May 31, 2015 "Seeing, Understanding, Hearing, Perceiving"

Isaiah 6: 1-8 John 3:1-17 My friend Tom Long describes having interviewed a Park Ranger, who described the incredible resource that are our Nation's and State's Parks, with views of Waterfalls, Black Bear, Deer, and Canyons. Part of the role of Park Rangers is to answer people's questions, How many Parks are there, How big is this Park, Where to go to get the best view... But invariably, the most often question asked is “Where does the trail begin?” You might think it was where are the restrooms, or where does the trail end, or where can we buy water? But the question everyone needs to know in order to get started is, Where does the trail begin? Some of us never stop to ask, we follow our nose through life, follow where others have blazed a trail before us, taking what comes. But at times, life can become somewhat lost. When we know we need God, but know not where to begin or how. That is what Isaiah was identifying. “In the Year King Uzziah died!” says a great deal more than in the year 740 BC in Jerusalem. When King Uzziah died, it was a cataclysmic event like saying on September 11th 2001, or the Day John Kennedy was shot, or when I discovered my husband had been having an affair with my best friend, or when I finally decided to confront my own self-loathing, the night I thought about killing myself... When a crisis happens, you cannot go back, you can never return to the way things were before, but in addition to facing our fears and confronting the circumstance, there is the question of “Where is God?” The problem being that We are Adults. Everything we see, everything we hear, is compared against our stockpile of experience, places we have been, things we have lived through. A child searches life taking in, because everything is new. To lie on your back watching the clouds roll by, watching the stars at night, feeling the ground beneath you, rolling over to watch the colony of an ant hill, picking a bouquet of dandelions. Everything is wonderful. Everything is new! As adults, we do not approach life as a blank slate searching for God, but instead like Nicodemus we come with a set of safe answers, asking how to fix what is broken. Several years ago, my wife and I were starting out on a long journey early in the morning, and as we came down a steep hill around a sharp curve, one of these large tanker milk trucks was coming the other way taking his half out of the middle. It was when we drove a mini-van, and as I swerved, we hit black ice and the next thing I knew our minivan was sitting in a farmer's field, having jumped the storm gully. The Van was totaled. We were able to get a loaner to complete our journey, but when we got back, our insurance company called to ask “This vehicle has seen accidents before hasn't it?” There was a stone chip n the windshield from before the accident? The doors had dings and nicks from being parked in parking lots? Quickly we discerned that what we thought was totaled and what they were willing to cover were not the same thing. They insisted on fixing only what was related to the accident, and needed to discount all the bumps and bruises of normal wear and tear. It made me realized what an incredible offer there is in faith. Because God is not about patching us up, fixing the presenting circumstance and letting it go, but rather a total make-over, complete forgiveness. This morning's passages are among the best known passages of Scripture “Here I am Lord send me!” And “For God so loved the World God sent God's only son.” But individual words, or lines of Scripture do not make the whole of the Canon of faith. The words of the Jesus said to Nic at Night, are part of the Gospel of John, part of the Gospel Story, part of the New Testament, set within the whole of the Bible. What makes this a little easier to unpack, is that we are only in the 3rd Chapter of John, so what we know is that after his Baptism, Jesus changed Water into Wine at a Wedding, they had run dry there seemed to be nothing left and Jesus created a SuperAbundance of the best anyone had every experienced! Immediately after which, Jesus went into Jerusalem and entering the Temple, he drove out the Tax Collectors and Money Changers with authority. Nicodemus is a well-known Pharisee, he is highly educated, experienced, older, wealthy and powerful, this is one in the community whom others come to for answers, he knows the Law and he knows his place in the world. Under cover of darkness, Nicodemus comes to Jesus, saying we know who you are and where you come from, because no one would have authority in the Temple except one come from God, “so tell me how to find God?” Really that is not what Nicodemus wanted. “How To” is fine for Books for Dummies, but Nicodemus was not looking for answers to How To questions. What he really wanted to know was “Who am I?” “Does it matter?” “In my reality, I have importance and prestige, but I know who I am, does God?” Instead of addressing Nicodemus' How To Questions with what you can See and what you can Hear, Jesus responds with a Statement of Understanding and Perception. The question is NOT Who is God, are you Jesus? Or are we really God ourselves! God has been and is and will be everywhere and where ever we need. The question is do you know who you are in relation to God? When the King dies, when Crisis happens, when we confront who we ourselves are, we have to start all over, no longer as adults but as newborns with a different awareness of life. One of the Baptisms we celebrated was for an 18 month old, who sat very comfortably in my arms. And at one point, I looked deeply into his eyes and declared “You are loved by Jesus Christ, Sealed as a part of the Body by his Holy Spirit, You are a Child of God, as are we all.” And without missing a beat the child replied “Uh Oh!” That is a lot. We can theorize all kinds of things comparing God to our parents or grandparents, imagining God as being so large that we would compare the cuticle of God's big toe to the Chancel, bigger, that God's big toe is as big as this sanctuary , as big as this whole Church and as eternal as the Grand Canyon, as the Moon and Stars. We can describe the love of God, who cares so deeply for us that God would take off the Divinity of God's glory to be born as a vulnerable newborn infant. Who loves us so passionately as to redefine passion with his suffering for the sins of the world upon the cross. Who loves us so thoroughly, even death could never separate us from God. We can speculate about the Holy Spirit being The Wind, being God's breath, being that spark, the integrity, the compassion inside each one of us. But as much as we theorize and imagine who God is, what we know by claiming God is a Trinity, is that God is in community, God is a shared fellowship. We cannot find God esoterically in our own minds unto ourselves. The great irony of the Isaiah passage, is that what people remember is Isaiah volunteering, like a 3rd grader with their hand wrenching from their shoulder “Ooooh Oooh Call Me!” If that were true, Isaiah would be the only person of faith in all history, in the history of any culture in any civilization, who ever volunteered for God. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Andrew, Peter, James, John, Paul, Mary all reacted to God's Call as “I am not worthy. Not me, Lord.” What actually happened was that in response to this world changing, life altering experience of being the High Priest when King Uzziah died, Isaiah caught a glimpse that everything he knew, everything about himself and his reality was as nothing compared to the grandeur and holiness and glory that is God. Before anything more, Isaiah fell into confession “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, dwelling among a people of unclean lips, here now in the presence of God.” And a seraphim, a spirit of holiness took a burning coal from the altar of sacrifice and cauterized his lips, singed off the unclean sins from him. Whereupon Isaiah is sent. Most of us have lost that feeling of being sent. We look for life to come to us. If only I buy a ticket, I could win the lottery. I could be walking down the street when something happens to fulfill all my hopes and dreams. If my family and company and God really appreciated who I am, they would be indebted to me. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, as well as Jesus, Andrew, Peter, James, John, Paul and Mary and Isaiah, all accepted that they were not living this life on their terms, but as those sent by God to present God to the world. In December 1941, in the Death Camp of Stalag 8, some of the most beautiful music ever composed was played for the very first time. Olivier Messiaen was a Frenchman, a Child of God, who in reply to the Nazi Jack-boot Hup Two Three Four composed what he named “The Quartet For The End Time.” In the Book of the Revelation, an angel is heard and instead of announcing “Holy, Holy, Holy” announces “There is no more, no more time, no more options.” But instead of a hollow emptiness, Messiaen perceived that all the jagged, broken, seemingly hopeless threads of human interaction, human history would be gathered into the eternal, loving life of God. In his Quartet, rather than each instrumentalist playing a solo, they were required to pay attention to one another, to attend to each other playing as an ensemble. More than that, where most composers will put instructions in the text: Staccato, Play slowly, play Rapidly, Crescendo; Instead, Messiaen wrote “Play tenderly, Play with ecstasy, Play with love...” Are we waiting for someone to find us? Are we playing loudly? Are we looking for the wrong answers, are we looking and listening, or are we perceiving, understanding, playing with ecstasy and love?

"Miller's Analogy" May 24, 2015

Ezekiel 37:1-14 Acts 2:1-21 We are in that season of the year, identified by School administrators, teachers, parents and students as Standardized Testing. My Sister in Law is a Teacher in the Washington DC Public Schools who describes that of the 9 months of classes, a full month is taken each year for testing to confirm that their students never learned to read, or work math problems, and instead of making time to work on these fundamentals they are required to administer tests that prove they have difficulty taking tests. In 1965, when I was in 2nd Grade, my father shared at dinner one night that test designers often develop a pattern to their questions and answers, so the point is not only finding the answers but finding the patterns. The following day, we were taking one of the early Bubble tests, and after the first 15 questions, I looked at the answer sheet and continued the pattern that had been established finishing the whole exam in 30 minutes instead of 2 ½ hours. A few days later my parents had a meeting with my teacher, the guidance counselors and principal, because I had the highest score in the school, even on material that 6th grade did not teach. So I was made to take another version of the test, and this time to show my work. There used to be a popular standardized exam for Graduate School called the Miller's Analogy, the point of which was to understand your reasoning ability by making analogies between things everyone knows and an abstract word or concept you did not know... King David is to King Lear as Particle Physics is to Blank. The difficulty being that Miller's Exam used as comparisons, Shakespeare and The Bible, as being “what everyone knew,” and today many have no awareness of Shakespeare or Bible, so cannot play the game. And while YouTube Videos can have thousands of Likes, and Videogames have their Heroes and Villains, these are not universally recognized across cultures and time. The reason for raising this, is that our Christian Faith, even the Bible itself rarely defines or explains a concept, an idea, or a principle as in Webster's Dictionary. Even who and what God is, is not explained or defined, instead faith has been taught and understood through metaphor stories. And we have become an unimaginative, literal people, who no longer recognize the teaching of the Bible as in metaphor and analogy, we do not recognize the images as representing anything other than Holy. So when Ezekiel describes being taken to a Valley, we look for the archeological site of where; rather than that the Valley might be his own depression, rather than listening for what this Prophet of God, this representative of humanity, heard God say and what Ezekiel did. When Acts of the Apostles describes the disciples were gathered together and fire appeared above each, we wonder the meaning of the fire, and why? We question the difference between the image of fire and the sound of wind, and the speaking in tongues, routinely ending our reading at, “And some believed they were filled with new wine!” I had a Seminary Professor who was a Jesuit Catholic Priest who used to describe that “Among human beings, especially in the Bible, anytime you have Fire, Candles, Flowers and Wine, you are talking about romance.” The basis of relationship between God and humanity is love! Who is God? God is Creator of everything that is, the source before time and space, the Supreme being. But God is more than an all powerful inventor because God has acted with love like a parent would do. God has been our Warrior, Guardian, Mentor, constant companion for generation after generation. Understanding what we needed, God gave us food and water and breath and freedom, as well as laws for relationship, laws to keep us from harming ourselves or one another, laws to begin to understand the way the world works. Those who were reading the Book of Isaiah together will recall Isaiah's analogy that, as: God is the Gardener who cultivated and planted a vineyard, we are the Grapevine. But instead of producing Grapes for sweet rich wine, the Vine chose to twist and choke itself, growing sour grapes. Predestination in this way is not predetermination of our every question or opportunity, but that like all God's Creations we have a purpose, simply to love God and care for one another. Witnessing our twisting and choking love, like a life partner struggling with being wounded by their spouse, God knows that for our own well being we need and deserve to be put away, yet because of God's love and commitment there has to be redemption. So God is not only Creator and Parent, Protector and Law Giver, but also our liberator, the source of our redemption and reconciliation. After trying repeatedly with all humanity, God, began again as an example for the world, in the family of Abraham. Generations after the nation of Israel had become the greatest most powerful nation on the face of the earth, the people began to act as if faith in God was irrelevant, that everything they needed was within their control to buy, to manufacture, to win. As named by the Psalm, God provided what is needed for everything in Creation, food and water, seasons, and the breath of life. Without breath, we die, it is as simple as that. Try for yourself to control the breath in you, that is God's spirit... One of the standard metaphors for God's Spirit is the wind... remember back to Genesis when the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Wind brooded over the face of the Waters, we have all witnessed when the wind ripples the surface, when the sun and moon sparkle like a million diamonds. The wind, the Spirit, is The breath of God. So what metaphor is provided Ezekiel, of the people of God being without faith? We are like a Valley of Dead Bones, so thoroughly dead, the marrow has become dry. Yet all that is necessary is to pray. To name the need for God, and the Spirit comes, bone joins to bone, sinew and flesh appear, and life is restored, resurrected and new. The ultimate redeemer of our relationship with God, was for God to become human. What an awesome act of love and commitment. God became vulnerable, became mortal, became one with us, and died for our salvation. The other evening, someone candidly stated what many of us feel: I understand God being God, and about Jesus being the Savior, that is what the whole of the Old Testament and Gospels are about, but I never really understood why The Holy Spirit? Stated differently, we know God to be the Creator, the Law Giver, the God of Exodus and the Promised Land. We know God was in Jesus. But what is the relationship between God and the Spirit, Jesus and the Spirit, what does the Spirit do for us? Having heard the Story of Pentecost many times over our lives, and read just a moment ago, let us name and explain the metaphors and analogies. It was Pentecost, which remember that Easter took place at the Jewish Passover, so one of the seasonal markers for Days of Feasting and Worship was 50 days after Passover when our ancestors celebrated coming into the Promised Land. On the 50th day after Passover, 50th day in Greek is “Pentecost,” pilgrims from around the world would have came to Jerusalem to celebrate fulfillment of God's Promise. There were people of faith from every known part of the world, who had come to Jerusalem, to the mount of God. But the point of each one hearing in their own dialect, was not a Rosetta Stone for translation, but that through the Disciples the Spirit spoke to every heart. When the disciples were all together, the most important event in their lives had been the Last Supper in the Upper Room. So even 50 days later, where would the disciples gather together to worship, to share their faith and concerns, their hopes and dreams? The Upper Room. Fire has often been compared to passion, to excitement, to life. But also, throughout the last 100 years when someone is described as having a Bright New Idea, we envision a lightbulb above their head. But as the disciples were in the room 1900 years before Edison ever created the lightbulb, a symbol for light, for a brilliant idea, was FIRE divided and resting upon each. The part the disciples had ignored, their brilliant light, was Jesus did not teach inside, but out in the world. Faith is not about Worship on Sunday morning in a Sanctuary, but daily life and metaphors of faith out in life! When suddenly they heard a sound, like the rush of a mighty wind. Recall when Elijah had been afraid of Jezebel he ran to the mountain of God, to the Cave where Moses had been hidden by the Hand of God to witness God's glory, and Elijah wanted proof of God. Elijah saw the fire, but God was not in the fire. Elijah heard the sound of Wind, but God was not in the wind. For the disciples, following the resurrection, on this 50th day, God IS in the Wind! This is proof of the existence of God. Now let me ask you, when did God Create Time and Space, Light balancing Darkness, Promised Land balancing the Waters of Chaos? When? Long, long ago. Is God still able to create? Yes, but the world is pretty full. Jesus was a human man, part of the importance of Jesus sacrifice for us, is that he was a real historic, human person, who lived and died and rose again. When did Jesus live? And where is Jesus today? On the 40th day after the resurrection, we celebrated the Ascension to Heaven. So how do we know God in our lives today? Is it as Creator? Possibly. Is it as Warrior fighting against Pharaohs and Emperors? Perhaps. Is it when we wander in the wilderness, on mountaintops and crossing streams, when we walk alone and wrestle with our thoughts knowing we are not alone? Yes. Do we know God through Jesus Christ? IF not, the Church has done a poor job sharing the Gospel and Christian message. BUT Jesus died and was redeemed and ascended to Heaven. SO how do we recognize God today? I believe it is when we speak and act in ways that others wonder where this is coming from. When compassion and wisdom are greater than an individual would do on their own. And this is not drunkenness, or mental illness, but the Holy Spirit speaking through us. Dreaming new dreams, casting visions for how we could act in faith. This week, I charge you to come up with One Metaphor, one Analogy, one simple illustration of God being in your life, and I promise you the Spirit will blow your mind. However, the events of Pentecost do not end with accusations of drunkenness, or Peter confessing his and our faith. The 2nd chapter of Acts ends: “All who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all. And day by day, praying and worshipping God, breaking bread in their homes, living thankful lives, praising God and having found favor with one another, the Lord added to their number.” So how do you interpret? All the people were bringing their stock portfolios, their IRAs and Deeds, trusting that the Community of Faith with God, could do what no one could do by themselves. Pentecost, the Gift of the Holy Spirit is not so much about a Whom, as a different reality for us, a new and resurrected way of life.

"Would I Choose Me?" May 10, 2015

Acts 10:44-48 John 15: 9-17 The Holy Word of God speaks to us of Joy! Boundless, world changing joy, love and faith which we rarely see. A world where there are no cliques, no divisions, or hatreds, not simply tolerance but Joy. Marie Knox, Paul Aleer, Fred Clarry, Jean Joy all died. Marie Knox lived 101 years of life. 7'8” Tall Paul Aleer, Nurse at the Duk Clinic, affectionately referred to as The Wound King for his compassion and dexterity placing an IV needle in the scalp veins of dehydrated malnourished infants. Fred, Father to Lori, grandfather to Cassondra who is preparing to complete college and marriage. Jean Joy, Mother to Kendra and Don, Grandmother to Kathleen and Chad, Greatgrandmother to Celia, Izzy and Lilly. Nepal had a devastating earthquake where 7,000 people were killed and 5,000 are wounded; 12,000. Baltimore was torn apart by riots, a Nursing home was burned to the ground. LORD, it is difficult to preach about Joy! Joy is elusive. Joy is fragile and hard to come by. You have to work to create Joy. Joy is not natural. In Central New York, we know Happiness in celebration of having Mother's Day and there is No Snow but that is not the meaning of Joy and it is not lasting, because just two weeks ago we did have snow. I greatly enjoy the writing of Thomas Jefferson, there are few writings as passionate and powerful as the Declaration of Independence, but I think Jefferson got it wrong when he described Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness as being our goals. Because Happiness can be expressed by my dog, when I walk in the door at feeding time. Happiness can be mimicked by a newborn mirroring expressions. Happiness is a red balloon. Happiness is a story that touches our emotions. Happiness is being chosen as Homecoming Queen. Happiness is making the Touchdown. Joy is different. Happiness can just come upon us; where Joy must be nurtured and developed over time. It will come as a surprise to many, but I was never chosen to be Homecoming Queen, or Prom Queen, or Quarterback, or Pitcher, or Hockey Goalie consistently making the perfect save. Personally, I was a gawky kid. I dreaded when we would pick teams, because being tall and skinny, with poor eyesight, I was the last one anyone ever picked on any team. All of which begs the question: “Would I pick me?” Would I choose me? And the answer is probably not. We can be pretty hard on ourselves, judging and revisiting our wounds and weaknesses. Over time, coordination and balance caught up, and hormones and daily swim practice matched faith, knowledge of coping with change, spiced with compassion, to be able to demonstrate leadership. But the good news is that it is not up to the Team Captain or to the Coach, or even our critique of ourselves. God chose and chooses us, you and me. That is an incredibly powerful statement, if we allow ourselves to hear it. Almighty God, Creator and Judge of all time and history, God chose us. That is what Jesus is saying, as he washed the feet of each disciple and broke bread with them at the Last Supper knowing he would die. This is part of the nature of what Joy is. Joy takes dedicated hard work. Joy takes everything within you Joy comes from a life spent together, or a partnership that you know you are doing the very best, giving everything for the other. Joy is our reflection of our parents, to realize there was no handbook for parenting, Dr. Spock did not cover the hard stuff, night in night out, and from our applying ourselves, loving as we were loved we experience Joy. Language has nuance and inflection, which is why words are so important. Jesus said “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Which sounds like an If/Then clause... If you do not love one another then you are not following my commandment... But the original words are different, because the conjunction “that” actually means “in order that”. So what Jesus said is “This (everything we have done together, the Gospel, and communion and my sacrifice on the cross) this is my commandment, in order that you love one another as I have loved you.” Do you recognize the difference? Love and Joy and not conditional. Jesus loves us no matter what. God loves us no matter what. We need to love one another no matter. But if we do not, God does not stop choosing you, stop loving you. But everything about life, all of what Jesus did and taught and sacrificed for us, was not for his benefit but for ours that we would have the new tradition to follow of loving one another as Jesus loved us. That is Joy. In this passage from Acts, we have walked in at the end of a Movie. To try to catch up, after the Resurrection of Easter morning, beginning with the Day of Pentecost, Simon Peter becomes the leader of the Disciples. And Peter and all the disciples had been Jewish, there was not a Christian religion. One day in prayer upon the rooftop at Joppa, Peter is reflecting upon what is it that makes one Jewish, how is Judaism unique, and will all Jews become Christians, or what shall become of Jesus' teachings. Judaism had laws of purity, in food, in marriage, even in whom you could speak with and visit. In Skaneateles there are cliques, even before kindergarden you can tell who enjoy each other, and who seem to not know how to relate. There is a tension between preserving Tradition, making certain we do not lose what has been passed down to us as treasure, and the Holy Spirit calling us to wonder, to believe, to risk for Joy. In contrast to Judaism there was the Roman Empire with Caesar and the Roman Senate and the Roman Legion with its Centurions and Gladiators. Rome was about Power, Wealth, domination and fear. The Centurions, were armor clad warriors, with Breastplate and Helmet, Spear and Sword and Dagger. While in prayer upon the rooftop, Peter sees a great white sheet, like the heavens themselves being lowered down to serve as a table cloth for a great feast. But inside the sheet are all manner foods together, Kosher and Non-Kosher, Lobster and Snails, Hoofed, and winged and clawed creatures. Peter knows that what has set Judaism apart in the world has been following Kosher Laws, upholding Tradition. And three times, this Sheet is brought down, with a voice saying “Eat” and Peter protesting, as the Holy Spirit challenges “What God has created, you shall not call unclean!” Suddenly there were Roman soldiers at the door, taking Peter physically to the Centurion Cornelius. Peter preaches a brief sermon about the love of Jesus Christ, when suddenly the Romans receive the Holy Spirit. They had had no New Members' Classes, no Baptism, they had not learned the Apostles' Creed or Lord's Prayer, or Passing of the Peace, but they had faith. And Peter questioned aloud, these have been Baptized in the Holy Spirit, can we withhold baptism with Water? In our Presbytery, we have challenged and changed nearly everything about being Presbyterian. We got rid of Offices and staff and structure, everything that cost money, everything that raised animosity and conflict was removed. The two things that were left were meeting twice a year, and Vanderkamp. Six months ago, hearing that the Balloon mortgage payment on the Camp was coming due in June, I asked that a Special meeting be called to be completely open and transparent about what was owed and what was possible. Throughout this 6 months tensions and conflict has been rising, as those who have allegiance to the tradition of the Camp came to a life and death meeting with those wanting to sell the camp once and for all. Some had met at camp and fell in love there, it was an integral part of their family, for others it was an albatross we routinely fight over, that had run in the Red in addition to coming every 5 to 10 years to guarantee their mortgage. Just before the meeting it occurred to me that from everything that was presented what was really owed was $50,000, $15,000 of which the Presbytery leaders were prepared to forgive. So instead of the Camp clique continually asking for money, let's just pay off the $35,000 as well. But in the meeting, it was revealed that actually what was owed was $275,000. $150,000 guaranteed by our Presbytery and $125,000 by Utica. So we suggested, let's pay it all off. Doing so, we would save hundreds of thousands in interest charges, doing so would change the relationship from debtors to equals, doing so would empower the Camp leadership to do the ministry of camping rather than complaining and living in fear about their debt. Suddenly, the entire body came together in Joy, even at spending $150,000!

"Strangers at The Table" May 3, 2015

John 15:1-8 Acts 8:26-40 Implicit in our readings this morning, is the book of the Prophet Isaiah, which several of us have been reading together, interpreting together. Isaiah begins and continually returns to the metaphor of a Vineyard, planted by God... The Garden of Eden, the Promised Land of Israel, Life itself. But according to Isaiah the Vineyard thought it knew better than the Gardener, its purpose. The difficulty with any vine, grapes, roses, pansies and petunias, is that they require constant attention, deadheading, pruning and redirecting. There are times when the Vine imagines its purpose is to grow, to grow in any and every direction possible, putting out new life. The Vinedresser's purpose is to prune and train the vine. There are times when the Vine imagines its purpose is to be, and the old vines grow tough and crack open for the perpetual new life coursing through. The Vinedresser knows that the richest and hardiest clusters of grapes grow nearest the main vine, the true vine. Ultimately, the Gardener tires of fighting against the Vine, and allows the vine to be without the Gardener. The protective walls crumble, the weeds and trespassers encroach, until the vine is all but lost in the thicket of life.The wonderful part about writing parables and metaphors is that a thing once described as a vine, can be described as something completely different, like a sheep or shepherd. Or as happens in the scroll being read by the Ethiopian Eunuch in his Chariot, that being the Elect of God, the Chosen, means that you have relationship with God, but also that God uses the Elect to demonstrate and to suffer for all the world. These several different images, the Garden of Eden Vineyard, the Elect, the Suffering Servant, the Sheep are played over and over, layered against one another like the themes of a piece of music, ever searching for the resolution that the Vine seeks the Gardener to prune and train the Vine to produce good fruit. There was an Ancient Greek custom of hospitality, that you never ask a Stranger their name or purpose until after you had sat at table with them offering your food, security, home, family. There was an Ancient Roman Law that you only sat at Table with people you trusted. Many of us would more easily share a meal with a stranger, than try share with them the Word of God! Who is the most outlandish person, with whom you can ever imagine, sharing the Word of God? My parents moved when I was in College, to help us adapt our Parents held a Christmas party in which as an Ice-breaker they asked everyone who was coming for two obscure facts about themselves. In that I had worked summers in a factory processing fruit, I was listed as a “Cherry Pitter,” I was also listed as “a Bartender studying for the Priesthood.” We then had to get to know one another, by finding out who among these obscure people was whom. It really was a fun way to get to know one another before dinner. SO what are the most outlandish relationships you can imagine? The wife, of a 90 years old Iranian, gave her Egyptian slavegirl to her husband to conceive a child. When the Iranian was over 100 and his wife 80, they conceived a child, as the prime ancestor of Israel. The 7th son of a Shepherd from backwater town of Bethlehem, chosen by God to be King of the World. When the King was caught in adultery, God promises to make of him a Monarchy For Ever. After the King and the wife of another, had a child who died, their youngest becomes the Wisest King. A girl, not yet a woman, not yet given in marriage, gave birth to the Son of God, Savior of the world. Royal strangers from the ends of the earth, gift this Carpenter's son: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Jesus spoke with a woman who had had 5 husbands and was living with a man without marriage. Jesus spoke of a Samaritan as a hero, who had helped a Jew, when a Priest and Levite would not. Jesus called a Tax Collector of the Empire of Rome to be one of his disciples. Jesus defended a woman about to be murdered for adultery. Simon Peter who leapt at conclusions and denied Jesus three times, became the Head of the Church. Saul who so hated Christians as to have them stoned, became one, and became a Great Missionary. Peter was asked to Baptize a Roman Centurion, because he already was baptized in the Holy Spirit. I have come to recognize a difference in the First Testament and the Gospels. Not of War versus Love. Not of a God of Law versus Forgiveness, or Judgement versus Compassion. But in the First testament, there is always promise of a coming generation, faith and promise are through this generation for those yet to be, demonstrated especially in the whether to Sacrifice Isaac or circumcise. In the Gospels, the Messiah has come for us. The point is not Long long ago, or Generations yet to be, but even among the eunuchs of today, those who feel scarred, wounded, excluded, unable to produce, there is hope in you! Phillip a Greek Christian was sent to an Ethiopian Eunuch, The Minister of the Treasury of the Queen. Phillip found himself suddenly running along beside this Chariot, holding a conversation about reading the Bible. To which the un-named stranger asks Phillip: “How Can I Understand If You DO Not Interpret with me?” Second: “About Whom is this prophesied, God, Isaiah, Israel, or another?” The passage is about the Sacrificial Lamb, who before it's shearers is quiet. We had a lamb in worship a year ago, quiet is the one thing they are not! When suddenly, the stranger stops the Chariot, and looking at a mud-hole asks, “So what is there to prevent you from Baptizing me?” Three sincere questions, questions which redirect, which prune and deadhead the faithful. As Presbyterians, we are known for having rules. We are the only Christian Denomination who take pride we have a Book for Discipline and a separate book for Governance, but no book of Prayer. We like to think of ourselves as Decent and in Good Order. We have a Constitution, By-Laws, Personnel Manuals, Policy Manuals, Administrative Manuals, yet in all these there are no reasons why an Ethiopian Eunuch could not be baptized in a mud-hole. Years ago, in another part of the Country, a 75 year old woman came to me quite distraught. She described, her daughter had married a man who was Catholic and raised their children in that church, but her daughter was not allowed to receive Communion. I asked “Because she is Protestant,” she said “No because she cannot be Baptized!” She went on to explain that in the 1950s when the older woman was about 40 weeks pregnant, the Medical professionals could not hear a baby's heart-beat. The priest was called, who administered “Last Rights” anointing her pregnant belly. Three days later a healthy baby girl was born healthy and strong. The priest, declaring that he had administered Last Rights, ruled the child could not be baptized. Now 50 years later, her adult daughter still could not receive the Sacrament with her family because she had never been Baptized. Reading this passage from Acts, I asked the Session “SO what is there to prevent the Church from Baptism?” And she went on to live a happy life as a Roman Catholic. What will it take for us to realize that God's Table is larger than we can ever envision? If we can recognize all these obscure outlandish individuals gathered at God's Table, why can we not even pray or share God's Word with our own spouse and family? There are only two times when Jesus is recorded as having celebrated the Sacrament of Communion. First on the night in which he would be betrayed and abandoned by all whom he trusted and loved. Second, after the resurrection, when he was a stranger to those on the Road to Emmaus, and only in the breaking of the Bread did they recognize him. Look who gathers at Christ's Table! Travelers, Strangers, each with the face of Christ.