Jonah, a Whale of a Story

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                Before us is

Before us is the story of Jonah, a reluctant, unwilling, prophet of God.  He does not go out with the boldness of Peter, but is rather much more like Saul the persecutor of the early Christian community.  He does not pray to God for strength to carry out God’s mission, he does just the opposite and actually flees from God.  But God gets him to do God’s work anyway.  It is a story that many of us have heard from Sunday School or Vacation Bible School several times over.  “Jonah and the Whale” was what we were taught, but now it is “Jonah and the Big Fish.”  God wants to go one way and Jonah the other.  God finally wins out in the end with an ending that makes Jonah unhappy.  What can we learn from Jonah?

 “The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time.” We know what happened the first time. God said, “Get up and go to Ninevah … and Jonah got up and ran away towards Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.”

He doesn’t leave what he’s doing and immediately follow God’s call. He jumps on the first boat going in the opposite direction and hides in the hold of the ship, hoping that somehow God won’t take notice. If compared to Jesus’ core disciples, it’s as if they, upon encountering Jesus, jumped into their fishing boats and rowed like madmen for the opposite shore, as far away from this dangerous itinerant preacher as they could get.

Jonah did just that, trying to get as far away from the LORD, and the LORD’s bizarre instructions, as he could get. Go to Nineveh? The capital of the Assyrian Empire, that destroyer of Israel, that brutal occupying force. It was unthinkable.

After Jonah runs away, God sends a storm. The sailors of the boat are more pious than Jonah, but they eventually they reluctantly throw Jonah overboard. The sea calms down immediately, and Jonah is swallowed by a big fish.

Jonah, totally surrounded by sea water and fish blubber, pleads to God: “You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me.” The sea in the ancient Near East, of course, is the symbol of chaos, of danger, of wildness. But even in the heart of the seas, God hears Jonah’s prayer. God speaks to the great fish, and the fish spews him out onto dry land.

That’s where we enter the story. “The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, “Get up and go to Ninevah, that great city.” And, this time, still covered in sea water and fish regurgitation, Jonah obeys. He walks into the city, one day’s journey, and preaches the shortest sermon ever recorded:

It’s a sermon of just five words in Hebrew -- “Forty days more, and Nineveh will be overthrown!”

The response is electric. Immediately, the people of Nineveh believe God, and here’s where the humor of this story builds. The people declare a fast. The king, not to be outdone, orders human and animal alike to fast and put on sackcloth. Then all those sackcloth-covered cows and sheep and people bellow out their repentance to God, and God’s mind is changed about the punishment, and does not bring it about.

We would think Jonah would be ecstatic. After all, he’s the only really successful prophet in the whole Bible. He has brought about a mass conversion of which even Billy Graham would be jealous. Every inhabitant of the city, human and animal alike, has come forward for the altar call. Jonah should be ecstatic.

But Jonah is not ecstatic in any sense of the word. Jonah is madder than mad. “Ah, LORD, is this not what I said would happen when I was still in my own territory? That’s why I fled to Tarshish in the first place. Because I know that you are a God who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.”

Jonah, of course, is quoting the LORD’s own self-description (from Exodus 34:6) a description taken up by prophets and psalmists throughout Israel’s history to remind God of God’s own nature. But in Jonah’s mouth, it is an accusation: You, God, are gracious and merciful. I KNEW this would happen! I declared your judgment on this sinful city, and you changed your mind!

Here’s the thing, you see, this is what all of us have found out about following the call of God in and through the waters: God is God and does not act as we think the Almighty should act. In good faith, we follow where we hear God’s call, we go to the city, or the suburb, or to small town and rural America, and we are prepared to bring God’s word to that place, and what we find is that God is already there before us. We find that no people, and no place, not even Nineveh, can properly be called God-forsaken.

Often, of course, that lesson is hard to learn. A story I read comes to mind.  “A friend of mine whose first call was in a small-town parish. The council president in that parish was a very, very difficult woman who tried to sabotage him at every turn. He tried, he really did. He prayed for her. He visited her and attempted to reconcile with her. He prayed and prayed, and finally one day he started singing (to the tune of “Bind Us Together, Lord”): “Bind her and gag her, Lord, bind her and gag her with cords that cannot be broken …” It is a prayer Jonah himself might have prayed. 

Think now, if you will, of a person that you find difficult to love. (Now, I am not talking about an abusive situation.) Think about someone that you find irritating or annoying, someone you find difficult to be around.  They may hold values that you don’t hold.  Or perhaps those conflicting values are the cause of disagreements.  We all have that one person who is a challenge to us, that one person who throws us off to where we don’t know how to respond. But how do we treat someone like this with dignity and respect? There are no easy answers.  Sometimes it involves the slow process of getting to know that person and that person’s understanding of the world.  Certainly, praying about it and consulting others would also be of help.  Lastly, it facilitates the process if we remember that we are no better or worse than the person with whom we have a conflict.  Apologizing and forgiveness may also be in order to smooth out a relationship.

God indeed loves us.  That is also a message that we have been given several times.  However, we still have that tendency to draw some kind of line between us and them.  With God, there are no sides.  The same God who gave Jonah a second chance gives the people of Nineveh a second chance, and we can’t begrudge that kind of mercy. God gives all of us a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance and ad infinitum. This God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, a God we know most fully in Jesus Christ. Jesus is our supreme model for our behavior towards others.

And that, my friends, is certainly a Gospel story worth preaching and teaching among all people everywhere.

Do you Walk away from Suffering?

PassionSundayAPsalm31

Exegesis: Psalm 31 is one of three psalms that appear prominently in the story of Jesus’ passion.

In the minds of the Gospel writers, this psalm along with Psalms 22 and 69, seems to have expressed better than any other passages the nature of Jesus’ suffering and his emotional turmoil while being rejected, betrayed, and crucified.

Psalm 31 appears explicitly only one time in the gospel writings, in Luke 23:46 when Jesus quotes verse 5a, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” The psalm is a prayer by one who suffers unjustly and in that suffering, puts complete trust in God.

Psalm 31 has both of these elements, and each is employed to full effect. These two elements go hand in hand, as the cry for help arises out of a place or state of deep need, and at the same time out of a sense or state of deep trust.

The complaint portion of this psalm elucidates a place in which there is “terror all around!” (verse 13). The source of this terror is the physical distress of the psalmist, and the feeling that “I am an object of scorn, dread, and the plotting of my enemies.” The call for help emerges first from the psalmist’s “distress,” “grief,” “sorrow,” and miserable sighing (verse 10). This deep emotional distress manifests itself in physical suffering: “my eye wastes…my soul and body also…my strength fails…my bones waste away.” And second, the call for help is uttered over the voices of those who see the psalmist’s misery, speak scornfully of the psalmist, and have begun to scheme against the psalmist.

Trust, which balances this cry for help is simple, yet profound. “You are my God,” and “My times are in your hand….”

There was much suffering during the time that the psalms were composed.  These sufferings were the raw material that inspired the writing of the psalms and their use in temple worship.  We continue to have much in common with the people of old.  We suffer, too.  Suffering is common to all, both the young and the old, the wealthy and the poor.  Nobody is immune to suffering, not even Jesus. As written in the passion narrative for today, Jesus was mocked, spat on, derided, taunted by many around him and crucified by the government officials.  Crucifixion itself was a very cruel way to die. “Most experts agree, though, that what ultimately kills a crucified person is suffocation. Either the body loses so much oxygen that the person smothers, or the carbon dioxide level in the body goes up so much that the body tissues turn acidic and destroy their own cells.”[1]  As to how this or any other suffering is experienced not only depends on the particular source of suffering, but each person’s perception.  One thing is for sure, it is quite painful.

This congregation has experienced the death of several members, members who have been pillars of the parish in their monetary giving as well as their sharing of their talents.  They have been the metaphorical bricks and mortar that have laid a solid foundation that has lasted for many years.  If it was not for them, we would not be here today.  Perhaps when we come forward to give thanks for our blessings, we should remember these people more often, not just on All Saints’ Sunday as is the tradition. 

In Jesus’ day, many people treated him cruelly and/or abandoned him when he was going through the process on the way to the cross.  We are told that there were few who actually stayed with him and watched him die on the cross. Many people hate nursing homes and hospitals and don’t even want to visit when death is not imminent, less so when someone is on hospice or actively dying. This is an important topic we should be discussing with our families and friends.  It is something of importance that we should be writing down, not just whether or not we want cremation or bodily burial and what kind of worship service we want.  This is the time to have those conversations. Today, at this moment.

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[1] http://io9.gizmodo.com/this-is-the-horrible-way-that-crucifixion-actually-kill-1477804826

Faith to Mission

3LentB, John 2:13-22

Exegesis—In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus is more and more convinced that his mission includes the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem as he nears his ministry’s end.

In these gospels, Jesus enters the temple, overturning tables, and quoting Isaiah 56:7 stating, "My house shall be called a house of prayer." and Jeremiah 7:11, "You have made it a den of robbers." This action convinces Jewish leaders even more to silence Jesus, indeed to destroy him (Mark 11:18; Luke 19:47).

John's gospel differs from this more familiar picture in very important ways. First, Jesus is just beginning his ministry. Right after the miracle at Cana in Galilee, he returned to Capernaum "with his mother and his brothers and his disciples" (2:12).  John tells us in 2:11 that his disciples "believed in him" after the first sign of changing water to wine.   Now, in this passage, we will see the disciples actively engaged in trying to understand this Jesus in whom they "believe" with the help of Scripture.

We also will see in these verses that such understanding of both Scripture and Lord is an unfolding process. In fact, the "remembering" of Scripture and Jesus' own words are at the center of the lives of Jesus' disciples. It is useful to see Jesus' own disciples coming to deeper realization of what it means to believe in Jesus. Gradually, they come more fully to understand how Jesus serves the God who has sent him out of love for the world.

Central to the passage, is the act of interpretation and remembering. Both times the disciples appear, they are remembering. In verse 17, they reflect on Jesus' quotation of Zechariah 14:20-21 in terms of Psalm 69:9. Jesus explains the temple cleansing in prophetic terms decrying the use of the temple for trade.  But why does Jesus do this?  It is perfectly legal and a great help for visitors to the temple to buy in order to make the required sacrifice.  That is the Jewish law. But that historical fact is not relevant. Rather, Jesus is declaring himself both as prophet and as one who claims that the Lord's house is his "Father's" house. His disciples have the first hint of the big conflict that will be at the heart of Jesus' ministry, and recognize it as predicting Jesus' death.

This passage lays before us a promise that if we pay attention and remember, then Scripture and its Lord will be revealed as true and reliable. However mysterious and incomprehensible Jesus' word or deeds may be in the present, to engage with belief and keep Scripture in mind eventually will bring disciples to the place where things come together and belief is created.

The passage reminds us of two additional things. One is that expanding, deepening, maturing belief comes in a process of engaging, experiencing, and remembering. Another is that this is possible because the same God has sent the prophets whose words are Scripture (even for Jesus) and has sent Jesus.  This God continues to be among us as the Holy Spirit. The reliability is God's reliability, God's faithfulness.

Human Condition then-- In spite of their dawning comprehension of perils that surround Jesus, the disciples are no more able than the "Jews" to grasp fully Jesus' statement in verse 19. (And remember, the disciples themselves, like Jesus, are also Jews). Jesus offers a sign so outrageous and so incomprehensible; it is not until after his resurrection that his disciples understand what he has just said. Jesus seems to speak of the temple, but does not. Or does he?

          First, we are informed that Jesus had a particular meaning in mind not understood by his contemporary audience, a meaning that makes Jesus' prophecy abundantly true. Second, we are reassured that the disciples come to understand this when their experience catches up to that of the readers. That is, when the disciples find out what the narrator and his audience already knows, that Jesus will both die and be raised in three days, they too will look back at this prediction in verse 19 and fully understand it.

At that point, after Jesus' resurrection when the disciples remember this moment and understand their Lord more fully, they offer an example to us. For remembering and belief come together again in verse 22. They remember what Jesus said. They have seen it come to pass. They believe anew both in Scripture (the prophetic word Jesus cites) and in Jesus' own prophetic word.

Human Condition here and now-- This passage lays before us a promise that if we pay attention and remember, then Scripture and its Lord will be revealed as true and reliable. However mysterious and incomprehensible Jesus' word or deeds may be in the present, to engage with belief and keep Scripture in mind eventually will bring us to the place where things come together and belief is created.

The passage reminds us of two additional things (at least!). One is that expanding, deepening, maturing belief comes in a process of engaging, experiencing, and remembering. Another is that this is possible because the same God has sent the prophets whose words are Scripture (even for Jesus) and has sent Jesus.  This God continues to be among us as the Holy Spirit. The reliability is God's reliability, God's faithfulness.

Proclamation—We walk by faith because that is the hallmark of our belief and understanding of the works and person of Jesus.  Jesus’ identity is from the beginning.  As in the very first part of the Gospel of John says and I quote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.”  Jesus is this Word.  Jesus does not stand alone just as we do not stand alone.  The whole book of John is permeated throughout with this concept.  Jesus both quotes scripture from the past and as a true prophet tells the future and it is fulfilled. This is the trustworthiness of God.  The resurrection is the seal that what Jesus says about God is true because Jesus is God. 

We walk by faith because even though we are assured that eternal life is ours by Jesus’ actions here on earth, there is still much we do not know with certainty and our faith, at times is very weak and we want to give up.  And yet, we have each other.  It is the fellowship among believers that helps keep our faith alive.  It is the remembering of scriptures and hymn texts that cause our memories to stay alert and watchful and mindful of our task here on earth.  It is up to us to make that kingdom here on earth a living, breathing organism.  It is up to us to nurture and to receive nurturing, to live in that salvation.  We are to receive from Jesus each time we pray and study scripture and participate in the Eucharist.  The Eucharist is where we meet God face-to-face.  It is where God’s presence is assured.  God’s presence with us is what strengthens us for mission in the world, to be present with the outcast, the unloved, the forgotten.  God never forgets us and that is our mission to others.  We are charged with the mission to bring together all of God’s children.  What word or deed will you share with others today?

Whoever Welcomes You

Proper8A/Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, July 2, 2017, St Martin’s Episcopal by Annette Fricke

            The tone of this part of Mathew, chapter 10, is one of comfort when it talks about when a person does something good, a reward will follow.  However, if we are to step back just one verse, we hear quite the opposite.  Verse 39 reads, “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”  It is important to read scripture as a whole, not just the little passages we listen to on Sunday mornings as though that is all there is in the Bible.  I once knew a student at the Catholic seminary who thought that the Bible consisted of only those Biblical passages read during Mass.  What comes before the gospel helps to illuminate the meaning of the present text.  Our gospel’s meaning is better understood in the context of what precedes; that half a sentence which says, “Those who find their life will lose it.”  The contrast compels us to think about our motivations in life.  To pursue anything irrespective of our relationship to God is always a mistake.  It will cost us.  We may be making new friends who we believe value the same things as we do, but at the same time without our rootedness in God, drive us further from God.  Our faith wavers when we grab onto such things as security—that better job, that better salary—that better position.  Are we doing it for selfish reasons or because we sense that God is pushing us forward in that direction?  Opportunities for change seldom come in a package where it is an easy decision.  The decision-making process is usually filled with all sorts of pros and cons, where when chosen one way or the other still makes us wonder if the decision we made was the right one.  Perhaps either way was the right one.  Perhaps either way was the wrong one. A friend of Dad’s once told me when he was over 90 years old, “I still don’t know if marrying Doris was the right choice.”  Despite that thought that he would mull over in his mind periodically, he remained faithful to her. Despite that our thoughts and behaviors may betray our loyalty to God, the choice to follow or not is always there.  The choice to follow will sometimes send us in a direction we didn’t really choose to go.  The way of God is the way of sacrifice.

            In today’s reading we hear the words, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”  For the day in which this was written, it was meant to be the same as if in the presence of the sender.  Whoever welcomes you, welcomes Jesus, and whoever welcomes Jesus, welcomes the Father; for all of these are one and the same.  These words bring to mind the ancient Jewish tradition of sending messengers.  They did not have newspapers, television, radio or computers then.  Everything was sent by way of a messenger and what was sent by messenger was the same as if that person was speaking directly to you.  Even in the middle ages, the tradition continued.  If the king sends a messenger, it is the same as if the king was speaking directly to you.  This tells us something very important.  If we see ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ, our ministry is Jesus himself.  We are not just the messenger or gopher.  We are not simply middle management.  We are not simply the poor laborer or slave of our master.  As we look back a few Sundays to John, chapter 14, it said that we are in Jesus just as Jesus is in the Father.  We are God to the person to whom we minister.  People know God through us as Christian believers.  Yet even though we are in the community of Christ, we are amongst a sea of unbelievers and atheists which are quite numerous.  This may be cause to feel like one of the little ones, as the early Christians felt.  But God is with us in the most profound way possible.

            So, with that in mind, here is our challenge.  Our bulletin proclaims every Sunday, “St. Martin’s is a welcoming, vibrant community that fosters spiritual growth to serve Christ in all people.”  Will we walk away?  Will we take responsibility?  Will we see that this simple sentence and guiding principle is accomplished over and over so that our small Christian community will increase and the work God has given us to do will be done?  Do we not also pray every time we gather, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven?”  In order that our prayers be effected, action must follow.  We are to seek God’s guidance and go forward, as we proceed, discerning where God would have us be as a congregation, using the resources we have and trying different strategies.  We should be asking the questions as to how to make our ministry to others work.  A challenge requires a response, a united response where we work together, not each person doing their own little thing by themselves.  We are called to relationship and we are to be about the building of relationships with each other and our community, the local as well as the global community.

            We are called to meet basic needs, to see that basic needs are distributed and received.  That is the grace of God at work.  That is the reward of servanthood.  That is the reward of sainthood.  The life packs are a great example of meeting basic needs.  Outside our community were several places in need of drinkable water such as Airway Heights and Flint, Michigan.  Many during this time of the year are victims of house fires in need of temporary shelters.  We are not expected to meet everybody’s needs, but we do have the resources to meet the needs of many.  We are a strong congregation, but our strength is stronger when we unite in common goals, pitch in and work together.

            If we are to seek validation of what Matthew is telling us in this gospel passage, there are two other gospels to consider.  Mark’s gospel says that the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.  John’s gospel says that from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.  I think we can put these together.  Is not our reward in serving others the grace of God which we ourselves have received?  Isn’t it God who makes us God’s righteous servants, to walk humbly beside God in service to others in need and giving them what they need?

            And how do we decide?  During my time as a Camp Counselor one summer, we had the kids make a list of “Needs and Wants.”  What do we really need to live on this earth?  We need food, clothing, and shelter—and I might add, drinkable water.  If the water is making us sick, it is not drinkable.  Basics.  Campers need to know that it is possible to live without a cell phone and other items they would be tempted to put on the “needs” side of the list. One counselor decided that he would wear the same pair of camp shorts for a whole year without washing them.  It is up to us as a congregation to decide.

We are called by God to give the simplest of things, like water, because the simplest is the most needed; giving water, a smile, a hand, a compliment.  Give that which will brighten someone’s day and make their load just a bit easier.  It doesn’t have to be big, just help where help is needed.  Listen where listening is needed.  Care where caring is needed.  Do the righteous thing and distribute God’s grace to all of God’s children.  We are all God’s children.  We are all brothers and sisters.  “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.  And whoever gives even a Dixie cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple---truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
Copyright Annette Fricke 2017.

God of Comfort

2AdventB, year 2017 but never preached aloud. On Isaiah 40:1-11.

Prior to chapter 40, the news spoken in God’s name is a word of judgment. The people have rebelled against the precepts of God. The people have lived at the expense of their neighbors, putting their own desires above the needs of others. Plain and simple, God’s chosen people had betrayed him.  They basically ignored God’s claim on their lives.

From chapter 40 forward, this word of judgment is in the past. Jerusalem was destroyed, and a number of its citizens did go into exile. Now, circa 540 BCE, on the other side of this experience, a new word comes to the people of Judah.

In verse 1, we hear a word of comfort and hope for a new future for the people of God. This sets the tone for both this passage and for the whole of Isaiah 40-66.

These chapters, mostly from the 8th century, point forward to a time when Jerusalem would be destroyed. In 587 BCE Jerusalem fell to Babylon, and a portion of Jerusalem’s population went into exile. God’s people are enslaved several times in the Hebrew Scriptures, then released depending upon the kingly power in charge.  I imagine for days on end, when in possession of another kingdom mulling over and over in their minds, both thinking and feeling what it was to be in bondage and at the beckon call of people clearly not on your side nor doing anything to set you free.  Your life is never your own in that situation and you must do as you are told or suffer the consequences.

Conflict--Picture for yourself a general release of all prisoners in the United States. The thought is rather scary, isn’t it? Think about all the people who were locked up for assault or murder. Yet although it may be a scary ordeal for some of us, it would be a happy event for others.  It would be a reunion of parents and children, brothers and sisters. Some who were innocent or were jailed for civil disobedience would return to their communities. Many who had become lost in the legal system would suddenly experience hope in their freedom. The impact of such an act was felt by the Jewish people when they heard the words of Second Isaiah.  It is over and now you can go home.  Some probably had no real home to go home and had to start from scratch.

Complication--The beginning of Second Isaiah presents a scene of divine command and the announcement of a town crier. God pronounced a nation-wide forgiveness and the crier announced the return of the exiles. [40:1-5] The joy of such an announcement must have accompanied the fall of Babylon to Cyrus and the Persian army in 539 B.C. A year later, the Persian ruler enacted an edict of return for the Jews in the Diaspora. They were to rebuild Jerusalem and restore the Temple.

Sudden Shift--The changing events justified the loyalty of the exiles to God. Now God could display power, even by way of a foreign king. The Jewish nation could once again praise the acts of their God. They could once again show both a religious and patriotic pride because God saved them! [40:9-11]

Good News--Freedom from bondage implicitly means return. Pardon from sin means return to God. As we wait for the coming of the Lord at Christmas, let us remember the words of Isaiah and their echo in the preaching of John the Baptist. Metanoia, the Greek word for repentance, means to turn away from self-centered pursuits and activities and instead, turn towards the Almighty.

Unfolding—Three proclamations build on the imperative to comfort God’s people in verse 1, each expanding on what it means for the people of Jerusalem to receive comfort.

While not everyone living in Jerusalem went into exile, a good number of people did. This passage talks about their return. The most direct route between Babylon and Judea, through the Syrian Desert, is poetically described in verse 3 as a way in the wilderness and a highway in the desert. It is unlikely, however, that any exiles returning from Babylon would have actually made the dangerous trek through the waterless wilderness. Rather, they would have followed water sources, going through northern Syria and then back south to Jerusalem.

That such a route would have been so unlikely suggests that a travel log is not the point. Rather, the poetic description functions to recall another journey through an inhospitable wilderness. This news of a metaphoric highway in the desert heralds a second Exodus, an easier one with flat ground and trouble-free travel (verse 4). Once more God’s people would follow their God out of captivity to a Promised Land. Anyone who had doubted God’s presence in and devotion to Judah would see this and know that God had not only spoken a redeeming word but also had the power to fulfill it.

In verse 6, the punctuation marks found in the NRSV seem to indicate a short conversation between two voices. An anonymous voice, some sort of divine attendant, issues a command to “Cry out!” A second voice, “I,” asks what is to be cried. Following this compact dialogue is commentary on the poor, unreliable constancy of the people, liable to droop like a flower in a field, and a final, triumphant claim that God is wholly other -- constant, reliable, and able to stand forever (vs. 6b-8). However, a number of scholars have suggested that the dialogue continues beyond the two lines shown in the NRSV. In this view, the “I,” speaking as the prophet, continues to speak to the end of verse 7. The words are an objection to the command to cry out. Why prophesy to a people with the constancy of grass? The anonymous voice responds in verse 8 with the very hopeful news that the constancy of the people is less important than that of God.

When read in this way, the passage echoes the pattern of a prophetic call narrative (introductory word, commissioning, objection, assurance) much like Isaiah’s call in Isaiah 6. This is a new word for a new time but is in line with the prophecy of Isaiah the 6^th century prophet.

The objections of the prophet are understandable. Would the word fall on willing ears? Not too likely. Would the message given make a difference in a world full of fickle people? Hard to tell. These are questions of most of the witnesses to the word and action of God, prophets and preachers included. The response that the word of God is not about human constancy but about the enduring reliability of God comes as assurance to the prophets in this passage and to the witnesses throughout the centuries.

At the end of this passage the city of Jerusalem, also identified as Zion, is personified. This is common in Isaiah 40-66. However, the place in the Hebrew Scriptures in which Zion is personified most consistently, is in the first two chapters of the book of Lamentations. In Lamentations 1-2 Daughter Zion cries out against the destruction wrought her. She speaks words of accusation against her human enemies and even God. The refrain that comes again and again is, “There is no one to comfort her” (Lamentations 1:2, 9, 16, 17, 21). At the end of her speeches -- and even the end of the book of Lamentations -- Daughter Zion receives no response to her cry.

The response to Zion’s laments comes, rather, in other biblical books. The response comes in verses such as Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort, O comfort my people.” The response comes in verses such as Isaiah 40:9 in which the words for Jerusalem to speak are not those of lament but of good news. She is no longer told to wail but to raise her voice without fear. The message given is confident and hopeful, “Here is your God!” Here is a God who comes to feed the flock, to gather the lambs, to lead the mother sheep -- to bring comfort. Here is God in whom we may have hope. How do you plan to turn away from yourself this Advent? How do you plan to turn towards God?

Who is Righteous Before God?

Proper25C on Luke 18:9-14

Exegesis: The Pharisee’s prayer of gratitude may be spoken to the Lord, but it is really about himself. He locates his righteousness entirely in his own actions and being. The religious word for that is self-righteousness.

The tax collector, on the other hand, knows that he possesses no means by which to claim righteousness. He has done nothing of merit; indeed, he has done much to offend the law of Israel. For this reason, he stands back, hardly daring to approach the Temple, and throws himself on the mercy of the Lord.

Here is the essential contrast. One makes a claim to righteousness based on his own accomplishments, while the other relies entirely upon the Lord's benevolence. Rather than be grateful for his blessings, the Pharisee appears smug to the point of despising others. In his mind, there are two kinds of people: the righteous and the immoral, and he is grateful that he has placed himself among the righteous. The tax collector, on the other hand, isn't so much humble as desperate. He is too overwhelmed by his plight to take time to divide humanity into sides. All he recognizes as he stands near the Temple is his own great need. He therefore stakes his hopes and claims not on anything he has done or deserved but entirely on God's mercy.

It does not appear to be accidental that this exchange takes place at the Jewish Temple. On the grounds of the Temple, you were always intimately aware of who you were, of what status you had, of what you could expect from God. There were, at the Temple, "insiders" and "outsiders," and according to these rules there was no question of where the Pharisee and tax collector stood. But when Jesus dies, all of this thinking changes. As the gospels report, the curtain in the Temple is torn in two (Luke 23:45), symbolically erasing all divisions of humanity before God. That act is prefigured here, as God justifies not the one favored by Temple law, but rather the one standing outside the Temple gate, and aware only of his utter need. His utter need is to be right with God.

Human Condition there and then: The logical best response to the occupation of a politically and spiritually foreign power is that you try to stick it out in the community, and try to bring your faith and your tradition into that community as best you can, without fighting back in such a way that you compromise the very ideals that you’re trying to uphold.

This is the hard path. This is the most difficult option. This is the tough and often mundane, hard-working alternative, where you just plug away over the years by teaching the truth, by being distinct in your dress in your speech, and by showing integrity in your dealings with people, such that it testifies to the faith that is in you.

This is the path that was taken by the Pharisees, and while we know that Jesus gave them a hard time, we know too that of all the different groups that took these different paths, the Pharisees were the only group that Jesus extensively communicated with at all!

They were in the world but not of it! They were distinctively religious people who knew who they were and what they were all about. They were the pillars of their community, as historically had been, the people that had held that community together. And so, when the Pharisee stands up and prays, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector’ he is surely simply telling the truth. He is not like other men. And he certainly was nothing like this sorry representative of humanity tax-collector.

The tax-collector was a collaborator. He was one of those wretched individuals who had seen (in the tragic occupation of his people) an opportunity to make money!

Let it be sufficiently said that these people were the drug-pushers of that time period. They were people who made all their money out of other peoples’ misery. And so, when we’re told that the tax-collector stood near the back of the temple, bowed his head and beat his chest praying, “God have mercy on me, a sinner”, what more would we have expected him to say? He’s praying the only prayer that he’s got!

Human Condition here and now: We are the Pharisee.  In public, we make statements in our churches like “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free for all are one in Christ Jesus,” yet make judgments day to day about those who have different levels of income or education and those who act in a way that we think is not moral.  We are upset by the decisions of our brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers as though we should be making those decisions for them. All too often we are just like the Pharisee. We know that we are better than other women and men, we do consider ourselves superior, we have not sunk to the depths to which others have sunk, and at our better moments we thank God for that.  We congratulate ourselves and praise only the most talented and intelligent folks and as to others, we leave them in the mud as if they are a lesser human being. We pick favorites among our children according to our own standards as if that ought to be the measuring stick. We fail to act as God has shown that all of humanity is worthy of our dignity and respect.  Our churches are divided over whether or not homosexuality is a sin as well as whether or not women should be allowed to teach and preach to men. Women are trained and ready to be priests in churches that do not allow women to become priests. Other countries see universal healthcare as a no-brainer, but many in this country are against it.

Proclamation: So where do we go from here?  How do we rid ourselves of our prejudices and try to see things from a different perspective?  First of all, we acknowledge them. How can we do better?  Research the social ills of the day and get together with others to address them. How do we, in the least, withhold judgement?  Get to know the people around you and their perspective on situations in our world. One of the most difficult phenomenon to deal with in today’s schools is that of bullying.  This is something we see in our schools at a very early age.  One of the solutions to this in times past was to fight back and sometimes this resulted in fist fights and black eyes. Children would get hurt both physically and emotionally.  For some, this is still the solution, the thoughts go like this, “If I beat the crap out of him, he won’t bother me anymore.”  Then, “Why should I tell a teacher?  I can handle it myself.” The bully always feels he or she has a right to assert dominance and to make fun of other children.  We should never ignore violent and emotional abuse. This is a problem that we as Christians need to address.  If we could work on just this one thing and keep working on it, the world would be a much better place to live.  It is up to adults to be a good example and model of how to live respecting other people, even those with which we disagree. And if children want to join in, we should welcome them.  They, too have an understanding of what is right and wrong and should be encouraged to participate in working towards the dignity and respect of all people.  We need to teach our children how to treat others in the same way they would like to be treated, to point out when things are far from equal.  We should be encouraging them to be in places with other children, like at summer camp and to befriend those who have no friends, teaching them social skills to make connections with others. We are to do what we can to correct the ills of society.

            Yes, we are much like the Pharisee of Jesus’ parable of long ago, but only God can justify us and make us whole, therefore we should always pray in deep humility, “Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a poor miserable sinner and help me once more to walk in your grace.”

           

            

In explanation.

The following sermons are exercises towards a final sermon for the Preachers in Training licensure for the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane.

They are leading up and and meant to also set the tone for what it is to be a Christian and to be a preacher and leader of a congregation.

The first sermon begins with Proper 25 in year C and concludes with Proper 8A, both using the Gospel texts assigned in the Revised Common Lectionary.

This is my second class with this group.  Previously, I completed a Homiletics class at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio and every study towards becoming a full sister with the Anglican Order of Preachers which also included a method of preaching.

I may use parts of these exercises in the future should I be called on to give a sermon for any of these dates in 2017 or in the sequence of every 3 years afterwards.

I continue to preach approximately every 3 months at St. Martin's Episcopal in Moses Lake, WA located in central Washington State.  I also continue to work as both a therapist and a Crisis Responder for Adams County, both south and east of here.

Living a Resurrected Life

6EasterA, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Moses Lake, May 21, 2017 by Annette Fricke

Chapter 14 of the gospel of John is a long discourse that Jesus has with his disciples.  It actually takes place before Jesus goes to the cross although in the lectionary, it is appointed for the Sunday preceding the Ascension.  In ways that are similar to the resurrection, yet a bit different, the Ascension is a confirmation that Jesus is doing and will do that which he promised at every step in his ministry.  Above all else, this section of scripture is meant to be a comfort to his disciples, who by this time are in a state of panic, realizing that Jesus is telling them that he is going away.  Jesus says, “I am leaving, but I will also return.”  The language can be a bit confusing.  How is it that Jesus can leave and return?  Unlike the other gospels and Paul, the teaching here is a departure.  Do we need a dramatic second coming of Jesus that will set everything straight?  Or do we go along with John who essentially says that Jesus remains with us, is in us, and abides with us, even when we don’t sense his presence with us in any sort of way.  After all, few people among those who call themselves by the name ‘Christian’ actually have mystical, personal experiences of him.  I am not here to step on anyone’s personal beliefs about Jesus—you are free to believe what you want-- but merely to point out that there is no thief in the night or talk of Jesus coming a second time to reward the faithful and punish the unfaithful in John’s gospel.  John simply offers the picture of Jesus’ comforting presence that continues beyond the resurrection appearances.  There is also no Ascension in John.

On the other hand, the liturgical tradition that I grew up with and thought about many times was also going through the minds of the shapers of the liturgy.  The words I was raised on in my church still echo in my head, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.  Grant this, O Lord, unto us all.”  These were words we recited from rote eventually every Sunday when we gathered for worship. When you really think about these words, they are not comforting. They are exclusionary and conditional. As of 1978, those words were stricken in the Lutheran Book of Worship and were deemed to be false and not true to the gospel.  It was and still is, for some people, a cataclysmic idea.  If you expressed this idea in my seminary class, you were at the least, looked upon with suspicion and you had better not express this idea openly.  John represents a Christian tradition that is not exclusive, but inclusive even though some of the language of this gospel also holds on to the exclusivity of belief being a requirement of salvation.  Jesus does not discriminate.  His life is one of treating all of society on an equal plane, discounting no one, not even a Samaritan woman or a Gentile. In spite of our temptation to make Christianity like a club in which some are in and some are out, it is not a club and the exclusionary rules of a club do not apply.

Because of our tendency to wander from the path, the question is posed to us every day: how do I follow Jesus?  How can I be the presence of Jesus, to others?  The answer to that question, we are told is this, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  God’s love is the source of life and as Jesus walked in love, so we are also expected to walk in love.  Jesus’ whole life is one of a demonstration of God’s love.  There is no more perfect example in front of us than that of Jesus’ love for all people.  God’s love is personified in Jesus.  Jesus, despite betrayal, rejection and abandonment of even his closest friends, continues to love to the very end of his life in the flesh.  This chapter tells us that it extends also into eternity.  Nobody can quench the love of God in Jesus because Jesus is sending another advocate.  The phrase seems to imply that Jesus is an advocate as well as the Holy Spirit that Jesus promises to send.

The word in Greek that translated as ‘advocate’ here means one who is called to assist someone in need.  The sense is somewhat like that of a lawyer.  A lawyer is to stand by your side when you are on trial and is to be your aide.  In this setting, as well as that of other Christian and non-Christian uses of the time, it appears to be more of a general sense, one who appears in another’s behalf, a mediator, intercessor, or helper. It seems most appropriate that Jesus is the one who intercedes for us by way of context, but here, the ‘another advocate’ is identified as a separate entity. It appears, in fact that the Holy Spirit is the designated one who functions in this sense.  The Holy Spirit is the one who is the comforter and will abide with us when Jesus is no longer in sight. As to whether this is a first or second coming or just the interlude when Jesus goes to the cross is ambiguous and maybe even purposefully ambiguous.  The point is this: Jesus promises to never leave us, even though his presence with us in the flesh is long gone.

There is a movie from 2007 titled “Country Remedy” about a Dr. Gibbs who wants to be the head of a department in a large Chicago hospital.  He wants this job and feels he is the most qualified for the position.  There is one other doctor who has applied.  However, Dr. Gibbs is still grieving having just lost his wife three months prior, thus his son lost his mom also.  Dr. Sumner, who is hiring for the position, meets with this doctor.  He is impressed with his experience and publications, but basically tells him that there is an element he needs to work on if he wants the job.  He says to him, “A doctor is a healer.”  He wants Dr. Gibbs to be a doctor for a clinic in a rural town in North Carolina for the summer. When he arrives, the city doctor has a difficult time relating to the rural town and they to him.  He is ready to bail when he finds out from a colleague that the other doctor is no longer wanting the position.  His son is angry and disappointed when he finds out.  He wants to stay because he has made friends that he likes.  In his grief, he goes into the forest alone in search of a way to bring his mother back, but forgets to take his inhaler.  The whole town shows up to help look for his son, even the one who just lost his baby.  He had won their hearts by his own giving of his expertise as a doctor and now they are there to help him.  Despite all the tough times we go through as humans, even grieving the loss of our closest family and friends, all of us are still called to be healers with the talents and resources each has. 

We are still here and are bidden by Jesus to continue his work on earth.  His presence is our comfort and our strength to do it.  He is in us just as he is in the Father.  His spirit resides in the Holy Spirit promised to all who believe in him.  As we wind our way through the gospel of John, we see the Jesus of hospitality at the wedding at Cana where water is changed to wine.  We see Jesus informing us that God loves the whole world when he spoke with Nicodemus.  John the Baptist says of him that Jesus gives the Spirit without measure.  Jesus tells the Samaritan woman details of her life, yet withholds judgment, telling her that he will give her living water.  Jesus heals a man unable to walk for 38 years.  Jesus feeds the hungry.  Jesus causes a man blind from birth to see. Jesus taught and Jesus preached.  In spite of Jesus’ constantly being challenged, ridiculed, and rejected by those he came to give both physical and spiritual life, he continued to the end to bear the burden of that rejection, to be chastised, and reviled in so many ways.  These are the sorts of things that Jesus expects of us if we indeed love him.  Doing, preaching and teaching these things and teaching others to do the same is keeping his commandments.  Keeping his commandments means that we are all called to be healers, just like Jesus. This is how Jesus lives and abides in us.  This is how we live a resurrected life.  Our belief cannot be counted on, but God’s work in Jesus can.  We are not to look at our own selves as the surety of salvation, but God.

             

Transformed to Serve

Last Sunday After the Epiphany, February 26, 2017, St Martin’s Episcopal Church, Moses Lake by Annette Fricke

           

The Epiphany season begins with Jesus’ baptism and ends with this story.  Both stories are about identity; the identity of both Jesus and Jesus’ disciples. The gospel lesson for today is about transformation of both Jesus and us.  The original Greek word is the word prior to our English word, metamorphosis.  It is the same Greek word used in the gospel according to Mark as well as in Paul’s writings, also to describe the transformation that occurs in us. Jesus does not transform himself and neither do we transform ourselves.  God is the active agent in both cases. We are recipients of God’s grace acting upon us, enabling us to go out into the world as God’s agents of transformation. Matthew draws many parallels between Moses and Jesus. Both go to a mountain.  In ancient times, a mountain was thought to bring someone closer to God.  Moses goes to receive the commandments of God.  Jesus, on the other hand delivers the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus takes those commandments and explains their intended meaning to the people.  Just as Moses brings with him three companions, so does Jesus but Jesus takes all three with him to the mountain top.  Connected to the Old Testament teachings of old, yet transformed.  Similar, but not the same.  Once again, as in the story of Jesus’ baptism and the Sermon on the Mount, we are informed as to what is different about Jesus and what God now wants to teach us.  Jesus is fulfilling God’s mission for him on earth so that God’s will is done in both places. However, we are like Peter and we are confused and do not understand. We want to stay where it is comfortable and capture that moment.  We swing like a pendulum, back and forth between faith on the one hand and doubt on the other. We switch from moment to moment, similarly like Peter. We are solid rocks one moment and slippery, sliding mud the next.  Sometimes we listen to God and other times we don’t. Who, in their right mind wants to see their best friend go to the cross?  It defies explanation in a human’s mind.  Why do we have to make that shift? But we are God’s people through our baptisms and know this is necessary.  There is no resurrection without Jesus’ death.  There is no redemption or transformation any other way.

From a very early age, as people, we want to be something else.  Some want to be a princess, some want to fly, while still others have in mind what they want to be when they grow up.  It is always something beyond ordinary.  Think about it, a child never says something like, “I want to be a janitor when I grow up.”  It’s more like, “I want to be a doctor or a lawyer and sometimes underlying that notion--if I don’t become that, my parents will be disappointed.” This whole idea was packaged when the Transformer toys were invented. Embodied in The Transformers were the idea that we can become ANYTHING we want. Years before that, our high school English teacher perpetuated that idea.

“The premise behind the Transformers toy line is that an individual toy's parts can be shifted about to change it from a vehicle, a device, or an animal, to a robot action figure and back again.”[1] This toy was ideal because it represented the longing of humanity to be something else, hopefully that something else will make us feel better than what we feel right now. Most people do not like feeling ordinary.  Most people cannot resist the temptation to plaster across Facebook that they are something special.  Other people avoid Facebook for that very reason. If we only had that power---the power to be anything we wanted, perhaps we would be happy.  However, many people seek power and security only to find out that there are no guarantees in life. It is a fantasy.  It is fantasy both because it probably won’t happen that we actually become like a Transformer, and because we are seeking the wrong thing; seeking what seems attainable if only we wish or work hard enough towards our goals.  We are not able to transform ourselves at the mere push of a button. We will never really fly like Peter Pan or become a real princess just because we really want to be one. Not that we should stop dreaming, but as we see some of our dreams fade away, most of us become more realistic.

Reality is that we are dependent on God for God’s transformation of us.  We are not the actors, but the acted upon.  It is not our work, but God working in us.  We are the people whom God loves so greatly that God is found in the smallest pieces of bread and mere drops of wine, God’s presence in the Eucharist. We may never be able to go back in time to Peter, James and John and experience that awesome, indescribable, blinding presence of Moses, Jesus, and Elijah.  We may never understand why God loves us so much, reaching out to touch us in such a way as to calm our most terrifying moments. Unlike the people in Moses’ day, Peter, James and John saw what Jesus saw or so we are told.  They are not denied access to this encounter, rather, Jesus touches them, reassuring them with his words, “Do not be afraid.”  The vastness of God is found in the ordinary; in food and drink that sustain us, in the moments when if left to ourselves we would be lost in anxiety and fear.  God is there to reassure us of God’s presence in our lives despite the ordinariness of them, despite our faults and failures.  Sometimes doing ordinary things is doing something great both through God and for God. Even our greatest and grandest achievements we owe to God because God is the one who created us for good works.  Good works are both great and small. Even small gestures can mean a lot to someone in need. We are to allow God to work through us regardless of our assessment of it’s worth to others.  We are to do as God would have us do, not our secularly derived sense of what the right thing to do is.  As Paul puts it in Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God---what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Paul makes it clear that God is the one to transform us.  Unlike that day so long ago for those three disciples on the mountain, we know what happened to Jesus.  We know that the veil between us and God is no longer there, because Jesus has accomplished what God requires of him through his death and resurrection. God is with us as much as Jesus was with the disciples with a healing touch to calm us in our darkest days.  As Paul says in I Corinthians, “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Just as Peter is asked by God to listen, so that is also asked of us.  We are to listen to God, what God wants for our lives individually in relation to others as well as what God wants for us as a congregation. Listening is a skill not readily learned in a society where talking is valued.  Centering prayer is designed with active listening. Praying does not mean that we simply dump on God, venting all our frustrations and disappointments. We are called to listen and evaluate the needs of those around us to discern where we are needed to bring healing to our world.  At any given time, the person needing healing could be as close as the person who is sitting alone in a back pew, the one leading worship, or the neighbor who no longer has a place to stay or food to eat. As we enter Lent this Wednesday, let us recommit to listening to each other and to God, to serve God as best fits God’s will.

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers_(toy_line)

God is Calling your Name

Epiphany2A, Zion Philadelphia UCC Ritzville, WA; January 15, 2017, by Annette Fricke

What are we to make of this Jesus who is so compelling he has people following him?  Who is this Jesus that draws people to him?  But most importantly, in our following, what are we looking for?  That is the question that Jesus posed so many years ago, and if you believe that Jesus is also God, you also believe that God continues to ask this question of us.  Questions are important and I am reminded of attending seminary many years ago, when the professor known as Dr. Doermann would never give a sentence while answering a question, but instead would ask another question.  There is the temptation to just walk away from such a man thinking, “I just want an answer, not another question.”  However, there is wisdom in his answer which is not an answer at all yet has the effect of causing a person to think about the initial question.  After all, who says a question cannot be answered by a question?  Where is that rule written, or set in stone?  The underlying question that Dr. Doermann was getting at was that same question found in the gospel text, “What are you looking for?”

It is in the name.  The naming is what makes connections.  If you want to make a connection with someone, you find out that person’s name and how to contact that person.  Naming is hooked to identity.  For example, Jesus changed Simon’s name to Cephas, equivalent to Peter.  Way before that, Abram became Abraham.  It was a way of proclaiming your relationship to God.  It was once customary to change a name at baptism where the presider would ask, “What is his or her Christian name?”  It was common practice to be baptized on a saint’s day and take that name, then that saint would be your patron saint.  You would seek help from this saint and try to mold your life to be like his or hers. Martin Luther was born the day before his baptism and was baptized on St. Martin of Tours day.  However, Martin Luther raised the point that if we are all recipients of God’s grace, we are all saints.  Paul’s writings attest to this.  Paul had been less revered than Peter in the Roman Catholic Church.  The Roman Catholic Church is now taking into account Paul’s writings with the help of Protestant researchers.  It is not just a matter of whose teachings to follow but even the whole structure of authority.  It has to do with hierarchy versus a humbler thought that we are all in the same boat.  Nobody is better than anyone else. Period. We all have a role to play and we all have our jobs and our expertise.  We are good at some things and not so good at others.  We continue to be students even if it is our job to be a teacher or a counselor. We continue to be students in relationship to God.

From Harvard Dean James Ryan with my own twist:

There are five truly essential questions that you should regularly ask yourself and others. If you get in the habit of asking these questions, you have a very good chance of causing others in your life to think and make connections.

The first question is “Wait, what?” We live in a world of distractions.  Almost every American has justified the need for a cell phone for communication for both personal and work use. When trying to speak directly to someone, it sounds something like: “blah, blah, blah, blah, and then...” And at that precise moment, the question inevitably comes: “Wait, what? What did you say?”

“Wait what” is actually a very effective way of asking for clarification, which is crucial to understanding. It’s the question you should ask before drawing conclusions or before making a decision.  It’s important to understand an idea before you advocate for or against it. The wait, which precedes the what, is also a good reminder that it pays to slow down to make sure you truly understand.

The second question is “I wonder” which can be followed by “why” or “if.”  So: I wonder why, or I wonder if. Asking “I wonder why” is the way to remain curious about the world, and asking “I wonder if” is the way to start thinking about how you might improve the world. As in, I wonder why our churches are so segregated, and I wonder if we could change this? Or I wonder why some people often seem bored in church, and I wonder if we could make this place more engaging without compromising the gospel and making it seem more like entertainment rather than serious spirituality and goal oriented?

The third question is: "Couldn’t we at least...?" This is the question to ask that will enable you to get unstuck, as they say. It’s what enables you to get past disagreement to some consensus, as in couldn’t we at least agree that we all care about the welfare of our church, even if we disagree about strategy? It’s also a way to get started when you’re not entirely sure where you will finish, as in couldn’t we at least begin by making sure that all kids have the chance to hear the gospel and experience it from us?

The fourth question is: “How can I help?” You are here, I presume, because you are interested in helping others because that is part of your understanding of the gospel. But you also know, from your time here, to be aware of the savior complex, of the stance where you are the expert or hero who swoops in to save others. We shouldn’t let the real pitfalls of the savior complex extinguish one of the most humane instincts there is — the instinct to lend a hand. But how we help matters as much as that we do help, and if you ask “how” you can help, you are asking, with humility, for direction. And you are recognizing that others are experts in their own lives and that they will likely help you as much as you help them.

The fifth question is this: "What truly matters?" You can tack on “to me” as appropriate. This is the question that forces you to get to the heart of issues and to the heart of your own beliefs and convictions. Indeed, it’s a question that you might add to, or substitute for, New Year’s resolutions. You might ask yourself, in other words, at least every new year: what truly matters to me?

So, these are the five essential questions. “Wait, what” is at the root of all understanding. “I wonder” is at the heart of all curiosity. “Couldn’t we at least” is the beginning of all progress. “How can I help” is at the base of all good relationships. And “what really matters” gets you to the heart of life. Ask these questions regularly, especially the last one. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/16/05/good-questions

And so, I charge you with this, the first important thing to remember is everybody’s name.  We have a tradition in the Episcopal Church where we invite people up front to talk about their blessings before the congregation with just one rule, “Before you speak about your blessings, tell us your name.”  The reason is simple, it is difficult to make connections with people if we don’t even know their name.  The opposite is also true, if you forgot someone’s name, ask their name.  Don’t be embarrassed if you forgot nor offended if you were the one whose name was forgotten. We are to continue to work on those bonds we already have as a church and be ready to explain that the prosperity gospel is not biblical and that is not what Christianity is all about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology We are dependent on God and each other.  We need God and each other.  God’s love takes on flesh and blood in us.  We are to continue to ask questions, all kinds of questions to keep the lines of communication open because that is how things are accomplished.  We are to care for each other and our neighborhoods as well as the world because God has cared for us first.  We are to spread the gospel of God’s love in all that we do and say. How do we do that?  With each encounter, ask yourself, “In this situation, what is the most compassionate thing to do?”  That will put us on the right track every time.

Our Hope is in God

1AdventA, November 27, 2016, St Martin’s Episcopal Church, Moses Lake, WA by Annette Fricke

Just as in the most recent gospel texts, this one too is a gospel about the end times.  The church year ends with the end times as well as the beginning of the church year begins with the end times.  Today is the first Sunday of the church year of a season that has only four Sundays preceding Christmas.  We are now in the season of Advent.  The word advent is from the Latin meaning coming.  It is the advent of Advent.  During this period, we will see readings that emphasize both the need for repentance as well as hope.  Thus, the liturgical colors for the season can be either purple, as in Lent or blue.  Blue has become a preferred color in many churches denoting hope.  When we repent, we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ, both the birth of Christ and the second coming of Christ.  We look forward to celebrating Christmas and also the second coming of Jesus in power and glory.  These elements are descriptive and inclusive of what we call apocalyptic literature.  Although all of the gospels include this apocalyptic material, the book of Revelation is an entire book of it.  It is by no means an easy task to decipher just how we should interpret such writings.  Many interpretations have been given in every generation.  For example, Martin Luther named the then pope the anti-Christ.  Some people who lived through World War II might name Hitler as the anti-Christ.  In that line of thinking we will end up with several anti-Christs.  But perhaps that is being just a bit too literal to really make any sense out of it.  Maybe there is a way to look at it that makes the meaning written several years ago, be pretty much how we would interpret it today in 2016.  While many people have predicted the end, the group called the Seventh Day Adventists comes to mind, they were all wrong and the end is yet to come.  There is almost an implicit message, if we read between the lines, that predicting is of no value.  Verse 36 clearly states, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” It’s as if God is saying to us to avoid the temptation to think that we can predict the end.  But we are humans and we can’t help it.  We like to speculate.  The earlier writings seemed to imply that some disciples of Jesus would not see their own deaths, that Jesus would return before they died.  That didn’t happen.  This appears to be a correction.  Is that what Jesus said or meant to say or maybe the end is not what most of us think it means.  Maybe there is not this big happening way out in the future.  So, people also thought that it could be that there is no second coming, Jesus came back in the form of the Holy Spirit—that would be a second coming.  Another proposed theory is that the second coming of Jesus is when we die.  And if you think further about that, in baptism, we die to our sins and receive the Holy Spirit which brings us back to the Holy Spirit.  Thinking even more, it’s like life itself here on earth: we keep searching for definite answers, God surprises us, but it is never quite certain what goal we have achieved or if there is more.  What does God have in mind for us? Sometimes our sense of security lies in having answers.  However, the answers remain ever elusive.  We must conclude that it doesn’t matter if we accept this or not, we will never know for sure the when of Jesus’ coming.  That is why even faith is challenged.  God is in charge and our faith is strongest when we accept that we are not in charge.  Some would say that this is not at all comforting, but actually anxiety provoking.  I’ll say it again: “There is almost an implicit message if we read between the lines that predicting is of no value.”  If that is the case, why should we be on guard or alert?  That would in no way be logical.

Is it not true that our lives are marked by beginnings and endings all the time and that we are frequently in a state of confusion because of that very phenomenon?  For example, is a graduation and ending or a beginning?  Isn’t it the case that we also call this same event a commencement?  A birthday or anniversary is a commemoration of the past and also a look into the future.  Our whole lives are a state of being somewhere in the middle all the time: that is where I was, this is where I am and the future is yet to come.  Some days are lived in reminiscing, some lived in the moment, and still others dreaming of the future.  And God’s story is the same with a beginning at creation which is the past, the continual giving of the Son and the Holy Spirit which is the present, and the consummation of God’s saving grace at Jesus’ second coming.  In a certain sense, our lives parallel God’s.  God has the upper hand in all things, can and will make it happen.  This is still the beginning of the end of all things.  Despite how many times the generations of life and death and birth occur, we continue to live our lives into the future.  Children wait for mom to pick them up from grandma’s house.  Grandma works in a hospital.  Mom teaches the 5^th grade at the local elementary.  Dad sells cars.  Every four years we vote for a president and some people will challenge the election results because it is not to their liking.  People get into fights and young people are sent to fight for their country.  Time marches on. Even normal happenings can keep us from watching for Jesus’ return.  From an unknown author attributed to the Celtic tradition, “And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, ‘This is important!  And this is important!  And this is important! You need to worry about this!  And this!  And this!’  And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, ‘No.  This is what’s important.”  It is important to be alert.  It is important to not allow other interests to pull us away from God.  It is important to remember that God remains the eternal provider for all that is necessary for life for all of creation.  God still has in mind the restoration of God’s kingdom and will bring it to completion.  Caring that much about each and every one of us and all of the created order is God’s purpose.  God will not abandon us or leave the work of redemption unfinished.  God will complete the work of salvation. It is our role as God’s children to live out God’s salvation, to keep on honoring God in our lives.

Some Christians do not know what to believe.  Will there be a second coming of Jesus?  It hasn’t happened yet. One response to this text could be apathy—well, I don’t know if Jesus is coming or not, so why should I care?  Why should I get excited about it?  Does history have any significance?  I can’t see what’s going on, therefore there is no point.  There are atheists who fall into this category as well.  This attitude is summed up in Shakespeare’s Macbeth who says, “Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” 

There are other Christians who are filled with anxiety when reading this passage of scripture because they focus only on the part about being left behind. They fall victim to these words taken out of context to make books and movies that only serve to strike terror into the hearts of those who take this literally. They see God as one who punishes.  They don’t see a God of mercy and grace.

Life is not a tale told by an idiot and God is not a merciless tyrant who snatches away those who are somehow more evil than the rest of us.  Rather, God is sovereign and holds all of created life in loving care, a care and love that does everything possible to draw in and nourish all people.  God will not abandon us because we are God’s people created to be and live in God’s presence.  God is no idiot, but has the wisdom that surpasses all human wisdom.  This is God’s history and God will never write us out of it.  Our hope is in God, the maker of heaven and earth, all things visible and invisible, and in Jesus Christ who lives that we too, might walk in newness of life.