Changes

This sermon was heard at the Federated Church in Weatherford, Oklahoma on Sunday June 5, 2016, the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

With thanks and praise to God and grateful thanks to the people of The Federated Church, this is my first Sunday as Pastor of The Federated Church.

1Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 146
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 7:11-17

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

I want you, for a moment, to consider the plight of the family in our reading from 1Kings. At the beginning of this chapter, Elijah declared a drought upon the land because Ahab, the son of Omri the King of Israel had built a temple to worship Baal. At the same time Hiel of Bethel sacrificed two sons, his oldest and his youngest, to rebuild Jericho.

Joshua’s son Nun warned this would happen. These chickens have come home to roost at Bethel. It’s ironic that Bethel is the Hebrew word for “House of God.” This would be the First Commandment, “The Lord is our God” God, not the god Baal. So yeah, ironic. Hence, the prophet has declared a drought.

This also reminds me of wealth distribution like it is today, the powerful cats play, the weak mice pay. While everybody was hurt by the drought, those who were better off weren’t hurt so badly nor so quickly. For the rich things hurt, but not immediately. For those on the fringes of society, the widowed, the single parents, pain already knew their address.

As we read, sometime later the brook died up at Zarephath. Everything dried up at Zarephath. Even hope dried up at Zarephath. In a time when without a man you were nothing, she became less than nothing. She had a son to feed, we’ll never know his age, but he wasn’t old enough to earn his keep. Imagine how she scrimped and saved to get meal and oil for bread.

So here comes Elijah. The Lord commands him to see the widow who has likewise been commanded to supply him with food. So he arrives asking for some water and a piece of bread.

How does the widow prepare for the prophet’s arrival? She’s fetching sticks. Her words, not mine, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

Prepare a meal for myself and my son so that we may eat it and die. Desperation, dislocation, separation, condemnation, isolation, desolation—poverty caused by a drought caused by men who would not follow the Lord the God of Israel. The powerful curse the prophet, all the while the poor prepare to die.

Take just a moment in her shoes my friends. You know her decision was not made lightly. It’s not that she hit a quick bump in the road and said, “Well,
it’s time to shut off the lights.”

She had a family. She has a son who is dying of malnutrition. All they have left is nothing but one more meal and sticks to heat it up. She has nobody, nobody to fight for her in this life. No husband, she literally has no breadwinner. There is nobody else she can rely upon since there is no other family. If there was a widow’s share from life insurance or the union or social security or food stamps, it’s long gone because the economy has gone to… yeah, you know, the drought.

On death row you can get steak and lobster, she doesn’t even have any more oil to put on the bread.

How distressed is she? How depressed is she? How hopeless does she feel? Verse nine says the Lord tells Elijah the woman has been told to give the prophet food. God has spoken to her and still as far as she’s concerned there’s nothing to do but to have a last supper, curl up and die.

She acknowledges the Lord God lives and she still can only see death for her and hers. Desperation, dislocation, separation, condemnation, isolation, desolation.

Elijah cries out, fear not! (Are lovelier spoken in scripture?) Do this for me and the Lord God promises you have meal and oil until rain comes again upon the land.

Now take a walk in Paul’s shoes. The shoes that have lived the life he now shares with the Galatians. How he has changed, and how he hasn’t, is the heart of this part of this letter. Paul who persecuted the church. Paul who was Pharisee Employee of the Month at the Stoning of Stephen is now Christ’s Apostle to the Gentiles. Changes don’t get much bigger. This one is so big he isn’t completely trusted.

Paul makes it clear that he is not the disciple of any man. When he received his revelation it came from Jesus himself. He then spent three years on the road before going to Jerusalem. When there, did he go to “All Disciples Temple” to get his teaching approved? No. He did go see Peter (Cephas in our reading), James, and John, and he didn’t seek their approval.

Now it’s time to put on our gospel shoes and walk with the widow of Nain from Luke’s gospel. This reading takes the setting from a step further. Her stresses are raised exponentially when her son dies. This woman now has no family. There is nobody to take her in. Her life is lifeless on a bier carried by bearers.

As hopeless as the widow in Kings was, this woman’s plight was much worse. Imagine the crying. Imagine the wailing. Imagine the horror. Imagine the people thanking God it wasn’t them.

They weren’t thanking God it was her, but they were grateful it wasn’t them.

Burying a spouse and an only child, nobody is prepared to face that change.

These folks have faced changes that are absolutely brutal. Paul’s life was set. He was a learned man from a good family. He could have been head of the Sanhedrin. Instead his life, socially, politically, and economically were ruined. He went from being greatly esteemed by one group and greatly feared by another to being loathed by everyone. Now he is hated by his fellow Jews and not easily trusted by the followers of Jesus.

The women, the widows have faced changes that have taken their lives away. With no other family they have nowhere to go. With no means of support they have no way to put a roof overhead or put food on the table. The widow of Nain also lost any hope of gaining a place in her son’s home in the future. One woman was preparing for death and the other was as good as dead already.

But they had one thing in common, one thing. They had an encounter with the Living God. An encounter that changed their lives. Paul went from trying to destroy the Church to being the its greatest evangelist. It is rightly said if not for Paul the Good News would have died as a limited reform movement in Judaism. If you are looking for proof, the Christian movement came out of Rome and Constantinople, not Israel.

As for the women, they received something more important. Their very lives were redeemed. Through the work of God delivered by the words of Elijah a family was saved. As for the widow of Nain, not only was her son raised from the dead, but in a very real way, she too was raised from the dead.

By the work of God through Elijah, Paul, and Jesus; in the power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; changes were made in the lives of these people lives were saved.

Yes, oh yes, there was terror. There was no promise that the terror would not return. The story of the woman in 1Kings parallels the story of the woman in Luke’s gospel. This even after she meets Elijah and is blessed by the Lord God. The fate of Paul is well known, ultimately ending in exile from the Holy Land. Terror, oh yes, but there is salvation in God.

These are interesting texts to use for my first sermons with you as your pastor. They come from the Revised Common Lectionary, a group of readings which ensure that I don’t focus on one book of the Bible or one topic for years on end. So in that way, these readings picked us.

They became special to me because they describe tragedy and turmoil that lead to wonderful changes. These are people who know God is in control and still have to face demons.

I’m sure the widow in 1Kings would have loved Elijah to have arrived well before she was at the brink of passive suicide. The woman in Luke never knew she would meet her redeemer on this side of the tomb. There’s a surprise I can only begin to imagine.

As for Paul, he knew his Lord. He didn’t know he was persecuting his Lord’s people. Now he’s sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ until the people came to know him as a great prophet of the Risen Lord.

As for me, I have faced my share of demons. I have faced horror and turmoil I had rather not. At least if I had to make them I wish there was another way to make them. I seemed to have taken the hard road for a good long time.

I know too there is relief that there is a pastor here in the pulpit, in the office, and in town. That was a long and difficult road to hoe and as the old saying goes, no job is done until the paperwork is finished and that’s not all done either.

Still, here’s the good news.

We have faced these changes.

By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we have survived and thrived in these changes; even when the world was intent on making the road seem like an Everest summit.

In relying on Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit we are stronger. Our faith is stronger because it is based on the Christ revealed to us through scripture, prayer, and work.

Together these are the things that will take us into the future Jesus intends us to live together.

In Christ, there is hope. That is what we know from our readings and from our experience, there is hope and it is only in Christ.

No, it won’t always be easy. But what it can be is joyful. Glorious. Peaceful. Fun. We don’t have to give into the drama Paul saw in the ways of men.

Rather let us together seek the way of God. Yes, we will do that for one another, and we will do that for our community too.

Above all, the first reason we will do what we do as the Body of Christ is for the Glory of God and the Kingdom of God.

By our hope in God the love of God, in Christ, with Christ, through Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

New Clothes (2014)

This sermon was heard at Broadmoor Presbyterian Church in Shreveport, Louisiana on Sunday December 28, 2014, the First Sunday after Christmas.

This sermon has the same title as another sermon I preached on this Sunday several years ago, but it is quite different. Praise God and enjoy!

Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Psalm 148

Colossians 3:12-17

Luke 2:41-52

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

Occasionally I begin a sermon with a caveat, today will be one of those days. Homiletics is the study of all things preaching. My homiletics professors would say that definition is too narrow, but that’s why they are professors. The professors say we should not share too much of ourselves and today I will probably share too much. They say our experiences should not be used to typify the experience of the gospel and I hope I don’t do that. You’ll be the judge.

They also teach scripture and the glory of God must be central to the sermon. If I fail in this, that’s my fault, not theirs.

You see, about a million years ago, when I was in high school, I was a stage rat. Most waking hours after school would find me in the theater. When I wasn’t on stage in supporting roles,[1] I was working in the sound booth on a board so old it had tubes. (See, I told you it was a million years ago!) One of the shows I was in was “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail” where I played the unnamed “Farmer.”

If you’ve never heard of it, neither had any of us. It was written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the team that wrote “Inherit the Wind” based on the Scopes “Monkey Trial.” “Thoreau” is about the life of Henry David Thoreau seen through a series of flashbacks during, yes, the night Thoreau spent in jail for failing to pay a poll tax. This is neither here nor there really; this is a transition to share something Thoreau wrote.

One of Thoreau’s many books was “Walden.” The introduction to a Thoreau collection calls “Walden” “part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance.”[2] To judge by this sentence, I see it as Thoreau’s assertion that he was the smartest kid in the class. From Lawrence and Lee’s dramatic treatment, I’d say Thoreau thought he was the smartest kid in the class. I say this with confidence because now with humility I have to admit that I have spent most of my life thinking I was the smartest kid in the class.

I say it with humility because in retrospect I know I’m not the smartest kid in class, but like Thoreau, I still try to come up with novel declarations of revelation, interesting spiritual discoveries, and satire. Let’s face it, I’ve given you Pastor Jim’s grandfather sowing his fields riding his bicycle backwards, the Nun-Bun, and RefuJesus. Anyway, I say all of this to share one of the most famous quotes from Walden which is often shortened to “beware of enterprises that require new clothes.” Maybe what Thoreau was getting at is that who we are is more important than what we wear.

To make that point from a theological prospective, this story comes from the introduction of a short book called “Transformational Ministry, Church Leadership and the Way of the Cross:”

In a recent class discussion, a student mentioned a workshop she had attended in which an “image consultant” spoke to the gathered ministers (or church professionals as they referred to themselves).  The consultant pointed to the need for clergy to project a positive professional image.  She told them that, because they are made in the image of God, they should buy only the best clothes, jewelry and accessories, and should make every effort to look as chic and smart as possible.  After the student related her (all too true) story, I paused for a very long time.  I was frankly appalled and, momentarily at a loss for words.

The students sat as the silence hung heavy around us.  Finally, I said: “I guess what I’m trying to picture in my mind is this: how should we look if we are supposed to reflect the image of the God who has revealed himself to us in the tormented shape of a Jewish man named Jesus, crucified on a city dump and discarded by the powers of his world?”[3]

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes indeed.

Isaiah declares:

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

my whole being shall exult in my God;

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

            he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.

In Colossians we read:

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.

Thoreau tells us it’s not about the suit we wear but the one who wears the suit. Scripture doesn’t. Scripture has us take a hard look at the clothes we wear. But more than that, scripture has us look at the clothes we are given and the one who gives them to us. Isaiah tells us that the Lord our God gives us the most glorious clothes. Isaiah tells us that we are given the garments of salvation. We are given the garments of salvation.

We are given clothes more valuable than any we can imagine. Scripture compares this garment to wedding clothes. The adornments are compared to jewels, jewels more costly, rare and plentiful than we can possibly imagine. This is the value of the garments of salvation, not their appearance but their value; more than we can imagine. Receiving these garments, these wonderful garments, our praise shoots forth like the fruit of a miraculous garden, perhaps a garden not seen since the days of Eden.

For this we rejoice, yes we rejoice. Receiving these garments brings joy; joy in receiving salvation; joy that the Spirit of the Living God continues to indwell us. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let Earth receive her King!” [4] As Isaiah prophesies, the Lord clothes us in his righteousness so that our praise may inhabit Zion, Jerusalem, and all creation. Our righteousness? Never. It is Lord’s righteousness that we receive.

Given the garments of salvation, we are to do more than model them on the fashion runways of Milan and New York. We are to more than just wear them. It seems that some folks, especially in some of my least favorite contemporary Christian music, treat salvation and the coming of Christ like waiting on a bus. This is not the purpose of the salvation we receive. We are given a blessing to be a blessing. We are to be a blessing, not a spectator.

Oh yes, the Great Commission tells us, entreats us to go. Go and make disciples… then the rest of Matthew’s gospel tells us of ways to go and make disciples. In his life and his writing St. Paul shows us more ways. Isaiah gives us an image of the garments of salvation like the fine clothes of a bridal party. Paul’s image gives us something more of a work shirt or coveralls.

The man who was one of the greatest Rabbis of the ancient world, a man who had more to brag about than any other man who would boast about his rabbinic pedigree, Paul teaches that being a part of Christ’s body is not something to lord over others, it is for service to others. Thus we dress in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. We bear with one another and forgive as our Lord forgives us. Our clothes are not silk and linen; our clothes are love which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

This is what we wear into the world. This is the gift we receive. This is the gift of our Lord God, which is perfected in Christ, which remains with us in his Holy Spirit and gives great joy. Yet Paul’s life shows us that this joy may not bring happiness, not in the way our world defines it. Saul of Tarsus was blinded. The Apostle Paul was bound, arrested, and flogged. He was left by travelling companions and shipwrecked. But in his faith, faith in the Lord Christ there is joy. Even in our pain we are to share God’s joy with the world. Joy we are to take away from our Walden’s and share with the world. Yes, in our world’s ways we will be crucified; but in Christ, when we choose to seek it, we will find joy.

Back to the oversharing: The past two years have been very difficult for my family. Unemployment (mine), disability (Marie’s), and poverty (shared together) have been our constant companions since the closing of the church in Marshall two years ago. I have been challenged by the despair of grief and sorrow of depression and more. People I thought were in our corner abandoned us. Support I thought would uplift us was nowhere. Grief, sorrow, pain, rejection have been constant companions.

Happiness, well, that was something that left the building a long time ago. Sharing joy is difficult when you feel no joy, but happiness and joy are not the same thing. That was a turning point when the Lord revealed joy and happiness were not only different but oftentimes unrelated. Oh it’s a lesson I continue to learn, but at least I God has not given up on me, nor I on God. So please share my joy as I tell you when I was at my lowest, it was your Pastor Jim who came to see me in the hospital; thanks to you all and praise to God. I treasure that memory.

On that note, there’s a sentence in our gospel reading that gets to me every time I read it. This particular phrase is seen twice in scripture. Once here after the young Jesus is found schooling the Scribes and Pharisees but once earlier when the shepherd boys come at birth, the birth we celebrated a scant three days ago. Each of these times, scripture tells us that Mary “treasured all these things in her heart.” Mary preserves and protects; Mary guards these memories[5] in her heart.

Especially during this time, during this season, we too need to remember who provides us with the garments of salvation, and what is expected of us when we wear them. We are to take this most valuable of garments and wear it into the world like a work shirt so all God’s creation may be blessed by God’s greatest gift. We need to treasure this. Then we need to share what we treasure with those who need to hear this very good news.

As a theater rat, I was a member of our school’s repertory theater company. We would go out and perform at grade schools and nursing homes. I was Linus and Schroeder in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown;” the Shoe Salesman in “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day;” and Weaver #2 in “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” I can’t know, but I imagine Thoreau would have been a fan of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

Thoreau enjoyed puncturing the pompous. To have a wee tot declare the Emperor is naked would have been right up his alley. Thoreau was truly onto something if he was saying who we are is more important than what we wear. But in Christ we say more. We show the world that what’s important is not just who we are but the one who makes us who we are.

I shared a shortened version of a quote from “Walden” earlier, but now I want to add a bit more to give it some extra context:

“A man who has at length found something to do will not need to get a new suit to do it in; for him the old will do, that has lain dusty in the garret for an indeterminate period. Old shoes will serve a hero longer than they have served his valet—if a hero ever has a valet—bare feet are older than shoe, and he can make them do… But if my jacket and trousers, my hat and shoes, are fit to worship God in, they will do; will they not? …I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.” [6]

I think Thoreau has a good point, but it’s not a good theological point. In Christ we are called to more. I want us to consider our clothes. I want us to be clothed in the garments of salvation from Isaiah. I want us to intentionally be clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. And there is no better piece of clothing to remind us of this than our baptismal gowns.

To quote Henry Nouwen:

In the waters of our baptism, we are covered in a newness of life. The world of our old life is washed away. When washed, we are fully reconciled to Christ. We are free to fully trust that we belong to God. Dressed in the robe of Christ, we are to free our minds, hearts and souls to be truly free in this world to be ministers of His reconciliation. But it is only in this sacramental relationship that we can accomplish this, otherwise we fall back into our self doubt and self rejection.[7]  

This has been a tough year for us, and I want to thank you. I want to thank all of you for truly being the Body of Christ for my family this year. Happiness, well… but in Christ we are clothed in joy. In retrospect, I wonder if in knowing himself Thoreau denied himself the joy of a life in Christ, and contrary to his public personae falling into self-doubt and self-rejection. Thoreau seemed to be more influenced by the religious than the faithful. This is truly a shame but not so uncommon in his day nor in ours. But judging from his literary works, faith doesn’t seem to be the kind of suit Thoreau would wear anyway. As for me, as for us, as for the Body of Christ, we’ll take joy in the community of our baptism in of Christ over a private Walden any day.

---

[1] Remember, there are no small roles, only small actors.

[2] Thoreau, Henry David. Henry David Thoreau : A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers / Walden / The Maine Woods / Cape Cod. Library of America.

[3] Jinkins, Michael, Transformational Ministry, Church Leadership and the Way of the Cross.  Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2002, page xi.

[4] This morning’s opening hymn was “Joy to the World”

[5] thre,w, Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. VIII, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1972, page 142.

[6] Thoreau, Henry David. “Walden, An Annotated Edition.” Walter Harding, Ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 1995, page 20-21.

[7] Nouwen, Henri, Bread for the Journey, A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith, December 26 entry.

Our Strength, God's Joy

Unless something dramatic happens, this is my last sermon at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas.It has been my honor and privilege to serve by God's grace this part of the Body of Christ. This sermon was heard on Sunday January 27, 2013.



Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Psalm 19

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Luke 4:14-21

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

The Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah are wonderful historical pieces that just don’t get the attention that the prophetic books get in our weekly scripture readings. When the Church uses a series of readings that runs three years, we get only 150-some opportunities to read from the entire canon of the Old Testament. With such a large and glorious amount of material something’s going to get the short shrift, in this case it’s Ezra and Nehemiah.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are our main source of information about Israel’s return from the Babylonian exile. It’s the narrative of the transition between the first and second temples.[1] It’s a story about the return of the people and the restoration of what makes them who they are.

It’s the story of fealty to their faith and their forefathers. When rebuilding the altar and the Temple they were erected precisely on their former sites. After the completion of the altar, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles anticipating the joyful dedication of the Temple. Then came the equally joyful observation of Passover a few months later. Of course no building plan goes as scheduled; delays in the completion of the Temple were blamed on the actions of the people of the land who persistently opposed the work in Jerusalem.

The book of Nehemiah includes of a first-person narrative, traditionally called the Nehemiah Memoir, recounting his role in constructing the walls of Jerusalem, along with the social problems caused by an expanding population. There was crime, sabotage, and other issues to be handled.

So today we assemble with the nation of Israel. Ezra has been told to bring the book of the Law of Moses which the Lord has given to Israel. He read it at the Water Gate from early morning until midday to both the men and the women and everyone was attentive to the reading. Then Ezra stood, and all the people stood and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God and all the people said, “Amen, Amen.” They lifted their hands and bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Why did they worship with their faces to the ground? Scripture lets us wonder. Scripture doesn’t tell us why. It does say that the people weren’t bored to death. In fact scripture tells us they “listened attentively to the Book of the Law.” So why?

The book of Kings tells us about another reading of the Law of Moses that had an impact on the listener. The books of Judges and Kings and Chronicles show us the effects of cycles of leaders who were faithful and unfaithful to the Law. In 2Kings 22 we receive the glorious story of Good King Josiah. This story tells us of a time just before the Babylonian Exile when King Josiah began restoring the temple.

During the restoration, Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of the Law. It was taken to Josiah who heard the words of the Law, probably for the first time ever in its entirety  When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law he tore his robes. Hear the words of 2Kings:

 “Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

One possible explanation about why the people in Nehemiah’s time bowed their heads mourning and weeping is that they felt the same conviction Josiah felt that day. Bookending the exile was the reading of the Law. While it is definitely true on the front end it could well have been true on the back end, those who heard the Law were convicted by it. Without a savior, those words of conviction are damning. This is as true now as it was then. Without redemption there is no living under the law without harsh conviction.

So what I’m saying is that while we won’t know for sure, it would be within Israel’s experience to hear the Law then weep, mourn, and even rent their clothes because they know that those who came before them have not lived up to the Law’s requirements. If it’s good enough for Josiah, it’s good for the Hebrew children.

But then something happened, Nehemiah, Ezra, and all of the Levites said to them, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” Nehemiah further implored them to “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Today is a day of celebration because it is the day of the Lord. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. It is not for anything Israel has done or left undone, it is because the day is holy to the Lord. Their leaders implored them, “This day is sacred, this day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”

There is only one way they could even hope to rejoice instead of mourn, and that is in the presence of the glory of the Lord, for the joy of the Lord is their strength.

Friends, I now implore you, “This day is sacred, this day is holy to the Lord our God. Do not mourn or weep” for the joy of the Lord is our strength. Our strength is not lodged in where we live or how powerful we are. Our strength is not in our nation or our state. Our strength is not in our jobs or careers. Our strength is not in all of the things our society holds so dear. The only source of our strength is the God’s joy.

For all those folks who want to wield the sword of God, vengeance belongs to the Lord. God’s vengeance is not our strength. “God hates…” whatever isn’t any source of strength. The Lord’s joy is our strength.

This is a day of sadness for this congregation, this part of the body of Christ. Unless the Spirit moves in a mysterious way, this will be the last time we will worship together. This will be the last time I share the Word of the Lord with you in this space. Upon the recommendation of the Session, the congregation has spoken. Today the Session along with representatives of the Presbytery will decently and orderly put all of our ducks in a row.

I can’t and won’t scold anybody who gets misty today. There was some wailing in December. I would be wrong to scold anyone who cried that day or who cries today. If I did, I would be the first to face the scolding as my water works flowed as much as anybody’s.

And with that, I remind you, “This day is sacred, this day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” We shouldn’t mourn or weep because the joy of the Lord is our strength.

During one of my sermons I once heard someone cry out “That’s easy for you to say!” Well, it wasn’t so easy that day and it isn’t so easy today either. So often words of solace are heard for what they are, just words. There is little compassion, it’s replaced by empty words.

Some might think that when after our Confession of Sin I say “Friends, believe the Good News of the Gospel! In Jesus Christ you are forgiven!” these are just so many sounds conveying nothing. Nothing could be further from the truth. We come together and we confess that we have fallen short of our Christian vocation. We confess we have sinned against God first and against one another second. These are only empty words if we make them that way.

I proclaim our Assurance of Pardon joyfully because I truly believe the Good News of the Gospel that in Jesus Christ we are forgiven. But here’s something greater than anything I could imagine: Whether I believe or not, whether we believe or not, it’s still true, in Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

This is our Assurance of Pardon, not just that in an ancient translation of the book of Isaiah Jesus read the prophecy:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Our assurance lies in the truth that Jesus read this, sat down, and told all with ears to hear “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” It wasn’t a popular statement at the time, but popularity has never been a good barometer of truth. Our strength comes from the Lord's joy and our joy begins when we say Jesus is Lord. The Lord has anointed him to bring good news to the poor, to free the prisoners, to restore sight to the blind, and to free the oppressed.

The only way I can share with you these words from Ezra and Nehemiah, “This day is sacred, this day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” is by saying Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in our hearing by the words of Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus who is the Christ. In Christ and in Christ alone are we free. In Christ and in Christ alone do we receive life eternal which is the year of the Lord’s favor.

On October 3, 2010 I stood before you for the first time. My sermon was called “Oh, the Places We’ll Go.” It was based on Luke 17, the story of the mustard seed. This is how I ended that sermon:

“Oh, the Places You’ll Go” was the last book written, illustrated, and published by acclaimed children's author Dr. Seuss before his death in 1991. About life and its challenges and written in the style of classics such as “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Cat in the Hat,” “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” is a popular gift for high school and college graduates every year because of its whimsical style and eye to the future. It is perhaps best known for the line, “Will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed. (98 3/4% guaranteed.)”

Oh, the places we’ll go. For Marie and I [sic] it is a joy and our distinct privilege to come together with you and share the mission of this part of the body of Christ. We come together with you in the sight of our Lord to do the work that we have all been called to do, and it is by [the Lord’s Supper] that we all come together to be nourished by the Lord our God. Do I know the shape and direction of that ministry today? Well, this I do know: That in the light of God, through discernment of the Holy Spirit, and in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, all I can say is, “Oh, the places we’ll go.” After all, it’s 98 3/4% guaranteed.

Together we will go into God’s good creation taking the Word with us. As our acolyte Brionna leads us, where a little girl with faith the size of a mustard seed leads, let us go boldly into the world. Let us all take the light of God into the world.

It has been our distinct privilege to come together with all of you and share the mission of this part of the body of Christ. We have been nourished remembering the waters of our baptism with the infants, children, and adults who got wetter than they expected in a Presbyterian Church. We have been nourished in the holy food that satisfies the soul by the bread and the cup of the Lord’s Supper. In that time ministry has taken shape, changed shape, and moves into one more shape before we all leave together.

Today, one more time we will leave together behind Brionna taking the light of the Lord into the world. Let us all take the light of God with us into the world. We can do this because in Christ, by Christ, and through Christ the Gospel of the Lord is fulfilled in our hearing.

---

[1] “Ezra and Nehemiah (Books and Men),” Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Supplemental Volume, this reference from the electronic version. 

Homily for Joe McDonald

The Service of Witness to the Resurrection was held for Mr. Joe McDonald. Mr. McDonald, a Deacon of the Church, passed peacefully in his sleep on October 21, 2011 at his home in Leesburg, Florida.

Our Old Testament reading comes from the book of Deuteronomy 33:27

The eternal God is your dwelling place,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Our Gospel reading comes from the Gospel of John 11:25–26

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord.

Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,

and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

When I asked a member of the congregation about Joe, he said that even in his mid-70’s, Joe was a young man. The people of Marshall remember seeing Joe leaving the city limits in 2004 behind the wheel of his black Ford Mustang convertible. I don’t know how Joe would have responded if he had heard someone ask “What’s a 78 year old man doing driving a Mustang convertible?” But from the stories I have heard over the past couple of weeks, I imagine he would have said something like, “Doing quite nicely, thank you.”

Rest assured, when it came time to retire that black Mustang, Joe got something more sensible, his next Mustang had a manual transmission. (What, that’s not more sensible?) When his joints began to betray him, he traded that one for a sporty Cadillac with an automatic. Born the youngest boy of a family of five, only his sister Judy following Joe in the birth order, his sense of humor was developed early in this family of pranksters. That’s the source of the joy of life that appreciated fast cars.

Please don’t allow my words to let you think that Joe is all play and no work, this is not my intent. Upon graduating from high school here in Marshall, Joe enlisted in the Navy at the age of seventeen. He served as a medical corpsman in the Pacific theater during those last bloody months of World War II through VJ Day and beyond. This honed his sense of duty, his sense of honor, his sense of right and wrong and put those things to work in life. I guess what I’m saying is that Joe played hard, but only after he worked hard.

Chatting with Joe’s sons, they instilled this in me with several sayings Joe shared with them. He made sure his children knew that it “doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do it to the best of your ability.” To that end, Joe shared and instilled a sense of right and wrong and a solid work ethic in his children. He taught them that by hard work and perseverance all things are possible.

Joe worked hard, and he shared the joys of life with family and friends. As his children transitioned from youth to adults so too did his relationship with them. Later, it included sharing some Neely’s Brown Pigs and a taste of grain and grape. As his children became adults Joe cultivated an adult relationship with them, though never afraid to be the father when the situation arose. This love and devotion was never more demonstrated than with his wife, the former Dolores Goforth of Karnack, Texas.

Joe loved his wife and loved his life. Whether parasailing in Mexico or cruising the St. John’s River, or traveling extensively with Dee after retirement, Joe loved life and shared it with all around him, which brings me to one more story.

Those of you who entered on the North side of the building noticed three rugged crosses on the lawn. Joe built those for the church. It was a glory to God and a surprise to everyone else. These crosses aren’t built out of flimsy plywood either; they are made to withstand the elements of an East Texas springtime. They were built to stand from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost, stand in the name of our crucified Lord.

I find it wonderfully and gloriously telling that Joe didn’t build one cross, he built three. Here in this sanctuary you will see one cross, the cross of our Lord, and this is appropriate for the sanctuary. When Joe built the crosses he did more. Surely, Joe built the cross which represents the one that bore Christ on Golgotha, he also built the crosses which held the men crucified alongside Jesus.

Death is an enemy. Its specter is not the shadow God intended to have following us all of the days of our lives. Joe instead lived, and lived well. He lived as Deuteronomy demands, with the eternal God as his dwelling place, he lived underneath the everlasting arms of the Lord. He lived knowing and celebrating the Lord who said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

He showed this to us and continues to show this to us in the crosses he built. Joe’s hands and Joe’s life testify that Christ’s victory over death comes to life upon the empty cross. Joe testifies that this promise is for all of us by building not one but three crosses. He built not just the cross of Christ, but the crosses we all carry everyday. He testifies to the resurrection and the promise of new life for all in Christ.

Joe shared his faith and values with everyone who he met. He shared his faith and values with every relationship. He continues to share his faith and values with the testimony of his hands and his tools, his children and their children. He shared these things with the world, but he shared nothing with strangers because he had never met a stranger. Steven and David told me that Joe would say “I may have been right, I may have been wrong, but I am not in doubt.” Relying on the promises of things unseen, this sounds like the textbook definition of faith. It sounds like a strong faith. It sounds like Joe’s faith. Thanks be to God.

------------------------------

Joe B. McDonald passed away peacefully in his sleep the night of October 21, 2011, at the age of 85 at his home in Leesburg, Florida. Born in Longview, Texas on February 24, 1926, to the late Charles Lee McDonald and Grace Sammons McDonald, Joe graduated from Marshall Senior High School, where he played center on a Maverick football team that included future NFL Hall of Famer Y. A. Tittle.

After his post high school stint in the Navy, Joe attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. With the outbreak of the Korean War, Joe left college to join the U.S. Air Force where he served as a 2^nd Lieutenant. Joe returned to Marshall and worked for Thiokol at Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant in Karnack, Texas.

Joe married Dolores (Dee) Goforth on November 27, 1954 in Karnack, Texas. Joe and Dolores had three children, Stephen, Melissa and David. Joe served in various capacities at Thiokol, eventually becoming a safety engineer. He became Director of Safety at Thiokol in the late sixties and worked on projects diverse as the Saturn V rocket motor and the Pershing missile, as well as on the Gemini and Apollo rocket programs. In 1970 Joe accepted a position with Brunswick Corporation to be the Director of Safety at their Marion and Sugar Grove, Virginia plants, which manufactured both consumer and defense products. Subsequently he was transferred to Chicago, Illinois, where he became the Director for Safety for Brunswick and oversaw operations for more than thirty facilities located across the United States.

Joe returned to Thiokol in 1981. One of the highlights of his career came when he was chosen to participate in the elimination of the Pershing Missiles which he had helped build under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (the INF Treaty) with the Soviet Union.

Joe lost his beloved wife Dolores to colon cancer in 1993. Joe continued to travel, often with his brother Jack and sister Judy and daughter Melissa. Joe moved to Leesburg, Florida in 2004 to be closer to his children and grandchildren.

Joe is survived by his sister Judy of LaGrange; son Steve and his wife, Cathy, and their son, Zachary of Orlando, Florida; daughter Melissa of Savannah, Georgia; son David and his wife Nancy and their children, Brandon, Bronwen, and Spenser of Tangerine, Florida and all the friends he made wherever he traveled.

As a Matter of Fact...

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Sunday January 24, 2010, the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Last week we read from the Gospel of John, the wedding at Cana; the wonderful and glorious story of Jesus’ first public miracle. From this act we get the expression “turning water into wine,” a phrase we use to show the transformation of something common into something extraordinary, something holy. By this miracle, may we never think of the ordinary as ordinary ever again, in God’s capable hands all things, especially the most common, are holy.

Today, we read Luke’s version of the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus returns from the desert where he was tempted by the devil. The temptations he is offered come in the form of taking the easy way out. Jesus is offered sustenance, power, and protection if he just does as the devil tempts. Resisting these temptations, the devil retreats until what Luke calls, “an opportune time.”

So Jesus returns to Galilee where his teaching was praised by everyone. Now let’s remember that Jesus had just spent forty days in the desert. Unless the Holy Spirit gave Jesus a spa day as a reward for resisting temptation, when Jesus came into Galilee, he looked like a man who had just spent forty days in the wilderness.

He would have been sunburned and windblown. His face would be peeling from the blisters of the exposure he received and his hair would have been flying wildly from his head, his beard shaggy even by first century standards. His clothes and sandals would have had enough sand whipped through them that when he walked he would look like Pigpen from the “Peanuts” comics. Shaking out his cloak, he could generate his own dust storm.

So looking maniacal, this wild man, looking like he was wearing the “John the Baptist” Halloween costume; he came to Galilee filled with the power of the Spirit where his teaching was praised by everyone. I imagine the look brought people to the synagogue the first time to hear him speak, but it was what he taught that kept them coming back.

So Jesus returns home for the first time since his baptism and his time in the desert. He returns for the first time since he began this chapter of his teaching ministry. I say “this chapter” because as we noted a couple of weeks ago, at the age of twelve Jesus amazed all who heard him at the temple, his Father’s house, with his understanding and his answers. This may not be his first rodeo, but it is the first at his hometown synagogue since his baptism.

As with our service today, the ancient synagogue service had its own particular liturgy. There is an order of service not unlike the one we follow today. In the day, it was not uncommon for the leader of the synagogue to ask or appoint readers and teachers before the service began. Jesus, the one whose teachings are praised by everyone, is invited to read by the head of the synagogue. So he stands up and this is what he reads:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

Then he sits, as is the tradition of the teacher in the synagogue, and he says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus reads one of the prophecies from the book of Isaiah which announces the Messiah, the Anointed. Using the word which comes to us through the Greeks, this is how Isaiah introduces the Christ. Luke, using these very words, formally introduces Jesus and his ministry to the world.

Imagine what’s going to happen next in Luke’s gospel. On TV they call this a cliff-hanger and like on TV, we’ll see how the synagogue responds to Jesus’ words next week.

I want to add a historical comment here. Scholars debate about whether or not in this time there were scheduled readings for a particular day’s service, what we call a lectionary. I mention this boring little fact because of the question it raises about the reading selection. When Jesus came forward to read, one of two things happened, either he specifically asked for the Isaiah scroll to read this very piece, or this scroll was already prepared for the reader before worship began.

I side with the scholars who believe this was a lectionary reading, a reading planned by the ruler of the synagogue or chosen by the scribes in the temple. Not so much because of the quality of scholarship or the arguments of professors and theologians and folks with an alphabet soup following their names; M.Div., D.Min., Ph.D., ASPCA, MOUSE, you get the idea. No, I like it because of what it says about Jesus.

What draws me to this conclusion is that if Jesus specifically chose the reading of this piece, it would mean that it was his intention to drop a bomb on those who came to listen. At this moment in his ministry, I just don’t see Jesus as being so brazen as to draw attention to himself this way. Jesus never seemed like the “Hey, look at me” kid on the playground hanging upside down from the swing set.

Yet I do believe that if handed the scripture to be read, and being called upon to interpret it, he would share the Good News with the people of Nazareth. After being given this to read, I do believe Jesus would say to the world, “As a matter of fact, yes, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

This is the Messiah, the Christ sharing the Good News with the people of Nazareth and with all creation. Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. In this place, in this time, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the poor. Jesus has been sent to proclaim release to the captives. Don’t you just know Jesus was talking about more captivity than just county jail? Don’t we know he was talking about physical and personal prisons when he talked about recovery of sight to the blind and letting the oppressed go free?

This is how Jesus presents himself to the world, proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor, as the embodiment of the Lord’s favor.

On December third of last year, Carolyn Gains left this earth. Just a few days earlier, both Marie’s—Bolerjack and Andresen—and I went to the nursing home to see her. We had just finished our prayer group meeting and we went for a chat. There was her many pictures. There were cards and a poinsettia. Her life surrounded her in that little cube, a room she truly did not like. As homey as a nursing home could be, it was. But it wasn’t home, not by a long shot.

We all knew Carolyn loved to sing. She loved to study. She led worship here often. Carolyn served as an Elder on the Session of this church. She laughed. She loved. And her body failed her every step of the way.

I am not going to say that her passing was a good thing. Those words are just too brutal and tactless for my tastes. I will say that it is a joy that she is now with her heavenly Father. The pain that she experienced because her joints had failed her for so long has now ended. She has been released from that captivity. She now is dancing in heaven, her heavenly body joining her heavenly voice singing of the new day of the Lord for the glory of God.

The day before yesterday we came to know another loss; the loss of a wife, a mother, a mother-in-law, a grandmother, a surrogate mother and a wonderful friend to many. We lost an Elder, regular member of the nominating committee, and a saint of the Church. I heard of Marie Bolerjack’s death at about 10:30 Friday morning. Getting ready to head to Fayetteville, I stopped by the office and that was where I got Pam’s message. For me, time stood still. Pam told me that she told my Marie, so I knew that I had to get home and be with her.

And my grief next that of the Bolerjack family pales.

Today, I know I need to say something about Marie, but finding what to say and how to say it is difficult. Her importance to her family and to this community, to this part of the Body of Christ will not fade for a long, long time. As we celebrate her life, and her love for all creatures great and small, if I were to say that “God needed another angel so He called Marie home,” if I were to say that I would expect a slap to the face, a hard punch to the stomach, and a kick in the shins. We are richer for her presence in our lives, not for the loss.

So we ask ourselves what Jesus means when he tells us here today that he brings good news to the poor, because today we are poorer. Today our hearts are bound by sorrow that cries for release. Marie’s joyful life was filled with love of her family and friends; for her church and especially for her Lord. To Marie, the Good News of Jesus Christ was, is, and always will be real and vibrant.

Friends, here’s the Good News of Jesus Christ; the Good News brought to us, the release that comes from the Lord, the healing of our eyes so that God may be seen, the oppression that is conquered so that freedom can be lived in God’s sight; this promise, this freedom, this year of the Lord’s favor is upon us.

Our reading from Corinthians reminds us that when one member suffers, all suffer together; when one member is honored all rejoice together. Wonderfully, gloriously, Marie Bolerjack lived the glory of new life in Jesus Christ every day. She reveled in her Lord and Savior. I can think of nobody who displayed the grace of the Almighty like she did. She knew no stranger; she shared life in Christ with all creation.

Marie lived a life of grace, peace, and joy in the Lord. Our sadness, our mourning is real. Attempts to mask our sadness are a disguise. Still, the Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus, he has been anointed so that we, we who love Marie, so that we may be set free from our sadness and released into the Lord’s favor. As in our reading from Nehemiah, the joy of the Lord is the source of our strength. It is by this strength that our grief is removed.

Remembering Carolyn and Marie, remembering these wonderful women, these saints of the church; we are reminded that the glory of the Good News is that as we mourn and as we celebrate the lives of these wonderful women, we are called to share in the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is by his stripes, by the truth that he shared that day at the synagogue in Nazareth, that we will be healed.

We will be set free from all sorrow. From all chains, we will be unbound. In all joy, we will come together and celebrate the saints who have gone before us and await both the presence and the coming of the year of the Lord’s favor. It is by our sorrow and by our joy in the Lord Jesus Christ that we are transformed, like the water into wine, into the children God wants us to be. In this passage Jesus described to the people of Nazareth how he has come to them. And as a matter of fact, by the power of the Holy Spirit this scripture continues to be fulfilled on our hearing.

Faithful-Good and Trustworthy

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Sunday November 16, 2008, the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Judges 4:1-7
Psalm 123
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and redeemer. Amen

Last week, I promised you this would be the second of two stewardship sermons. As any faithful follower of November sermons is well aware, the stewardship sermon ends with the plea for faithfulness to the Lord through tithes and offerings throughout the year. I would say that the request is usually more subtle than that, but sometimes it isn’t. We all know it’s coming. We all know I will make the plea for increased offerings, so that part of the sermon is almost out of the way.

Let me now say thank you and praise God for your financial faithfulness. Many members of this part of the Body of Christ give very generously in their abundance. Many members of this part of the Body of Christ give as generously in their poverty. All members give generously as a faithful response to the glory of God by the grace they have received through Jesus Christ our Lord by the Holy Spirit. I rejoice and I give thanks that you are so very generous.

I have spoken of financial stewardship the past three Novembers, and this November is no different. I have written about stewardship and the financial needs of this part of the Body of Christ in the newsletter several times over the past three years. The last newsletter even had an emotional plea that could be titled “one nickel toward a million.” Just to add one more piece to the pie of asking, I am sure everyone has all ready found a copy of the “Estimate of Giving” form in the bulletin. You will be asked to fill it out and put it in the offering plate in about twenty minutes.

Let me also point out that we use “estimates” rather than “pledges” because it is more pastoral, especially after the way the economy has gone over the past twelve months.

So as I say this, I put these two thoughts together —you are very generous and the economy is tumultuous. I ask for more and if you can give more—then praise God, but I also know that many of you give all that you can, and even more than that. Many are like the widow from Mark 12[1] who gives her two pennies and can not afford to give that. Like her, you give in response not to my request but to God’s faithfulness. I could try to squeeze another penny out of you, but I know how hard you are squeezed.

As Forrest Gump often said, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

Matthew’s version of the Parable of the Talents is found every three years and always in the heart of Stewardship season. As I was thinking about the story, stewardship, and this part of the body of Christ; I have found five truths I want to share about this parable. Keeping with the parable’s common interpretation, God is represented by “the Master.”

First, each of the three servants received according to their ability. The Master goes on a journey and leaves behind eight talents in the care of three slaves. He doesn’t split them up so that each of them receives two-and-two-thirds talents apiece. He could have. There is no biblical reason why he could not have split them apart. So like the disciples hearing Jesus tell this story; we learn that there is meritocracy, people being rewarded according to their abilities. The Master trusts his slaves in proportion with what they have proven they can handle. Not everyone gets the same piece of the pie just because that’s the democratic way.

This doesn’t seem quite right to our sensibilities. We wonder how God gives to each of us differently especially since God loves us all equally. This passage does not change that at all. God loves us all equally and to a depth and breadth we will not begin to understand on this side of glory. God knows us and empowers us differently with the multitude of the spiritual gifts. So like the slaves in the parable we receive God’s gifts differently. Then we are called to serve the Lord uniquely.

The next thing that I want to share is that while it is true that the slaves received according to their ability, even the one who received least received an extravagant amount. Based on the price of silver on Wednesday morning, a single talent is worth just a little over $6,500.00.[2] While this is nothing to sneeze at, in the day of the parable this amount was even more valuable than it is today. This amount, one talent, $6,500.00, was the equivalent of twenty years wages to the average laborer.[3] (Inflation is a thing no matter how long ago you lived.) So while each of the slaves received different amounts, the amounts they received were more than they could ever imagine.

The lesson we take from this is that our God is just as extravagant with gifts. We are given more than we could ever hope or imagine. Our talents don’t always come in silver or gold, but they are given by the one who gives best, and they are wonderful and glorious.

So next, while what they receive is outrageously generous, in the words of the Master, what the slaves have received are “just a few things.” Based on twenty years of wages, the slave who received five talents was given well over $1.5 million. This amount is based on Berryville average wages. The national average would make the amount rise up to nearly $2.16 million.[4] This is an impressive sum. Give me the amount given the least capable slave, between $300,000 and $432,000, even I think I could pay off my student loans.

Yet, yet this is what the Master calls “just a few things.” From this piece of the parable we learn that as much as we think we have, to God this is just a start. What to us seems to be extravagant is a sample of the bounty of the Lord. We are often bound by our perceptions of what the Lord can do; limiting God by what we think God can or should do. This lesson is, trying as we might to put restrictions on God; the Lord blows through the limits of our expectations and experiences beyond what we can even dream.

We are told next that those slaves who made gains with the Master's assets were put in charge of many things and invited to enter into the joy of their Master. There is no telling what this meant, but if the Master’s idea of joy is anything like the master’s “few things” it would be outrageously extravagant.

In our Master’s world, we are given glimpses of the joy of God—shimmers of the bounty of God’s good gifts. These are a foretaste of the joy promised the faithful slaves of the sovereign Lord—the good and trustworthy servants. As God’s children, we are invited to come into the messianic banquet where in the presence of our Lord; we will rejoice and share fully in the Master’s joy.

Finally, in a strange sort of way, the servant's reactions to the Master reflect the Master's reactions to the servants; a form of self-fulfilling prophecy. While only the third slave said so, based on what the master said, I suspect he is a harsh man, reaping where he did not sow and gathering where he did not scatter seed; and all of them knew this to be the Master’s way.

Yet, in this fear, the first two responded to their master through diligent work, both of them doubling the amounts they were entrusted. The third was so afraid he simply chose to hide the assets, possibly hoping never to be bothered by them or the master ever again. Two worked and were rewarded with praise as good and trustworthy servants. The third, wicked and lazy, was punished; their prophecies fulfilled.

This portion of the parable is a walking, talking affirmation of the first Proverb, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”[5] All three feared the master as all of us should rightly fear the Lord. Yet the example we are to follow is that two responded beyond their fear while one cowered. The Lord is all powerful, and there is much we are called to do with what God gives us. We are to respect the Lord and fear the power. We are also to trust in the love, faithfully following where it leads us to work with what has been given us to increase the kingdom.

There is a wonder and glory in this parable along with deep shadows of darkness and despair. There is great joy and there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. There is judgment of how we work with the talents we receive. Yet as so much as knowledge begins with fear of the Lord, when we focus on the fear alone we become too frightened to move.

Yes, fear is one response, but at the traffic signal of life, fear is the yellow light, not the red. Caution is warranted, but focusing on the joy and plenty of God’s kingdom, instead of the harshness, we grow in faithfulness. We grow to be called good and trustworthy.

We receive all of these gifts and we are called to use them to increase them in the service of the Lord in God’s good creation. We all receive gifts and we are called to use them to increase them in the service of the Lord in God’s good creation.

While not a pun in ancient Greek, the cleverness of the English word talent is there for us. Whether the talent is financial or some kind of skill; we know that these talents are more than the gold and silver. They are also the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, and faith; the working of miracles, healing, and prophecy; discernment of spirits, and speaking and interpreting tongues.[6] These are the gifts of ministry, teaching in wisdom; exhortation, giving in generosity; leadership, and compassion in cheerfulness. [7]

Given the financial aspect of the parable of the talents, it is easy for us to slip into the possibility of seeing the gospel of prosperity, a “be faithful/get rich quick” scheme. This is not true. When they were judged, the slaves who used the Master’s talents and worked to increase them were welcome into the Master’s joy. Because we are gifted differently, this is true whether we begin with millions of dollars or two copper coins.

Looking at this parable through the glasses of stewardship, this parable tells us that stewardship isn’t so much about what we give—it’s about what we do with what we are given. It’s about taking the talents God gives us, English pun intended, and faithfully using them to the glory of the kingdom.

It is a call to us to look forward, see that we are given much, and see that the reward of faithful discipleship is more than we could ever hope or imagine. It is to recognize the gifts we receive and offer them to others. While we know that God’s judgment can be harsh, it is in trust that as the Master’s faithful disciples that we will be judged “good and trustworthy.”

Yes, this is where I ask you to fill out the “Estimate of Giving” sheets in your bulletin. If you haven’t done so yet, there is still time during the hymn. And as we discern what we are called to give, let us remember that what we are to give are from all of the talents our Lord endows upon us—not just silver and gold.

That’s all I have to say about that.

[1] Mark 12:41-44
[2] Actually $6,519.45. This figure presumes a mass of 20.4 kilograms of silver per talent (according to the New Interpreter’s Study Bible, page 382) and the kilogram has a mass of 655.88 ounces troy. The spot open for Silver in New York on November 12, 2008 is $9.94 according to http://www.thebulliondesk.com/ (retrieved November 11, 2008).
[3] Hare, Douglas R. A. “Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.” Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1993, page 286.
[4] Computations taken from per capita income information for Berryville, Arkansas found at the US Census internet site, http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=72616&_cityTown=72616&_state=&_zip=72616&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&show_2003_tab=&redirect=Y retrieved November 15, 2008.
[5] Proverb 1:7 (NRSV)
[6] 1Corinthians 12:7-10
[7] Romans 12:7-8

Parallel Lines

This sermon was delivered on the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time, August 12, 2007 at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas.

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-13
Luke 12:32-40

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

Euclid is the father of geometry. Euclidian Geometry[1] is based on five axioms or rules. From these rules, hundreds of proofs follow which help mathematicians deal with space. The fifth of these rules is called the Parallel Postulate. To make a jargon loaded sentence simpler, parallel lines are lines on a plane that never meet. The distance between the two of them never changes, they are always equidistant. They run together never to converge. The word parallel has been adopted by other fields of study to describe similarities in shape and structure. I want to use it today to talk about the first two verses from our gospel reading.

When I was looking at these verses, I was drawn to one thought; as the Father has given to us, we are to give to others. To me, this is the parallel. The Father gives to us; we give to others. “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” is followed with the call to “Sell your possessions and give alms.” The similarity between these two is daunting; so I have come to think of this in three ways.

The first is that the father gives to us so we give to others. A good word for this is reciprocity, a direct relationship of giving and receiving. In this case, we receive, so we give. “In international relations and treaties, the principle of reciprocity states that favors, benefits, or penalties that are granted by one state to the citizens or legal entities of another, should be returned in kind. For example, reciprocity has been used in the reduction of tariffs, the grant of copyrights to foreign authors, the mutual recognition and enforcement of judgments, and the relaxation of travel restrictions and visa requirements. The principle of reciprocity also governs agreements on extradition.”[2]

But this kind of giving and receiving has some snags, particularly in extradition. There are nations that will not extradite people accused of capital crimes to the United States in fear that, if convicted, the accused will be executed. Nations that behave this way believe that capital punishment, the death penalty, is not appropriate, regardless of the crime. So while capital punishment may be “in kind,” a basic element of reciprocity, it is considered barbaric by nations who believe capital punishment is too harsh, so they will not extradite people accused of capital crimes to the US. Human reciprocity hits a snag because even where there is significant agreement between the two parties there are limits.

I thank God that if reciprocity is one of the pieces of this parallel, the Father wants to give us the kingdom while all I have to give is my possessions. Frankly, in my opinion, I’m getting the better end of this deal. What do I have that could compare with the kingdom? If you think of the Father’s kingdom as the territory,[3] that’s one thing. For all of my stuff, I get the Father’s land. That’s cool. But if you think of the kingdom as the Father’s rule, power, and authority,[4] then we come out even further ahead. If it is the Father’s good pleasure that we receive his rule, power, and authority and we are expected to give our miniscule possessions in reciprocity, sign me up.

Frankly though, as true as this may be, this doesn’t strike me as filled with grace. Yes, it’s true the Father wants to give first and gives more than we ever could; yet it seems harsh to think of this giving in simple economic terms. Then again, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe that’s the point of such radical grace; nothing we could ever give would ever match what the Father gives us.

Another way to think of this is to think of the extravagance, how the Father gives is how the Father wants us to give. Fear not, it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom![5] So fear not, have faith. Easier said than done, eh? It is for me. Hebrews tells us that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen and by faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God. By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called, and the Lord sent him from his home even though he was not told where he was going. By faith he left his home and lived in tents in a foreign land, even when his household numbered seventy people. By faith, he received the Lord’s many extravagant blessings, but it was not until generations after his death that the Lord’s ultimate promise to Abraham was fulfilled when he was made a great nation.

The Father is able to give extravagantly; it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom. And by faith, we are to give extravagantly too. We are called to sell our possessions and give alms to the poor. The next verse gives us a warning worthy of following: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” But here’s another warning worth heeding, our treasure is more than our possessions.

Perhaps our most valuable, most limited commodity is time. On Thursday, I went to the Nursing Home. I don’t go as often as I should, and with Marie in the hospital it was tough finding the time. But since Thursday was Elizabeth Beck’s ninety-ninth birthday,[6] I knew I had to make the time. So I went to the home, down her hall, and saw her sitting and waiting; for what I don’t know, but she was waiting. I walked up to her and said, “Miss Elizabeth, it is so wonderful to see you, happy birthday!” She was overjoyed to see me. I took her hand and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to get a card off to you, but I knew I had to drop by today.” Lifting my hand in hers she said, “I’ll take this over a card anytime.” Her joy made my heart swell.

In the grand scheme of life, how important was this? It didn’t bring peace to the Middle-East. The stock market kept falling. It didn’t even help Marie’s anemia or migraine. But in the work of the Father’s kingdom, when Elizabeth told me she would rather hold my hand than receive a card, I knew what I was doing was important. I didn’t cure cancer that day, but for thirty minutes, the loneliness of a widow whose world is slowly slipping away with age and Alzheimer’s was held back. On a one-hundred degree day, I was able to bring warmth to a woman dressed in compression bandages and covered in a quilt. This is the sort of treasure of heaven that no thief can take nor any moth destroy.

The final parallel is that to give to others is to give to the Father. As we begin to peel away the veneer from creation, the one thing we know is that all creation is a gift of God. What we do in almsgiving is a way of furthering the Father’s kingdom on earth. There’s a sort of a symbiotic, yin-and-yang effect going on when we give to those who need. Hebrews 13 reminds us that when we help strangers it is very possible that we have unknowingly helped angels, messengers of God. When we give to one another we return to creation what has been created, for the glory of the one who creates it.

Last week, we read about a rich man who trusted his wealth instead of the things that are greater than wealth. So when giving alms to those who are in need, what is at stake, at the most basic level, is how we use things to proclaim our understanding of God and God’s plans. The rich man from Luke 12:13-21 takes no account of God in his plans, he trusts in his wealth instead of the Lord, and is led by his greed.[7] What good is it to hoard? Like all of our possessions, we are a part of the Father’s good creation. When we take the things which are from the Father to hoard, we hide creation from creation. We act like the rich man from last week’s reading, trusting in the possessions provided by the Lord instead of the Lord. As disciples of Jesus, we are liberated from the peril of possessions and enabled to reorder our lives to care for the needy.[8]

Giving alms is a conversion in how we understand God and how God’s practices lead us into transformed practices related to…possessions, social relations, and more.”[9] Isaiah teaches us that as we give alms, we make ourselves clean. We cease to do evil and learn to do good. In almsgiving we seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow. In giving to others, we return to God what God has given to us, not only in terms of physical treasure, but in terms of dignity.

There is a wonderful parallel quality in these verses. To give us the kingdom pleases the Father, and likewise, our almsgiving to neighbors in need pleases the Father. We do not give alms or do any kind of work to earn our salvation. We are to give alms in thanksgiving for what the Father has all ready done. We are to give alms for the glory of God, to show gratitude to God, and for the benefit of others.[10]

But now, it’s time for me to come clean. There is more to this story than the parallelism I am talking about. There is more to Geometry than Euclid, and more to our story than a simple parallel construction. There is an entire field of Non-Euclidian Geometry, a field that exists because the world, and the universe for that matter, is not flat. In Non-Euclidian geometry there are two choices. One of the choices is that in an elliptical universe, parallel lines always meet.[11] It’s counter-intuitive for those of us who grew up on Euclid in high school geometry, but it does help explain a lot of things in higher math and physics.

The non-Euclidean parallel, so to speak, is that the Father intersects us at every point in our lives. There is no time that we are ever distant from God, much less equidistant, never to meet in the ways Euclid teaches. Our courses do not travel never to converge. Our lives are constantly intersected by the Lord, even at times when we do not expect it or hope that it is possible.

It is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom while all we have to give is our possessions; this is hardly a good trade for the Father. The Father wants to give us his power and his glory, much in the same way the bride groom wants to serve his servants. Our call, our vocation is first to be Christian, to read and pray and follow the Lord our God. At the same time, our call, our vocation is to serve God by serving what God has created and ordained. For this purpose, God has given the Son, Jesus who is the Christ. We have been called to give our treasure, our time, and our talents that we may benefit those who have not received such abundance. It’s not much of a trade, and for this, let us give alms and let us give thanks.

[1] Euclidean Geometry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclidean_geometry, accessed August 11, 2007.
[2] Reciprocity—International Relations, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocity_%28international_relations%29, accessed August 11, 2007.
[3] “Basileia” entry, Bauer, Walter, Greek—English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd Edition. Editor Danker, Frederick William. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000
[4] Ibid.
[5] Yes, it’s true, “Do not be afraid” is the more accurate translation than “fear not,” but I can’t help it. In the Greek Old Testament this phrase is used more than forty times meaning “fear not.” “Fear not” just has more of a “King James” feel, and more oomph to it than “do not be afraid.”
[6] Happy birthday Elizabeth!
[7] Note for Luke 12:13-34, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha. Harrelson, Walter J., General Editor. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003. Electronic Version, 2003.
[8] Ibid, notes for verses Luke 12:1-13:9.
[9] Ibid Luke 12:13-34.
[10] Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.), Office of the General Assembly, The Book of Confessions. Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Distribution Service, 2003, section 5.123.
[11] Non-Euclidean Geometry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Euclidean_geometry, accessed August 12, 2007.