Advent: Will it be Chaotic or Calm?

Advent 1, Year C, 2015

Audio Version of Sermon

            Included in your weekly E-pistle was an article entitled “Seven Reasons to Ban the Lord’s Prayer.”  The title of the article is a little misleading as it was written by a bishop in England who is actually advocating for the public use of the Lord’s Prayer after it was announced that a 60 second commercial that recited the Lord’s Prayer would be banned from movie theater previews because it was thought that the prayer would be offensive to some. 

The article went on to name how counter-cultural the words of the Lord’s Prayer actually are.  Ultimately, the article talked about the seven ways in which our culture has already banned the Lord’s Prayer based on how we live our daily lives.  I’m not going to go in depth this morning but highly recommend the article.  This article was another reminder of just how counter-cultural the gospel of Christ actually is. 

I am especially mindful of the counter-cultural message of the gospel during this time of year as we gear up for Christmas.  The secular world is telling us that we need this and that and everything else to have a Merry Christmas while God is telling us that we already have everything we need and more in Christ.  The secular world is telling our kids that only the richest kids get the biggest and best gifts while God is telling us that he is making his love known most clearly to the poor and lonely and forgotten child.  

If we take seriously the counter-cultural message of the gospel, then we must take seriously the truth that at some point something has got to give.  At some point, the message of the gospel will shatter the false promises of the secular world.  At some point, the message of the gospel will force us to rethink how we have always operated in our daily living.  At some point, the message of the gospel will put us at odds with the ideas and values that our secular world has trained us to believe in.  At the end of the day, the truth of the gospel will collide with the false messages of our culture and create chaos.    

Our gospel lesson for this morning gives us that final and ultimate vision of what will happen when the gospel message and the message of the secular world collide.  Scripture says there will be distress among nations.  A modern day hearer of this scripture might do well to imagine 5 a.m. on Black Friday when the clerk at Belk unlocks the doors.  When this happens, there will be sheer pandemonium—no order, no direction—just complete and utter chaos.

(A fight in a Kentucky mall on Black Friday)

Scripture says this collision will cause people to faint from fear and foreboding.  All this chaos will happen when the Son of Man comes to establish his reign on earth.  Life as we know it will be completely turned upside down when God’s Son comes to rule the world. 

Jesus goes on to say that not only will chaos ensue but everything in this life will pass away—even heaven and earth will pass away.  Then he says, “but my words will never pass away.”  In the end, the only thing left standing is the promise of God’s Word—not our civilization, not our homes, not our communities, not even creation as we know it—only God’s Word will survive. 

Because of the cosmic nature of this lesson, it would be easy to distance ourselves from what is being said here.  Oh well, that isn’t going to happen on my watch!  It would be easy for some to get caught up in reading the signs in the sun and moon and stars.  There are plenty of Christians out there who have made it their life mission to predict the end times based on Jesus’ warnings in scripture. 

But I am not sure there are enough Christians out there who are taking seriously the last part of this passage, the part that says, be on guard, don’t let the anxieties of this life distract you from your true calling, be on guard, don’t let fear and foreboding rule your heart.   

So to help make this passage less cosmic and more personal I want to ask, “What would happen to your world if the Son of Man came to rule in your heart?”  What kind of chaos would ensue in your life if you let Christ direct all your doings?  What kind of things would fly out of your grip if you operated using only the love of Christ?  What kind of panic would ensue in your own world at the prospect of Christ ruling in your heart?

If this sermon was presented as an infomercial for a prescription drug, this would be the point when the fine print and the fast talking would take place.  Warning!  Following Jesus may not be for everyone especially those with serious heart problems. 

If you want to know more about following Jesus, talk to your spiritual director.  Tell your spiritual director about all the false idols you worship including sports, earthly leaders or values, drugs, alcohol, and even family members.    

Serious side effects may include but are not limited to being more interested in the needs of others than the needs of yourself, putting yourself in grave danger, being labeled as crazy by friends and family, and not getting everything you ever wanted in life.  Report any adverse side effects to God on a regular basis. 

Friends, letting the love of Christ rule your heart forces you to name seriously all the false promises and ideas that your heart has grown to follow over the years.  These false promises and ideas can be hard to detect because most of them are socially and culturally acceptable. 

But the good news is God in Christ has come to shatter the illusions we are often too blind to see.  The good news is God in Christ has come to show us a different way to live—a way that doesn’t depend on following false promises, a way that is everlasting, a way that can endure the destruction of life as we know it.   

At first, the shattering of these illusions might be a little startling.  Think about spring cleaning for a minute.  You look around the house and take inventory.  Everything looks decent enough but it could look a little better. 

You start by cleaning the couch.  You pick up on of the cushions and you see some peculiar items.  You pick one up and yell, “Hey, honey what’s this?”  You both take a hard look.  She says, “looks like a yellow crayon.”  You investigate further and discover it is a McDonald's French fry that has been preserved for over a year.      

You notice a dust bunny under your chest of drawers.  So you move it away from the wall.  Your daughter comes running in the room and points at the floor and says, “Mommy, Daddy, what’s thaaat?!”  You both sort of stare at the floor in disgust.  And your daughter blurts out, “It’s a gray blanket!  Let me put it on the bed!” 

The season of Advent is a little like spring cleaning in your spiritual life.  While the season of Advent is advertised as a quiet and peaceful season in the Church year, it starts out with a bang.  So as we begin this season, I want you to think about something St. Augustine said.  He said, our hearts are restless until they find rest in God. 

The season of Advent is first about discovering the restless nature of our heart.  Advent is about noticing the difference between our heart and the heart of Christ.  During the season of Advent, God is opening our eyes to see just how counter-cultural the message of the gospel is.  Advent is a time when we get to do a little spring cleaning. 

And the good news is that Advent prepares our hearts to receive the only gift that can make us truly satisfied in this life and the life to come.  I invite you, therefore, during the season of Advent to make known the counter-cultural message of the gospel so when Christ comes again the world may receive her King.  Amen.    

The King Who Inspires By Hope, Not Fear

The King Who Inspires By Hope, Not Fear

Christ the King, Last Pentecost, Year B, 2015

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            Today is the last Sunday of the Christian calendar and is appropriately marked by what is known as the Feast of Christ the King when we proclaim that God in Christ is the King of kings. 

(Christ the King Window at St. Paul's)

The celebration of this feast is a relatively new concept on the Christian calendar and was instituted by Pope Pious XI in 1925 during a period in world history when nationalism and secularism were on the rise.  In other words, Pope Pious XI noted that many people were pledging a higher allegiance to their country than to Christ who begs our ultimate allegiance.

            During the 1920s, the world saw the rise in power of Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany.  And worship of the almighty dollar eventually led to a Great Depression not only in the United States but around the world.  Ultimately, the worship of earthly rulers and the worship of false promises led to a time of terrible unrest in the world and eventually led to World War II.  So the Pope called Christians of all nations to remember who their true leader is in Christ the King.

            Our epistle lesson for today points to a time of civil and political unrest in Asia Minor as the Roman Empire continued its expansion in the 1^st century.  John of Patmos, the writer of Revelation, wrote this piece of scripture in a prison cell.  John was imprisoned for his worship of God in Christ and the letter he wrote was a message of hope that he received from God in a vision to the persecuted Church. 

            The first readers of this letter would have received the Book of Revelation as a breath of fresh air.  I know that is hard to believe given the terrifying images.  After all, the text says that the “tribes of this world will wail” at the sight of Christ the King.  But one biblical scholar points out, while the Book of Revelation is a terrible warning to the leaders of the world, it is good news to those who are being persecuted at the hands of the power hungry leaders of the world.

            Above all else, the Book of Revelation is a reminder to the persecuted Church to hold fast in their faith.  The book gives the Church the conviction to be bold in their worship of Christ even in the face of certain death by the rulers of the earth.  The book reminds the Church of who her true allegiance belongs to and that no other allegiance should trump her allegiance to Christ the King.

            In today’s gospel lesson, we see Jesus stand before a Roman governor because of charges brought against him by his own people.  The leaders of Jerusalem have been mounting a case against Jesus because of claims that say he is the Messiah or the King of the Jews.  Ultimately, the Temple leaders feel threatened by Jesus’ power as he has managed to attract quite a following. 

As we remember on Palm Sunday, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is marked by people cheering and waving palm branches as he arrives on a donkey.  Jesus is a threat to the corrupt Temple system and so the leaders in Jerusalem want to get rid of him and so they hand him over to the Roman authorities for execution.      

Today we see Pontius Pilate ask Jesus about the charges brought against him.  Through our earthly lens it would seem that Jesus is on trial here, but if we look again, it appears that Jesus is not only putting Pilate on the stand but also the entire world.  Jesus says, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.” 

            This statement from Jesus is a sobering reminder that those responsible for his death weren’t just the Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities but also his closest friends.  Jesus’ statement is a sobering reminder that all of humanity, even his closest followers are prone to worship the leaders and false promises of this world instead of the God of all truth.  Even Judas and Peter, two of the twelve, cannot escape this judgment of pledging allegiance to earthly leaders and ideals instead of worshiping Christ their true King. 

            I am deeply aware that our lessons for today feel especially heavy in light of recent events around the world, in our country, and in our state.  The world and our country are experiencing a time of great unrest.  At times, it seems as if we are on the brink of World War III.  I don’t mean to catastrophize things but there is no doubt that fear seems to have taken hold of our collective conscious. 

While fear is a natural human response to danger and fear can help us to be more prudent and sensible, fear also has the power to breed more violence and discrimination.  Worst of all, fear has the power to harden our hearts to the point where our only response can be one of more hatred and violence.

            Friends, if we are not careful, our hearts will be hardened by all the images and statements of violence and hate that are almost impossible to escape these days.  I hope you are paying special attention to your heart—take a break from the news, from social media or TV or the newspaper for a few days if you need to.  Even the best of us can fall victim to hardness of heart.    

But the news isn’t all bad.  There have been moments of grace over the last week.  One of the most powerful witnesses to grace came from the husband whose wife was killed in one of the attacks in Paris.  In the video, the man says to one of the terrorists, “You took the love of my life, the mother of my son, but you will not have my hatred.”

            He goes on to say, “If for God whom you kill so blindly made us in his image, each bullet in my wife’s body would have been a wound in His heart.  Therefore, I will not give you the gift of hatred.  You have sought my hatred but responding to it with anger would give in to the same ignorance that made you what you are.”  The man goes on to talk about how he will not live a life controlled by fear. 

            Friends, the biggest battle isn’t being waged with guns and bombs, the biggest battle isn’t being waged between politicians and political parties, the biggest battle isn’t even between the good and evil regimes of this world.  The biggest battle is going on in our hearts, in your heart.  Above all, our heart and soul are at the greatest risk of being eternally damaged by this hate and violence.    

            As your rector, I am not called to tell you what to think.  I am not called to get you to think like I think.  I don’t even think I am called to give you advice or at least not unsolicited advice.  Instead, my highest calling is to help you take care of your heart and soul. 

So.  How does all of this violence and hate weigh on your heart?  How is it affecting your daily life?  What kind of response have you noticed in yourself?  Where is that place in your life where you can go to rest in the peace of God?  How can God help you soften your heart so you can be a beacon of light in a dark world?

            As your rector, it is also my responsibility to tell you that worship can be this place where your heart and soul are renewed and refreshed by the hope given in God’s Word.  I invite you, therefore, to take seriously the highest calling of the Church and that calling is worship.  As the Church, the community of God’s faithful, worship is the most important thing we do.  Worship is where God heals and transforms our heart and soul. 

Worship is where our hearts are softened.  Worship is where anger and fear are transformed into compassion and hope.  Worship is where false values and allegiances come to die and where the ultimate truth of God’s goodness is made new in our lives. 

In our worship, we remember that Christ our King won’t be intimidated by any earthly ruler or power even in the face of certain death.  Christ our King shows the ultimate display of strength when he stares down even death. 

In worship, we remember that Christ our King takes on the full force of hatred and violence on the cross and on the third day we see this hatred and violence take on something new.  As Christians, we are given the faith to believe that God in Christ is making all things new—even the terrible reality of the worst kind of sin.    

In worship, we don’t simply come to sing and pray and listen to sermons.  We don’t simply come to participate in Holy Communion.  Yes, these things are vital to our worship, but above all we come to pledge our allegiance to God Almighty through praise and thanksgiving, we gather to remember who we belong to, we remember that we belong to Christ our King, we remember that we serve at his pleasure in all that we do and all that we say.

As Christians, our worship reminds us that it is Christ alone who shapes our response to sin and evil and not the media or politicians or rulers or even preachers.  Our worship of Christ, our true King and leader, is what shapes how we live and respond to a world that is too often controlled by brokenness and fear. 

Our worship of Christ the King who is risen from the dead sets us free from fear and allows us to live in a faith that believes love is stronger than hate, that love is even stronger than death, in a faith that believes that only goodness and love can transform this world, in a faith that believes Christ’s Kingdom is the only kingdom that will stand on the last day. 

Friends, Christ has set us free to love for Christ the King, in his death and his resurrection, shows us that love is the only power in this world that can drive out evil, love is the only power that can cast out the cosmic forces of evil, love is the only weapon than can defeat the evil powers of death, and love is the only thing that can set you free from hardness of heart.  Amen.  

To Paris, Syria, World: "Do Not Be Alarmed"

To Paris, Syria, World "Do Not Be Alarmed"

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Proper 28, Year B, 2015 - Readings    

In light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, I sat down last night to write a new sermon.  In case you were wondering, the first sermon I wrote for today touched on the Starbucks Coffee Cup controversy.  In a nutshell, people on the internet went crazy over a video of a California pastor who claimed that Starbucks has waged war on Christmas because this year’s cup didn’t include holiday themes such as Santa Claus and snowflakes like it has in years past. 

As you might imagine, the first sermon basically talked about how Christians have much bigger fish to fry when it comes to our Christian witness.  I talked about how there a many occasions for Christians to be bold in their witness to the love of God in Christ but fighting over a coffee cup wasn’t one of the those occasions.

This past weekend the terrorist group ISIS coordinated and executed attacks all over Paris that killed at least 127 people and left more than 100 critically injured.  The extremist Islamic group has been responsible for a number of other terror attacks in recent years including the on-going persecution of Christians in Syria.  So to say that Christians in America are worried over things like coffee cups is a slap in the face to Christians, non-Christians, and even Muslims who are being murdered because they don’t adhere to a very narrow and distorted definition of Islam. 

I was reflecting on this weekend’s attack with a parishioner on Saturday.  The comment was made that most major conflicts and wars in human history have happened in the name of religion.  Obviously, the current battle is being waged by jihadists who operate off of a narrow view Islam.  The ultimate goal of ISIS that is based on a perverted view of the Koran is to preserve God’s holy Word by going on the offensive to kill anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe. 

The world saw something similar to ISIS in the Nazi regime when Hitler murdered millions of Jews because they didn’t share his very narrow view of Christianity.  Even more, the middle ages saw the Church officially sanction war on non-Christians, mostly Muslims, in order to regain power and prosperity in the land.  We know this time in our history as the Crusades. 

I, of course, could go on, but I think you get the picture.  And one of the ultimate questions that must be asked is “What is religion good for anyway?”  One answer is to say that religion is absolutely good for nothing if it is used to kill innocent people in order to satisfy a narrow minded agenda.  But I am not going to stand here criticize religion because religion isn’t the problem. 

The selfish ambition of human hearts is the problem.  And this is the same problem that Jesus confronted in his own followers.  In today’s lesson, the disciples get their first glimpse of the holy city of Jerusalem, the site of some of the world’s most terrible religious battles that are fought even to this day.  As you know, Jerusalem is considered the home to three of the world’s major religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The disciples are struck by awe and wonder as they gaze at this magnificent city.  You might say they are licking their chops as they anticipate their leader, Jesus, take his proper place as the King of this city—even though Jesus has told them multiple times he is not the type of King they imagine.

 What the text doesn’t tell us is that the Jewish zealots are gearing up to wage war against the Roman Army.  You might consider these zealots an extremist group in the eyes of most Israelites.  The zealots believed that God wanted them to take down the Roman Empire by force and so they were mounting a crusade.  And like ISIS does to non-conforming Muslims, these zealots would murder any Jew who wasn’t on board with their plan.

In other words, the disciples were in a real predicament.  If they follow this Jesus guy into Jerusalem, they are very likely to be killed by the Jewish zealots.  On the other hand, if they split and go to war with the zealots, they will probably be killed by the Roman Army.  And as history tells us, the Roman Army did eventually defeat the zealots and the Jewish Temple was destroyed. 

In today’s lesson, Jesus seems to predict the destruction of this Temple.  He even goes as far to say that not stone will be left untouched.  This bold prediction obviously catches the disciples’ attention and so they ask their leader when they will know when this destruction will take place.  Jesus responds to their question in very uncertain terms as Jesus is prone to do.

Jesus says, there will be false prophets that try to lead you astray.  He says, there will be war and rumors of war.  He says, nation will rise against nation, there will be earthquakes and famine.  And then to top it off, he says, “do not be alarmed, the end is still to come, this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”  Well, if the disciples were just a little alarmed before, they are certainly on high alert now!

In case you missed it, Jesus says, “Do not be alarmed!”  How can Jesus say, “Do not be alarmed” when the entire world is falling apart?  What if Jesus were to stand in the streets of Paris and say, “Do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.”?

What if Jesus were to stand in halls of Columbine High School in the aftermath of that terrible school shooting?  What if Jesus were to stand on the beach where Syrian Christians faced execution?  What if Jesus were to stand on the beach in Normandy?  What if Jesus were to stand in Ward 9 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and say likewise?  “Do not be alarmed’ this must take place, but the end is still to come.”

Friends, as a preacher of God’s Word, I am convicted to say that Jesus does stand in all of places to offer a word of hope.  Jesus stands in the many hells of this world and says to his beloved, “Do not be alarmed.”  I want to be clear and say that Jesus is not offering these words as some nice platitude to make us feel better.  Jesus says this with authority because Jesus has literally been to hell and back.

Jesus was put to death not only by the enemy army but also by his own people.  Jesus not only experienced excruciating pain on the cross but also the worst pain anyone can ever know and that is complete isolation from the world.  Jesus knows intimately well the evil and destruction of this world.  Jesus knows very well the terror that the selfish-ambition of the human heart can wage on this world.  Jesus, the one true Temple that this world has ever seen, was put to death on the cross because of selfish-ambition disguised as “religion.” 

But Jesus also seems to know something that we as humans have a hard time trusting.  Jesus also knows that no amount of evil or suffering or death can separate us from the unending love of God.  And Jesus literally shows us the truth about God’s abiding love when he rises from the grave.  Jesus’ shows us the ultimate power of God’s love when he emerges from the tomb on the third day. 

As I have said before, Christianity is not some religion that makes all of our problems go away.  If Christianity was somehow the magic bulletin to solve global war and cancer and violence and disease and famine then we should have abandoned this faith long ago. 

Instead, the gift of Christianity is the gift of perseverance, the gift of endurance, the gift to know that even when hell does its worst, we can find the hope to believe Jesus when he says, “Do not be alarmed.”  Even the middle of the worst of humanity, Jesus stands to remind us that the suffering of the present time doesn’t compare to the beauty of God’s love.

                So what does all this mean for Christians today here in Alabama in light of a world that seems to be falling apart, and in light of this weekend’s terrorist attacks?  I believe it means we are called love even more and not just our neighbors but also our enemies.  As St. Vincent De Paul once said, “The uglier and the dirtier they will be, the more unjust and insulting, the more love you must give them love.”  After all, this is exactly what Jesus did for his beloved when he gave up his life on the cross for the life of the world.

                I hope you don’t hear me calling you to some abstract love.  I am talking about acting out the faith that God has already given you in Christ.  I am talking about loving others not so you might get something in return but loving because you know that showing love is the only thing that can change the human heart.  First and foremost, sharing the love of God is what will change your heart.

                I am talking volunteering at the food pantry not just because Jesus tells us to feed the hungry but so you can encounter the living Christ in those whom our world considers the least of these.  I am talking about volunteering at one of the Keep it Clean, Selma days not just so our streets will look a little cleaner but so that your heart and the heart of our city is transformed by goodness and mercy.

                I am talking about responding to insult and injury with an ear of understanding and compassion.  I am talking about loving others in your daily lives to the point where people start to notice and wonder if you are crazy.  After all, even Jesus’ followers thought he was crazy precisely because he loved the unlovable.

                And when people finally ask, “Why are you going to all this trouble to show love to someone who obviously isn’t deserving?”, you can say, “because this is the love that I have been shown through God in Christ who endlessly pursues me with his goodness and mercy.” 

                Friends, Jesus stands in our midst today and says, “Do not be alarmed.”  May you have the grace to go out into the world boldly and remind people everywhere that God’s love is stronger than even the worsts kinds of hell our world can come up with.  Amen.     

Article in Selma Times Journal

Selfie

Selfie

Proper 27, Year B, 2015

Audio Version of Sermon

            I am not going to lie.  The gospel lesson that we are presented with today strikes me as one of the most challenging that I have faced in quite some time.  I wanted to figure out how to make today’s lesson translate into a feel good sermon.  After all, the love of God is supposed to make you feel good, right? 

As a parent, I know that the way I express my love for Mary Katherine doesn’t always make her feel good.  Sometimes it makes her angry, sometimes it brings her to tears, and sometimes it brings her to throw things.  I hope you don't end up throwing something at me this morning!  At the end of the day I know that sometimes love is painful especially when love comes in the form of an admonishment or even a punishment. 

In today’s lesson, Jesus and his disciples watch as the people of the synagogue come forward to make their donation to the Temple.  Before they make it to the treasury, Jesus warns the disciples about the scribes who walk around flaunting the fact that they are important with their long robes and overt piety.  Jesus basically tells the disciples that looks can be deceiving.    

Jesus tells the disciples to beware because the scribes’ appearance have the power to distract them from the sad truth that the same system that the scribes benefit from is a system that ultimately takes advantage of the poor widow.  The system takes advantage of the most vulnerable.  In other words, the disciples should not be impressed by the scribes’ donation of large sums of money because that money only goes to keep the status quo of the community, a community where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. 

One might think that because the poor widow is taken advantage of through this system then she would have nothing to do with it.  However, a poor widow comes forward and makes her offering.  Jesus says, “the widow has put in more than all those contributing to the treasury.”  Jesus goes on to say, “all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” 

One might conclude that the poor widow is ignorant to the fact that she is giving to the same system that oppresses her.  However, the widow seems to have a faith in something more than earthly systems. But even then, one must wonder why she still gives?

At this point in the sermon, it would be easy to track how throughout history in all places and times the Church and the government have been responsible for creating systems where the poor are taken advantage of.  I could also talk about how some churches and governments have done a better job than others when it comes to providing equal opportunity for all—even the widow.  But we all know there isn’t a perfect earthly system out there. 

But I am not going to preach that sermon.  Not only do I think that kind of sermon would offer little fruit, but I also believe that is not the sermon Jesus wants me to preach.  I say this because that is not the sermon that Jesus preached either.

Instead, the sermon that Jesus’ is preaching today is a sermon that focuses on individual piety, on how your spiritual practices affect your relationship with God.  The most obvious contrast here is the fact that the scribes practice their piety openly while the poor widow’s piety goes unnoticed until Jesus points her out to the disciples.  In other words, Jesus is calling the disciples to look past outward appearances.  Jesus is telling us that what is on the inside is what matters.

Cultural experts are saying that we live in a “selfie” world.  For those of you who don’t know what a “selfie” is, it is when someone takes a picture of themselves usually with a Smart Phone.  And not only is the picture taken of themselves, the picture is then posted on social media for all their friends and even strangers to see.  Something called “selfie sticks” have even been invented and these sticks allow you to extend your arm to include more people in the “selfie.”  

    

(A "selfie" with Mary Katherine)

Now, I am not necessarily condemning the practice of taking “selfies.”  Rather, I want to highlight this practice as a symptom of a culture that is growing more engrossed with itself.  I want to highlight a culture that is growing more obsessed with one’s image.  I also want to note that this isn’t some new reality.  Humanity has always been obsessed with image but technology has given us the opportunity to take this perversion of self to a higher level. 

More to the point, we live in a world where outward appearances are paramount.  We live in a world where we are pressured to make sure we look our best on the outside no matter how screwed up we are on the inside.  Generally speaking, we live in the same world as the one where the scribes walked around with long flowing robes.

I don’t know about you, but I know what it is like to live in this world.  I know what it is like to make myself look like I have it put together on the outside when in reality I am screwed up on the inside.  I wonder if you know what that is like.  If you do, then I imagine you know how exhausting it is. 

The good news is that God has put people in my life who are more like the poor widow.  And some who are like the poor widow worship with us today.  I want to say thank you for your presence.  I want to say thank you for your faithfulness.  Above all, you remind me that Jesus is in our midst. 

The best news of all is that Jesus himself is saving us from this “selfie” world.  The one who became poor, the one who became vulnerable to the point of death came to make us rich.  He did not come to make us rich in this world.  Instead, he came to make us rich toward God.

Jesus is shattering the fallacy that existed in first century Palestine and the fallacy that still exists today that says that you have found favor with God if you are rich and powerful and if you are poor and lowly then that must mean God’s judgment is upon you.  But Jesus is saying something else.

Jesus says, “blessed are the poor.”  Jesus says this because the poor don’t have a “selfie” worth taking in our world.  In our world, the poor widow doesn’t make the top 100 list of most beautiful people.  In our world, the poor widow doesn’t even know what a “selfie stick” is.  And quite frankly, for the poor widow, a “selfie” doesn’t matter. 

While we can only speculate as to how the poor widow became a poor widow, the point is that the poor widow has found trust in something greater than herself.  The poor widow has been pushed to the point of desperation.  She has no other choice but to trust in God.

I wonder if you have ever been pushed to this point.  I know that you don’t have to be a poor widow to be pushed to the point of desperation.  I know in my life I have stared down the reality that all the stuff that I have to create my image could be taken away with the snap of a finger and what then?

I know that imagining this reality and living this reality is two very different things.  I don’t know what it is like to be a poor widow.  Whether or not you are the poor widow, God is calling all of us to live in a world where our image doesn’t depend on external appearances. 

Sooner or later we won’t have a choice.  In the gospel passage for next week, we will hear about how Jesus predicts the destruction of this corrupt Temple—not one stone will be left unturned.  The life of God in Christ will destroy the kingdoms of this world that take advantage of the poor and vulnerable.  The life of God in Christ will destroy the illusion that our identity depends on external appearances that our identity depends on a “selfie.”

As a people who believe in death and resurrection, the destruction of this Temple is good news.  The destruction of these kingdoms will pave the way for a world where the poor widow is the model of our faith.  The destruction of these kingdoms will push us to the point where the only image worth living for is the image of God in Christ.  Ultimately, this new kingdom will call us away from a world that hoists up selfie sticks into a world where the only thing that matters is living a life devoted to the one true King who came not to be served by to serve.

And the good news is that we don’t have to wait to live in this world.  The reign of Christ the King is now.  The kingdom of God is inaugurated in Christ.  And that same kingdom was made known to us in our baptism when we were set free from the old life of sin by God’s new life of grace, a grace found through the one who became poor so that we all might become rich toward God.

May you find the same grace that the poor widow found, the grace to trust that the giving of your money, your time, your talent, your entire being to the life of God in Christ is what will set you free from your obsession with yourself and your appearance.  May you have the grace to find your true identity in the image of Christ, in the image of the one who in his poverty gave all his riches for the life of the world.  Amen. 

  

HART Gallery

HART Gallery

All Saints’ Day

November 1, 2015

AUDIO VERSION OF SERMON HERE

            Today, on All Saints’ Day, our lectionary cycle turns our attention to one of the last images in scripture—one of my favorite images.  In particular, John of Patmos, the writer of Revelation presents his God given vision of the holy city, of the New Jerusalem and in pages to follow we are given a remarkable image of that new city.  After the service, I hope you will join us in Parker Hall where you will see how Jo Pate interpreted this incredible vision from John.  

            As I contemplate this image from Revelation, my mind causes me to remember all the detours it took for God to get us to this holy city.  This image is a reminder of how much God loves his creation and how far God is willing to go to make us citizens of the city that he first desired for us to live in at the beginning of creation when he made the heaven and earth.

I am going to defy the lectionary writers and take us to these opening verses of scripture.  In the first few verses of Genesis, we read about how the wind (or breath) of God sweeps over the face of the waters.  We read about how God divides the day from the night.  Ultimately, we see how the creative energy of God creates a world that God himself calls “very good.”

            At the end of the creation poem, God entrusts his creative force to those whom he made in his own image.  As Jo Pate reminded us in her stewardship talk last week, we are stewards of all that God has given us in his beautiful creation.  God calls us to tend the livestock and cultivate the land to bear good fruit.  God entrusts us to look after our neighbor especially the poor.  God calls us to use all that we have for the benefit of others and our community.  Ultimately, calls us to procreate. 

            I believe this call to procreate isn’t simply a call to have children.  This call to procreate is a call to realize that same creative energy that created us also flows through us.  The same energy that God used to create us is also available for us to use.  As image bearers of God, we have the power to reveal the beauty and love of God to the world.  This creative energy of God is literally in our DNA.  It is who we are.  It was how we were made.

            A few months ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Chattanooga.  During my visit, I visited an art gallery that is named HART Gallery.  The reason I knew about the gallery was because a friend from seminary hosts a weekly worship service there.  I was struck by the worship service not only because of the unique venue but also because the worshiping community included the mentally handicapped, the homeless, the blue collar worker, and even the millionaire.

            When I visited, I talked with the owner and was overwhelmed with joy when I heard how the gallery operates.  The gallery was first opened when this particular section of town was undergoing revitalization.  Traditionally, a lot of homeless and mentally handicapped lived in the area.  And for quite some time the owner would arrive at her gallery in the morning only to see that the building had been tagged by graffiti. 

            No matter how many times she called the police she would still come to work only to see more vandalism.  One day she mustered up the courage to go and talk to the people responsible.  One of her friends sarcastically remarked, “What are you going to do, take them a canvas?”  To that the owner replied, “That is exactly what I am going to do.”  So she took them a canvas and the rest is history—she no longer had to worry about graffiti on her building.

            The HART gallery is a gallery that exclusively sells the work of non-traditional artists.  In other words, the gallery sells the work of those who are mentally handicapped and/or homeless.  As an artist, this woman knew that the same energy that we use to destroy things is also used to create things.  So by giving these people a canvas, she helped these people channel their energy in a positive direction.  Imagine how life giving it is for these non-traditional artists to see their work as something of value to the world. 

(Artists at the HART Gallery)

            As we are also reminded of in the creation story, we as humans often use God’s energy to destroy instead of using God’s energy to create which was our original call.  As our Catechism states, “From the beginning, human beings have misused their freedom and made wrong choices.”  Adam and Eve disobey God.  Cain kills Abel.  And the story of humanity continues on that trajectory.  Ultimately, we are a people who are constantly putting ourselves in the place of God. 

            As our liturgy reminds us, God calls us back again and again to remember why we were made in the first place.  God puts up detour sign after detour sign in order to remind us where to go.  Again our Catechism says, we are made to “love, to create, to reason, and to live in harmony with creation and with God.”  And God reminds us of this truth by putting up a number of detour signs.

            After the Fall, God calls Israel to be a light to the nations.  God promises a great nation to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and from this great nation the world will know the beauty and power of God’s love.  But again, God’s people, Israel turn away from God and use their energy to destroy instead of to create.  They try to work from their own canvas.

            And then God calls the prophets to speak his truth.  To every King in the land God calls a prophet to speak the Word of God to the monarch.  But as Jesus says, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers.”  Again, the truth of God is rejected by the very people God chose to carry out the ongoing work of creation.

            Ultimately, God makes his truth known in the Word made flesh, Jesus, his Son.  The fullest revelation of God and his eternal truth is made known through Jesus of Nazareth.  Again, as our liturgy reminds us, in Christ we are delivered from evil and made worthy to stand before God.  In Christ, we are brought out of error into truth.  In Christ, we are brought out of sin into righteousness and ultimately out of death into life. 

            It is as if God is saying, “Look at Jesus.  This is who you are.  This is how I made you.”  And of course, when we look at Jesus we recognize how we have fallen short of God’s call.  We recognize that we often choose to live for ourselves (a destructive force) instead of living for God (a creative force).  But there is good news—there is always good news. 

In our baptism, we are reminded that even despite our sinfulness God calls us the same name as his only Son.  God calls us beloved sons and daughters.  God is reminding us that we were not created to destroy rather we were created to reveal the beauty and wonder of God’s creative and life-giving energy to the world. 

            Our Christian faith says that it takes knowing Jesus to fully understand who we are and why we were made.  You are the light of the world.  You are beloved sons and daughters of God.  You are called to love and show mercy.  You are called to servanthood.  You are called to proclaim the beauty and wonder of God and creation.  Ultimately, you are called to the work of God.

            And the good news is that God’s work is complete.  God has already given you a beautiful canvas to work from.  You don’t have to go out and create your own canvas.  You don’t have to use your energy on things that God never meant for you to use your energy on.  God has already given you your art gallery—just look around.  Your job is simply to highlight and celebrate the work that God has already completed in you and in the world. 

            Today, on All Saints’ Day, we not only remember the saints in light, but we also remember who God made us to be.  As saints of God, we are called to highlight and celebrate the beauty and wonder of life that is ultimately revealed through Christ.  As artists and musicians and teachers and farmers and clergy and volunteers and parents and friends and yes even bankers and lawyers, we all have the same job and that is to use God’s creative energy for the good of all creation.  

And as a people who are prone to choose destruction over creation, God is constantly giving us detours, God is constantly reminding us how to paint on his canvas by giving us Jesus as the focal point.  But even when we make a wrong turn, even when we paint outside the lines, the grace of God still shines through.  I don’t know if you have noticed but God is always using imperfect people to reveal his perfect world.  And the main reason God uses imperfect people is because imperfect people are all there are.

God’s many detours set us free from the path to destruction and ultimately takes us on a journey that leads us home, on a journey that leads us to the holy city of God where the only light and energy is comes from God himself.  We are taken on a journey where the only possible option is to use God’s energy for good and love and mercy.

On this All Saints’ Day, we celebrate not only those who have gone before but we also rejoice to give thanks for who God has called us to be.  God has called us to be image bearers of the light we know in Christ.  God has given us the ultimate reminder of this light through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son.  God has given us permanent citizenship in the holy city of God where we become fully the people God made us to be. 

Saints of God, God has handed you your canvas.  There is no way you can mess it up.  Your work will always be of value because the creative light of God shines through you.  And now as Jesus said to Lazarus, he says to you, “You have been set free to live!”  Amen.