The four freedoms of the Reformation!

Freedom

          Faced with the great Depression and hostile axis powers, President FDR gave his famed speech outlining Four freedoms:

Freedom of speech, Freedom to worship, Freedom from want, and Freedom from fear.

          And as we celebrate Martin Luther’s Reformation… we would do well to consider the four Freedoms of the Reformation
—a sort of restatement of the central points of our faith:
Freed by the Son,
Freed through faith,
freed for our neighbor,
and freed to follow Jesus!

The four freedoms of the Reformation.

Prayer

Freed by the Son, Freed through faith, freed for your neighbor, and freed to follow Jesus!

The four freedoms of the Reformation!

You are freed by the Son!
          We are saved by grace…
freed from the powers of Sin, Death, and the Devil
by God’s beloved Son Jesus and his actions on our behalf…

He is Emmanuel
—God with us,
he came down that we might have life
and have it with abundance.

He is the Crucified Christ
—with us to the end,
with us in even the worst experiences of our life!

He is Our Resurrected Lord
—bringing us with him
to the place where no mortal
may trod,
the very dwelling and very face
of God.

          All of this is a free gift for us
—making us right with God.
          You’ve been made right with God.

          When God looks at you,
God does not see any enmity,
see any division,
see any separation
—does not see where we’ve fallen short,
where our lives get cut short,
where we’ve been sorely tempted
—no!
God sees a Beloved Child
—sees Jesus when God looks at us!

The Son has made you free, you are free indeed!

 

You are Freed through Faith!
The Truth will make you free!

          “It’s unbelievable though!” you might say.
          “There has to be strings attached,” you may mumble.
          “That’s not how I’ve experienced the world to work,” you might rightly answer.

 

          And we do live in an If/then kind of world
—if you do X, then you’ll get Y.
A transactional world,
a world weighed down by sin, death, and the devil…

          And that’s why we continually need the reminder
in word and sacrament,
in confession and forgiveness,
in the community of the church
—whatever form She takes.

          The reminder that we find our rest in a because/therefor God.
—Because God has acted for you in Jesus Christ,
 therefore you are free indeed!

          The continual creation of faith
—the proclamation that
“The Truth will make you free!”

          That’s it! Truth!

          Grace is true.
God who has promised you new life in his son,
is trustworthy.
You can believe, with your whole self,
this salvation already given to you by the one who gave his whole self for you!
Have confidence that Christ is for you.

          A fellow seminarian, once a Pentecostal, now an ELCA Bishop, named her moment of being freed through faith this way:
Simply being looked in the eye and told:
“When you understand that God chose for you to be saved and that you did not choose your own salvation, then you’ll understand God’s amazing grace.”

          We’re saved through faith
—a confident trust in the trustworthiness of God.

 

You are Freed for your Neighbor
          You’ve already been made right, now what?
          God doesn’t need your works, but your neighbors do!

          The vertical relationship between God and humanity is already addressed,
now we can focus on the horizontal relationships with each other!

          We’re freed from a divided, zero-sum, way of living,
we can now multiply God’s blessings for all the earth!

          It’s all the cherry on top!
Every moment of our lives is a simple response to God’s unfailing love.

          Freed from all heaven storming ambition,
you can love your neighbor as yourself!

          To quote Luther:
“A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.
A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”

 

          You are Freed to Follow Jesus!
          Everything about how God acted in Jesus was rather astonishing
—the Christ on a cross,
the Son of God executed
by religious people and the political powers that be
—the conquering savior entering Jerusalem on a donkey,
not a warhorse
(Because the donkey… makes all the difference)
          God in the last place you would think to look!

          What an adventure, being his disciple,
being someone who gets to follow after Jesus!
Finding him
and following him,
wherever he may go
—the ever gracious surprise
and strange joy
that comes from following your savor!
Continuing in his word and in his truth
—truly you are his disciple!

 

The four freedoms of the Reformation!

Freed by the Son, Freed through faith, freed for your neighbor, and freed to follow Jesus!

A+A

Sermon: The Image of God

           “Jesus. Parking Lot. 11am.”

—this was the message on a church sign, where the sign guy was just done…
but when you think about it, it almost sounds like someone is challenging Jesus to a fight
—“Tony. Monkey bars. After school!”

          Challenging Jesus to a fight… that isn’t too far from the scene Matthew paints for us today.
We find him in that period between Palm Sunday and Good Friday,
continually confronted at the temple by the religious and political authorities of his day
—the Temple Elite, the Pharisees, their radicalized followers, and the Herodians, and eventually the Sadducees. All there itching for a fight.

          Jesus is squished between the radicalized disciples of the Pharisees
—likely a few knifemen among them,
and the Herodians, who sought the status quo over all else.
He is between anti-Roman zealots and well-heeled royal collaborators.

          They raise a gotcha question: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”

          Or to put it another way, “Hey Jesus! Are you a washed-up sell-out, or a dangerous revolutionary?”

          Jesus responds to this no win question with a very revealing question of his own, followed by an equally enticing answer
—a riddle to ponder that reveals our own compromised loyalties,
as well as the depths of our dignity and worth…

Let us pray

 

          Jesus’ essentially asks, “What’s in your wallet?”

          In their answer, the questioners give up their game, reveal that they,
unlike the crowd and Jesus Christ,
have pockets lined with Roman coin.
And more than that, they admit to the crowd that they are in the bag for the emperor
—after all they took a graven image into the temple square,
which hardly squares with the ways of God…

          Yes, this coin not only points to their social status, but also to their loyalty.

          Don’t believe that coins point to loyalty? try buying a sick of gum with Canadian quarters…
the queen doesn’t rule here, and neither did the emperor in the temple.

 

          Then, comes Jesus answer, “give to the emperor what is the emperor’s and to God what is God’s.” It painfully draws out all kinds of questions about loyalty. He’s asking:

“How far are you really going to go for this guy? This far off emperor?
Okay, Rome allows you to control the temple…
What about your heart, do you only follow it as far as the Emperor allows?
How about your soul?
How about your very self?”

 

          Because here’s the thing
—the image of God, the things of God, are etched into your very being.
You’ve read Genesis, right? You are made in God’s image…

          This means:
-you are coins of the Kingdom, your lives pointing to God’s reign among us.
-you are God’s dear people, graciously engraved with God’s love and care and very self, pointing to the goodness of God’s creation!
-your actions matter, your lives matter!
- your dignity and self-worth are NEVER in question, they’ve been there from the very beginning, since that moment when God declared you very good.

          Beloved friends, you matter so deeply to God!

          I know the fatigue of this year has warn us all down (some of you all, like that sign guy, have had a really rough week and are just done!) and it has battered us badly, but believe me, you belong to God, matter to God, are made in God’s image. A+A

Sermon: The Christ Hymn

 The Christ Hymn

          “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi.”
 Rather loosely translated: “the way we worship, is the way we believe, is the way we live.”

          I bring up this Christian principle
—because we find in Paul’s letter to the Philippians one of the earliest Christian hymns—likely commonly used in worship.

          He wants the people in Philippi to understand how they are to live together because of what they believe… and to do so he reminds them of The Christ Hymn—he points them to how they worship.

         It would be like, if I was writing a letter to a community that needs to know they are loved, and I just couldn’t give words to that reality
—and I was swept into that familiar song, “Jesus loves me this I know.”

(Play)—Prayer

 

“the way we worship, is the way we believe, is the way we live.”

 

The Way we Worship

          Paul sings a song about Jesus being so deeply in love with the world, that he would accept all humiliations,
to re-unite God and the Cosmos, the Creator and the Creation.

He gave up his grip on Godhood
So he would have no advantage.

Emptied himself of all except humanity,

Becoming Mortal
Showed us true servanthood
and true humility
Died a death like ours
Even an execution
alongside criminals.

 

And God lifted him up
Saw fit to offer him favor.
Gave him the name
at which all knees bow in honor
“Jesus is Lord”
the confession of every tongue
With this worship all worlds
—top to bottom
and everything in between
Give Glory to God!

          Paul is singing the whole story:
—Birthed in a manger,
washed his disciple’s feet,
crucified by Rome.
          The Whole story:
—Resurrected on the 3^rd day,
women find the empty tomb,
worshipped by the disciples,
ascended to the right hand of God.
He is our Resurrected Lord!

 

The Way we Worship is the way we Believe         

 

          Because we worship a Resurrected Lord who is exalted by his self-emptying…
we believe that the values he embodies ennoble us all
and we can trust his promises to us are true.

-We are all members of a common humanity… rivalries and schemes of supremacy are always suspect.
-Service of others is a sign of Godliness… so selfish ambition and boastfulness ought to be abandoned.
-The sick and dying are not neglected by God… their dignity and worth is never in question.
-When we look into the eyes of criminals, even capital cases—the image of God is still there!

          Believe and, trust, as well, that the Holy Spirit is at work, already active inside of you, enabling you to will and work for God’s good pleasure.

The way we worship, is the way we believe, is the way we live.

          Up to this point the whole thing is fairly academic… but what does all this look like in our daily lives? What does emptying and exultation look like?

          Perhaps it looks like the landlord who gives their renter leeway in the midst of the pandemic… for they are recognizing their common humanity.

          Perhaps it looks like grocery stockers who are putting in all that extra effort to ensure stores are safe… service is saintly.

          Perhaps it looks like Paul’s suffering and imprisoned and holding onto hope and humanity—after all he’s writing Philippians from jail…
—or it looks like our own suffering and sickness, our own captivity and imprisonment… and our own hope and dignity found in Christ and upheld by our siblings who seek justice.

          Perhaps it looks like a person struggling to discern the right path and following the gentle yearnings of their conscience and the promptings of the Spirit, even when it is hard… for they trust it is the Spirit’s doing.

 

The way we worship,
is the way we believe,
is the way we live.

He gave up his grip on Godhood
So he would have no advantage.

Emptied himself of all except humanity,

Becoming Mortal
Showed us true servanthood
and true humility
Died a death like ours
Even an execution
alongside criminals.

And God lifted him up
Saw fit to offer him favor.
Gave him the name
at which all knees bow in honor
“Jesus is Lord”
the confession of every tongue
With this worship all worlds
—top to bottom
and everything in between
Give Glory to God! A+A

Sermon: Forgiveness

               It feels like Peter often speaks for all of us:

              “Jesus, I get that forgiveness is important to the faith… the common wisdom is you forgive someone four times—in the Kingdom of God, should we nearly double it to the perfect number, seven?”

              To which Jesus responds, “77 times—essentially, unlimited forgiveness!” It is THAT important,
forgiveness can re-train the world, moving us from cycles of revenge and retaliation
to cycles of forgiveness and grace
—after all God never stops forgiving, we can at least try to mimic that generosity!

              After all—God pours out forgiveness so that our cup overflows;
consider the slave upon whom the king squanders his generosity
—10,000 talents of forgiveness
—10,000 the highest number you can count to in Greek
—literally a Myriad.

              But, when you make forgiveness into a check the box kind of thing,
 when you draw a line, 7 and no more
—you miss the difficult but majestic magic of forgiveness.
More than that, you become like this unforgiving slave,
you become miserly with mercy and you condemn yourself,
you imprison yourself in the sins of the past;
they are retained.

              Yes, if it is possible, ere on the side of grace, for we are all sinners looking for forgiveness.

… Perhaps this Parable doesn’t get you there, so consider too Joseph. How essential forgiveness was to his story.

Prayer

              Consider the escalation we see in Joseph’s story,
the revenge cycle in full bloom, forgiveness is what puts a stop to it!

              Joseph is his father’s favorite, and he uses that closeness to maligns his brothers to his father face.
They in turn can’t say a nice thing about him.

              Then he has these dreams where he is the most favored son of the whole world,
and brags about these dreams
—his brother’s jealousy grows,
even his parents become jealous of him.

 

              So, the other sons:
plot against him…
plan to kill him…
to sell him into slavery,
to lie to their father about him.

              Consequently:
 Joseph was enslaved and then imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit…

 

              And when the brothers come a calling, now in need, he starts with giving as good as he got, he begins by returning evil for evil.

-He hatches a plot, just as his brothers had.
-He lies about his identity and their own, just as his brothers had.
-He imprisons one of his brothers for a crime he didn’t commit,
/just as he was imprisoned on their account.
-He threatens to enslave his brother,
/just as he was enslaved because of them.
—but eventually, before it was too late (Killing?), he pulls back from the brink…

              He tearfully reveals who he is and forgives them, and then, after their father dies, he forgives them again, describing the magic of mercy he had experienced
“You intended to do me harm, but God intended good.”

              He had stopped himself in mid-revenge cycle…
perhaps Joseph realized how gracious and saving God had been to him:

-Though thrown in a pit, he did not die,
-though enslaved, he found freedom,
-though wrongly imprisoned, he found himself in a position of power
…more than that, a position from which he was able to blunt the effects of famine and save both his family and the wider world.

              Because he stepped back from the abyss of vengeance:
-he was reunited with his family,
-Jacob, his father, got to see his long lost son, and grandchildren he never knew he had…
-his father got to bless his whole family,
-the surrounding countries were able to have enough to eat for those 7 bad years.

 

              Not an easy thing, forgiveness;
as you may remember two Lents ago, we talked about the mechanics of forgiveness as presented by Archbishop Desmond Tutu: Tell your story, name the hurt, grant forgiveness, and then either release or renew the relationship…
it is not an simple process, but the alternative is a world predicated on tit-for-tat revenge.

              And friends, we are called to the Kingdom of God,
where God’s graciousness splashes out of our already filled cup
and transforms the world into world of forgiveness, kindness, and generosity.

A+A

The Law of Hate

          Friends, have you heard about the Law of Hate, the Law of Hate?

         From it spins out all kinds of ills
—betrayal, murder, theft, and greed
—it is on the anvil of hate that every commandment is broken, both tablets smashed to bits. 
It’s upon the anvil of hate that the links in the chain between sin and evil are forged for our imprisonment.

         The Law of Hate has but one goal—dividing neighbor from neighbor, transforming them into unrecognizable enemies.

         The Law of Hate makes no distinction between victim and perpetrator, sinner and the one sinned against
—no notice of the power dynamics at play…

         It starts so simply
—any fault you see, 
no matter how small, 
assume the worst, 
respond immediately and with bombast. 

Don’t go to the person whom it concerns, that might lead to reconciliation
—no, instead publicly humiliate them, 
point out their fault and sin to as many people as possible…

         This will breed conflict… 
whatever you do, don’t back down, 
don’t stop, keep at it. 
There will likely be off-ramps offered, 
an olive branch extended
keep your foot on the gas no matter what!
Push every button, do everything to embarrass and escalate, until you are both bound to hell, 
until not a single word you breath to one another is in agreement, 
truly, if you do so, Christ will never be among us.

That is the Law of Hate.

Let us pray

 

         I admit, my description of the Law of Hate is rather stark, perhaps even overly dramatic
—I do this not to shock, but to make clear that love matters… 
love especially matters now
—in this particular time.

         In this particular time of Pandemic, we need a law of love that looks out for our neighbors who are most vulnerable and keeps them safe.

         In this particular time of ongoing racial unrest, we need a law of love that, at minimum, blunts the burden and trauma inflicted upon black lives.

…      In this particular time too, God help us… this world…
I have to confess to you all that last week I felt like I fell short for you all
—I didn’t have words for the shadow of partisan street battles and political murders in Portland, Oregon and Kenosha, Wisconsin cast over our Sunday
—truly it is unbelievable
—like something you’d find in Dante’s Florence…
I still don’t know what to say to this particular time, beyond that such things are antithetical to the Law of Love that Paul points to and Christ calls us to embody as a community.

We need a law of love!

         Imagine a world where Love of neighbor is deemed necessary, 
a world where we truly listen to each other, 
a world where the Lord is present
–that’s who God is making us through his son Jesus Christ.

         

         Imagine the Biblical witness found from Deuteronomy through the Gospels to Paul and even James the entire law is summed up: “Love God, love neighbor”
—imagine a world where the center of the Law of God is embraced… truly it would be transformative!

 

         Imagine if we listened with humble ears, and really heard each other. 
Where the goal is to listen, not lie against a neighbor. 
-Imagine if our goal was to protect the vulnerable and redeem the sinner
—redemption, not destruction, the restoration of community, called into community. 
A community where all are safe, and hostility and neutrality are replaced with kindness and care.

 

         Imagine a world where we govern our lives in such a way that it is clear that the Lord is present,
that we are clothed with him.
That we love each other and in that love Christ is seen! 

-Imagine, living out the Law of Love in these times that seem to be dictated by the Law of Hate! A+A

Location, Location, Location

          Peter’s confession… a story long picked apart on account of questions of authority. A point of contention between Catholics and Protestants.

         The former emphasizes Peter, the latter emphasize confession.

 

         Peter—Rocky, his nickname
Peter—that sinking rock saved by Jesus’ intervention on the stormy sea.
Peter—like a bird’s dead weight tumbling off of a skyscraper, 
passing window after window after window, 
only to outstretched its wings, 
the last second curve to horizontal flight.
Peter—master of the two steps forward one step back dance of discipleship
—his confession the culmination of his travels with Jesus, all of it, the meaning of Jesus, revealed to Peter by God.

         Peter, this sinking rock who also soars on account of the Spirit’s revelation and the graciousness of his Lord and his God.

 

         His confession, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
-A prophet, but more than a prophet, be it John, Jeremiah, Elijah or someone similar.
-The Anointed, the one marked and called to redeem the people, to save them. The King of the Kingdom of Heaven.
-The Revelation of God; when you see the Son, you see the Father also. This truth announced at the Jordon River when Jesus was baptized.

         You are the Messiah, the Son of God.

 

         Yes, confession and person, the two parts of Peter’s confession…

         But, what centuries of commentators, Catholic and Protestant alike, did not focus on is something any real estate agent knows well: Location, Location, Location.

Let us pray

 

Location, Location, Location.

         Peter makes his famed confession: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God,” in a location that emphasizes every word of that confession. Caesarea Philippi.

         Caesarea Philippi. An underground spring, the source of the Jordon River
—the source of the water of Christ’s baptism… 
the medium by which God proclaims, “This is my beloved Son, in him I am well pleased.” 
Upon that rock, will the Church be founded and bubble up and out unto all the earth.

         Caesarea Philippi—the cave and spring long dedicated to pagan practices.
There was founded a temple to Pan and later to a whole pagan pantheon, and eventually a place to participate in Emperor worship.
Upon that rock, is revealed the Son of God!

         Caesarea Philippi—named for Caesar in Rome and the Tetrarch Philip—son of Herod. 
Named for other Lords, small lords and mini-messiah—other Kings than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 
Upon this rock the Kingdom of Heaven is founded.

         Caesarea Philippi—An economic and administrative hub of Rome, 
a center of imperial power… 
and the place to which the Roman legions who leveled Jerusalem returned to celebrate their victory over the Jews.
Upon this rock the Prince of Peace who rides a donkey, not a war horse, is confessed to be Christ.

 

         Location, Location, Location.

         Caesarea Philippi frames and pinpoints the point of Peter’s confession and the nature of the Church founded upon it.

         It is not a bloodless proclamation, but a bold one; 
not a compromised Church, but a challenging one.

         Faced with false idols, little lords, and violence of all sorts—we are a people like Peter, following after the Lord and God revealed in Jesus.

 

         And today, just as then, located in strange times and a particular place, let us continue to Proclaim the Gospel and Be the Church.

         A+A

Do you really mean it, Jesus?

 

Do you really mean it, Jesus?

 

          Do you really mean it, Jesus? All those ancient prophecies, putting us on equal footing in the face of God.

          The ideals of old Isaiah, wrapping us all in God’s soft blanket of care and delivering us to the door
—everyone who was in Exile, welcomed home
—Judahites, yes, but Ammonites and Moabites as well!
Assurites, Akkadians, Egyptians, Cyprians, Sidonese and all the residents of the Syro-Hittite city states
—all of them… all of us,
Joining together in worship,
Bound together in love and community,
covenant and keeping of the commandments.

          The Judahites returned to Jerusalem after a generation,
opening up the long locked door and saying, “Hey look, we brought along some friends!”

          Isaiah imagines a highway from world center to world center
—Egypt to Babylon, with all roads leading to Jerusalem.

          Similarly, Isaiah writes of a river running through the heart of the city of God, bringing all people in
—into covenant and community.

          The ideals of your prophets… Do you really mean it, Jesus?

 

          Do you really mean it, Jesus? Bread enough, and some to spare?

          You’ve been, after all, obsessed with bread
—Bread in parables,
bread multiplied,
bread as metaphor spoken by the Messiah,
words hid and then explained to his Disciples
—bread enough.

          Do you really mean it? Because, if you do, then listen to me when I ask for help…
Listen to me when I bring my daughter and her demons to you.
Listen to me when I ask, I ask only for crumbs.

          Do you really mean it, Jesus?

 

          Jesus, do you really mean it? Is there enough holiness to go around?

          Does defilement come from within or without? What about blessings, do they work the same way?
If belonging to the community of God is not predicated on perfect purity, but what proceeds from the heart
—then you gotta hear me out!

          I believe you are displacing defilement with holiness
—your presence, O Savior, Sanctifies…
isn’t that what your Kingdom of God is all about, Jesus
the ongoing, rolling expansion of the reign of God
—the presence of God is experienced when you are with us
—so… do you really mean it, Jesus?
Are you with us? Will you be with us? Oh Lord, Son of David, Shepherd of the lost sheep,
seek me too—bring me in as well, accept this daughter as your own!

          Jesus, do you really mean it?

 

          Do you really mean it, Jesus? That I have faith enough.

          I guess, what I’m really asking is, do you hear me when I ask, when I plead.
Are you faithful?
Do I gotta push you to fulfill your promises, to keep the faith?

          Or perhaps, this pushing,
this hustling for healing and kneeling and praying for care,
is a type of faith
—the only faith we got, even.

          Perhaps Luther is right
—prayer is rubbing God’s promises is God’s ears
—reminding you continually of your faithful promises, and in so doing
transforming my own faith,
allowing me to trust in you…

          A faith that you eventually recognize
—you look and you say something you didn’t even say of your disciples, with their little faith
—you say, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”

          O’ Jesus, sweet savior of mine—do you really mean it?

 

          You do really mean it
—The promises of the prophets hold enough water.
The bread of life… it isn’t limited—there is enough.
The Holiness of God, there is enough to go around!
The deep yearning faith is enough, and God is trustworthy.

A+A

A few Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Podcasts

So, I've been thinking about equipping people for the faith in dispersed times such as these. When I spent a year over in England through Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM), the ELCA sent CDs of the radio program Faith Matters to us. It was a lifeline while being far away. 

Perhaps, I thought, Faith Matters matters more than ever during the Pandemic... well, as it turns out Faith Matters no longer exists. But, there are some other ELCA podcasts out there.

Here are a few:

Audio Issues of Living Lutheran

Lutheran Outdoor Ministries

Lit Liturgy

Two Bald Pastors Podcast

The Church Basement

Central Lutheran’s Podcast

Stumbling Block

Imagine the meal

Imagine the meal

 

         Can you imagine that meal, there in that deserted, and then filled, place.

         That wilderness where Jesus goes to grieve. 
To be alone and mourn the death of John.

         That place, where his mourning is met with 5,000 men
—and probably four times that many people, when you count women and children
—20,000, each in their own deserted places, 
their own sufferings 
and their own sicknesses…

         That place where Jesus takes his sorrow, 
and transforms it into compassion.

         Imagine that meal… 
Jesus had been telling parables of the Kingdom
—telling stories about the Kingdom of Heaven, 
the Rule of God 
telling them with his lips, 
and now, he shows the 20,000 the Kingdom of Heaven.

         The Kingdom of Heaven is (to be clear, not a parable, not is like… but simply is!) 
The Kingdom of Heaven is 
one man’s heavy heart/ becoming healing for the many.
         Christ’s mourning/ turning into recovery for the crowd.

         The Rule of God is
 Disciples claiming they got nothin’
—and Jesus showing them they got something.
The Disciples insisting “there is no free lunch,” 
Jesus saying “yes there is.”

         The Kingdom is 
a meager five loaves and two fishes, blessed, broken, shared…
Shared among 5,000
—shared among many more, 20,000
—whole multitudes fed with manna in the desert
—fishes and bread enough for everyone. 
Enough, even, so that there is an abundance of leftovers!

 

         Imagine too, the meal immediately before the feeding of the 5,000+.

This meal was the opposite of Christ’s meal, 

This meal was the opposite of the Rule of God.

         Such a tense meal, everyone on eggshells at Herod’s table. That was always the way there, 
because there was always a chance he would make you suffer or die for him, 
at Herod’s table.

         At this meal, in particular, Herod was especially brittle; criticized by John, he’d had John jailed. 
At this party, 
to prove he was still in control, 
prove that all the power was in his hands, 
he offered his step-daughter anything
—he does this to remind everyone he is king, he can get anything!

         And with that, he gets got. His family forced his hand, 
so he had to save face, 
by removing John’s head 
… so, at Herod’s table, John’s life ends in a grotesque execution. 

But, not satisfied with doing the deed, Herod shows off, he brings the Baptist’s head to the buffet; the Prophet’s head is placed among the Hors d’oeuvres. Imagine that meal.

 

         Imagine, again, that meal… Jesus’ second course
—repeating today’s gospel.
         Having crossed over the Sea of Galilee—Jesus is met by another crowd. 
Moved, again, by compassion, to gather together the disciples’ light offering of bread and fish, to feed in this case 4,000 men
—4,000 plus, right! 
Imagine sharing bread with Jesus, and there is always enough. Imagine that meal of abundance with Jesus.

 

         Imagine the meal, at the end. Imagine the meal up in Jerusalem
—The meal after the betrayal but before the arrest
—that meal that transcends time. 
The last supper.

 

         Bread, again, 
blessed again, 
broken again. 
Cup shared.

 

         A meal of his very life
—he will suffer and die, for you
—his blood, his body, given! 

He releases any power he has in his hands to his beloved Father.

         Remember, at Herod’s table, John’s head, John’s life, was taken, Herod’s power gripped with manic and obsessive hands
—Jesus’ life however, is offered to his disciples as a new Passover meal. 
This meal the capstone of his ministry and the prelude to his passion.

 Imagine that meal!

The Kingdom of Heaven is like

The Kingdom of Heaven is like

            Part of Jesus’ spiritual genius comes from his use of parables, these short, simple, stories that stick. You hear them, and you’re hooked. They begin to weave into your heart and capture your imagination. They sit with you as your subconscious works on them, and they on your life—you chew on them, until they begin to chew on you. 

            Some spots in scripture get used as proof texts, not so parables—instead they are truth texts, they speak truth into being.

Let us pray.

            Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like… a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

            The Kingdom of heaven is like… an apple seed planted in a soil packed toilet paper roll by a grandma and grandson as a science experiment for school. The seed sprouted and grew, and eventually they planted it outside, where it grew still more, and look, it provides shade on these hot days and tart green apples for all who hunger!

            Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like… yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

            The Kingdom of heaven is like… a family who watched a YouTube video about creating a sour dough starter. One night, the daughter snuck into the kitchen and took a pinch of it from the mason jar and hid that little bit in 50 pounds of flour… The family spent the next two days baking—it was enough bread for the entire block and then some to spare!

            “The kingdom of heaven is like… treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 

 

            The Kingdom of heaven is like… a scientist rushing out the door for a two week vacation, and leaving his lab a mess. When he returned he found one of his petri dishes fuzzy with mold, and upon closer inspection, he discovered the mold had destroyed the bacteria that causes a staph infection. From this discovery came penicillin, and most other antibiotics we use to this day.

            “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like… a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 

            The Kingdom of heaven is like… a virologist, who came out of retirement because she had an idea for how to treat the virus, and to her nothing else mattered. She moved to Atlanta to be closer to the CDC, she moved into a Motel 6 room just off site, and sought nothing but a cure. And, after much searching and great sacrifice, she found it.

            “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like… a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

            The Kingdom of heaven is like… an ax working its way through a forest filled with trees of every kind. The lumberjack separated out trees that were good for building and trees that were good for kindling. So too, it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate evil from good, and in the end all shall be made right.

            “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

            Echoing Jesus’ words to the disciples, my challenge to you this week, is to let his parables rumble around in you, be curious about the world around you, and, when it strikes you, re-tell one of Jesus’ parables—re-mix Jesus words in such a way that they speak to today. A+A

The Impatient Gardener

The Impatient Gardener

         Have you heard the one about the impatient gardener?

         He watched as the Planter scattered seeds, and some landed in good soil, which became a gracious gift; he was given a garden to tend and care for.

         Tending the garden was the his most joyous job, 
a vocation that felt like a vacation, 
a hobby even if it could have been called a chore.

         Watering the good ground, watching, waiting, 
waiting for those tender shoots to push up out of the dark & nourishing soil.

         And then, as he watched, he saw the shoots… there was something strange
—yes, some of them were fruitful, 
but others had false flowers
—they were weeds!

         So, he rushed to the Planter, and asked, “Did you do it wrong? Did you plan poison, instead of plenty?”

         “No,” replied the Planter, “An enemy has done this!”

         “I will tear it all out! I’ll weed so well not a single tare will remain!”

         “No,” the Planter again replied, “Such a thing will destroy all the good I have done. Instead, let both grow, and by the end we will have a bundle of kindling and a barn full of wheat. What was intended for evil, we can redeem. Wait for redemption.”

         And so he did. And it was hard, perhaps the hardest thing he’d ever done. 
It was the longest growing season he’d ever lived through. 
So hard for this poor gardener, this poor impatient gardener, unable to do what was needed… 
a painful season of waiting.
Impatience built up, 
filling him like a balloon, 
until he nearly hit the ceiling and popped.

         And this Impatient Gardener is not alone.

Prayer

 

         He is not alone, there are so many impatient gardeners among us.

         Creation itself is one. Creation cranes its neck out to see the first signs of the new creation, 
the revelation of God’s resurrection people
—for the universe itself is bound to entropy: that is, things fall apart unless energy is expended to keep it together
—but the universe also intuits that the bonds of entropy will be broken and all that is, seen and unseen, with find freedom in the resurrection—a world held together not by work but by love. 
Creation waits impatiently for a glimpse of new creation.

         We, who are to be a sign of God’s re-creation of the universe, 
we wait for the Spirit’s signature on our adoption papers
—wait as we cry out “Abba! Father!” 
our elongated shout sharing the truth of our connection to Jesus, and through him our Heavenly Father.
That ongoing shout, doesn’t it leave you breathless?!?

         Groaning as well
—every time we are confronted afresh with the world as it is, 
and we know in the depths of our souls that it does not measure up to the world as it should be
—that profound disconnect, it is the sound of that new world being born! 
The tension and trauma of this in-between time… 
yes, adoption and birth
—both processes that take time and are rich soil for impatience. 
Both processes that describe our ongoing journey with Jesus until the end.

 

Impatient…

         Impatient, I know, for worship to be in-person, no longer mediated by screens, and able to receive the Lord’s Supper.

         Impatient too, all of us
—desperate for things to just get back to normal, 
no more Pandemic, no more fear, no more constriction and constraint on account of Covid. 
Impatient for a time when we don’t have to think and re-think even basic stuff to make sure it is safe:
like going to the grocery store or into the office… 
or even plan something as overwhelming as a return to school
—God help the teachers.

         Impatient as well—that things don’t get back to normal, 
because normal wasn’t really cutting it…
For so many, the Pandemic exposed the tenuous lives they were already living. 
-37 million, 11 million of them children, were going to bed hungry every night here in America, even before their ranks were swollen by Coronavirus job losses.
For so many, the recent shift in public opinion that has brought Black Lives Matter into the mainstream, missed too many black lives that also mattered, but the time wasn’t right. 
-Yes Floyd, Arbary, and Taylor… but what about Philando Castile, Tamar Rice, and Atatiana Jefferson.

 

         The Impatient Gardener has so many companions. 

         So many seeking the revelation of the Children of the Kingdom
—the promised redemption, 
and are stuck with Children of all sorts, good and evil, roots entangled. 
Forced to let them alone, for wheat and weeds are inextricably linked and often mistaken for one another.
Wheat and Weed will only be fully understood, fully known, at the end, in this mixed-up garden of a world we are planted in.

         Yet, within it all, may there still be hope.

         As the recently departed Civil Rights Leader John Lewis, 
no stranger to the brutalizing fruits of evil and the glorious fruits of goodness, 
As he wrote not too long ago:

          "Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble."

         Yes, the tension between wheat and weed pulls at all of creation,
 it pulls at our very core threatening to spin us out of ourselves with its dual centrifugal forces, 
an impatience for the harvest.

         Yes, the long and slow process of seed geminating and growing into something new 
it is a struggle
—the transformation, the purification, like fire even, is uncomfortable
—becoming fruitful hurts! 
But it is a necessary trouble.

         All of this, 
the fire that purifies and reveals… 
reveals the Son’s righteousness, 
A righteousness that shines like the sun in the Kingdom of our Father. 
The redemption of our God.

         Have you heard the one about the impatient gardener? If so, let anyone who has ears, listen. Amen.