4-29-2012 - One Big, Varied Flock

4-29-12

Jerusalem

¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

            From one sheep to some others - Baaa  Baa Ba Baa.  It has been said that a congregation is the pastor’s flock, but I am by no means your shepherd, for only Christ is our Shepherd, and thank God that He is.  If it was only by my power that this congregation was led, we would all be wandering around aimlessly.  Instead, it is God who directs us, who gives us the skills and strength necessary to do ministry and who has laid down His life for all of us.  We have the good Shepherd to guide us, in fact we have the perfect Shepherd, who has control over both life and death.

            I love that line in the reading “I lay down my life in order to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord.” Let us remember that when we hear those words in the Eucharistic Prayer, in the night in which he was betrayed, because the betrayal was not what god Jesus put on that cross, that is not the important part of the story.  No, the important part is that Jesus willingly put himself on that cross, Jesus knew that in order for us to live, in order for Him to be the truly good shepherd, he would have to go to the cross and die the most humiliating and painful way possible, in order that we may have life within us when he rose from the dead and defeated the very power of death.  He chose this in order to save us from the power of Sin, that which leads to death. 

            And yet we keep hearing the call of the hired hands and of bandits, who care little  to nothing for us and who lead us astray.  We focus on ourselves, who do not have the power of life and death that God has.  We follow money, thinking that if we have enough of it or enough friends who have it, then we will be safe and comfortable.  But we soon find out that when our cash runs out, we manage to lose our so called friends as well.  We look to our families, who love and support us.  But as with all mortals, we lose them in this life, and while they are cared for by our God we do not have them to lean on forever.  We look to our country, but we are reminded that we are only one among money to our country, and we do not have the power and resources in order for us to sway influence or to be noticed and we see corruption and violence in our land and spread into other nations as well.  Each of these may be of some aid, but none of them are as caring or as capable as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

            So why do we cling to them and turn our backs to God?  It can be hard to see God in this world.  It can appear at times as though we live in two worlds, the real world, out beyond these walls where there is pain and suffering and schedules to keep and a million distractions for us to feast on every day.  It can appear as though God is far off and that when we pray we are praying to the skies, not really expecting any response.  I know I have definitely had those days, where I wonder why my prayers are not answered and why everything isn’t at least a little bit easier and why is it that my loved ones have to die.  But we have the promise from Christ which keeps us strong in the face of doubt.  Doubt is a natural part of our human condition, and it need not be feared.  In fact to have no doubt at all would weaken our faith, since without doubt tempering our spirits, the slightest incongruence or difficulty could shatter our faith.  But even in these troubling times, we have our Savior, the good shepherd, who leads us beside still waters and restores our spirits and promises us that He will always be with us, even beyond death.

            This passage has nothing to do with the Sheep got to Heaven, Goats go to Hell theology later on, nor with the Cake song of the same name.  Instead, it is calling all people Christ’s sheep, because of God’s care and compassion for his children.  Notice that it is not “The sheep do listen to my voice” it is that they “will” listen to my voice.  Just because someone today doesn’t hear God’s voice or understand that God has been calling them every day of their life and has been supporting each day of their life doesn’t mean that they will never be a part of the flock.  No, all people will one day see God for who He is, their provider, comforter, and protector, and will know the peace that He brings. 

            Each of us has a place within this flock, each of us valued and given a purpose.  Much like the members of the Breakfast Club, we are brought together from a wide variety of backgrounds and see the world in different ways, but yet we are of one flock, united by the Holy Spirit and given strength through that very Spirit.  This doesn’t make us much different from sheep.  According to the bastion of all knowledge, Wikipedia, there are over 200 types of sheep.  It kinda blew my mind when I saw that, because being a city boy I didn’t realize just how many variations of sheep there are out there, I just thought a sheep was a sheep.  But they are greatly varied, just like we are.  None of us believes exactly the same things, yet here we are, brought together and worshipping the same God, showing love toward one another as God first loved us.   Even with all the sinning that we do, God still loves us and Jesus still lays down his life in order to save us and to bring us comfort and peace. 

            No matter how much we may rebel or how far we wander off, our Shepherd is there beside us, ready to give us a push back to where we are supposed to be and watching over us.  He watches each little sheep, just as he watches His entire flock.  His flock goes beyond the fold that we have here, but it includes people throughout this whole world, and through all time.  All who hear the voice of God are members of the flock and God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit and writes His commandments upon our very hearts.  And for this we praise our God and shout Alleluia, for he who has died is now alive and we are joined in that resurrection as well.  We shall never be forgotten or discarded.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

4-22-2012 - Let the world turn without you tonight.

            Psalm 4

¹Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer. ²How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah³But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.  ⁴When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah  ⁵Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. ⁶There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!” ⁷You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.  ⁸I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

How many of us have spent a sleepless night, agonizing over something.  With thoughts in your head about how bad things are going or how people are against you or how you will manage to deal with an issue or with a litany of “what ifs?”  How often is it that we allow our lives to be controlled by fear and focus on trying to create security, instead of enjoying the gift of life that God has given us. 

            Living in fear is not the way that God calls us to live.  Whether it be the fear of death, of an enemy, or anything else God calls to us and tells us not to worry and to rest.  We are called to care for our bodies, these gifts that we have been given by God, and part of that care is in sleeping enough that we may be rested for the day that is coming.  So do not worry all night about what people may think of you or what tomorrow will bring, but be still and rest to know that God will be there beside you, caring for you every step of the way. 

            And that is what the psalmist was experiencing at the time.  He starts off with such frustration, asking how long will people be able to slander him and curse him, how long will people love vain words and false compliments over the truth.  And do we not feel that way sometimes ourselves, wondering how it could possibly be that we are the only sane ones in the room, the only ones who can see what is really going on?  This is especially difficult when people are hurling curses upon you and lying about you and dragging your name through the mud.  How many of us have had that experience, whether in school with bullies or on the job with, well, more bullies, whether they be co-workers or managers or customers?  But what are we told in the psalm?  “When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds and be silent”

  Translation – Don’t go around busting heads or cursing them or in return.  As my fortune cookie said this week, an eye for an eye leads to a blind world.  We are all sinners, each of us sins each and every day of our lives, but that doesn’t mean that we should intentionally go around sinning and causing chaos.  Instead we are told to relax and put faith in God.  Instead of seeking vengeance, we are to pray for those who persecute us, that they may come to offer right sacrifices and put their trust in the Lord as well.  Our God calls us to peace and understanding, to following Him instead of following our desires of vengeance, which only lead to destruction and sadness anyway.  When we follow the path of vengeance, we fall into the trap of Sin, which forces us to live lives that are unworthy of God and which lead to only more pain and causes us to lose in the long run, for we lose our peace that God gives. 

            When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we pray that our Father will “Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” not that God forgives us our sins, just as we smack around those who sin against us.  Forgiveness is what we are called to do.  When we forgive our persecutors, and we pray for them to come back into a right relationship with us and with God, we are able to have right relationships as well, especially with God. And when we act in mercy, we are able to see God’s will more clearly and we are able to serve God better and our lives are more blessed, because we are living in peace and not wasting our energy on causing pain.

            When we act in this compassion and we are able to focus on God and the good that God does in the world, we are able to see the good that we cry to see.  We make the choice every day to live in pain or to live in mercy and joy.  God’s kingdom has already come.  Christ came and died for our Sin and was raised into new life, and we are joined in that resurrection which we celebrate every Sunday.  We are a people of rejoicing, a family based on compassion and healing, not destruction.  It is this love and compassion that brings about the ministry of the congregation – the making of prayer shawls and quilts, the visiting of the sick and the lonely, the devotion to our youth, and so much more.  These are the things that define us and honor the name of Child of God that He has bestowed upon us.  These are the good days that we so long for.  The glory of God does not exist solely in a past when the pews were filled with people, but they are today as well, where our numbers may be smaller by our devotion has not shrunk a single bit.  The light of God’s face shines on us each day, with the blessing of one another.

            It is often said that one’s congregation is their second family.  Sure it includes our first family as well many times, but each of us is part of one family, one large blessing to each other.  We have our little quirks, as all families do, but in the end we all share in one mission together – To spread of Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and action, and we all love one another, even when it can seem to be the hardest thing in the world to do.  Love is not easy, but when we love we see the goodness of God and his face shines upon us and we are given the restful minds that we need at night so that we may sleep. There is no greater rest than the calmness of knowing God’s love and that we are His hands in this world, showing that same love and compassion to all people. 

            So when we go to bed this night and all the nights of our lives, and we say our prayers, may we not only say prayers for our families and friends, but let us say prayers for all those who persecute us, that they may have fulfilled lives and good relationships, and then may we lay our heads down on our pillows and know the true grace and rest that only God can provide. 

Amen  

7-15-2012 - Brother and Sister Creatures

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
   praise him in the heights! 
Praise him, all his angels;
   praise him, all his host! 

Praise him, sun and moon;
   praise him, all you shining stars! 
Praise him, you highest heavens,
   and you waters above the heavens! 

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
   for he commanded and they were created. 
Praise the Lord from the earth,
   you sea monsters and all deeps, 
fire and hail, snow and frost,
   stormy wind fulfilling his command! 

Mountains and all hills,
   fruit trees and all cedars! 
Wild animals and all cattle,
   creeping things and flying birds! 

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
   princes and all rulers of the earth! 
Young men and women alike,
   old and young together! 

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
   for his name alone is exalted;
   his glory is above earth and heaven.

            Today we gather together with our beloved pets, fellow creations of our heavenly Father, and we join together with them in praise of our God.  We worship with them outside, surrounded by God’s wonderful creation and the birds and animals of the world as well.  Just as in the reading from Revelation today, we gather alongside our brothers and sisters of Creation to praise God and to thank God for all that God has done for us and continues to do for us.  Praise the Lord!  We give thanks to God for all that God has done for us, and for all the gifts that God has given to His creation!  Our Psalm today speaks of all people and all creatures worshipping God together, thanking God for creating us and for caring for each and every one of us. 

            And we can call creatures our brothers and sisters, because we are all born of the same Father, God, and we are all created from the same dust.  Each living thing, from the smallest ant to the blue whale, all created by our loving God, who created us for one another.  Not so that we may use and abuse each other, but that we may enjoy one another’s company and be a blessing to one another.  Our Genesis reading tells us that all creatures were created in the hope that we as humans would not be alone, that they were created that we may be in community with them.  Not so that they could be subservient beings, but that they we may be in community together and support one another.  

            Of course, that ideal was not met in this Genesis story.  Instead, Adam is put to sleep by God and a rib is taken from him to create woman, in order that she may be his partner.  And their live are connected beyond words or feelings, because they are flesh of the same flesh and bone of the same bone.  While the creatures are like brothers and sisters to Adam, the woman is the same being.  There is a reason that we humans do not marry our dogs and cats, but instead are called to one another as partners in life, to share our dreams and our sorrows and our pleasure.  We are designed for one another.  Our entire civilization is built on the fact that humanity is built to be together, and not alone.  We are called to be in community, in order that we may serve and help one another instead of having to go through life isolated.  We also worship God together, because united we are able to rejoice all the more, not only for God’s creation of us and our relationship with God, but also because we can be thankful for one another, for the blessings that we give one another through our mere presence.

            This blessing though carries into the rest of creation as well.  While we may not be as closely knit together with our brothers and sisters in the animal kingdom, we are still united, still related through God.  Albert Einstein once said that “Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”  Oftentimes, freedom can be misinterpreted into the ability to do whatever it is that we want to do.  But when we fall into that hole, in which we become self-serving, we find ourselves unable to find complete contentment.  On the other hand, when we free ourselves from focusing on ourselves, when we begin to show compassion to a wider and wider circle, we become more fulfilled.  There is no sight greater than seeing someone who has just gone to help someone.  Nor are there more inspiring people than those who give of themselves and their time to show compassion.  When one sees love in another’s eyes, we can not help but be moved to love more ourselves as well.

It can be hard of us to think about our fellow creatures as rejoicing in God and being part of our family.  So often they can be seen as a nuisance, as something that must be removed from our houses and our yards, or as trophies to be placed on mantles, or merely an inconvenience as we search for oil and gas.  With our pesticides and mousetraps, with the way that we consume other creatures as food or we destroy their homes in search for energy, we decimate our fellow brothers and sisters, our fellow creations of God.  We are all born out of the same dust and were created for one another, to be helpers and friends.  Our Genesis reading tells us of another connection between us and all creatures as well, as Adam gets to name each creature as it is created.  Much as a parent gets to name their child, so Adam has this connection to each creature, gets to be a part of the birthing process of each individual creation.

We can have a tendency to view of ourselves as vastly more important than our brothers and sisters in the animal kingdom.  After all, we are humans, created in the image of God, filled with intelligent thought and the ability to create vast cities.  Our comfort becomes our guiding force, our God, as we destroy the world around us in order to gain that comfort.  Yet since we are created in the Image of God, and we are set as co-creators with God, it seems that our priorities should shift a bit.  Instead of focusing on our own comforts and desires, maybe we need to take a more global view, past even that of what our fellow humans need, which we of course care greatly about and try to aid whenever we can, but also look at the world and creation and see ways that we can care for it better.  Perhaps we can widen our compassion towards all of creation, as Einstein tells us to do.

After all, If we are in fact followers of God, then should we not care for His creation as He does?  Just as God gives food and shelter to the wild animals, to all creeping things and birds of the air, and creatures of the sea, should we not strive to make sure that they get that food and that shelter, instead of taking them away in order to put money in our pockets or to get to resources, like gas and oil?  George Bernard Shaw once said “The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That's the essence of inhumanity.”  This is not a sin just against our brothers and sisters of this world, but it is a sin against God, for we not only damage his creation but show an indifference to it when we proclaim that we need not worry about some animals getting in the way of our progress or fail to give their lives the respect that they so rightly deserve as children of God.

We have an amazing blessing and opportunity from God, which is the world around us.  In it we can see the many wonders of God, from the ways that the insects help pollinate the flowers and the trees that give our eyes beauty to see and our bellies food to eat, to the way that birds fly together through the sky, to work together to migrate to new places each year, to the way that our pets teach us how to love more completely and honestly than many humans could ever possible even imagine.  So may we rejoice alongside our brothers and sisters throughout creation, rejoicing both for the love and care of our Creator as well as the fulfillment we may find in living together. 

Amen.    

 

            

7-8-12 - Even Home Changes (aka No One Likes You in Your Own Hometown)

7-8-12

Jerusalem

6He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. ²On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ³Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. ⁴Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” ⁵And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. ⁶And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. ⁷He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; ⁹but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. ¹⁰He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. ¹¹If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹²So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. ¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

            Home can seem like the most comfortable place in the world, especially while growing up.  I remember always fantasizing that my parent’s home would always be the place that I would call home.  I figured that if they ever wanted to move, I would buy their house so that it would remain in the family and I would have that comfort for my whole life.  Home was a place that was safe and a place that should always remain the same.  In fact, I would get so angry with my brother when he was at college, because he would call his college “Home” and his fraternity brothers, “brother.”  I would tell him off, saying that he had only one home, Pittsburgh and my parents house, and he had only one brother, me!  And when he moved out and was married, I was given the opportunity to move into his old room, which is bigger and nicer than my room, but I didn’t even take that because that was Brandon’s room and my room was my room.  Everything had to stay the same.  Even when furniture was broken and had to be changed, it was an ordeal, because the status quo was meant to be the definition of home.   

            Yet our lives do change.  I went off to college a few years later, and I started referring to my dorm room as “home” and my fraternity brothers as “brother.”  Then I went to seminary, and that became home, and now I am here in Columbiana, which I am proud to call home as well.  My parents still live in the same split entry house, and the room that used to be mine, which I fought valiantly for and resisted change as much as possible, is now the playroom for the grandchildren.  And you know what, I am ok with that.  I’m ok with the changes in the furniture and the wall colors and everything else, because I’ve come to realize that change is necessary for growth and that sometimes “My Home” becomes just “My Parent’s Home,” which I love to visit and that God calls us to do new things and to go to new places in order to fulfill His plan for us.

            The disciples are given this message in a harsh fashion through Jesus’ experiences in his own hometown.  Here is the hometown hero, coming into town to show them all that he had learned and experienced, to show them God’s majesty.  And instead he is met with unbelief, with people scorning him, since after all he is just the carpenter, the son to one of their friends, who they babysat as a kid and whose brothers and sisters are still around town.  While they might expect great things from him, they are not going to expect him to come and change how things are done.  But that is what knowing God does, and that is what experiencing life and new things does, it changes who we are at our very cores and we then want to help people make those same changes or see things in new ways, so that they may grow as well.  It is a natural extension of our excitement.

            Yet change can be hard, especially when it comes from those that we know.  It is one thing when some outsider comes with new ideas.  After all, they might be some expert, or they come from a far off place, so what they have to say must be important for them to make such a trek.  Or if someone charges for their thoughts and changes, then it becomes more valuable to us, because we have put in our hardearned resources in order to glean from their knowledge.  But when it comes from an ordinary source, from one that we have known for years, especially from a younger generation, we can have a tendency to push that idea to the side.  Perhaps out of jealousy, because we didn’t have an idea first, or perhaps out of a desire for conformity, with a “We’ve never done it that way before, that’s not how WE do things.”  Or it can be that we don’t think they have all the life experience to have worthwhile contributions.  And besides all that, nothing good can come out of the ordinary, can it?  If I’ve known your family for generations and the best think that came out of it was a handyman, why should I listen to what you have to say?  We can create this bias in our own minds without even realizing it, and it damages us and it causes us to miss what God is trying to tell us at times.

            Our Sin is in the refusal to see God in the ordinary, in the day to day, in the people that we know and love.  Perhaps it is because the more we know about someone, the more we know about their mistakes in life, the more real and weak they can appear.  When we want extraordinary results, we want them to come from extraordinary people, not from our friends and our families.  And yet our friends and our families, and our youth and our elders, are all extraordinary, are all people gifted by God with the Spirit, and who all share the Spirit of God and who proclaim the Word of God. 

            We as Lutherans believe in 3 meanings to the phrase “Word of God.”  The first is the Bible, being the Written word.  It is not some infallible gift that was dropped down to heaven to us, but it is something that was written and collected for thousands of years by ordinary human beings, who were guided and filled with the Spirit, just like everyone in this room here today.  We believe in the Living Word of God, which is Jesus Christ Himself, who intercedes for us each and every day.  And we believe in the Spoken word of God, which is too often seen as only when the pastor speaks from the pulpit.  The truth is that each and everyone of us speaks the word of God whenever we say anything that brings the good news of God to people.  Each time that love and compassion is given to others, each time that we aid each other when we mourn, each time that we remind each other of the presence of God, we are working miracles, because we are sharing the word of God to one another.  We are being God’s voice in this world.  In our ordinary lives, we create change all around us in each other’s lives, by being that voice.

            No matter our history, no matter how well we know each other, each of us is filled with the Spirit and each of us, no matter how ordinary, are missionaries for God in this world.  Just as Christ sent his disciples to the neighboring villages, even though they were but fishermen, not scholars or priests, but fishermen, so Christ sends us out to our neighborhoods, and sometimes beyond, to preach his gospel, his good news of love and compassion.  So we should listen to one another, because if we shut one another out, we just might miss out on the wonder of God, just as the people in Jesus’ hometown did. 

            Also, may we support those who leave us to explore this world and to expand their own minds and experiences.  In a few months some of our youth will be leaving us to go off to college, to see what it is like to live on their own, to learn new things, to meet new people and hear new ideas.  May we pray for them as they are called out to these areas, that they may be filled with the Spirit and that when they return to us we might have ears that are open to their words.   May we not be afraid of challenges to our norms and may we be open to hearing from those who are younger, that we may not be blinded from God’s grace and mercy, but instead be inspired by the Light of Christ that is within each and every one of us.  And when our members leave us, whether due to job relocation or vacations or family issues or mission trips or whatever reason, may we pray for their safety and that they may continue to shine in the areas that God takes them to as well, that they may find themselves truly at home.

            Home should be a place where we are free and safe to express ourselves, not a place of rejection.  Home is a place of renewal, a place where we have the freedom to make adjustments, as opposed to when at work or at school where we have to follow the guidelines of bosses and teachers.  And we are at home here, because it is our Father’s house and here we are one large family, unified and empowered by the Spirit.  May we rejoice in the gifts that have been given to our brothers and out sisters, and may we be able to see God in the ordinary, in each other’s faces, and be able to hear God’s word in the voice of our neighbors and friends.  May we not be afraid of changes to our home, nor shun the ordinary, but rather rejoice in God’s presence among us and in the growth that He brings.

           

Amen.

4-15-12 Divided, Yet Unified

4-15-2012

Jerusalem

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. ³³With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. ³⁵They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. ³⁶There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). ³⁷He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

            It can be hard to believe Luke’s recording in the book of Acts about the early church.  They were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.  Really?   Is that really how it was?  We couldn’t really say that about us today, I mean there are quite a few branches of just us Lutherans out there, continuing breaking apart from one another over issues, some trivial some not so trivial.  Justoff the Top of my head I can think of ELCA, LCMS, WELS, NALC, and LCMC, and I know there are more out there.  That’s not even getting into the Methodists and Presbyterians and Church of Christ, and Baptists, and AME, and all the other denominations and their own variations.  And forget about all that, we can’t honestly say that even within our own congregation we always agree.  And looking back at the ancient church, Peter and Paul were constantly arguing with each other, with Peter not even wanting to recognize the gentile congregations that Paul established.  We can tend to view ourselves as a faith that is constantly at war with ourselves.

            The same is true within congregations.  How often do arguments create strong divides in a congregation.  I have heard the stories of families lost to the loss of the ball-field and the building of the new parsonage.  I know that within any congregation there will always be disagreements, whether about what the ministry of the congregation is doing, the way that the pastor is using their hours, or the style of worship, about what defines “the traditions of the church” and so many other topics.  It can appear at times as though all hope is lost, because of disagreement.  It can be difficult to go through disagreements as a community of faith, because it can begin to feel personal, as though we are at war with one another.  Yet, Luke writes in the book of Acts, “Now the whole group who believed were of one heart and soul.”  And I believe that this is true today as well.  Yes, we can appear divided at times, but we are all still united in our hearts and souls.  What is it that all believers have in common, that which unifies all of us.  It’s not the sacraments.  After all, we and many protestants have 2, but the Catholics have 7 and some groups even have none.  It’s not our understanding of who is saved, for some it is predetermined, for others it is determined by faith, and others by works.  No, what unifies all of us is that we are all of the same heart and soul.  We are all doing what we can to serve God and our neighbor.  That is our unified mission and we seek out the ways that we believe that we are best able to do so.

            Conflict will naturally arise out of this.  There will be times when we disagree over what is the best course of action.  Not only is this natural, it is necessary.  Peter and Paul argued over everything and it helped to form who we are as Christians today.  When we debate, when we respectfully disagree we are about to dig deeper into what we believe and we are able to move on from a conflict.  If we sit around, mumbling to ourselves that things are not going the way that we want, we not only disrespect our fellow brothers and sisters by not going to them and trying to heal any divide that may be starting, but we are also widening that divide, turning others into our enemies without even realizing what we are doing.  And when we have these conversations, we are also able to see more options and we are able to grow together as a community.  Each of us experiences our life as a congregation in a different way, an each of us has different insights and different needs.  We come together as one community, as one family, as one body, and we seek to be the best that we possibly can be through our conversations and then acting, using the gifts that the Spirit has given to each of us.

            We are unified, we are unified in our hearts and our souls to love God and our neighbor.  We need to remember that connection when we talk with one another, we need to remember that each of us is doing our best in order to benefit the whole and we need to respect one another and this community when decisions are reached.  None of us will always get “our way,” and none of us should.  But the point is that we don’t need to get our way, what we need to do is strive to love God and our neighbors, both those close and those far away.  When we love, we are unified together in heart and soul.   When we are open to one another and speak honestly, we grow and we are able to do ministry better.  So conflict is not something to be avoided at all costs, and nor do we strive to create chaos with constant conflict, but open, honest discussion about our mission and our ministry is needed if we are to grow spiritually and in our ministry here in Columbiana.

            We do not exist in a monarchy, or even in a caste system.  Each of us here is a member of one body and each of us needs the help and prayers and support of one another. I as the pastor and our very capable members of council all need the help of each person in this congregation.  We need your prayers, that our decisions may be guided by the Spirit, we need your input on the ministry of this congregation, that we may see the ways in which we may grow, and I know that I need your help to know when and where I may be needed or wanted, whether it be someone in the hospital or someone needs some support.  None of us can function without this community of faith, without our family in Christ.

            Together, unified, we share the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who came into the world to free us from our Sin, to show us the will of God, and to promise us life eternal.  That is our purpose, to spread his message of love and mercy.  Not to have winners and losers, not to make ourselves the most profitable in town, not to gain glory by being the big fish in a small pond, but to spread the love and mercy of God, to not only experience God for ourselves but to help one another experience God as well, and to show those who have never seen God active in their lives how much God has cared for them before they were even born.  We are unified in love and mission, those are the things that guide our hearts and souls.  Through the Spirit we are granted great power, in order that we may glorify God in our words and our actions.  We are to honor God each day of our lives, through our ability to respectfully communicate with one another, and to strive together to serve God to the best of our abilities, allowing our conflicts to help us grow and learn instead of destroying the bonds with which God has tied us together as a community and family of faith.  Thanks be given to God, for empowering us and giving us the gift of one another.

Amen.

Easter 2012 - He Is Risen! And the Story Continues!

Easter Sunday, 2012

16When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ²And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” ⁸So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

                He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!  Today makes the day of new life for all people, for our God was dead, and laid in the tomb, and now he lives again!  For nothing is able to hold back God and His power is above all things, even the bonds of Sin and Death.

            One would think that with all this energy and joy, that the story of His resurrection would be more marvelous.  Instead we have Mary and Mary and Salome coming to the empty tomb, meeting a young man dressed in white, who in the story of Mark is most likely not an angel but rather that naked guy in Gethsemane that we heard about in the Passion readings last week, and after being told that Jesus is raised, the women run away.  No body is seen, no mystical beings, no nothing, just some scared women and a guy hanging out in a tomb.  And the women shouldn’t have even been there, since they had been told repeatedly that Jesus was going to be raised and to meet him in Galilee, but no instead they decide to go and prepare his already buried body for burial.  They are even wondering how they will even get to see the body, since there is a huge stone blocking the doorway, so it doesn’t make much sense that they are going without some help, but still they are doing what they think is best and are trying to show love to Jesus, for which should be applauded.  And then they run away from the tomb, telling nothing to anyone. 

            Of course, there have been efforts to change the ending to Mark throughout time, since it can be a bit unsettling.  When you go home, take a look at your Bibles and you will see that there are various endings to the book of Mark and today’s reading is the short ending, the one that is the most reliable.  But even in ancient days they were bewildered with this ending, especially since if the women didn’t tell anyone about what happened, how did it get written about?  Also, they didn’t like how it ended.  Our English Translation cleans it up a bit with “they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”  That’s pretty clear and understandable.  But in the Greek it’s “They said nothing to anyone, they were afraid for……”  That’s it, there is no reason given for their fear.  One could imagine they were afraid of zombies, as if Jesus was going to appear around the corner mumbling about brains, but they had been there when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter and they had heard him say numerous times that He was going to raise again after three days, so it should have been no surprise and certainly no fears of a zombie Jesus.  But yet they were afraid, because they had seen the amazing power of God.  It is one thing when Jesus goes around healing the sick and raising the dead, because one can see the power of God moving through someone else.  It is quite another when a person is raised or a miracle happens purely power the power of God, without anyone in between.  It can be even scarier when God tries to act through us as well, and that is what He is doing with the women who came to the tomb.

            God is acting through them to share his message of love and compassion, God is using them to be His mouthpiece, and they become afraid.  They are not alone.  Moses famously refused to do the talking when God asked him too, even after God promised to fill his mouth with words, to the point that Moses’ brother Aaron had to be the one to talk to Pharaoh and to the people, because Moses was afraid.  It can be scary to do the work of God, because often times God asks us to do things that we don’t feel have the strength to do or that might put at odds with our friends and our friends and out society.  Following Christ is not easy, in fact it can be downright frightening, but still we are called to follow and we pray for the strength required to do all that God asks of us. We pray for the strength to open our hearts to the needy, instead of closing them off due to our love of money and wealthy.  We pray for the strength to speak of God’s wonderful mercy and compassion, instead of closing it off out of fear of rejection and mockery.  We pray for the strength to serve others, instead of focusing on our own self indulgences.  We pray for the strength to forgive our enemies and to forget our grudges, instead of being filled with spite and burdened with ill will.  And we pray for the strength to accept God’s forgiveness freely, instead of trying to earn it and declaring ourselves worthy.

            And God gives it to us, He gives it all to us freely out of love for us, for God desires to care for all of His children and to empower all of us to do His will, in ways that we may have never imagined before.  Just as the women who went and saw the tomb were empowered, past their fears, to go and tell people about the wonder that God had done, in raising our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead, as they must have since we have the story, so are we empowered to proclaim to people how God has been active in our lives, how God has calmed our fears, given us strength, and lent us comfort.  We Lutherans are notoriously bad at sharing our faith and our relationship with God with other people.  We are much like the women, running as far as we can from our responsibility to share God’s love and mercy with others, instead focusing on our fears first.  What if people don’t want to hear what I have to say?  What if people make fun of me and call me a “Jesus Freak?”  We have a tendency to act ashamed of our faith, as if God is some bad word to utter in public.  But it’s not, and there are people hungering to hear not only He is Risen, but that We shall be Risen as well!  That is one of the greatest comforts that God gives.  We have already died to Sin in our baptisms, so when we die we are not permanently gone, but instead we are cared for by our loving God and that when he comes again we shall also be raised and be a part of the resurrection that Christ has experienced. 

            You see, the story did not end that Easter morning with the resurrection of Christ and the women running away.  It has continued all these years, through the centuries into today. We are all part of the story told to us in the scriptures.  The Spirit still moves within us, Christ is still here in the body and blood of our communion, and each of our faces is imprinted with the very image of God.  Christ still lives in each and every one of us, each of us an extension of the Gospel, the good news of the salvation given to us by God.  So this day we declare with a loud voice that He is Risen Indeed, we do so knowing that we are the body of Christ, we are the continuation of the story and we are joined in the resurrection, looking forward to the day when all of God’s creation will be restored and all may declare Jesus Christ our Risen Lord and King, who wipes away every tear and comforts every heart. 

Amen.