My sermon this week is based on the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Genesis or the second story of creation and eventual fall of humanity. As I began thinking of adam, the earth creature, my train of thought went to my blog (Hebrew nerds out there may understand that train of thought better than others) and how I've neglected it and then, in a full circle kind of way, began to think of my own utter earthiness.
In the first creation story in Genesis we hear about how humans were created in the likeness or image of God and in the second we hear about how we have been created out of mud, dust, dirt...you know the thing everyone wants to be created out of.
In my own life I wish that I could find more of those moments of being in the image of God. Those moments of creativity, light, life, and joy. But lately, I certainly feel much more like that woman created from the mud and dirt and grime. I say this not as the girl who loves to feel deeply rooted in creation, to feel the mud between my toes; that being who feels richly connected with God when out in the created world. No, I say this as a girl who feels disconnected, dirty, broken, cast out.
You see, I have a lot of moments where I feel like a terrible mom. I know this is not a new feeling for many but I feel its full weight lately. My house is never clean. I don't spend as much time with my family as I would like because I work full time. Being a pastor, I never get to sit with my family during church and get to share in the richness of holding a hymnal open and snuggling during the sermon and passing this beautiful tradition on to my daughter. I often lose my temper when my two year old is pushing boundaries and then feel guilty that I wasn't more patient. I get angry or grumpy or irritated with people that I love. And lately with a two year old who doesn't like to go to bed, who wants to climb in and sleep next to us, who gets up at 4am, I am so tired and I try and try to set boundaries so that we all can get better sleep but it takes time and energy and I don't know when to hold those boundaries firmly to create consistency and when to let them bend or break to keep the peace and foster rest and love and comfort. I feel as though I am always at a loss, like I am one step away from getting and doing and saying everything wrong. I feel like a creature built of the mud, whose cracks are starting to show as she gets dried out.
And as I type this, I cry. I cry because I know it is true and I know it is silly and I know that many others have or do feel all these things and more. I cry because we live and a world made of people who are also made of mud, who constantly get things wrong and do and say things that hurt one another; that we have to be worried about pain and violence and suffering not only in the world but in our own lives. I cry because I don't know how to do the one thing that I want so badly to do: to fix it; suddenly turning into someone who always gets and does and says the right things, someone who has more patience and can work full time, keep a clean house and spend glorious joy-filled moments with her family. And I cry because I know that that perfection is not possible, no matter how much I wish it were.
Today I feel like this earth creature, created out of mud and dust and dirt and a giant part of me wanted to leave this post as a lament, filled with those deep feelings of inadequacy and brokenness but that other part of me, maybe it's the pastor part, maybe it's the part that was created in the image of God, maybe it's both, just couldn't leave this post there. Because underneath all of this is hope, hope for those moments of light and life and joy and creativity, moments of love and peace, moments of snuggles on the couch and whispered "I Love You"s, moments of laughter. I have the hope of being someone created of more than just mud and dirt and grime, the hope of being someone lovingly crafted in the image of God, of the very canvas that God used to create all the beauty around me. It doesn't mean that I feel it every day, but it is my hope to feel it just a little more in each of those moments when I feel at my worst; to be reminded in those moments of frustration and anger that I was created out of more than just dirt and grime. So I guess, I will hold on to hope. I will hold on to the first creation story, the reminder that even I, in all my earthy glory, was created in the image of God.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Friday, May 6, 2016
Hats, Hats and More Hats!
This month, the WELCA ladies at one of my churches hosted a breakfast and the theme was "Hats off to Prayer." It was a fun morning filled with old hats and many stories of mothers and grandmothers along with some nice thoughts about prayer and, as always, plenty of good food.
And between this little get together and the fact that it's derby time, I have been thinking a lot about hats lately, and more specifically the hats that I wear on a regular basis.
So, let's start with the most easily recognizable ones:
And as I sat in that quiet car, post conversation with the funeral director, letting both my daughter and myself decompress, I began to see this theme of "Hats off to prayer" in a different way. I began to realize that it doesn't matter how many hats you have to juggle. What matters is that from time to time you must take your hats off and put on the only one that truly matters. The one that reminds you that you are a beloved child of God, the one that allows you to let go of all the other stuff and simply spend time with your creator, that lets go of the judgment and the anxiety of not being enough, of occasionally dropping a hat and tells you that you are perfect in your imperfection and loved deeply.
Now, I'm not gonna say that this realization has drastically changed my life in 24 hours but it did change the rest of that car ride home. For at least those thirty minutes I could simply be present in the moment, let go of the hats that I wasn't wearing at the time but worrying over anyway and settle into a quiet moment with God.
Then I pulled into the driveway and started putting my hats back on. My mom hat, my chef hat as I got dinner on the table, my pastor hat as I dealt with more phone calls regarding funeral arrangements and 100 other things. The hats never come off fully but I am trying to remember that I also carry on my head the hat of child of God that bids me, from time to time, to take the others off and remember to be still and know our God.
And between this little get together and the fact that it's derby time, I have been thinking a lot about hats lately, and more specifically the hats that I wear on a regular basis.
So, let's start with the most easily recognizable ones:
1. I am a mom. This is a hat that I love! I love being a mom and a wife and everything that comes with it.
2. I am a Pastor. This is one of my callings in the world. I love being able to lead worship and be with people in this beautiful and broken world.
3. I am a fairly creative person. I am happiest and more pleasant to be around when I am feeding my creativity and digging into a new project.
4. I love animals and I especially love any chance I get to spend with my two horses.
These are just four of the hats that I wear. To them you could also easily add a chef's hat, a wife hat, an "athlete" hat (and don't worry, I use that phrase very loosely), a friend hat, a daughter hat, a sister hat and the list goes on and on.
I love wearing each and every one of these hats. As a matter of fact, I usually try my hardest to not do anything that I dislike too terribly much, which is why my house is not all that clean. But the trouble comes when I try to balance too many hats at once. Yes, there are often times where I balance 2 or 3 hats at once with little or no problem. For example: yesterday while driving home, I got a phone call from the funeral home and while on the phone with our amazing funeral director my daughter sat in the back seat screaming at the top of her lungs "NO TALKING MOMMY!!!!!!". She was tired, as was I and we both needed some quiet time to decompress after long and tiring days. It happens to all of us, the need to juggle hats from time to time.
But lately I have realized that I can only juggle so many hats for so long before I begin dropping them. Lately I have felt burnt out, exhausted, inefficient, and not enough. And this has led me, from time to time to put on this hat...
...the crazy person hat. And for those of you who have experienced that, I am sorry, but it happens.
And as I sat in that quiet car, post conversation with the funeral director, letting both my daughter and myself decompress, I began to see this theme of "Hats off to prayer" in a different way. I began to realize that it doesn't matter how many hats you have to juggle. What matters is that from time to time you must take your hats off and put on the only one that truly matters. The one that reminds you that you are a beloved child of God, the one that allows you to let go of all the other stuff and simply spend time with your creator, that lets go of the judgment and the anxiety of not being enough, of occasionally dropping a hat and tells you that you are perfect in your imperfection and loved deeply.
Now, I'm not gonna say that this realization has drastically changed my life in 24 hours but it did change the rest of that car ride home. For at least those thirty minutes I could simply be present in the moment, let go of the hats that I wasn't wearing at the time but worrying over anyway and settle into a quiet moment with God.
Then I pulled into the driveway and started putting my hats back on. My mom hat, my chef hat as I got dinner on the table, my pastor hat as I dealt with more phone calls regarding funeral arrangements and 100 other things. The hats never come off fully but I am trying to remember that I also carry on my head the hat of child of God that bids me, from time to time, to take the others off and remember to be still and know our God.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Here We Go: My Confessions on Same-Sex Marriage
Social media has a way of connecting us with people and parts of the country that would otherwise be relegated to newspaper stories or family Christmas letters. For better or worse we are now connected to others in ways we previously were not. And that means that sometimes we get sucked into debates that our common sense tells us to otherwise avoid.
And last night I got sucked in and I couldn't remain silent anymore.
With all the posts lately about the shooting in Charleston, the burning of churches and the recent SCOTUS ruling on "Gay Marriage" my facebook feed has been full of pain, fear, anger, and joy. On Friday my feed blew up with people celebrating the fact that people in same gender relationships can now be legally married and recognized as a family and afforded the rights they deserve as human beings in this country. But this week the tables have turned as the news has caught up and I have begun to see posts arguing the "sanctity of marriage" and the fact that our country is now encouraging people to continue in their "sinful" lives.
I have until this point remained silent. I have not celebrated or condemned, I have not stood for or against. I have remained a bystander on this stage where so much is happening so fast and so many with voices louder than mine are booming forth. I have stayed silent, telling myself that I have not yet made a decision, telling myself that this topic has little place in our concervative community, telling myself that I have little to offer on the subject and little ground to stand on as a white, married, woman.
But those were lies I told myself. The truth is that I was afraid. I was afraid to take a stand. Afraid because I do not feel qualified. Afraid of what my family might think or say. Afraid because I grew up in a church full of loving people who think that homosexuality is a sin. Afraid of what my conservative NW MN congregation might think. Afraid that in taking a stand that I might inadvertantly use my position as pastor in a way that might hurt someone.
But last night I got sucked in and could stay silent no more. The more I typed on this facebook argument, the more I realized that I had in fact made my choice and taken my stand. I had chosen to stand boldly with my brothers and sisters in the LGBTQ community. I could stay silent no more as I read hurtful, hateful things under the name of "Christianity" that do nothing other than turn people away from our loving God. Sins are not mine to judge, and to be honest I'm not sure I can even claim homosexuality as a sin. You can quote Bible verses at me all you like and I can quote them back with historical context, show you studies and introduce you to failful loving people who happen to be a member of the LGBTQ community. You will not sway my opinion any more than I will sway yours. My hope is in a God that loves us deeper than we will ever know and that calls us to radical hospitality and love of the neighbor. So I will do that. I will stand here and refuse to be silent anymore. I will claim love for my neighbor whether they are homosexual or black or any number of other thing that makes them one of the least and the last.
And so as my husband wrote in his much more eloquent blog post: http://pawntoking4.blogspot.com/2015/07/why-this-pastor-is-for-same-sex-marriage.html?spref=fb
"I am a sinner; I may be at fault here. I may be interpreting the word of God wrongly. Lord knows, I can make mistakes. I submit this humbly, but at least if I make a mistake here it will be out of love for my neighbor, especially the one who is persecuted. And I will err that way all day long."
And last night I got sucked in and I couldn't remain silent anymore.
With all the posts lately about the shooting in Charleston, the burning of churches and the recent SCOTUS ruling on "Gay Marriage" my facebook feed has been full of pain, fear, anger, and joy. On Friday my feed blew up with people celebrating the fact that people in same gender relationships can now be legally married and recognized as a family and afforded the rights they deserve as human beings in this country. But this week the tables have turned as the news has caught up and I have begun to see posts arguing the "sanctity of marriage" and the fact that our country is now encouraging people to continue in their "sinful" lives.
I have until this point remained silent. I have not celebrated or condemned, I have not stood for or against. I have remained a bystander on this stage where so much is happening so fast and so many with voices louder than mine are booming forth. I have stayed silent, telling myself that I have not yet made a decision, telling myself that this topic has little place in our concervative community, telling myself that I have little to offer on the subject and little ground to stand on as a white, married, woman.
But those were lies I told myself. The truth is that I was afraid. I was afraid to take a stand. Afraid because I do not feel qualified. Afraid of what my family might think or say. Afraid because I grew up in a church full of loving people who think that homosexuality is a sin. Afraid of what my conservative NW MN congregation might think. Afraid that in taking a stand that I might inadvertantly use my position as pastor in a way that might hurt someone.
But last night I got sucked in and could stay silent no more. The more I typed on this facebook argument, the more I realized that I had in fact made my choice and taken my stand. I had chosen to stand boldly with my brothers and sisters in the LGBTQ community. I could stay silent no more as I read hurtful, hateful things under the name of "Christianity" that do nothing other than turn people away from our loving God. Sins are not mine to judge, and to be honest I'm not sure I can even claim homosexuality as a sin. You can quote Bible verses at me all you like and I can quote them back with historical context, show you studies and introduce you to failful loving people who happen to be a member of the LGBTQ community. You will not sway my opinion any more than I will sway yours. My hope is in a God that loves us deeper than we will ever know and that calls us to radical hospitality and love of the neighbor. So I will do that. I will stand here and refuse to be silent anymore. I will claim love for my neighbor whether they are homosexual or black or any number of other thing that makes them one of the least and the last.
And so as my husband wrote in his much more eloquent blog post: http://pawntoking4.blogspot.com/2015/07/why-this-pastor-is-for-same-sex-marriage.html?spref=fb
"I am a sinner; I may be at fault here. I may be interpreting the word of God wrongly. Lord knows, I can make mistakes. I submit this humbly, but at least if I make a mistake here it will be out of love for my neighbor, especially the one who is persecuted. And I will err that way all day long."
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Call Stories: A Sermon on Jonah 3:1-5, 10 and Mark 1:14-20
Jonah 3:1-5
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
Mark 1:14-20
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
Sermon:
Out of my distress I called to you, O Lord,
But you did not answer me.
I refused to preach repentance to the Ninevites,
But you forced me,
When I sailed away in the opposite direction,
You hurled a violent wind at me.
Your monster swallowed me and returned me to your path.
Repentance I would not preach to Ninevah,
Rather I cursed them, "forty days more and Ninevah shall be destroyed."
But you did not listen to me.
You listened to the people of Ninevah as they sat in ashes
Covered with sackcloth.
I am angry because you are a gracious and merciful God,
Slow to anger,
Rich in clemency,
Loath to punish.
If you will not destroy Ninevah then give me death.
It is better for me to die than to see my enemy live.
-Thomas Reese
I just love the story of Jonah.
He was the only prophet to ever accomplish his mission and help the people to change their ways and God looks kindly on them.
He's also the only prophet to run away and get swallowed by a whale.
Often this is the part of the story we all remember, Jonah was the guy who got swallowed by a big fish and that tends to be where the story lives and dies. But the story of Jonah is so much more. Jonah is a prophet of God who is called to go to the people of Nineveh who were not very nice people. When Jonah was called to go to these people he seems to know two things: 1. He doesn't even want to give them the chance to repent and be saved and 2. they are not worth his or God's time.
So Jonah runs in the opposite direction, gets on a boat, lies about his profession and ends up in a whole mess of trouble. God does not like that Jonah ran away from his call and sends a great storm which threatens to tear apart the boat and somehow Jonah sleeps through it. The sailors find him asleep and cast lots to see which of them has brought the storm upon them. The lots fall on Jonah and as he tells them his story the men came to believe in God because of his powerful acts and Jonah eventually tells them to cast him overboard to save the ship. Even in the middle of the sea, God provides for Jonah and he is swallowed by a huge fish and vomited out onto dry land.
God then seems to call a redo and calls Jonah a second time. This time, covered in fish vomit he begins his walk to Nineveh and once he is there and finds his way to the city center he proclaims to the people, not the words of repentance The Lord gave him but instead he tells them that God will destroy them for their wicked ways. The amazing thing is that even though Jonah's harsh delivery they all repented and turned to God.
Jonah couldn't believe this and left the city and sat down on the hill awaiting their imminent destruction. He waited there and prayed for their destruction. While he sat and pouted God grew him a shade tree and then sent a worm to eat it overnight. When Jonah awoke he was angry about the tree being struck down and God spoke to him asking why he is so mad about the destruction of one I little bush but was so happy to see the destruction of all of Nineveh, after all they are Part of God's creation too.
And this is where we leave Jonah, the reluctant and pouty prophet who did his job poorly and yet still did God's work and shared God's word to a people in need.
In today's Gospel, we hear the calling of Simon, Andrew, James and John, four fishermen who drop what they are doing to follow Christ. In this story very little is spoken, Christ simply says "come, follow me, and they drop what they are doing and do just that.
They are called and they follow at a moment's notice and spend the next three years learning about the depths of repentance and God's love for his people. even when they don't understand it all the time, they keep with it.
The story of their calling is incredibly different than that of Jonah's and these stories are different from every other biblical character who is called and every person who has been called since then.
Sometimes people think that God just calls people like pastors but the truth is that God calls each and every one of us into some kind of work. God called Jonah to speak words of repentance and love to the people of Nineveh, God called Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow Christ, listen to his teachings and learn. Some are called to be doctors or lawyers or janitors or parents. Not one calling is better than another. Not all callings are careers, some are hobbies or volunteer work. Sometimes, like Jonah, it takes a giant fish and a second or third or twentieth call before we listen.
So what is God calling you to do today? How is God wanting you to share his love?
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
Mark 1:14-20
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
Sermon:
Out of my distress I called to you, O Lord,
But you did not answer me.
I refused to preach repentance to the Ninevites,
But you forced me,
When I sailed away in the opposite direction,
You hurled a violent wind at me.
Your monster swallowed me and returned me to your path.
Repentance I would not preach to Ninevah,
Rather I cursed them, "forty days more and Ninevah shall be destroyed."
But you did not listen to me.
You listened to the people of Ninevah as they sat in ashes
Covered with sackcloth.
I am angry because you are a gracious and merciful God,
Slow to anger,
Rich in clemency,
Loath to punish.
If you will not destroy Ninevah then give me death.
It is better for me to die than to see my enemy live.
-Thomas Reese
I just love the story of Jonah.
He was the only prophet to ever accomplish his mission and help the people to change their ways and God looks kindly on them.
He's also the only prophet to run away and get swallowed by a whale.
Often this is the part of the story we all remember, Jonah was the guy who got swallowed by a big fish and that tends to be where the story lives and dies. But the story of Jonah is so much more. Jonah is a prophet of God who is called to go to the people of Nineveh who were not very nice people. When Jonah was called to go to these people he seems to know two things: 1. He doesn't even want to give them the chance to repent and be saved and 2. they are not worth his or God's time.
So Jonah runs in the opposite direction, gets on a boat, lies about his profession and ends up in a whole mess of trouble. God does not like that Jonah ran away from his call and sends a great storm which threatens to tear apart the boat and somehow Jonah sleeps through it. The sailors find him asleep and cast lots to see which of them has brought the storm upon them. The lots fall on Jonah and as he tells them his story the men came to believe in God because of his powerful acts and Jonah eventually tells them to cast him overboard to save the ship. Even in the middle of the sea, God provides for Jonah and he is swallowed by a huge fish and vomited out onto dry land.
God then seems to call a redo and calls Jonah a second time. This time, covered in fish vomit he begins his walk to Nineveh and once he is there and finds his way to the city center he proclaims to the people, not the words of repentance The Lord gave him but instead he tells them that God will destroy them for their wicked ways. The amazing thing is that even though Jonah's harsh delivery they all repented and turned to God.
Jonah couldn't believe this and left the city and sat down on the hill awaiting their imminent destruction. He waited there and prayed for their destruction. While he sat and pouted God grew him a shade tree and then sent a worm to eat it overnight. When Jonah awoke he was angry about the tree being struck down and God spoke to him asking why he is so mad about the destruction of one I little bush but was so happy to see the destruction of all of Nineveh, after all they are Part of God's creation too.
And this is where we leave Jonah, the reluctant and pouty prophet who did his job poorly and yet still did God's work and shared God's word to a people in need.
In today's Gospel, we hear the calling of Simon, Andrew, James and John, four fishermen who drop what they are doing to follow Christ. In this story very little is spoken, Christ simply says "come, follow me, and they drop what they are doing and do just that.
They are called and they follow at a moment's notice and spend the next three years learning about the depths of repentance and God's love for his people. even when they don't understand it all the time, they keep with it.
The story of their calling is incredibly different than that of Jonah's and these stories are different from every other biblical character who is called and every person who has been called since then.
Sometimes people think that God just calls people like pastors but the truth is that God calls each and every one of us into some kind of work. God called Jonah to speak words of repentance and love to the people of Nineveh, God called Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow Christ, listen to his teachings and learn. Some are called to be doctors or lawyers or janitors or parents. Not one calling is better than another. Not all callings are careers, some are hobbies or volunteer work. Sometimes, like Jonah, it takes a giant fish and a second or third or twentieth call before we listen.
So what is God calling you to do today? How is God wanting you to share his love?
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Water: A Sermon on Mark 1:4-12
Mark 1:4-12
"John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness."
Sermon:
Water is such an interesting image isn't it? Water is needed for life. We have to drink water or we will die. Our land needs water or the plants will wither away and refuse to grow. The sound of a babbling brook or gentle lapping waves calm us. And yet water is also powerful and destructive. Too much water and we can drown. Too much Water can cause flooding of homes and land. Quick moving water can cause Houses and people can be swept away.
Water is something we seek to live in balance with and even at times try to control because it is wild and powerful.
That is why I love these readings today. In Genesis we hear of the creation of the earth. One translation says, "when God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was wild and waste, utter darkness covered the deep, and the Spirit of God was brooding over the face of the waters. Then God said, "let there be light!" And there was light!"
The blank canvas that God was working with to create the world we know was nothing but chaotic and tumultuous water. It was a wild wasteland. And God shaped it and formed it and brought order to the chaos, tamed the wildness and spoke life into the wasteland.
In Mark's Gospel we hear the story of John and Jesus. John is a man who seems at home in the wildness and the wasteland of the desert that he lives in. He wears clothes made of camels hair and a leather belt and eats locusts and wild honey. He lives in the desert and people come to him to hear his proclamations of the coming Lord and he baptizes people in the Jordan, a river which brings life to the desolateness of the desert.
Jesus eventually comes to him to be baptized. And amidst John's baptism with water the voice of God speaks. The same voice of God which spoke over the waters at the creation of the world spoke over Jesus, naming him and claiming him as his own and then sending him out into the wildness and chaos and the wasteland of the desert.
God's voice and the waters are so interconnected throughout the Bible and it's this connection that we have all experienced in our own baptism.
The Spirit of God who brooded over the chaotic waters of creation descended on Jesus in the waters of the Jordan and names him Beloved and that same spirit drives him out into the wilderness. That same Spirit of God descends on each and every one of us in baptism and names us beloved. These chaotic and wild waters of baptism drown us to our own life and make us alive in Christ and Just as Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, we too are called to live out this new life in the wild and chaotic and beautiful world that God loves so much and created for us.
**After the sermon, I invited the children forward and talked with them about baptism and had them mark the sign of the cross on one another with water from the font. We then invited everyone in the congregation forward and had the children mark everyone with the sign of the cross. I then ended the sermon time with the following blessing which was in our "Taking Faith Home" insert: "In your baptism God adopted you as a beloved child and gave you the Holly Spirit. Remember today that you belong to God. +May the spirit of God move over you and in you, filling you with faith, hope, love and peace. Amen."**
"John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness."
Sermon:
Water is such an interesting image isn't it? Water is needed for life. We have to drink water or we will die. Our land needs water or the plants will wither away and refuse to grow. The sound of a babbling brook or gentle lapping waves calm us. And yet water is also powerful and destructive. Too much water and we can drown. Too much Water can cause flooding of homes and land. Quick moving water can cause Houses and people can be swept away.
Water is something we seek to live in balance with and even at times try to control because it is wild and powerful.
That is why I love these readings today. In Genesis we hear of the creation of the earth. One translation says, "when God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was wild and waste, utter darkness covered the deep, and the Spirit of God was brooding over the face of the waters. Then God said, "let there be light!" And there was light!"
The blank canvas that God was working with to create the world we know was nothing but chaotic and tumultuous water. It was a wild wasteland. And God shaped it and formed it and brought order to the chaos, tamed the wildness and spoke life into the wasteland.
In Mark's Gospel we hear the story of John and Jesus. John is a man who seems at home in the wildness and the wasteland of the desert that he lives in. He wears clothes made of camels hair and a leather belt and eats locusts and wild honey. He lives in the desert and people come to him to hear his proclamations of the coming Lord and he baptizes people in the Jordan, a river which brings life to the desolateness of the desert.
Jesus eventually comes to him to be baptized. And amidst John's baptism with water the voice of God speaks. The same voice of God which spoke over the waters at the creation of the world spoke over Jesus, naming him and claiming him as his own and then sending him out into the wildness and chaos and the wasteland of the desert.
God's voice and the waters are so interconnected throughout the Bible and it's this connection that we have all experienced in our own baptism.
The Spirit of God who brooded over the chaotic waters of creation descended on Jesus in the waters of the Jordan and names him Beloved and that same spirit drives him out into the wilderness. That same Spirit of God descends on each and every one of us in baptism and names us beloved. These chaotic and wild waters of baptism drown us to our own life and make us alive in Christ and Just as Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, we too are called to live out this new life in the wild and chaotic and beautiful world that God loves so much and created for us.
**After the sermon, I invited the children forward and talked with them about baptism and had them mark the sign of the cross on one another with water from the font. We then invited everyone in the congregation forward and had the children mark everyone with the sign of the cross. I then ended the sermon time with the following blessing which was in our "Taking Faith Home" insert: "In your baptism God adopted you as a beloved child and gave you the Holly Spirit. Remember today that you belong to God. +May the spirit of God move over you and in you, filling you with faith, hope, love and peace. Amen."**
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
The Shepherd: A Christmas Eve Sermon on Luke 2:8-26
I was a little nervous about this sermon, but it seemed to be well received, let me know what you think!
Luke 2:8-26
"In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."
You are never going to believe what happened tonight!
A couple of my friends and I were shepherding just outside Bethlehem.
The sheep had just bedded down for the night and We were just sitting in the field, trading stories and keeping an eye out for predators like we do every night. And all of a sudden there's this bright white light and this Angel is standing right in front of us! It was seriously the scariest thing I've ever experienced in my life. But then the angel said, "do not be afraid." And the crazy thing was that I wasn't afraid anymore, it's like it had just melted away. Then the angel started telling us this story about how the Son of God, the Messiah was born in the city of David and that we could find him wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And then there were all these other angels and they were singing praise to God and then all of a sudden they were just gone!
Well we all stood there shocked for a few minutes and finally one of my friends turned to me and said, "did that just happen?" And i knew deep down that it had and that what the angel said was true. I was so excited to get back into the city and find this child. It took us about a minute more before someone suggested we go see for ourselves what the angels had told us and we all instantly started walking. And as we walked in silence I couldn't help but start thinking about everything that had just happened. I started to think about my sheep and wonder if they would be alright while we were gone. And then I started to wonder why the angel had come to us. I mean we're just a bunch of shepherds, nobody ever invites us anywhere. We take care of other people's animals, we hang out in the field most every day and night because most of us are pretty antisocial and we're all pretty rough around the edges. And yet, the angel came to us, wow God must really love us to share such amazing news with us lowly shepherds.
And then The angel's words came crashing in and I just stopped in my tracks. He said, "I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people." This is not just good news for me and my friends but for everyone! It' snot the kind of news that is good for one person but bad for another. But it's good news for everyone. I don,t really know what that means yet but I have the feeling that this good news is going to change everything and I'm excited to find out.
So we're on our way to see this baby that is the messiah, the good news and great joy for all people. Wanna come with?
Luke 2:8-26
"In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."
You are never going to believe what happened tonight!
A couple of my friends and I were shepherding just outside Bethlehem.
The sheep had just bedded down for the night and We were just sitting in the field, trading stories and keeping an eye out for predators like we do every night. And all of a sudden there's this bright white light and this Angel is standing right in front of us! It was seriously the scariest thing I've ever experienced in my life. But then the angel said, "do not be afraid." And the crazy thing was that I wasn't afraid anymore, it's like it had just melted away. Then the angel started telling us this story about how the Son of God, the Messiah was born in the city of David and that we could find him wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And then there were all these other angels and they were singing praise to God and then all of a sudden they were just gone!
Well we all stood there shocked for a few minutes and finally one of my friends turned to me and said, "did that just happen?" And i knew deep down that it had and that what the angel said was true. I was so excited to get back into the city and find this child. It took us about a minute more before someone suggested we go see for ourselves what the angels had told us and we all instantly started walking. And as we walked in silence I couldn't help but start thinking about everything that had just happened. I started to think about my sheep and wonder if they would be alright while we were gone. And then I started to wonder why the angel had come to us. I mean we're just a bunch of shepherds, nobody ever invites us anywhere. We take care of other people's animals, we hang out in the field most every day and night because most of us are pretty antisocial and we're all pretty rough around the edges. And yet, the angel came to us, wow God must really love us to share such amazing news with us lowly shepherds.
And then The angel's words came crashing in and I just stopped in my tracks. He said, "I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people." This is not just good news for me and my friends but for everyone! It' snot the kind of news that is good for one person but bad for another. But it's good news for everyone. I don,t really know what that means yet but I have the feeling that this good news is going to change everything and I'm excited to find out.
So we're on our way to see this baby that is the messiah, the good news and great joy for all people. Wanna come with?
Mary, Mary: A Sermon on Luke 1:26-38
This sermon is from the fourth Sunday in Advent (12/21)
Luke 1:26-38
"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her."
This week we hear the sorry of the Annunciation, the story of Mary hearing that she will become pregnant and bear a son, Jesus. And I'll be honest I was struggling with what direction I should go in. I didn't know if I should focus on Mary or her connection with the prophets or her faithfulness or what. And as I went around and around in circles I did what I often do when I'm in need of inspiration and I opened up my computer and headed for the Ted talks website. If you don't know ted, you should take a few minutes to check it out. Ted stands for Technology, Education and Design and it's short videos, no more than 18 minutes, of people who are experts in their field talking about whatever it is they are passionate about. The speakers range from experts in the medical field with multiple phd's to street musicians and everyone in-between. But I digress....when I sat down at my computer The first video that caught my eye was titled "my daughter Malala". Malala is the brave young woman who is the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize, she won it because of her eloquent and passionate push against patriarchal systems which do not allow women to go to school.
This man introduces himself as Malala's father and continues his talk partly telling Malala's story but more so telling the story of his community. He tells us what it's like to grow up in an undeveloped patriarchal society. In these communities, the birth of baby girls are not celebrated and mothers who give birth to girls find themselves sad, shocked and feeling guilty because in their culture men are known for their sons, not their daughters. Daughters are expected to hold the honor of the men in their lives by being quiet, humble, submissive and obedient and they could be killed if they are even thought to have failed to uphold one of those qualities. more than that, he says, throughout history the story of women is the story injustice, inequality, violence and exploitation. One only needs to open the pages of our own Bible to see these same stories played out. There are countless women in the Bible who not only suffer tremendously but are never even named. This cycle of the treatment of women has not changed for thousands of years in some parts of our world.
Perhaps that is why this weeks lesson is so amazing.
Today we meet Mary. She is a young girl living in one of these same patriarchal societies. And when I say young girl I mean barely a teenager. She has been promised to Joseph but she doesn't quite belong to him yet, but she will soon. She has no voice of her own in her daily life and is probably ushered around From place to place by her brothers, father or uncles, not allowed to go anywhere on her own. She is not educated. She is property, the property of her father and the soon to be property of Her husband.
And one night, in the midst of her good, humble, submissive, obedient life, an angel visits her. The angel tells her she is favored, that God is with her, and she is perplexed. She sobs confused because these are words she has never heard before. She is confused because an angel is visiting her rather than one of the men in her household. She is confused because she's never been favored or wanted in her entire life. She is confused because God has chosen her, and called her by name, something that her own brothers may never have done. Do you see why Mary is perplexed?!
God has called quiet, humble, obedient, submissive Mary out of the comfort of the patriarchal world she lives in and asks her to be anything but those things. And what is even more amazing is that the angel tells her what is to come, that she will become pregnant and bear a son who she will name Jesus. The angel does not tell her what has already happened, instead there is a sense that this is ultimately up to Mary to agree to. For the first time in her life she gets a choice in what will happen to her. And she chooses God because God has already chosen her. She knows what agreeing to this divine birth could mean for her. By saying yes she will dishonor her family, she will disobey her father and future husband, she will cease to be submissive to the men in her life. This decision could very easily lead to her death and yet she says yes to God. She breaks the silence and proclaims, "here am I, the servant, the slave, of The Lord, let it be with me according to your word,
Jesus' life begins with a woman who bucks the patriarchal society which she has been steeped in. Jesus' life begins with his mother who dared to say yes to a God who was calling her out even though centuries of tradition were telling her to keep silent and not believe that God would ever speak to her.
Jesus' life begins with a woman who in order to say yes to god, to be humble to God and to help to change and bring honor to the world had to bring dishonor to her entire family.
God chooses for Christ to enter the world in such an extraordinary way that it shatters everything we have ever known. So this miracle birth that we quietly celebrate every year with beautiful songs and thoughts and feelings of joy and peace has a little bit more to the story than we normally tell. When we take Mary off the high pedestal we often keep her on, we meet a young , ordinary girl who did something extraordinary by saying yes to God. This advent and Christmas season is a reminder to us that God calls us, the ordinary people that we are, and asks us to help change the world. Amen.
Here is the video for anyone who would like to see it.
Luke 1:26-38
"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her."
This week we hear the sorry of the Annunciation, the story of Mary hearing that she will become pregnant and bear a son, Jesus. And I'll be honest I was struggling with what direction I should go in. I didn't know if I should focus on Mary or her connection with the prophets or her faithfulness or what. And as I went around and around in circles I did what I often do when I'm in need of inspiration and I opened up my computer and headed for the Ted talks website. If you don't know ted, you should take a few minutes to check it out. Ted stands for Technology, Education and Design and it's short videos, no more than 18 minutes, of people who are experts in their field talking about whatever it is they are passionate about. The speakers range from experts in the medical field with multiple phd's to street musicians and everyone in-between. But I digress....when I sat down at my computer The first video that caught my eye was titled "my daughter Malala". Malala is the brave young woman who is the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize, she won it because of her eloquent and passionate push against patriarchal systems which do not allow women to go to school.
This man introduces himself as Malala's father and continues his talk partly telling Malala's story but more so telling the story of his community. He tells us what it's like to grow up in an undeveloped patriarchal society. In these communities, the birth of baby girls are not celebrated and mothers who give birth to girls find themselves sad, shocked and feeling guilty because in their culture men are known for their sons, not their daughters. Daughters are expected to hold the honor of the men in their lives by being quiet, humble, submissive and obedient and they could be killed if they are even thought to have failed to uphold one of those qualities. more than that, he says, throughout history the story of women is the story injustice, inequality, violence and exploitation. One only needs to open the pages of our own Bible to see these same stories played out. There are countless women in the Bible who not only suffer tremendously but are never even named. This cycle of the treatment of women has not changed for thousands of years in some parts of our world.
Perhaps that is why this weeks lesson is so amazing.
Today we meet Mary. She is a young girl living in one of these same patriarchal societies. And when I say young girl I mean barely a teenager. She has been promised to Joseph but she doesn't quite belong to him yet, but she will soon. She has no voice of her own in her daily life and is probably ushered around From place to place by her brothers, father or uncles, not allowed to go anywhere on her own. She is not educated. She is property, the property of her father and the soon to be property of Her husband.
And one night, in the midst of her good, humble, submissive, obedient life, an angel visits her. The angel tells her she is favored, that God is with her, and she is perplexed. She sobs confused because these are words she has never heard before. She is confused because an angel is visiting her rather than one of the men in her household. She is confused because she's never been favored or wanted in her entire life. She is confused because God has chosen her, and called her by name, something that her own brothers may never have done. Do you see why Mary is perplexed?!
God has called quiet, humble, obedient, submissive Mary out of the comfort of the patriarchal world she lives in and asks her to be anything but those things. And what is even more amazing is that the angel tells her what is to come, that she will become pregnant and bear a son who she will name Jesus. The angel does not tell her what has already happened, instead there is a sense that this is ultimately up to Mary to agree to. For the first time in her life she gets a choice in what will happen to her. And she chooses God because God has already chosen her. She knows what agreeing to this divine birth could mean for her. By saying yes she will dishonor her family, she will disobey her father and future husband, she will cease to be submissive to the men in her life. This decision could very easily lead to her death and yet she says yes to God. She breaks the silence and proclaims, "here am I, the servant, the slave, of The Lord, let it be with me according to your word,
Jesus' life begins with a woman who bucks the patriarchal society which she has been steeped in. Jesus' life begins with his mother who dared to say yes to a God who was calling her out even though centuries of tradition were telling her to keep silent and not believe that God would ever speak to her.
Jesus' life begins with a woman who in order to say yes to god, to be humble to God and to help to change and bring honor to the world had to bring dishonor to her entire family.
God chooses for Christ to enter the world in such an extraordinary way that it shatters everything we have ever known. So this miracle birth that we quietly celebrate every year with beautiful songs and thoughts and feelings of joy and peace has a little bit more to the story than we normally tell. When we take Mary off the high pedestal we often keep her on, we meet a young , ordinary girl who did something extraordinary by saying yes to God. This advent and Christmas season is a reminder to us that God calls us, the ordinary people that we are, and asks us to help change the world. Amen.
Here is the video for anyone who would like to see it.
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