God Is With Us

            Messy.  What do you think of when you hear the word messy?  Your messy kitchen.  Your messy purse.  The mess that winter weather makes of the roads.  The mess of mail on the counter.  The mess of mud tracked on your clean carpet.  The mess of post-Christmas.  The messy house.  The mess after a dog rips up a toy.  The mess of spilled coffee on your new pants.  The mess of wax on the church floor after 5 worship services.  The mess of the return lines after Christmas.  The mess of the kid’s toy room.  You get the idea.  There are a lot of messy things in life.

I recently heard a story about a mess.  There were two little old ladies, both in their young 80s.  They were old spinsters living in North Dakota.  They were not only living in North Dakota, they were living on a farm in North Dakota.  It was not only a farm in North Dakota, it was a dumpy farm in North Dakota.  It was the dumpiest farm you have ever seen in North Dakota.  The chicken coop was falling down.  The barn was falling down.  The rusted machinery was falling apart, and the old rusted spinsters were falling apart.  These were two old spinsters and they were as tough as nails.  They had weathered every storm for the past sixty years and they were tough.  Well, it so happened that a nephew came to visit them one fall day from the city, and he took out his camera to take a picture of his weather worn aunts, with the barn and the chicken coop and the rusted machinery in the background.  The aunts just stood there, strait and stiff for the picture.  The nephew took a picture and later sent them a copy.  The old aunts just loved that photograph, and they decided to use it for a Christmas card that year.  At the top of their picture, they put the words, Merry Christmas, in bold, black letters.  And at the bottom of the picture, in big bold letters were the words:  God is with us in our mess.

Indeed, God is with us.  “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.”  If you think about it the Christmas story is a bit messy.  A young unmarried teenager conceives a child.  Mary, who is with child and Joseph travel several days, about 80 miles (and it wasn’t by plane, train, or automobile).  The innkeeper declares that there is no room in the inn for the pregnant Mary and her husband, Joseph.  Jesus, the son of God, a babe born in a barn in Bethlehem, placed in the animal’s feeding trough, knows messy.  In the midst of messy, God is with us.  In the midst of messy, the holy shows up.  God is with us.  God proclaims, “This is Emmanuel.”

            God is with us when things are going well.  God is with us when marriage vows are said.  God is with us when children are born.  God is with us when we walk across the stage on graduation day.  God is with us when we land the job we have always dreamed of.  God is with us when laughter and joy are shared.  In these good times I think it is often easier to remember God’s presence.  God is with us.  God proclaims, “This is Emmanuel.”

            Sometimes it is more difficult to remember, but God is with us all the time.  God is with us when things are not going well.  God is with us when terminal illness comes upon a loved one.  God is with us when fertility problems are encountered.  God is with us when divorce enters the picture.  God is with us when life ends too quickly.  God is with us when holiday are not happy days.  God is with us when tears and sadness are shared.  God is with us.  God proclaims, “This is Emmanuel.”

            As the Christmas card from the old ladies in North Dakota proclaimed, “God is with us in our mess.”  That is the message I hope you take away this Christmas.  God is with us in our mess.  Emmanuel, God with us, is foretold in Isaiah and then proclaimed in Matthew as Joseph is told of Mary’s pregnancy.  Christ enters into the world as one who is both human and divine.  Christ enters into a world filled with mess.  Christ lives amidst the mess.  Christ knows what it is like for us to live in the messiness.  Through the good and bad God is with us.  God is with us.  God proclaims, “This is Emmanuel.”

The truth of life is that it is more often messy than neat and tidy.  Do you know of anywhere that is not messed up?  Relationships are messy.  Families are messy.  The world is messy.  Life is messy.  And in the midst of the messy, Christ comes in.  God will not protect us from the messes, but God will walk with us in the messes.  God will show up.  God will not forsake us or leave us.  Just when we think life has gotten too messy, Christ bursts in.  Just when we think that we have strayed too far for God to care about us, Christ comes to us.    In the messiness of our lives, Emmanuel comes to us.  God is with us.  God proclaims, “This is Emmanuel.”

            It may seem like a dark, silent night here in this sanctuary, but there are still messes surrounding us.  Messes in our lives.  Messes in our hearts.  Messes in the lives of those we love.  Messes in the lives of strangers near and far.  Messes in our society.  Messes in our world.  Messes surround us.  In all of those messes Christ is showing up.  God first burst into our world as a human some 2,000 years ago.  And God continues to burst into our world each and every night.  Emmanuel is coming to us this night.  Born again this night for you and for me this Christmas.  Emmanuel – God with us.  God is truly with us.  God proclaims, “This is Emmanuel.”  Amen.

Christmas Shoes Sharing

Luke 3:7-18

John the Baptist proclaims, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming.”  Who is coming?  Who are we preparing for?  Who is this character whom John the Baptist speaks of?

These days it is easy to think we are preparing for Santa Claus.  The good news of Santa Claus proclaims, “Blessed are the rich. Blessed are the powerful.  Blessed are the religiously correct.”  Santa Claus says, “Love your family.  Love your friends.  Enjoy a festive dinner.  Befriend the well dressed, the healthy, the young, the comfortable, and the respectable.”

            What we are really preparing for is Christ.  The gospel of Christ proclaims, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.  Blessed are the meek.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.”  Jesus says, “Love the stranger.  Love your enemies.  Befriend the hungry, the naked, the sick, all ages, the homeless, and the prisoners.” 

            Santa Claus proclaims that “Christmas comes that we may have things more abundantly.”  God proclaims that “Christ comes so that we may have life more abundantly.”  Regardless of how much we may like the things we receive at Christmas from friends, family, and Santa Claus, I hope that we can recognize who it is that is coming to us this day.  It is Jesus.  He is more powerful than you or I, even more powerful than John the Baptist.  He is bringing to us the good news of the gospel.

            In the meantime, John’s job is to prepare us for the coming of Christ.  To prepare us for the coming of a babe born in Bethlehem.  To prepare us for the second coming of Christ at the end of the world.  Last week, we heard John proclaim, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”  This week we pick up right where we left off.  So the crowd asks, “What then should we do?”  John tells them to share their coat with the coatless.  To share their food with the hungry.  Then to a few specific groups of people he says, “Do not collect more than is yours” and “Be satisfied with your wages.” 

               At the core of John the Baptist’s message is to share.  This is something we learned or should have learned at a young age.  It is something I am reminded of every time that the song “Christmas Shoes” comes on the radio.  Maybe you have heard the song, read the book, or seen the movie that is based on this song.  The chorus goes like this:

“Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time You see she's been sick for quite a while And I know these shoes would make her smile And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight.”

Lately I have witnessed some incredible sharing in our local community – Christmas Shoes sharing.  The first weekend in December people in our congregation shared, out of our abundance, with thirty families in this area who are living in scarcity this holiday season.  As over one hundred people gathered in the front of the sanctuary for a photo before we left to make our deliveries, I was amazed at people’s willingness to share with others.  In addition to those people, all of the confirmation small groups and the high school youth group helped as well.  What a gift of Christmas Shoes sharing.

            Recently, I was in conversation with one of the staff of Lutheran Social Services.  She was telling me that the staff off Lutheran Social Services adopt someone in their stepping stones program.  This is a program that reaches out to 16-20 year olds in our area to provide affordable housing and independent living skills.  When these young people make their wish lists things like toothpaste, toilet paper, socks, and gloves appear.  Of course the staff help provide those basic necessities, but they also make sure to get them a fun gift as well.  They want to share beyond gifts of basic necessities.  What a gift of Christmas Shoes sharing.

            As a member of the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Campus Ministry at the School of Mines and Technology, I was surprised at our recent meeting to hear about another opportunity of sharing happening in our midst.  They put up an angel tree in the campus center.  College students, people who are accruing student loans at a high rate and possibly eat Ramen Noodles and Easy Mac for many meals, share gifts with children in our community who may otherwise not have a gift to open this Christmas.  What a gift of Christmas Shoes sharing.

            We see acts of sharing and kindness happening all around us.  We see gifts given.  We see love shared.  We see joy passed along.  We see prayers lifted up.  All of this sharing points us to God.  That was John the Baptist’s job – to point us to Jesus, to point us to the one who would come after him.  May our giving, our sharing, our loving, our prayers and all that we do we continue to point others to Jesus.  That is our job.  In the midst of pain and suffering.  In the midst of hardship and homelessness.  In the midst of hurt and sorrow.  In the midst of war and school shootings.  In the midst of death.  It is our job to point others to Jesus.  It is our job to share the hope of the resurrection – the risen Christ, the one who overcame death and sin so that we would live forever.  It is our job to share the joy and the hope of the New Jerusalem, when there will be no death, no mourning, no crying, no pain. 

I think beyond the crowd’s question of what they should do is a bigger question of why they should be the ones to prepare the way.  Why is it our job?  That role falls to each of us, too.  It is our job to prepare the way.  It is our job to prepare for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  It is our job because of what Christ has done for us.  Christ has come and made us holy.  Christ has called us his own and loved us just the way we are.  It is not about anything that we have done.  It is all about what Christ has done.  Because of the gift of grace that has been freely given to us we respond by preparing the way, by making the paths straight.  It is our job to share what we have been given.  It is our job to share the Christmas Shoes.  Amen.

God Equips the Called

Luke 3:1-6

The Bible is filled with a variety of characters.  Lots of them have their own downfalls.  They make bad decisions.  They are unlikely characters.  They are not maybe the type of people that you would expect God to use.  Maybe you have heard this list before:        

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses has a stuttering problem
Samson has long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David has an affair and was a murderer
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Lazarus was dead!

Today we hear about another such character.  John.  John the Baptist.  Our text says, “the word of God game to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”  Luke does a great job of setting up this story by preceding the entrance of John with seven big deal people of the 1^st century.  In comparison it would seem that John wasn’t as big of a deal.  He was less than those big names before him.  But there is one really important detail in this story that begins the ministry of John the Baptist – the word of God.  This makes him a big deal.  John didn’t go around proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins on his own.  He wasn’t some street preacher with no credibility.  The word of God had come to him.  He had credibility.  He had God.

So, what does John the Baptist have in common with that long list of biblical characters with downfalls of their own.  He wasn’t equipped.  He was just John the son of Zechariah.  He was in the wilderness.  He ate bugs.  He wore clothes of camel’s hair.  God called to John and equipped him with the word of God.  God doesn’t call the equipped.  God equips the called.

God works through the weak and the small.  God works through the barren women and the unwed teenagers.  God works through the educated and the uneducated.  God works through those living in large homes and those living in hotels.  God works through the poor and the rich.  God works through those living in the middle of nowhere and those living in large cities.  God works through you and me.  Just like God came to nobody John in the nowhere wilderness.  God comes to us.  Maybe that seems impossible to you.  Maybe you feel too insignificant for such a large task.  God still comes to you.  And even when we think that might seem impossible, the word of God comes to us and equips us for the work of ministry, to share the good news of God’s love.  God comes to you.

This Advent season we are preparing for Christmas and the coming of Jesus as a small baby in a manger in Bethlehem.  We are trimming our trees, putting lights on our houses, making Christmas goodies, wrapping presents, and sending cards to our friends and families.  I hope and pray that we do not get too caught up in those preparations that we miss the real point.  There is something more important than all of this, the Son of Man is coming in the midst of it all, in little and big ways.  The reality is that God always shows up.  God is always there.

I remember a skit that we used to do when I worked at Bible camp.  It was called “Jesus is coming to dinner.”  A visitor comes and knocks on the host’s door and asks for food.  The host turns the visitor away without any food.  Another visitor comes and knocks on the host’s door and asks to use the bathroom.  The host says no and shuts the door.  The next visitor to knock on the door asks to use the phone.  But the host again closes the door providing no help to the visitor.  The host was too busy preparing for Jesus to come to dinner, to assist the visitors with their needs.  Lo and behold, Jesus never comes, or at least Jesus doesn’t come in the form that the host was expecting.  Actually it had been Jesus that had come asking for food, a bathroom, and to use the phone.  Jesus had come, but the host was too busy preparing for Jesus’ arrival to even take time to extend hospitality to the one at the door.

            I encourage us, this Advent season, to prepare for Christ in the here and now, to recognize the presence of God in our midst.  “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth.”  How are we making the hills into plains?  How is the word of God coming to us this day?  How are we preparing the way of the Lord this Advent season?  The crux of the matter is not to get too caught up in our preparations that we do not take time to recognize the word of God coming to us.  I encourage us to care for the poor in our community.  I encourage us to find time for prayer in our busy lives.  I encourage us to spend time in community with other people.  I encourage us to take time to listen, watch, and experience the world around us.  I encourage us to live into the waiting and expectation of this season, rather than rushing toward Christmas.  I encourage us to think about our “presence” and not just about the “presents” under the tree.  In and through these activities, Christ is coming to us.  God is showing up.  God’s word is equipping us, however unequipped we may feel, to share the good news of the babe born in Bethlehem.  Amen.

Truth vs. truth

John 18:33-37

Typically the weekend after Thanksgiving begins a new church year and the season of Advent, a season of preparation leading up to Christmas.  Once and awhile Thanksgiving falls early, like it does this year, and then we don’t begin Advent right after Thanksgiving.  So, today we celebrate Christ the King and the end of the church year.  Technically, maybe this means we should hold off on the Christmas decorations and music just a few more days.  Maybe we should take time to celebrate that Christ is King and hold off on the Christmas preparations.

            So who should we listen to?  What should we follow?  The ways of this world or the ways of Jesus?  Our text today is typically read on Good Friday.  It is part of the longer story leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion.  I don’t think it is surprising at all that we are hearing this Good Friday text, just days after Black Friday.  Good Friday is of another world.  Black Friday is of this world.  Jesus is much more than a this world king.  He makes that clear as he answers Pilate’s questions.  His kingship extends much further than the nation of Israel.  He is not just the King of the Jews.  His reign is much larger than that.  It passes over borders dividing nations and over cultures dividing people.  His kingship is of another world.

As I read our text for today I imagined that Pilate and Jesus were playing a game.  It looks a lot like the game of Truth or Dare, which was typically played at sleepovers with friends when I was growing up.  I think Jesus and Pilate are playing their own version of the game and it is called Truth or truth.  Truth with a capital letter T versus truth with a lowercase letter t.  Good Friday is a Truth with a capital letter T.  Black Friday is a truth with a lowercase letter t.

            Christ the King came into the world to testify to the Truth.  That is Truth with a capital letter T.  Our world is filled with a lot of  truths with a lowercase letter t.  One such truth is that the Christmas season begins after Halloween or at least immediately after Thanksgiving.  The dishes haven’t been washed and the turkey hasn’t even all been taken off the bone and we begin moving on to the next holiday.  We start looking at the shopping ads.  We begin making our shopping lists and our Christmas lists.  The tree goes up inside and the outdoor lights are hung.  The Christmas card list is made.  The preparations are in full swing.

As soon as Thanksgiving is over we move on to Christmas.  The biggest shopping day of the year follows Thanksgiving.  But this year Black Friday didn’t even wait until Friday, it crept into Thursday, too.  The retail world is giving us the message to eat our turkey quickly and then hit the shopping centers.  Now, I will admit that I love to shop and thoroughly enjoy Black Friday shopping, but I was a bit disappointed to find out this year that it would be starting on Thursday evening.  This move to Black Thursday allows people that work in retail even less time with their families on Thanksgiving.  It rushes the Christmas season even more, allowing for only part of a day committed to being thankful for what we already have, before moving on to all those things we want.  And this year, because of the way the calendar falls we skip right over Christ the King.  In doing so, we fail to remember that if Christ wasn’t King then his birth on Christmas wouldn’t even really matter.

I think Jesus would say the same thing that he says to Pilate in our Gospel lesson to the retail world of Black Friday.  Jesus proclaims, “my kingdom is not from here.”  The retail world’s influence on the consumerism of Christmas is worldly.  It is not of the kingdom of God, which Jesus talked about.  Jesus testifies to the Truth, with a capital T, while the rest of the world tries to fill us with things that they believe to be truths with a lowercase t.  The commercialization of Christmas pulls us in and most of us actively participate in it.  We do so because we have been convinced that things will make us happy.  That is a lowercase truth.

            Christ the King’s message stands in opposition to that of the world.  He says, “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  Listen to the voice of Jesus.  Be silent.  What is the truth he is sharing with you this day?  Jesus tells each one of us that we are enough.  We are perfect just the way we are.  We are loved by God.  Nothing we can purchase on Black Friday or any other day of the year can make us any more loved.  Nothing we can do to change the color of our hair or the wrinkles on our face will make us any more loved.  Nothing we can do to lose weight or get a promotion at work will make us any more loved.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, will change the King’s love for us.  We are enough.  We are worthy just as we are, as people created in the image of God.  So, we can stop trying to be something that we aren’t.  This isn’t love that we can buy or earn.  It is love that is freely given by the king.  We are loved just as we are.  That love is the gift of a King.  A kingly gift that is given freely every day of the year.  That is the Truth, with a capital T. 

If we can believe that Truth and I sure hope we can, then we are freed to love others as we have been loved.  We don’t have to buy all the new gizmos and gadgets.  We don’t have to cook enough food to feed an army.  We don’t have to have decorations that keep up with the neighbors.  We don’t have to change our appearance.  We don’t have to do more.  We don’t have to buy more.  We don’t have to be more.  We just need to be ourselves and know that we are loved children of God.  And in doing that we will have more – more love, more peace, more joy, and more contentment this holiday season and always.  That is also the King’s Truth, with a capital T.  Amen.

MITE

Mark 12:38-44

A young girl got her first steady job.  She was playing piano at her church for worship, albeit not very well, but they enjoyed having music in worship.  The church paid her ten dollars every week, even though she didn’t really want them to pay her at all.  After she was confirmed she got her first offering envelopes.  She decided that was her chance to start giving back to the church.  She could start showing them that she didn’t really need to be paid to play piano.  So every week she would put a five dollar bill in her offering envelope and take it to the church.  Instead of giving ten percent, she  gave fifty percent.  At a young age she learned what it meant to give and to give generously.  Sure, they didn’t expect her to give that much, but it taught her a lesson.  She was blessed to have job and therefore she was called to respond by giving faithfully back to the place that had raised her in the faith.

This week our stewardship theme is “Give as you have been blessed.”  This theme lines up well with the story of the widow’s mite from our Gospel lesson.  Each copper coin that the widow gave was called a mite.  Each one was worth about six minutes of an average daily wage.  She gave two mites.  She gave twelve minutes of an average daily wage.  The widow give out of poverty.  She gave everything she had.  Jesus claims that this woman has given more than all the other people that have given.  How is that possible?  Others were putting in large sums of money.  They wanted others to see the large gift they had given.  They still had money in the bank.  They didn’t choose to give it all away.  Jesus’ point here is that giving isn’t so much about the amount given, but the reasons for giving or the reason for keeping the remainder of our money for ourselves.  Now, I don’t think Jesus is asking us to give everything we have to live on.  I think he is asking us to consider why we give, what we give to, and what we do with the remaining money. 

The widow gave everything away.  She kept nothing for herself.  In having nothing; she had everything.  There are other stories we encounter in the Bible where the characters have nothing.  The women at the tomb found nothing.  The disciples as they headed out to follow Jesus took nothing with them.  When Peter steps out of the boat to walk across the water there is nothing holding him up.  Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s and then we are left with nothing.  In these moments of nothing that we realize we have everything.  We indeed have been blessed.

So how are we being called to respond to the ways in which we have been blessed?  How are we going to give in the upcoming year?  A few weeks ago you received your stewardship packet in the mail.  You were given a faith promise card and asked to return it to the church telling us how you are going to give in the next year.  Whether you have returned that card yet or not, today I would like to give you some ways to think about how you can give in the upcoming year.  I would like to do that by using the word mite – M I T E.

First, M – “my resources are given.”  The first part of stewardship is sharing your resources.  Are you able to give some of your time to the ministries of this congregation?  Are you able to pray for the ministry of South Canyon Lutheran, including its members and staff?  Will you attend worship regularly and participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion?  Will you share a portion of your financial resources with God to be used through this congregation?  However you go about it, find a way to share your resources.

Next, I – “in the interest of God.”  All we have belongs to God.  We are simply managers of what we have been given.  Therefore, we are called to give in the interest of God.  What would God give?  Our giving should reflect God’s interest.  I really think that is why the widow gave her last two coins.  She understood that she was simply a manager of what she had been given by God.  She wanted to give back to God what first belonged to God.

Now, T – “to be a blessing.”  We give because we have been blessed.  We give to be a blessing to others.  I recently read on another church’s sign a quote from Winston Churchill.  It said “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”  It struck me and has stayed with me for several weeks.  Sure the money we make allows us to put a shelter over our heads, food on our table, clothes on our backs, but does making a living really give us life.  For the first time in my life I am making a living.  Yet, just making money doesn’t make me feel complete.  I think the ability to share what we have been given with others gives our life meaning.  We make a life by what we give.  We make a life by being a blessing to others.

Finally, E – “earthly reality of the kingdom.”  Sharing our resources is a blessing to others, but it also creates an earthly reality of the kingdom of God.  Over and over again Jesus talks about the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God is not a place where we solely take care of ourselves.  It is not a place where we hoard what is ours.  It is not a place where we flaunt our riches.  The kingdom of God is a place where we share our food with the hungry.  It is a place where we care for the widow and the orphan in our midst.  It is a place where we clothe the naked.  It is a place where we share the good news of Jesus Christ.  It is a place where we pray for the enemy.  It is a place where we love the unlovable.  All of this cannot be done without our resources of time, talent, and treasure.  Our giving can help to create and earthly reality of the kingdom of God that Jesus spoke about.

If we put all of that together the acronym MITE stands for “My resources are given In the interest of God To be a blessing and an Earthly reality of the kingdom.”  I hope that as we think about what our giving of time, talent, and treasure will look like for the upcoming year we can make this our mantra.  May we like the widow be able to give a MITE.  Amen.

Servant Living: Receiving More Than Giving

Mark 10:35-45

Today we meet James and John.  James and John are glory seekers.  They want to sit at the places of honor closest to Jesus.  They think they deserve to win the title of “Best Disciple.”  However, they might not fully understand what they must do for the glory that they are seeking.  James and John must not be men concerned only with their own mission.  They must be men who understand that as disciples Christ’s mission is their mission.  In order to later share in Jesus’ glory, James and John must suffer.  The suffering is not what is on their minds.  They are more concerned with glory, power, and authority.  It is clear that James and John do not fully understand Jesus’ mission. 

            It is sometimes easy for us, both as individuals and as a congregation, to get caught up in doing what we think is best.  James and John thought they knew what was best, too.  They thought it was best for them to be seated on the left and right of Jesus, but in the interest of themselves they failed to recognize the interest of God.  Likewise, when we try to maintain what is happening in our church or in our world, our vision can be clouded to see only our mission, not God’s mission.  Jesus was certain about the mission God had for him, the reason for his life and death.  He would not let anything keep him from fulfilling it, not even James and John’s desire for glory, to be at Jesus’ left and right side.

            Jesus explains his mission by saying, “whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all.”  This is our mission too.  To be great and to be first we must be servants.  We are called to shine the light of Christ into the dark places of our world.  We are called to live in justice, love, kindness, and service to all people.  Often this servant way of life calls us to make personal sacrifices, sacrifices of our finances, our time, and our talents.  We are called to live in relationship with the rest of the world, which is not always easy.  Despite the difficulty we might face, we are called to mission, God’s mission.

            Jesus continues by saying, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Jesus came to serve.  Jesus came to give us an example of the way in which we are supposed to live our lives of service.  In addition to this example, Jesus also took his servanthood to the extreme.  Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many.  The word ransom is often used within the Bible to refer to the price paid for freeing a slave.  We are the slaves.  We are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.  Jesus paid the price of freeing us from our bondage to our sin.  Jesus paid the price with his own life by standing in humanity’s place, enduring the judgment that we deserved for sin.  Jesus gave his life as a ransom for humanity.  In response to that ransom we are redeemed for good works.  We are freed for good works, not because we ought to, but because we are able. 

            As members of the body of Christ we, too, are called to live as servant people, to serve rather than to be served.  While that might feel like a lofty job you would be surprised at how joyfully people talk about their service to others.  Through servant living one of the greatest things we learn is that receive far more than we give.  We set out to serve other thinking we are going to do something for other people and we often end up being blessed beyond belief by those we are serving.  A few weeks ago when I met with the group that is gearing up to go on a mission trip to Nicaragua I said, “you will receive far more than you give.”  That is the truth of servant living.  We almost always receive more than we give. 

This week I read a story of servant living that had the ripple effect.  One person’s servant living caused others to live as servants.  A guest got to the register at Target and didn’t have the money to pay, his debit card had declined him, so he went off to make phone calls and see if he could get the money.  Another guest overhearing his situation, and seeing him, his wife, and 5 year old child, obviously struggling in life, said to me when I was about half way through ringing her up, "I want to pay their bill."  The cashier said, "It's a lot, it's $161.85.”  To that she said, "I have needed help before, and I want to help them."  So the cashier went ahead and brought up their transaction, and she proceeded to pay for it.  The cashier finished up with her, and her and her husband walked away quietly.  When the gentleman came back to explain that he was trying to still get a hold of someone, the cashier explained that his bill was paid in full.  He was confused, the cashier went on to tell him that there are good people in this world, and even though someone doesn’t know him, they still love him and care about him.  His wife was crying and he was speechless.  Suddenly the guy that just got his bill paid, said, “I didn’t have enough for my bill, but I have $20 to pay for hers, here, take it.”  So, the cashier took it and it covered her bill.  Then the money she was going to use, she handed to the cashier and said "use this for the next person.”  Two teenage girls came up to buy a purse, the cashier explained it was paid for, and they were shocked.  Of course the cashier had to give them some history on how this had come about.  Then these two teenagers, rather than just spending the money the had saved, said "here, take this, use it for the next person, I want to keep this going.”  The next person was buying a birthday gift, and when the cashier explained that some money had already been paid on it, they were astounded.  This customer went on to tell the casher that he is a cop for the police department, and he sees so much evil in the world, and thanked the cashier for telling him the whole story.  He said, "this is the most amazing story I have heard! Thank you for sharing that with us.”  And as the giving continues to ripple out the gift that is received is even more powerful.

This week I posted on the South Canyon Facebook group, “Tell us about a time when you served and received more than you gave.”  Here are a few of the responses.  LaDonna Hamre, who is very active in the Sunday School program here said she receives more from the Sunday School kids each week here at South Canyon than she gives.  Diane Paulson, who helps in the kitchen for various events and in preparation for the Wednesday night meal said she receives more than she gives on Wednesday nights, “as relationships are created as meals are created and eaten.”  Kreena LeLaCheur, who is the outreach and small group coordinator here at South Canyon, reflected on the last mission trip South Canyon took to Guatemala.  While there she met people who had so little but went out of their way to extend hospitality and prayer.  This is only a few of the many servant leaders here at South Canyon.  Then I posted the same thing on my own Facebook page.  My friends responded talking about their experiences working at camp, serving after Hurricane Katrina, parenting, and serving at a women’s shelter.  Regardless of the situation or experience, one thing rings true…we almost always receive more than we give.

So how might we engage in servant living in the upcoming weeks?  Maybe you will pay it forward the next time you are sitting in a restaurant and see someone eating alone.  Maybe you will choose to mentor a 9^th grade confirmation student and help them to grow in their faith.  Maybe you will help with the annual Harvest of Crafts Bazaar.  Maybe you will pay for the person’s coffee in line behind you at Starbucks.  Maybe you will decide to make a financial gift to our ministry of the month.  Maybe you will bring a food item each week for the next month to be given to the families we adopt for Christmas.  Maybe you will hold the door open for the person behind you.  Maybe you will greet the person sitting next to you who you do not know.  Whatever shape your servant living takes I know that you will likely receive more than you gave.  And in serving you will be carrying out God’s mission.

            Jesus’ mission was to be a ransom.  Jesus came to free us from sin in order that we might serve God and all of God’s people.  We are not called to be a ransom for many, because the ransom has been paid.  We, like James and John, are not called to maintain ourselves.  We are not called to seek glory.  We are called by God to servant living.  We are redeemed for mission.  We are freed for mission.  We are called for mission.  Amen.

Reach Out and Care

Mark 10:2-16

           This week Jesus begins by teaching about divorce.  First and foremost I want to be clear that divorce in the 1^st century was much different than it is today.  It often left women and children to fend for themselves.  In those days women were at the bottom of society.  They were on the fringes.  They were on the outside.  Being served divorce papers from her husband only put her in a worse position.  So, Jesus explains that divorce is not lawful.  It is not lawful because of the effects that it has on these women, the marginalized.

            Many people today have been touched by divorce.  I would guess that a majority of us gathered here today have been affected by divorce in one way or another.  I am not excluded from this phenomenon, as my parents are divorced.  I have also witnessed the divorce of other family and friends.  I do not think it is my job as your pastor to stand before you today and condemn or condone divorce.  I think my role is to make this text relevant for us today.  To be honest, I think it is about much more than divorce. 

That is part of the reason that the lectionary continues with Jesus welcoming children, that the disciples were trying to shoo away.  Who knows why the disciples were shooing them away.  Maybe the children were sick or maybe they thought Jesus was too busy.  Remember children were at the bottom of society, too.  They were on the fringes.  They were on the outside.  Jesus, tells the disciples that the kingdom of God belongs to these children, the marginalized.

I think the lessons Jesus was sharing about divorce and children can point us to an even bigger lesson.  I think the message that can be found in our texts today is two-fold.  First, we are created, by God, to be in relationship with others.  Second, we are called to care for the marginalized in our society.

            God created us as individuals to be in relationship with others.  I don’t just mean romantic relationships like marriage.  I mean all relationships.  We were not created to be alone or lonely.  We were created to have friends and family.  We were created to be parents, to be siblings, to be friends, to be co-workers, to be partners, to be relational beings.  We were created to be in relationship with one another.  Everyone is created to be in relationship with others.  Each person was created to love and to be loved.  But it doesn’t always happen that way.  There are people who feel unloved.  There are people who feel unlovable.  Often the marginalized feel like they are unloved or unlovable.  They are the ones we are called by God to love.

Jesus was constantly looking out for the marginalized in the world around him.  As we know Jesus typically was turning the world upside down.  He would welcome the stranger.  He would make the last become first.  He would love the unlovable.  He would give the kingdom to the least of these.  Who are the marginalized in our midst?  Who is it that we, as God’s people, are called to care for?

A mother and wife is fearful of returning home.  She knows that her husband will greet her at the door with more abuse, both physical and emotional.  She is afraid of what might happen to their son.  Would her husband possibly hurt him?  God, help us to reach out and care for your children.

A father stands near the interstate bundled up as best as he can with a sign that reads “I need to pay the heat bill.”  After losing his job last month, his wife and newborn baby are at home in the cold house without the funds to keep warm.  He was hoping the cold weather would hold off until he was able to get another job.  God, help us to reach out and care for your children.

A teenage girl just found out she is pregnant.  She has no way to care for this child and knows that her parents will condemn her if they find out.  She contemplates an abortion, yet wonders if maybe taking her own life would be easier.  God, help us to reach out and care for your children.

A woman sits in a cell alone, wishing that someone would come visit her.  She has spent far too many days alone, locked in this prison cell.  She counts down the days wondering when she will die.  God, help us to reach out and care for your children.

A teen finds ways to spend a majority of time away from home, because she is afraid of the way her parents fight at home.  She participates in nearly every extra-curricular activity, just so she can get away.  God, help us to reach out and care for your children.

A man is sad, depressed, and alone as he sits in his hospice room.  He has no family to visit him.  He wishes and hopes for his own death so he can be reunited with his wife.  God, help us to reach out and care for your children.

A young boy comes home covered in bruises.  At school his so-called-friends punched him while calling him names because he befriended the new kid at school who didn’t really fit in.  God, help us to reach out and care for your children.

A family of five sits down together, knowing it is time to eat as their stomachs beg for food.  The cupboards are empty though.  They have nothing to eat.  They hope their children will make it until the next school day so they can have a warm meal.  God, help us to reach out and care for your children.

Lest you think these are fictional stories that could never happen here – think again.  These people exist here in Rapid City, in our state, and in our world.  If it was unlawful in the 1^st century for a husband to divorce his wife because it left her on the margins, then it is also unlawful to let these children of God suffer on the margins.  These are the marginalized in our midst.  These are the powerless.  These are God’s children.  These are who we are called to be in relationship with.  These are the ones to whom the kingdom of God belongs.  These people deserve to love and to be loved.  These are the ones who we are called to care for on behalf of Jesus, the one who first cared for us, by giving his life for the life of the world.  Amen. 

           

Sinful Appendages

Mark 9:38-50

Today I have a confession to make.  I am a sinner.  I have been a sinner my whole life.  I probably should have already cut off my hand or tied a millstone to my neck and been thrown into the sea.  I am a sinner.  You are a sinner, too.  Each and every one of us are sinners.  We live in a world full of sinners.

            Ever since Adam and Eve ate of the fruit from the tree in the garden, which they were told not to eat, humanity has been sinful.  This sinful nature is present in all of humanity.  It is known as original sin.  Sin is that which separates us from God.  The things we think, say, and do that are not in line with God commandments.  Sin is the things that cause us to stumble or cause others to stumble.

            Jesus says, “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone tied around his neck and to be thrown into the sea.”  The huge millstone refers to a large millstone that could be found in the middle of a village and would serve the whole village.  A donkey would turn that giant millstone and grind the grain, olives, and other foods for people of the village.  So, those who cause others, especially children and other vulnerable people in society, to sin should tie the millstone around their neck and be thrown into the sea.  Not thrown into a wading pool or a pond, where one could get back out.  Jesus says these people should be thrown into the sea with a very heavy object tied around their neck.  This would mean death for these people.  They could not be rescued, found, or saved by a lifeguard or a search party.  Jesus’ words are harsh.  Sin is offensive to God and to other people.  Therefore, it requires harsh punishment.

            Not only is it a violation of God’s law to cause a little one to sin, it is also an offense to sin in any way.  No matter what type of sin it is it is still offensive in God’s eyes.  So in this text Jesus convicts us, each one of us.  “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off!”  “If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off!”  “If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out!”  In saying this Jesus helps us recognize our sin.  Not only does Jesus point out our sin, he goes as far as to tell us how to get rid of our sinful appendages.  This can seem very brutal.  Cut off my hand or my foot, pluck out my eye.  Really, Jesus?  You want me to do what?!

            Hands cause sin.  Hands are used in stealing.  Hands are used in killing.  Hands are used in anger.  Hands are used in abuse.  Hands are used in pointing.  Hands are used in insulting.  Feet cause sin.  Feet are used in trespassing.  Feet are used in kicking.  Feet are used in speeding, breaking civil law.  Eyes cause sin.  Eyes are used in coveting someone else’s possessions.  Eyes are used in lustfully looking at a person’s body.  Eyes are used in cheating.  I could go on, but I think you get the idea.  I am sinful.  You are sinful.  We are sinful.

            No matter what appendage commits the sin, all of our sins originate in the mind.  They originate with our thoughts.  Sin comes from within us, and is often made manifest by our appendages.  In calling us to remove our sinful appendages, Jesus is calling us to repentance.  He is calling us to turn from our ways and cut off the thoughts, words, and actions that make us sin.  Jesus is calling for radical measures. 

            In this text Jesus uses a hyperbole or exaggeration in explaining that we must cut off those parts of us that are sinful.  Jesus’ words about sin in this text show us the seriousness of sin.  If Jesus were to say, “If your eye causes you to sin you should be sorry,” his approach would not seem so drastic and he might not be taken very seriously.  Instead, Jesus is radical in his approach.  Jesus convicts us of our sinful nature and tells us to remove our sinful parts.  If we really stop and think about it every part of our human body has the potential to be sinful.  If we actually cut off our sinful appendages there is the possibility that we may do away with our whole body.  Then, we would die.  Jesus demands that we remove our sinful appendages and die to our sin.

            The good news is that through our baptisms we die to our sin and are given new life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Each week in worship we also die to our sins through corporate confession, “we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.”  The law convicts us of our sin.  Our appendages are metaphorically cut off, as we recognize our sin.  However, it does not end there.  In the same part of our liturgy, the gospel heals us from our sins and we are redeemed.  We are forgiven and freed from the weight of our sin, because of Jesus Christ.  Jesus, God’s only Son, who became human and dwelled among us.  Jesus, whose ministry touched a variety of people.  Jesus, who bore the sins of the entire world on the cross and endured death.  Jesus, who gave his appendages, his entire life, for our salvation and our forgiveness.  Jesus, who rose again and in so doing, conquered death once and for all that we may have everlasting life.  This is the good news of the gospel.  Amen.

Deny, Take, Follow

Mark 8:27-38

Today’s text begins with Jesus and his disciples.  The disciples were his main groupies.  Jesus was the leader of their group and they were the followers.  He taught them many things as they journeyed together.  Today there would be yet another lesson.  Jesus was predicting his death and resurrection.  Peter, specifically, did not like this prediction that his leader was giving.  So, he rebuked Jesus.  And what does Jesus do, he rebukes Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan.”  Jesus explains that Peter is not setting his mind on God’s interests, but on that of humanity’s interests.  In fact, the role of a disciple was not to guide or protect, but to follow.  Regardless of the fact that Peter is rebuked he is still a disciple.  Jesus does not revoke his disciple status.  Instead, Jesus uses this as a teachable moment.  He explains to the disciples and the crowd what a follower of Jesus is called to do.

            Jesus says, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”  This is a call to Christian life and discipleship.  However, the way in which we understand this summon from Jesus is much different than the way the disciples and the crowd understood it.  Taking up one’s cross would not have been seen as metaphorical, like it is today.  Taking up one’s cross would have meant carrying one’s cross.  It would have meant crucifixion.  It would have meant spike wounds and pain.  It would likely have meant eventual suffocation.  It would have been a very public event, often taking place near major roads, where many people would see the event.  So as Jesus tells the crowd and the disciples that in order to follow him they need to take up their cross, the people would have been shocked and terrified.  Today, in a country where we do not crucify people, we can barely understand the sting that those words would have had for the  followers of Jesus at the time. 

            Imagine this situation with me.  There are 100 middle school youth walking in silence throughout bible camp while watching a reenactment of Jesus’ life.  As their counselor, I walk along with them.  Jesus is baptized.  He calls the disciples.  He ministers to a variety of people.  Jesus and the disciples celebrate the Last Supper.  Jesus prays in the garden.  Jesus is arrested.  Peter denies Jesus.  Jesus is handed over to Pilate.  Barabbas is released.  Jesus carries his cross to the place where he will be crucified.  As Jesus carries this heavy cross he falls to the ground.  The soldiers that walk with him point to me and tell me to take his cross and carry it for him.  It was at this moment when I began to realize how difficult it was to carry that cross.  It was physically difficult.  It was also emotionally, psychologically, and socially difficult.  I wondered how much larger and heavier the cross actually was that Jesus was crucified upon.  As I carried that cross and the middle school youth followed me to the place where Jesus’ crucifixion would be reenacted they stared at me, watching my every move.  I could only imagine what Jesus felt like.  Today, as I reflect on that moment, I wonder what it would be like to literally take up my own cross.

            Jesus says deny yourself.  Take up your cross.  Follow me.  Jesus summarizes this process of being his follower in three important actions or steps, all of which are not easy.  Deny yourself.  In this action we are called to stop striving for what we think is right in our lives, those things that might hinder us from doing God’s will.  We are called to entrust God with this control over our lives.  Not easy.  Take up your cross.  This is not just about bearing burdens.  It is also about dedicating our whole lives to Christ.  Also, not easy.  Follow me.  This signifies that Jesus will be with us.  Jesus is leading us.  We are not alone, because Jesus is our leader and we are the followers.  Jesus, our leader, has already taken each step that he calls us, his followers, to take.  Up to this point in Jesus’ life we have seen his ministry, healing, and compassion.  Now we are called to follow him into his suffering, the suffering of death on a the cross.  Once again, not easy.

            As Jesus continues to explain what this life of discipleship looks like he says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it.”  This is not the road toward personal gain.  It is a way of service and love.  It is also a way of sacrifice and suffering.  With Jesus as our leader he calls us to follow this road.  Along this road there is not necessarily a destination, but there is a journey, a way of living into discipleship and cross bearing. 

            So, what does this life of discipleship and cross bearing look like today?  It is about being a Christian in our church lives and our public lives, in our whole lives.  When we are at work we must not allow the pressures of our co-workers to lead us to deny our faith.  We must not allow the coaches at our schools to punish young people for not attending practice on Sunday morning or Wednesday evenings because they are at church.  Cross bearing discipleship is about living the Christian life even when it may be difficult, discouraging, or unpopular.  It is about bearing our Christian identity no matter what the rest of the world thinks.  With that in mind we understand that this life of discipleship is not easy and it is certainly not a one-time deal.  Christ calls us to deny ourselves, bear our cross, and follow him each moment of every day and each and every day of our lives.

            So Jesus says to each of us, “Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?  Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?  Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known, will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?”  Amen.

Manna vs. Bread

John 6:51-58

Bread, Bread, everywhere! I don’t know about you but I often get overwhelmed in the bread section of the grocery store.  There are so many different brands and so many different types of bread.  Then there are those fresh bakery breads, too.  And after I peruse the whole section, I usually just end up buying the same kind of bread I always buy.  It is usually the cheapest wheat sliced bread that I can find. 

Today we find ourselves reading about bread again.  Now we are invited to eat the bread.  This bread is not found in the local Safeway or Family Thrift.  It is not white or wheat.  It is not a croissant, a bagel, or ciabatta.  It is not spread with butter or peanut butter.  It is the bread of life that came down from heaven.

Last week we were drawn into relationship with Jesus and this week we are invited to eat and drink, to participate in the life giving power of Jesus.  To an outsider this may seem crazy, but to us on the inside we understand this to be part of our tradition.

This text reminds us of communion, eating and drinking, one of the sacraments of our church.  But, for a moment just imagine what kind of thoughts might go through an outsiders mind.  One of my professors in seminary used to say “imagine if an alien was dropped from outer space into our worship space, what would the alien think.”  What would an alien think if she entered into our worship space and heard this lesson about eating the flesh of the Son of Man and drinking his blood and then witnessed us participating in the sacrament of holy communion?  I imagine the alien would be a bit confused, surprised, and filled with many questions about this faith practice.

How then would we explain the reason for eating and drinking to the alien?  The text explains some benefits of this eating and drinking.  Through eating and drinking we will have life in ourselves, we will have eternal life, we will be raised on the last day, we will abide in Jesus and he in us, we will live through Jesus, and we will live forever.  Those are some big results.  Results only Jesus can give.

Who are these benefits given for?  The text says “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”  Jesus gives his life for the whole world.  His body and blood poured out for all.  Not just for us.  Not just for Lutherans.  Not just for Americans.  For everyone.  It is the same Greek word that is used in the familiar John 3:16.  For God so loved the whole world.  For the life of the entire cosmos Jesus gives his life.

Now, it would be easy to write this text off as completely being about communion, but remember we are in John chapter 6 and Jesus has not celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples.  In fact, in the gospel of John we don’t even get that well known story.  In its place, the story that John brings us is of Jesus washing the disciples feet.  That is the story we hear on Maundy Thursday each year.

So, while I think we can read into this text and say that it is in some aspects related to our practice of communion, I think it is also saying something more.  Jesus is saying that he is the main course.  He is the meat and potatoes.  He is not the soup and salad appetizer.  He isn’t dessert either.  Jesus is telling us that he has something we want—the main course.  He invites us to participate in the hearty meal of himself, flesh and blood that will give us life eternal.

Manna, the bread-like substance, which the previous generation ate was only an appetizer.  It was not like the hearty main course that Jesus provides.  What things in our lives are just manna?  I think the biggest culprit here is stuff, those materialistic things that we think we need.  We, myself included, want the biggest and best toys.  We want new cars, new cell phones, new houses, new furniture, and designer brand clothes.  I think this becomes even more prevalent as children get ready to head back to school.  If they are not up on the latest fashions and newest school supplies they don’t feel like they fit in.  They may even get teased for being out of style.  The plain notebooks and folders often don’t cut it anymore, we need the more expensive supplies that reflect our favorite movie characters, sports teams, and hip music groups.  We can’t just buy the cheapest clothes, we want to shop at the Gap, the Buckle, and other designer stores.  Each day our society seems to care more and more about what we look like and the image that our stuff reflects to others.

            Manna is not the main course though.  It doesn’t feed our souls.  It only feeds our self-interest.  No, the appetizer of manna is not necessary.  God promises to give us everything we need.  In the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “give us today our daily bread.”  In doing so we ask God to provide us with the things we need like food, shelter, clothing.  These basic necessities are daily bread.  The manna that we ask for through our materialistic wants is just that—a want. 

What we need is Jesus, the rest is just empty calories.  We need life giving bread.  We feast on the main course of Jesus through worship, prayer, study, and service.  We participate in this eating and drinking when can look past our wants and be thankful that our needs have been provided for.  We get the main course that Jesus offers through forgiveness and grace, which is freely given to each of us, because of the way in which Jesus gave his life for us.

            So, today receive Jesus.  The one who poured out his life for everyone.  The one who gave his flesh and blood for the life of the whole world.  The one who continues to feed us with himself, the life giving main course.  Eat, drink, and be filled with the sustaining bread of life.  Amen.