the one about the bones

Can these bones live?  Can the dead live?  Can those bound in the dark silence of the tomb breathe again? Can those whose lives are cut short be given another chance?  

There is a fascination with life after death.  From “The Walking Dead” to Zombie Apocalpyse, Vampire Diaries to Resurrection popular TV is a reflection of popular culture’s interest in the mystery and uncertainty of the future.  But neither the ancient Jews nor the first Christians were concerned only with the question; is there a personal life after death?  Their understanding of resurrection, the restoration of life, was about the dire present circumstances of the whole community of God’s faithful and whether there would be vindication for them after long-suffering. 

Ezekiel the prophet speaks to the exiled Jewish community in despair.  They longed for days of freedom.  They remembered Jerusalem before the great day of destruction.  And now they were living in a foreign land, deported from their homeland; their holy city and God’s holy temple destroyed.  It was the middle of the 6^th century BC.  The Babylonian empire had conquered Israel, destroyed the temple, left the weak to die, deported the strong to Babylon.  When Ezekiel prophesies (a word which means one who publicly announces the Word of God), to Israel, he prophesies to a people who had seen death and grave loss.  They were desolate, lost, deep in despair.  They assumed their history, their way of life, had been destroyed forever.  God has abandoned them to die in a foreign country.  They were in bondage, captives to a people who did not know their God and their story.  Who were they apart from David’s city and solomon’s temple?  Their great story of Passover and liberation, a story that was meant to bring hope, brought sorrow.  Where was God now?  Their hope was gone. 

The Valley of Dry Bones symbolizes Israel’s hopeless sense of abandonment.  Their God had left them to die.  But, Ezekiel announces that the Ruah, the Spirit breath of God, was about to return to them.  The community would be restored.  Not because they were righteous, faithful, or pious. But because God is faithful and merciful and good.   Because God’s love for Israel was eternal.  The community would be restored as a holy people, the covenant restored by God for them.  And so God does restore them.  And Jerusalem is rebuilt.  And there is peace.  For a time. 

But 500 years pass and the people are in bondage again.  This time it is the Roman empire that violently oppresses with military force and high taxation.  They kill rebels and crucify messiahs.  And although the temple has been restored, it has been corrupted by money changers and turned into a system of economic oppression that benefited a few and hurt many.  And the nation is torn apart.  Some want to rise up and wage war.  Others want to quietly obey the Torah and pray for God to send a deliverer.  There was much suffering and senseless death. Jesus and the church emerge in this context. There is death because of poverty and violence.  

A brother died.  We do not know Lazarus’ story. How did he get sick? What illness overcame him and led to his death?  Jesus was familiar with this family, Mary and Martha and Lazarus of Bethany.  They had shown hospitality to Jesus.  And he cared for them like sisters.  And a brother.  But when he died, Jesus was off with his disciples.  If he had been there, perhaps he could’ve done something to save him.  That is the accusation leveled against Jesus.  His absence was almost as responsible for death as the disease itself.  Doctors take mortality seriously, seemingly holding life in their hands sometimes. Jesus had stayed away and Lazarus had died.  And although Jesus suggests that his death is a sign of God's life-giving power, it seems that he is too late.  Now it was four days later.  Past the point of return.  And yet, he arrives and promises more than a hopeful future.  Not "one day you will reunite in heaven."  He promises them life.  Resurrection.  Now.  In that hour. Our "too late" becomes God's "right now". 

And so, with a loud voice he raises Lazarus.  Lazarus emerges.  Alive.  Not so that the people can believe that heaven is for real.  But so that they might believe that Jesus is the son of God come to save the world from sin and death.   And he calls the community to unbind him and set him free. 

Can the dead live?  When we think about these two stories, death is linked with despair and hopelessness.  It is linked with "too late".  Who lives with such despair today?  Who are the living dead? Who are bound by injustice and oppression?  Who are hopeless? We aren’t.  We are safe and privileged and healthy.  The bible was written by those on the bottom of the human pyramid. The bible was written in the blood and suffering of martyrs.  We are not them.  How can we say it is our story? It is the story of those who are stepped on, abused, hated, rejected, cursed, unjustly treated. It is the story of the jews facing the gas chambers at Auschwitz.  It is the story of Native Americans facing extermination; of Rwandan Genocide.  It is the story of people who are stripped of human dignity and the possibility of a good, whole, and healthy life.  We may think of people in poverty, people dealing with oppressive governments, people living through the hell of war.  We may think of children living through famine, seeing death every day.  We may think of 2 million incarcerated Americans, the free-est country in the world incarcerates the most people.  Over 3, 000 Americans face life sentences without parole for nonviolent offenses. They do so in states where there are mandatory sentencing guidelines for multiple offenders.  Mostly they are drug-related offenses.  Are drugs nonviolent?  Perhaps not.  Nevertheless, the U.S, incarcerates a higher percentage of its citizens than any other country.  Can these bones live?  Hundreds of thousands of people are deported from the U.S. every year.  Families are divided.  Children watch their parents get deported.  People who have lived and worked here and paid taxes here without opportunity to apply for citizenship are deported.  1,200 people every day.  One of the largest detention centers for illegal immigrants is in York County.  A nation of immigrants has made it very hard for immigrants to become citizens. And so they live in fear.  Can these bones live?

We live in an age where there is reason to despair.  With all of our advances in medicine and science and technology, some people live with privileges that others are denied because of their skin color, their sexual orientation, their economic status.  We live in an age where food can be wasted in one house, while people hunger in the next one.  We live in an age where wealthy business owners build mansions in Manheim Township while a single mom and her 4 month old face eviction and homelessness.  Can these bones live?  

The bible was written in and for a community of people.  It is not a rule book for individuals.  It is community’s story, a national charter, a corporate manifesto.  It is the message, voice, and intention of God. It is a covenant between God and people.  WE are called to take up the prophetic work of setting the oppressed free. You will ask, but how? I cannot answer that.  God will breathe it into us.  God speaks and the dead listen.  We must shout against it. Death threats, incarcerations, what have you they will not prevent God’s people from saying what is true.  God desires that the oppressed, the poor, the imprisoned, the detained and deported will be free. We must not silently and idly stand by while injustice reigns.  We must stand for hope and truth and justice. One day it will be so.    Can these bones live?  Yes, they can.  Make it so, O Lord. Make it so.  Amen.      

the one about eyesight

Sight is something few of us take for granted.  Many of us wear corrective lenses.  I've worn glasses since I was 7.  I was called four-eyes.  When I take these off, I see undefined shapes and colors.  I'm near-sighted, which means I can't see things far away.  Unfortunately "far away" is limited to about 4 feet.  Several of you have had eye surgeries to repair injured eyes.  Loss of sight can be devastating.  But just as one’s ability to see does not define us, nor should one’s inability to see.  More often than not people are defined by their disability.  We marvel at people who overcome disabilities to become more able than expected.  Amputees who run, for example.  But we often pity or even fear people with disabilities we do not understand, especially those who are born disabled.  We discriminate. Just as there is physical blindness, we suffer from spiritual blindness. We determine what is right and what is wrong. Their outer appearance reveals their inner selves.  Right?  We need to determine cause and effect.  A defect, a flawed character, a bad seed. What caused this?  We say that people get what they deserve.  We want someone to be responsible. We need to blame. We want to fault someone.  And in so doing, we isolate the bad seeds from the good.  We separate them. Everything from skin color to physical and mental acuity, and even the distinction between wealthy and poor.  We have determined which is preferable and we prejudice against its opposite. And genetics doesn't help, does it?  Now our flaws are mutations that we may hope to control or eliminate through genetic redesign.  

When we see someone or something we don't like we avoid it or reject it.  

Whose in your spiritual blind spot?  Who do you find it hard to see as anything beyond their disease, disorder, or flaw?  What do we believe about addicts? Criminals? The poor? The disabled?  The mentally ill? Are they blessed or cursed?    

As usual, the gospel reverses conventional wisdom and understanding about the human condition.  Who is able?  Who is disabled?  Who is a sinner? Who is right?  Who is blind? Who can see?  Seeing is an important theme in the gospel of John, where it is a metaphor for faith in the God made visible in the crucified man Jesus.  Also, John astutely suggests that sight and insight are not the same thing. Some people seem to be able to intuit or trust that certain things are a certain way. They may even trust in invisible things.   We call this faith.  Others require physical proof and call those who believe in invisible things fools or worse. They are rationalists who depend on their senses to confirm truth. Most of us are not one or the either but a combination with a preference for how we observe and make sense of the world.      

I notice two things about this story from the fourth chapter of John's gospel.  The first is obvious.  Jesus is absent from the story from verses 8 to 34, the longest he is absent in the gospel of John. This is interesting because John’s gospel is all about the presence of God in Jesus.  The one who became flesh and dwells among us. And though many did not believe this, some did.  The whole story seems to hinge on the difference between those two groups; believers and nonbelievers. According to John, Jesus presence is the sign of God’s saving work for all of humankind.  And yet he disappears for half of this story. In a story about blindness and recovery of sight, the main character disappears. What might this mean?     

Second, a blind man receives sight and no one celebrates this.  From the moment he receives his sight, the man is interrogated.  It’s as if he’s on trial, isn’t it?  Who are you?  Have you been blind since birth or are you just a panhandler using “blindness”  as a way to people’s wallets? Who did this to you? Do you see this man in the court room?  You don’t see him? Then where did he go?  They even interrogate his parents, putting them on the witness  stand.  Is this your son?  Was he born blind?  Then how does he now see?  They intend to accuse Jesus, calling him a sinner.  They know that the law has been violated somehow.  Jesus did in fact heal the man on the Sabbath day, an act of work that was apparently condemned by the strictest adherents to the law.  

The prosecution rests with their final judgment.  This man was born in sin.  His testimony is therefore unreliable at best, and an outright lie at the worst. They know the law.  But they do not know Jesus.  And they do not believe this man’s testimony. 

Jesus never appears in his own defense or in defense of the man who was born blind and now sees. He is absent from the trial.

In the late first century, the early church had to deal with Jesus' absence. They lacked visible proof of his resurrection.  Their testimony that they had seen him was refutable evidence, plausibly deniable. John's gospel is strengthening believers and encouraging non-believers to take the risk of faith and trust testimony of the first adherents.  Jesus' absence continues to be problematic in a scientific world that requires empirical evidence to corroborate truth.  
Do you ever feel like God is absent from you and your circumstances? When things go badly, does it ever feel like you’re alone?  When you are surprised by an unexpected grace, do you ever feel like celebrating but no one is there to celebrate with you? 

There is an important clue to the absence of Jesus that Jesus himself gives.  Jesus says “I am the light of the world.” The thing about light is that it is always with us on earth.  Is there a place that humans dwell that is completely devoid of light?  Ever?  We cannot live without light. The sun, the moon and stars, fire.  Light.  We are drawn to it. Without it no one sees.  Is it possible that the text reveals something about Jesus?  He is visible in visibility. Jesus is our vision.  Jesus gives us sight, insight, the capacity to know and understand, to experience the other not as threat but as a fellow human.  In the creation story, light separates from darkness.  But it does not avoid it.  It fills it up.  Light fills darkness.  And so in this way, Jesus fills the darkness of every human heart.  Just as he gives sight to a blind man, Jesus makes it possible for me and you to see and know the truth about humankind. We are NOT prejudged by God through the lens of SIN.  We are all seen through the lens of God’s glory.  We see and judge people through the lens of good and evil; a lens God insisted would lead to death.  But God sees all of humanity through one lens: The light of pure love.  A blind man is given sight, because God has become visible for all to see in Jesus, in the light of the world.  Look around. There is no place where God does not dwell.  God is everywhere. In every person, place, and thing. Or maybe everything is in God.  Either way, God is not invisible to those who believe.  I believe and so I see God in you and in every living, breathing thing.  So what does it mean to reject, demonize, or hate someone?  What does it mean to imprison someone, put them to death, reduce someone to an action or a behavior or a disability?  What does it mean to see the poor as bad people, lazy people, worthless people? Natural selection is a process that, in a sense, negates the presence of God in some parts of creation. In our spiritual blindness, we fail to see God. 

Jesus is present in every living person and especially in those who are made to suffer unjustly.  The way we treat and understand others is the way we treat and understand Jesus. Do we crucify him or celebrate him? I think we do too much crucifying and not enough celebrating. Jesus is present in water, bread, wine, Words of grace and peace, in healing, in the light that surrounds us, comforts us, lets us see and know that God is as near as the air we breathe. What would life be like if everyone believed that what they saw, the ordinary stuff of everyday existence, life itself was the sign of God's existence, the sign of God's love?  Amen.   

Dinner Church

 This is an old idea.  What if we gathered around a meal and did a Eucharist while we ate it? The first Christians did this.  (See First Corinthians.  See 1st century Judaism.)  A Eucharist is also called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion.  It is the ancient act of breaking bread and sharing a common cup of wine as a sign of reconciliation, for the forgiveness of sins, as a participation in Jesus' death and resurrection, and as a foretasting of a future reality in which all are fed and no one hungers or thirsts.
I'd also heard about St. Lydia's, a Lutheran mission church in Brooklyn practicing dinner church.
So we did it. This is what we did.
We gather around tables in a semi-circle.  We bring food to share.  We light candles.  We pray.  We listen to two stories:  A gospel story and a personal story from a new disciple of Jesus. We pray and we celebrate the Eucharist.  Here is the outline:

       Dinner Church.  Liturgy of the Eucharist

L=Leader; A=All

L          God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the seas and the stars;

A         Show us your love.

L          Jesus the Christ, light and life, our salvation and peace.

A         Show us your grace.

L          Holy Spirit, breath of life, our comforter and guide;

A         Show us your power.

L          O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

A         Give us your peace.  Amen.

L          What are the greatest commandments?

A         You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Psalm 51

L          Have mercy on me O God, according to your lovingkindness;

A         in your great compassion blot out my offenses;

L          Wash me through a through from my wickedness,

A         and cleanse me from my sin.

L          For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me

A         Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me.

 All are invited to cast away their regrets, mistakes, guilt, and Sin by throwing a stone into the water basin.  We believe that Baptism unites us with Jesus, cleanses us from sin, and renews us in the Holy Spirit.

A reading from the Gospel of John

 We read the story in parts.  Tonight we need the voice of the woman and the voice of Jesus. 

A conversation with Beca Zimmerman

The risk of being vulnerable and the power of God to form us into called people with a mission to encourage others. 

Reflection time. 

Prayers of the People (A time to pray for people who need God’s peace, power, grace, and love.)

Liturgy of Thanksgiving

L          The Lord be with you;

A         And also with you.

L          Lift up your hearts;

A         We lift them up to the Lord.

L          Let us give thanks to the Lord our God;

A         It is right to give God thanks and praise.

L          In the night when he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying:  Take and eat this is my body given for you. Do this to remember me. Again after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to all to drink saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins.  Do this to remember me. 

  

A         Our Father in heaven, Holy is your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen

Sharing the bread and cup:  All are welcome to receive the bread saying: “The body of Christ for you.  And the cup saying: The blood of Christ for you.

We sing:          Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry;

Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirst.

L          God is with us in the beauty and power of creation

            God is with us in the love that heals, forgives, and brings peace;

            God is with us in the Spirit that binds us together and makes us one.

            God, the creator, Jesus the savior, and Holy Spirit, giver of life be with you.

A         And also with you. Amen.

Let us depart in the peace and love of Jesus Christ

Liturgy means work of the people.  And so we entrust each other with holy words and holy things. There are many leaders, speakers, and servants around the table.  Last night, 30 people came with more food than we could eat.  The woman who participated in the gospel reading has never read scripture in public as long as I've known her.  Another young adult prayed the opening dialogue.  Children prayed the prayers of the people.  Another young adult prayed the departing blessing. Beca told her story.  We pass the bread and the grape juice.   It feels very communal.

There was a point at which Beca disclosed long-held beliefs in her own inadequacy, like she didn't matter to anyone.  Like no one should care about her. She actually believes that shit. She was taught to believe it in subtle ways by her family.  But it has become internalized.  She believes in her own unworthiness.  So I invited anyone else who has felt that way to stand.  Everyone stood with her and around her.  And communion happened in that moment.

There are unbaptized people in the room.  There are lifelong Lutherans in their 70's in the room. There are babies and single mothers. There are recovering alcoholics.  There are families.  There are teens and thirty somethings.  

When I proposed that we do this, I did not expect this to happen.  

Anyone can come.  Bring something to share at the table. If for nothing else, come for a great meal with a community hungry for a place to experience God's grace.  

   

  

            

the one about the well

Having an uncomfortable conversation with someone is never easy. Try talking about racial injustice and white privilege in a room full of black and Hispanic people. I had the frightening privilege of doing that in Atlanta in January. It was a hard conversation and we were kind and merciful to one another.   

Think about the last time you had a difficult conversation with someone.  Maybe it was this week. With a spouse or a child or a coworker or a parent…Maybe it was like talking to a wall of... miscommunication, misunderstanding, misinterpretation.  We talk past each other.  Put up walls.  Dig  trenches.  Retreat. Hide. Lie.  Divert. Blame. We let emotions cloud judgement and speak harshly.        

Last week's gospel story was the clandestine meeting at night from John chapter 3, Nicodemus and Jesus.  Nicodemus was a respected elder in the religious community, who was concerned about Jesus and about his own reputation. So he goes at night, in darkness, secretly.  He asked questions.  He received more questions and riddles about spiritual rebirth and the love of God.  I know John 3:16 is in there, but the conversation was more than a sentence.  It was an internal conflict about essential matters of faith. It's not easy talking to John's Jesus because he can be so esoteric. And yet, he's open to a late night meeting with a man who could be his religious superior.  Sometimes we have to initiate the tough, uncomfortable conversation because our own consciences are burdened.  Sometimes we have to question our own beliefs. Are we open to the possibility that someone like Jesus could point us to God in a way our safe religious habits can't?       

Today it’s the well confrontation. It’s not easy talking to Jesus. Because he knows.  He knows the woman at the well, her story of broken relationships, abuse, and bad decisions.  He already knows.  And we get a little creeped out.  I don't want to believe that someone knows my inner thoughts, my habits, my secret faults, my mistakes.  But the story shows that Jesus knows. And he loves us anyway. And that’s a little hard to believe, too. 

the one about the demons

As a pastor, one of the questions people ask me about the story of Jesus is "What is demonic possession?"   For years Movies like Poltergeist, Amityville Horror, and the Exorcist have dramatized the powers of evil to take over the human body and mind. These movies are scary.  The supernatural power that causes levitation, foaming at the mouth, spinning heads, shiny red eyes, murderous rage is portrayed as an invisible presence that enters a weaker human to become manifest. The invisible evil spirit needs a body in order to act maliciously.  Why do people like these movies?  Maybe because it makes demonic possession fictional,unrealistic, and bizarre.  Demonic possession in the movies tells us this is not real.  
I remember a youth retreat I went on once led by Lutheran pastors.  It was all about satanic worship and the threat it posed on our young faith.  They scared me.  More than ghost stories, they talked about supernatural encounters with possessed people, devil worship, and cultic practices.  This was in the mid 1980's and these pastors had lived through the 70's.  Satanic cults and black magic were perceived spiritual threats to people and churches, especially as young people tended to explore and dabble in the occult.  We listened to evil rock music, even playing some records in reverse to hear the subliminal cultic messages brainwashing our impressionable minds.  I actually wrote a research paper on the occult at some point in my academic life, largely because of the impact this one retreat had on me.  We were taught that there were religious rituals and practices that were opposed to the powers of God, that threatened the faithful.  I was taught to be afraid and to identify signs of cult participation or cultic behaviors.  For rural white middle class folk, satanic cults were real threats. They were to us what gangs were to urban society.
Except that I never met anyone who dabbled in the occult, practiced witchcraft or worshiped satan.
We were taught to identify and avoid evil intent and demonic activity. Since I never encountered it as a youth, I wrote off that retreat as a bunch of Hollywood hype.
But then I read the gospels and I see Jesus confront unclean spirits, demons, and the Satan himself in a 40-day biblical showdown in the harsh desert.  Jesus' ministry involved engagement with malicious powers that violently tormented people.  He cast out demons, amazing people with his power.
In one such story, from the gospel of Luke chapter 11, Jesus confronts and casts out a demon that made a man mute.  When he did this, the man spoke.  Others in the community began to suggest that Jesus used demonic powers (the powers of Beelzebul) to cast out the unclean spirit from the man.  Jesus says: "Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?--for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul.  Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcists cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe.  But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his plunder.  Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

the one about maturity and youth basketball games

‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Gospel of Matthew, ch. 5

What is a mature person?  When does someone become mature?  It may be easier to think about immaturity.  We see plenty of examples there, don't we?    

To say someone is mature is a kind way of saying they’re old.  Maturity comes with age.  But growing up is more than a physical process of development. Physical characteristics of adulthood do not make a person mature, do they? I’ve met my share of immature 40, 50, 60 year-olds.  I’ve seen physically mature teens, whose minds and spirits have a lot of catching up to do with their bodies. Something about us wants to avoid growing up, call it Peter Pan syndrome.  So we see adults throw fits; act selfishly, hide in shame, wear spandex or tight pants, apply youth-regenerating makeup, or a pair of inappropriate shorts; we see men of a certain age popping pills to recharge their youth. Examples of immaturity abound.  Go to a youth sporting event and you’ll likely see adults acting, well, badly.  I heard a youth rec league basketball coach chastising his 9 and 10 year old team to stop letting that “stupid kid” on the other team rebound the ball.  That stupid kid overheard that coach and started to cry.  How immature. Not the kid.  The adult.  You see and hear parents yelling at coaches, at referees, at players. I mean, get a grip.  It’s a game. They’re kids. It’s supposed to be fun. There’s no money involved here. Losing and making mistakes will build character.  Your kid is not the next Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or Derek Jeter, so sit down on your folding chair and watch the game.  Do you hear yourself? We are dwelling in a culture of adolescence.  It has been written, “Adolescence is society’s permission slip for combining physical maturity with psychological irresponsibility.” I worry that we over-value the adolescent in popular culture.  The brash, foolish, impulsive, and sexy.  The physically athletic young adult.  Sure, we poke fun at their immaturity, while secretly envying their youthful vigor. The Olympic games are an international festival commemorating the physical abilities of a few people who can do useless things with their bodies that most of us cannot do. Like a backside, double mctwist 1260 japan.  I’ll never be an Olympian. I’m too mature for that.         

Jesus uses the Greek word Telos in a sentence that has been translated “Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.”  The trouble we have with this sentence is our own imperfection. We know that nobody is perfect or can attain moral perfection.  So, we hear this sentence and presume that Jesus’ moral agenda is impossible, idealistic, and unrealistic.  Turn the other cheek? Sure, that’s fine for kids.  Maybe we teach that to our children.  But it’s not realistic in this world.  Sometimes, you have to fight back. There are bullies.  There are terrorists.  There are violent people who threaten safety.  War is necessary.  And sometimes right.   Love our enemies?  Not here.  We hear and see bitter political rivals who demonize and vilify each other.  Democrats vs. Republicans.  Americans against the Arab world.  We see attacks.  Attack the enemy.  Protests lead to violence around the world.  From Syria to Ukraine, the world seems unstable, dangerous, and frightening.  We must be prepared to respond with force.  And arm everyone.  Because everyone is a potential threat, especially a young, male person of color.  We must be prepared to stand our ground and defend ourselves, our families, our neighbors.  Luther said so, too.  Following the moral argument of Augustine, Luther argued that a Christian is justified in using deadly force to protect the neighbor. Violence seems to be a natural, acceptable, and necessary response to danger and violence.  That is why the act of forgiveness perpetrated by the Amish community five years ago after the Nickel Mines shooting seemed to confound so many people. Retributive justice and revenge are far more characteristic responses to heinous violent acts.  Did you know, however, that Lutherans oppose the death penalty?

the one that was a kind of love letter

"‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. Matthew chapter 5.

Dear brother or sister,
In honor of Valentines Day, I invite you to read this post as a kind of love letter from me to you.  Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth was a love letter. Not the romantic kind.  More like deep familial love.  And that is what this is.  A brother’s love for his siblings.  Dear brothers and sisters,

It snowed here this week.  About a foot more than I wanted, but it’s winter and we should expect weird weather and bigger storms. Science says it’s climate change. It means that we must adapt to new, occasionally harsher conditions. We must adapt.  We are slow to do this.  Until we find that avoidance of adaptation is uncomfortable or dangerous.  This time, it was a nuisance, an inconvenience.  But no more troubling than that. So I’m thankful.  I hope you fared as well. But for some people, climate change has meant real hardship and suffering.  It may be time to think about adaptation.  For them,if not for ourselves.  After all, love changes everything.

What I have to say to you, I say in love. I’m going to give you some attention now. So, I hope you will give me the same. This message is for you and about you.  Jesus is inviting you into a conversation or maybe a confrontation with yourself. Because he knows the human heart.  He knows what we’re thinking.  He knows our inner selves.  I think its interesting how addicted people have become to the selfie---the outer image captured on camera.  Me, as I see me.  Or me as I hope you will see me.  I can’t take a selfie. It never comes out right.   I wonder what that means?  Image has become so important.  But action matters.  What we do.  Not how we look.  You are capable of so many things. You have power, the ability to act.  How you use your power is important. Benign or malignant.  Virtuous or vicious. Your actions have consequences.   

the one about salt and light

 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

 ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."Gospel of Matthew, ch. 5.

Last week, we heard part one of Jesus’recruitment and training sermon.  Who are the people that naturally connect with Jesus and his new social program?  He names them.  The spiritually poor.  The mourner.  The humble.  Those who hunger as thirst for what is right.  The merciful.  The pure in heart. The peacemaker.  Those who are persecuted, maligned, hated, oppressed, and verbally assaulted because they are seeking to live the right way. I invited you to think about your own identity in relation to these characteristics.  These are not weaknesses, but superpowers. And discovery of who you are in relation to Jesus’ mission is critical to discipleship.

This week Jesus calls his followers light and salt. Essential elements found on earth.  In the absence of artificial lighting as we know it, the rising and setting sun commanded great attention. Light was power.  Salt was preservation.  Without light and salt, they could not eat, they would not survive. Light fills and overcomes darkness.  Light is vision, warmth, and absolutely necessary for human interaction and community. In a dark world, light is everything.  And salt brings out flavor and more importantly, without refrigeration, preserves and keeps food safe for consumption. 

Light and salt were essential in that world.  Without them there is no life. Did the people who followed Jesus-- the poor, the lame, the blind, the prostitute, the sinner, those who suffered persecution, those who have been marginalized by society, ignored, despised-- did they think of themselves as essential or necessary?  More likely they believed themselves to be completely expendable, worthless, useless, unnecessary, disposable, without value or purpose…They had little hope for themselves.

So Jesus is injecting these people with a new confidence, an identity that had value and purpose in God’s Kingdom.  Those considered weak and vulnerable were being blessed.  Jesus empowers these people to reclaim their identity as children of light, children of God. 

the one where we said "People Matter More"

"Immediately they left their boats, their nets, their father and followed him."  Now in writing the gospel story, the writers are also memorializing the first disciples, the pillars of the church, their heroes of faith if you will.   And so it may seem like the writers are embellishing their initial response or leaving out some preparations that lead up to these snap decisions to drop everything one day and follow Rabbi Jesus.  Surely this is not their first encounter.  Surely these men were waiting to be moved into action.  Surely these guys were more ready than the story tells. Surely they cleared it with their wives or their moms first. If not,these guys were heroic in their obedient faith.   BUT, the rest of the gospel story highlights the disciples' failure to understand, their failure to comprehend and demonstrate their faith, their failure to endure and persevere in the face of real threat.  They are not the best of the best.   Clearly it was not the writers’ intent to clean up the disciples and make them more palatable to a new audience.  They aren’t edited very well. I mean, one of them betrays Jesus.  Another one denies him.  They all fight for places of honor beside King Jesus. So what was it about them and about Jesus that compelled these ordinary, flawed, working mento abandon ship so abruptly?  Why did they change their lives? What compels these fishermen to abandon their boats, their nets, their livelihoods, their families to follow this itinerant preacher from Nazareth?  

Why follow Jesus?  

the one about vulnerability and super powers

"When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Gospel of Matthew chapter 5.  

The Beatitudes.  The God bless you’s.  The first of Jesus’ five sermons in the gospel of Matthew is a recruitment and training sermon.  Jesus is launching a new way of living in relationship with God and one's fellow humanity.  And he starts out identifying characteristics of the people in the crowd who have come to listen to him speak.  Who are the people that naturally connect with Jesus and his new social program?  He names them.  The spiritually poor.  The mourner.  The humble.  Those who hunger and thirst for what is right.  The merciful.  The pure in heart. The peacemaker.  Those who are persecuted, maligned, hated, oppressed, and verbally assaulted because they are seeking to live the right way.  He blesses them with corresponding promises or maybe just acknowledges the truth:  That if you are this kind of a person, then this is the result in your life, this is what God is doing for you.  Not least of which is the promise of the entire KINGDOM! 

So, with whom do you identify? 

The Spiritually poor?  Are you someone struggling to connect with God? Feeling uncentered?  Chaotic?   Do you have a hard time praying adult prayers? Does it seem that others are more faithful than you? You’d like to read the bible everyday, but it just doesn’t happen? Or deeper.You are struggling to trust anyone. At times, the weight of world pressing on you make sit feel like you can't breathe.  This is spiritual poverty.  

The Mourner. Have you experienced a loss?  Do other people’s losses cause you grief?  Are you stuck in the grief of a loss of someone you can’t let go? Do you weep with those who are weeping? Do you have to express empathy for those who are dying and their loved ones? Some times depression is a symptom of a grief-stricken heart.   

Meek.  Humble.  Humiliated.  Ashamed. Do you lack pride? Do you think more highly of others than you do of yourself? Are you willing to clean the toilets?

Hungry and thirsty for justice.  Are you affected by unfair treatment of others? Are you concerned for the way our nation incarcerates nonviolent offenders, the vast majority of whom are people of color?  Does man’s inhumanity to man bother you?  Are you passionate about addressing an issue that negatively impacts others? Do you call out, "That's just not right," when you see it?  

The merciful.  Are you forgiving?  Kind?  Willing to overlook faults, foibles and failures.  Are you eager to relieve the suffering of others? 

The pure in heart.  Do you trust people easily?  Do you look at others with open eyes of friendship? Do people disclose things to you, talk to you, without much prompting?  Do you see goodness in others, even when they have done wrong?

Peacemaker.  Are you someone who appreciates the possibility that necessary conflict leads to constructive change? Are you willing to get in the middle of a fight?  Willing to help others fight fairly with an eye toward resolution, restoration, and reconciliation?

The persecuted. Are you willing to be insulted because of your beliefs and corresponding actions?  Do you recognize that doing the right thing may be unpopular, even dangerous sometimes? 

love feast

I was invited to a Church of the Brethren love feast to observe World Communion Sunday.  On this day, Christians acknowledge that there has been division and strife in the church and that we are called to embody a more visible unity as the body of Christ.  I suggest, as do many Christians, that the place Christians have always embodied unity is around the table.  Since the first century, Christians have placed strong emphasis on the centrality of the Lord's supper, a meal in which the risen Christ becomes present to and for believers.  Taking bread and a cup of wine, Christians remember the death and resurrection of Christ, receive the forgiveness of sin, and unite in loving devotion to God and one another.  Christians have argued and split up over what this means, how this happens, who can be present and receive it, and how often we eat and drink.  Some have divided over the content of the meal itself.  Others over the ritual language employed to make the meal something more than a typical dinner or snack.  Lutherans have been part of these arguments since the 16th century.  Luther proposed that the mass or the sacrament of the altar was a gift from the Lord to be received by faith.  He insisted that the words of St. Paul, instituting the supper in Corinth be spoken to confirm that the meal is indeed the Eucharist (the thanksgiving meal celebrated by Jesus, the apostles, and he early church). Much doctrine has been written and discussed. I will not treat it here.
Suffice it to say, the way Lutherans practice Holy Communion or the Lord's supper is different from the way the Brethren church does.  We are sacramental and place special emphasis on the practice of the Lord's supper.  It is a weekly part of our Christian faith practice.  We do so in response to both the promise and commands of Scripture that bid us to eat and drink Christ's body and blood.  God feeds us there.  And we are hungry and thirsty for God's provision, so that we might experience unity with Christ.  They are anabaptists.  They tie the meal to the four gospels' last supper texts and the footwashing story from John 13.  For them the meal is a memorial of Christ's sacrifice.  It is an act of piety.  For us, it is the actual presence of God.
There are three parts to the love feast, which is a biannual event.  They also observe it on Maundy Thursday in Holy Week.  There is a dinner, a footwashing service, and a holy communion service combined into one continuous liturgy or worship service.  Men and women are seated separately at tables.  There is singing of old hymns in four-part harmony.  There are readings from the bible and prayers.  I was asked to give a meditation on the gospel story of the feeding of the multitudes, Matthew 14.  I said this::
Thank you, Joel for the invitation to be here tonight.  And thank you or the eloquent introduction.  I assumed you invited the Lutheran because we are known for our love of the potluck and the jello mould.  We do love those green jello moulds with the fruit in the middle.  But I digress.
I'm here to talk about food.  Food is miracle.  Food is gift.  Food is the material expression of God’s grace.  We live in a place and time that denies these truths.  We live in a place and time when food is commodity, resource, a marketed and consumed good.  Food is fast. Food is waste. Food is canned and boxed and processed.  Food comes from Giant or Weis or Walmart. We have lost a healthy relationship with food and the land from whence it comes.  I grew up on a produce farm.  I know what a cantaloupe looks like.  But many children today do not. They do not know broccoli from watermelon. They have not tasted a fresh ripe strawberry or corn on the cob.  We can do better than this. Lancaster county is home of the whoopee and shoofly pie, the agricultural garden spot, Shady Maple smorgasbords and chicken pot pie…and Lancaster is home to over 55,000 food insecure people. 

66% of Lancaster County adults are obese.  Obesity is tied to malnutrition and lack of access to healthy food choices.  1 in 3 children in Lancaster County comes from a food insecure household, where they experience hunger. Hunger in America looks different than hunger in the developing world. The root of hunger is poverty, the root of poverty is the broken and fragmented human community.      

From the garden of fruitful delight to the manna in the wilderness; the feeding of the multitudes to the eternal banquet  the biblical narrative is a feast of rich food.  Food is a sign of God’s gracious abundance.  It is sign of vitality and life.  It is promise of the life that is to come. 

We just heard the story of the feeding of multitudes.  My church, a small Lutheran congregation on Main Street in Akron lives in this story.  This is our story.  In 2008 we heard Jesus call us to His mission in this very text as he said, “You give them something to eat.”  We heard this as invitation. Our response is called “Peter’s Porch.”  We have taken up those full baskets and done what he has done; be bless the food and distribute it.  A growing number of neighbors come monthly to Peter’s Porch, Akron.  Over 190 households, 570 + people were fed a healthy breakfast and given a bag of groceries this month. 30 new families joined us in September. Zion Lutheran feeds about 5,000 people each year.  We do so with partners.  But mostly with God’s amazing grace.  Why? First, there are hungry people around us. Second, Jesus has commanded and invited us to do so.  Third, we are fed.  At the table of grace, we receive the gift of Christ’s full presence every Sunday in bread and cup.  God feeds our bodies and our souls.  Too often Christians have thought to address one or the other, but not both. One cannot receive Christ and avoid the fellowship of the Lord’s supper; one cannot love Christ and ignore the hungry neighbor.  Tonight, you are being summoned, invited to a new relationship with food. Food is God’s gift, a gift to share with those who hunger and thirst. Together, in communion, Christians are called to end hunger and restore our relationship with God the creator whose garden of grace delights and nourishes us daily. As we gather at table, let us remember those who hunger and discern the call to share until all the hungry are fed.         

A         Let us pray.

C         Holy God, gracious and merciful,

you bring forth food from the earth

and nourish your whole creation.

Turn our hearts toward those who hunger in any way,

that all may know your care;

and prepare us now to feast on the bread of life,

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.  

So, that's it.  For Lutherans, food matters because Jesus comes to us in the breaking of the bread. We encounter God in bread and wine, in hungry people, and in communities serving them.  I love to take part in the religious traditions of other Christians.  It is meaningful to be welcomed at their table, feet washed, and dinner served.  For them, the love feast is one of their high holy days.  It was a privilege to be part of that.  I hope that they were inspired and fed by me, as I was by them.
     

Manna

Exodus 16

The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.  ²The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.  ³The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

             ⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.  ⁵On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days."  ⁶So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt,  ⁷and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what are we, that you complain against us?"  ⁸And Moses said, "When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the LORD has heard the complaining that you utter against him — what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD."

             ⁹Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, 'Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.'"  ¹⁰And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.  ¹¹The LORD spoke to Moses and said,  ¹²"I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"

             ¹³In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.  ¹⁴When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.  ¹⁵When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.  ¹⁶This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.'"  ¹⁷The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less.  ¹⁸But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.

The story of Israel continues with a revolution, as God liberates these slaves from their Egyptian masters and leads them safely across the sea, blocking their captors and ending Pharaoh’s tyranny.  God does not approve of rulers whose wealth and power goes to their heads.  God sides with the poor slaves.  This story of liberation has been the backbone of abolition and anti-slavery in the African American community.  In it, we hear the promise of liberation from slavery and the hope of better life. 

The people have escaped into the desert and wilderness of Sinai.  It is not a productive land.  It cannot sustain these 600,000 freed slaves. They will die out there without provision.  They are described to us as complaining. 6 times we are told that they are complaining against YHWH. Their real concerns for sustenance are heard as complaint.  Are not their fears justified?  

Therefore, YHWH produces water from a rock and now enough food to sustain each one daily.  Water and basic nourishment.  Daily bread and quail meat.  In this way, the Israelites learn to trust God and subsist in a harsh environment.  They learn that hard labor in Egypt was not what sustained them there. 

For they had come to believe that hard work made them useful to Egyptians and kept them alive.  They believed that sustainable meat and bread was given to them because they worked for it. They believed that they were slaves who received what they deserved.  They came to fear their masters and expect harsh treatment. Slavery is so much more psychological and emotional than physical. 

 NOW they must learn to trust God’s gracious provision every day.  They must learn to appreciate what they receive as a gift to them and not something they earned.  They do not have to impress YHWH to receive food.  They are not slaves to YHWH as they were to Pharaoh. They belong toYHWH, as a child to a parent. And they will experience blessing, mysterious and miraculous and necessary blessing.   

What are your complaints?  How are they related to your belief in scarcity and a lack of sustenance? If complaining betrays a lack of trust in God, what does real trust in God look and sound like?  How do we deny others their fair share?

What do you believe about work and prosperity?  Is the world divided into Pharaohs and slaves, haves and have nots? Is the systemic division of wealth and poverty too complex and large to change?  Do the poor deserve to receive enough food and drink for the day?  All of us are conditioned to accept that our situation in life, our needs, our deficits are a product of our own choices and behaviors. You get what you deserve.  You earn your keep.  Not so, according to YHWH.  The bible recognizes an economy of grace that sustains all life.  Neither Pharaoh’s hubris nor the Israelite’s complaints can prevent YHWH from providing enough food and drink for all. I believe that a gift economy and a government that provides for its poorest citizens is a necessary part of the abolition of slavery.  I believe the alternative to SNAP and WIC and Peter’s Porch is slavery.  You must work to eat. And  that is not biblical. God is generous. God listens. God sets us free from slavery. God feeds us. Every day.  There is enough.  Today is world communion Sunday and I am invited to speak about the feeding of the 5,000 at the Lititz Church of the Brethren love feast tonight.  This is what I know:  Food is the center of my Christian faith. Bread, wine, manna, water, holy communion, Peter’s Porch, are tied to the promise that Christ is found in the sharing of a meal.  Christ is present in the bread we break and the wine we pour.  Christ is found in the hungry person who waits in line for breakfast and a bag of groceries early on Saturday mornings. Christ is found in the church’s insistence that the table of grace teaches the world God’s economy of grace.Where Christ is found there is life in abundance.  May your complaints be turned to gratitude and your needs turned into gifts to share with others.  Amen.         

the Binding of Isaac: Promises kept and the mercy of God

Genesis proposes that one God created the heaven’s and the earth, bringing order to a chaotic, wild, and dangerous abyss; bringing the goodness of life to a barren wasteland.  This cosmic event has a capstone, the creation of humankind in God’s image.  The Spirit and goodness of God dwells in humanity, men and women.  Equally full of God.   God is a rich provider, who entrusts the gift of creation to humans. They are called to devote themselves to the care and nurture of all that God has made. 

As the story Goes, God provides protective limits to humans that they reject.  Their disobedience breaks their relationship with God and sends them out of his protective custody where they are vulnerable, exposed, and unsheltered.  They must find their way in the world.  Their population grows, as does their ability to do harm, to destroy, to kill, to disregard what God has made and so to reject God.

God chooses Noah, a righteous man, to restore the dignity of humanity.  God floods the earth and destroys the first creation.  He saves Noah, his family and a pair of every animal.  God begins creation again.  But even Noah proves to be disobedient to God. God must find another way.