Pentecost 3

In today’s gospel lesson we have a story within a story.  Not too unusual – we’ve seen it before.  But these are interesting to try and piece together – are they even meant to be pieced together? Hmmmm. 

One story has Jesus back “home” – we don’t know if it is his actual house, or Simon’s, we know he’s in Capernaum but the text in the verse before this passage simply says “home.”  And his family is in a tizzy – they are there to restrain him. 

Then we have the story of the Scribes who have traveled there to discredit Jesus and his ministry so far.  You see, this is our first Sunday in Mark in a while – we’ll be here until late July.  We’re only in chapter 3, but already Jesus has made enemies.  The Pharisees and Herodians are already out to get him, and here we have the scribes weighing in against him.  Usually these groups are at odds with one another, but Jesus has definitely united them against himself.  The enemy of my enemy and all of that… in only 3 chapters! 

So here’s Jesus and the disciples trying to eat – and they cannot even do that without first the family and then the scribes, with the crowd milling about – sounds like chaos, doesn’t it?  We’re Episcopalians – we like order and decorum.  That’s part of what makes Mark so challenging – it’s all so sudden and dramatic – a bit over the top for us.  It’s kind of the reality TV version of the Gospels – lotsa drama!

So we have two stories – two groups out to get Jesus – one sees him as crazy, the other sees him as demon-possessed.  Maybe these two stories are not as far apart as we originally thought. 

Jesus deals with the Scribes first – the ones who state he is serving demons – and he answers their argument in such a way that they don’t answer back.  He puts them smartly in their place and shuts them down.  And he talks about the Unforgiveable Sin.

The Unforgiveable Sin strikes some fear in our hearts doesn’t it?  We like our confession that is all-inclusive and that we will say in a few minutes – we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed, by things done and undone, known and unknown – very comprehensive – what could we be leaving out that is unforgiveable?  Jesus says that blasphemy can be forgiven, then turns around and implies that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgiveable.  He actually says it in three Gospels: her, Matthew and Luke.  It must be really important then.  How could we blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? 

The Scribes are calling what is good evil – is that it?  Not seeing the good in Jesus’ ministry – not recognizing God’s work in the world around us?  That may be close but not quite there.  You see the Scribes take it that next step by calling it evil.  That means they are so entrenched in their viewpoint that they cannot recognize the goodness of healing and teaching.  The Scribes have no love for Jesus – and there is the rub.  They are beyond redemption because they cannot recognize the salvation he offers.  They feel no love or need for forgiveness.  They cannot receive forgiveness because they will never ask for it.  Clear as mud right? 

I think this whole concept is well illustrated in the Robin William’s movie: What Dreams May Come.  I love that movie.  It’s pretty old now.  It is a beautiful illustration of Heaven and the after-life.  In the story, he and his wife survive the deaths of their two children.  His wife sinks into a deep depression, but with his love and medical treatment, she emerges.  She is an artist who paints breath-taking scenes.  Then he dies in a tragic accident.  He goes to heaven and explores there.  He is reunited with his children – it is stunningly beautiful.  But his wife has no one to save her from herself and she commits suicide.  She does not end up where he does. She is lost in the darkness and ugliness of the Unforgiven. 

Let me be very clear here.  The suicide is not the unforgiveable part – I’m sure you’ve heard that before – very old Catholic teaching.  We do not believe that.  We believe that even after death, a person can ask for forgiveness and receive it, so suicide is not unforgiveable.  It’s the ‘not asking’ that is unforgivable.  God cannot forgive what is not confessed.  Remember Paul?  Neither life, nor death,, nor principalities, nor powers – nothing can separate us from the love of God.  We believe that our loved ones go on with God after death – therefore we continue to pray for them in their continuing relationship to God. 

In the movie, his love saves her again – he helps her to ask for help and to feel love again.  It is a really good movie. 

The unforgiveable sin is the one not confessed – the belief that it need not be forgiven, or cannot be forgiven – the belief that God will not or cannot forgive.  In CS Lewis, it is the ones who move further and further away from the bus stop and become more and more isolated. 

That brings us around to the second story happening here.  Jesus expands our idea of family.  Sometimes we are far away from family – Jesus shows us here how to find a healthy family – we don’t have to be lonely and alone, even if we’re far away.  Sometimes our families are toxic – Jesus gives us permission here to make a new one based around him. 

A family truly based around the will of God will help us to never commit the Unforgiveable Sin.  They will help us to see what it is that we need to confess and receive forgiveness for.  They will help us to see the Christ in each other, and ourselves so that we can be family to others.  True families speak hard truth to each other when they seek God’s will.

As we gather here for a peaceful orderly meal, let us give thanks for this family gathered.  Amen.  

Trinity Sunday 2012

So today is always an amusing day for those who like tap-dancing.  There are some people who only come to church on this particular weekend – just so they can watch whomever the poor soul is who is preaching on the Trinity. 

You see, there is a very fine line drawn in between what is acceptable to say about the Trinity and what is unacceptable, a heresy.  The metaphors always fall short.  There are no specific Biblical references for the Trinity.  It is difficult at best and dangerous at worst.  It is one of the main doctrines that set us apart from our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters.

Yet the Three-In-One is a mystery that explains how we mere humans understand God.  It is as simple as that.  Since sometime in the 4^th century, we have struggled to say exactly how this notion is…yet we know it to be so.  ANY attempt to explain further than that gets mired down in the functions of the Three, the faces of the Three, and loses the unity of the One.  We know God as the Holy One revealed to Israel.  We know Jesus Christ as the Holy One by his ministry, death and resurrection.  We know the Holy Spirit as the Holy One who creates and renews the church and the world continually throughout time.  We refer to them in tradition as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  A Trinity that is a Holy Reality that embraces us all – gives each of us an entrance into thinking about the One God in different ways.  Each of the Three gives us an entrance into the One.

There are many other Trinitarian phrases used:

·      In 2 Corinthians 13:13: Grace of Jesus Christ/Love of God/Communion of the Holy Spirit

o   In the same passage: Source/Christ/Spirit

·      In hymnody we get many: Almighty/Christ/Spirit

o   Creator/Redeemer/Sustainer

o   Wonder/Love/Praise

·      From academia: Lover/Beloved/Love

o   Life giver/Pain bearer/Love maker

One of the discussions this year at General Convention will be the Expansive Language model, which does not replace or reduce, but instead expands the traditional model to: Father/Son/Holy Spirit, One God, Mother of us all.  There are others that reject any parental language at all – too problematic.  

The difficulty at the core of the idea of Trinity is that it is a Holy Mystery.  We cannot define it because it is impossible to define.  We cannot say more because we cannot say more.  We must use our imaginations and listen to our hearts/minds/and souls.  We know the Trinity to be true, but we cannot say exactly how.  We know the Trinity to be a Holy Community of the Creator, Jesus the Christ and the Advocate promised.  Beyond that, we are left tongue-tied and tap-dancing. 

I will finish by offering up this prayer:

  Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as we ponder the mystery that makes you Three in One, may we be distracted by your love, displayed as you parent your children.  

  May we be diverted by the sight of you as you subdue your own will to do your Father’s bidding, giving your life for all God’s people. 

  May we be stopped in our tracks by the playful whisper of your Spirit rippling through lives, touching and caressing, healing and restoring.

  And in view of all this, may we be compelled to mirror the Trinity at work in the world around us: A world that needs to experience good models of parenthood; A world that needs to see that offering service is not submissive but powerful; A world that needs to see wholeness as possible if we will only act in the triune name of God to parent, serve, and heal your people.  Amen.  (found by Pearl Down Under at http://spillbeans.org.uk/) 

Pentecost Sermon 2012

Earth, Wind, Fire, Water – the basic elements of life – the basic elements that’s allow us to live on this our island home. 

Earth is used in our Ash Wednesday services – as well as in funeral language.  We have our Earth day celebrations.  I think this one is implied in Paul’s writings about Creation.  It is certainly mentioned in the psalm.

Wind is a violent intrusion into where the disciples were gathered.  Wind or breath is how we usually portray the movement of the Holy Spirit.  And today, Pentecost, is when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate: to be our guide, to speak to God on our behalf, to help us experience God in new ways all the time and everywhere. 

Fire – tongues of fire - resided on the heads of the disciples – looking like mitres I imagine – as they begin to speak in tongues previously unknown to them – maybe the reversal of the tower of Babel?  Opening the way to eternal life to every race and nation – as we said in the collect – every person. 

Water – we will pray in just a bit that the Holy Spirit will stir up the waters of baptism for the four new Christians we will make among us this weekend.  The Spirit moved over the waters in the creation stories, Jesus was baptized with water, and the first miracle involved the changing of water into wine. 

Four basic elements of life for every human being.  When they are animated by the Holy Spirit they help to convey what it means to be a Christian – a follower of Christ – the most basic tenets of our faith.  They all come into play on this Pentecost weekend. 

Why do we still celebrate Pentecost?  Is it merely a birthday party for the church?  A commemoration of the beginning of the story of the church in the world?  I hope not.  I hope we can look at the state of the church in the world today. 

Can we see this Pentecost as the calling of the Holy Spirit to rebirth the church?  Can we groan in labor pains, birthing something new? 

In the Acts passage, we actually get to hear Peter preach – on the prophet Joel’s writings about the young people prophesying and the older people dreaming dreams – what could the church be?  What could we become if we listened to the young people and dreamed new dreams?   The readings were done in different languages.  I wonder how much of rebirthing the church involves learning new languages of those who move among us. 

This summer, Mather Lauren will be leading a Bible study on Diana Butler Bass’ new book, Christianity After Religion.  Buy it – read it – join the discussion in person, on Facebook, on her blog, dare to prophesy and dream dreams. 

All of the elements are powerful in their own ways – all are essential to life.  However, even as we celebrate Pentecost I think we are called always to “Remember  we are dust and to dust we shall return” – the church as we know it will change – AND IT SHOULD or we are worshipping idols!!  We need to already be fully inclusive of ALL people – no exceptions; we need to already be using feminine language for God at least as much as we use masculine language, we need to be listening more and preaching less – ALL OF US.   The world is more than ready for that kind of a church.  I believe we are well situated to make these shifts – but we need to have done it yesterday.

The Holy Spirit is still alive and well and working within these elements and within  us – we believe that or we wouldn’t be here.  The Holy Spirit will assure the continuation of the church – with or without US.  I pray that we will be set on fire – and that we will not just mistake it for a Texas summer.  I pray that we will prophesy and dream new dreams – that we will listen and act.  I pray that all of this will look different by the time the newest Christians among us are grown.  Come Holy Spirit, Come!!  Amen.

Friday Five: Mission Impossible

Revkjarla is in mission trip mode right now, as she gets ready to take a group of youth to DC to do service work around hunger and homelessness issues. So, in that spirit, our FF is Mission Style! So here are your questions:

1) Have you ever been on a mission trip, as a participant or adult chaperone? What was it like?
My family and I (including my mom, sister and our children) all go to Bluff, Utah for a week each year to offer VBS to the Dine' (Navajo) children in the area.  It is a ministry of presence even more than Gospel-spreading.  Relationships are only built over years of going - one year going does not build authenticity in this community.  I usually focus most on the older young women of the group and it has been gratifying to watch them grow into college students.  They are truly breaking cycles of poverty. 
I also am planning a youth mission trip to Bastrop, TX for wildfire disaster clean-up in June.  The youth of St Martin want to travel there to assist.  There is an Episcopal church in town so we are looking forward to working with the people there.

2) What is the worst thing that happened to you/your group on a mission trip (or retreat, or camp, or Habitat for Humanity experience, or something like that--hey, this is YOUR Friday Five, so you get to play it how you would like.)
I was an adult-sponsor (parent) on a trip with middle schoolers from 3 different churches and we stayed at a church.  The church had a septic system that could not handle the capacity of 30 teens plus adults, so the restrooms became unusable.  Having to drive the potty shuttle to the closest Wal-Mart was interesting. 

3) If money were no object, where would you want to go to help and serve? What would you do?
I don't know. I would love to work in NavajoLand as a priest.  I love the people and the land when we travel to Bluff every year.  Once David retires, maybe... 

4) What would be your advice to someone who will be sleeping in a gym with 20 other people for a week?
Modest pajamas - really good blow-up mattress (go to a real camping store) - Ipod for falling asleep - alarm clock - sense of humor 24/7. 

5) Any parting thoughts, stories, or questions you have around the whole theme of Mission Trips?
I have been very mindful of who actually benefits from mission trips after hearing a missionary from South America address the Episcopal Youth Event last year, and listening to one of the God Complex Radio podcasts. It is a complex topic.  Do we unintentionally do more harm than good sometimes?

Easter Sermon

Who are you looking for??

       Everyone is here today seeking something: approval from a family member for coming to church, Easter eggs, maybe even a brush with the Divine – God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit – I suspect maybe all of the above. 

So who are you looking for? 

       If you are looking for a community of people who look and think like you – who all subscribe to the same thoughts about God and who they think God loves and doesn’t, this is not where you are.  However, if you are looking for a community of people who like to think deeply about God, and wrestle with what it means to be Christian in the world today – and may REALLY wrestle with how to love all of our neighbors – this may be the people you are looking for. 

Who are you looking for? 

       God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit: this can make us a bit squirmy can’t it?  Here we are today – saying Alleluias because a human who died was raised back to life – and still lives.  Those who have followed along with the timeline of the last week may be exhausted by the emotional roller coaster.  Last week at this time we were shouting Hosanna in the Highest – then Friday we left the church grief-filled knowing that Jesus was dead.  Really dead.  And now we’re back – celebrating that our redeemer lives!!  It defies logic.  Without the last three days, there would be no Christianity.  Without the last three days, we would have no assurance of a God that loves us enough to walk among us, or the Sacrament that feeds our bodies and souls every week – we would have no hope of life everlasting.

Who are you looking for?

       Here you will find people full of hope.  Today that is what we are given.  Not all of us will feel joyful today – it’s been a rough week.  Maybe you’re having a rough year, or a rough few years.  Joy is not required today – hope is what we find here on Easter.  Just as God led our Jewish ancestors out of Egypt, out of slavery – Jesus leads us out of death and into life.  We will all die – just as Jesus did.  No one escapes death- HOWEVER – because of Easter – because of our belief in Jesus Christ, we know that there is something MORE.  We know that we will one day be reunited with those who have gone before us – we know that even when we leave this life, that will not be the end of our story. 

So who are you looking for?

       This is who we are – we are people of the Resurrection.  We believe that death is never the end of the story.  We believe that God loves everyone – no exceptions.  We believe that Jesus expects us to be his body in this world: his hands and his feet, his mind and his heart, and his love.  We live in the Hope of the Resurrection!  Amen.

Good Friday Homily

The Love Song has been sung – the voice is silenced.  Now what?

This is the time of year when old sore spots come to the surface.  Today I have been thinking a lot about my brother who died of cancer about 12 years ago – today lends itself to grief – and rightly so.  Today about 3pm our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died of torture.  Today his loving voice and laughing eyes ceased to be.  Today we lose the One who loves us more than we can ask or imagine.  It’s a rough day.

And Why?  Why is a big question today too –

·        Why did this day happen?  I don’t know.  No one else does either – not really – only God knows.  I was raised with the idea that Jesus Christ died on the cross for us – because we are sinners.  I think that is part of the story.  I believe that Jesus did not HAVE to die this way – that there are any number of other ways God could have redeemed us.  However, because Jesus did die this way, we cannot ever think of any situation where we could find ourselves as human beings that Jesus Christ cannot understand – or find unworthy – or unlovable.  And that’s the crux of the human condition isn’t it?  We wonder if we are unlovable at the core of our being.  I believe that the cross, as a shameful instrument of torture, shows us that Jesus Christ is with us no matter where we find ourselves – no matter what we’ve gotten ourselves into – no matter what our own eventual manner of death – Jesus has already been there and is there to walk with us through it.  God knows the grief of dying that way – God knows the grief of losing a child – God is there with us. 

·        Why do we intentionally put ourselves through this every year?  The birth narrative does not have the same meaning for us without this day.  Easter would not be as joyous without the sorrow of today. 

I am not going to leave you with a comforting thought to go away with tonight.  I am going to ask you instead to sit with your grief – sit in it for the next 24 hours – that is the purpose of remembering – in poking at our own grief, we find healing – in taking it apart and examining it, we re-member and put it back together differently.  As you go through it, ponder a life without hope, without reassurance, without Divine love… where we would be without Jesus’ divine death.  I pray for God to bless our journeys in grief.   Amen.

Palm Sunday Homily

As a friend said on Facebook , this is the perfect service for this weekend: “Welcome to the King of Kings!  We will honor you forever!  April Fools!!”  Every year this service jars me – the immediate movement from Hero Worship to Crucify Him - this year it took us 32 minutes to get from there to here.  This morning we get the Cliff notes version of the story, but throughout this week, we will actually get to see and experience what comes in between - the What that Happens between there and here.  On Thursday, Friday and Saturday we will see how we got from there to here and beyond.

And we know how it will end.  So why bother?  Jesus knew how it would end also.  Why did he bother?   He bothered because he loves us. 

God has been singing a love song to us all though Lent.  Have you heard it?  It was no accident that we spent the first four Sundays of Lent reviewing the different Covenants between God and the people – we learned out history with God – we learned who we are to God – that we are Beloved.  We've had a different verse of that song each week:  In week one, we heard "I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth" as God made a covenant with Noah. Week two was "You shall be the ancestors to a multitude of nations" as God made the covenant with Sarah and Abraham.  Week three was "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." Week four, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son." Last week was "I will put my law within them and I will write in on their hearts – I will be their God and they will be my people."   Today we had the words directly from Jesus "I am the Messiah, the Son of God" - he gave himself up.  This week we will add: By this shall the world know that you are my disciples. And we will have the examples of foot washing and the institution of communion.

 Jesus already knew what would happen – and he loves us enough to show up and ride a colt.  He loves us enough to be an example of being non-violent in the face of injustice.  He loves us enough to feed us every single week – week in and week out – with his own body and blood.  He loved us enough to walk among us, because without Holy week, that cute baby is just a cute baby - the wise teacher is merely a wise teacher, the miracle healer is just a healer - This Week changes everything.  Without This week, This Story is just another story. 

Come this week to walk with Christ and the disciples – Come hear and experience different versions of the same story.  You’ve come this far: Remember that you are Dust and to Dust you shall return.    Come - Finish your Lent this year with a strong understanding of who Christ is – for you, for this community and for the world.  Come and let God sing you the rest of this love song.