealing with, dwelling with, and focusing on the immediate presence of God. Compare that to the Pharisee in the parable who failed to love his neighbor simply by hustling on to life busyness. Martha is in a way is doing the same, inviting Jesus and perhaps more into her home only to stay overwhelmed in her responsibilities.
In the kingdom of God, what matters most is ---- well, God --- which mean what matters most is not our plans and perfectionism, not the approval of others or the expectations of our culture, not even what we consider responsible or not. When God shows up, in his Word preached and his body and blood given to us from the Altar, as well as in the unexpected opportunity to serve him by loving the least of these and the hurting, we drop what we're doing and we attend to the Kingdom. Is that what Jesus is suggesting what it means to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Is this why, as Jesus himself said, Mary has “chosen the better part.”
Sister or not, sibling or not, personality types or not, we are, each day, each one of us given a similar set of circumstances. And although I would love to blame our faith responses to our nature --- or on our siblings --- as followers of Jesus Christ we have all, like Martha, invited him into our homes. In doing so, whether in our homes or in our journeys we must be ready and willing to engage in the immediate opportunities, to participate in the presence and activity of God even if it means ditching for a moment what's expected, our visions and demanded by our other concerns.
For me, it seems unfair and almost wrong to pick sides in this sis-ling drama. Martha would have, undoubtedly, a moment of faithful response in her own right. Are not these the same sisters introduced as the well-known persons living in Bethany mentioned in John 11? On this day it was --- Mary --- who was able to discern it was time to seize the day.
That had to burn Martha, it would have burned me. But whatever happened after this conversation, we can safely assume somehow everyone got fed. Maybe it was just pita and humus rather than what Martha had planned. We also have to wonder, did Martha stop at these words of Jesus or did she go back into the kitchen in a huff? Maybe they were the kind of sisters who could talk about it later? Whatever happened, Luke reminds us that whether in our homes or in our journeys, we have choice moments to live like Martha and Mary, the Pharisee or the Samaritan, to live the values of the Kingdom. Some of those choices go to the core of who we are and our relationships. Amen.

Who is a stranger? - 7/14/2019

We may know our next-door neighbors. But how about the people two doors down? Or three? Or four? For example, we live a condo with three other units of similar size in one building. We know them all and have called upon each other when needed and have a post-Christmas annual event together. We recently attended the funeral of one of our neighbors, wondering who will move in once the family has emptied the condo.
But we do not know many others in the 300 other units. We may leave through one of the three gated entrances and wave at the stranger. I have served on the Home Association board and served as President, but I have yet to know many others besides those who live in our building. We try to attend the monthly gatherings and occasional community events, but we do not know many well.
This was recently brought to my attention in an exercise we did under the guidance of our speaker at our annual Synod assembly. The exercise is in your bulletin and on the screen.

The grid is not for tic-tac-toe when you’re bored rather the grids have two questions that were asked of us at the synod assembly. The first question is can you name those that surround you? The second question is can you name those around the church? In the exercise we were to put ourselves at the center of the tic tac toe grid and put the names of the people around us. Not a description but a name. If you can’t put a name, then leave it blank. So, how many can fill in all the blanks?
Now let us go to the second question, what about those around the church. How many can fill in all the blanks?  The speaker at our synod assembly pointed out that may be a reason our congregations may be so disjointed from our communities… we don’t know who they are and they don’t know us. In other words, we may be a neighborhood church but not neighborly.
This loss of neighborliness can be for many reasons. People die like our neighbor Chuck, or move on. We may have known the people before, but now not so much. It is also due, no doubt, to the fact that we seem to be busier today than yesterday. But no matter how we slice it, many observers of the American culture have noticed that just about all forms of organized social life --- including the church --- are experiencing the decline of what sociologists call “social capital.”
Social capital is another way of saying “community.” On one hand, we live in the most connected, plugged in, wired culture in the history of the world, yet on the other hand we may feel isolated, lost, unloved and unvalued. Mack McCarter, a pastor and community activist in Shreveport, Louisiana, puts it another way. He believes that our collective estrangement has had corrosive and crippling effects. We've become a “cut flower civilization,” he says. “It looks pretty for a while, but it has no root.” The bloom fades over time.
Don’t feel bad or blame the Republican or the Democrat next to you, rather this has been a problem for ages --- our human condition --- for this is precisely the concern on the heart of the apostle Paul in today's text as well as our Gospel. Let’s just concentrate on our letter to the Colossians. True, Paul’s enthusiastic about what is happening in the newly formed church at Colossae. Its members are vital and active: “Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.”
Yet, the Apostle Paul is reminding them that without the attention, even a congregation like the one at Colossae could become little more than a “cut flower church” no longer rooted. That's why he provides in this text a list of the essential nutrients to help blooming believers remain as healthy, deeply rooted Christians. “For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…” In other words, the apostle Paul knows that it what is present now will not remain --- “for this reason” --- unless it is replanted daily.
How does the writer of the letter do this? Interestingly enough by recapping for them of the importance of person and place. We are holy and we are family. This is implied by the language of brothers and sisters “to the saints and faithful brothers and sisters.” This is our essential identity: in relation to God, we are holy; in relation to others, we are family. We all need to be reminded of that. Every day --- as our namesake the reforming Roman Catholic priest and monk Martin Luther wrote in his Small Catechism: “In the morning, as soon as you get out of bed, you are to make the sign of the holy cross and say: 'God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit watch over me. Amen.’” For Luther, baptism “signifies that the old creature in us … is to be drowned and die through daily … repentance, and … that daily a new person is to come forth and arise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” If you were to have a printed copy in front of you, Luther cited Romans 6:4, and added his own accent on the word daily. We are not reborn once in baptism, it is a daily exercise and event.
As for place, we are in Christ, and in this case Paul reminded those Christians in Colossae we have got one foot in heaven and the other on earth. But Paul also suggests to them that that have one foot in the church and the other in the world. In other words, Paul is prompting this community that they function best when the bloom is in the air and the roots are in the soil. Take the flower out of the soil, and it soon dies. Take a plant that is all roots and no stem and bloom, and you've got a plant that's, well --- not good for much.
Paul in this first chapter of Colossians suggests that this community is able to thrive both in Christ and in the world because of the power of faith and love --- transforming, connecting, enabling love. That's more than social capital or community, it is being disciples.
Mack McCarter the person I cited earlier has been trying a method. In 1991, he founded Community Renewal in Shreveport, Louisiana to work on the disintegration of personal relationships that was undermining the quality of daily life in that community where he lives. Its mission: to strengthen neighborhoods from the grass roots up by getting people to make friends. McCarter did not assume that neighbors will naturally get to know neighbors. Instead he suggested we have been to be shown the way. To get started, McCarter visited a section of the city that was experiencing a rash of shootings with the premise that if he could make friends that may encourage others to get to know their neighbors.
Not many doors opened at first. But McCarter kept knocking. After a year people were actually sitting out on their front porches waiting for him to show up. They talked, telling the stories of their lives. As it turned out, the neighbors had more in common than they had realized. All wanted better lives for their children, including improved schools and more daycare and recreation facilities. It began when people began to know their neighbors.
This community has been working on moving from being a cut flower community into one that puts down roots and develops relationships in the neighborhood. From this first effort grew a network of what the organization calls “haven houses” in the city – homes whose inhabitants are trained to nurture caring relationships among their neighbors. There are now a few such houses in Shreveport along with similar style ventures in 10 other cities as well as an international version in Cameroon.
Obviously they are still at it. It is not a magic bullet. People move on, die, life. Also many things are competing for our time and attention. Each day is a pie, cut into slices for work, getting to work, planning, preparing and cleaning up meals, nurturing and caring for children, maintaining our dwellings, enriching our relationships with spouses along with many, many other responsibilities and activities. Finding time is a challenge.
Yet, as those simple neighbor grids remind all of us, our participation in getting to know our neighbors, building relationships, these very things breathe life into our homes and into our congregations. Our speaker at the Synod assembly illustrated that point by telling us of a congregation that went around their neighborhood and asked a simple question. “What do you know about First Lutheran?” Not a single neighbor could tell them anything, or even knew their congregation existed even though the steeple of their congregation could be seen by every one of those neighbors. We may have the same impression, don’t those who drive by ______  know we are here. I suspect probably not.
We don't know if the Colossians spent less time walking to work than we spend driving, or spent money on their house church as we do at ours, or worked longer hours. In all likelihood, their daily lives were more physically and emotionally demanding than ours, yet the apostle Paul tells us that the church at Colossae had a vitality that he wanted to wrap his arms around and take to other congregations.
Perhaps we need to come to a place where the rewards of creating social bonds among us are worth the same effort. Think about it: do we get more enjoyment from watching whose winning on Jeopardy or from talking about daily joys and concerns with a friend or neighbor?
Now let me be clear, I am not trying to put another thing on our “to do list” which I am sure is long for all of us. Nonetheless, it is clear, we can't alter the complex dynamics that undermine social capital, undermine community in our society, in our world and in our own church if we don’t know our neighbors. Paul’s advice is to remember that we have a foot in heaven and on earth, in the church and in our neighborhoods.
As you may have noticed in our Gospel. It was the enemy, the Samaritan who places himself at personal risk both physically and financially. It was the Samaritan who went over to the man in distress. It was the Samaritan who paid for the injured man’s care. The lawyer had asked, “Who is my neighbor?” The question assumes a dialogue on who, exactly, is “near” and who isn't. At what point can we say that “neighbor” stops and “stranger” begins? Who, exactly, am I obligated to love?
Jesus ignores that question. Instead, he tells a story of an enemy --- an enemy who, through his merciful actions, is a neighbor. If a Samaritan may become neighbor to a Jewish man, and the lawyer is enjoined to be like the Samaritan, then anyone may be neighbor, like the person right next to us.  Instead the question could be Who is a stranger?  No one as everyone is a neighbor.
Avoiding the “cut flower” syndrome and building social capital in our lives doesn't have to be exhausting, but it does require more effort than exercising our thumbs on the remote control, or making a donation after the most recent flood. Paul names a neighbor Epaphras in the church and community whose has made the church in Colossae known. May we be so named in our communities, let us start small, let us begin with the person right next to us. Amen.