Isaiah 58
2 Corinthians 5:16-6:10
Fifteen years ago, I received an urgent call from one of our High School Students, saying that in her Global History Class they had been discussing the Protestant Reformation and when they got to Calvinist Presbyterians the class went crazy. As the Presbyterian Pastor in town could I come to class the next day to explain what Presbyterians believe and put their questions into perspective? Be careful anytime you invite the questions of others, not knowing their motivation or where the questions are leading! The following day I was prepared, as if back at Ordination Exams: describing Calvin's explanation of the Mystery of Communion, the Church's position on Homosexuality, the Priesthood of All Believers, the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, the Ordination of Women, as well as the historical development from Catholicism and rise of Luther with his 95 Theses, to King Henry VIII, to the Scots Confession and John Knox. What I was not prepared for, was the most basic question of faith: “Why are we sinners?” or more specifically “How come the church identifies us as sinners?” Strict Calvinist interpretations about dancing, drinking and card playing, did not help. They knew themselves, their parents, our community to be filled with honorable, decent, loving people, so why are they/we judged to be sinful?
I have a friend who is a Credit Counselor who describes one person who came to her with a three year stack of unopened Credit Card Bills. When the Counselor asked why the bills had not been opened, the person in debt responded “I didn't want to feel guilty. I thought it would make me a loser.”
A couple I had married a few months before, came to see me, looking extremely guilty. When I asked what had happened they described how wonderful their wedding had been, how supported they felt by the church, how happy their parents and friends were. And now as they were encountering a rocky patch in their marriage, they felt guilty for letting everyone else down by having trouble.
I have gotten old enough to realize that I have recurrent phrases, not so old that I am telling the same stories over and over, at least not that I remember, but one of the phrases I know I believe and share with others is that “As a pastor, I am not concerned with GUILT. Repentance, Redemption, Reconciliation, Absolutely, but Guilt only allows us to wallow in the past. We need help to change for the future.”
The season of Lent is a 40 day season of redemption, repentance and reconciliation in preparation for Easter, as the only pathway to the resurrection. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, begins with our sin.
All of the great philosophers of the Enlightenment begin with a premise, that either the world is inherently GOOD, or the world is inherently EVIL. In either case, those trying to explain human life and society have to deal with the reality that there is GOOD and there is EVIL. Sin, Evil, Guilt are real. In the Presbyterian Church we do not have a book of sins, listing what is and what is not, but rather anything which cause you to be broken from God, hiding from God and one another and yourself what you have done what you feel shame for, this is sin. We as human creatures, when given the choice of acting for our own interests and desires, or acting on behalf of unknown others, if given opportunity to get ahead by getting around the system, We Will. That there are forces and circumstances set up against us, I have known to be real. The question is not if there is evil, if we sin, or if we feel guilt, we do!
But what then will we do to repent, to be reconciled to one another and to God? I have seen many of you at the Y since the first of the year. For me it was not a New Year's resolution, not only a desire to lose a few pounds. As a Christmas present, my child wrote me a heartfelt letter, describing that several of his friends had lost their fathers in recent years, and that he had hopes for me in his future, so in addition or even eventually instead of medication why not work to lower my blood pressure and cholesterol? No I have not gotten to the point where I enjoy exercise, 'though oddly, I find myself actually craving vegetables. But I have made a routine of going 3 or 4 times a week. Which made me wonder, if we can adopt these new and different behaviors, even eating vegetables and exercising repeatedly during each week, why not a change regarding our relationship with the world, with ourselves, with God?
Several years ago, I recall studying the Book of Hosea, and realizing in addition to Hosea's relationship with his wife Gomer being a metaphor for God's relationship with Israel, Hosea taking responsibility for his spouse identifies the feelings and faith issues of any of when taking responsibility for someone else. The great difficulty of that action, is how do we seek reconciliation? How do we become partners again. In the Letter to the Corinthians, Paul has several important phrases, the first of which is “At An Acceptable Time.” In the moment it makes no sense, but at an acceptable time, a future time, we can begin again to learn to trust. Recently, my wife and I saw the film THE VOW, which if you have not seen it, I would encourage you to do so. The great heartache of the story, is that a couple who had fallen in love in a once in a lifetime love at first sight head-over-heels love affair, suddenly experience a car accident, where she loses all memory of him. And the question is now at a different time, and different circumstances can she, would she want to fall in love like that again, and how?
In Seminary, Presbyterian Pastors learn both Greek and Hebrew, not so we can impress our congregations with our poor pronunciations, but so we can help to interpret and apply what the Apostle Paul meant in 2nd Corinthians by including a compound verb that is both passive and imperative: katallagete meaning to allow yourselves to be reconciled to God, allow yourself to be forgiven. The problems of Good and Evil, of human sinfulness, are not something we ourselves could ever correct. We needed one who could atone for us, who could reconcile us to God. However, the first step, like the debtor coming to the Credit Counselor with their stack of bills, was admitting we are not perfect and we need to be repaired. Or like the couple recognizing that every day would not feel like their wedding day, and still they could grow in love... This is the first step, because by accepting the demand, that we permit ourselves to not be in charge,... by the imperative that we be passive for Christ to redeem us and reconcile us to God, we then claim a new relationship and new identity.
If anything, the letter to the Corinthians is about INTEGRITY. It is one thing to live honorably when life goes well, what Paul describes is continuing to live honorably, true and respected, when insulted, persecuted, dishonored, even when the world believes you are hopeless and dead. Years ago, we took a group of kids on a mission trip, to a remote town at the end of a railway spur in West Virginia. We had tried to go several different places, but many of the kids were too young for insurance policies. The parents of several were glad to have them go somewhere for a week so as to stay out of trouble. What once had been a small town living at subsistence, now only had those who were too poor to more away. On the hill overlooking what had been the town was an old Baptist Church with 12 members. Our task was to repaint the church inside and and out because the members could not do so for themselves. We found a local farmer had an unused scaffolding we could borrow. In the end, I think the kids got more paint on each other than on the walls, but the end result was fresh and clean and bright. Yet the most amazing thing, had been that day after day, people from the surrounding country-side would come to see what was going on at the church. On Sunday morning, the youth who had worked all week, cooked for themselves and bathed in the local creek, led worship. As I recall one played “Guns and Roses” which on Piano without words is actually quite pretty. They each had a role, as some had written prayers, others led singing, still others reflected on what it had meant to them to come to wash the windows and paint the walls of this lovely old white clapboard church. As Presbyterians we are unfamiliar with Altar Calls, it is a time in every worship service in many churches for people to come to the altar to be baptized and begin anew. That morning, this dead church, in a town at the end of an abandoned railway spur, because of the presence of a group of Presbyterian kids who had never gone on a mission trip before, grew from 12 to 36.
The point of this worship service is not so you can be seen having soot on your forehead, but that we would reflect upon the last year, and the last many years. What do we want to confess? What separations do we want to be forgiven?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
"Transfigured to Transform" February 19, 2012
2 Kings 2:1-15
Mark 9:1-12
What do we say or do with TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY?
I believe there are moments in life, moments in history, when the limitations between Heaven and Earth are especially close. Not dictated by Astrology or Astronomy, forecast by Nostradamus or the Myans, not dictated as having to be historically, but Apocalyptic Moments when we DO see God.
When Moses encountered the Burning Bush and received a name for God, as well as when he received the 10 Commandments, we know these identify our relationship, and the Law we are to follow. Christmas, we know to be the gift of the Savior to the world. Just as Delilah, baptized this morning, has changed the life of this couple forever, the gift of the child at Christmas changed all the world. Lent, Holy Week, Easter, we have traditions to follow and understand the meaning of each event. But what do we say about an event 2000 years ago, when Jesus went up a mountain, not with 5000, not to preach a sermon or to feed 3000, not even with all of the disciples, but with three?
After healing and teaching and preaching, he asked the disciples, whom they think he is and what it means to be the Messiah, the Christ, and he explains that he must suffer and die, not simply risk, but being the Savior means he must actually die to atone for Sin with a Capital S. And the three who aspired to sit at his right hand, the three who are always the first to respond: Peter, James and John, went up the mountain of God with Jesus, where they entered into a cloud and witnessed Moses and Elijah... Some have speculated that because they saw Moses and Elijah with Jesus, then Jesus alone, that the Law and Prophets no longer have meaning! Others that this signified that Jesus ministry fulfills the Law and the Prophets of Old. Regardless, a Voice, like that which separated light from dark, and order from chaos at Creation, a Voice like that which spoke at Jesus' baptism, spoke saying “This is my Beloved Son, LISTEN to him.” It is not enough to arrive at the right answer, if the correct answers mean nothing to you.
One of the most significant problems with our having a Transfiguration Day, the most significant problem with the Apocalyptic moments of Life, is that we look for answers, we seek truths to know, and we miss the point of what God is doing with us.
We are awed by the mystery of life, that loved ones did not die on a holiday, or birthday, will wait for a child traveling cross country to arrive, or will pass as soon as everyone leaves the room for coffee. As much as humans strive for what we believe to be a GOOD DEATH, the point of life is not how we died. The point of death is closure, and the point of life is how our life has affected others. Not EFFECTED, but AFFECTED, not how we were able to elicit response from others, but that our being changed the life and circumstance and understanding of others.
The Transfiguration is not about Jesus' clothing turning dazzling white. The point is what witnessing Jesus with Moses and Elijah meant to Peter, James and John and to us, throughout human history? Not only that Jesus is equal to, and surpasses Moses and Elijah; but no where else in Scripture, at no prior event in history, had historic figures come together. Circumstances, events were perceived as isolated in time, what the Transfiguration calls us to consider is connecting ideas, making connections between the LAW of Moses and the Challenge of the Prophets and the life of Jesus. Making connections between what we have been taught, what we know and believe, with our experience. The Transfiguration is not Theoretical, this is not Philosophy... the sensory experiences of Climbing a mountain, entering a cloud, seeing Moses and seeing Elijah, and hearing a voice from Heaven, ALL come together to say this is real. While the Mountain may have been changed. While the cloud may have come down. While Jesus' face and clothing may have shown. The point of the Transfiguration is the TRANSFORMATION it provided in these disciples and all of us.
Elijah was carried to heaven in a flaming chariot. That is a sign worthy of being in the Bible, and being about an individual whose life we know from the Bible, we would want to know how he died, or as recorded here, that he did not die, but went to be with God. Yet this is not the point of the telling. Cain killed Abel with the Jawbone of an Ass. Methusalah lived 969 years and died 7 days before the flood. These are interesting trivia, but pointless without application of the story and the transformative effect. Elijah had been a Prophet of God who stood up to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Elijah had contested between the Worship of the Idol Baal and the Worship of God Almighty, challenging that you cannot have both. When the contest was over, God was victorious and all the prophets of Baal were killed. And no one was more afraid of the circumstance than Elijah, who went to the Mountain of God, where Moses had witnessed God, and Elijah heard the still small voice, asking “What are you doing here Elijah?” Elijah was commanded to anoint a new King over Syria and a new King over Israel, and a new Prophet to continue in his place, Elisha. So the first thing he does is to anoint Elisha to take over.
In this last event in the life of Elijah, we are told they went to Gilgal, to Bethel, to Jericho, and to the Jordan and across to the wilderness. These are not random cities, these are all Biblical places, as if mentoring Elisha the places and histories important to Israel's relationship with God. The difficulty in any teaching and mentoring, is that there comes a point of letting go, of the master passing and the student carrying on. When asked what he wants, Elisha responds “A Double portion of your faith,” which Elijah responds is a hard thing. What exactly, Elisha thought he would receive we do not know, but at the passing of Elijah, suddenly Elisha is filled with GRIEF, so much so he rips apart his own clothing and takes up the mantle of Elijah to carry on. What they do not teach in Business programs of in Seminary, is that with great responsibility/ with great faith, also comes great grief.
In the next few weeks, our culture moves on from the Superbowl, and before March Madness to the hype about the Oscars and greatest Films and performances. I am not certain there are so many great films, as there are scenes, realizations in films that embody life. One of my favorites was in the 1980s films The Karate Kid. Not the Martial Arts, not the violence, but after experiencing the waxing of a car, and the hammering of boards into a building, that instead of just wax on wax off, he has been transformed. The point of our passages this day, the point of Transfiguration is not the Transfiguration of Jesus, not that Elijah was carried up in a Chariot or whirlwind, but the effect of these experiences to TRANSFORM lives.
Mark 9:1-12
What do we say or do with TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY?
I believe there are moments in life, moments in history, when the limitations between Heaven and Earth are especially close. Not dictated by Astrology or Astronomy, forecast by Nostradamus or the Myans, not dictated as having to be historically, but Apocalyptic Moments when we DO see God.
When Moses encountered the Burning Bush and received a name for God, as well as when he received the 10 Commandments, we know these identify our relationship, and the Law we are to follow. Christmas, we know to be the gift of the Savior to the world. Just as Delilah, baptized this morning, has changed the life of this couple forever, the gift of the child at Christmas changed all the world. Lent, Holy Week, Easter, we have traditions to follow and understand the meaning of each event. But what do we say about an event 2000 years ago, when Jesus went up a mountain, not with 5000, not to preach a sermon or to feed 3000, not even with all of the disciples, but with three?
After healing and teaching and preaching, he asked the disciples, whom they think he is and what it means to be the Messiah, the Christ, and he explains that he must suffer and die, not simply risk, but being the Savior means he must actually die to atone for Sin with a Capital S. And the three who aspired to sit at his right hand, the three who are always the first to respond: Peter, James and John, went up the mountain of God with Jesus, where they entered into a cloud and witnessed Moses and Elijah... Some have speculated that because they saw Moses and Elijah with Jesus, then Jesus alone, that the Law and Prophets no longer have meaning! Others that this signified that Jesus ministry fulfills the Law and the Prophets of Old. Regardless, a Voice, like that which separated light from dark, and order from chaos at Creation, a Voice like that which spoke at Jesus' baptism, spoke saying “This is my Beloved Son, LISTEN to him.” It is not enough to arrive at the right answer, if the correct answers mean nothing to you.
One of the most significant problems with our having a Transfiguration Day, the most significant problem with the Apocalyptic moments of Life, is that we look for answers, we seek truths to know, and we miss the point of what God is doing with us.
We are awed by the mystery of life, that loved ones did not die on a holiday, or birthday, will wait for a child traveling cross country to arrive, or will pass as soon as everyone leaves the room for coffee. As much as humans strive for what we believe to be a GOOD DEATH, the point of life is not how we died. The point of death is closure, and the point of life is how our life has affected others. Not EFFECTED, but AFFECTED, not how we were able to elicit response from others, but that our being changed the life and circumstance and understanding of others.
The Transfiguration is not about Jesus' clothing turning dazzling white. The point is what witnessing Jesus with Moses and Elijah meant to Peter, James and John and to us, throughout human history? Not only that Jesus is equal to, and surpasses Moses and Elijah; but no where else in Scripture, at no prior event in history, had historic figures come together. Circumstances, events were perceived as isolated in time, what the Transfiguration calls us to consider is connecting ideas, making connections between the LAW of Moses and the Challenge of the Prophets and the life of Jesus. Making connections between what we have been taught, what we know and believe, with our experience. The Transfiguration is not Theoretical, this is not Philosophy... the sensory experiences of Climbing a mountain, entering a cloud, seeing Moses and seeing Elijah, and hearing a voice from Heaven, ALL come together to say this is real. While the Mountain may have been changed. While the cloud may have come down. While Jesus' face and clothing may have shown. The point of the Transfiguration is the TRANSFORMATION it provided in these disciples and all of us.
Elijah was carried to heaven in a flaming chariot. That is a sign worthy of being in the Bible, and being about an individual whose life we know from the Bible, we would want to know how he died, or as recorded here, that he did not die, but went to be with God. Yet this is not the point of the telling. Cain killed Abel with the Jawbone of an Ass. Methusalah lived 969 years and died 7 days before the flood. These are interesting trivia, but pointless without application of the story and the transformative effect. Elijah had been a Prophet of God who stood up to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Elijah had contested between the Worship of the Idol Baal and the Worship of God Almighty, challenging that you cannot have both. When the contest was over, God was victorious and all the prophets of Baal were killed. And no one was more afraid of the circumstance than Elijah, who went to the Mountain of God, where Moses had witnessed God, and Elijah heard the still small voice, asking “What are you doing here Elijah?” Elijah was commanded to anoint a new King over Syria and a new King over Israel, and a new Prophet to continue in his place, Elisha. So the first thing he does is to anoint Elisha to take over.
In this last event in the life of Elijah, we are told they went to Gilgal, to Bethel, to Jericho, and to the Jordan and across to the wilderness. These are not random cities, these are all Biblical places, as if mentoring Elisha the places and histories important to Israel's relationship with God. The difficulty in any teaching and mentoring, is that there comes a point of letting go, of the master passing and the student carrying on. When asked what he wants, Elisha responds “A Double portion of your faith,” which Elijah responds is a hard thing. What exactly, Elisha thought he would receive we do not know, but at the passing of Elijah, suddenly Elisha is filled with GRIEF, so much so he rips apart his own clothing and takes up the mantle of Elijah to carry on. What they do not teach in Business programs of in Seminary, is that with great responsibility/ with great faith, also comes great grief.
In the next few weeks, our culture moves on from the Superbowl, and before March Madness to the hype about the Oscars and greatest Films and performances. I am not certain there are so many great films, as there are scenes, realizations in films that embody life. One of my favorites was in the 1980s films The Karate Kid. Not the Martial Arts, not the violence, but after experiencing the waxing of a car, and the hammering of boards into a building, that instead of just wax on wax off, he has been transformed. The point of our passages this day, the point of Transfiguration is not the Transfiguration of Jesus, not that Elijah was carried up in a Chariot or whirlwind, but the effect of these experiences to TRANSFORM lives.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
"Changing Default Settings"
Twenty-five years ago, I bought my first personal computer, a “Leading Edge Model D” with an incredible 3 Ram of Memory. Part of the beauty was that you did not need to know anything to use it. Once all the cables were plugged in, it worked just like a Typewriter, with a built in Calculator; but having been raised with the mantra “Read the directions before using any piece of equipment” the computer came with various different manuals. This was before CDs and DVDs, when all your information was backed up on 7 ½” disks. It did not play music or movies, was not connected to the internet, but it could do so many things. A dozen years ago, I bought my first Apple laptop computer. This configuration was completely different, in some ways easier, but you needed to know how to do what. After several tutorials from a member of the church, who had advanced degrees in computer engineering, I knew how to turn it on and get in and out of programs. Yet, gradually over that dozen years, the laptop began operating more and more slowly, until one day earlier this year the screen completely froze and I was informed I needed to get a new computer. Taking it out of the box, the dimensions were just the same, the plug slightly modified, turning it on, all the familiar icons and applications popped up. However, when I began to use it, there were now innumerable pre-set controls, locking programs every time it was turned on. In the updates to software, they had added various settings, to automatically lock and store information, so every time you opened a file or program you needed to unlock the data. The choice was simple, learn to adapt to these new default settings, follow along, but I longed to change the default settings to make the computer do what I wanted the computer to do.
That was Naaman's problem. Namaan was a skilled warrior, who knew how to win. As a Commander of the Syrian Army of King Aram, he knew how to follow orders and how to give them, he understood the chain of command. Hundreds of thousands of troops obeyed his orders. But, as a man, Namaan also had leprosy. Leprosy is viral, but more, leprosy was a social disease that created fear in people. Those afflicted knew constant itching and pain as the skin died and peeled away, and other people did not want to touch you or be near you, as if this were a matter of cleanliness. In addition to the physical disease, there grew belief that the suffering was related to sin, that the leper was being punished for something they or their family had done.
On a far more minor scale, after years of marriage, I began developing a callous from my wedding band, perhaps you have had something like this. No matter the creams or ointments, to soothe or to peel the skin, the sore would not go away. And being on the ring finger, this meant not wearing my wedding band. Do you know what it means to have to remove your wedding ring, to not be able to wear this gift of love and commitment?
Namaan would have done anything to cure his affliction. So when the suggestion comes that he go to the enemy of their nation, to be healed, he accepts this indignation. He travels great distances, bringing payment that demonstrates how much he wants to be healed. He has trunks filled with Silver and Gold and fine Clothes. He has a letter from King Aram to the King of Israel, that by the authority of the King Namaan should be healed. We have each known times in our lives like this. Times when you would pay anything, do anything, use every connection and authority, because you have Cancer... because your spouse has Parkinson's... because your child has a problem with their heart that will kill them... because your spouse is losing their memories... because you have lost your job and no one will offer you a chance, it means more than income this is about identity and self-worth and family survival.
When finally, Namaan is able to reach the Prophet Elisha, the man of God does not even bother coming out to meet him, seemingly does not offer the recognition of being a man, let alone a man of influence and power, a man who commands the death or salvation of whole cities. However, his servants challenge Namaan, that if the prophet had commanded something great Namaan would have done it, so why not something simple. Go to the Jordan River, get down off of your horse, strip off everything you have, everything, and immerse yourself, not just bathe in the waters, but give yourself up to the water, immerse yourself completely, submit. Get out and dry yourself, put yourself together. Then repeat seven times over. How this worked we cannot say, it is a miracle. Surely, by the seventh time doing so, Namaan wanted to be clean, wanted to submit.
But at this point, I wonder about Changing the Default Settings, not only on computers, but in Caring. Human beings, churches, pastors in particular, are very good at Crisis Response. So much so, that we even have to be taught to not rescue, to not fix people's problems for them, because we are very adept at responding to crises. When someone else is in need we drop everything we are doing, to react. When there is a death in the community, we bake a casserole, we change all our plans and schedules to do whatever is needed to get their loved ones and the community through this crisis so as to to return to normal. But rarely, so rarely I cannot recall an occasion, when not only the individual, and their immediate family, but we as a community stop to recognize what this death, this loss, this disease, this dis-ease is going to do to us as a community of faith. If discomfort, dis-ease, disease and divorce and death can cause us to recognize the meaning of change, then what about a birth, a marriage, a choice?
Would that instead of reacting, pulling our hand away from the leper, pulling our children away, instead of crisis response, we as a community of faith could commit to others with hope and possibility, and affirmation of their humanity knowing it will change us.
There is something missing in our reading from Mark. We know that in literature and in history, context effects everything. What we know from context is that John the Baptist came from the wilderness preaching repentance. Jesus of Nazareth came and was baptized by John and went into the wilderness where he was tempted and prayed. After John was arrested, Jesus called fishermen who left what they were doing to become disciples. Jesus entered the Synagogue and people were in awe of his authority. A man came to him possessed by evil, and Jesus healed him. Peter's Mother-in-law was ill and Jesus took her by the hand and she was healed. Jesus went out to a lonely place in the dark to pray. And beginning in Chapter 2 we are going to have Pharisees and Saducees, Priests and Scribes, even Governors and Roman authorities questioning BY WHOSE AUTHORITY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS. We know all this about Jesus, but what do we know about the man who comes to him? The man is a leper, who came beseeching Jesus, kneeling before him believing Jesus alone could make him well. As such, we know he would have tried all his life to be healed. We know he would have gone to the Priests to be healed and they sent him away as a Sinner. We know he has been told he is Unclean, and people withdraw from him not wanting to touch him. To beseech and kneel were not the attitude of Namaan. This is a man who is begging, who believes in Jesus as the only one who can heal him.
The English translation says Jesus was “moved with pity.” That does not cut it. The Greek is far more explicit, Splanchnizomai is a visceral reaction, uncontrollable caring, a passionate compassion. This man is a leper, to touch him is to become ritually unclean. This is a man who affirms his faith:
“If you will it, you can make me clean.” And Jesus reaches out his hand, touches the man's wounds and proclaims “I Will; Be Clean.” To reach out and touch, is to take this man and his affliction into him, knowing he can never be ritually clean again.
And again, the English translates “Jesus sternly charged him” where what the Greek states is “Snorting Indignation” Jesus sends him back again to the Priests, telling him not to say anything, but to make an offering of Thanksgiving top God as the Law of Moses required.
What will it mean for us to Change our Default Settings, our preconditioned responses? We live in a time in this society, where communities are voting to not pay taxes for schools. We raised our kids, we sent them to college, we survived all that and paid our bills, why should we pay for others. Increasingly we are becoming a divisive nation, even as a church. I recall a Sunday, a little over 5 years ago, after I had been with you here for 10 years. We described that there was now a running challenge that when children were fussing, the pastor came and got them, holding them in his arms. Yet in Baptism we have claimed not only that this is a child of God, but a child of the church and we have a responsibility to the family of this child to love them, to forgive them, to care for them. So we began giving the children of one family to others. That morning we had over 50 children in worship, and everyone was given to someone who had none. More miraculous than the curing of leprosy, as I recall there was no crying, no fussing, as eeryone reached out to care for one another.
That was Naaman's problem. Namaan was a skilled warrior, who knew how to win. As a Commander of the Syrian Army of King Aram, he knew how to follow orders and how to give them, he understood the chain of command. Hundreds of thousands of troops obeyed his orders. But, as a man, Namaan also had leprosy. Leprosy is viral, but more, leprosy was a social disease that created fear in people. Those afflicted knew constant itching and pain as the skin died and peeled away, and other people did not want to touch you or be near you, as if this were a matter of cleanliness. In addition to the physical disease, there grew belief that the suffering was related to sin, that the leper was being punished for something they or their family had done.
On a far more minor scale, after years of marriage, I began developing a callous from my wedding band, perhaps you have had something like this. No matter the creams or ointments, to soothe or to peel the skin, the sore would not go away. And being on the ring finger, this meant not wearing my wedding band. Do you know what it means to have to remove your wedding ring, to not be able to wear this gift of love and commitment?
Namaan would have done anything to cure his affliction. So when the suggestion comes that he go to the enemy of their nation, to be healed, he accepts this indignation. He travels great distances, bringing payment that demonstrates how much he wants to be healed. He has trunks filled with Silver and Gold and fine Clothes. He has a letter from King Aram to the King of Israel, that by the authority of the King Namaan should be healed. We have each known times in our lives like this. Times when you would pay anything, do anything, use every connection and authority, because you have Cancer... because your spouse has Parkinson's... because your child has a problem with their heart that will kill them... because your spouse is losing their memories... because you have lost your job and no one will offer you a chance, it means more than income this is about identity and self-worth and family survival.
When finally, Namaan is able to reach the Prophet Elisha, the man of God does not even bother coming out to meet him, seemingly does not offer the recognition of being a man, let alone a man of influence and power, a man who commands the death or salvation of whole cities. However, his servants challenge Namaan, that if the prophet had commanded something great Namaan would have done it, so why not something simple. Go to the Jordan River, get down off of your horse, strip off everything you have, everything, and immerse yourself, not just bathe in the waters, but give yourself up to the water, immerse yourself completely, submit. Get out and dry yourself, put yourself together. Then repeat seven times over. How this worked we cannot say, it is a miracle. Surely, by the seventh time doing so, Namaan wanted to be clean, wanted to submit.
But at this point, I wonder about Changing the Default Settings, not only on computers, but in Caring. Human beings, churches, pastors in particular, are very good at Crisis Response. So much so, that we even have to be taught to not rescue, to not fix people's problems for them, because we are very adept at responding to crises. When someone else is in need we drop everything we are doing, to react. When there is a death in the community, we bake a casserole, we change all our plans and schedules to do whatever is needed to get their loved ones and the community through this crisis so as to to return to normal. But rarely, so rarely I cannot recall an occasion, when not only the individual, and their immediate family, but we as a community stop to recognize what this death, this loss, this disease, this dis-ease is going to do to us as a community of faith. If discomfort, dis-ease, disease and divorce and death can cause us to recognize the meaning of change, then what about a birth, a marriage, a choice?
Would that instead of reacting, pulling our hand away from the leper, pulling our children away, instead of crisis response, we as a community of faith could commit to others with hope and possibility, and affirmation of their humanity knowing it will change us.
There is something missing in our reading from Mark. We know that in literature and in history, context effects everything. What we know from context is that John the Baptist came from the wilderness preaching repentance. Jesus of Nazareth came and was baptized by John and went into the wilderness where he was tempted and prayed. After John was arrested, Jesus called fishermen who left what they were doing to become disciples. Jesus entered the Synagogue and people were in awe of his authority. A man came to him possessed by evil, and Jesus healed him. Peter's Mother-in-law was ill and Jesus took her by the hand and she was healed. Jesus went out to a lonely place in the dark to pray. And beginning in Chapter 2 we are going to have Pharisees and Saducees, Priests and Scribes, even Governors and Roman authorities questioning BY WHOSE AUTHORITY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS. We know all this about Jesus, but what do we know about the man who comes to him? The man is a leper, who came beseeching Jesus, kneeling before him believing Jesus alone could make him well. As such, we know he would have tried all his life to be healed. We know he would have gone to the Priests to be healed and they sent him away as a Sinner. We know he has been told he is Unclean, and people withdraw from him not wanting to touch him. To beseech and kneel were not the attitude of Namaan. This is a man who is begging, who believes in Jesus as the only one who can heal him.
The English translation says Jesus was “moved with pity.” That does not cut it. The Greek is far more explicit, Splanchnizomai is a visceral reaction, uncontrollable caring, a passionate compassion. This man is a leper, to touch him is to become ritually unclean. This is a man who affirms his faith:
“If you will it, you can make me clean.” And Jesus reaches out his hand, touches the man's wounds and proclaims “I Will; Be Clean.” To reach out and touch, is to take this man and his affliction into him, knowing he can never be ritually clean again.
And again, the English translates “Jesus sternly charged him” where what the Greek states is “Snorting Indignation” Jesus sends him back again to the Priests, telling him not to say anything, but to make an offering of Thanksgiving top God as the Law of Moses required.
What will it mean for us to Change our Default Settings, our preconditioned responses? We live in a time in this society, where communities are voting to not pay taxes for schools. We raised our kids, we sent them to college, we survived all that and paid our bills, why should we pay for others. Increasingly we are becoming a divisive nation, even as a church. I recall a Sunday, a little over 5 years ago, after I had been with you here for 10 years. We described that there was now a running challenge that when children were fussing, the pastor came and got them, holding them in his arms. Yet in Baptism we have claimed not only that this is a child of God, but a child of the church and we have a responsibility to the family of this child to love them, to forgive them, to care for them. So we began giving the children of one family to others. That morning we had over 50 children in worship, and everyone was given to someone who had none. More miraculous than the curing of leprosy, as I recall there was no crying, no fussing, as eeryone reached out to care for one another.
Monday, February 6, 2012
February 5, 2012 "Amnesia and Anamnesis"
Isaiah 40
Mark 1:29-ff
As eloquently as this was read this morning, one can hardly recite these words without recalling the Scottish brogue of Olympic runner Eric Liddell in the film Chariots of Fire from a Church in Paris.
There are three points in this passage from Isaiah, and the same three points to recall when reflecting upon the conclusion of the first Chapter of the Gospel of Mark:
1)We suffer from Theological Amnesia
2)God is really the one in charge
3)Only when we are so weak and helpless as to be vulnerable, whether very very young, or very very aged, do we allow ourselves to experience the grace and power of God who raises us up on Eagles' wings.
First, the assumption that lies at the core of Israel's entire Testimony, is that Faith begins with Memory. Have you Not known? Have you Not heard? Remember the story of Creation. Recall the Covenant with Noah, the Promise to Abram, Isaac, Jacob. Remember how for 40 years in the wilderness, Israel claimed to be lost and alone, but God never lost sight of God's People. Faith BEGINS with Memory.
But notice how subjective and selective our memory! If we are Critical and Pessimistic, we remember only the awful things, harsh words, bitter relationships, errors, mistakes and wrongs. If we imagine we are perfect, we remember only the good. Theological Amnesia is especially common when life goes well. We forget God loves us and has a plan for Creation, we even forget the Presence of God with us. This was the perpetual problem of Israel, and why the Prophets continually called the Nation back.
What happens when we forget God, as being The Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer and Companion of life? The moment we get into trouble, we fold with anxiety and stress. We hear the doctor describe a spot or lump and we jump to the conclusion that it is Cancerous, and malignant, and we are going to die. We are challenged by coworkers, or supporters and our hostility makes us want to take them out, or to quit. We have a difficult spell in life, and we want to give up on our marriages, wash our hands of the responsibility of children, pull the covers up and make the world go away. Isaiah 40 is not a word of comfort, but a slap in the face, grasping us by the lapels to demand “Have you not heard, have you not seen?” Where have you been throughout history? In many ways this passage goes along with Elijah, who as a Prophet of God had arranged a great contest to determine if the God of Israel or the Gods of Ball were the real and true God. Elijah had contested against Queen Jezebel and all the Prophets and Priests of Baal, and when the contest was over Elijah was afraid of what he had done, afraid he felt so alone, he ran to the mountain of God, into the cave where Moses had seen God, and the voice had come asking “What are you doing here?”
The question is not If God has Forgotten Us, or if God has grown tired of us, because God loves us, God could no more forget you than forget to breathe! No, the painful question of Amnesia is whether we have forgot, whether we tired of God? As much as we want the Bible to be about David or Elijah, Simon Peter or Mary, or you and me, the Bible and Life itself are about God. How different every passage would be, if instead of reading this as history, instead of entering the Stable to see the gift of the child for us, instead of standing on the shore listening to John the Baptist, instead of standing at the foot of the Cross, if instead we questioned how God feels? Suddenly we hear the Psalmist ask: Have you not heard? Were we not there?
The hardest lesson of life, is that we have made ourselves so busy, so strong and protected, so satiated by all the fulfillments of our dreams, that we do have room for the Holy Spirit. We look for the doctors to operate, the insurance company to pay the bills, the care providers to make us comfortable, but despite our plans, despite all of our control... When we become vulnerable are the moments we see, no even more, when we are vulnerable are the only moments we allow ourselves to see God.
Jesus left the Synagogue and entered the home of Simon, whose Mother-in-law lay in bed with a fever. Those who know the book of Leviticus would hear in this a reminder of Leviticus 26:16 “I will bring terror upon you; consumption and fever, that waste the eyes and cause life to pine away.” In the 21st Century, we are appalled that Simon Peter brought guests into his home when she was ill, even more that she is healed so she can serve them! But those are not questions that would have been asked in that culture. The role of every disciple is the serve. The purpose of every creature formed by God is to be. This fever has made her as good as dead, and Jesus taking her by the hand, dares touching a woman who is ill.
In the early 1980s I served as a Chaplain at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Harlem. We had a man on the infectious disease ward who had a mysterious disease, described as GRID, because it fit a number of characteristics, among these Gay-Related, Infectious Disease. At the time, we knew not how it was passed, so the nurses and aides did not want to touch bed-linens or bedpans or bandages. Where other rooms had the door standing open, and curtains allowing light in, the curtains were always drawn and door shut tight. The only ones going in or out were immediate family. Even as a chaplain, we were required to gown, glove and mask, just to enter the room to sit and to pray. How far we have come with control of disease and medication in 30 years, that the Legislature is now considering whether organs from HIV donors can be transplanted to HIV infected patients.
What happens in these verses is Jesus remembers God. Jesus has been growing in popularity by healing and preaching. YET, while it is still dark, he goes to a lonely place and prays to God. The disciples came hunting him down, and he informed them that they needed to go where God would lead throughout Galilee and to the ends of the earth.
We began by stating that FAITH BEGINS with MEMORY. Have You Not Known? Have You Not Heard? HOWEVER, Faith does not stop with Memory, but uses memory to transform our experiences as experiences of faith. ANAMNESIS is one the words used to describe Communion, because in this sacrament, our memory of all God has done leads us to forgive and to seek to be forgiven, and therefore brought closer to God.
Mark 1:29-ff
As eloquently as this was read this morning, one can hardly recite these words without recalling the Scottish brogue of Olympic runner Eric Liddell in the film Chariots of Fire from a Church in Paris.
There are three points in this passage from Isaiah, and the same three points to recall when reflecting upon the conclusion of the first Chapter of the Gospel of Mark:
1)We suffer from Theological Amnesia
2)God is really the one in charge
3)Only when we are so weak and helpless as to be vulnerable, whether very very young, or very very aged, do we allow ourselves to experience the grace and power of God who raises us up on Eagles' wings.
First, the assumption that lies at the core of Israel's entire Testimony, is that Faith begins with Memory. Have you Not known? Have you Not heard? Remember the story of Creation. Recall the Covenant with Noah, the Promise to Abram, Isaac, Jacob. Remember how for 40 years in the wilderness, Israel claimed to be lost and alone, but God never lost sight of God's People. Faith BEGINS with Memory.
But notice how subjective and selective our memory! If we are Critical and Pessimistic, we remember only the awful things, harsh words, bitter relationships, errors, mistakes and wrongs. If we imagine we are perfect, we remember only the good. Theological Amnesia is especially common when life goes well. We forget God loves us and has a plan for Creation, we even forget the Presence of God with us. This was the perpetual problem of Israel, and why the Prophets continually called the Nation back.
What happens when we forget God, as being The Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer and Companion of life? The moment we get into trouble, we fold with anxiety and stress. We hear the doctor describe a spot or lump and we jump to the conclusion that it is Cancerous, and malignant, and we are going to die. We are challenged by coworkers, or supporters and our hostility makes us want to take them out, or to quit. We have a difficult spell in life, and we want to give up on our marriages, wash our hands of the responsibility of children, pull the covers up and make the world go away. Isaiah 40 is not a word of comfort, but a slap in the face, grasping us by the lapels to demand “Have you not heard, have you not seen?” Where have you been throughout history? In many ways this passage goes along with Elijah, who as a Prophet of God had arranged a great contest to determine if the God of Israel or the Gods of Ball were the real and true God. Elijah had contested against Queen Jezebel and all the Prophets and Priests of Baal, and when the contest was over Elijah was afraid of what he had done, afraid he felt so alone, he ran to the mountain of God, into the cave where Moses had seen God, and the voice had come asking “What are you doing here?”
The question is not If God has Forgotten Us, or if God has grown tired of us, because God loves us, God could no more forget you than forget to breathe! No, the painful question of Amnesia is whether we have forgot, whether we tired of God? As much as we want the Bible to be about David or Elijah, Simon Peter or Mary, or you and me, the Bible and Life itself are about God. How different every passage would be, if instead of reading this as history, instead of entering the Stable to see the gift of the child for us, instead of standing on the shore listening to John the Baptist, instead of standing at the foot of the Cross, if instead we questioned how God feels? Suddenly we hear the Psalmist ask: Have you not heard? Were we not there?
The hardest lesson of life, is that we have made ourselves so busy, so strong and protected, so satiated by all the fulfillments of our dreams, that we do have room for the Holy Spirit. We look for the doctors to operate, the insurance company to pay the bills, the care providers to make us comfortable, but despite our plans, despite all of our control... When we become vulnerable are the moments we see, no even more, when we are vulnerable are the only moments we allow ourselves to see God.
Jesus left the Synagogue and entered the home of Simon, whose Mother-in-law lay in bed with a fever. Those who know the book of Leviticus would hear in this a reminder of Leviticus 26:16 “I will bring terror upon you; consumption and fever, that waste the eyes and cause life to pine away.” In the 21st Century, we are appalled that Simon Peter brought guests into his home when she was ill, even more that she is healed so she can serve them! But those are not questions that would have been asked in that culture. The role of every disciple is the serve. The purpose of every creature formed by God is to be. This fever has made her as good as dead, and Jesus taking her by the hand, dares touching a woman who is ill.
In the early 1980s I served as a Chaplain at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Harlem. We had a man on the infectious disease ward who had a mysterious disease, described as GRID, because it fit a number of characteristics, among these Gay-Related, Infectious Disease. At the time, we knew not how it was passed, so the nurses and aides did not want to touch bed-linens or bedpans or bandages. Where other rooms had the door standing open, and curtains allowing light in, the curtains were always drawn and door shut tight. The only ones going in or out were immediate family. Even as a chaplain, we were required to gown, glove and mask, just to enter the room to sit and to pray. How far we have come with control of disease and medication in 30 years, that the Legislature is now considering whether organs from HIV donors can be transplanted to HIV infected patients.
What happens in these verses is Jesus remembers God. Jesus has been growing in popularity by healing and preaching. YET, while it is still dark, he goes to a lonely place and prays to God. The disciples came hunting him down, and he informed them that they needed to go where God would lead throughout Galilee and to the ends of the earth.
We began by stating that FAITH BEGINS with MEMORY. Have You Not Known? Have You Not Heard? HOWEVER, Faith does not stop with Memory, but uses memory to transform our experiences as experiences of faith. ANAMNESIS is one the words used to describe Communion, because in this sacrament, our memory of all God has done leads us to forgive and to seek to be forgiven, and therefore brought closer to God.
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