"Peace of God" December 7, 2014

Isaiah 40:1-11 Mark: 1:1-8 In all the Nativity Creche Sets, all the Christmas Pageants over all the years, we have had Joseph, Mary and the Baby, Shepherds, Sheep, Angels, Wisemen, Camels, a Donkey, Cows, an Inn Keeper, some years even Martians, Giraffes and Pigs. The one figure in the Gospel not in our Pageants or Creches is John the Baptist. What would it be, if going to see the Lights, one house after another were illuminated with icycles and wildly changing colors, Dancing Snowmen, Jolly Fat Santas, The Grinch, Rudolphs and Reindeer, then as you stopped in front of the Church there was a man, with long unkempt hair, wearing a camel skin and leather belt, his beard and tunic matted with smeared honey, pieces of locusts in his teeth, and a voice that bellows over all the Ho Ho Hos, Jingle Bells and Carols, to proclaim “Repent, For the Kingdom of God is coming!” John the Baptist is not what we think of as Christmas, or Advent. We expect Love & Joy, Light, Hope, Peace and Good Will. But this is December 7th, A Day that will Live in Infamy, when over 2,400 Americans were killed and 1178 wounded, an act of hostility designed to destroy us, instead forcing our Nation into War. The last several weeks, we have heard reports of ISIS beheading Journalists, and of race riots against the police in Florida, Ferguson, Missouri and New York City. Isaiah and Mark were correct this is not a time to preach Peace on Earth, Good Will among men! But Repent! for this season this time in human history is about the Peace of God coming into the world! Before we make out our Wish Lists of all we want and desire, there is a forgotten step, of sitting on Santa's Knee questioning if we have been Good or Bad. If we are planning our dress for a Christmas Party Christmas Eve or if we are planning to come to worship? If we have been distracted by Piano Recitals and Meetings, Parties and Cookies, or if we have considered lowering our Pride, and Rising from our depressions? We tend to hear Isaiah as having been the High Priest at Jerusalem prophesying the judgment and history of punishment of Israel and all the Nations of the Ancient World. For the first 39 Chapters, that would be accurate. There is a credible understanding, that after the 39 Chapters of historic judgment, we were then to read the Book of Lamentations, as the people mourned their loss. But Chapter 40 announces something new and different. No longer in the Past Tense, the Chapter begins with God speaking to the Heavenly Host announcing Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. The shift from past to future declares that human history was on a trajectory toward death; the Nations have been judged, have faced Exile and Punishment and Almighty God declares, the time is over. When a criminal has served their time, we envision their release, with stern warning and expectation of recidivism. Instead, God proclaims, compassion and concern. There is a recurrent image in these passages. According to Isaiah, the Captives set Free are to be brought home to the Promised Land through the Wilderness where this disembodied voice speaks. What Isaiah describes is a Renewal of The Exodus. In order to come to Promised Land, Israel needed to wander through the Wilderness. John the Baptist came from the Wilderness, embodying the Wild. Jesus immediately after being Baptized was driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. The Wilderness is not a place of Comforting the Afflicted, or Speaking Tenderly. Wilderness is a lonely place, a reflective retreat, a place where we are not concerned with how many presents under the tree, or whether this tree is better than all the rest, but only with survival, with absolute dependence upon God. But in this Exodus, there is no complaining about how much better it was to be slaves, no longing for the flesh pots of Egypt, no weeping for Jerusalem, instead all the obstacles have been removed, all the high places, all the rough, all the depressions. The difficulty is that on December 7th, after 353 planes bombed Hawaii, after 4 of our 8 Battleships were sunk and 3 others damaged, 188 planes destroyed and 159 planes damaged, 3 Cruisers, 3 Destroyers destroyed, 2,400 killed and more than 1100 others wounded, you do not simply say PEACE and have everyone accept it. When a young Black Man reaches through the window of a police car to take the officer's gun, when commanded to stop he does not, but instead charges the officer. When for months tensions escalate, stores and neighborhoods are destroyed, and the Police Force is embarrassed Peace, Comfort seem irrelevant words. When a young Black Man was shot by a White Police Officer, who then collected the evidence, while the young's dead body lay in the street for hours; is followed by another man in another city being choked and held down by Police, protesting he cannot breathe as he dies, Speak Tenderly of Peace and Consolation, seem hollow. Instead, Isaiah describes there are two different Orders in the World. The Human Order compared to the Divine Order of God. All Flesh is grass, the grass withers, the flower fades. Like waves of the Ocean, the Prophet describes the collision of these two orders. Human History, growing in progress and dying. Like some great Greek Tragedy, we have accomplishments building upon accomplishments, only to realize we are mortal and our greatest Empires and Societies fall to decay. There is an order to Human Development and History, but at the horizon of history is this other order declaring that human struggles are not in vain, there is human greatness in history, there can even be righteousness, there are nations which have created freedom and a level of equality, all of which are subject to arrogant Laws of Self-Destruction. But just as we have glimpsed the Divine, knowing reality greater than our own, so also God acts, unexpectedly, in paradox, the Weak display a strength, the poor know riches beyond wealth. Like the Book of Job, when rationally pushed for explanation of Why, why there is suffering, why there is death, why there is not Peace, God points to the greatness of Creation which cannot be measured according to human righteousness. In the tension of our struggles: 1) Humanity recognize our World is not God's World, we cannot make Peace. 2) Humanity ultimately is dissatisfied with everything we have done, all flesh withers. 3) But Humanity is gifted a glimpse of something greater & the infinite within our finite is touched. 4) While we can never force Peace, or Perfect Humanity, the truth is that The Divine Order and the Human Order are each within the other. God becomes One With us. What is beautiful about John the Baptist, is that he did not suddenly proclaim himself to be the Messiah sent from God. Instead, this man embodying Wilderness, embodying that disembodied voice called, and all the World responded. As uncouth and unkempt and wild as John the Baptist was, he displayed a vulnerability of saying “It's Not Me!” After me comes one for whom I am not worthy to even untie the sandal. And Jesus, did not come onto the scene in Mark declaring himself to be the first, but recognized the life accomplishments of John, the Law and Prophets before him. The Gospel of Mark begins in this unique manner. Realize that Matthew with the Genealogy of Jesus, and Luke with historic identification in the time of King Herod, Augustus Caesar, Zechariah was Priest, John's eloquent poetry about the spirit of Christ being present at Creation, were not written Mark was first published. The Gospel of Mark begins “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, The son of God.” The wonderful part of that is that Mark's telling does not have a Resurrection Appearance. This Good News stops with the burial and witnesses who came to the tomb but ran away in fear. So the whole of the Gospel of Mark is only the Beginning. The Evangelist declares this is not just a story, not one that will end “Happily Ever After” but instead this is Gospel, Good News of the son of God who is our Savior. Comfort, Comfort, My People, Says Your God, Speak Tenderly to Jerusalem... In response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, demonstrating the power of the Bomb. Would that in response to the deaths of Black Men in Florida, in Missouri, in New York, all of us would stop to reflect and repent on the ways we react to the color of a person's skin, answering violence with violence until double the punishment has been paid. What will it cost for all flesh to see it together? The Grass Withers, the Flower Fades, but the word of the Lord stands forever.

Watch, Weep, Witness, November 30, 2014

Isaiah 24 Mark 13:1-37 Last Week was Christ the King Sunday, the Ultimate Climax of the Christian Year, when we declare Jesus born in a manger in a stable who suffered and died on the Cross and rose again, to be the Christ, Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, Very God of Very God! “Christ has come. Christ is Coming. Christ will come again!” On Thursday we watched the parade and gathered at the Table, not Christ's Table, but our Family Feast, because at Midnight began the biggest shopping celebration of the year. Even before we turn the calendar from November to December, we have already entered into the Advent of Christmas. But Advent is more than counting down the number of days until Christmas Eve, more than the singing of Carols and eating of Cookies, we have entered The Season of Shadows. “Christ has come. Christ is Coming. Christ will come again!” Like so many Christmases of recent years, this is not like our childhood, cutting out snowflakes/making snow-angels. We hear of bombings and war, a gunman shooting indiscriminately; thousands of people killed by Ebola; instead of our leaders offering hope, they trade threats; in order to end the year with lower costs companies experience lay-offs. So we pull on our layers, pull down our caps, cover our ears with earbuds and earmuffs, to go out into the world of shadows and fear. The isolating part, which makes us the more afraid, is everyone seems by themselves. We push passed one another, we cut each other off, we try to get there first, so we can also be first to leave. In the shadows, we never see those crossing in the cross-walk. In the shadows with their caps pulled over their eyes, we cannot see the other's face, their fears, their tears. Rushing faster, trying to make a quota, the truck-driver does not see the black ice and their semi jack-knifes. These fears, these shadows, the darkness that pervades our thoughts, these have become part of our human condition. Nostalgically we fool ourselves that long ago there were White Christmases, and Wonderful Lives in Bedford Falls, but even those stories began with tragedy and fear. “Christ has come. Christ is Coming. Christ will come again!” In the Bible Study, we were reading Isaiah, when it occurred to me, I have never heard a sermon on Isaiah 24. More than a passage of devastation and destruction, this is affirmation of faith, that from the Old Testament time through the birth of Jesus right through today, there has been tragedy, there have been tears wept, but the words of the prophet are that we have never ever been alone. Everything that has effected us, has effected the world around us, and touched God. One of the most powerful stories I have ever heard about a congregation, was this church, that following years of conflict, tore up the last five years of their Minutes and Actions inscribing the next page, “We recognize that in our hurting each other, we have done harm to God and God's Creation! We have crucified our Lord, by hating one another. Acting in hate we have killed our faith. SO we repent and begin again anew.” “Christ has come. Christ is Coming. Christ will come again!” It occurs to me that there are many different ways of watching and waiting. There is the watching and waiting from bed, for the night to be over to begin the day. There is watching and waiting for the College acceptance packet or rejection letter. There is watching and waiting for the airline to land, and be cleared for our safe travel. There is watching and waiting for your parents to get home, when punishment will take place. There is the watching and waiting on a street corner, when you hear footsteps, when you feel afraid. There is watching and waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to arrive. There is watching and waiting in the Hospital, during surgery, when the baby is coming, or on hospice. All the while we repeat “Christ has come. Christ is Coming. Christ will come again!” We have created for ourselves the expectation that like Homeland Security, if we are on watch, we can keep fear from coming, we can lock the door and raise the threat level. But the more security we put in place, the more insecure we feel. What if our watching is not for shadows, for clouds, for destruction, but is for God to enter into the world? There is an ancient mantra that has been repeated since the days of the early church “Christ has come. Christ is Coming. Christ will come again!” “Christ has come. Christ is Coming. Christ will come again!” It seems odd to begin Advent with Mark's Apocalypse. Jesus and the disciples were in the Temple at Jerusalem, and as they left, one commented “How beautiful the workmanship!” to which Jesus named that all of this would one day be destroyed. More than being pessimistic, the disciples ask “When?” Somehow we think we can wait more easily when we know how long. The difficulty is that in the early church, there were two different ideas. One was that “Just as Creation was a long long time ago, so the end will be a long long time from now, as there was a beginning there must be an end, and we who have faith must keep the faith alive.” The other is that “Christ could come at any minute, when we least expect, so live as if this moment may be when Christ enters in.” Mark 13 would read much more smoothly, if we read verses 1-2, 8, 14-22, 24-30 and again verses 3-7, 9-13, 21-23, 32-37. But we have received the text as it is, so know and believe that Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again. Jesus' description to the disciples was not to scare them into believing. But just the opposite, that when clouds form, know that The Christ will come riding on a cloud! Just as there are earthquakes, know that all creation suffers birth-pangs. This may be of a time to come. But the sky turning dark, the sun being eclipsed, earthquakes and a tearing of the curtain, are exactly what happened at the Crucifixion, so when Christ had come and died on the Cross, the whole creation and God suffered. There are times of fear in all our lives. Gunmen are real. Accidents on the highway do happen. Wars and Earthquakes all of this make our shadows and long winters seem pretty bleak. But know for certain that Christ has already Come! Week after week we recite his teachings, his actions, his parables, watching and waiting to see similar events in our lives. There will be times for weeping, for sadness and fear and loss. But Christ is coming! Our loss and our fears help us to recognize the need for a savior, the need for hope. Our role and purpose is to name the needs of the world and to direct care and concern to making a difference. Possibly Christ is Coming through you! Christ would not be seen or recognized by another, they might miss recognizing the hope the love the joy, if not for you. Advent takes time, more than four weeks of waiting and watching, because God is becoming Tangible. The Invisible, Immortal is becoming One with us. How many of our stories, how much of our desire is for humans to become like God? But the miracle, according to Holy Scripture is that God actually became human, mortal, one with us in Jesus Christ. Another way to envision Advent is that in the Beginning, and over and over throughout the text, we returned from our cultivated fears, our wars and domination, our Empires and Creations, to Wilderness. Adam and Eve, The Tower of Babel, Abram, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob all wandered in the wilderness. Moses, and eventually the Exiles, even John the Baptist, all were asked to become one with Creation. This Advent is not for us to acquire all the stuff to give to others, but for us to work through all the layers of fear and doubt, the layers we have bundled ourselves in, to get down to who we really are and what matters in a primal sense for each of us. December 25th is going to come, whether we are prepared or not. I believe in the ultimate and absolute power of God to accomplish whatever God desires whether we choose to recognize God or not. But how much more full life will be, how much more Christmas will mean if we prepare ourselves to the reality to recognize “Christ has come. Christ is Coming. Christ will come again!” We end this week, with a story from our church. That decades ago there was a fight between two siblings, each shaming the other. For years they did not speak. Through their partners, eventually they began to hear about one another receiving that ubiquitous Christmas letter now become an Email. Finally, the one decided too many years had passed, who was at fault what was said really did not matter, only that they needed to forgive and be forgiven. But that very day a card came in the mail. Opening it, the card named that their sibling had died, and their greatest regret had been that they had never tried to get back to being family, to forgiving and being forgiven. The apocalypse may be the end of the world, it may only be the end of the world as we know it, as Jesus is quoted “No one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, only God. – WATCH”

Punishment

Ezekiel 34:11-16 Matthew 25:31-46 Each and everyone of us have unresolved issues. Relationships we wish we could return to to redeem. We want, not simply to get it right, to express ourselves better, but we want to avoid the shame we feel, the loss, we want vindication for ourselves but especially for those we feel we could have saved. Part of the human condition is not only guilt and remorse, but shame that we are not in control, and that what we do control, does not come out as we intellectually know we should. For a congregation and Pastor who regularly preach the importance of relationships, grace and caring, the last several weeks the Scripture passages have emphasized the coming of a Judgment Day. When a parishioner moved to Vermont, she pledged that if ever I preached Hellfire and Brimstone she wanted to come back to see it, because that did not seem in my character. But, we have to preach the Bible, and Matthew is the only one of the Gospels with this emphasis. The Son of Man will come riding on a CLOUD, the difficulty is we know not when, so like the 10 Virgins BE PREPARED; like the Master of servants TREAT OTHERS WITH GRACE & KINDNESS because you know not when, like the Servants entrusted with Talents RISK EVERYTHING, DO NOT BE GUARDED or DEFENSIVE. The difficulty is that being human, we do not like to think about our shame, or being Judged, so as a Church we describe emphasis on Christ as King of Kings, while as a Nation we focus instead on Thanksgiving which becomes focus on Parades and a Meal, which becomes focus on a Turkey. This morning in the last of these passages from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount of Olives, he begins by naming that ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE GATHERED. What a powerful claim, that this is not just for Israel, or for Christianity, or for Rome, but all Creation, all the Nations and Kingdoms. Like the Vision of Daniel, or Isaiah, or Revelation of John, there is a fluidity between God, Christ, the Son on Man, who is Shepherd and King and is for us the Lamb Sacrificed as Atonement. This morning is CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY, the Climax and resolution of everything from the Fall of Adam, the Monarchy of David and Solomon, the Exile and Diaspora, the Birth of the Savior, Calling of Disciples, Betrayal, Abandonment, and Resurrection. This Day is Claim that Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten not Created, being of one substance with God! At times we are overwhelmed by the claim that God the Creator entered into God's Creation our world, and Almighty All-Powerful God was born a baby in an overcrowded world. We listen to the stories of Miracles, of Jesus' Baptism and the Last Supper, and we wonder if this is real. We cannot look away at the horror of the Crucifixion, the finality and hopelessness of the death and burial, or the surreal beauty and power of the Resurrection that not even death could keep God in Christ from us. But, compared to all of that, this is more, not simply a LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, Or JERUSALEM, or JUDEA or GALILEE or even THE EMPIRES OF EGYPT, GREECE or ROME, but that All Peoples of All Nations would one day turn to God as KING OF KINGS. According to tradition Bishop Hugh Latimer, the Bishop of London in the 16th Century, looked out one morning in worship and saw King Henry VIII sitting in the front row. Realizing the power and responsibility he had in preaching that morning, as he prayed he spoke in an audible whisper “Be careful Latimer, King Henry is Listening!” then with renewed insight spoke even louder “Take care what you preach Latimer the King of Kings is Listening too.” There is a common identity here, that undercuts all the worlds Religions. As much as wars have been fought and continue to be waged between Islam and Christianity and Judaism and Hindu and Buddhist, of the right words, the true Messiah, or the right way of worshipping, all believe in Salvation, in both an ultimate reconciliation of the world as well as our responsibility for one another, especially the weakest. This passage has always been special to me, because the Morning of our College Graduation, I was asked to read the Gospel, this Gospel, this Good News, at the Baccalaureate. After everything of College was done, after the last test and paper were completed. After the Diplomas were printed, and all the bills had been paid. The word that was to be read was a realization that in the end what matters is not what school you attended, or which Fraternity, whether you had a degree in LAW, ARTS or SCIENCES, what truly mattered was not what you believed so much as what you do, and doing not because it is what is expected, or what you are supposed to do or be, but the sacrifices and caring you do for those who cannot help themselves. In the Fourth Century of the Common Era, Emperor Constantine of Rome was preparing for war, when he had a vision of being led into battle by the Cross. After the fighting had ended, Constantine converted to Christianity and was Baptized. When the Emperor of Rome converts from one religion to another, all the Empire converted as well. As amazing as the stories of conversion in the Book of Acts of the Apostles, where 6,000 were baptized in a single day, 4,000 a week later, when Rome became a Christian Nation, this meant the Roman Legion, with military power and the support of the Senate and government converted as well. But within a Dozen years, Constantine called for the Council at Nicaea inviting 1800 Bishops to gather to resolve by debate and simple majority, what we believe about the nature of Jesus Christ. Was he co-Eternal with God? Created by God or Begotten? Do we believe in One God, or in Two, or in Three with the Holy Spirit? Or do we, along with Dan Brown affirm the Divinity of Mary as the Mother of God? Of monumental importance in defining what we as Christians share in belief: the Trinity of One God in three persons, the Council of Nicaea ended with division of the Church East and West. But a more defining circumstance for Christianity had happened even before Constantine was Baptized. There were plagues, not unlike Ebola today, where whole Villages and tribes of people died of disease. The epidemics reached such crises, that families would carry their dead, and their sick out into the streets. When the death-toll continued to escalate, neighbors, family, community leaders would flee the city, abandoning the ill to die. But Christians began acts of compassion. Providing a cool clean cloth to a person's forehead. Washing them, keeping flies and mosquitos away. Keeping people hydrated and fed. Surprisingly, those who had been abandoned to die, instead lived. What greater representation of resurrection could there be? Your family, your entire village abandons you as dead, diseased, unable to be saved, and through compassion and care, you are brought back from death to life. The most marvelous part of this passage from Matthew comes from the people in response to being judged. “Lord, When did we see you and care, or when did we see you and not care?” “When you did anything to these others, who are the least in the kingdom of God, you did so to me.” I am certain, that were those who were the members of this church in the 1860s, knew what a defining act it was, they would be embarrassed, but in those years our congregation was torn apart by conflict so extreme there were two First Presbyterian Churches, with separate worship, separate Sessions, separate memberships. The only evidence we have of this, is inscription in the Session's Minutes “We have done harm to God! We have crucified our Savior Jesus Christ, because we as the Church have been divided. So we have purged the Minutes of all record of these five years, and we have begun again.” There is a certain irony conveyed in the prophecy of Ezekiel. We think of Shepherds watching over the flocks, trying to fatten them up, protecting the sheep from wolves and bears. But part of the payment of the Shepherds was that they were able periodically to cull out a sheep to eat. The nature of Shepherding was that the shepherds would kill the fattest, strongest sheep, so as to give a chance to the weaker, smaller sheep to survive and grow. This morning, we would end by trying a Spiritual Discipline. Center yourself, placing both feet on the floor. Close your eyes and take a deep cleansing breath. First, imagine the most beautiful scene of nature you have ever seen... Perhaps it is looking out at the lake as the sun sparkles in the morning... the Grand Canyon which seems to extend for ever... the depths of the woods... the expanse of stars in the Milky Way... Now realize God the Creator formed this, created this as part of the order of the Cosmos. Breathe deeply, and imagine the face of the person you love the most, maybe it was a Mentor, your Mother or Father, Spouse or First-love, or the face of your child when they were born, or on their wedding day. See their eyes, look deeply into their eyes to see who you are to them. Know that God is responsible for creating this relationship for you to be who you are. Breathe deeply, and imagine the face of someone homeless, someone alone in the hospital, someone impoverished, someone in prison waiting to die, now look deeply into their eyes and search deeply for that person you saw in the eyes of your love. Jesus said, when you cared for the least of these, you cared for me. A Franciscan Blessing is a Benediction in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi who gave up everything he had, in Thanksgiving to God, to care for the poor. May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may live deeply within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, exploitation that you may do something about it. May God bless you with tears for those who suffer pain, rejection, starvation and war, that you might turn their pain into joy. May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, that you can try to do what others claim cannot be done.

"Sacrifice," November 16, 2014

Judges 11 Matthew 25: 14-30 The world is so pervasive, our culture so much with us, it is difficult to listen in faith rather than seeing and hearing as the world does. The Parable of the Talents has been preached so often as a Stewardship Sermon, conveniently the Man gives each one, two, five Talents instructing them to use them. We each know we possess talents, some One talent, some several different talents, and there is a temptation to hide our gifts. If we hide our talent, much like hiding your light under a basket, it does no good. That sermon usually ended with a fear of judgment, that one day the Rich Man will come back wanting an accounting and you better be able to show you used your talents to double what you were given, if not there was utter darkness where people weep and gnash their teeth. A dozen years ago, a Pastor Denny took this to extremes by withdrawing $10,000 from the church asset and giving 100 people each $100, instructing them 1.This belongs to God. 2.Use it, Money like Manure is intended to make things grow. 3.In 90 days there will be an accounting. Dateline and 60 Minutes each came to film the miracles, as these 100 common parishioners had used what they were given to advance the Kingdom. Each story more fantastic than the one before, people were outdoing themselves and each other, with what they possessed for 3 months. But, while good American television, evidence of a prosperity gospel where the rich get richer, that does not sound much like Matthew, let alone Jesus. The difficulty is envisioning what belongs to God as $100. In fairness that is what Pastor Denny gave each and told them, “This $100 belongs to God.” However the Parable was specific that those to whom the Talents were given were slaves of the Master. All that they had, belonged to the Man. In the Greco-Roman culture compared to all other coins, there was one of greatest value, the “Talenthon” named here, was the equivalent of the wages of a lifetime. Imagine that as slaves who own nothing, we are owned, and you were given $20,000,000 and another $40,000,000 a third was given $100,000,000. Who is to say that the $100 you were given on a Sunday morning belongs to God, but that your life, your marriage and children and grandchildren, your home, the full value of your stock portfolio and IRAs does not belong to God. When you were baptized, when you were confirmed, whenever you changed churches, we asked you: “Who is your Lord and Savior” “Do you trust him” and “Will you give of yourself in every way?” Did we mean it? We have established a construct, in which we work hard and we play hard, and ne'er the two shall meet. We work at our jobs, competing for all we can get. We purchase land and build our homes with sweat of our brow and the talents of our arms. Like Ants instead of Grasshoppers we invest and set aside, building up nest-eggs, in order that we can possess enough to retire, to live in comfort and luxury with everything we desire, before we die. Overtime we have also given offerings of our charity to establish churches and good works. We have titled these as Non-Profits to be clear that they are not businesses. As the CEO and Head of Staff for this Corporation, I would confess to you that is a fallacy. We are held accountable to the best business practices, to the IRS, to the Federal, State and Local governments, to our creditors and you our stock-holders, we attempt to provide the public with the highest quality product in music and the arts, education in ethics and values and faith, opportunities to change the world, and we are in competition not only with the business across the street, but in competition for your time, for your love, for survival. The difficulty is how to succeed without the church becoming only an institution of religion, a business. The third difficulty with Pastor Denny's $100 Parable, is that it was for 90 days. Jesus described he went away with no return date, went on a distant journey for a long time. Implicit in this parable is how life affects us. The Master divided up his possessions for them to care for as their own. Some did, they lived and became like the Rich Man, when the settling occurred he treated them as if equals. In that day and age, it was common practice to bury in the ground things of great value. Like a pirate treasure, generations later, someone could come and dig it up having exactly what was put aside. But doing so, you live unaffected, autonomous to the gift given you. You have been given marriage, a love affair to last a lifetime; you have been gifted children and grandchildren; you have been given the ability to hear and make music, you have been given the gift of changing the lives of other people; can you chose to not do so? The point of the value of the Talent was not that one received 5 times as much and one only received 1, but that one Talent was a gift of value so far out of our imagination, you have no idea how to manage. What if, instead of being worth money, the Talents given represent faith in God? You have been given the ability to relate to God, to care for God's creation as if your own... What will you do with life? Do we treat others with contempt, with fear, do we hide and bury our faith, or do we risk everything making this our own? Jepthah was a soldier, a warrior in battle. This week in celebration of Veteran's Day, it occurred to me this is is a different kind of holiday. Veterans' Day is not based on religion as Christmas or Easter, it is not a day in recognition of Labor or business. Originally, at the end of WWI, months before the signing of the Treaty at Versailles, this was Armistice, the End of War, it came at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, to emphasize just how close to the 11th hour, the end of life as we know it, we came. But also, that our Veterans live with (what many of us name as) an unrealized ideal. We make offerings, like giving our least coin to a charity, like making a bid at an auction, to buy and to own. Sacrifice is precious and painful, sacrifice costs us more than we knew it would. Sacrifice is intended to atone for the shame and debt that is owed to God. So while soldiers take an oath to defend our Nation, what they are sacrificing is years out of their lives. What they are sacrificing is sometimes an arm, sometimes a leg, their hearing or vision, sometimes their psyche and reality, in war we sacrifice our loved ones, as well as our morality and ethics demanding the killing of others, demanding vengeance. Faith is not a philosophical proposition. Faith is not a set of theories and ideals and beliefs or myths. Faith happens in the midst of life, as we struggle to care for a gift that is more than we can ever imagine. Faith is owning the shame of life, the debts and responsibilities, and choosing to sacrifice even/ especially, what is most precious to us. Would that the cost were only our risk, but there is more, more than the fear of losing it all and being cast into the darkness. This is a terrible, horrible story, from a time when each person decided for themselves in their own heart what was right and what was wrong. Time and again, after they suffered, they turned and repented and came together to trust God. Sacrifice is giving to God, in recognition that everything we have, everything we are, so much more abundant than we could ever control, already belongs to God. The point is not “Well done, good and faithful, you have been faithful over a little, now I will set you over much...” Life is not a success story. But rather the simple invitation: “Enter into the joy of your Master.”

"The Oil Indicator Light" November 9 2014

Amos 5: 18-24 Matthew 25:1-13 For over 2000 years we have read this passage from Matthew, supporting values of our culture, “Be Prepared,” “Don't be late,” in crises “Hoarding and Saying No” are what are demanded. In Seminary this was affectionately referred to as the Boy Scout's Parable: “Be Prepared!” To the point that at a recent wedding, the day arrived, the flowers were exquisite, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were in place, the Prelude music had all been played, but guests were still arriving, when one of the Wedding Coordinators suggested “So, is now when we lock the doors, that they arrived too late?” I looked at them incredulously as if to say, everyone is turned around to watch the Bridal Entry and you want to create a scene of people outside pulling on the doors, screaming and pounding to get in? As the Bride is walking up the aisle, you want people distracted by guests coming in the back door across the Chancel? That is not what the wedding or this passage are about. In trying to better understand the passage, I attempted to use the parable in combination with other Bible passages so as to have Scripture interpret Scripture. Except that I wound up with “Do not store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume, thieves break in to steal...Unless you are storing Oil, we need large Oil Reserves.” “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, or about what you will wear. Worry about Oil, possessing Oil is the main thing.” “Ask and it will be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door will be opened, unless you are late and the bridegroom answers, in which case, forget about it.” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, unless it is about borrowing oil, where it is every woman for herself.” The more I prayed and listened to this passage, the more I came to the illustration “For 2000 years a warning light has been flashing, like an Oil Indicator Light, saying “Second Coming” and we ignore it but although that Oil Indicator Light has been flashing 2000 years, one day he will come.” I turned to the Old Testament, where Amos describes “The Day of the Lord's Coming should not be hoped for! This is not a day of affirmation, Well done good and faithful servants! This will be a frightening nightmare, as if you were running away from a lion and ran into a bear, you put your hand out to steady yourself only to grasp a snake!” So it seems the sermon for this morning should be: Be afraid, be very afraid! Be prepared, bring extra virgin olive oil. I never before understood that it was about Extra oil for the Virgins, not Extra Virgin Olive Oil! I tried taking the parable apart, but there were 10 Bridesmaids, all in identical Dresses, all had been friends since School, all 10 brought Lamps, all fell asleep, so why were five included as being wise and five rejected as foolish? Martin Luther claimed the oil was Good Works, it was not about the people or wisdom or foolishness, but good works. But can you run out of good works? Thomas Merton rewrote the Parable as the Poem of 5 Bridesmaids, rowdy women who run out of gas on the way to the wedding, so show up late for the wedding feast. BUT they were told to hang around, because they knew how to dance, because at the Wedding of the Lamb in Revelation there were 10 Virgins. Certainly if this were a parable from Jesus, about the Kingdom of God, the Bridesmaids would share their oil, and standing at the door knocking with Jesus as the Bridegroom the door would be opened... So why is this so strange? Then it hit me, something no Scholar, Commentary or Blog has identified, the context of this Parable was Jesus last set of teachings before the Crucifixion, describing that there would be a judgement day... Know that If the Householder knew what hour the thief were coming, they would have locked the door! If the manager anticipated the coming of the Master he would treat the servants with respect and care! But suppose that servant is wicked and begins to mistreat the servants. The master will come early, when unexpected, at an hour not prepared for. And here comes our parable, THEN, AT THAT TIME, THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN will be like 10 Virgins who took their lamps to greet the Bridegroom. This is not a parable about the Kingdom of God, but of Judgment like the Parable of the Servant who mistreated others. Throughout Matthew we are told You are the Light of the World, You are the torch to light the path of others, the Bridegroom may as easily be late as early, will we still have faith to persevere, or will we be like salt that has lost its savor, and if so what can you do? At midnight, when your oil has run out, and time is of the essence where will you go? In Christianity, we have placed great emphasis on Baptism and Confirmation, claiming this individual as our sister or brother, as a child of God, and their own affirmation when they are ready that they are prepared to accept responsibilities. We have great emphasis on identification of The Call, Abram was Called, Moses was Called, Jeremiah was called before he was born, Jesus called his disciples. Here the question is not Are you called, or When, or How. But where do you go, what do you do, when your oil is out? Because you will run dry. What replenishes you, what fills you when you are spiritually dry? Because you cannot be a light to anyone else, when you are spent. Imagine it's 5:30 and you have had a really hard day, just as you are done taking your coat off, your spouse and kids ask “What's for dinner?” As you search imaginary possibilities, you feel Godzilla taking over your being, and when you finish your rant, your teen-ager looks at you calmly and says “Out of oil?” When a two year old does not get their nap, they have a melt-down. When you and your partner have not had a conversation in three weeks that has not revolved around schedules and logistics, you are do for a crash. If you have worked 80 hour work weeks as long as you can remember, relationships will suffer. Running out of oil, having the Oil Indicator Light come on is not something you can avoid or ignore. It happens. Replenishing your oil cannot be bought from a store like fastfood. No one can give you Peace of Mind. We all say, “Someday I will quit working so hard and spend quality time with my kids.” One of these days, I am going to take up sailing, or painting, or volunteering. We all do it. We all doze off caring for ourselves spiritually. Last week it hit me, after everyone had left, I made one last tour of the Sanctuary as pastors often do. In one place was a tissue, in another a baggy of cheerios, there was an empty communion glass in a pew. What occurred to me, is all that has been left here over all the years. In one pew someone had cast off their grief and left it behind. In another was a man's sense of failure and disappointment at life. On the floor was some secret sin, real or imaginary, no longer much trouble left behind. The remains of a heated argument before worship, the left-overs of a bruised ego. Marriage Vows broken. All of that poured out, exchanged for Grace. That is the Happy-Ending to this Parable, that even when shut-out, with no oil left, sitting in the darkness, unable to party, there is a renewable resource of Grace. Jesus tells us, it comes when you stop your schedule to serve others, when you feed the hungry, clothe the naked, when you welcome a stranger. That is when we find the source of replenishment, when we gather the fruits of the spirit: Love, Peace, Patience, Joy, Kindness, Generosity, Faith, Gentleness, Self-Control. For over 2000 years, I think we have missed the point of this Parable, missed the Point of the Day of the Lord, people cannot be scared into trusting, into believing. You do not fill up your spiritual lamp because you are afraid of being left out, locked out of the Kingdom of God, or because you want to have enough to turn others away. No, there come dark nights for all of us, when it feels like everywhere you turn, is a snake or a bear or lion. And in that dark night of the soul, you realize what you really want is to share in that communion. You fill your lamp out of Joy. That is the price of the oil, the only cost, wanting to meet your savior, to meet God when God comes. Which he will soon, very soon.

"The Blue Pill or the Red," Nov 2, 2014

Joshua 5:1-12 Matthew 23:1-12 Fifteen years ago, the movie The Matrix opened with a scene from the future with millions of bodies asleep in suspended animation, their bodies serving as the power source for the world, when suddenly one wakes up to who he and where he is. As he pulls himself free, it seems all the world is focused on capturing, holding, killing him. When suddenly he runs into a warrior, a strange hulking man with mirrored sunglasses who says “You must choose. There is no turning back. You take the Blue pill and return to whatever you want to believe to be safety and security where you are the center of the masses. You take the Red Pill, you stay here in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” More than a statement about how drug addicted we are, the focus becomes on the Self, who am I separate from all the world? Am I just one individual among the masses, so able to blend in without responsibility? Or am I responsible, do I make a difference, does my life matter? In part this is a question of what is reality, does what we believe make a difference? In part, this is an indictment of our hypocrisy. We are self-absorbed, posting on Facebook and Twitter, a permanent electronic record of our every thought and action, posting Selfies of who we are with, and where we are. US Forestry Park rangers have now had to offer a new set of instructions to tourists entering the parks, to not try to take Selfies with Bears, are we really that self-absorbed? To which, Jesus proclaims that we should obey what our leaders say, for they are elected to sit in judgment, but do as they say not as they do, because human beings are hypocrites. Insofar as there are very few among us who would claim to be Pharisees, Saducees, or Scribes, I am going to take Jesus' Words as addressed to all of us today. For most of us do love the spotlight, we want to be photographed in the Central New York Magazine as having been at the best party, we want the television camera to find us at the SU Game, regardless of what we do behind the scenes we want to be seen as successful. For us, temptation becomes a quest for power, for prestige and notoriety, to be remembered as having been. There are also those of us, who simply want to go unnoticed, to have been part of the right crowd at the right time, but not to be recognized, for whom temptation is belittling our self, losing who we are because we stand for nothing and believe we make no effect. I can hear the words of Baptism, as we carry in arms the newest part of this body...There will come times when you will scream for attention, run up and down the aisles hoping others will notice, and we will encourage that you listen and pay attention to the needs of others. There will come times, when you try to shrink in the pew and hide, but we will call you to ask your questions to confess what you believe, because through you we learn more and more about God. There is not a prescription of one size fits all, here, but what is agony to one is grace for another, and what is the norm for one may well be the hardest thing for another. I love this passage from Joshua, everything gone before is remembered in miniature as suddenly Joshua sees God's purpose differently. Joshua was there with Moses throughout the forty years, fighting for survival, the people struggling for water and for food, to not be slaughtered by the enemy. Moses died, leaving Joshua to lead. As they crossed over Jordan carrying the Ark of the Covenant, the waters parted as they had forty years before; they recognized that born in the wilderness they were again an uncircumcised people so they were circumcised and rested; the manna from heaven that they had received day after day in the wilderness stopped so they had to rely on the resources of this new land. For forty years, Joshua had followed Moses, following God, in leadership of the people, knowing that they would come to the land of the Canaanites and they would have to conquer the people them. This is an us against them. Throughout everything that will come after, the future of faith depends upon whether Israel eliminates the Canaanites, or tolerates this enemy. Early, before dawn Joshua dresses for battle, dresses like Jesus' parable generations later of a king before battle surveying whether his troops outnumber the opposition, Joshua prepares to lead his people against the enemy. Suddenly he sees a stranger, a warrior with sword unsheathed, is this an enemy who has snuck into their camp? Is this a stranger who has come to join them? And the “other” says No, Neither, but as Commander of the Army of the Lord.” What if, our battles are not us against them, but as was repeated throughout the War between the States, if we both claim God is on our side, who is on the Lord's side? How routinely, we perceive circumstance as our battles, win or lose, and how rarely we question if God may be doing something through us, using us. We glibly read of God using Noah as a remnant. We read of Joseph having been used by God to establish a future for Israel in Egypt. We read of Babylon and Assyria being used by God to tear down and exile Israel until they were ready to be returned as a remnant to the Promised Land. Yet in all these circumstance of God using people of faith, using nations still when judging ourselves we imagine we are chosen, not that we might be used by God for others. This is our Communion of All Saints' Day. As such, I am reminded of the words of Committal: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, we return from whence we have come.” While, Genesis describes that God formed us from dirt, this morning I want to question if perhaps as part of the primordial chaos, the substance of creation, the humus and dirt, we are filled with limitless possibility. And in this life, as we struggle to create our individual identities and judge others, we embody a singular limited reality, we are bound by time, by place, by responsibilities. What if, in death the point is not that we return to lifeless dirt, but to the limitless possibilities of God's grace to be present to those we have loved? I hope you enjoyed last Sunday, as much as I did, the opportunity to share with another church, to listen to another preacher. I enjoyed the Dr. Seuss story of the Zode and the need to make a choice at the fork in the Road. But the Preacher included a throw away line “If you do not like what you have heard, don't worry about it, I am getting on a plane this afternoon, to leave and you will never see me again.” The difficulty is that listeners, be it our children, or our colleagues, tend to listen to throw away lines, to see what we do, and remember more what we do, than what we say. What I have struggled with, knowing my own hypocrisies, is we will not get on a plane, but instead we have and we will continue to be in communion, to be in ministry with one another. When I was questioned for ordination, I came to a resolution that had never been taught in Seminary, but is a personal conviction based on the Scriptures, particularly the words and actions of Jesus, that this is God's World, God's House, Christ's Table, and our role our responsibility is to host one another until the real host arrives. First among the 10 Commandments is that I believe in one God, Father Almighty. I am not God, nor is any idol, or government, or power, to be worshipped, other than God alone. God is Alpha and Omega, the Creator and Judge, and the source of Grace. So my function, our role in ministry is to try to serve others, to be open and caring, no matter what. That has meant that when persons have cared for a dying spouse, and after devoting themselves to the other, soon after death the widow found another for company and love, that we stood up to critics, to those who would judge. When couples had been divorced and finally found someone to commit to who would hold them accountable, we celebrated their marriage. When a spouse was in the midst of adultery, we have confronted them, not rejecting them but sitting together instructing them to cut it out. When grandchildren have been arrested for drug possession, we sat with and cried with those who worried for their grandchildren. When this week, a young man was arraigned for Drunk Driving, killing a young mother with his car, we remember and grieve. With Health Care Workers traveling to Africa, possibly returning with Ebola, I recall becoming deathly ill in South Sudan. With troops going to so many places, I recall placing a newly baptized infant into the arms of a Special Forces soldier telling him that if you are going to carry a weapon into battle, you also need to know what it is to carry a baby in your arms. We do not have the freedom to get on a plane and leave. We do not have the ability to take a pill and go back to sleep, ignoring reality, ignoring one another. We cannot be hypocrites claiming God's grace and love, without representing that grace and love to others.

"Spiritual Pacifier" October 19, 2013

Exodus 33: 12-23 Matthew 22:15-22 There is in each one of us an odd balancing of polar extremes. Each of us are sinful saints, sainted sinners. We have compartmentalized our lives, so that when we are with our parents – we are their children, when we are with our children – we are their parents; when we are at work we are devoted to that business, when we are with our spouse/ our loved ones/ our soulmate we are devoted unconditionally to them. We are SU fans during Basketball season, and Yankees fans during the summer. We are people who work hard and play hard. The difficulty is that each and everyone of those realities is only a compartmentalized self of who and what we are committed to. We are hypocrites! We are trying to be several selves all at once without a single self mastering life. In good Presbyterian fashion we tend to function as if a Committee of selves, with each being a rank individualist, uncooperative, shouting all the louder when voting time comes. We feel the pull of many interests and are left feeling distraught and disgruntled by trying to fulfill our many opposing obligations. What we seek is to be pacified, placated, assuaged, bought off until the next time. Life was created to be lived from the center outward, to be in balance, yet we live weighted by so many competing interests. All of which virtually guarantees the perpetual existence of the temporary reality of the church, as a place for confession, for atonement and absolution. There is nothing in the whole of the Old Testament or the Gospels which describes the need for Church. Among all of Creation, there were to be believers, who through their actions, their lives would inspire and call others to believe in God. Creation was formed incomplete, with creatures able to choose to believe, and our role, our purpose was to bring about the belief of others until all the world trusted God. More than questions of the existence of Heaven and Hell, or judgement as to which a person is going, the most frequently asked question of Clergy is whether we believe in Free Will or God's Plan. Either, we are accountable for our decisions, able to make choices of good and evil in life, OR God is all powerful and God has a divine plan. When a virus like Ebola is able to be transported from South Africa to West Africa, and through one individual kill thousands of others, we want and need to believe in an all powerful, ultimately good God. When Adolph Hitlers, Saddam Husseins, and Osama Ben Ladens strike, we want to believe in the ultimate good of God's plan that will not allow those horrors to succeed. But when given choice between alternatives, we want to believe we are in control, free and able to choose to win. When I was about five, my Grandmother taught me to play Solitaire with the hope and expectation that against the unknown shuffle of fate you could by skill, by intelligence, by experience, win! But she also taught me how to peak under the piles for what is hidden where, and how to reshuffle the deck during play, my Grandmother taught me to allow myself to cheat in order to win. We compromise, we compartmentalize, we pacify, that we will allow ourselves one piece of chocolate, if no one sees and we can dispose of the wrapper. We can have a cookie if no one hears the cookie jar. The speed limit does not apply to us because we are in a hurry, unless we get caught and then it was because it was a speed trap. Everything in the Biblical books of Genesis and Exodus, from the Creation of the Universe and everything therein, through Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Egypt's Pharaohs, the 10 Plagues and Crossing of the Red Sea, Manna from Heaven, and Water from solid rock have led to the climax of the story of God, that up on top of Mt. Sinai the mountaintop of God, hidden within a cloud, surrounded by fire, thunder and lightning, Moses received the 10 Commandments from God. Had God only given to Moses those 10 Commandments, he could have brought these to the people and they could have lived according to the Law, BUT at the same time God gave to Moses instruction for building the tabernacle as a place to worship God, with instruction for creation of the Altar, the tools for sacrifice, the robes of priests, when and how to worship. By the time Moses came down the mountain with Commandments from God, the people had created the golden calf to worship. The problem of the Golden Calf was not that they did not believe in God, but that the people wanted something tangible, they wanted to see for themselves the invisible God. The people sought Spiritual Pacifying, they did not want to respond to God, they wanted to have god in a particular place to worship when and how they wanted to worship God. Their sin was wanting to have God on their terms, to make ourselves God in order to have it all. The people were afraid to go up the mountain with Moses, afraid that they were unworthy to see the glory and purity of God, but still they wanted to peak, they wanted to see the invisible. Recall those moments in life, when you know you have to make amends, when you have to apologize to those who have been wronged. Imagine being Moses, having to hike back up Mount Sinai, Moses who led the people, who received the 10 Commandments, who now needs to apologize to God for the sin of the people. The immediate response of God is “Let's do another Noah!” Destroy this people and begin with Moses, as one person of faith. It was good enough for Abram, for Isaac, for Jacob, why not for Moses alone? If not, if this people are allowed to live, then they can go their way and God will go the way of God. Have you ever imagined saying “Enough!” I do not want to believe in God anymore. But does that mean God no longer exists? Moses recognizes the people of God are only escaped slaves in the wilderness, and the wilderness is a dangerous place, life is hard enough with God, who could survive without God. Listening to Moses, God yields, God repents from wanting to destroy. So you are Moses, you have been chosen by God! You have beaten Pharaoh! You have stood on the mountain top with God and held in your hands the 10 Commandments! You have apologized to God for the people and atoned for the wrongs of the world. You have stood toe to toe with God arguing the case of humanity! What do you do now? While Moses is all of this, Moses is also a man. Moses sought his own spiritual pacification. Moses asked for what the people had wanted. He asked to be able to see God. In Hebrew, looking someone in the face, looking them eye to eye, is about seeing the whole person, knowing and fully understanding who the other is. God responds, “But Moses, you are a Man.” So, you may stand in the presence of God and see where God has been, but not to see where God is going, not stare into the face of God. The irony of this is that God is a God of the Living, all that matters is where God is and where God is going. Consulting Ouija Boards and Seances, and Fortune Tellers, is communicating with the Walking Dead, the past, not knowing the meaning of the present or the outcome of the future. Ultimately, an autopsy tells you the scientific causes of death, the weight of organs, but not the meaning of why. Compartmentalizing. Pacifying. The Saducees did not believe in the resurrection. The Scribes believed in a literalistic interpretation of the Law. The Herodians were the political party supporting King Herod The Pharisees trying to entrap Jesus between these many different groups, posed a legal question about paying taxes to the Roman Emperor, recognize that this is being asked while standing in the Temple at Jerusalem, the holiest place in the City of David. But who created the Laws of the Roman Empire? Who minted the coins of Rome? Civilization costs, armies, boots on the ground, infrastructure of roads and bridges and clean water are paid for by taxes. The Roman Empire imposed Village, County, State and Federal Taxes, Property taxes, Business Taxes, Personal and Worship taxes. But Rome was also the occupying military power, so the coins and currency for taxes not only bore the likeness of the Emperor, they bore inscription. We have come to know people as having first and last names, so Jesus Christ and Julius Caesar, or Augustus Caesar, when identification of Caesar meant “Absolute Military Authority and Power of Domination.” August meant “Divine, Son of God.” The Roman coin called an eichon from which we in English get the word icon, was worth a laborer's wage for one day, and both made an image of God, and worshipped a false God. Having the coins in our pockets, particularly when in the Temple was perceived as being owned by the Empire. Recognizing the Trap, Jesus claimed to have no coins and asked for a coin from their pockets. The real irony would have been if the Pharisees had asked the question the other way. “Is it right to give to God what belongs to God?” Just as Laws and Taxes and Currency are the creation of Empires, Righteous belongs to God, righteousness is not about holiness or Good versus evil, righteousness means being in right relationship with God. So of course it is right to give God what belongs to God. Often, we look over our estates, our checkbooks and determine that after paying for housing and cars, entertainment and gifts, we have only so much left to give away. What if instead, our first priority was God. Not paying taxes. Not giving to Charity. But making an investment of ourselves and our priorities in God, because we are in God's image, trusting that everything else will work itself out.