Where is Jesus?

Do you remember that time long long ago when you couldn’t just get directions on your phone or through GPS and you actually had to look at a map or ask someone for directions? I remember. I also remember that sometimes the directions weren’t so clear. Go down this road a piece and turn left where the old Johnson place used to be… you can’t miss it!

I always worried when they said, “You can’t miss it.”

Where is Jesus? The angels knew. And, they knew how to give good directions.  First, they identified the town: the baby is born in the city of David – that may have been confusing for out-of-towners but the shepherds knew that “the city of David” was “Bethlehem.” Bethlehem wasn’t a big town then – or now – but to make sure the shepherds didn’t get off-track– the angels gave the shepherds a really specific identification tool. They called it a sign: “You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”

Surely the one who was born to be the Savior of the world could command a grander place than a manger for his bed? But when the shepherds set out to find Jesus, the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord, where did they find Jesus? Just where the angels had said – he was in Bethlehem lying in a manger.  

On that night, Jesus began his habit of showing up just as was promised – but in surprisingly ordinary places… like a manger. 

Where is Jesus today? In the midst of challenges and hardships – where should we look for Jesus?  

Facing a lot of hardships and seeing no hope in the life before her. one young woman chose to leave her homeland and travel to the Big Apple -New York City. She had an aunt who lived there and she hoped that, somehow, life could be better for her too.  Except… she was carrying a heavy burden. She was pregnant. Perhaps out of denial, perhaps because she was ashamed, she didn’t let anyone to know. Instead, she tried to hide her pregnancy – she wore baggy clothes and no one – not even the aunt she lived with – even suspected.  But the baby knew when it was time to be born…and on that day, with no one to help her, the mother gave birth. And then… she had a baby… and no way to care for it. Maybe she wondered, “where is Jesus?”

Where would you go if you were looking for Jesus? If you were to ask Martin Luther for directions, he would point to Bible, which he calls “the manger of Christ.” Luther says scripture holds Jesus, like the manger held him as a baby.  And, in the Gospels Jesus tells us where to look for him. It’s not a secret.

Where is Jesus? Right where he promises to be.  Jesus promises to be  with us when we share in Holy communion together, in the breaking of bread and in the drinking of the cup.

Where is Jesus? Jesus is with us when we gather together in community, promising “where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there also.”

Where is Jesus? At his ascension, when the disciples were asking where he was going, Jesus promises them and us to be with us always, even to the end of the age.” For Jesus is – and promises to be: God WITH Us, Emmanuel.

But sometimes - even though we may know in our heads the promises of Jesus - it can be hard to see Jesus. This is especially true when we are outside of our church community or places where we are used to looking for Jesus. It can be hard to see Jesus as “with you” when life throws you more than a few curve balls. It can be hard to see Jesus when the challenges of life get in the way.  

Perhaps that is how this young woman felt as she held her little newborn baby in her arms. She had never had a baby. She did not know what to do. She was too scared to cut the umbilical cord. What was she going to do? She had no clothes for him, no diapers. She had no money to speak of – no job – and what family she did have… she had been afraid to tell that she was pregnant. How would her aunt feel if she came home and discovered she was not only hosting her niece but also a baby?

Where was Jesus – in such a time as this?

The young woman…  even though she was new to the neighborhood, remembered going to a church named “Holy Child Jesus”. The people there had been kind. It felt like a safe haven, and so she headed straight there. On the way, the little baby started to shiver. His mother felt him; he was starting to get cold. She stopped at a store along the way and bought a towel – it wasn’t much…just a little something to try to keep him warm. She held him close to her heart… and ran to “Holy Child Jesus.”

Where was Jesus? Was he here?

When the mother and child got to the church, it was around noon and the church was empty… and cold. The altar guild had just finished putting up their large Nativity set because it was almost Christmas. And there, in the middle of the creche, stood the manger, filled with straw.  It looked like the warmest place in the church. The young mother placed her sleeping baby in the manger, tucked the towel around him, and, entrusting him to God and God’s people; she ran away.

Where was Jesus?  Well… back in the manger. I imagine Jesus comforting that newborn little baby and saying, “Hey -you too?! I slept in a manger once. It’ll be all right. You just need to make a little noise. Let them know that you are here.” And the baby did. When the custodian came back from lunch, the baby cried. At first, the custodian thought nothing of the sound of a baby crying. After all, the church also had a school and so there tended to be lots of children around and mothers with babies. But the crying got louder.  Looking around, the custodian did not see anyone - no mothers and no children. But the crying persisted. It seemed to be coming from the Nativity creche. Maybe it was a prank. He went to investigate….and found the baby…laying in the manger and crying for all he was worth.

Where was Jesus? He was with the scared, cold and hungry little baby.

Jesus was also with for the young mother that day, guiding her to a church, which under New York law qualifies as a safe haven.1 But that’s not all. Jesus was with the custodian that day – and gave him wisdom to call the church nurse and 911 responders to care for this little baby. And Jesus was with the people of Holy Child Jesus Church who welcomed the child, like they would welcome Jesus. As the priest said, “God has a way of working mysteriously because I believe when this woman who came in with this child, saw this creche, this empty home,…. I believe she found in it a home for her child." 1

Where was Jesus? Jesus was with each one of these people. And Jesus is with you too. If you are looking for Jesus, you will find him in all of the places where he has promised to be –in the Bible, in the community of Christ as we gather to take bread and wine, Christ’s body and blood and even in a manger. But Jesus is not only in a manger and not only in the places where Christ Jesus promised to be. For Jesus Christ is God With Us – in all of the places – ordinary or extraordinary--that we go.

Brothers and sisters, friends in Christ, may you have eyes to see Jesus in your life and in all the places where you go. For Jesus is God is With Us, with you, every day. Thanks be to God. Amen.

1New York's Safe Haven Law states that an adult with legal custody of an infant can drop the baby off at a hospital, church, police or fire station without facing legal repercussions, according to the National Safe Haven Alliance.

2Father Christopher Heanue speaking to ABC News station WABC in New York.

Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church        December 24, 2021      Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

Sunday Sermon

Gospel    Luke 1:39-55

The holy gospel according to Luke, the first chapter.

Glory to you, O Lord.  

Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,

You’re so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears,

The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!

And Mary said,

I’m bursting with God-news;

    I’m dancing the song of my Savior God…

    I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!

What God has done for me will never be forgotten,

    the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.

His mercy flows in wave after wave

on those who are in awe before him.

He bared his arm and showed his strength,

          scattered the bluffing braggarts.

He knocked tyrants off their high horses,

    pulled victims out of the mud.

The starving poor sat down to a banquet;

    the callous rich were left out in the cold.

He embraced his chosen child, Israel;

    he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.

It’s exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now.  The Gospel of the Lord.

Mary’s song bursts out of her. She cannot contain it. As she says in the Message translation, “I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.” I love this translation because sometimes music just grabs you.  Hum a line from Hark the Herald Angels…  and I’m singing the whole song. Play a few bars of a swing tune – and my feet are moving. Songs can inspire us, uplift us, and bring us great joy or move us to tears. Whether it is the notes, the songs, the melodies or maybe the silence in-between… but somehow music can create space in the human heart – where it wasn’t before. 

Music like this can inspire action. There’s a scene in the movie Casa Blanca in which the Nazi soldiers commandeered the piano in a saloon and are playing and singing the German anthem. The saloon was filled with a variety of people – many of whom were there because they were trying to escape the war and they feared German occupation of that country. Most of them had become uncomfortably silent at the sound of the takeover of the music in the salon. But one man, Lazlo, a leader in the resistance movement, goes up to the band and tells them to play the French national anthem. He directs the band and begins to sing – and suddenly – all of the French nationalists stand and with tears in their eyes proudly sing their anthem. None of them would have dared to stand up and speak about their resistance to the occupying army. But they all stood up and sang. 

This is just a scene in a movie. But music has always been a part of resistance movements. Spirituals were the backbone of the freedom movement for slaves during the civil war and songs of freedom like “we shall overcome” opened hearts and minds, providing strength and unity to those marching for peace with the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Mary’s song is a radical resistance song – but with one big difference. She proclaims God’s kingdom – as if God had already transformed the world, feeding those who are hungry and lifting up the victims while putting bullies in their place. She sings with confidence that the God who opened the womb of her cousin Elizabeth and who placed a child within her – not only could – but had already put into place what was needed to accomplish God’s Kingdom. 

The world did not magically change in the way that a Disney film might portray it -- with a wave of a wand and sparkling and glistening stars. But the world did change – God came into the world in human flesh…as a little vulnerable baby. And that…changed everything.

Like a prophet who sees the world through God’s eyes, Mary, in her song, proclaims the ways in which God’s kingdom changes and transforms the world. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she has a vision of the end of the story and is given eyes to see the justice and righteousness of the world that God is creating – not only for her, but for all God’s people.

But that is not the world that she lives in. She lives in a community that is occupied by a military force and is filled with corruption, violence, inequality and injustice. As Simeon will tell her, a sword will pierce her heart. And yet… she sings.  She sings a song of hope and expectation, confidently counting on God to bring in God’s kingdom.

Like Mary, we too can sing songs of hope and joy and expectation even though we don’t live in a perfect world either. Our world is full of disease, corruption, violence, inequality and injustice, just like hers. But we also know that the problems of this world are no match for the love of God in Christ Jesus. Like Mary, we can trust in the promise that God will “pile on the blessings” – and be with us always.

And so… I want to invite you to sing today – with your masks on – because God’s realm has not yet rid our world of disease. Yet, still we sing. Sing out to proclaim the transformation of our world by God who has already come and is already at work. Sing out with joy for what God has done – and for what God has promised to do and will do. For, like Mary, we can trust that God will accomplish all that God intends. And this – is Good News. Thanks be to God who makes it so. Amen.

Sing

Notes from a flute
or a Medieval recorder.
Madrigals sing
bringing calm to disorder.

Notes, songs, harmonies
– the silence in-between –
create spaces in the human heart
open to new scenes.

Deep yearnings cry in new songs
while tyrants silence the arts.
Yet, deep, deep, deep in the underground
A new sound is being born.

So sing, Oh, blessed Mary,
radical zealot, gentle mother;
sing of the Time of Jubilee
coming in our newborn brother.

Sing blessed Mother.
Magnify the Lord.
Sing of longed-for justice.
Embody God’s new Word.

“The haughty rich now brought low;
the humble poor lifted high;
no more vast inequities!”
Your cry up to the skies.

Sing, blessed Mary,
become a new song;
birth earth’s longed-for Messiah
who rights our every wrong.

Teach us, Oh Mary,
the song of new birth,
so all of us can embody
God’s peace here on earth.

@A Poem a Sunday – December 14, 2015 – Kenn Storck

: Copyright@A Poem a Sunday by Kenn Storck used by permission.

Freed from Chaff, Let us Rejoice

Gospel: The holy gospel according to Luke, the third chapter.  

Glory to you, O Lord.

Narrator: The word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

ISAIAH: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

    make his paths straight.

 Every valley shall be filled,

    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

    and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

So, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people.  The gospel of the Lord.     Praise to you, O Christ.

 “When the Dead Sea scrolls came to the Science Museum in St. Paul a few years ago, my family and I bought tickets for the exhibit. But when we got there, we didn’t get to see the scrolls right away. Instead, we had to wind our way through the exhibit, learning some of the history, how they were found and the elaborate scientific process by which they were put back together into a readable format. I learned a lot about them. But it took a long time. So I was excited when, finally, I was able to enter the special room that held the fragments of the scrolls. Fragments is an understatement. The pieces were tiny! To see them, we had to look through a special microscope.

Those who put on the exhibit knew that If I had just gone to see the scrolls – without the preparation of the earlier part of the exhibit, I might have left thinking, “Is that all the bigger that they are? Is this it? What a waste of time!” But instead, I left thinking, “Wow! This is amazing!” Clearly, the preparation was important.

Speaking of preparation…in case you haven’t noticed… Christmas is coming! So how do you prepare? If you are like me… and many families, you may set up a tree, get out the decorations and maybe even do a little Christmas baking or send some Christmas cards while listening to Christmas music. But our houses are only one of the things that needs to be prepared.

Isaiah declared, “Prepare the way of the Lord. And that is what John came to do. John is an Old Testament style prophet who speaks the truth, tells people what behavior they need to change and prophesizes the coming of Christ using fiery images. Although it sounds kind of harsh, John’s message prepared the people of his day for Jesus. And John has a message for us too. We too need to prepare our hearts and our lives for Christ to dwell with us even more than we need to prepare our houses. 

In those days, John called people to repent of the ways in which they neglected God and chose their own way. Convicted – or maybe afraid - they asked, “what can we do?” John gave them concrete, ordinary and simple examples of how they could live better – live in God’s way. He told them: Be generous - share your extra coat with someone who is cold or a meal with someone who is hungry. Be honest -- charge only a fair amount. Be kind - do not bully, oppress or exhort. In short, John tells them that  they could live better lives, lives that reflect God’s way of loving their neighbor instead of thinking and living only for themselves.

What would John say to us if we asked, “what should we do?”

His message probably would not be all that different from what he told the people on the riverbank. Share what you have. Be honest. Be kind not only to your family and those who think like you, look like you and are in your group but also to the neighbor, the coworker or classmate and any person you meet on the street.

We would do well to listen to John. After all, your words and actions make a difference. Oh, it may not feel like what you do makes a difference to the global economy or the political state of the country, but I know that even something as simple as a phone call or a card can make a huge difference in the life of the person who receives it and the one who gives it. For example, my cousin Rhonda loves to bake. I love her baking – but I can only eat so much of it before I begin to change dress sizes. So when I discovered that my neighbor’s Dave’s wife just went into a care center, I brought over some of Rhonda’s baking. Dave was beyond happy. It made a difference to him that I stopped by. It made a difference to Rhonda that her baking was well received. I was just the carrier of delicious baked goods. But it made a difference to both the giver and the receiver. John was wise, sharing what we have, being honest and kind helps us to live our best lives. 

It seemed that John had an answer for everyone who asked, “what can we do?” If he was around today, he could have written a best seller or shared a podcast on social media of how you too could live into your best life.

But John is more than someone who gives advice. He is also a prophet. And as a prophet, he has some fiery words. When asked about the Messiah, John says, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Yikes. That sounds scary. But then Luke writes, “So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.” Good News? Burning the chaff with unquenchable fire does not sound like good news.  Unless… you know what chaff is.

This passage is too often interpreted as a separation of the good people who are the wheat from the bad people who are the chaff. But chaff and the grain are not like wheat and weeds which are two different things. They are a part of the same seed.  

Chaff is the inedible hull or shell that surrounds the grain. And just as you remove the husks before eating corn on the cob, grain is surrounded by chaff which has to be removed from the grain before it can be eaten.

This is done by a process called “threshing.” I remember when I was young and lived on a farm, my dad and the neighbors formed a threshing crew every year to harvest the grain. The threshing machine cut the stalks of the grain, the grain was sorted out and the chaff – which is really light  -- blew out of a smoke stack.

In Biblical days, this was done by hand. The grain was threshed – which separated the grain from the chaff pod - and then both were lifted into the air where the wind blew away the chaff  - and the grain remained.

The word for wind – in Greek, the language of the New Testament - is the same as the word for “Spirit.” So the question becomes – not who would be judged as wheat and who would be considered chaff but rather what “chaff,” what “stuff,” would the Holy Spirit blow away?

As we prepare our hearts and our lives for Christmas, let us pray that the Holy Spirit –like the wind - would blow away everything -all the chaff – that gets in the way of us being the best people that we can be.  And then, freed from everything that keeps me and you – us -- from being the people that God made us to be, we can rejoice.

As Paul wrote to the Philippians - from a prison cell – “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, Again, I say, “Rejoice.” For Paul knew, that despite all of the problems around us, and despite the challenges that we may face, Christ has come – and this means that we can celebrate; we have reason to rejoice!

Brothers and sisters, friends in Christ, let us rejoice in the midst of our preparations for Christ’s coming again. Let us rejoice as we seek to live into the lives that God would have us live. And let us pray that the Holy Spirit will set us free from all the chaff in our lives and everything that keeps us from being who God made us to be. Rejoice. For Christ has come, is coming and is here with us today. Amen.

Sunday Sermon

Zechariah and Elizabeth waited a long time for their son John.  When Elizabeth finally gave birth to this child people asked the inevitable question what then will this child become?   Of course, as soon as a child is born people begin to speculate as to how the child will grow up and what the child will accomplish.  Zechariah’s prophecy is a response to this common question and I am struck by how optimistic he is in his answer.  Zechariah not only proudly announces the birth of his son John but he also expresses a supreme confidence in the saving power of God.  When God brings new life into the world it is amazing the positive feelings that are generated.  I do not remember the day of my birth but through family lore and Google I think that I have a pretty good idea of the situation.  I was born on the night of February 3, 1974 in the small town of Aledo, Illinois and it was very cold.  My parents were surrounded by their family and friends as they raised me in their hometown.  I imagine that after my mom was discharged from the hospital that these family members and friends offered congratulations and maybe even brought some meals over to our house so that the new parents would not have to cook.  When my dad was buying the Sunday Chicago Tribune at the Smoke Shop, he may have even picked up some celebratory cigars to hand out to his co-workers at the bank.  The new parents spent quiet Saturday nights at home contentedly watching the Mary Tyler Moore show.  Overall, it was a very happy time for the growing Anderson family.  However, it was a tumultuous time around the globe and across the nation.  Things going on in February of 1974 included Watergate, the Vietnam War, and the OPEC oil embargo which caused both a recession and high inflation.  It was a pretty bleak time and unfortunately history seems to be repeating itself.  Inflation is high again.  Many people are still struggling just to eke out a modest living in a tough economic environment.  Our entire world is losing badly in our war against COVID-19, and now the new Omicron variant has emerged.  The United States is a deeply divided country and those peddling in misinformation have made it even harder for us to find common ground.  In many ways it is even worse now than it was during the dark days of February 1974.  During these difficult times how can we as Christians channel the optimism of new parents that my mom and dad had in February 1974 and that Zechariah is expressing here?      

Today’s gospel text is very appropriate for Advent because Zechariah’s prophecy is focused on God’s promises.  This text offers three very important lessons about God’s promises.  First, God’s promises come into being through the Holy Spirit.  The way of the Holy Spirit is amazing as it works through ordinary people just like you and me.  Luke introduces this prophecy by stating that Zechariah was “filled with the Holy Spirit.”  There was nothing extraordinary about either Zechariah or Elizabeth.  They were just a couple of people that were working their way through life and they were struggling with the fact that they might never become parents which is something that they desperately desired.   Earlier in Luke chapter one Zechariah is rendered mute because he expresses doubt that he and Elizabeth could actually become parents at their advanced age.  Of course, Zechariah should not have doubted the possibility of having a son since as someone who served in the temple, he would have been well aware of the miracles that God had worked through Abraham and Sarah the parents of Isaac as well as Hannah and Elkanah the parents of Samuel.  After John’s birth the Holy Spirit then turns the mute Zechariah into a powerful voice proclaiming a message of faithfulness, salvation, and peace.  In this passage the Holy Spirit is working through the seemingly ordinary Zechariah, and later in the gospels the Holy Spirit will similarly work through his seemingly crazy son John who eventually became a wilderness preacher who survived on locusts and wild honey.  If the Holy Spirit works through characters like Zechariah, Elizabeth and John then there can be no doubt that God works through every one of us in this congregation.  We may be temporarily mute but eventually God helps us to find our voice.  We may be barren but new life emerges from us.  Even if we feel like we are that lone voice out in the wilderness struggling to be heard we should be confident that eventually someone will listen. The way of the Holy Spirit is that it can and often works through us when we least expect it.

The second lesson presented in this text is that God’s promises are not just for a select group of people but they are intended for all of us.  When proud parents answer the question what then will this child become the answer often focuses on the individual child and that child’s future.  Parents want their children to experience professional success, live in material comfort, and most importantly have a life filled with much happiness.  I am sure that Zechariah and Elizabeth wanted all of these things for John.  Like any good parents they were probably a bit concerned when John was roughing it out in the wilderness.  However, this prophecy seems to indicate that they were aware of the significance of John’s role in God’s salvation story.  Immediately after his son’s birth Zechariah realized that John was meant to serve a purpose greater than himself.  Zechariah proclaims that God has looked favorably on his people and that John’s role is to give knowledge of salvation to God’s people.  As we go through life, we often lose sight of our role in God’s salvation story.  Many in our community are impoverished, lonely, and frustrated.  These are people in need of salvation.  There are many opportunities to help others during Advent.  As Christians we are secure in the knowledge of our salvation and because of this we can offer grace to others.  We do this not to earn our own salvation but because we serve a loving God who has saved the entire world.  All of us experience God’s love and are part of God’s salvation story.     

The third important lesson that we can learn from Zechariah’s prophecy is that we can rely on the promises of God because God is steadfast and faithful.  Zechariah proclaims that Christ will bring both peace and salvation into the world and he is absolutely certain that God’s promises will be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. I am amazed by Zechariah’s confidence in the promises of God.  Zechariah had many reasons to doubt that peace and salvation were about to break into the world.  At this time the people of Israel were facing very tough circumstances.  Other than a few powerful rulers most people were peasants who lived very harsh lives which were full of struggle.  The people suffered the daily indignity of living under Roman military occupation.  It is astounding that Zechariah could be so confident when the Savior which he is proclaiming in this prophecy had not even been born yet.  How could Zechariah so joyously proclaim that the promises of God had been fulfilled?  Despite all of the tragedy and suffering that exists in the world we should be thankful that God made us to be people who are generally optimistic.  It seems to be a human instinct that we look ahead to the future and for many of us it is actually natural to envision the end of something even as we are just beginning our journey.  Students on the first day of class think ahead to their graduation.  Travelers on a trip visualize the scene at their expected destination.  The promise itself is never separated from visions of fulfillment.

Now the path through life is not always straight.  Many of us experience setbacks and disappointments.  Advent meets us right where we are at right now.  It is the season of already and not yet.  We are confident that the promises of God will be fulfilled but we also know that we have many issues to address including racial injustice, economic inequality, and the climate crisis.  We want everything to be perfect right now but our time is not necessarily God’s time.  It is easy to be discouraged but when we start to lose hope that things will be better, we draw strength from the fact that God’s promise of peace and salvation is a guarantee on which we can rely.  During the time of Apartheid in South Africa Archbishop Desmond Tutu was preaching in worship and the Apartheid government’s security police entered the cathedral in order to intimidate those gathered including the archbishop who had recently been released from jail.  During his sermon Archbishop Tutu addressed the police and said “you are powerful, but I serve a God who cannot be mocked.  So since you have already lost, I invite you today to come and join the winning side.”  Tutu’s incredible optimism in the face of oppression is proof that he has a deep faith in Christ and that he believes that the promises of God are always kept.  It did not happen that particular day but eventually the Apartheid regime collapsed.  Evil in the world often appears that it is entrenched and will last forever.  As Christians we live confidently in hope that things will get better and that good will overcome evil.  Especially during Advent, we prepare our hearts to receive Christ because we know that love, justice, and mercy are the way of God and that God keeps God’s promises.

Because God is faithful this hopeful prophecy of Zechariah rings true.  John did become the prophet of the Most High just as Zechariah proclaimed.  Despite all of the tumult and the turmoil that exists in the world whether it is a recession, war, natural disaster or pandemic we as Christians confidently rely on the promises of the God who lives among us and continues to bring new life and hope into the world.  Thanks be to God.

-         Vicar Kyle Anderson

Kairos – God’s Time

What time is it?

You could say: It’s the first Sunday  of Advent, the beginning of the church year so -  Happy New YEAR!  (Blow horn!)

But, most likely, you would simply look at your watch, your phone or a clock and tell me whatever time it said. This is Chronos time – the time we keep track of on our clocks, alarms and calendars.

They had no such calendars in Biblical times. And yet Jesus said, you know how to tell what time it is – when the fig tree starts to bud, it’s springtime. The same is true for us. All you have to do is look at the trees outside. We know that when the leaves begin to fall – it’s autumn and time for Thanksgiving weekend. And when the snow falls on empty branches… it’s time to think about Christmas.

But when Jesus says, “the time is near,” the “time” is neither Chronos time nor seasonal time. Both of these work in a linear fashion with one day following another; one season coming after the other in a completely orderly manner and with distinct lines between past, present and future.

Instead, Jesus is talking about Kairos time.

What time is it? It’s Kairos time. It’s God’s time. Kairos time weaves God’s salvation history – that is, the death and resurrection of Jesus– with the future promises of Jesus for you and for me – in order to reshape our present reality.  In other words, remembering our past as claimed by Christ in our baptism and knowing the future promises of Jesus for everlasting life shapes the way that we live our lives today.

What time is it? It’s God’s time – yesterday, today and tomorrow.

If you asked the first readers of Luke’s Gospel, “What time is it?” they may have pointed to the “signs” indicating that the end of the world was near. Afterall, they were struggling with an oppressive Roman government and the realization that the beautiful temple -that they all thought would last forever - had been reduced to rubble. People were shaken. There was much division, disease and natural disasters.

Fast forward to today. What does our world look like: Distress among nations. Yes. And not in just one place. Fear of natural disasters? Yes – just think of climate change and the resulting fires in the west, floods, and severe weather battering the land. The pandemic only adds to the stress -which causes more stress and results in injustice and hardship. People are shaken and divided.  And when people – any of us -  are afraid, weary, and uncertain of the future, we – as people – tend to act out of survival mode instead of reflecting on the common good. What time is it?

But when Jesus’ followers then and now wonder what time it is, Jesus tells them: when you see the challenges of the world around you, do not let your hearts be weighed down, do not succumb to the worries of this world, depression or any oself-medicated solution. Instead… look for Jesus.

Quoting the apocalyptic writing of the prophet Daniel, Jesus says, he, the Son of Man will be there. Since most of us – including myself-  are not as familiar with the prophet Daniel as his first listeners were, I want you to hear the context of what Jesus is quoting.

The prophet Daniel said, “

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”( Daniel 7:13-14)

This is not a vision of damnation or destruction. This is a vision of the coming of the Son of Man – and as Christians we understand that this means that Jesus is coming at the end of days. And that is a GOOD thing. This is a vision of hope, joy and peace - from the past prophets – that will be realized in the future.

This is why we begin Advent, the beginning of the church year, the beginning of our anticipation and waiting for Christmas, with a reading from the end of the Gospel of Luke. We begin by remembering that Christ has risen – and Christ will come again. Holding that past and future state together, we are able to live our present days in both anticipation of Jesus coming and in celebration of Jesus having already come.

What time is it? This is Kairos time – God’s time. 

So… how do we, as Christians, live into God’s Kairos time? How do we look for Jesus in the midst of the chaos around us?

First, we remember who we are. I’m delighted that today, on this first Sunday of Advent, we are baptizing Charlie. On this day, Charlie will be baptized into the body of Christ and made a child of God – forever. And on this day – we who are baptized – remember the promises that God has also made to us: You are a child of God, a brother or a sister in Christ.

We are also reminded that God wants to be in relationship with you – each one of you. And that is why God invites you and me to pray. The Psalms teach us that we can pray even when we are angry at God or frustrated, worried, anxious or afraid. Like the Psalmist, we can pray: “O Lord, hear my prayer, answer me…come and listen to me.” We have been given the assurance that God not only listens but loves us and cares for us.

These two things – remembering our past, who we are – and remembering our future – that God will never abandon us but will always be with us – are important to remember in our everyday life, but even more important when we face a crisis.

In my extended family, we are praying for two friends and a family member who are all suffering from the coronavirus – like so many other people. They are hospitalized and so we can’t visit them but, unfortunately, the prognosis is uncertain at best. In one instance, the doctor recommended that our prayers be not for healing. This was hard to hear.  This is our desire that they be healed! If the doctor is urging us to pray for something other than healing – then how do we pray?

As we thought and – yes prayed – about how we could best pray with and for these beloved people, we realized that we were in a different time. What time is it? This is Kairos time. This is God’s time.  

And so.. in God’s Kairos time we begin by remembering the past: They and we have been claimed by Christ as brothers and sisters. And then we remember the promise of the future: Christ will never leave us or forsake us. And this means that, no matter what happens, Jesus is with these beloved people and all of us yesterday, today and all of our tomorrows – forever. That’s Kairos time – God’s time. In God’s time we are able to move from the despair of the world to God’s everlasting promise of hope, love and peace. Thanks be to God who always makes time for us.  Amen.

Thanksgiving Eve!

Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday.  For me this day has involved eating lots of good food, spending some time with family members, and enjoying a time of leisure as I have often been off work or school for four or five straight days.  It is a time that for me has generally been free from stress and worry.  For many years I was pretty oblivious to how privileged that I am to enjoy a Thanksgiving holiday that is free from worry.  My wife was the first person who challenged my belief that Thanksgiving is an easy day and she caused me to be more aware of what other people are experiencing.  Thanksgiving is actually a very difficult day for many people.  Preparing the big meal can be quite stressful because it is a lot of work and requires a lot of planning.  Many people also feel anxiety over being around large groups of people and the very real possibility that you will be seated next to another guest or family member who is not your first choice for a conversation partner.  Of course, for some people a large Thanksgiving feast is not possible.  Many in our community are food insecure and are struggling just to put a simple meal on the table.  Others are alone and do not have friends and family with whom they can celebrate.  Others are working two or three jobs just to make ends meet and would love to have just one day off work much less a four-day holiday weekend.  I am ashamed to admit that I have often failed to see the worry and anxiety that many people experience during the Thanksgiving holiday.

The worries present in modern America are much different than those of first century Palestine.  The majority of the people in our society live at a level of affluence which would have been unimaginable to a first century Palestinian peasant.  However, many who live comfortable lives today still feel inadequate as we are constantly being bombarded with images and messages from advertisers, media, and sometimes even friends and family, that encourage us to consume and to accumulate more possessions.  These messages often make us feel unhappy with what we have and lead us to worry that we do not have enough which leads us to buy and consume even more.  We also know that despite our society’s affluence there are many who deal daily with the harsh consequences of economic failure and that a traumatic event such as a job loss or a large medical bill would be a financial catastrophe for almost all of us.  Poverty and homelessness are realities that impact many in our society.  We live in a world where our fears seem to be ever present at all economic levels so this encouragement from Jesus not to worry seems to be contrary to the reality of our modern life. 

Jesus also seems to be a bit disconnected from his first century audience as many of those hearing his message would have had real concerns over their material needs.  However, I argue that Jesus is very well aware of the hardships faced by his followers.  Earlier in this same teaching discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught the crowd to pray the petition “Give us this day our daily bread.”  Jesus knew that meeting physical needs is an important part of life.  The point that Jesus is making in today’s text is not that we ignore our material needs but that we avoid excessive worry over them.  Yes, our material needs must be met but this call to avoid excessive worry reflects the promise of God that we are all unique individuals created in God’s image.  Each and every one of our lives has meaning and purpose and we are not simply beings who are focused on simply satisfying our material needs.

As Christians we are called to live according to values that often contradict the values lifted up in our society.  As Jesus tells us in verse thirty-three, we are to strive first for the kingdom of God.  Striving for the kingdom of God means that Jesus expects his followers to put forth energy and effort into things that give meaning to life.  Life will continue to be difficult and at times it will be a struggle to make ends meet but as Christians we live in hope that our lives do have meaning and purpose.  If we are able to avoid being paralyzed by excessive fears and worries, we see that God provides abundantly for all of God’s creatures.  The God who sustains the lilies of the field and the birds of the air has also given us the opportunity to live beautiful and amazing lives and accompanies each of us on our journey through life.

On this Thanksgiving holiday whether your celebration resembles the famous Norman Rockwell painting Freedom from Want or whether you are eating a sandwich by yourself in front of the television I invite you to avoid excessive worry and to remember that you are created in the image of God, that your life has meaning and purpose, and that you are not alone because God is always with you.  Thanks be to God.

 - Vicar Kyle Anderson

Christ the King

Today is Christ the King Sunday. For this Festival Sunday, the Minneapolis Area Synod provided an online worship service with a sermon from Archbishop Musa Filibus from the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria. I encourage you to watch that service – it is available on our website. However, they did not provide a copy of the sermon but I watched it and wanted to reflect and share with you some of the wisdom that the Archbishop shared and also to put it in the context of our life and the challenge that our Bishop Ann Svennungsen has given to us. 

Archbishop Filibus began with the question that Pilate asks Jesus when Jesus told him that “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  Pilate asks: “What is truth?” 

 In Pilate’s day, they didn’t have Snopes.com or other fact checkers evaluating whether or not public figures were speaking the truth or how much truth was in their statements and how much of what they said was simply what they wanted to be true. So maybe Pilate asked the question sarcastically, based on his own experience in the political realm. Or, maybe he was a seeker. We don’t know. This is one of those times in which I wish we could hear the inflection in his voice. Instead… we can only judge Pilate’s words by his actions. 

As it has often been said, actions speak louder than words.  

Kings were pretty brutal in getting and holding power in those days. Herod had his own sons executed when they dared to try to usurp his power.  And listening to the news today, we can easily see that political leaders can still be tyrants too – and the result is refugees fleeing from terror at home and often finding nowhere to go.  

So, what does it mean to call Jesus a king? When we think of kings, we so often think of power and might. But Jesus makes clear that his kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world – in his day or ours.  By his actions, he shows that his kingdom is not one that revolves around power, might or violence.  Instead, when people were hungry, he fed them. When he met a woman by a well – he offered her living water. He wept with Mary and Martha when they were grieving the death of their brother and he healed the sick and cured those who were hurting.  

Jesus witnesses in his words and by his actions love, hospitality, and forgiveness for his enemies. Jesus, by his words and his actions, teaches us to love God and love the neighbor.  

As Filibus says, “In a world where there are so many voices beckoning, those who listen to the words of Jesus are radically transformed in the way that they treat their neighbors.” 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a great example of this. He urged Christians to put aside violence as a means to an end, saying, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” 

And this, Filibus says, is “the truth that Jesus call us to because it matters who we say that Jesus is and who he is in our lives.” 

This is why, when the Minneapolis Area Synod’s international partner, the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria asked for help raising the money to build a Lutheran University in Nigeria, Bishop Ann said, “Yes.” She saw the need – only 40% of the students who are eligible are able to attend a university. In part, this is because students are often given a university spot – not based on merit or ability. The Lutheran church in Nigeria already has a network of primary and secondary schools, but without a university in their region, their students are often passed over - even if they are well qualified.  

The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria has already obtained the land that is needed, they have raised the initial funds and have received the permit to begin from the government. However, the government insists that they have $500,000 in the bank before they can lay the first brick. The urgency of raising these funds now is that if and when the government changes – which happens often in Nigeria – the opportunity to build this school may vanish.   

This is not the only need that we, as Christians will encounter. There are many needs – both inside our church, our community and around the world.  What matters for us is how we show God’s love to our neighbor who is nearby, our neighbor across the street and our neighbor on the other side of the world.  When we not only see Christ in our neighbor – regardless of where they live or what they look like –  but also respond to our neighbor with words and actions of love and compassion, then we reflecting the love of God.   

We proclaim Christ as King – not as other kings – but the King of love, the King of compassion and the King of our lives. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Widow’s Mite

Contradictions can be both fascinating and frustrating.  In so many areas of our lives we live daily in a world of contradictions.  When it comes to dining there is the old standby “nobody goes to that restaurant.  It is too crowded.”  Or for that weekend at the lake when you tell your kids “Don’t go near the water until you learn how to swim.”  Or in human relationships is it true that “birds of a feather flock together” or is it true that “opposites attract?”  Trying to think through contradictions makes me just want to go on a working vacation.  I think that a quote attributed to Socrates sums it up best.  “I only know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.”

Contradictions can be very annoying but often when we spend time wrestling with them, they actually start to make sense.  In this gospel text Jesus uses a contradiction to invite us to consider deeply how we want to live our lives and how we can be good stewards of the abundant riches that God has provided to us.  Jesus begins by talking about the scribes.  Jesus paints a picture of the pretentious scribes complete with long robes and sitting in places of honor.  Jesus then goes on to complete the picture by mentioning that they devour widows’ houses the meaning of which is not entirely clear to me but could be interpreted to mean that they impoverish widows and rob them of their homes.  Of course, we know from the Old Testament that the oppression of economically vulnerable widows is heavily criticized by the prophets as being unjust.  Jesus makes the scribes seem even less sympathetic when he appears to insinuate that they try to hide their unjust actions by saying long prayers.  The scribes are guilty of injustice and the statement that they will receive the greater condemnation is a pretty clear declaration that the unjust scribes will be punished.

After the scribes are denounced then the story moves on to those who are giving to the temple treasury including this poor widow.  Things seem to be going quite well as the wealthy are putting in large sums.  Even the poor widow puts in two copper coins which gets the attention of Jesus who is quite impressed.  After seeing her contribution Jesus immediately points out to his disciples that the widow has given the most of all because she has made her contribution despite her poverty.  Viewed by itself the offering of the widow appears to be an action of faithful discipleship that we should simply imitate by giving away everything that we have.  However, the widow’s offering coming immediately after Jesus denounces the scribes highlights the contradiction that makes this text worthy of further consideration.  The widow is supporting the institution that has helped to perpetuate the crushing poverty that has impacted the widow and others like her.  Why would Jesus be supportive of the widow giving all of her limited financial resources to support the institution that he just criticized because it mistreated widows by devouring their houses?

My approach to analyzing this contradiction is to consider what is motivating the widow’s desire to so generously give what little she has to the temple treasury.  It is possible that the widow gave to the treasury out of a sense of obligation.  The idea of a tithe comes to mind here.  I do not think that this fully explains the widow’s gift.  In fact, I would challenge this assertion and argue that the widow actually has no obligation to give anything to the treasury.  I have had the misfortune of sitting through numerous income tax courses over the years.  Tax policy wonks of different political persuasions have many differing views related to tax theory and the structure of an income tax system.  The one thing that the tax policy nerds agree on is that there is a certain level at which the income tax should not apply.  The agreement that the poorest of the poor should be exempt from income tax is universal and the widow would fall into that category.  I am not an expert on the intricacies which would have applied to contributions to the treasury during the time of Second Temple Judaism but I am confident that the widow would not have been expected to contribute so I do not think that an obligation to give explains her contribution.

The widow also may have donated because she felt that her contribution would be able to alleviate the suffering present in her community.  I completely agree with the idea that our small contributions can add up to do great things but there are limits to what our individual donations are able to achieve.  When I coordinated a free breakfast intended to help low- income individuals in an economically depressed part of St. Louis I would pick up the food and supplies each month and the charge to the church credit card was about $250.  Me and a team of anywhere from four to eight people would feed a group of about 150.  It did make a huge difference to those individuals, but there are thousands of people living in poverty in each of our major metro areas.  I could empty out my savings accounts and feed a group of 150 people three meals a day for a month or so.  I might be able to get up to six months if I was able to cut costs by buying in bulk and if I cleaned out all of my retirement savings.  I would eventually run out of money and of course these people would still be food insecure and they would also still have to find a way to pay for healthcare, housing, and transportation expenses as well.  Therefore, I don’t think that the lesson here is to give away everything that one has in order to solve all of the social ills of the world.

Ultimately, I think that the widow gives to the treasury because it is a way for her to express her values and to show how the love of God has brought joy and meaning to her life.  I think that her giving is motivated along the lines of the Winston Churchill quote, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”  Through her offering the widow is empowered.  Her giving is a way for her to show that her life matters despite her low social standing as she uses her giving to demonstrate what is important to her.  She is taking a risk here as maybe these two coins will just further enrich the scribes but I think that in the widow’s mind, she feels that she is giving to a cause in which she believes.  The widow believes that contributing to the temple treasury is a risk worth taking because she has a strong faith and hope in the promises of God.  She believes in God’s justice and God’s love and she wants everyone else to also experience God’s justice and God’s love.  Even though the scribes may not always practice what they preach she ultimately believes that God’s justice and God’s love are part of the ministry being done in the Temple and in the community.  The widow is secure in the knowledge that she is a beloved child of God and she feels a desire to share Christ’s love and her treasure with others.  She has a close relationship with God and so now she is giving everything that she has to the treasury.  This giving is an expression of her priorities but even more importantly she uses this gift to demonstrate that the love of God is so deep within her heart and soul that she is willing to give her entire life to God.   

We now have our opportunity to be like the widow and give our entire lives to God as we use our giving as a way to express our faith and our belief in God’s love by supporting what is important to us.  Despite the pandemic there is vibrant ministry occurring here at Faith-Lilac Way.  We are gathering for worship in-person, in the parking lot, online, and through printed worship materials available online and sent out by mail.  We are learning as we have kids in Sunday School and adults who are participating in our hybrid educational offerings.  We are continuing to fellowship and support each other.  We are also still very engaged in our neighborhood.  We open our space for groups like the scouts and two different horticultural organizations.  We continue to participate in meaningful collaboration with the Wildfire churches as well as our siblings in Christ Greater St. John’s Baptist Church.  We work to alleviate poverty through our support of Every Meal and NEAR Food Shelf.  We support global mission as we raise funds for the proposed new Lutheran university in northeast Nigeria.  I am very proud to be serving a congregation that is engaged in these ministries.  What we are doing here is very meaningful and I know that you value it greatly.  The love of Christ is present in the ministry of this faith community.  As we make our stewardship commitments to support the mission and ministry of Faith-Lilac Way, I know that many of you have prayerfully considered your giving.  Today I ask you to be like the widow.  I am not asking you to give every last coin that you possess but I am asking you to examine your priorities and to give your time, talents, and treasures in a way that not only reflects what is important to your life but also invites others into the love of Christ.      

On first glance when I focused on the widow’s offering as a contribution of coins it appeared to me to be a puzzling contradiction.  However, when I think of the widow’s offering as a gift of her entire life it makes much more sense and inspires me to give my entire life to God as well. Thanks be to God.

All Saints Day

Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

I don’t know about you… but if I had a choice… I would just skip over that “weeping” part and focus on the “Joy comes in the morning.” After all, as I like to remember, every Sunday is a little Easter.

But… as Mary and Martha could tell you… weeping comes first.

Mary and Martha wept when their brother died. They prayed, they called on Jesus to come to heal Lazarus. But their prayers were not answered in the way that they wanted. When Jesus did come, it was too late. Lazarus had already died. Mary said to Jesus, “IF ONLY… you had come.”

I’ve prayed prayers like that – both prayers begging for healing for people I loved and prayers asking Jesus why he wasn’t doing what I asked. But, like Mary and Martha, my prayers aren’t always answered in the way that I want.  Maybe you too have prayed a prayer or two that Jesus hasn’t answered in the way that you want. If that’s the case, you probably know…. weeping may linger for the night.

There has been a lot of weeping in this past year around the world. 5 million people… 5 MILLION people have died because of the coronavirus…and we are not done.  There has been weeping for lives lost, hopes shattered, plans derailed.  Exhausted nurses and doctors and medical workers have quit - simply out of despair. Family members – cut off from their loved ones – have wept outside of hospital doors not even able to go inside and hug their loved one … one more time. Whether the tears have come from mourning one who died too soon or in compassion for a loved one who lingers in pain too long… weeping may linger for the night …and the night may be longer than one night.

Jesus wept too. Jesus wept at the hospital doors with the doctors, with the families, with those whose lives have been turned upside down. And Jesus wept with his friends Mary and Martha.

Our Gospel lesson only tells a part of the story. Earlier, when Jesus first returned, Martha saw him and, like Mary, she chided Jesus for not being there to heal Lazarus. Jesus didn’t argue. Instead, he said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” … And, when the crowd comes… Jesus shows her – and us – what that means…

Against the objections of Mary who was worried about the smell – and you can’t really blame her, right? It had been 4 days. Jesus asks the community that had gathered to take the stone away from the grave. Notice that he doesn’t call upon the holy angels to move the stone. Instead, Jesus asks the crowd – the community -- to lend a shoulder. And then just as a shepherd calls to a sheep, Jesus called to Lazarus, “Come out!” And Lazarus came out –  bound up in graveclothes. Again, Jesus addresses the community, “Unbind him, and let him go!”

Weeping may linger for the night… but joy comes in the morning.

Joy certainly came to Mary and Martha and of course, to Lazarus on that morning. But joy also came to the community. They were the ones who rolled back the stone; They were the ones who unbound Lazarus from the graveclothes. They were a part of the story of new life for Lazarus. But the story goes beyond this community.

The story of Lazarus also foreshadows Jesus’ own death and resurrection. There are important differences. While Lazarus was returned to life for a time, Jesus was resurrected to eternal life – and with his resurrection comes the promise of everlasting life for Mary and Martha and Lazarus and all the saints who have come after. As we read in Revelation, the vision of the end times, God will wipe away EVERY tear and give us new life. 

On this All Saints day, we remember those who have gone before us, those whom Jesus has called home. And sometimes, the memory is bittersweet – because we miss them. But the promise of eternal life with Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life, is the joy that comes in the morning, on the last day when the weeping is done and the tears are wiped away. On that day, all that is left is joy.  

This summer while hiking, I noticed an old tree in forest that had fallen down years ago. Along the trunk of the old tree, a sapling had sprouted. It’s roots were buried in the old tree’s trunk, receiving both nourishment and protection. I sometimes think of the faith of those who have gone before us as nourishing us and supporting us in our faith – like the tree supporting the young sapling. It was because of the witness of my grandmother reading me countless Bible stories, my grandfather serving as the gravedigger and the bell-ringer of his country church, the Sunday school teachers telling the story and making countless crafts and many more people in my life and in your life witnessing by their words and their deeds – this is how you and I have heard the story of Jesus. This is the joy that comes in the morning.

Because Jesus came – not only to give us hope for life after the grave but also on this side of the grave. Jesus brought Lazarus back to this life – and called on the community to remove the barriers, to take away the stone, to unbind the graveclothes so that Lazarus may live among them and share the story of Jesus.

We too have Lazarus moments in which we are called to share the story of Jesus. We too are called to remove barriers and unbind that which keeps people from hearing or seeing God’s good news.

The other day as I was walking along Minnehaha Creek, I saw an artist with his easel painting a beautiful bend in the creek. I stopped to look and was amazed at the way he captured the trees bent over the water and the leaves reflected in the river and added a bit of mystery, of wonder to the canvas.  I was so impressed that I started asking him questions. He seemed to enjoy explaining his craft and so I stayed and watched as he chatted with me, and added a little more dimension to the painting. As he was painting, he said, “I must be the luckiest man alive. I just recovered from three kinds of cancer. I didn’t even know I had one kind of cancer… my wife calls it a miracle.” I told him, I do too. I don’t think you have luck. I think you have been blessed. You have a gift from God to share.

Joy comes in the morning.  This man’s mission was to capture the beauty of the river to share with others in his painting. My mission, our mission, is to share Jesus who is life itself and is with us always, surrounding us and bringing us new life and joy. Weeping may linger for the night but JOY comes in the morning. Thanks be to God who makes it so. Amen.

WorkingPreacher.org Commentary on John 11:32-44 by Brian Peterson 2018, Jaime Clarke Soles 2012, Henry Langknect 2009

Sunday Sermon

Years ago, a partner at a big law firm was asked by an aspiring lawyer, “What is your secret? What is most important to you?” The lawyer replied, “Law, golf and my family… in that order.” It’s not surprising that he was divorced not long after.

If you were to ask that question on the internet you will get a lot of answers, “The 10 most important things” or “12 essential things in life” and so on. But Jesus makes it simple: Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself.

Most of you have heard Jesus’ two greatest commandments before -this is not new. We know the right answer – in our heads.  And yet, it is still a challenge to live into those commandments. How do you square your life and the everyday decisions you make with the commandment to love God and love your neighbor as yourself? – especially in the midst of a pandemic, natural disasters, and civil unrest?

This was the situation in Martin Luther’s day. The 1918 pandemic was in his community – and there was no vaccine or ventilator or what we would call real medicine. There was drought and famine and civil unrest. Germany was not a single country at the time but rather a group of little kingdoms with various princes vying for power. Meanwhile, the church was extracting huge sums of money from the poor to build cathedrals and to line the pockets of corrupt officials and priests. How was one to follow Jesus’ commands to love God and love the neighbor in such a time as that?

Luther turned to the Psalms. He was a professor as well as a pastor at that time and as he taught and preached, he discovered the power of the Psalms. He found such comfort and strength in Psalm 46 that he put the words to music. Luther writes:

          We sing this psalm to the praise of God, because He is with us and powerfully and miraculously preserves and defends His church and His word against all fanatical spirits, against the gates of hell,   against the implacable hatred of the devil, and against all the assaults of the world, the flesh, and sin.1

The words of Psalm 46 spoke deeply to Martin Luther and his community in his day and they can also speak to us in our pandemic times, in the midst of our unrest and our daily life challenges. This is the beauty of the Psalms… although written thousands of years ago, they are timeless prayers and songs of the human heart speaking openly and honestly to God and listening for God’s promise, presence and redeeming Word.

We have been challenged by our Faith Practices and Neighboring practices group to grow in our faith as a congregation and as individuals. And so, we are going to begin by exploring and praying the Psalms together as a congregation in worship. I also encourage you to try this for your daily devotions at home too.

However, I know reading the Psalms is different from reading other things. While many of you may know the 23rd Psalm, other Psalms are not as accessible. I’ll never forget the honesty of one woman who I visited when I was an intern. She told me, “Everyone tells me to read the Psalms but I can’t get anything out of them!”

Well… it turned out that she was reading a King James version of the Bible. Hebrew poetry can be difficult to understand anyway, and the King’s English wasn’t helping her either.

This experience taught me that it’s important to not just read the Psalms but to take a little  time to reflect on what these ancient words have to say to us.

In his teaching and writing2 Luther Seminary Professor Rolf Jacobson suggests that the best way to begin praying the Psalms is to first learn the different types of Psalms. He divides them into 5 categories: Psalms of praise, help or lament, forgiveness, thankfulness and trust. And then, he suggests we memorize ONE verse or phrase from each type.

Today’s Psalm, Psalm 46, is a Psalm of trust. So, I invite you to memorize just this line: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

That’s not so hard, right? My guess is that a lot of you already have already memorized that line or a variation of it because you know the hymn, “A Mighty fortress is our God.”

So you are already on your way. But let’s look a little more deeply at this Psalm. It begins with our memory verse which proclaims who God is: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. This metaphor, this image of God, is a reminder to us that God is bigger and stronger and more powerful than anything we can imagine.  This is not the only image of God in the Bible, but, especially when we are overwhelmed, it is helpful for us to be reminded that God is so much bigger than we are and that we can trust in God.

Further, look at the pronouns of this verse. Psalm 46 is a psalm for the whole community. “God is OUR refuge and strength.” God is not just my refuge but God is a refuge, a fortress for us all. We all have a place, a refuge, with God. And this is why the Psalmist can proclaim:

“Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. “

God’s got this. We do not need to fear. There is no power that is stronger than God.

The second stanza of this Psalm is one that I admit, I often have passed over. But this time, I noticed where the Psalmist says that God is – God is in the midst of the city. Our God is not a God who is far off. God is here, with us. It is God who provides life giving water to refresh and sustain us. And, even when nations are in an uproar, and human systems fail, and even when the ground beneath our feet seems unsure, God is with us and is our refuge.  

Finally, as we read in the last verse, God will bring peace to the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.  This day…is not yet. But this day will come.

In the meantime, God speaks directly to us in this Psalm: “Be still, and know that I am God!”

Sometimes I need to just sit with that verse for a little while. I know for a time I was addicted to listening to the news reports – anxiously hoping and praying for a release from this pandemic and making sure I was on top of the latest news. Don’t misunderstand me. It’s important to be informed so that we can make good decisions. But I also realized that I was overwhelmed by it. If that is sometimes your temptation too for this or anything else … I invite you to give your concerns to God and then sit with this word from God: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Like Martin Luther and so many of the Saints who have gone before us, we can turn to the Psalms and pray the Psalms to help us learn to trust in God who is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Thanks be to God. Amen.

1Martin Luther quoted by Dr. Mark Throntveit, WorkingPreacher.org October 25, 2015

2 Rolf A Jacobson and Karl N Jacobson Invitation to the Psalms, 2013 and podcast Praying the Psalms.

October 31, 2021    Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church        Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Have you ever tried to count the stars? Or wondered at the beauty of the sunset? Or breathed in deep after a fresh rain and looked up to see a rainbow? These are all God’s gifts.

But God doesn’t stop there. Have you ever held sleeping baby? Or skipped rocks with a friend, a child or a child at heart? Or listened to the stories of a grandparent or elder? Relationships are God’s gifts too.

Have you ever watched a musician playing; an artist drawing; or a chef cooking and seen the joy of creating something beautiful? Have you ever heard someone speaking passionately about volunteering at a soup kitchen or a food shelf? Or knit mittens to give away? Or shoveled their neighbor’s walk? All of these skills are gifts from God.  And the time that it takes to do these things? That’s a gift too.  Furthermore, as Paul writes, your gifts inspire others to also give thanks to God.

God is generous with God’s gifts. God wants us to be generous too. As Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.” It isn’t because God is lacking in anything – the whole world belongs to God after all – but God knows what happens to us when we give joyfully. We are filled with even more joy.

In our Gospel lesson we meet a young man who has it all. He’s rich. He’s faithful. He’s earnest.  Jesus looks at him and loves him and invites him to follow. And yet… that rich young man goes away from Jesus deeply saddened.

This is a hard story to understand because, as Greek scholar and pastor Karl Jacobson said, “It’s not translated very well.” When the rich man asks, Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" he is not asking about one deed or action but rather is saying “What good must I do” a general sense.” And in response, Jesus simply points him to God saying, “There is one good one.” In other words, look to God for the goodness. And then Jesus points the young man to the commandments. But the young man continues, asking simply, “Which? As in, which one have I failed to keep? How can I do it better?” 1

I once thought that this young man was just trying to justify himself. But, on this reading, I think this young man is earnest. He wants to do the right thing. He is seeking something, perhaps because he knows that he is missing something. His wealth and obedience are not bringing him joy. And so it is out of love that Jesus invites him to experience the joy of giving in a really extravagant way - sell it all and give it all away to the poor. And then come… and follow.

This story challenges what people in the disciple’s day – and I dare say ours –think about money and riches. The disciples are surprised and confused when Jesus says, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"

But Jesus is not saying that wealth is bad but rather that there is a limit to what money can do. As the song says, “Money can’t buy you love.” And Jesus tells us: money can’t buy you salvation either.

Jesus illustrates his point with a pretty vivid picture, saying, “it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven.”

It’s a funny image – a camel trying to get through a needle? But throughout the years… people haven’t been laughing. Instead, there have been lots of attempts to try to soften that statement of Jesus. At one time I heard a story of a gate in Jerusalem called “the eye of the needle” in which a camel had to get down on her knees and take everything off of her back in order to make it through the gate. It was a nice story. But.. it turns out that someone just made it up – just like people do today on social media. They wanted to find a loophole  – a really big needle. But… sorry…there is no gate in Jerusalem like this.

Instead… Jesus is using hyperbole making a point… it’s impossible for a camel to get through a needle. But…those of you who are rich – do not despair! Jesus also says that what’s impossible for people, including those who are rich, is not impossible for God. Money can’t buy you love and money can’t buy you eternal life because neither one is for sale. Love is a gift from God and so is eternal life.  

God is generous. And gives us so many gifts! So how do we respond? We can hoard the gifts that we have been given. But do you remember what happened when the Israelites hoarded the manna that God sent to feed them when they were traveling in the wilderness? It turned moldy – rotten – and they got sick when they ate it. In a similar way, I think the problem for the young man isn’t that he has wealth. The problem is that the wealth had him.

But that is not our only option.

I was at a conference a few years ago in which all of the participants were invited to bring a gift to give. This wasn’t for a silly gift giving game. Instead, this gift had to be something that we already owned and could not be worth – in monetary value – more than about $20. And it had to be something that we, ourselves loved. In other words – no cleaning out the cupboard and giving away what we were going to give to Good Will anyway. And… we had to be prepared to tell a story about the gift that we were giving.

The gifts were interesting. One woman was a talented musician and she brought a cd of her songs. Another person brought a signed copy of a book that they had loved. Still another brought a piece of jewelry, another brought a knife that they had carried with them for years. But it wasn’t the actual “stuff” that was given that touched my heart. It was the stories that were shared and the spirit of generosity that came from telling the story and giving away something that was important to you to someone else. The item was only a piece of the gift. The true gift was the relationship that grew as a result of sharing precious stories and giving a piece of yourself to someone else.

Jesus is generous – and gave himself to us.  It is this kind of generosity that Paul invites us into as well.

Paul invites the Corinthians to give gifts joyfully and out of a sense of gratitude to God – not only to support the mission of the church and the “bare needs of poor Christians” but also, so that we all join together in praise and thanksgiving to God for all of God’s gifts.

It is out of a spirit of gladness and generosity that Paul urges them and us to “show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone.” So that others can see the extravagance of God’s work in your lives and respond with thanksgiving to God in prayer. We are called into the community of Christ. Thanking God for this gift, his gift, we respond to the gifts of God with joy, generosity and thanksgiving. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”   Amen.

Faith -Lilac Way Lutheran Church    October 24, 2021                    Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane

1 Rev. Karl Jacobson, October 10, 2021  http://www.goodshepherdmpls.org/worship

Sunday Sermon

Today’s gospel lesson is not a shining moment for James and John.  After reading this story it is apparent that Will Rogers never met James and John.  If he had met them, it would have been hard for Rogers to say that he never met a man that he did not like.  James and John appear to have excessively high opinions of themselves.  They also show themselves to be quite selfish.  They also completely overestimate their ability to live in the way of Christ which is not a surprise as they reveal that they completely misunderstand the mission and ministry of Jesus.  James and John obviously have flaws which they reveal in this story, and now that they are established as the villains in this text, I could easily spend the next ten minutes tearing these two disciples to shreds but before I do that, I think that it is only fair that I start by pointing out what the sons of Zebedee get right.

I admire James and John for being willing to take some risk and to be bold in their request.  They come forward and ask Jesus “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  They are direct and forceful and they do not mince any words.  They are not afraid to directly approach Jesus and make their demand.  They know that if a request is not made then it cannot be granted.  In this case I surely would have preferred it if these two disciples had used their assertiveness to ask the Lord to heal the sick, to feed the hungry, or to lift up the oppressed rather than asking Jesus to grant them positions of power on his right and left.  However, in the act of making this bold request we see that an essential thing that James and John get right in this story is that they absolutely recognize the greatness of Jesus and express a desire to be close to him.  They understand that Jesus is the real deal.  They followed Jesus and journeyed with him because they were so enchanted with this charismatic itinerant teacher.  They had seen Jesus do many amazing things and they knew that Jesus was capable of doing even greater things.  This request to sit at the right and left of Jesus is definitely rash and self-centered but I think that it can be viewed as an affirmation of their initial commitment to leave their boats and nets behind in order to follow the Lord.  They still believe that Jesus has great power even if they misunderstand the way that Christ works in the world. 

In contrast to James and John many of us often fail to recognize the greatness of Jesus.  We have the testimony of the Bible, the witness of the saints, and a Savior who is always with us but we continually turn to other people, places, and things rather than approaching Jesus.  We recognize greatness in our athletes, entertainers, and authors and we rush out to support their endeavors by buying tickets, books, or whatever they happen to be hawking at that time.  We obsess over our favorite celebrities and the latest trends.  We want to emulate those whom we admire, and in the process, we tend to ignore the great and merciful Son of God.  We are quite comfortable relegating the greatness of Jesus to just one hour per week on a Sunday morning while we spend hours on trivial things.  We limit singing the praises of Jesus to our church building and our church community and we fail to proclaim to the world that it is Christ who has the power to transform our society and in fact is doing so before our very eyes.  We often fail to recognize that it is Jesus who has the power to heal this broken world where many are impacted by the consequences of climate change, where many have suffered loss because of COVID-19, and where many are food insecure.  Unlike many of us, these disciples fully acknowledged that Jesus is capable of things beyond our limited imaginations.

After hearing this request, Jesus eventually has to set them straight.  The reward for following Christ is nothing like the luxurious banquet that James and John have imagined.  Much like James and John we tend to seek power and use it to control others and to benefit ourselves.  In our society many of us hope to ingratiate ourselves with the rich and successful and then leverage our relationships with those in power to benefit from certain perks whether it be a lavish meal, or a trip, or a plum work assignment, or simply more money.  In my time working both in consulting and in the corporate world I experienced first-hand this trend of vying for the attention of those considered great in order to enrich oneself.  In fact, I am even guilty of it myself.  However, things are different with Jesus and the places on his right and left are already reserved.  Mark writes in chapter fifteen that Jesus was crucified with two bandits.  One was on Jesus’ left and the other was on his right.  Mark does not give us any further information about the bandits.  They may be petty criminals or possibly felons or maybe insurrectionists as evidenced by their being sentenced to crucifixion.  It is clear that these individuals who were crucified next to Jesus were people of low standing.  The fact that Jesus suffered along with them shows that his mission was to come into this world and to be in solidarity with the oppressed, the impoverished, and all those who our society deems to be outcasts.  The places at the right and left of Jesus are reserved for those who have been oppressed by our unjust social structures.  On the right and the left of Jesus are those who suffer from injustice, discrimination, and abuse.

The request of James and John is denied but that is not the end of this story.  As I discussed earlier despite their rather selfish and impetuous request it is apparent that these disciples are bold and they see that Jesus is extraordinary.  Jesus sees that they are misguided but he knows that they have great potential to serve God’s Kingdom so he extends a very special invitation to them.  Jesus personally invites James and John to participate in his death.  On the surface the meaning of cup and baptism may be ambiguous but when read in the context of Mark the meaning is clear.  Today’s reading from Mark comes immediately after Jesus has predicted his death and resurrection for the third time.  The cup that Jesus offers is the same cup which motivates his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.  By offering them this cup and this baptism Jesus is inviting James and John to die to their old ways and now live in the way of Christ by humbly serving others.

Baptism and the cup are not just for James and John.  Through the water of Baptism and the cup of Holy Communion Jesus also invites us to participate in his death.  As we read in verse forty-five Jesus came not to be served but to serve and to give his life for many.  The good news is that we are assured that “the many” includes all of us.  Jesus has given his life for us and this includes an invitation to share in his death.  Just like James and John we are also called to die to our old ways and to now live in the way of Christ.  Because Jesus loves all of us so much, we are invited to share in his death.     

Today’s gospel passage ends with Jesus explaining how his way is not conventional.  The way of Jesus is different than the way of the world.  It is not an exercise of control over others but it is a way of loving service for others.  With Jesus death is not permanent but it is essential to resurrection.  Through his death and resurrection Jesus redefines what it means to be first and to be great.  The giving away of oneself to others is following in the way of Jesus.  Those who walk in the way of Christ are those who are dedicated to serving all because to follow a servant Messiah is to act as a servant.  We all get caught up in seeking power, wealth, and glory but through his death Jesus frees us from our captivity and invites us into a new way of living.  Jesus liberates us not to become great as the world understands greatness, but to live as servants of Christ.  By offering us this cup to drink and inviting us into baptism Jesus gives us a remarkable gift which remakes our lives and reconstructs our society.  Therefore, by sharing in the death of Jesus we also share in his life affirming resurrection.

May we all be bold in our request to be close to Jesus.  May we recognize the greatness of Jesus which brings goodness and new life to the world.  May we accept the invitation of our Lord Jesus Christ to fully participate in both his death and his resurrection.  Thanks be to God.

 -         Vicar Kyle Anderson