Sermon on Luke 7:11-17 (Proper 5C or Pentecost +3)

The Potential of Hope

Last weekend my sister and two of her friends came to spend the weekend with us. We had a great weekend visiting the Perot Museum in Dallas and going to the Rangers game on Saturday. I know that the weekend was a good time for them to relax and take their mind off of things. Taking their mind off of things was especially important because of the news that they had gotten before coming. I got a call from Kathryn Thursday morning while I was at the office. She wanted to let me know that they may have delayed coming down until Friday because the night before, one of her friends that she had graduated with from High School had committed suicide. I don’t know any of the details, but what I do know is this bright, caring, ambitious 20 year old young adult is now gone way before he needed to be. Last Sunday evening I got a text from a friend of mine who lives in an apartment complex. There were a lot of emergency vehicles in her area of the complex and she had found out that one of her neighbors had committed suicide. She didn’t know who it was, but had a feeling that I bet many of us have had. “I want to do something…I feel like I should do something, but I just don’t know what to do.” In a very short amount of time people who I am close to had to face death which, of course, means I had to confront it as well.

Then low and behold look at the gospel text that was given to us to look at this morning. This story of the widow’s son is unique to the gospel of Luke. You won’t find it in any other gospel. This story immediately follows the one that we heard last Sunday, the healing of the centurion’s servant. Jesus is traveling to a town called Nain. As he approaches the city gates he and his disciples encounter a funeral procession. There are pall bearers carrying a bier, which is a platform used to carry the body to where it would be buried outside of the city. Lying on this bier is a young man who is gone before he needed to be. It’s important to note that beside him is his mother who is a widow. During this time a woman had no way to earn a living except through her husband. If her husband had died and she was widowed her livelihood then came from her son. In the case of this widow in Luke she has lost her husband and her son, which will certainly lead to a life of poverty and misery. We’re not told, but I doubt she is thinking about those things the moment that Jesus is passing by.

The Bible often talks about the care that should be shown to widows and orphans. These are on the fringes on the outside of society. They are ones who can’t care for themselves. When people are depressed or have anxiety about the future they typically feel on the fringe and really have a hard time caring for themselves. This is what usually leads to suicide. Not being able to see the hope that is in the world. There is no more light. There is no more future. Now, we can debate about whether or not the things that are a stress to teenagers, young adults and even some adults are worth the stress or time spent dwelling on it, but that doesn’t change the fact that for people who are dealing with heavy things, it is very real for them. It doesn’t change the fact that in those circumstances if hope seems lost they might make a decision that will be a real loss. Typically, they won’t ask for help. They won’t ask for healing. They will just make a decision.

Let’s look closely at the story this morning because I want to point out something you may have missed. If you look at the widow or even the crowd from the town you’ll notice that they don’t speak at all. They don’t ask for healing. There is no great test of faith. They haven’t even done anything to exhibit faith. They’re just in the process or mourning someone they have lost. They don’t ask for Jesus’ help. They don’t ask for his healing. In all honesty, in that moment they may not have even known or cared who they are in the presence of. Everything that happens is because of what Jesus does. He sees the woman and has compassion for her. Then he says something that the rest of us can’t ever get away with. He says “Don’t weep.” Don’t ever say that to someone who is mourning. I can almost guarantee you will get slapped, punched, beat up or yelled at. If you want to be insensitive that’s what you say to people. That’s a sure way of becoming a jerk. We can’t say that to people, but Jesus could because he knows what he is going to do. He touches the bier and everything stops. I just imagine this great silence. Everyone looking at Jesus. Jesus looking at the man lying on the bier. And he says to the young man one simple word “Rise”.

At the Perot museum they have one exhibit where you turn a lever that hoists a ball up onto a track which it goes through and drops down through a piece of paper with the help of gravity. This is to help illustrate the physics of motion and energy. One form of energy that is fascinating to me is called potential energy. So here is our short, nerdy, science discussion for the day. It’s almost summertime which makes me think of theme parks. You can also think about energy transfer in terms of rollercoasters too. It’s an easier illustration. As the rollercoaster is pulled up the hill for the first big drop mechanical energy is transferred into potential energy. That moment right before gravity takes over potential energy is at its highest point. When you are sitting on top of the hill waiting to go down you are feeling potential energy. Essentially potential energy is the energy an object holds based on its position.  It is energy that is there waiting to be transferred into another form. The potential energy gets transferred into kinetic energy as gravity takes over and pulls the train car down towards the earth. So what does this have to do with anything?

  I believe that we, as followers of Christ, have a unique perspective when it comes to potential energy. We believe that because of Christ’s death and resurrection we have hope. As Paul so eloquently put it in 1 Corinthians, we have the ability to say “Where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death, is your sting?” It’s not there. Christ’s death and resurrection eliminated death’s power. It no longer holds the ability to cause us anxiety or fear. In the face of death we have confidence in the power of God.  Through Christ, God has seen his creation and has compassion for it. Compassion for the things we experience like our brokenness, our fear, our anxiety. Compassion for us as a person…just as we are. Because of this, we have the ability to see the potential of hope in every situation. Every situation that we encounter in our lives is filled with the potential energy of hope. The hope is there just waiting to be released and transferred into kinetic energy. All it needs is a little push. Jesus knew that there was hope to be had in the situation outside of Nain and he did something about it. He stopped long enough to see this widow, was filled with compassion and acted. It was the little push to release that energy of hope in everyone that was gathered there.

There are people out there though that can’t see the potential of hope anymore. It’s there, but it seems lost. We can do something about that. We have the unique ability to see all kinds of potential hope that just requires a little push. We are called to follow in the steps of Jesus. To slow down and really see people for who they are. To have compassion for them. Then we are called to do what we can do. It’s probably not raising people from the dead. But it is finding ways to transfer some potential hope into kinetic hope for those who need it. To have the confidence in the death and resurrection of Christ, the power of God that we act in the lives of those who may be right in front of us. I’ll let you in on a little secret: they probably aren’t going to ask for help. We are called to see them, not the other way around. We are called to be present and active in the lives of those around us so that through us they can experience the hope that comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Then they might just begin to see the potential hope that is around them. May you remember that every situation is filled with the potential energy of hope. May you remember that God has seen you and has compassion on you. And may you remember that you are called to release some potential energy in the lives of those around you. It only takes a little push. Amen

Sermon on John 17:20-26 (Easter 7C)

Alive with the Glory of Love

Okay, so as we start into this time today I want to know something. You don’t have to raise your hand, but be honest. Who zoned out while I was reading the gospel? I have to admit that I may have a little bit. This is some intense stuff we are talking about today! When I first read the gospel text I had two thoughts. First, I had a Beatles “I am the Walrus” moment. You know “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.” Next I had an Abbot and Costello moment. “Who’s on first, what’s on second and I don’t know is on third.” As wordy and dense as this passage from John is it doesn’t require a quick wit or any sort of altered state of mind to understand and appreciate it. We just have to dive into it a bit…and dive in we shall.

The way I see it there are three big themes that Jesus is trying to convey to us this morning: Glory, Unity and Love. The last two  especially because of the number of times he repeats those words. If Jesus is repeating something over and over again I have found that those things are pretty important. We’ll get to each of these in turn but first a little more about my family, the women of my family in particular (it is mother’s day after all). 

I come from a family of strong female figures. Both of my grandma’s are definitely the glue that holds our extended families together and they each show their love in different ways. My dad’s mom, I call her Mimi shows her love through preparing food. I always joke that I am still trying to lose the weight she graced me with as a child. After lunch or dinner where she had cooked enough food for an army, where the table was bending slightly in the middle she would always tempt me with a Little Debbie snack of some kind. This was post-dessert mind you. Of course I would take it and eat it, it’s my grandma! My mom’s mom, my Grandma, shows her love through her support of the things that we do. Growing up Grandma would be at a lot of my band concerts, Boy Scout awards and milestones in my faith walk. She also would do a fair bit of teaching too. She taught me about playing games, gardening and how to be the best sports fan out there. My mom shows her love through encouraging me to always be who I am and follow my dreams. Growing up, I remember how we would talk in the car on the way to church for Confirmation or other activities and she would listen and ask questions about what was going on in life. She was interested to know what I thought about stuff which, to a person who is geared to think, is a real blessing! She is still that way today. Lauren shows her love through taking care of people. She really has the gift of hospitality. I like to say that we are running a bed and breakfast out of our house because when guests come to stay we have extra shampoo, soap, shaving cream, toothpaste and toothbrushes. We have pretty much everything you could want.

Now I didn’t mention all the women of my family because you don’t want to be here all day. I don’t blame you. They all remind me of the three things I mentioned above: Glory, Unity and Love. Through doing these things that show that they care about us they bring about unity in our family. I will also be the first to tell you that when you see them in their element, doing these things that they love, it really is a glorious sight. Now, you might be thinking “Really? Glory, Unity and Love as describing family…that doesn’t seem right. Doesn’t really describe my family” Families aren’t always functional, cohesive, and may not be the most welcoming place. But I don’t think these things are unique to the women of my family or even just my family or even family in general. Think back to the last time you saw someone doing something they truly loved. Did what they do help to bring people together? Did you notice something different about them?

This is where we find some space in our gospel from John. At first Jesus talks about glory. He says “The glory that you have given to me I have given them, so that they may be one as we are one.” I’m going to read that again. We are given Jesus’ glory! That’s big stuff, but what does that mean? Jesus’ glory is through love. Jesus lived the life of a servant. Giving to others out of great love and trust in God’s power and reign. That was the glory that Jesus displayed. That when we were unlovable he still loved us. That same glory is given to us. It is a great gift and call that we are given. To love those who see themselves as unlovable. What a powerful thing!

This is so that, as Jesus mentions a couple different times, “they may all be one.” We’re loved and given a share of his glory for the purpose of unity. Now this doesn’t mean we have to like each other all the time but what it does call us to do is to see the face of Christ in each other. We are given love so that we might begin to love ourselves and in turn love others. We are given love so that we can be one with who we are, be one with God and be one with each other.

I don’t have to tell you that we’re not so good at all this. Unity is hard! Unity takes work! To be genuinely unified you have to get messy and things get complicated. Along with that the world has a completely different view of what glory is. Glory is to make a name for yourself! Glory is to make lots of money and live the good life! Glory is going on a TV show and becoming famous! The path to glory that the world paves is one that leads more to stepping on each other than unity.

Here is the good news though. Jesus knows this and so he goes to work by praying for us. Wait, what’s that? Yes. He prays to God for us. This passage from John comes at the end of four lengthy chapters before Jesus heads out to the garden of Gethsemane. As a part of these chapters Jesus prays for his disciples that were present on that night and the disciples to come. In a moment for them of confusion, dismay, anger and fear Jesus prays for them. He prays for unity, glory and love. Jesus prays for you and me: unity, glory and love. That we might be so alive with the glory of love that we would be one with God, ourselves and each other.

This is something that we can do for one another. We pray for people all the time in our congregation during the prayers of the church. We are going to make it more personal today. I want you to take one of the blue cards from out of the pew. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure you have a choice to make. You can either write your name on the card or not, but know that you won’t be walking out of here with your card. On that card I want you to write something that you need to be prayed for. It can be a sickness, something you are struggling with, something you’re worried about, a joy, something you are celebrating. You can be ridiculously broad or very specific. Doesn’t matter to me. Now I want you to fold it in half, take the card and pass it…

We are going to be alive with the glory of love this week and pray for each other. You may know the person you may not, especially if they didn’t write their name. I want you to pray for that person this week. Pray for their struggles or their joys. Just as Jesus prayed for us so we are called to pray for each other. Someone is praying for you this week. Using their gift of glory and love to pray for unity in your life. This is only one way to live out the glory of love, there are many more. If you like praying you could always consider being a prayer partner for the Day School. They need some. It could be taking someone out for lunch this week. It could be writing a prayer for someone on their Facebook status or wall. It could be calling a family member or friend just to tell them you love them. Whatever form it takes this week may you know that you are indeed alive with the glory of love. May you remember that Jesus and someone in this worship service are praying for you this week. And may you find multiple opportunities to unite those around you because of the love that you show. Amen.

Sermon on Luke 13:31-35 (Lent 2C)

I’m Not Finished Yet

Growing up one of my favorite memories from Thanksgiving was playing football with my uncles and my cousins out in the front yard of the farmhouse that my grandma grew up in. This was always an interesting challenge for me because obviously my uncles were bigger than me, they were adults, but my cousins have always been bigger than me too. Let me give you some perspective. My oldest cousin Kiel is about 6’3” and in High School played on the Katy basketball team as a forward. His brother Travis, who is actually 2 years younger than me, is about 6’4” and played on the Katy varsity football team the year they won the state 5A championship. He was one of the line guys for the point after kick, you know them, the guy that just stands up and is supposed to be “wall-like” to keep the kicker protected. One of his first jobs was as a bouncer at a bar in College Station. Yeah, he’s built like that. Then you have…me. Now I’m not short by any means, but by comparison I had my work cut out for me. Mostly, I just relied on…intimidation. When that didn’t work, plan B was go for the ankles, wrap up, hang on and not let go. This usually resulted in me getting dragged through the grass on more than one occasion. Looking back it must have looked pretty comical, me hanging on for dear life hoping my dead weight would stop them, but if anything I was persistent at the very least. I never gave up.

This morning we encounter Jesus in a rather unusual interaction with some Pharisees. Now normally these guys are shown as being the bad guys. In this case a group of them is coming to warn Jesus about the “king” of Galilee, Herod. I say “king” because Herod was in good with the powerhouse of the time, Rome. It was Rome that put Herod in charge of the area of Galilee after his father Herod the great passed away and he used every power at his disposal as a show of cooperation with the Roman occupation. He spent lots of money building all sorts of things including an entirely new city, Caesarea. Okay, enough of a history lesson. Know this, Herod was a bad dude who was a big bully. Israel wasn’t too keen on the Roman occupation and with brute force Herod made sure they were compliant with it. So we have the traditionally bad guys coming to Jesus and warning him about an even bigger bad guy. “Jesus, get out of here! Herod wants to kill you!” This group of Pharisees is concerned about Jesus’ safety and is trying to convey the danger to him. They are afraid of what Herod might do, but Jesus won’t give in.

We have things in our life that try to tempt us into fear; things that try and bring up anxieties and despair. We also have the tendency to hold on to things so tightly that the thought of losing them ends up bring us more fear than joy. What are you afraid of? What are you hanging on to? Personally, what has been bringing up anxiety in my life is losing some of my college friends who I have really gotten to know and love over the past 6 years or so. I’m also hanging on desperately to the idea that I want to do something big with my life. I really want to use the time that I have to do some great things. What about you? Maybe it’s your 5 year plan not working out the way you want to. Perhaps it’s a health concern. Maybe it’s the way your kids are growing up. Maybe it’s looking back and seeing what you could have done or how things could have been done differently. These things and many others can really get in our minds and start to paralyze us. When these fears dominate our thinking we miss out on the life that is in front of us. When we hang on desperately to things for dear life we end up getting dragged through the grass.

Jesus responds to the threat of Herod not running away, but by giving him something to chew on. Jesus calls him a fox which is basically first century name-calling; Very similar to calling him a big stupid, stupid-head. Then he follows up with this “I’m not finished yet,” Jesus still has work to do. People to heal. Demons to cast out. The message of the kingdom of God drawing near to proclaim. Herod is of no concern to him. “Also,” Jesus says, “I’m going to make my way towards Jerusalem because a prophet can’t be killed outside of Jerusalem.” Now enter the lament… Oh Jerusalem, which in this case is representing all of Israel and God’s people. They sure are holding on to some stuff. Jesus compares himself to a hen wishing to gather up and protect all of Jerusalem under her protective wings. Willing to give of his life so that they might be protected from the fox. Willing to bring healing and restoration where there has only been fear and brokenness. Jesus’ lament is the words of a person who feels love so strongly that even in the face of fear and people hanging on to stuff says confidently, “I’m not finished yet.” I’m not giving up on God’s plan.

We’re on our Lenten journey to the cross. At the cross we encounter Jesus and through Jesus God confidently telling the world “I’m not finished yet” This is the strange place that God’s grace and love is revealed. God suffering and feeling the pain, fear and brokenness that we do to give us the promise, “I’m not finished yet.” Knowing that God experienced what we do through his son Jesus we have confidence in the promise still today. “I’m not finished yet.” Out of our fear, our hanging on to things, our worries, our anxiety, our brokenness, we hear the promise spoken clearly and firmly, “I’m not finished yet” I’m not giving up on my plan. I’m never giving up.

There is a new video that is going viral around YouTube. It has over 10 million hits so statistically speaking some of you have probably seen it. If you haven’t, you need to go find a computer and watch it. It’s called “A Pep Talk from Kid President to You.” I put the name and some quotes from it on the back page. It was created by a kid, Robby, and his brother in-law Brad and started out as just them having fun and being silly together making videos. At the end of this video Robby dedicates it to his friend Gabbi who is battling cancer. Robby and Brad make these videos for no other reason than to inspire hope in people. There are a lot of great things that Robby says in his pep talk to the nation. For me one of the greatest lines is, “This is life people! You got air commin’ through your nose, got a heartbeat. That means it’s time to do something!” We have an important call that Robby reminds us of, we all have the ability to create things to make the world awesome and make everyday better for each other. We are able to continually be God’s “I’m not finished yet” to the world. To be a reminder that God hasn’t given up and will never give up. We can be that reminder. It’s time to do something! What will you do this week? How will you be God’s reminder to the world that he isn’t finished yet? As you go out into your week remember that God isn’t finished yet. Remember that you have been blessed with the ability to make someone else’s day more awesome. And remember that you are God’s “I’m not finished yet” to the world. Amen.

Sermon on John 2:1-11 (Epiphany 2)

God of the Ordinary

Last year Lauren and I became good friends with the intern at Calvary and his wife, Alex and Emily, and their daughter Amelia.  Mia will be 2 in May, so any of you that have young children, have had young children or have ever interacted with young kids know that “Going out and doing a bunch of stuff” was not the preferred way to hang out. For Lauren and I that is just fine so we would get together as often as we could to do dinner, maybe watch a movie, but mainly just talk and of course, play with Mia. Sharing and cooking recipes for each other became a main part of our time together and with that sharing lots of laughter, stories, and faith discussions. While they were here in Texas we connected over food. When the time came for them to move back to Ohio we were sad, but also thrilled with the parting gift that they gave to us. They gave us this small recipe book that has some of our favorites from our time together, some suggestions of things to try and some different pictures of Amelia. I love to cook, so it is fun to get to prepare these things and enjoy them, and enjoy the memories that come with them.

Food, watching a movie, sharing stories, laughing, playing…none of these things are overly complicated. In fact you might say that they are rather ordinary. There really isn’t anything special about them in combination. You probably have stories very similar to mine. Time with friends and family that was filled with some ordinary things, but something about that time was special, meaningful. It could have been the place; it could have been the magic combination of people gathered… it could have been any number of things! Here’s another thought: God was present in those times. In and around all of those ordinary things God’s grace and love was present. Makes sense to me!

Jesus’ first miracle as told in the Gospel of John this morning reminds us of one very important truth that I want us to remember: God is present in the ordinary things. You might protest a bit, “But Jonathan it was a wedding! That’s a special moment, not an ordinary occasion!” If you were thinking that you are absolutely right! It wasn’t an ordinary occasion, but it did have an ordinary problem. They ran out of wine! Bummer…party foul. Now what? For some reason Mary seems to take a particular interest in this fact and lets Jesus in on the problem. His response seems pretty formal and rather defensive, “Woman, what concern is it to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” Now we don’t know what happens next…Mary isn’t shown as saying anything else, but as everyone in this room knows there is this special power moms are given in which they can unravel you with just a single look. All we know is Mary looks at the servants nearby and says “Do whatever he tells you.”

Mary knows something that I believe we know and understand too, though we may not always be able to name it. For her it comes from raising her son. Being a parent gives you a special insight into your children that others may not always see. What Mary knows and believes is this: When Jesus is present, miraculous things happen. We know and believe this too, right? Though what tends to happen is we only call upon it when we need it. When things are going wrong, when we have a problem and need a solution we turn to God. This in itself isn’t a bad thing though it can cause some problems and disappointments. We expect God to come in power and in strength to rescue us. “God, come fix this now with the desired outcome of my choosing!” How did Jesus solve this problem at the wedding?

He has the servants fill 6 huge stone jars with water. These jars were used for the purification rites mandated by Jewish law so were pretty commonplace.  Something ordinary. Then when the servants drew water to take to the chief steward, the wedding coordinator, and he tasted it, it wasn’t water anymore, but rather an abundance of great wine! There wasn’t a big flash. No big production. It was just Jesus working quietly in the background to provide an abundance of the best stuff.

I really like Facebook. It couldn’t be because I was going to college when the social media revolution started and I was the target audience. I have come to appreciate it more in recent years because of the many ways it reminds me of how God is with us in the ordinary. Most often I see it through those people I know who have begun the journey through parenthood. It seems like every day there is at least one thing in my newsfeed that reminds me that God’s grace and love still abound in the normal world. It doesn’t have to be catastrophic. It doesn’t even have to be this awesome mountain top experience. It’s just people, especially kids, living their lives out in the world. If you didn’t get a chance to look at the back page please take the chance to look at it because I provided some of my favorite most recent examples there. It’s a beautiful thing. A beautiful reminder that in our day to day lives, especially for those of us who believe, that God is present with us. Not with a big flash or production, but working quietly in the background to always provide an abundance of grace and love. When Jesus is around, you can be sure unexpected, miraculous, resurrection, restoration, beautiful things will happen.

One of the places that we get to see the God of the ordinary at work is here at church. Through water, bread and wine we continue to receive reminders that God is present here in the stuff of life. Not far off someplace else, but right here present with God’s creation. Today we get the opportunity to experience the beauty that is communion, a physical presence of God with us. It seems to me that our world could use a few more reminders of that. Reminders that God hasn’t abandoned us, but walks with us through our pain, doubt, fear, sorrow, joy, hope and love. Perhaps you need that reminder at this moment, I think we all do. I hope you find it here today. That is one of the most important things we can do for each other is to be that reminder. Our calling also goes beyond this place because God wants to remind everyone of the wholeness and restoration that comes through his son Jesus. We are called to be reminders of that for the world. To live knowing that God is present with us. To tell others of a God of the ordinary things who loves us all so much that He would come to live among us to truly experience the ordinary as well as the highs and lows of life. To share how God is present in our lives and why that makes all the difference. It doesn’t have to be with a big flash or production. You may not even feel like you are equipped to handle such a calling, but remember with Jesus around miraculous things happen. Amen.

Sermon on Luke 21:25-36 (Advent 1C)

Pick up your head and look around!

Welcome to the New Year! Well a new church year at least. Here’s your nerdy church fact for the day: We are now in the season of Advent which marks the beginning of the new lectionary year for the church. We’ll now be focusing in the gospel of Luke primarily for the whole next year. There you go! You learned something today! Though don’t tune out the rest of this because you might learn something else; sermons are surprising like that. Advent is a beautiful season of waiting and preparation for Christmas. It’s like what Lent is for Easter. We prepare ourselves for the birth of the Christ child by hearing again the promises of God fulfilled in a coming Messiah. It is also a time where we reflect on the second coming of Christ.

Hence, the apocalyptic “End of the world” text from Luke this morning. This text talks about the second coming and what a crazy thing it will be. Signs in the sun, moon and stars. Roaring seas. People fainting all over the place. Not to mention heaven and earth will get a good shaking. These texts are written in a style that seems excessively descriptive and far out, well, because they are. They are meant to startle, to capture the imagination, to create mystery and more importantly to bring hope. If you get stuck on the first couple of verses you might miss the hope and good news in the text.

As I was reflecting on this passage and the season of Advent a conversation Lauren and I had while driving home from Bell Choir practice on Sunday night really stuck with me. On the drive home you could tell it was the weekend after Thanksgiving! Many of the houses on our drive down Lamar are already decked out in all their Christmas glory. I was commenting to Lauren how with the weather lately and Thanksgiving being early this year it just didn’t feel like Christmas yet. She replied, jokingly, “Well, sometimes you just gotta force it!” We laughed about it for a bit and then I mentioned a comment like that will get her written into a sermon. Low and behold look what happened! She may have said that as a joke, but I think her statement really has more to it.

Did anyone else notice in stores that there were some Santa Clauses’ and snowmen near the witches and ghosts of Halloween this year? I bet that turkeys would have rejoiced if they walked through a Target or Wal-mart around Thanksgiving because they would have thought we moved right on to Christmas. We have this uncanny knack as humans for forcing things, don’t we? Even if it doesn’t feel like it is time for Christmas yet it doesn’t matter, we can make it happen. It’s like the outdated idea in youth ministry: If you’re tired, if you’re anything less than happy, then you just fake it until you make it. Terrible idea, by the way. It never works, like forcing Christmas to come any faster than it’s going to come.

We live in a world where many of us can have anything almost instantaneously. Want to know what your friends are doing? Hop on Facebook. Want to talk to someone? Text them. Need something? Go to the store and buy it. Meals? As close as your car window or microwave. Sometimes even my microwave popcorn isn’t fast enough. If you want it chances are good you can get it without question. Until we get to the promises of God. That is one thing that we cannot force to come any earlier or faster than what it will. This causes a problem though because guess what we are going to do? Yep, we’re gonna try and force it.

We try to play God and take all things on ourselves. Trying so hard to make the perfect Christmas. Trying to fix other’s problems. Trying to say who is wrong and who is right, deciding on who is in and who is out. Trying to control other people and their actions. When you add this onto the daily pressures of caring for family and friends, stuff breaking down, serving others in the work you do, accidents that happen, and general craziness it gets to be too much! We get weighed down with all these different things because we keep trying to force stuff and it continues to not work out well for us.

This need to force stuff doesn’t keep God’s promises from coming to us daily. God’s promises come to us daily! We get glimpses of God’s kingdom all around us, though we may not always see them.  Jesus tells us today “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” I was a clumsy kid growing up. It didn’t take much for me to trip over my own feet. I got really good at “falling with style”. When we would go for hikes during Boy Scout campouts we all got great entertainment for assigning point values like Olympic ice skating for my falls. To compensate for this I have for a long time now looked down at the ground as my sort of “default setting.” I noticed this not too long ago and so I have begun the process of trying to lift my head up more. It’s amazing the things you might otherwise miss when you don’t pick your head up and look around! For instance, this past Friday Lauren’s brother David’s rehearsal dinner was held in this beautiful theater in Seguin. Most people didn’t notice that the ceiling was dotted with stars to make it look like the night sky. I actually got to point it out to people who might have missed it otherwise! If I hadn’t taken a moment to look up I might have missed it!

Jesus tells us all a parable and has some words to pull us out of our need to force things this morning “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Now we don’t tend fig trees anymore, unless one of you has a hobby we don’t know about, but what we can do is the work of ministry. We also don’t know what “all things” means or what it will look like but we can hold our head up and see our redemption that draws near day by day. We can lift up our heads and see the kingdom of God that is ever present. Like when I saw the stars in the theater, when we see reminders of God’s love, grace and mercy for us we want to continue to look up and point out those to others. When you see the lost welcomed, the lonely find a place, the broken find peace you know the kingdom of God is near. Or let me say it another way. When you see kids playing turkey bingo, when you see meals delivered to those who can’t leave their house, when you see those who are struggling receive a word of peace you know the Kingdom of God is near. It’s not something you have to force, but rather something you just keep your head up and look for. Hopefully, it will also inspire you to respond to it when you do see it. As we enter this time of waiting expectantly may you pick up your head and look around, may you remember that when you see hope, grace and love the Kingdom is near and may you respond joyfully knowing that the promises of God through Jesus Christ will never pass away. Amen

Sermon on Mark 13:1-8 (Proper 28)

It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Climate change. Pandemic. Giant tidal wave. Zombies. Aliens. Earthquakes. A giant asteroid. Killer robots. What do all of these things have in common? Maybe you remember the REM song and theme from Stars on Lamar this year: “that’s great it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes an areoplane-Lenny Bruce is not afraid.” Like the chorus says: It’s the end of the world as we know it! The list above is many of the ways that pop culture has depicted the world ending. We have this fascination with how the world is going to end so we come up with these seemingly crazy scenarios in books, on TV, in video games and in movies. Some seem less far-fetched than others. For instance, there is a newer TV show on called Revolution which depicts the world after something knocks out everything electronic. No cars, no cell phones, no heat or AC. The world knocked back to the Dark Ages. This scenario is especially captivating to me because it is so realistic! We look at how the world is going to end for various reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is because it distracts us from the really burning question: WHEN is the world going to end?

It is with this question that we encounter our gospel today from Mark. This opening to chapter 13 introduces us to what is fondly referred to as Mark’s “Little Apocalypse” The whole of chapter 13 is Jesus talking about coming persecution, the coming of the Son of Man and the necessity for watchfulness. Aren’t you glad the lectionary writers didn’t have us read the whole thing? Jesus and the disciples are leaving the temple and one blurts out “Wow. Jesus, look at all of the big stones and how beautiful and big the temple is!” Jesus then responds that all of it will be torn down and destroyed so that not one stone from the temple is left on top of another. It’s like my sister not only kicking over my Lego tower when we were kids, but sitting there and pulling apart every piece. You who are of a non-Jewish background are sitting there going “Big deal! So what?” It was a big deal! For those who were Jewish during Jesus day the temple was everything! Their center of worship. The place where many would travel great distances on High Holy days to worship. The place where God was! God resided and was present with God’s people at the temple. To bring it into perspective, imagine that one night someone deliberately and maliciously threw 10 bricks through the stained glass window so that it would have to be rebuilt. It would be a big deal, wouldn’t it? The destruction of the temple would literally be the end of their world as they know it.

So later on when they are sitting on the Mount of Olives “opposite the temple” (it gets another mention) Peter, Andrew, James and John come and ask the question that is on everyone’s mind. “Jesus, when is this going to happen?!?” They’re already forming an exit strategy and a survival plan because that’s what we do when we know something bad is going to happen. We plan. We struggle. We survive! But we have to know when so our plans are effective! Jesus doesn’t answer them though. He goes into some rather vague scenarios and then way down in verse 32 he says “but about that day and that hour know one knows…except the Father” Essentially “Your guess is as good as mine.” That’s not helpful at all. In fact that’s more terrifying because there is only one person who holds all the cards and that’s God.

That means that God can’t be controlled and God decides when the plan gets enacted. We don’t get a say in it! We don’t even get a small hint as to when the signs will happen. When it will be the end of the world as we know it. This isn’t something new we have experienced though. We’ve all experienced it on a smaller scale. My freshman year in college wasn’t the most ideal ever looking back on it. My first trip home I got into a bad car accident with an 18-wheeler. In February my appendix decided it was going to go a-wol so I had emergency surgery. Then in March my grandfather passed away unexpectedly in the night. All of this while I was trying to get adjusted to the new rhythm of college classes and life. Talk about the end of the world as I know it. We all have stories like this. Stories of jobs being lost un-expectedly. Losing loved ones that are dear to us. Failed and broken relationships. Experiencing natural disasters. At least for a short time, the end of the world as we know it. We have little to no expectation as to the warning signs for these things. Otherwise we might have planned, prepared, struggled and survived! We could have overcome it all or even avoided it! The temple that we had built would still be there in all its’ glory and splendor! Perhaps Jesus’ prediction is less prophetic and more just a comment on the realities of life. Most things don’t last forever.

Even if it is true that most things don’t last forever and we seem to constantly experience the end of the world as we know it, that’s not the final part to the story. Even though my freshman year had some huge things happen during it, the year also had some moments of great beauty and blessing. I was at a school full of professors who were understanding and willing to help me excel in my classes. I made a ton of great friends, many of whom I still keep in close contact with. I also met my beautiful wife Lauren that first year and she walked with me through much of those big things. “Don’t be alarmed!” Even when it seems like the end of the world as we know it God is still with us. How do we know? God’s only Son Jesus experienced the end of the world as he knew it. As he walked on the earth and lived among us God, through Jesus, experienced losing loved ones, the sick, the lost, the broken. Then ultimately God experienced the end of the world when Jesus hung on the cross and died. That’s not the end of the story though because that same God raised Jesus from the dead to live on even past the end of the world. With this outpouring of grace and love it meant the end of the world as we knew it. Everything is made new and changed! Death doesn’t have the final word not then, not now and not ever. Not over our relationships, Not over our jobs. Not over our lives. Death doesn’t have control. It may hurt when the things that we have built tumble down and when things change. We often don’t have time to prepare. But those are just the birth pangs that lead to something new and beautiful. A new creation. A new world that we enter into.

I’m not just talking about something far off and something that we wait for. It happens every day in many ways. Reminders and stories that God has the final word. That is both terrifying and beautiful at the same time. So how do we react to it? What do we do? First, we have to let go of thinking that we can plan for it. We don’t know when it’s going to happen or even how it’s going to happen. That’s not for us to worry about. What we are called to do is recorded in Matthew. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember that I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We are called to go and tell stories. We are called to go and sing. To live lives that show to everyone, especially those who are experiencing the end of the world as they know it, that there is something bigger than the end of the world. A God who remains with and loves his creation even past the end of our lifetime. Today can be the end of the world as we know it. With our response to God’s love and grace throughout this week we can work with God to end pain, suffering, injustice and bring a new world to everyone. Today, is the end of the world as we know it. And I feel fine. Amen

Sermon on Mark 10:35-45 (Proper 24)

We Cause Scenes

When I was in High School youth group before my senior year I ran to be president of the youth group. My running opponent was a good friend of mine Tami. Tami and I had grown up together in church when my family started attending Peace Lutheran when I was in 2nd grade.  We both had our own unique perspectives on things and would do a good job of leading our group. When election day came we ran into a bit of a problem…every time a vote was taken from the group it was an even split. We literally voted 3 or 4 times and each time, an even split. How were we going to make a decision? Our leaders devised a brilliant plan: Tami and I would go in the room next door and talk it out until we came to a decision. Could you imagine if our political process worked this way? That’s what we did though! We went into the next room and talked. I will always remember that moment. Tami was upset not from the fact that she hadn’t won, but mainly from the stress of the whole situation. I could totally understand that. In that moment being president didn’t matter as much. What mattered more was my friend and coming to a resolution. So I gave it up. I decided to take a different road and be vice president and support her. At first Tami didn’t want to go that route, but in the end she accepted. After a big hug and wiping away some tears, we were able to walk back into the youth room arm in arm looking forward to a great last year together.

Our gospel story today is a classic Marken story. You have all the great components! The disciples show that they really don’t understand what’s going on, this time in an especially open and ignorant way. There’s another reminder of where Jesus’ ministry is ultimately headed, it’s not a comfortable place. Last, but certainly not least, you have another teaching about being a servant. Really Jesus? Again with the servant-hood stuff? Hang on, I think Jesus is trying to tell us something important here…

James and John (the sons of thunder!), after hearing Jesus’ third passion predication, approach Jesus with a request. They can’t just ask though, they have to trap him in a verbal “pinky swear” first. “Jesus, we have a request, but first you have to quadruple times infinity promise that you’re gonna say yes” Jesus doesn’t bite, but simply asks “What is it that you want me to do for you?” It turns out James and John want the best places in the coming Kingdom. They want to be sitting at the right and left of Jesus when He is crowned king of Israel. These positions held a lot of power and were basically seen as advisors to the ruler. We don’t know what things are motivating James and John exactly but we can throw in some good guesses: the want for power, the fear of being lost, looking out for themselves or thinking they’re the best candidates for the job. Jesus is rightfully skeptical and asks some follow up questions to see if they really were getting what he said. The cup he is about to drink and the baptism he will endure is one of suffering and death. He was pretty clear about that in his last prediction. When asked about it James and John think it’s no problem and answer “We’re able.” Then the epic “gotcha”: Jesus affirms that they’ll follow him in these ways but in then end the decision isn't up to him. The other ten catch wind of all of this and are angry about it, probably because they didn't think about it first.

Jesus then calls them all together and presents a completely different view of things. He points out the current rulers and how they lord over the people they lead. They know they have power and use it without second thought. This isn’t going to be the new way of doing things. For Jesus, those who are seen as great take up the role of a servant or even further, become a slave to all. So yes, I am confident that the disciples were ready to run over one another to take up this call. I mean really, that was why they were angry with one another because they wanted to out-do one another in serving. Right? Not… If they understood what Jesus had said they may have had second thoughts.

Let me let you in on a little secret: the disciples haven’t changed much in the past 2000 years. Let that sink in for a moment. We may think we have gotten better but we haven’t. The focus is still on us. We want to make sure that we are well taken care of. That the future is secure. That we have some shred of control over something. We want to ensure that we won’t get lost. We want to ask for Jesus for whatever and have it happen because we get him to “quadruple times infinity promise” us, which…he still doesn’t. We’re really not falling over each other to pick up the role of the servant though sometimes we make a good show of it. Even then it is often done more as a power play to make us look or feel better about ourselves. We quickly answer that we are able to bear the cup and the baptism that is presented in the hopes that it will get us the desired result.

But, Jesus also still calls together disciples 2000 years later to do some crazy amazing things. Showing us all the true path of a servant he endured the cross and rose again so that we might be free from the need to have power. Free from the continuous pushing and shoving to be first. Free to know that death isn't the end so that we can live out the freedom to experience eternal life here and in the times to come. That’s the Kingdom that is here and still not yet. Not one where the powerful rule but one that is manifest in service to one another. This is a powerful and compelling story, wouldn't you agree? We are called as disciples today to claim these promises and to tell this story of freedom.

Where do we go from here? We are being called to share this story of freedom and use our time in more places than just here at church. What do I mean by that? Your neighbors, your co-workers, your family, your friends and yes even your fellow disciples here at church need to hear this story. One of the best ways that they are going to hear it is through experiencing your service to them. Lending a listening ear. Looking out for their dreams. Taking a moment to lift them up. Telling them stories of some crazy and amazing things. I don’t want to pull any punches either, this isn’t the safe way of doing things. You might get stepped on. You might not be first. You probably won’t get the best seat in the house. But then again, we have answered “we are able.” Which in turn Jesus has responded “The cup that I will drink you will drink and with the baptism I am baptized, you will be baptized”

Now you can look at this as a daunting task, but I want to give you another way of looking at it. There is this really cool internet sensation that you should check out. When you get a chance go to the internet and type into your favorite search “Improv Everywhere.” This group out of New York coordinates all sorts of wacky and goofy ideas to implement in every day places to, as their slogan claims, “Cause Scenes” but in a totally joy filled way. A couple examples are their “Black Tie Beach Day” where a couple hundred folks show up to enjoy a day at the beach in their formal wear. Recently, about 4,000 people participated in an “MP3 Experiment” where they downloaded a custom MP3 and followed the directions which culminated in an epic water gun fight in a park. I believe we can do the same thing using the servant model that Jesus calls us to. In our homes, in our schools, in our places of work, where ever we go we can improv everywhere. We can cause scenes of love, joy, peace and tell stories of other times those things have happened. We don’t even have to wait for the signal or directions. We have been given the freedom to go do it! The improv starts today and continues tomorrow and the next day through every day!

May you remember that you are called to tell freedom stories of amazing value. May you take the time to serve those around you this week. And may you always remember to improve peace, joy and love everywhere. Amen