"Jesus As A Peanut Butter Sandwich" August 9, 2015

2nd Samuel 18 John 6: 35-51 There are churches and communities where everyone is in agreement, everyone is alike and there is no diversity. One of the things I love: is preaching to a congregation who do not all believe the same. There is a tension that calls for better preaching, when you stand on the tightrope between opinions. The description of the Symbol of Justice, is that she is carrying balanced scales in one hand, a sword in the other, covered with a blindfold, that the Law be equal and objective, as well as blind. But the image of FAITH, is that God is able to peek under blindness, so as to intentionally rebalance the scales in favor of those in need. One of the recurrent themes for me in preaching is that The Bible, Faith has become so accepted, so taken for granted that we assume we know what we believe; while at the same time, very few read and study the Bible to ever be able to understand and argue faith interpretations. Growing up, we knew David was the Shepherd boy; David fought Goliath with a slingshot; David grew up in the household of King Saul playing the harp until King Saul threw a spear at David and David led a Civil War against Saul; David was the best loved King of Israel, David made Jerusalem the Capital City, David brought the Ark of the Covenant with the 10 Commandments to Jerusalem, David had an affair with the wife of Uriah (Bathsheba), the child they conceived died, David's youngest son was King Solomon. These are elements of the Bible, we take for granted as common understanding. Suddenly in seminary, we learned that David's family was the saddest, most involved, tormented Soap Opera in History. What the Prophet Nathan had promised, was that while David would not die for his sin with Bathsheba, David's family would never know peace, as he had had an affair in secret, his family's secrets would be known to all. Punishment for their sin did not end with this child, but David with the Covenant Promise from God to have a legacy, is then promised that that legacy will suffer. As King in a polygamous culture, David had several wives, and the children of these were half-brother's half-sisters, all having GOD in common, and David the King as their father. After Bathsheba's baby died, Amnon, one of the sons of King David became attracted by his half-sister Tamar, and Amnon raped Tamar. The third in line for David's throne was a son named Absalom, and Absalom avenged his sister Tamar by killing Amnon, then killing each of his other siblings, and leading the army of Israel against David the King. History repeating itself, the Nation of Israel was again divided in Civil War between the Army of David with his Generals Joab, Zeruiah and Ittai, versus the army of Israel now under David's son Absalom instead of Saul and Jonathan. And where David previously had instructed Joab to withdraw the army abandoning Uriah so as to claim Bathsheba as wife of the king; David here with Bathsheba and his Generals withdrew from Jerusalem, abandoning his other wives, whom Absalom then publicly took as his wives and concubines. It is a Soap Opera. The other essential to any Soap Opera, Absalom had the most gorgeous thick long luxurious hair. All of which sets up this morning's Scripture passage, because as the Army of David and his Generals go to war, David is torn between seeking Victory, seeking Justice against those who would challenge his authority to be King; and David's desire for mercy for his own son whom he loves. As military strategist, David divides his army in thirds, each led by a General, to trap Absalom and his army; yet David instructs them “Deal gently for my sake with the boy Absalom.” As General of his own Army, Absalom was riding a donkey, when his hair became snagged in the branches of trees, and Absalom was left to dangle between Heaven and Earth, between life and death. So Symbolically, what was going on here? What was Absalom riding outside Jerusalem? (A Donkey) And Absalom hung where? (From a tree suspended between heaven and earth until his death.) And who is Absalom? (The Son of the King) So the question of A Certain Man to Joab was “Who has the power, the authority and responsibility to kill the Son of the best-loved King ordained by God” stated more directly it is the question about Judas: IT WAS ESSENTIAL THE SON DIE BUT WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO KILL“The Son of God?” And Joab, who previously has done the killing for the King, pierced Absalom's body with three spears, and Joab's 10 armor bearers did as well. The sacrifice of Absalom, the Son of the King, is foreshadowing of Jesus on the cross, pierced by the spear. Even if it had not been the theme of the last three weeks, We would recognize and accept as appropriate that Jesus is “The Bread of Heaven.” We know from Communion Jesus is the bread and cup. “Jesus is Bread of Heaven” is a common phrase in worship like “Holy, Holy,...” or “Amazing ...” or “Jesus the Lamb of...” or Jesus the Son of … and Son of ...” or “Forgive them Father, they know not...” We all assume we know what these phrases mean and take them for granted. But when Jesus spoke to the crowds they took his words as obscure, as blasphemous, the people at that time reacted as if I said to you this morning I AM a Peanut Butter Sandwich! What do you mean? A Peanut Butter Sandwich!?! We knew your family, we have known you all these years, you are just like all the rest of us. What do you mean calling yourself “Bread From Heaven!” Could there be anything more basic, more common? This is not Jesus as Priest or Divine, a Carpenter, or even Messiah, Baked Alaska or Crepe Suzette, Bread was the most common staple, part of every meal of every day; not an extravagance, but basic sustenance for life. I have an elder brother who loved Peanut Butter Sandwiches, from the first day of Kindergarden until he graduated from college, and the 20 years after as he tried to break into acting in Hollywood, and still today at age 61 as a 5th grade teacher, my brother has eaten a Peanut Butter sandwich every day of his life. It was not just a sandwich, it was a connection to home, to the kitchen counter, to safety, by having a peanut butter sandwich. Truly, Jesus did not say I am a Peanut bread sandwich, but rather I am the Bread of Heaven because for the Judeans, Bread from Heaven correlated to our Spiritual Ancestral Home, Manna in the Wilderness. When they had been slaves in Egypt, they were fed every day, not great food, not abundant quantity, but fed, what they did not have freedom.When they were in the Wilderness they finally had freedom, but often it seemed they would be without food, until they received Bread from Heaven, God's love that kept them alive for 40 years. For Jesus to say “I Am the Bread of Heaven,” is to identify himself as being the gift of God's love and grace in the wilderness of freedom. Strangely, the verb here in verse 47 is not future tense but Present tense. Jesus says, “Truly truly, He who believes HAS eternal life.” Not that eternal life is after death, “He who believes will have eternal life,” but that heaven is our reality here today. What if, Eternal life, Heaven, the Kingdom of God were not the Greek or Roman ideal of a future possibility, a different reality, life on clouds behind pearly gates with harps and halos; but here and now? We live in a time where the infant born today could naturally live to 100 years of age... where peace and prosperity could be available to all if we chose to put our minds to it. IS this not the vision of Isaiah 65: For behold I create a new heaven and new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. No more shall there be in Jerusalem the sound of an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man that does not fill out his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them, they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. What if instead of arguing over who is best, who is right and who is wrong, what if we could see Christ as The Bread of Heaven, the Son of the King of Heaven? What if we perceived the world, our world as filled with miracles, (not magic, not sorcery, not wish fulfillment,) but filled with the love of God! Recently at a Wedding Banquet, I sat at table with the Bride's employer, who was Muslim. As I sat down, he said “So you are the Minister, tell me, in your religion, after you die do you receive 43 Virgins?” and he laughed. And I looked at he and his wife, and said “My image of Heaven would not be a slumber party with 43 12 year olds? I believe if we have eyes to see it, Heaven is here and now, with one another, at a great Wedding Banquet.”

"America's God: Talent" August 2, 2015

2nd Samuel 11:26 – 12:15 John 6: 24-35 (Several ideas for this sermon were stimulated by other's. While my own words and development, I have cited here the original references.) Over the years, we have addressed many different topics. I have preached over 1600 sermons. My father used to refer to his "Barrel of recycled sermons," I have never the same one twice, yet one topic I believe we have never before addressed directly is SEX. However, when the Bible has us address Herod's lust for Salome, followed by two weeks on David and Bathsheba, you get the hint that we are supposed to talk about Sex. Then a friend in this community died, and addressing sex seemed trite... taking a step back, I realize what that issue, and this, and our Gospel, all wrestle with is Judgement. Our frustration that the God of our culture of our values is not God; we are not in charge, and according to our judgement, the world is wrong, God is wrong. If we could, we would have stopped him... but that is the point: We are people who care, but we are not God. Depression is a chemical imbalance. My body produces too much cholesterol, so I take a pill to balance chemistry. What is difference, whether the imbalance is in my heart, or my liver, or my brain? Years ago, I knew a great preacher, who week after week for his entire ministry preached on The Prodigal Son occasionally The Elder Brother, claiming this was the Biblical witness America needed. Today, I think the witness we need to hear over and over is: 2nd Samuel 11 and 12 with Nathan's: “You are the One.” First, because we assume there a good people and bad, right and wrong. Yet here The Best Loved King of Israel, God's Shepherd through whom God promised to provide for the Nation, and through Israel to all the Nations, David the Psalmist... David, is revealed to be committing the most common and heinous of acts. Good people do bad things, and those we believe to be bad sometimes do good things as well. Second, because we easily make excuses to save the offender. It was not that David was up on the roof when he “accidentally” saw Bathsheba showing off her body. David was King of a Promised Lineage, he had absolute power and authority over the nation. David could order armies to war, commit genocide, send people to deaths. And David chose to stay home instead of going to battle with his Generals, David went up on the rooftop looking for what and whom he could see when he was bored, in private, David saw Bathsheba in the privacy of her bath. David ordered her to be brought to him. Then ordered Uriah abandoned to suffer and die alone. With great power and authority comes great responsibility, and David as King was seduced by his own power and talent avoiding his responsibility. Third, the Parable of Nathan demonstrates the problem of naming abuse. Our SPAM folders are filled with: “Have an Affair tonight!” “Single Women in Skaneateles Want You” “Bob has sent you a private message.” The Predator can never perceive what he has done, or even that he could, do wrong. As Bill Clinton vowed “I did not have sex with that woman.” In our mind's eye, we all see ourselves as the hero of our narrative, and what other people do to us, instead of judging what we have done. Fourth, the sentence carried out does not seem fair, it is not on David & Bathsheba for their affair, but on their children as they carry forward this secret and the effects of the affair for generations. Underlying the Affair, is often that the person needs something they do not feel they are getting anywhere else. The partner may be providing everything, but we can be unable to see what is there. Our own Syracuse University has done a great deal of research on Marriage & Family and Sex, and claim that of the Top 10 Things people want in Marriage, Sex is number 9, whereas COMPANIONSHIP, CARING, A SENSE OF HUMOR and COMMUNICATION top the list. The research at SU claims the hormones in Men and Women want different things in a relationship. What Men want is 1) Respect, My partner is proud of me, they follow my lead, I matter, I feel capable. 2) Shelter, creating a Retreat, A Home that is a refuge from Stress, is Fun, is our Cave. 3) Companionship, All the world may be against me, but we two are a team. 4) Someone who responds to me, they study what makes me happy and try to accommodate. 5) A person who tries to attract me, they care about how they look so as to keep me interested. Where Women claim they desire 1) Affection, to be cherished, hugged, kissed, romanced. 2) Conversation about feelings 3) Honesty and Openness 4) Safety and Financial Security 5) Family Commitment So if men are looking for respect from their partner, and women are looking for affection, and either one does not get it from their partner, a hunger sets in. In the case of David, he and his wife Michel were estranged...When David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem he danced in the streets and leapt for joy, and she mocked and belittled him. “You shamed yourself in front of the people, dancing half-naked, like an animal!” From that point on they rarely spoke. The reason it feels so good to be in a relationship is being Chosen, out of all the other possibilities. The problem of a break up is the feeling of being un-chosen, is I was not enough. (Crotts, Stephen M., “How to Affair Proof Your Marriage,” Sermon Suites, 2014.) During the Televangelist' Scandals, Billy Graham was thanked for being a beacon of hope. Asked how he had managed to avoid this Graham replied, “I constantly run scared, knowing it could happen.” When our son Nathan, who is now 27 was about 3, I recall reading this parable one Sunday morning. In the middle of the service after hearing the passage's repetition Nathan slid off the pew and came walking up the aisle and repeated “You are the Man, You are the Man” and I had to stop mid-sermon. One of the most popular television shows of the last decade has been America's Got Talent, which in essence is a 21st Century Vaudeville Talent Show. Jugglers, comedians, singers, acrobats, computer designers all perform, but to create interest and motivate the performers, they are judged by celebrities; competing for $1,000,000; with the ultimate opportunity to headline a show at LasVegas. Over the years they have increased from 3 to 4 to 5 celebrities, not known for their faith, brilliance or wisdom, but Howard Stern, Supermodel Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and one of the former Spice Girls. The mantra which is repeated, after every performance in every episode, is: “We want more! Bigger! Give us more than anyone else!” I fear, this has become The GOD of our society: worshipping celebrity, pushing for more, faster, bigger, with greater danger, satiate our desire now, differently, with the pay-off of getting rich and becoming celebrities. (McKenzie, Alyse, “Jesus' Got Talent,” Edgy Exegesis, 2012.) That is exactly the circumstance the Gospel of John describes. This is Jesus of Nazareth 3rd appearance before the celebrity judges. We saw him feed 5000 people with 3 loaves and 5 fish. Then we witnessed his walking on water. Now the crowd comes seeking Jesus to demand that he perform. “Give us a sign!” “Show us power!” “Perform a miracle for us!” Jesus refuses to perform, because he had also taught Water into Abundant Wine, Born from Above, Temple of Life... In our earliest manifestation, I believe this community responded to God and acted in faith, ultimately when asked to judge their own identity, making two fatal mistakes. When we began as the Schaneateles Religious Society, we gathered as the whole community to do the work of God together. Yet by a Vote which took place on Christmas Day, we chose to be a Presbyterian Church with a building and pastors and program, rather than the whole community gathered together in faith. In that earliest representation we were the Courts of the Community judging Civil and Criminal cases, but not based on the Law or on Celebrity, but on how we as sisters and brothers could Forgive.

"The Church" July 19, 2015

2nd Samuel 7: 1-14 Mark 6:30-34 & 53-56 Could those who went to Boston this week as Apostles come and take these breads out to feed people? Our youth are returned Apostles, commissioned and sent out into the world together to minister. There is a temptation, that we want them this Sunday, having just returned, to share everything they experienced. We will have them do so next week, but before they do, there is a need to reconnect. There are those among us who travel for life... Personally, when I have experienced life differently, it has taken a while for me to acclimate, not only to the timezone, but to who we are in this place, to reflect, which is one place where prayer comes in. When I was in an intense learning experience, the professors described “You are going to need to let this steep, like a cup of tea, let it soak in! Mull over the experience against all you know.” At the time I thought this a strange comment, but there is need to absorb experiences, to step back from that moment in order to figure out what we choose to remember. This time of summer, my father would always say, “We need a few days at the lake, to rest, to reconnect, to sail and soak your head.” We regularly try to connect to other sources that do not feed us, to change experiences or connect to what we want when it is convenient, or when totally overloaded to “Go off the grid”. What the Gospel points out is that we never really get totally away, and the faith connection is not a lonely place but with feeding people. Increasingly we live in an Electronic, Virtual, Cordless World, where everything needs to be charged and recharged and few if any remember how to recharge, or that we need Spiritual recharging. We have computer chargers, telephone chargers, cordless phones, cordless toothbrushes, cordless lawnmowers, remote control garage door openers, and cameras, even remote controls for the Fireplace, everything with a separate cord and recharger which do not work on anything else. And miraculously the charge is only able to go one way, if you over charge, it is not like water that overflows, the charge does not flow backward, it goes from the source through the charger to the appliance. The response of God through Nathan to King David is, “To remember You are not God. At best all we can try to do is build a house of cedar and cypress and gold. God is God, and God can build a house, a lineage, a heritage for ever, out of our lives.” The other day I was talking with a family who had a baby recently, and the father described what a thrill it was for him to cut the umbilical chord. In that moment to transition from being a part of his wife, connected and completely dependent, to being a breathing, independent separate human life they shared. Suddenly, we become cordless. Throughout life, whether as infants, toddlers, children, teens, adults or older, we all are searching for Connection, for food and touch, for who and what is going to recharge us, to make us whole. At the APPLE Store, and the BATTERY Store and RADIOSHACK, they have cords and cables for everything, every different kind of appliance has a different kind of plug and charger, but have you ever seen one made to fit a human bellybutton? In the Garden of Eden, when Eve and Adam cut their connection to God, they suddenly were aware as never before, that they were alone and naked; and perversely they hid from the source of life. They no longer recognized the One who is the Source or their need for connection, for meaning, for faith. That is the way of it for us as well, we try every different possibility for what will satisfy: a new partner, a new job, a new home, a new car, new shoes, a different soda, carbs and candy, instead of seeking out that place where our needs are met, the source of life and faith and meaning. I am told that in the ancient catacombs beneath the Vatican there are drawings on the walls dating back to the Early Church. What is interesting is that in Rome, there are drawings of boats for the early Church and clearly being before the invention of motors there were no Wooden CrisCraft boats, but also the boats were not Roman Galleons with oars and slaves for propulsion, but sail boats. Sailboats are dependent on the wind, and as we have named before: the Word for Wind, is the word for Spirit, for Breath of God. But also, in sailing, you cannot make the boat go where you desire, you cannot go into the wind, and one of the least effective directions is to have the wind pushing you from behind. The most effective, is for the boat to maintain contact with the water and cut back and forth across the wind, changing even reversing your direction to keep connection with the force of the wind. Someone told me that sailing is like shooting watermelon seeds, with the pressure from beneath and pressure from above and behind. This is what King David (and on first impression, Nathan) forgot. Simply because he was King, because he had the time and resources to build a house for God, did not mean that David could do so. Never before had God been identified in A Place. The Tent of Meeting traveled with Moses through the Wilderness. God could be found on the Mountains, in the Valleys, at the Shore, not in a place with a lock on the door. When I researched my Doctoral Thesis I followed a number of different congregations dealing with many different problems, and discovered that in order to resolve their problems, in order to change they needed to have the resources and the authority to spend them, they needed to have resolved their levels of conflict to where they trusted each other, but more than anything, they needed to embrace being The Church, not a Building, not a set of Committees, not a nice group of people doing good work in the world, but Spiritually to be The Church which touches peoples lives, and people hug and hold hands, and kiss, and feed one another. In the same way, the Apostles tried to go with Jesus to a place apart. Yet, the people are continually seeking them out. The Lectionary which appoints the passages we read from, skips over that when they arrive on the other side, Jesus recognizes the need of 5000 and teaches and preaches, then provides the feeding of the 5000. Remember that just before this Herod held a Feast, inviting ONLY the most powerful people, where here Jesus feeds All the people. At Herod's Feast there is lust after his own daughter, there is murder of John the Baptist; while Jesus satisfies needs with bread and fish. Now recall the last several weeks. Jesus called and gathered the 12; taught them parables of patience and the growing of seed, of the abundant sower who scattered seed everywhere; then they crossed the sea when a storm came up and Jesus quieted the wind and hushed the chaos. Now when the 12 have been sent out and returned, with experiences: casting out demons, preaching the Word, they get into a boat cross to the other side and what does Jesus do “He preaches and teaches the people which is food for their souls.” And they return in a boat, and they see Jesus WALKING on Water, and are they filled with faith and assurance? NO they were filled with fear, failing to recognize Jesus. Will there come a future point in the Gospel where the disciples do not recognize Jesus? At the Resurrection, in the upper room, on the road, and on the shore. Are there times when we do not recognize God in our lives? These are not times for panic, but to trust and believe. The place of connection, where we recharge, is not when we are all alone in a lonely place apart from life. The Place where we meet God is with other people and most often over food, at least over that which nurtures and sustains. So Family meals, a Campfire during the summer, these are where we share stories and our connections and life-stories are re-enforced.

"The Plumb-line" July 12, 215

Amos 7: 7-15 Mark 6: 14-29 The problem with secrets is that by their very nature they make the persons involved complicit in taking what ever is visible and making it hidden. Secrets cause you to feel as if you and only you know what is really going on. In that way, secrets twist reality, making the public private, making two separate from the whole, twisting, bending and hiding the truth. Each of the Gospels tells the life, teachings, actions and relationships of Jesus through his death upon the cross, and that not even death could ever separate us from his love for us. But each of the Gospels also have a slightly different purpose. Matthew is linking everything Jesus said and did with the First Testament of Judaism. Luke is presenting the life of Jesus to a non-Jewish listener. John to a community that has given up on the world, and chosen to live life apart. But Mark's Gospel we read from this morning is continually wrestling with the Secret that Jesus is God incarnate, what does it mean for a Carpenter, the Son of Mary to accept being the Messiah sent from God. Internally and externally to struggle with our faith, which can be uncomfortable for others to accept, can include accommodations to people, but when and how do we make known the importance to us of what we believe and who we are. Every Memorial we do, there is something in me that wants to reveal the secret identity of the person, which no one, not their neighbors, nor life long friends, not their children or even their spouse new. That this person was an instrument of God, Baptized and set apart for a secret purpose in living life. You are a Child of God, you are a Believer. Some members of this church, some Baptized, some Ordained. As rational responsible believers in the 21st Century, you take notice and try to make sense of the world around us. Friends tormented by abuse, by domestic violence, by seeking out circumstance that can only lead to ruin, by war, by oppression, by terrorism, and you want to say something, to do something. When one day, you have a Vision, a Vision of the God of PASSOVER in Judgement of the World saying God will never PassOver again! God will Pass Through. The Creator is forming a plague of locusts, a pest that will consume all the crops and vegetation, that humanity will suffer for what we have done and allowed. And witnessing what this devastating insect will do, you respond “NO!” And God listens and God repents. But humanity does not change, a church is gunned down at a prayer meeting. People are herded up by ISIS and decapitated. The Ancient and continuing Nation of Greece are in debt without ability to rescue itself. And you have a Vision of God, sitting on a bump on a branch on a log at the bottom of the sea. And what is God doing, at the bottom of the oceans God is forming an unquenchable fire, to burn over the face of Creation, cauterizing the earth of sin by killing all living things. And your response to God is “NO!” And God listens and God repents. But humanity does not change. And God shows you a Vision of a Basket of Summer Fruit. Melons, Plums, Peaches, Cherries and Apples. But as you look, the whole basket of fruit rot. And God speaks to you saying “It is already too late.” And God shows you a new Vision, which you hear as God is taking you to the Crossroads of the City, the Center of Commerce and Faith and Cultural Life, in Jerusalem the Wailing Wall of the Temple of Solomon. And your Vision is of a Plumbline, a piece of tin hung at the bottom of a line, which by gravity causes the line to be taught and perfectly straight, up and down. How would you respond to what you see and believe and know? The problem with being a plumbline, is that you cannot choose what in life is crooked, or secret, and virtually everything about life is not perfect. Recently, I was at the Sherwood Inn and recognized that all the paintings appear to be crooked, because while the frames are level the building is not square. The same is true at the Masonic Lodge and all of the Churches. A plumbline witnesses how few things in life are perfect, how rare that anything is straight and true, and due to time and circumstances of life how many imperfections have been allowed. How many secrets have been tolerated and kept as acceptable. Does it matter that there are imperfections, that century old structures have settled? Are the imperfections and wrinkles and age spots and scars not part of the charm and character of what has experienced life? But when do those very imperfections become a blight of rotten fruit? John The Baptist saw himself as being a Plumbline. He came from a wilderness outside the society, and called people to repent and believe. And all the people, Jew and Gentile, everyone came to confess their sins and be baptized to be made new. But as a preacher he took on the powers of the day. Recall that in the Gospels, when Jesus was born there was a King named “Herod,” when Jesus is tried before Pilate, Jesus is recognized as a Galilean Jew and sent to another King Herod. There were Herod the Great, Herod Agrippa and Herod of Antipas, who were horribly corrupt having abandoned faith in God, adherence to God's Law for popularity and favor with the Greeks, later with the Roman culture. Because Herod lusted after his brother's wife, and he took his sister-in-law as his wife. Which John “the Plumbline” publicly described as not only as Lust, but as Adultery and Covetousness, and Herod making himself out to be God, to be above the Law. There is a problem with being a Plumbline... Those whose secrets you make known as imperfections want to cut your throat. But Herod was fascinated by John. Have you ever known those, who totally aggravate and frustrate you, but who also intrigue you? So when his wife Herodias demands John's death King Herod has John arrested. Oddly, this is all that the other Gospels reveal, but Mark which is the shortest and tightest in word choice includes an elaborate story of the cost to John of being a Plumbline, of revealing the secrets of the powerful. This is the only passage in all of the Gospels where Jesus is not the main character. He has called the twelve, taught them parables, shown them power in faith, shown them the cost of being rejected by family and home, and sent them out. Here the Gospel of Mark reveals the cost of secrets. King Herod is so corrupt, that he not only lusts after his brother's wife, and murders his brother to have her, Herod has a party for himself to show off to all those of power and influence his power, possessions and lusts. At this party for himself, Herod lusts after his brother's daughter, by marriage his own daughter. And the cost for this secret, is John the Baptist's Head on a Silver Platter. Our lusts, our abuses of others, our secrets which at times are even secret to ourselves, these do have terrible costs a rotting of our Creation, a violation of boundaries and twisting of the truth, of our authenticity and our Self. But rather than this being the end of the story, King Herod decapitating John: for being God's Plumbline in his midst, for revealing that Herod had violated God's laws, becomes the rallying call for Jesus' ministry of repentance. In a different twist on resurrection, King Herod interprets that Jesus must be John raised from the dead, because he continues John's purpose in the world. From this point forward, Mark's Gospel is not about teaching the Twelve, but about revealing God's presence in the World and the imperfections. God and God's purposes are not stopped because we cut the plumbline. The wall does not become perfect because you took away the level. However, there is yet another secret. The Bible was not originally written in English. The New Testament was written in What is described as Koine Greek, Common Greek as opposed to Classical, much like our Americanized English compared to the King James version. And the Old testament, the First Testament was shared orally and eventually written in Hebrew. In this Vision of Amos, what is shown to man is “Anah.” In the Middle Ages, when Chapters and Verses and Vowels were being added to the written text to make it more usable by English speaking believers, the translators knew the Syro-Phonecian word Anak to be a Plumb-line, and this made sense given the context, and that the Hebrew people and Syro-Phonecians had had interaction, so they translated it as Plumbline. The difference between ANAH and ANAK only being a tiny dot to convert the H to a CH or K sound. But in where the hard sound created the word Plumbline, Hebrew did actually have a word ANAH which means “A Sigh.” What does it mean if as the final vision to Amos, God held up to Humanity's imperfections at the Crossroads of culture, a Sigh from God? After fashioning one destruction for the world after another, and God continually repenting while humanity never did, like the Minnions in the Movie seeking the worst possible leaders to follow, if God's Vision for the Believer was God's Lament, God's Sigh at what we could be?

"Dirt Between Our Toes" July 5, 2015

2nd Samuel 5:1-10 Mark 6:1-12 In Wednesday evening Bible Study after reading the sermons of Peter and Paul in Acts, we named the difference between what has been described as preaching and “Really Good Preaching.” That Good Preaching is not just a Bible Study, or Motivational Speaking, but listening to the needs of the world and this community, and the Scriptures, and making apparent the threads running through. Tracing God's plan and interventions back throughout human history, that preaching is not disposable words spouted this day, but transformative, gut-wrenching, resurrection, from the hard places we have been. One of my favorite things about July and August is going barefoot, which has a decidedly different thrill in January. In the backyard, in the water, along the shore, to feel the world through the nerves in the bottom of your soles. And this summer, with all the rain we have had to feel the mud gush between your toes, is extremely human, sensual; as the connection between our being formed from the dirt of the earth into creatures of God, where the point of contact between us and creation is our soles/souls. In this morning's Scripture passages both King David and Jesus are recognized as “Anointed Of God.” In David's case, he was Anointed as King. Jesus “the Messiah” means that he is the Anointed One. Anointing is creation of a sacred covenant, that you are never alone, God is with you, and the needs of the Nation are with you. In the tradition of Scotland, when a King was chosen, each of the Lairds of the Clans brought a boot full of soil from their ancestral home, called a Scone. Each Laird dumped the contents of the dirt from their home, the dirt in their boot into a mound on which the King was to kneel for Anointing, as means of identifying the King's commitment to their Common Ground. The practice of anointing goes back even before there were kings, to a practice of Shepherds. Lice and Fleas would get into the wool of sheep and work their way down to the skin causing irritation and possible infection, and if they got into the ears, even death. The Shepherds poured oil over the heads and rubbed Olive Oil into the wool of their sheep, so that the Fleas and Lice could not get hold. With oil the wool was thicker and the mites could not put the bite on the sheep. In the same way, we baptize, covering the believer with an anointing of grace and love and forgiveness, that sin cannot put the bite upon the person, cannot cause this irritation, infection or death to your life. There is irony in both these passages, in that the ones being Anointed of God, David and Jesus, were rejected by people who knew them. Insult and shame are intended to demean the person, to undermine their abilities both by attack and a lack of trust. But while insulted, and limited by the reaction of people who know them, both King David and Jesus point to the opposite end from your head, getting your feet dirty, getting mud between your toes in work, as the means of overcoming their rejection. The importance of all of this, began back in the 8-12th Chapters of the First book of Samuel. Remember that Eli's sons were corrupt, so God gave the role of Priest and Judge to the boy Samuel instead of Eli's sons, God calling in the night “Samuel, Samuel.” Samuel became the last of the Judges following the tradition of Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samson. Samuel was the last, because the people wanted to choose a King for themselves. This was not only a rejection of Samuel as Judge, but of God as King; in response, a great storm came upon Creation and their wheat crop was threatened, in order that the people might repent of insulting God. In the past, when the people insulted God, they were called to pray for repentance and for a Deliverer, a warrior, a savior. In demanding a King, the people came to worship, but did not repent of their desire for a King. It is as if they want to be saved without cost, without repentance, a Champion to lead them into battle without ever considering change themselves. So God allows them to elect a king, Saul, who leads the people, but like the people is not following God. As Saul becomes more and more convinced of his own power, and the people become convinced of their following Saul instead of God, there is a breach of trust in God. And God finally chooses a King for the people, David, instead of the people choosing their King to rule and lead. Here in the 5th Chapter, David is put before the people as the Anointed of God, the King and Savior, which after 8 years of Civil War, the other tribes of Israel begrudgingly accept. The Israelites come to Hebron, The Tribe of Judah's former Capital, affirming: “We are your bone and flesh,” not “You are one of Us” but rather “We, are your people.” They affirm, “Even when Saul was King, David was the leader of Armies who brought Israel Victory.” But if David is to unite the 12 Tribes of Israel, he needs a new Capital, a place that is not ancestral to any one Tribe, Benjamin or Judah, Republican or Democrat, in essence Common Ground without the ground having allegiance. Identification of the Blind and Lame is not a curse upon these people, but rather that the least able to fight, the weakest of the Jebusites could protect their city because of its walls and defenses. In the Book of Judges, the tribe of Benjamin had settled in the place appointed for their tribe, but instead of destroying the Jebusites, the Canaanite people in their land, the Tribe of Benjamin chose to co-exist with the Jebusites. Now Saul had been a Benjaminite and David was of the tribe of Judah, with the Jebusite city on the border between. So, much like creating Washington DC as a separate District, not part of any one State, David chooses the city of the Jebusites to become his new Capital: Jerusalem. Jerusalem is atop a high hill, surrounded by lush valleys. The City had concentric walls like a bullseye, which more than layers of fortification, meant that if an opposer broke through one wall, they would then be trapped between Jebusites on both walls. So if you cannot go through the doors or windows, you cannot attack by breaking down a wall or barrier, how do you take a castle? “Up the Water Spouts” means that David and his supporters came up through the sewers. And Jerusalem became the City of David, the Capital City of Israel. That “dirt between our toes” we need not talk about. Except that it is not about the kneeling on common ground that makes one a king, but doing the work of leading. The Mark passage is more problematic in that Jesus is described as going to his boyhood home of Nazareth, to the Synagogue where people knew him as a child, and instead of crowds of followers, they greet him as “Where did he get this knowledge?” “Is this not Mary's boy, the Carpenter?” Not identifying him with the strength of his father, but as Mary's little boy. Which at the least would be identification that Jesus, as the eldest son had abandoned his widowed mother, and could be a shaming of whether his parents were married, whether he was illegitimate. And the narrator explains that he could accomplish nothing except cure a few people who were sick. Is that not the way of things? When we come home, among our sisters and brothers, identification is not on: what you have accomplished, what you have done with your life, but “Remember the time you got spanked?” “Is this not the one who broke Grandma's vase?” “Remember the time he painted the house in mud, getting dirt all over!” And no matter who you are and what you have done, we are reduced to being 3 years old again. In an Ancient Middle-eastern culture there was perception of “Honor” and “Prestige” as being limited quantities. So when Jesus returned, his power would be perceived as threatening the authority of another. What is odd about this is that in other places, Jesus was able to overcome people's unbelief, but here their shaming of Jesus, the lack of trust from those who knew him is described as effecting Jesus abilities. The twist on this according to Mark, is that Jesus had chosen the Twelve in Chapter 3 not to be his followers, but that they would go out into the world in service. In the 4th Chapter he taught them in parables and explained these to them; in the 5th Chapter he demonstrated the power of faith to accomplish the miraculous. And here just before sending them out, Jesus also demonstrates that some places you will not be accepted. Even before Jesus death and resurrection, the disciples were sent out as apostles, their specific purpose being “repentance” turning people around from doing their own thing, to trusting God. Even more, Mark is the only one of the Gospels who describes the twelve went out casting out demons and anointing the heads of those who were sick with oil to heal them. Is that not what we do in Baptism, to anoint the believer from the death of shame, to trust God?

"Never Forgotten" June 28, 2015

2nd Samuel 9: 9-13 Mark 5:1-9, 21-29 This is the day each family dreams of! When for a moment, whether we were known or unknown, the whole Village and Township hears your name, and recognizes you, your accomplishment. From this day forward and forever more, you will be remembered as having accomplished all the requirements and expectations for graduation in Skaneateles, NY. You will always be part of Skaneateles, but no longer will you be students, no longer will you be children, you will be Graduates of everything our school system could teach you! What they have been looking forward to since they entered Kindergarten, more than shaking hands with the Principal, more even than their diploma, whether it is raining or not, at about 1:45 this afternoon, they will jump in the lake, something unique to this community, something to be remembered for a lifetime. If we are honest with ourselves, for most of us, this is a difficult day. All throughout their lives, our daughters and sons have been told when to go to bed, told to awaken from sleep, fed nutritious meals, driven to school, where they have been given information that they were to be tested over, driven to practices where they absorbed the muscle memory of how to perform. And suddenly, upon completing the 12th Grade, you are to be publicly recognized as having everything all together. Except, along the way, they have made relationships. They have developed caring for friends, classmates, teammates, teachers, coaches, counselors. The unplanned circumstances of life have effected who each have become. If we were completely candid and honest with ourselves, they know we know they do not have it ALL together, and are more than a little afraid of whether they will be accepted when they leave this place. Parents, Grandparents, extended family, have come to take pride in their' having it all together, because they are related to you. Just as each learned through practice, how to hit their mark, what to do at each position, we as extended family, practiced cheering for them, practiced taking pride in their accomplishments. As parents and grandparents we agonized over missing games because of meetings, weighing how to be in two places at the same time. This is an idyllic place to live, to grow up, Graduation this afternoon looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell lithograph. But what caught me off guard after several years, was that with all the scholarships, each of the members of this year's class receiving deserved honors and financial support for their education, this is also a Memorial of all the daughters and sons who have died too young. Throughout this week, there have been interruptions, circumstances and events we did not plan for. A Baptism for a couple who were married here. Family gathering from out of State, to remember their loved one. A Father who is with our Graduates in Spirit, but could not be here physically because of Cancer treatments. The late Henri Nouwen, great Catholic teacher, pastor, said that in the prime of his career, he became frustrated by interruptions. He was teaching at Notre Dame. With writing and teaching he had a heavy agenda each day and didn't like to be disturbed. Then it dawned on him that his interruptions were his work. Someone said, "Life is what happens between what you planned!" Over the years I have learned that no matter whether the meeting follows the plan or not, it is going to last almost exactly the same amount of time. The difference is that, when we take time to listen and remember each person is a person, then the meeting runs very smoothly and effortlessly. When we do not pay attention, when we do not listen and remember each person, agendas get sabotaged, by people needing to be remembered. The story of Mephibosheth is one few remember, in some churches it has never been read or preached. Different from Noah, Abraham or Sarah, Mephibosheth is a story important for this day, because it is not about God speaking to him, or working through him; not so much about his being Grandson of the first King of Israel; but that when David became King, even when King David had it all, possessing everything he ever desired, King David wanted to remember and never forget those whose families knew him as “a Son of this community.” He knew he needed to remember those whose lives were changed by his existence, those who can help to keep him honest and candid and real with himself. This is a terrible story of war... when the palace of King Saul was being attacked, the Nanny picked up the baby to rescue him, and rushing she tripped and fell on top of the infant crushing his legs. All throughout his life, the would-be king had been hidden, in fear of execution. When one morning coming over the horizon and down the road is an army, the army of the King, marching toward your place of hiding. There is a pounding on the door, “Mephibosheth, come out!” And he is dragged from that place, taken to the Capital, to the Palace that should have been his but now belonged to the one responsible for his father's and grandfather's death. Dragged before King David, who has everything, possesses everything that was supposed to belong to Mephibosheth. When the King speaks, remembering your parents and their parents, and you, and restoring you to a place of respect and honor in the world, that you are a child of this community and we cannot sit at Table without you. The Gospel comes from a point early in Jesus' ministry. Not a great teaching, not a set of parables. But everyone, every person is described as being in need of healing. Even more they appear in contrast against each other. A displaced Prince of Israel is contrasted with a Roman Soldier no longer in his right mind. This traumatized Soldier with PostTraumatic Stress Disorder, so severe he cannot live among people. He no longer remembers who he is, he only remembers the hundreds that he killed. Doing harm to others changes you! And Jesus listens, simply listens, and the evil leaves his mind. A leader of the Temple, is about as different from a battle weary soldier as could be. Jairus is revered, charged with keeping the people pure through absolute adherence to the Law. Yet he has a 12 year old daughter who is ill, and suddenly it does not matter whether about the Law, his child is dying. Holding her dead body, he will not be allowed into the temple, but this is His child. And he seeks out Jesus. Part of the nature of healing, the nature of faith, is that sometimes it happens sometimes it does not, and the results are not based on how much we pray, or how much we believe, or who we are... But we do wonder whether we/ our child can be healed, whether God cares? A week ago, we read of Jesus calming the seas and controlling the wind, if God cared whether we are destroyed in natural disaster. Today is more personal, does God care about our needs? Does God remember us? A woman has been bleeding for a dozen years. A Fistula is a common malady in parts of the world, where a woman in delivery tears from vagina to rectum. Following which there is constant bleeding, and smell, and infection. In that culture she would be unclean, unable to be accepted, unable to worship, unable to socialize. But in the midst of the crowd, this outcast reaches out, that her fingers might touch the hem of Jesus' robe. And her belief in him, in his ability to help her, saves her. These are stories of miracle healing, they are not logical or reasoned, but are recorded as having taken place. We have known those who recovered from Cancers, those who were healed from what could not be explained, we have known those who came through a different kind of healing, where they learned to not fear their problems, to not be isolated or afraid. Mephibosheth, Legion, Jairus and his daughter, and the un-named woman all were in need, we each can identify with at least one, they knew they did not have it together, yet still they were never forgot. Each was precious. St. Augustine 17 Centuries ago described God loves each of us, as if we were the only person on earth, yet God loves all, as God loves each. There's no one on earth today that God loves any more than God loves you, nor is there anyone God loves any less than God loves you. There is also a subtle element recurrent in each of these stories. When the daughter is brought back from death to life, Jesus commands that they give her something to eat. When David sits at the Kings's Table he refuses food until Mephibosheth is at his place. In Judaism you always had to be on guard, whether you were living a life that was holy and sacred, following Kosher Laws. Here what is essential is whether those who were in need, our daughters and sons are gathered at the table with us.

"Faith Beyond Faith" June 21, 2015

I Samuel 17 Mark 4:33-41 This morning the Bible and current events, instruct us to talk together about Fear and Faith. There is a great deal to be afraid of today, according to popular television shows, there are Aliens, Zombies and Walking Dead, there are Tsunamis waves off the coasts, depending upon the news we watch, we are told to fear the Democrats or fear the Republicans, there is Al Quedda and Isis, and some new plague we have yet to discover. That in the House of God, after listening and praying at a Biblestudy for over an hour together, someone would beginning lynching 10 people because of the color of their skin. That because so many companies have left the North East, when our local company announces growth and expansion by merger with another company, we would fear layoffs and closure. I have a brother-in-law who went to Wharton Business School and works in the Satellite industry in Washington DC, he has gone to the same office for over 20 years, yet he has worked for over a dozen different companies, because his job is to expand the company until it can be bought by new ownership, whereupon he expands another project in the same business. Fears, some are very real, some are not. But we, are never alone. As many times as we have read the story of David and Goliath, as often as we heard reference to this, the point was always how small little David the Shepherd boy was against the 9' tall Philistine Giant Goliath, underscored by how Goliath was covered in armor, with Javelin, Sword and Shield, the head of the spear weighed 20lbs. where David only had a sling shot and stone. This was a comforting story, that no matter the obstacle, having a child's faith and innocence, the little guy could surpass overwhelming obstacles. HOWEVER one of my first Sundays in Skaneateles, I recall telling this story at the Children's moment, when one of the 6 year olds stood up protesting that he read this story every night at bedtime and we missed the overkill, “You stopped before David ran to the fallen Goliath, taking Goliath's own sword and cut off his head, carrying it back to Jerusalem and everyone else was afraid.” That morning, I realized comforting stories child-like innocence of faith, might no longer suffice. In recent years, with Al Quedda and Isis, there have been present day videos of decapitation executions. As horrific and gruesome as this is, I am told the viewing of these on the internet has been as popular as Cat Videos! There is something in human nature that cannot turn away from a Sacrament of Violence, Demonstrations of terror so traumatic as to inspire fear, intended to paralyze and demoralize opposition. There is an intended irony to the setting for this narrative in Mark's Gospel, that Jesus did not Call as disciples: shopkeepers, bankers and carpenters, the Messiah called Fishermen here asking them to go across open water to the otherside. These experienced sailors, had grown up on the water, knew the power of storms, they knew what to do in danger, how to balance, adapt and how to survive. In these first three chapters, Jesus has instructed the disciples and the community of followers, with parables of faith as Mustard Seed and Leaven, where the tiniest amount is sufficient. He had taught the parable of the Patient Farmer, who watches and waits through rain and sun, day upon day, night after night, until the harvest comes, and it does. Jesus had shared the parable of the Sower sowing seeds of faith, which are scattered in overflowing abundance, and what matters, the only thing is whether we are receptive; or whether we are shallow, or hard, or corrupted with weeds. When they get to the other side, after the storm, Jesus will provide miracles of healing, a soldier so terrorized by war that his psyche is a Legion in Battle, a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years, a child who was dead brought back to life. But in between, in this dark night, these disciples of Jesus, these fishermen, were terrified with fear. Cancer survivor Reynolds Price, in his book, Letter to a Man on Fire, describes a 3rd year Medical Resident who himself was suddenly diagnosed with Cancer. Jim described “I want to believe in a God who cares... Because suddenly I may meet God sooner than I thought. And I think, I am at the point of believing there is a God. But I am having a hard time believing God could/would care about me.” In between the parables told on one side of the lake and the miracles witnessed on the other side, there was a storm, a storm whose waves were larger than the length of the boat was long. More than waves, more than a storm, they were in the midst of chaos... That primordial Deep in the dark of night. Before God created, when the wind blew upon the face of the waters it was not rippling the glassy calm but the Spirit of God was in the midst of a battle between crushing waves, a battle between wave upon wave, wind and water. Here, the little boat with twelve fishermen and Jesus laying asleep in the hull was tossed like an innocent bystander. Filled with terror, the disciples woke Jesus, crying “We are going to die, Do you care?” And Jesus did not rebuke them, the Savior did not say to the disciples There is Nothing to Fear! He rebuked the wind, and calmed the chaos. At which point, the Gospel names that the men went from fear to a FEAR BEYOND FEAR. Rather than fearing the wind, or drowning, or the chaos of the sea, they could not control; Rather than fearing that Jesus cared so little, while they were in terror of dying, Suddenly they witnessed that Jesus rebuked the wind and calmed the sea, which only God had ever done, and that, at the dawn of Genesis. It is only then, that we glimpse the overkill of this story, not only that Jesus cares about our suffering, cares about us, Not only that he has the power of God to calm the storms that threaten us and rebuke the wind that buffets us, but that as Christians there is CHRIST ASLEEP IN EACH OF US! From Genesis onward, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, have each affirmed that God cares! The Creator knows every creation, knows every creature by name and loves us. While comforting, that is also overwhelming. Theologian Diogenes Allen describes that “Understanding we are not the center of all things gives us perspective. But what we often forget is our dual nature. We are Material beings, subject to physical laws of the universe, vulnerable to injury, illness, decay and death. We are also Spiritual beings, created by God in the likeness of God.” When Job hears God in the whirlwind, as we did in the Call to Prayer this morning, JOB who has been reduced to nothing, has had his business destroyed, his home and property wiped out, his children, and his very flesh killed, suddenly has the conviction that no matter what else happens: He belongs to God. On this Father's Day I am reminded of all the nights of our children's nightmares. When we would rush into their room to take them in our arms, wiping the wet locks of hair from their foreheads, drying their tears and saying “There is nothing to be afraid of, no reason to fear.” The problem our children learn eventually is there is a difference between things we need to fear and things we do not. Aliens and Walking Dead, are fantasy, but there are also very real and appropriate fears. Instead of dismissing there is nothing to fear, I wish we had said “It is all right, you are not alone, fear not, God loves you.” There needs to be a Reformation in the Church today. In the early Church, there was identification of there being TWO Baptisms, a Baptism of Water the Baptism of John, and that there is a Baptism of the Holy Spirit, as John professed the coming of one into our lives the very bow of his shoes we are unworthy to untie, faith planted as a Mustard seed, a tiny bit of leaven that matures into a Tree of everlasting Life, the breath of God that came upon the Apostles in the Upper Room to go out and live faith. The corruption of the Church is that we have made the Sacrament of Baptism into Affirmation of the innocence of Children. Everyone and everything is to be Baptized, as infant or adult, happening only once, never to be repeated. You are claimed by God, loved by God, no matter what. That is true and vital, but just like telling a two year old “NO!” that vow of Love needs to be accompanied by growing awareness of the results of our actions, otherwise Baptism would be License that whatever you want to do was blessed by God. However, the problem being that the maturing of our leaven, the faith beyond faith, the awakening of Jesus Christ in us, comes at different times in life, and can come repeatedly. Most often at the most troubling times in our lives. When we are most vulnerable, when we are risking differently than we have ever known others to do, so to make a religious scene of this is at best impractical. Generations ago, in order to graduate High School, in addition to reading Dickens, The Lord of the Rings, The Odyssey and Iliad, everyone read John Bunyan's book Pilgrim's Progress, an allegory in which the main character is named Christian and he is traveling through one struggle after another. The final obstacle before he can reach the Garden of Paradise, before he gets home, is that he and his companion named Hopeful must cross a body of water. They wade deeper and deeper, until the waves are washing over Christian's head, he cries out “Does no one care that the wind and waves will take his life?” And his friend Hopeful responds: “Be of Good Cheer brother, I can feel the bottom and it is good, we will get through this together!”