First Sunday of Advent, Year C

December 2, 2018


This morning's Gospel Lesson can be found in Luke 21:25-36.

This text is suspiciously reminiscent of the readings from a few weeks ago, when Christ foretold the destruction of the Temple in Matthew.  But this is Christmas.  Shouldn’t we be talking about Mary and Joseph and the Angels and the Shepherds and wise men and getting ready for the coming of the Baby Jesus?  But instead, here we are – again – talking about things that aren’t comfortable.  Kind of misses the point…and made me re-check a few times to make sure I had pulled up the right scripture….

And maybe that’s the point…that we’ve been missing the point.  Christmas is one of those magical times of the year…that we tend to go blind.  I’m not sure why, either.  But while we’re so focused on trees and decorations and presents…oh, the presents.  And it’s not just making the list, running around, buying the presents, and wrapping the presents…but how are we going to pay for these presents…and then there’s I wasn’t planning to get her anything, but she got me something, so now I gotta go buy her something…ugh.  Then…we have to cook the meal, or possibly meals.  And we’ve not even talked about the hardest part of all…getting everyone together as one big, happy, drama filled family.  Or, is that just my case?

And we love it!  We can’t wait for it every year!  And shame on those who don’t have the same enthusiasm as us…where’s your Christmas Spirit?  Where’s your Christmas Cheer?  Go on and be an old Scrooge then with your bahumbug and your lump of coal and all that. 

And maybe, in the midst of our own Christmas Cheer meltdown, maybe we need to stop, and instead of booing those who don’t live up to our standard of happiness, we should see them.  Maybe we should step into their lives and try to understand their emotions before discounting them. Which, believe it or not, is where this text led me.  These scriptures both induce anxiety, then tell us to calm our anxiety.  Right.

And anxiety is a horrible, horrible state of mind.  I think I’ve shared with you all about my battle with anxiety.  As far back as I can remember I’ve battled this nasty creature.  I’m anxious about everything…I get anxiety about my anxiety…and if I don’t have anything to be anxious about, I’ll have anxiety about not having anxiety.  Christmas is the most anxiety ridden holiday in our calendar.  But before we dismiss this anxiety, let’s take a look. 

Maybe this Christmas is going to be a lot harder than normal.  Maybe this is the first Christmas you’ll celebrate since the passing of your spouse, your brother or sister, your mom or dad.  Maybe you’re divorced, and this is the year that your ex gets the kids for Christmas.  Maybe you lost your job earlier this year, and you just can’t buy all the presents and do the things you used to do this time of year.  Maybe you and your family don’t speak any longer, for whatever reason, and you never really think of the years that have passed until Christmas. 

So those of us who really aren’t excited to see the lights, and the tree and the presents and all the things that December brings…what about us?  And even those of us who love the season of Christmas, but get a little too caught up in it?  What do we have to look forward to?      

We have this amazing thing called Hope.  Hope isn’t a guarantee, or a plan, but more of a promise.  Hope gives us something to hold to when it seems that everything around us is failing.  Hope helps us focus our wandering gaze.  Hope is courageous, bold, and liberating.  And this Sunday, we are reminded of not only of the hope of the Christ to come as a babe in a manger, but the hope of the Christ to come in our days ahead. 

Will you pray with me:

As we stand in the uneasiness of life, O God, help us to remember this Hope that never falters, never fails, and never gives up on us.  Give us the courage in this season, as we wait in our anxiousness, to remember to reach out to you, our Promise and our Strength, and empower us to lift up those among us who are sinking into the darkness than can seemingly overtake us all.  Amen.

Christ the King Sunday

November 25, 2018

Text for this Sunday:  John 18:33-38

Today is a lot of things if you stop and think about it.  We just had Thanksgiving…a time when most of us gathered with our families around the table to take a few moments and reflect intentionally upon the things we are grateful for...and then severely overeat.  Today is also the last Sunday in November, and still suffering from food hangover we begin to think about Christmas.  That makes me groan a little.  The hustle and bustle…buying gifts, going here and there, family meals, work parties, mailing cards, decorating, the emotional roller coaster many of us ride through this season…and before December is here, we’re already spiraling toward burn out.  But before we start that journey, I want everyone here to take a deep, cleansing breath.  For the rest of this worship service, I want you to put all of that out of your mind.  Be present here.  Be engaged here.  Because before Christmas, before the business, before the presents and family get together’s and work parties and school parties and all of those things, we have today.

Today is the last Sunday in our Season after Pentecost, which started not long after Easter.  The Season (or Sundays) after Pentecost is a time in our Christian Calendar that’s intended for spiritual growth.  Throughout this season the lections focus on the teachings of Christ.  The paraments are green.  This is also known as ordinary time, which leads up to Advent.  I came here under assignment a little over a month after this season started.  And this season has been quite the journey.  We learned how to handle mistakes.  We learned how even Jesus suffered the feeling of rejection.  We talked about the importance of taking a Sabbath for rest and reflection.  We learned why Jesus is referred to as The Bread of Heaven.  We followed Jesus’ travels, heard the predictions of His Passion, his teachings at the Temple.  These teachings are here to shape us, form us, and foster growth in our Spiritual life. We’ve known since the restoration of Bartimaeus’ sight that the cross was looming in the distance…and here we are. 

The last Sunday after Pentecost…this Sunday…is the day we celebrate the reign of Christ the King. 

King.  That’s a word we don’t use anymore...and if any of us have, it surely referred to Elvis.  Monarchy is a notion that’s rather foreign to us.  We’ve never had a “king” to rule us…a monarch who comes into power through succession in familial lines.  We have a president…that we elect…through our right to vote.  The president doesn’t reign supreme.  We have two other branches of power that form a check and balance.  And if you don’t care for the elected president, like it or not, you have the right to be unhappy.  If you don’t agree with the laws, you have a right to access an elected law maker and have your opinion heard. 

So how do we, Americans, reconcile Christ as our King, when we don’t even know how to function with a King? 

I guess the bigger question, then, is are we recognizing Christ truly as our KING?

A similar question was facing Pilot in today’s Gospel lesson. 

Pontius Pilot.  The majestic Prefect of Judea.  A man who was immortalized (which I’m most certain he wanted through his ambition) but in ways I’m sure he would rather not be. But more on him later….

We last encountered Christ at Mt Olivette.  One of the disciples commented on the grandeur and size of the Temple, and Jesus then predicts the destruction of that very Temple.  We have not moved forward in time.  The Last Supper has happened.  Jesus has been arrested while praying in the garden.  The Chief Priests have questioned Jesus and have brought Jesus before Pilot.  And we can only imagine what they were doing to poor Pilot.  Gripe, nag, drama, drama, drama.  Jesus challenged them…he pointed them out and shined a light on their rotten nature.  So I’d say they were mad and prepared to do anything they could to get rid of Jesus.  But we also see that they weren’t willing to get their hands too dirty.  Pilot tells them if they want Jesus judged, then they should judge him with their own law.  But they came up with excuses and reasons that they just couldn’t.

So Pilot asks Jesus…are you the King of the Jews?  Jesus replied with a question, who wants to know?  You, or someone else?  Pilot, in what I’m sure is a tone laced with sarcasm and aggression, replied I am not a Jew, am I?  Your people brought you here not me.  What did you do?  Jesus’ response:  My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world.  If it did, my people would have rose up and prevented my arrest.  Sort of cryptic, don’t you think?  Kind of like asking someone what time it is, and they give you instructions on how to build a clock.  Not very helpful.  This was a yes or no question.  And when Jesus didn’t answer, Pilot continued with “then what have you done”, assuming a “no” answer in the lack of an answer.

So is Jesus the King of the Jews?  Is he claiming he is the King of the Jews…or the king of anything?  Not that I found in the Bible…directly.  Jesus does allude to his kingship by referring to his kingdom here in the conversation with Pilot, confirming that he does indeed have a kingdom, but it’s not here ruling the Jews.  And the facts presented support that…would a king be without bodyguards?  Never!  Even then (and preceding then) there were always royal guards.  But Jesus traveled with the outcasts of society…tax collectors, fishermen, carpenters, money changers, tradesmen and laborers.  None were armed with weapons and none were trained to defend or fight. 

Frustrated, disgusted, or a mixture of both, I’m sure at this point Pilot lets out an exasperated sigh and says “so you are a king?”  Jesus, again in Jesus fashion, answers “you say I am…I’m here to testify to the truth, whoever hears me hears the truth”.

What?  What does that mean?  Pilot didn’t really know either, so he asked “what is the truth”.    

While we didn’t live or witness these events first hand, you and I do have an upper hand here…we’ve all had access to the Bible since we were born.  We’ve read the texts, all of them. We’ve cross referenced them, researched them, poured over the commentaries and encyclopedias…so we indeed do know that Jesus is the King, just as the prophesy foretold.  So there’s that.  And although, again, we have no first hand experience of living under a king, we know that the subjects of the king have only the rights allowed by and must fulfill the expectations of the Monarch (if you’re going by “textbook” guidelines).

Taking all of this into account…are we living our lives in a way that reflects our acknowledgement, acceptance and obedience to Christ, as King of our lives?  Do we live out the expectations He has of us?  I’m not sure….

Do we know the expectations our King has of us? 

What are these expectations?  There’s one…love.  Jesus expects us to Love.  Over and over we’re told “love the Lord your God with all your heart…and love your neighbor as yourself”…Old Testament, New Testament…even Leviticus, so it turns out that book of the Bible might be for something other than to beating each other up.  At least 11 times and I didn’t search that hard! 

So if we take out our conditioning of our freedoms of living inside this democratic republic with the executive, judicial and legislative branches, and we try to imagine the total power of and total devotion to a King, are we able to look at each other and say “why yes…I am living a life of love as directed by my king.”?  Can we look in a mirror and say that and be honest?  That we love our neighbor as our self?  Really.  Really?  REALLY???

Do you love the neighbor that doesn’t look like you?  Do you love the neighbor that doesn’t act like you?  Do you love the neighbor that lives in sin (and if you don’t see an issue there, invite me to your glass house and let’s have a different talk)?  Do you love your neighbor that lives in a way that you don’t approve of or don’t believe in?  How about your homeless neighbor?  Your poor neighbor?  Rapist neighbor?  Drug addicted or alcoholic neighbor?  How about your neighbor who just keeps messing up their life, over and over again, and expects someone else to fix it?  How about your neighbor who isn’t a citizen?

And this is more than saying Yes, I love “those” people…because love is a verb.  It means to cherish or hold dear.  It’s an action that has a direct object.  So if we love “those” people…and “those” people can be whatever you want to fill in the blank with…because we all have persons we struggle with…if we love those people, it means we do something.  It shows in our actions.  It shows in such a way that we don’t have to tell people we love our neighbor as ourselves…our actions proclaim that for us.  It’s not easy.  I don’t think it’s even supposed to be easy.  It takes sacrifice.  Hard, gut-wrenching, serving, maddening, selfless sacrifice.  Maybe even sacrifice that involves that “amputation” we talked about a few weeks back.  We don’t like that kind of sacrifice.  We’re afraid of that kind of sacrifice.  It renders us powerless. 

But this is how we truly live into the commandment of our King.  This is how we please our ruler.  This is what Christ taught us, and continues to teach us.  And it’s only possible through Him.  We aren’t capable of this on our own…we never were. 

So to please our King, we need the help of our King.  And it’s only when we fully surrender that we can know the fullness of what Christ wants in our lives.  Let Him lead…He knows the way.

Thanks be to God.

Things to come

November 18, 2018                            Mark 13:1-8

After sitting in the temple last week and commenting on the scribes and the offering of a poor widow, Jesus and his disciples have now left the temple and are heading toward the Mount of Olives, opposite the temple’s location.  From this perspective they were able to really look at the temple and marvel at its splendor. 

This temple is what was known as the second temple, or Herod’s temple, because Herod oversaw a massive overhaul and marvelous additions, in order to cement his legacy and place in history.  Herod considered the Temple at Jerusalem to be his masterpiece.  And that it was.  Scholars believe the temple itself rose to an impressive 150 feet high, covered in brilliant white stones and gold plates.  Each of these white stones that constructed the temple were 200-400 pounds each, one stacked on top of the other.  This temple area was then surrounded by courts.  The entire structure sat atop Mount Moriah and could be seen for miles.

So it wouldn’t be anything abnormal to hear someone comment on the magnificence of the temple.  But what seems to be a casual comment garners a rather unexpected response from Jesus.  Jesus said, “yes - these buildings are enormous…and the whole thing will be demolished.  Not one stone will be left upon another”. 

Wow. 

And it seems that the remainder of their trip to Mount Olivet, no one spoke.  After a response like that, who would?  I’m sure they’re all pretty anxiety ridden at this point, and such a negative response wouldn’t have lifted anyone’s spirits.  So while they were sitting on the mount, Peter, James, John and Andrew, that inner circle, came to Jesus and asked him “what did you mean?  When will these things happen?  What signs should we be looking for?”

Legitimate questions…probably the same questions I would be asking.  So what was Jesus’ response?

He said don’t be deceived.  Many people will come in my name.  Many will follow them.  There will be wars.  There will be rumors of wars.  Nation will rise up against nation.  There will be earthquakes, famines and all sorts of natural disasters.  These things are just the beginning of the suffering associated with the end.

That’s all.  And accompanying this response was the almost trite “don’t be alarmed”.  Don’t be alarmed?  Really?  My anxiety skyrocketed just reading that! 

And just by coincidence, right after reading these passages, my phone dinged.  It was a facebook message.  Someone forwarded me a recording of Paul Harvey.  I remember Paul Harvey as a kid…my dad listened to him every day to get “the rest of the story”.  This forward was a Paul Harvey broadcast from 1965, that dealt with how the devil would invade the world.  And it was full of…you guessed it…predictions.  The person that sent it was just amazed at the accuracy of Mr. Harvey’s predictions…and this was the same person who begged me with tears in their eyes not to leave my home on 12/21/12, the day the Mayan calendar ended….

Then I got curious.  I wanted to know how many “end of the world” claims had been made…and when I looked it up on Wikipedia, I had to scroll many, many times.  The earliest was 66 AD, and the furtherest out being 2280.  So I narrowed my view to the lifespan of this church (roughly 1925 being Mayna and 2018 being Greyson) and there were 96.  That’s more than one per year on average! And there were the “usual suspects” on the list of contributors…Nostradamus, Rasputin, to Cotton Mather, a puritan priest who was involved with the Salem Witch Trials, to more modern names like Tim LaHaye, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and even one near and dear to us…John Wesley.

As I read over this list, I started looking at the mechanism or means in which we were to (or in some future cases, are to) meet our end.  There was, as we mentioned, the end of the Mayan Calendar, there was Y2K, there were aliens, earthquakes, comets, storms…I could go on and on.  They were all pretty scary. 

And that led me down another “google” rabbit hole (as is easy to do)…and I looked up a list of what Wikipedia names “messiah claimants”, or people since Jesus who said they were Jesus.  Immediately my mind went to David Koresh and the Branch Davidians…most of us here will remember that.  Since him there have been 4…and before him there were 30.

And neither of these lists contained Jonestown or Heaven’s Gate.

What is going on here?  And despite these warnings from Christ, we find ourselves sucked in by these fantastic predictions. 

And I began to wonder…why would these warnings follow an actual prediction?  Why would these cautionary statements be grouped in the same conversation with the grim foretelling of the Temple?  Why the massive contrast?  Why did the temple have to fall?  None of this seems organic.  Which led me down yet another rabbit hole….

Their temple.  Their church.  The place they came together to seek forgiveness of their sins through sacrifice, offer their tithes, pray…not unlike us.  So why did their beautiful, magnificent, awe inspiring place of worship have to fall? 

We have looked at the temple itself…but I think we need to look inward.  Last week we heard about the Scribes, and the corrupt things they were doing without guise.  Openly.  Without shame.  We’ve read time and time again the conflict between Jesus and the temple Rabbis and Leaders and at one point Jesus charges them with turning his Father’s house into a den of thieves.  It seems that this house of God is crumbling from the inside.  This place of worship, this dwelling place of God no longer did what it was supposed to do.  And maybe it was so far gone that there was no hope…it had to be destroyed.  Maybe that was the dynamic shift that humanity needed. 

So what is the church?  I love that today’s Gospel lesson in Mark is paired with this lesson in Hebrews because the union is so beautiful.  Hebrews 10 starts by showing us that the temple isn’t necessary for us to worship in.  We aren’t expected to bring sacrifices yearly.  Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient.  And then we see what we know as the modern church.  People who draw near with a genuine heart and faith, considering each other in love and good deeds.  People who meet together, not out of habit, but out of concern for each other, encouraging each other.  Educating each other.  Leading, serving, helping, and all the things we do for each other…all the things we GET to do for each other.   

So while the temple was destroyed, and we are warned against all sorts of bad things, if there’s one thing that you take away from today’s message, I hope it’s this:  the church isn’t here, it’s here.  It isn’t the pews, the windows, the pulpit or any of these things. Look at your neighbor.  Look at the people sitting around you.  Look in your heart.  This is the church.  It’s something that can’t be destroyed.