Sermon 06.27.10
Fast Foods Versus Slow Fruits
In 1937, brothers Dick and Mac McDonald open a hamburger stand called the Airdrome in Monrovia, California. By using the Speedee Service System, an assembly line method for food preparation, the brothers could prepare a hamburger that in 1948, sold for 15 cents. By 1958 the number of hamburgers served reached the 100th million mark, and the rest is history after Ray Kroc acquired the business in 1961. By 1976, the chain of McDonalds recorded that it had sold 20 billion burgers. In 1997, the franchise offered refunds to anyone who was not served within 55 seconds. Right now, McDonalds sells 8500 hundred hamburgers per minutes. The rest of the story is the revolution of the fast food industry in America.
Hamburgers may be an American icon, but in 2001, in Italy, a Catholic priest in Tuscany is suggesting that the road to hell is paved with hamburger. Adding grease to the fire, he argues that hamburgers, French fries and Coke are "the fruit of a Protestant culture."
"Fast food reflects the individualistic relation between man and God introduced by Luther," the Rev. Massimo Salani said in a full-page interview published last fall in the Catholic daily newspaper Avvenire. In addition, he insisted that fast food lacks "the community aspect of sharing."
With Italians deeply divided over the arrival of McDonald's and other fast-food chains in a country that takes its three-hour lunches almost as seriously as soccer, other newspapers leapt on the story with obvious glee. "Theologian Excommunicates the Hamburger," proclaimed a headline in the Rome daily Il Messaggerro.
Perhaps the priest is right: We have a preference for bad food because, as we've so often observed, bad food seems to taste better than good food. Better to wolf down a super-sized quarter-pounder with fries and Coke and enjoy it, than pick at a tofu salad and hate it, we say. Of course, if you're a tofu lover, you've got the best of both worlds: good food, and good food you love.
The issue of fast food versus slow fruit is part of our human behavior and essence, which is divided into two parts: that of the flesh (sarx) and that of the Spirit (pneuma). Paul gives explicit instructions on what each realm is. Because Paul is wordy at times, with sentences that are a paragraph long, I wanted to read to you this text as translated by Eugene Peterson in the message.
READ FROM TRANSLATION
The apostle Paul couldn't have expressed the dilemma better. He warns us that certain behaviors may cause the flesh to feel good, but they're ultimately destructive. Paul's bad-food, fast-food menu includes fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness and carousing (5:19-21). And all of it comes with fries.
Paul offers an alternative lifestyle option: the fruit of the Spirit. Rather than a vice that one manufactures, the fruit of the Spirit are virtues that are generated from within. Spirit virtues can fill us, satisfy us and strengthen us - and best of all, no spiritual dietitian or gastronomic theologian will say that such fruit is bad for you. Paul insists that there "is no law against such things" (v. 23).
What Paul does declare is that “faith working through love” is what truly matters. It is the fruit of the Christian freedom that he speaks of in the passage.
The fruit of the Spirit is slow food, not fast food; good food, not bad food. It's never going to be a hamburger - if, by a hamburger, we mean an entree that is cooked, wrapped and rushed to a ravenous customer in a matter of minutes.
No, it's a lifestyle that takes time to cultivate and develop. We'll need to cultivate and nurture spiritual gifts such as generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These fruits won't sprout up quickly, and they won't be ripe and ready overnight. In fact, converting to a fruit-full lifestyle means that you've taken over what Carlo Petrini of the Slow Food Movement originating in Italy calls "the rhythms of your life."
Selecting the slow food, fruit option, allows us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to gain control over how fast we go - to set a pace that enables us to cultivate and nurture virtues such as generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We do not have to be victims of our schedules, no matter how harried and driven we feel. We are in control of deciding how fast we have to go. Remember what Paul said to the Galatians: "For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (v. 1).
The art of Christian living - choosing a "slow-faith" rather than a "fast-faith" approach to living - also requires community. Christianity is based on a shared Communion meal and life together in the body of Christ - not on fast-faith pit stops and individualistic approaches to the Christian life. It is within the community that Paul challenges us to become "slaves to one another" through love, resisting the temptation to use our Christian freedom "as an opportunity for self-indulgence" (v. 13).
It's like the Italian theologian said: Fast food lacks "the community aspect of sharing." Fast faith is as deficient as fast food - an approach to Christianity that is rushed and individualistic.
God is calling us to make a lifestyle change, eliminating one hamburger at a time or one vice at a time. But have as much fruit as you want. Amen.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
"Declare How Much God has Done for You
Sermon 06.20.10
“Declare How Much God Has Done for You”
Complaining about our lives is surely something of a national pastime because we spend, on the average, about 45 minutes each day in this activity. We are a nation of whiners, given to sulking and pouting whenever we do not receive what we want. We are people who like to moan about every little event and become irritable and crabby when something doesn’t occur to complete our happiness. We get bad tempered and difficult to deal with if life hand us lemons. Our teens tell us, Life sucks.
And yet the biblical direction from today’s passage has everything but that message. Jesus is dealing with a truly pathetic situation. There is a naked possessed man, who life was overrun by so many demons that he had to be shackled and bound in chains and kept under guard lest a demon mutiny take place. Even the man himself is so tormented from Jesus trying to exorcise the demons that he begs Jesus to be left along. Jesus, however, in his pity and compassion, compels the spirits into swine. They too are then possessed and rush into a lake and are drowned. The swineherders are upset and annoyed, and notify the officials. When they return to the scene of the crime, the crowd sees the demon-possessed man clothed and in his right mind, according to verse 35 of the passage. The townfolks are seized with great fear and send Jesus packing. His newly changed companion wants to travel with him. But Jesus says, “Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you.”
“Declare how much God has done for you.” It is unusual for Jesus to say this, for in many of the miracle stories he instructs the crowd or the person to not say anything. Here, he not only authorizes a testimony, but encourages it.
Testimonies used to be fairly common in church services, and are still very much part of the worship experiences in those churches of the African American heritage. Followers will stand up and take about the way Jesus is working in their lives, be it a healing of a sick grandchild, to the provision of getting enough money to pay for the rent, to the joy of a neice’s birthday.
How has God blessed your life today? It’s a question that I try to ask when we share our joys and concerns each week. In what way, I want to know, how have you seen and witnessed the goodness of the Lord within the past 7 days? Most of the time, there are few responses – a birthday, a graduation, perhaps a wedding anniversary. But evidently, God is only working on special occasions, or so it would seem that we think this way.
Testimony and proclamation are one of the best self- advertisements for our churches. When was the last time you told someone about what God had done for you? I think that we all believe it and yet when it comes to actually witnessing to others, let’s just say that we totally miss the mark.
Hear Jesus’s words again: Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you. So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a tad reluctant to ride through the streets of Baltimore city or county with a bullhorn mounted on my vehicle proclaiming how much Jesus has done for me. And I’m a pastor. Why are we so uncomfortable about declaring that we have received the grace of God so freely given through his gift to us in Christ Jesus?
Personal testimony, as in the case of the demon-possessed man, is a powerful force. No doubt his story made the rounds in several cities and perhaps others sought out Jesus for healing and wholeness in their lives. We may not achieve immediate results (translated into more people in the pews), but making a witness to God’s enduring mark on our lives is just what defines us as Christians. Otherwise, we might as well be members of the Rotary Club. And even they have publicity. In fact, as you enter many towns there are plaques attesting to the presence of the Rotary, the Lions club, and the Masons. But very little advertising is done in the way of churches. If you don’t believe me, try going to the neighborhood chamber of commerce. Chances are good that they will have information on senior centers, running clubs and folks who like to gather for pinochle nights. But there will be little, if any, flyers or brochures about where you can go to be with others who are passionate about the God that they serve. I confess that I do not know much about the Mormons or the 7th Day Adventists. But I can say that they put their mouth where their faith is. Everytime that I throw out a copy of the Watchtower, I feel a twinge of embarrassment because I wish my faith was that pronounced and important that I would want to spread it to others.
That is precisely why you and I have to speak up, to declare what God has done in our lives. We need to take the message to the streets that God is still speaking and we as a church are still listening. We need to declare that God is a force in our lives, a mighty power who prevails over our demons. We need to heed the words of the passage that was read today and spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But we are not ready to yet do this. First, we need to be comfortable with sharing with one another what God has done in our lives. Each week, try to think of something to share, and remember that God is working even though you may not be able to see it.
In the next few minutes, after the sermon, as we are singing “Spirit of the Living God”, try to recall an incident from this week that displayed God’s love and care to you. Try to find in your heart as way to recognize these moments and to share them with others in the church. If we can’t talk about God’s power, majesty and power in the church, there’s little hope for getting it past the back pew and out the front door.
As a way of testifying to God’s good and perfect plan for us, let me end by quoting one of the black preachers, who declares like the demon-free man in the gospel story:
Grace woke you up this morning, grace started you on your way, and grace enabled you to survive until this very moment. (Bishop Charles E. Bake, Sr. of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ)
This morning, in our prayer time, I invite you to not just share your concerns, but to declare how much the love of God has done for you. May it be so. Amen.
“Declare How Much God Has Done for You”
Complaining about our lives is surely something of a national pastime because we spend, on the average, about 45 minutes each day in this activity. We are a nation of whiners, given to sulking and pouting whenever we do not receive what we want. We are people who like to moan about every little event and become irritable and crabby when something doesn’t occur to complete our happiness. We get bad tempered and difficult to deal with if life hand us lemons. Our teens tell us, Life sucks.
And yet the biblical direction from today’s passage has everything but that message. Jesus is dealing with a truly pathetic situation. There is a naked possessed man, who life was overrun by so many demons that he had to be shackled and bound in chains and kept under guard lest a demon mutiny take place. Even the man himself is so tormented from Jesus trying to exorcise the demons that he begs Jesus to be left along. Jesus, however, in his pity and compassion, compels the spirits into swine. They too are then possessed and rush into a lake and are drowned. The swineherders are upset and annoyed, and notify the officials. When they return to the scene of the crime, the crowd sees the demon-possessed man clothed and in his right mind, according to verse 35 of the passage. The townfolks are seized with great fear and send Jesus packing. His newly changed companion wants to travel with him. But Jesus says, “Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you.”
“Declare how much God has done for you.” It is unusual for Jesus to say this, for in many of the miracle stories he instructs the crowd or the person to not say anything. Here, he not only authorizes a testimony, but encourages it.
Testimonies used to be fairly common in church services, and are still very much part of the worship experiences in those churches of the African American heritage. Followers will stand up and take about the way Jesus is working in their lives, be it a healing of a sick grandchild, to the provision of getting enough money to pay for the rent, to the joy of a neice’s birthday.
How has God blessed your life today? It’s a question that I try to ask when we share our joys and concerns each week. In what way, I want to know, how have you seen and witnessed the goodness of the Lord within the past 7 days? Most of the time, there are few responses – a birthday, a graduation, perhaps a wedding anniversary. But evidently, God is only working on special occasions, or so it would seem that we think this way.
Testimony and proclamation are one of the best self- advertisements for our churches. When was the last time you told someone about what God had done for you? I think that we all believe it and yet when it comes to actually witnessing to others, let’s just say that we totally miss the mark.
Hear Jesus’s words again: Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you. So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a tad reluctant to ride through the streets of Baltimore city or county with a bullhorn mounted on my vehicle proclaiming how much Jesus has done for me. And I’m a pastor. Why are we so uncomfortable about declaring that we have received the grace of God so freely given through his gift to us in Christ Jesus?
Personal testimony, as in the case of the demon-possessed man, is a powerful force. No doubt his story made the rounds in several cities and perhaps others sought out Jesus for healing and wholeness in their lives. We may not achieve immediate results (translated into more people in the pews), but making a witness to God’s enduring mark on our lives is just what defines us as Christians. Otherwise, we might as well be members of the Rotary Club. And even they have publicity. In fact, as you enter many towns there are plaques attesting to the presence of the Rotary, the Lions club, and the Masons. But very little advertising is done in the way of churches. If you don’t believe me, try going to the neighborhood chamber of commerce. Chances are good that they will have information on senior centers, running clubs and folks who like to gather for pinochle nights. But there will be little, if any, flyers or brochures about where you can go to be with others who are passionate about the God that they serve. I confess that I do not know much about the Mormons or the 7th Day Adventists. But I can say that they put their mouth where their faith is. Everytime that I throw out a copy of the Watchtower, I feel a twinge of embarrassment because I wish my faith was that pronounced and important that I would want to spread it to others.
That is precisely why you and I have to speak up, to declare what God has done in our lives. We need to take the message to the streets that God is still speaking and we as a church are still listening. We need to declare that God is a force in our lives, a mighty power who prevails over our demons. We need to heed the words of the passage that was read today and spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But we are not ready to yet do this. First, we need to be comfortable with sharing with one another what God has done in our lives. Each week, try to think of something to share, and remember that God is working even though you may not be able to see it.
In the next few minutes, after the sermon, as we are singing “Spirit of the Living God”, try to recall an incident from this week that displayed God’s love and care to you. Try to find in your heart as way to recognize these moments and to share them with others in the church. If we can’t talk about God’s power, majesty and power in the church, there’s little hope for getting it past the back pew and out the front door.
As a way of testifying to God’s good and perfect plan for us, let me end by quoting one of the black preachers, who declares like the demon-free man in the gospel story:
Grace woke you up this morning, grace started you on your way, and grace enabled you to survive until this very moment. (Bishop Charles E. Bake, Sr. of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ)
This morning, in our prayer time, I invite you to not just share your concerns, but to declare how much the love of God has done for you. May it be so. Amen.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
"A Tender Heart"
Sermon: “A Tender Heart” 06.06.10
A little girl was sent on an errand by her mother. She took much too long in coming back. Her mother, therefore, demanded an explanation when she finally did return. The little girl explained that on her way, she had met a little friend who was crying because she had broken her doll. “Oh”, said the Mother, “then you stopped to help her fix her doll?” “Oh no,” replied the little girl. “I stopped to help her cry.”
Tenderness and mercy are the themes of the readings from 1st Kings today and the gospel of Luke, The texts are very close in content: a widow, a son, a recovery and praise given to a great prophet.
Luke’s depiction of the miraculous resuscitation of the boy at Nain is very low-key. Jesus comes upon a funeral procession and his followers become intermingled with the mourners. There are no questions asked. We know nothing about the boys’ age or how he died, so we can assume that Jesus and the disciples overhear this information as the bier, or funeral pallet is passing through the crowd.
Notice that it is Christ who initiated the dialogue and the action. No one calls out to him from the other side of the road. The lame, the blind, and the possessed are not being dragged forward to reach him. There are no masses to feed after a long sermon.
And he is not asked by anyone to step into this situation by anyone there. The Bew Revised Standard version of the bible that we use herein church says that Jesus had compassion for the widow. I prefer the New International Version’s translation: He heart went out to her. His heart went out to her.
Based on this feeling of utter tenderness, Jesus acts in rapid succession. He approaches the bier, speaks words of kindness to the widow, commands the boy to rise, and returns him to his mother.
By the standards in the gospels, this is hardly a “Big” miracle; there are no loaves multiplied to feed the thousands, no swine flying over a cliff and into the sea, no high drama such as the paralytic man being brought through the roof of the house in Bethsaida to reach the pool of healing water. Jesus has made an unscheduled stop on his ministry tour to show simple care and concern. With only three years of ministry, he is keenly aware of time constraints. And yet, he shows up when hope is lost. All other agendas will have to wait.
In Luke’s gospel, the word compassion appears only 3 times. The Greek is very hard to say: splagknizomai. It is used when Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan when Jesus asks the crowd who they thought the good Samaritan was and they replied, “The one who showed compassion. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, it is used to describe the father’s state of mind when he sees his son coming down the road. The text tells us that he was filled with love and compassion.
Much of the imagery that we have for Jesus does not depict him wearing his heart on his sleeve. We see him as the risen victorious King of Kings, and the suffering Savior on the cross. We see him as a potent Lord calming the turbulent seas, and the one who has a gift for teaching in the synagogue. We see him as someone who is critical and angry with the scribes and Pharisees, and often impatient at his disciples” ignorance.
Jesus- the tender-hearted is barely on the radar. Even when he invited the little children onto his lap, the gospels say nothing about his tenderness. It is only here, in Luke’s passage, that we get a glimpse of true empathy for the widow’s plight. And we find a new quality in our Lord, who understands our pain and loss.
What a powerful example we have in today’s gospel. Jesus is willing to cry with us. He is willing to come to our aid, even when we don’t ask for it. He may not be able to fix your broken lives all the time, but there are perhaps some miracle each day that occur from his tenderness that we are not aware of.
Again, in the passage, there is no discussion of what the widow may have said to Jesus after he had brought her dear son back to life. I’m sure that “Thank you” was part of her response. The text tells us that those who were gathered around thought that he was a great prophet. But I also think that she was grateful that he had a tender-heart, and the willingness to do a good deed that could never be rewarded.
In our world, marked with cynicism and sarcasm and distrust, it would be refreshing to find more people to practice the random acts of kindness that the bumper sticks promote. Jesus was, and continues to be, a walking billboard for care and concern.
There is an old hymn that I would like to close with, by reciting the verses and I invite you to picture this kind of Jesus in your mind.
Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me. See at the portals Christ waiting and watching, waiting for you and for me. Come home, Come Home. All who are weary come home. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling O sinner come home.
The holy one of the most high stopped, looked and listened as the funeral procession went by. It tugged at the strings of his heart, and performed a kind deed for the widow and restored her son to life.
Jesus has compassion for us and calls us to life as well. Softly and tenderly he is calling, calling for you and for me.
A little girl was sent on an errand by her mother. She took much too long in coming back. Her mother, therefore, demanded an explanation when she finally did return. The little girl explained that on her way, she had met a little friend who was crying because she had broken her doll. “Oh”, said the Mother, “then you stopped to help her fix her doll?” “Oh no,” replied the little girl. “I stopped to help her cry.”
Tenderness and mercy are the themes of the readings from 1st Kings today and the gospel of Luke, The texts are very close in content: a widow, a son, a recovery and praise given to a great prophet.
Luke’s depiction of the miraculous resuscitation of the boy at Nain is very low-key. Jesus comes upon a funeral procession and his followers become intermingled with the mourners. There are no questions asked. We know nothing about the boys’ age or how he died, so we can assume that Jesus and the disciples overhear this information as the bier, or funeral pallet is passing through the crowd.
Notice that it is Christ who initiated the dialogue and the action. No one calls out to him from the other side of the road. The lame, the blind, and the possessed are not being dragged forward to reach him. There are no masses to feed after a long sermon.
And he is not asked by anyone to step into this situation by anyone there. The Bew Revised Standard version of the bible that we use herein church says that Jesus had compassion for the widow. I prefer the New International Version’s translation: He heart went out to her. His heart went out to her.
Based on this feeling of utter tenderness, Jesus acts in rapid succession. He approaches the bier, speaks words of kindness to the widow, commands the boy to rise, and returns him to his mother.
By the standards in the gospels, this is hardly a “Big” miracle; there are no loaves multiplied to feed the thousands, no swine flying over a cliff and into the sea, no high drama such as the paralytic man being brought through the roof of the house in Bethsaida to reach the pool of healing water. Jesus has made an unscheduled stop on his ministry tour to show simple care and concern. With only three years of ministry, he is keenly aware of time constraints. And yet, he shows up when hope is lost. All other agendas will have to wait.
In Luke’s gospel, the word compassion appears only 3 times. The Greek is very hard to say: splagknizomai. It is used when Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan when Jesus asks the crowd who they thought the good Samaritan was and they replied, “The one who showed compassion. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, it is used to describe the father’s state of mind when he sees his son coming down the road. The text tells us that he was filled with love and compassion.
Much of the imagery that we have for Jesus does not depict him wearing his heart on his sleeve. We see him as the risen victorious King of Kings, and the suffering Savior on the cross. We see him as a potent Lord calming the turbulent seas, and the one who has a gift for teaching in the synagogue. We see him as someone who is critical and angry with the scribes and Pharisees, and often impatient at his disciples” ignorance.
Jesus- the tender-hearted is barely on the radar. Even when he invited the little children onto his lap, the gospels say nothing about his tenderness. It is only here, in Luke’s passage, that we get a glimpse of true empathy for the widow’s plight. And we find a new quality in our Lord, who understands our pain and loss.
What a powerful example we have in today’s gospel. Jesus is willing to cry with us. He is willing to come to our aid, even when we don’t ask for it. He may not be able to fix your broken lives all the time, but there are perhaps some miracle each day that occur from his tenderness that we are not aware of.
Again, in the passage, there is no discussion of what the widow may have said to Jesus after he had brought her dear son back to life. I’m sure that “Thank you” was part of her response. The text tells us that those who were gathered around thought that he was a great prophet. But I also think that she was grateful that he had a tender-heart, and the willingness to do a good deed that could never be rewarded.
In our world, marked with cynicism and sarcasm and distrust, it would be refreshing to find more people to practice the random acts of kindness that the bumper sticks promote. Jesus was, and continues to be, a walking billboard for care and concern.
There is an old hymn that I would like to close with, by reciting the verses and I invite you to picture this kind of Jesus in your mind.
Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me. See at the portals Christ waiting and watching, waiting for you and for me. Come home, Come Home. All who are weary come home. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling O sinner come home.
The holy one of the most high stopped, looked and listened as the funeral procession went by. It tugged at the strings of his heart, and performed a kind deed for the widow and restored her son to life.
Jesus has compassion for us and calls us to life as well. Softly and tenderly he is calling, calling for you and for me.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
"Speaking in Other Languages"
Sermon 05.23.10
“Speaking in Other Languages”
In this world today, there are approximately 6,500 living languages being spoken. That’s a mind-boggling figure and surprisingly, English is not at the top of the list. I want to take a minute to give you the run-down of the top 10 language and the number of people who speak them:
1. Mandarin 885 million speakers
2. Spanish 332 million speakers
3. English 322 million speakers
4. Bengali 189 million speakers
5. Hindi 182 million speakers
6. Portuguese 170 million speakers
6. Russian 170 million speakers
8. Japanese 125 million speakers
9. German 98 million speakers
10. Wu 77 million speakers
Curiously, French did not make the cut, which is why I took French classes in school for 5 years.
Speaking is the primary vehicle for communication, and after hearing these statistics, it should come as no surprise that we so often do not understand one another. And in addition to the tremendous quantity of languages themselves, we also have a set of language that cannot be labeled, such as the language of love and the language of power, the language of babies, and the language of politics.
In today’s reading from Acts, the traditional text for Pentecost Sunday, we have the situation of speaking many languages. Hear again the words of the passage describing this phenomenon: NRS Acts 2:3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” The audience was incredibly diverse – Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappodocia Pontus and Asia, Phyrgia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene. And the reason that I was asked to read all of the lectionary this morning was a test on how well I could pronounce all these odd and unfamiliar names.
In my home church in Lancaster PA, as an enhanced portion of the worship service, the entire selection from Acts was read simultaneously at this point by 8 different members of the congregation, speaking 8 different languages. The result was sometimes overwhelming as words competed with each other, but it also provided a rich example of what occurred in the upper room when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.
But I would argue that only one language was actually being spoken, and it defies a name, because it is the language of the Holy Spirit, which surpasses and transcends geographical areas and nationalities. The language of the Holy Spirit is not a dialect that can be set out and parsed. Rather than an act of speaking, it is a different way of communicating. While the Holy Spirit momentarily gave the Apostles the gift of tongues, a more perfect gift would be embodied in the ways that the Apostles acted, for they were destined to speak through the fruits of the Spirit.
The New Living Translation of the Bible gives us these words from Paul’s letter to the Galations: NLT Galatians 5:22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The Holy Spirit does not fill us with a way to talk, but a way to act.
Most of us will not be speakers of many languages, and certainly not fluent in the ones that I mentioned earlier in my sermon. We can keep English as our first and only tongue, but adopt the language of the Spirit as our second. We must embody the traits, the gifts of our faith and then speak them to one another through these holy ways of conducting ourselves. The languages of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control are infinitely more important than being able to translate Sanskrit or print the Russian Cyrillic alphabet.
Let us as the body of Christ be filled with the Holy Spirit as the Apostles were on Pentecost. May we translate for others what we believe and how we behave. The good news is that we have an excellent dictionary at our fingertips through the Word of God. Speak loudly, speak clearly, and speak like tongues filled with holy flames. Amen.
“Speaking in Other Languages”
In this world today, there are approximately 6,500 living languages being spoken. That’s a mind-boggling figure and surprisingly, English is not at the top of the list. I want to take a minute to give you the run-down of the top 10 language and the number of people who speak them:
1. Mandarin 885 million speakers
2. Spanish 332 million speakers
3. English 322 million speakers
4. Bengali 189 million speakers
5. Hindi 182 million speakers
6. Portuguese 170 million speakers
6. Russian 170 million speakers
8. Japanese 125 million speakers
9. German 98 million speakers
10. Wu 77 million speakers
Curiously, French did not make the cut, which is why I took French classes in school for 5 years.
Speaking is the primary vehicle for communication, and after hearing these statistics, it should come as no surprise that we so often do not understand one another. And in addition to the tremendous quantity of languages themselves, we also have a set of language that cannot be labeled, such as the language of love and the language of power, the language of babies, and the language of politics.
In today’s reading from Acts, the traditional text for Pentecost Sunday, we have the situation of speaking many languages. Hear again the words of the passage describing this phenomenon: NRS Acts 2:3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” The audience was incredibly diverse – Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappodocia Pontus and Asia, Phyrgia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene. And the reason that I was asked to read all of the lectionary this morning was a test on how well I could pronounce all these odd and unfamiliar names.
In my home church in Lancaster PA, as an enhanced portion of the worship service, the entire selection from Acts was read simultaneously at this point by 8 different members of the congregation, speaking 8 different languages. The result was sometimes overwhelming as words competed with each other, but it also provided a rich example of what occurred in the upper room when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.
But I would argue that only one language was actually being spoken, and it defies a name, because it is the language of the Holy Spirit, which surpasses and transcends geographical areas and nationalities. The language of the Holy Spirit is not a dialect that can be set out and parsed. Rather than an act of speaking, it is a different way of communicating. While the Holy Spirit momentarily gave the Apostles the gift of tongues, a more perfect gift would be embodied in the ways that the Apostles acted, for they were destined to speak through the fruits of the Spirit.
The New Living Translation of the Bible gives us these words from Paul’s letter to the Galations: NLT Galatians 5:22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The Holy Spirit does not fill us with a way to talk, but a way to act.
Most of us will not be speakers of many languages, and certainly not fluent in the ones that I mentioned earlier in my sermon. We can keep English as our first and only tongue, but adopt the language of the Spirit as our second. We must embody the traits, the gifts of our faith and then speak them to one another through these holy ways of conducting ourselves. The languages of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control are infinitely more important than being able to translate Sanskrit or print the Russian Cyrillic alphabet.
Let us as the body of Christ be filled with the Holy Spirit as the Apostles were on Pentecost. May we translate for others what we believe and how we behave. The good news is that we have an excellent dictionary at our fingertips through the Word of God. Speak loudly, speak clearly, and speak like tongues filled with holy flames. Amen.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
"God is in the Chaos"
Sermon 05.16.10
“God is in the Chaos”
The entire passage from the Acts of the Apostles is filled with the plot of a mini-series: there are riots, a demon possessed woman, people being thrown into prison, an earthquake, some singing, a mass altar call, a suicide attempt and a happy ending for everyone involved. It’s a bedlam at some points, confusion at others, and a wild and wooly Paul adventure, with Christ in the midst of the chaos. About the only thing missing is a character with amnesia.
Act one begins with Paul and Silas heading to the synagogue to pray, but they have to pass through the marketplace. Bad move on their part. They meet a slave girl, who by the power of a demon, has been given the gift of fortune telling. Her masters make a tidy profit from her abilities. She has taken a liking to Paul and understands his role as ambassador for Jesus Christ and keeps shouting her mantra. For some unexplained reason, Paul becomes exasperated (according to the New Living Translation) with this nonsense and exorcises the demon from her. This credits a cash flow problem for the woman’s owners, since she can no longer tell the future, and they haul Paul and Silas into the center of the marketplace. They begin to blame them for teaching the crowds ideas that were contrary to Roman customs. A mob scene follows and the situation quickly deteriorates into chaos.
Paul and Silas are thrown into prison, where they immediately begin to praise God and sing hymns, with no rational concern for their predicament. The other folks in the prison comprise their audience. Suddenly, around midnight, there is pandemonium as an earthquake shakes the prison and all of the chains fall off the prisoners and locked doors are thrown open.
The jailor is so upset by what appears to be a grand escape that he is ready to kill himself, rather than face dishonor at the hands of the Roman guards. But in a surprise last-minute gesture, Paul and Silas assure him that all the prisoners are still around. The guard is saved, along with his entire household and all the prisoners. It’s a mass conversion following a long, difficult evening. From start to finish it’s a wild ride, mainly because everything with Paul is large screen Panavision, and the final ending is wonderful, because everyone believed in God. They were probably all holding hands and singing Kumbaya before it was all over.
Most of us do not have that much adventure in a lifetime, much less on a weekly drive to go to church. But we still find ourselves in morning messes, with afternoons of bedlam, and evenings that are filled with disarray. We experience all of the chaos that this encounter describes, but in modern day interpretations, and we need to remember that God is still there in the midst of our disorder.
God is the top priority in the story of Paul and Silas in prison. Rather than wallow in pity, they pray. Rather than bemoaning their circumstances, they sing hymns. Rather than condemning their jailor, they praise God. Because God is ultimately the one in control, the one who provides the earthquake, the one who brings about a change of heart for all of the prisoners and the jailer. Underneath and behind all of the chaos, God has been working through it. This same mentality is what we need to focus on when our lives become enmeshed in turmoil. If God brings you to it, God will see you through it.
It is easy to blame God when life hands you lemons, when there’s commotion in the workplace, when there’s the threat of anarchy in a family with teenagers. Seeing God’s hand at work is our hardest challenge when moving through difficult times. Paul and Silas trusted God, understood God’s presence in trouble and continued to have faith in the midst of the chaos.
Our lives are no different from Paul’s. We are still struggling to get to the church door each and every week. We have co-workers who badmouth us, family members who remind us over and over again about our mistakes. We live in prisons of our own making, thinking that everyone else has a better life. We find that there are little earthquakes from time to time, and sometimes one big crisis that flattens us in our walk towards holiness. And we still find ourselves being asked “How to be saved” by those around us.
Remember that there was great rejoicing at the end of Paul’s story. Remember that chaos reigned until the songs of the Lord were sung. Remember that there was madness until Paul said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus.” God can be counted on to arrive just when it appears that all hope is lost. But we need to speak out God’s name when we are in trouble.
I rarely end a sermon with a joke, but this seemed like a golden opportunity for me to emphasize that we must call out to the right God, to the one who can bring a surprise ending to the melodramas of our daily living.
It seems that after church one Sunday, a father noticed his five-year old son writing something on the Sunday School paper that he had brought home with him. “Dad”, the boy said. “How do you spell God?”
The father was very pleased that his son was still thinking about the lesson that he had received from his teacher. The father spelled out G_O_D, and the young boy wrote that on his paper. Then he looked up at his father and asked, “Then how do you spell Zilla?’
Remember to summon the right person. Call upon the God of power to be with you during the pandemonium, when you, like Paul, are struggling with situations beyond your control. Call upon the God of order, who separated the light from the dark, when it feels like you can’t tread water any longer. Call upon the God who calms the waves when you feel your boat beginning to capsize. Call upon the God of compassion and direction, who brings us through the darkness and gives us back the meaning in our lives. Call upon God, and remember that God will always call you back, with a voice that can be heard, even above the chaos . Call upon God. Amen.
“God is in the Chaos”
The entire passage from the Acts of the Apostles is filled with the plot of a mini-series: there are riots, a demon possessed woman, people being thrown into prison, an earthquake, some singing, a mass altar call, a suicide attempt and a happy ending for everyone involved. It’s a bedlam at some points, confusion at others, and a wild and wooly Paul adventure, with Christ in the midst of the chaos. About the only thing missing is a character with amnesia.
Act one begins with Paul and Silas heading to the synagogue to pray, but they have to pass through the marketplace. Bad move on their part. They meet a slave girl, who by the power of a demon, has been given the gift of fortune telling. Her masters make a tidy profit from her abilities. She has taken a liking to Paul and understands his role as ambassador for Jesus Christ and keeps shouting her mantra. For some unexplained reason, Paul becomes exasperated (according to the New Living Translation) with this nonsense and exorcises the demon from her. This credits a cash flow problem for the woman’s owners, since she can no longer tell the future, and they haul Paul and Silas into the center of the marketplace. They begin to blame them for teaching the crowds ideas that were contrary to Roman customs. A mob scene follows and the situation quickly deteriorates into chaos.
Paul and Silas are thrown into prison, where they immediately begin to praise God and sing hymns, with no rational concern for their predicament. The other folks in the prison comprise their audience. Suddenly, around midnight, there is pandemonium as an earthquake shakes the prison and all of the chains fall off the prisoners and locked doors are thrown open.
The jailor is so upset by what appears to be a grand escape that he is ready to kill himself, rather than face dishonor at the hands of the Roman guards. But in a surprise last-minute gesture, Paul and Silas assure him that all the prisoners are still around. The guard is saved, along with his entire household and all the prisoners. It’s a mass conversion following a long, difficult evening. From start to finish it’s a wild ride, mainly because everything with Paul is large screen Panavision, and the final ending is wonderful, because everyone believed in God. They were probably all holding hands and singing Kumbaya before it was all over.
Most of us do not have that much adventure in a lifetime, much less on a weekly drive to go to church. But we still find ourselves in morning messes, with afternoons of bedlam, and evenings that are filled with disarray. We experience all of the chaos that this encounter describes, but in modern day interpretations, and we need to remember that God is still there in the midst of our disorder.
God is the top priority in the story of Paul and Silas in prison. Rather than wallow in pity, they pray. Rather than bemoaning their circumstances, they sing hymns. Rather than condemning their jailor, they praise God. Because God is ultimately the one in control, the one who provides the earthquake, the one who brings about a change of heart for all of the prisoners and the jailer. Underneath and behind all of the chaos, God has been working through it. This same mentality is what we need to focus on when our lives become enmeshed in turmoil. If God brings you to it, God will see you through it.
It is easy to blame God when life hands you lemons, when there’s commotion in the workplace, when there’s the threat of anarchy in a family with teenagers. Seeing God’s hand at work is our hardest challenge when moving through difficult times. Paul and Silas trusted God, understood God’s presence in trouble and continued to have faith in the midst of the chaos.
Our lives are no different from Paul’s. We are still struggling to get to the church door each and every week. We have co-workers who badmouth us, family members who remind us over and over again about our mistakes. We live in prisons of our own making, thinking that everyone else has a better life. We find that there are little earthquakes from time to time, and sometimes one big crisis that flattens us in our walk towards holiness. And we still find ourselves being asked “How to be saved” by those around us.
Remember that there was great rejoicing at the end of Paul’s story. Remember that chaos reigned until the songs of the Lord were sung. Remember that there was madness until Paul said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus.” God can be counted on to arrive just when it appears that all hope is lost. But we need to speak out God’s name when we are in trouble.
I rarely end a sermon with a joke, but this seemed like a golden opportunity for me to emphasize that we must call out to the right God, to the one who can bring a surprise ending to the melodramas of our daily living.
It seems that after church one Sunday, a father noticed his five-year old son writing something on the Sunday School paper that he had brought home with him. “Dad”, the boy said. “How do you spell God?”
The father was very pleased that his son was still thinking about the lesson that he had received from his teacher. The father spelled out G_O_D, and the young boy wrote that on his paper. Then he looked up at his father and asked, “Then how do you spell Zilla?’
Remember to summon the right person. Call upon the God of power to be with you during the pandemonium, when you, like Paul, are struggling with situations beyond your control. Call upon the God of order, who separated the light from the dark, when it feels like you can’t tread water any longer. Call upon the God who calms the waves when you feel your boat beginning to capsize. Call upon the God of compassion and direction, who brings us through the darkness and gives us back the meaning in our lives. Call upon God, and remember that God will always call you back, with a voice that can be heard, even above the chaos . Call upon God. Amen.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
"The Best is Yet to Come"
Sermon 05.02.10
“The Best is Yet to Come”
A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and asked him to come to her house to discuss some of her final wishes.
She told him which hymns she wanted sung at her funeral, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. She also asked that her favorite bible be placed in the casket.
As the pastor prepared to leave, the woman suddenly remembered something else. “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.
“What’s that?” asked the pastor.
“This is important,” the woman said. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”
The pastor stood looking at the woman, not quite knowing what to say.
The woman explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck suppers, when the dished of the main course were being cleared away, someone would inevitably lean over and say, “Keep your fork.” “It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew that something even better was coming – a velvety rich chocolate cake or a deep-dish peach pie.”
“So when people see me in the casket with a fork in my hand, and they ask, ‘What’s with the fork?’, I want you to tell them: Keep the fork – the best is yet to come.”
Having recently conducted two memorial services in which this passage from Revelation was read, I decided to preach on it this morning, rather than the gospel passage, because I feel that it offers more than just comfort to the bereaved. Indeed, it is a glorious story of life, and how the Creator of life itself is now present, and coming to earth to be with mortals.
For most of the folks that are familiar with this passage, it has come to them as a vision of what heaven must be like; after death our souls ascending to a perfect place where there is no sadness, no unhappiness, streets that are paved with gold and angels standing around like a spiritual welcoming committee.
But this really isn’t what the passage says. It tells us that the new Jerusalem, the holy city of God will come down, like a bride adorned for her husband. The city is coming down – we’re not moving up. Verse 3 reassures us that we don’t need to go anywhere, but to stay put. The author John records it in this way. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.”
God is not some ephemeral figure hanging around in the clouds, but comes into our midst, creating newness, and giving to the thirsty the water of life. This affirmation of the Almighty coming to us, his peoples, is a significant part of the good news of the text. And the words that we are given are trustworthy and true – we have God’s promise on that.
We all have our own imagination about what heaven will be like. God assures us in this passage that mourning and crying and pain will be no more. Some of us picture heaven as a great garden of Paradise before the fall, while still others imagine pearly gates and the faces of loved ones. Life will be complete and fulfilling and joyful, with harp strumming cherubs. I myself think that when I get to heaven, I’ll be perfectly transformed into a size 8, and pepperoni pizzas will have zero calories.
Another important point of the passage is that God identifies as the Alpha and Omega – the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, the beginning and the end. But God isn’t just there at the beginning and the end of our lives; God is there for all of the in-betweens that we have. God is A through Z, not A and Z.
God is there when we are overwhelmed by the demands of working and raising a family; God is there when we celebrate milestone birthdays and anniversaries; God is there when our children disappoint us, and when our parents can no longer care for themselves. God is in the midst of all of our beginnings and endings. God is not sitting in heaven and watching a play, but moving around with us through all of life’s inner workings. Even though we realize that we do not truly have heaven here on earth, it’s comforting to know that when it is time for all of the old world order to cease, God will come down to mortals and live among them.
And, indeed, there is no city or town anywhere in the world called Heaven. I think that humankind is rather bright in this respect of not even attempting to duplicate what is only too wonderful to dream about or doubt about. How could you put a name on something that is the best thing to come?
John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, offers his view of heaven: “When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there: The first wonder will be to see many there that I did not expect to see; the second wonder will be to miss the many people whom I did expect to see; the third and greatest of all will be to find myself there.”
John’s passage in Revelation is not about death, but about abundant life that is promised to us. Our God has seen fit to dwell among us, mere humans that we are. Our God has seen fit to make all things new. And our God has assured us that the first things have passed away. How wonderful to be told that we will no longer be deceitful, self-centered, unethical spoiled brats, but will dwell be able to be with God in glory. We just need to have our forks ready for dessert.
Let us remember that God is coming to us, and this promise is trustworthy and true. Let us praise God for the gift of eternity. Let us honor God whose home is among us. And let all God’s people say: The best is yet to come. Amen.
“The Best is Yet to Come”
A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and asked him to come to her house to discuss some of her final wishes.
She told him which hymns she wanted sung at her funeral, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. She also asked that her favorite bible be placed in the casket.
As the pastor prepared to leave, the woman suddenly remembered something else. “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.
“What’s that?” asked the pastor.
“This is important,” the woman said. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”
The pastor stood looking at the woman, not quite knowing what to say.
The woman explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck suppers, when the dished of the main course were being cleared away, someone would inevitably lean over and say, “Keep your fork.” “It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew that something even better was coming – a velvety rich chocolate cake or a deep-dish peach pie.”
“So when people see me in the casket with a fork in my hand, and they ask, ‘What’s with the fork?’, I want you to tell them: Keep the fork – the best is yet to come.”
Having recently conducted two memorial services in which this passage from Revelation was read, I decided to preach on it this morning, rather than the gospel passage, because I feel that it offers more than just comfort to the bereaved. Indeed, it is a glorious story of life, and how the Creator of life itself is now present, and coming to earth to be with mortals.
For most of the folks that are familiar with this passage, it has come to them as a vision of what heaven must be like; after death our souls ascending to a perfect place where there is no sadness, no unhappiness, streets that are paved with gold and angels standing around like a spiritual welcoming committee.
But this really isn’t what the passage says. It tells us that the new Jerusalem, the holy city of God will come down, like a bride adorned for her husband. The city is coming down – we’re not moving up. Verse 3 reassures us that we don’t need to go anywhere, but to stay put. The author John records it in this way. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.”
God is not some ephemeral figure hanging around in the clouds, but comes into our midst, creating newness, and giving to the thirsty the water of life. This affirmation of the Almighty coming to us, his peoples, is a significant part of the good news of the text. And the words that we are given are trustworthy and true – we have God’s promise on that.
We all have our own imagination about what heaven will be like. God assures us in this passage that mourning and crying and pain will be no more. Some of us picture heaven as a great garden of Paradise before the fall, while still others imagine pearly gates and the faces of loved ones. Life will be complete and fulfilling and joyful, with harp strumming cherubs. I myself think that when I get to heaven, I’ll be perfectly transformed into a size 8, and pepperoni pizzas will have zero calories.
Another important point of the passage is that God identifies as the Alpha and Omega – the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, the beginning and the end. But God isn’t just there at the beginning and the end of our lives; God is there for all of the in-betweens that we have. God is A through Z, not A and Z.
God is there when we are overwhelmed by the demands of working and raising a family; God is there when we celebrate milestone birthdays and anniversaries; God is there when our children disappoint us, and when our parents can no longer care for themselves. God is in the midst of all of our beginnings and endings. God is not sitting in heaven and watching a play, but moving around with us through all of life’s inner workings. Even though we realize that we do not truly have heaven here on earth, it’s comforting to know that when it is time for all of the old world order to cease, God will come down to mortals and live among them.
And, indeed, there is no city or town anywhere in the world called Heaven. I think that humankind is rather bright in this respect of not even attempting to duplicate what is only too wonderful to dream about or doubt about. How could you put a name on something that is the best thing to come?
John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, offers his view of heaven: “When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there: The first wonder will be to see many there that I did not expect to see; the second wonder will be to miss the many people whom I did expect to see; the third and greatest of all will be to find myself there.”
John’s passage in Revelation is not about death, but about abundant life that is promised to us. Our God has seen fit to dwell among us, mere humans that we are. Our God has seen fit to make all things new. And our God has assured us that the first things have passed away. How wonderful to be told that we will no longer be deceitful, self-centered, unethical spoiled brats, but will dwell be able to be with God in glory. We just need to have our forks ready for dessert.
Let us remember that God is coming to us, and this promise is trustworthy and true. Let us praise God for the gift of eternity. Let us honor God whose home is among us. And let all God’s people say: The best is yet to come. Amen.
"The Conjunction of Life"
Sermon 04.04.10
“The Conjunction of Life”
Preachers will step into pulpits on Easter Sunday in churches all around the world and try to say a new word about the ever ancient, sacred experience of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. They will talk about God's "yes" to Jesus and God's "no" to the powers that killed Jesus but failed in the end. It is clear that we can put very few spins on the story that is the foundation of our faith, but we can still find an element of surprise in the constant and consistent retelling of the single incident on which our entire hopes are pinned. And so we begin.
The account that we read from John is the passage that features Mary Magdalene. In the early morning hours she reaches the tomb and finds that the stone has been rolled away. She returns to where the disciples have been hiding in the upper room to relay the news. Peter, John and Mary make their way back down to the burial place, whereupon they enter the tomb and discover the empty linen clothes. The passage tells us that the men believed, and they return home. We do not know what they believed, to be honest, since the text indicates in verse 9 that they did not understand the scripture saying that Jesus must rise for the dead. They could have reported that the tomb was empty, that the burial wrappings were lying there, and that Jesus was nowhere to be found.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. “BUT” - this small word, this grammatical conjunction, is the key to life itself. The word but means “except for the fact”, and “not withstanding” and it is often used to express a contract between two actions. This is the essence of what John wants the reader to understand in his gospel story. Peter and the beloved disciple returned home, but Mary stayed. The contrast is between action and waiting.
Mary’s hesitation may strike us as non-productive, less proactive, and possibly timid as she stands crying beside the empty tomb. The other apostles have bustled away, leaving her behind. Her immediate response should have been to follow them, but she stayed. She experienced the emotions of the moment. She lingered with her sorrow. The others fled, but she remained.
Her reward was a vision of the risen Savior. Even though she initially perceived him as the gardener. Once again, the gospel author uses the word “but” to indicate a decision. After speaking to the angels and asking them where the body has been taken, the text tells us that “she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Another, but, another moment of hesitation, another moment of indecision. There is a time of wavering, a pause for the reality to sink in, an instant of faltering before comprehension of a miracle.
At the sound of her spoken name, Mary recognizes Jesus and becomes the first witness to the resurrected Savior. Because she stopped and stayed, even when her best instincts told her that it was useless to remain at an empty tomb. She could have chosen to return with Peter and Paul, she could have left to find the rest of Jesus’ female followers. But she remained.
In our lives, we encounter the word but in multiple situations. Many of them are negative: But if only we have arrived at the hospital on time. But when you get your act together, you are welcome to come back home. But now you are a nothing because no one loved you. These are the conjunctions of uncertainty, of fear, of failure, of dreams deferred or changed. These are the conjunctions of regret, of hopelessness and disappointment. These are the conjunctions of bitterness, envy and emotional pain. We convince ourselves over and over again that our lives would be different, but they are not because of a lack of resouces, an overwhelming sense of despair and a void that the material things of this world cannot fill. But if we had such and such, we tell one another, our lives would be complete and happy and carefree.
Mary’s story is different. But she stayed, and found what her soul was longing for. But she stayed and beheld the King of Kings. But she stayed and discovered the truth of Jesus’ promise that he would arise from the dead. The conjunction of life permeates her part of the gospel story. The doubt of the empty tomb loses its meaning as Jesus is manifested in glory. Because she but stayed.
This Easter season, let us embrace the conjunctions that define us as people of God, redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ. But for the grace of God, go you and I. We have been given a Savior who loved us enough to die for us, but while we were yet sinners. But, God so loved the world that he sent his only Begotten Son that we would have hope. But, Jesus says, I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly. But I shall raise up this temple on the third day. But today you shall be with me in paradise.
Let us reaffirm that this small word has the ability to transform and empower, to change and reorder, to free us from our fears and anxieties about what is to come. Our Savior has not died, but has overcome the grave; not perished on a cross, but rose in glorious splendor; not gone from our midst, but present here in our lives this day.
May this conjunction remind you that there is always an alternative, always the prospect of a different ending, always another way to transcend the harsh realities of those things which hold us back. Jesus has come to us in the highest form as the conjunction of life and we celebrate this gift of the resurrection and give thanks for his promise of eternal possibilities for us, his children, on this Easter morn. Amen.
“The Conjunction of Life”
Preachers will step into pulpits on Easter Sunday in churches all around the world and try to say a new word about the ever ancient, sacred experience of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. They will talk about God's "yes" to Jesus and God's "no" to the powers that killed Jesus but failed in the end. It is clear that we can put very few spins on the story that is the foundation of our faith, but we can still find an element of surprise in the constant and consistent retelling of the single incident on which our entire hopes are pinned. And so we begin.
The account that we read from John is the passage that features Mary Magdalene. In the early morning hours she reaches the tomb and finds that the stone has been rolled away. She returns to where the disciples have been hiding in the upper room to relay the news. Peter, John and Mary make their way back down to the burial place, whereupon they enter the tomb and discover the empty linen clothes. The passage tells us that the men believed, and they return home. We do not know what they believed, to be honest, since the text indicates in verse 9 that they did not understand the scripture saying that Jesus must rise for the dead. They could have reported that the tomb was empty, that the burial wrappings were lying there, and that Jesus was nowhere to be found.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. “BUT” - this small word, this grammatical conjunction, is the key to life itself. The word but means “except for the fact”, and “not withstanding” and it is often used to express a contract between two actions. This is the essence of what John wants the reader to understand in his gospel story. Peter and the beloved disciple returned home, but Mary stayed. The contrast is between action and waiting.
Mary’s hesitation may strike us as non-productive, less proactive, and possibly timid as she stands crying beside the empty tomb. The other apostles have bustled away, leaving her behind. Her immediate response should have been to follow them, but she stayed. She experienced the emotions of the moment. She lingered with her sorrow. The others fled, but she remained.
Her reward was a vision of the risen Savior. Even though she initially perceived him as the gardener. Once again, the gospel author uses the word “but” to indicate a decision. After speaking to the angels and asking them where the body has been taken, the text tells us that “she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Another, but, another moment of hesitation, another moment of indecision. There is a time of wavering, a pause for the reality to sink in, an instant of faltering before comprehension of a miracle.
At the sound of her spoken name, Mary recognizes Jesus and becomes the first witness to the resurrected Savior. Because she stopped and stayed, even when her best instincts told her that it was useless to remain at an empty tomb. She could have chosen to return with Peter and Paul, she could have left to find the rest of Jesus’ female followers. But she remained.
In our lives, we encounter the word but in multiple situations. Many of them are negative: But if only we have arrived at the hospital on time. But when you get your act together, you are welcome to come back home. But now you are a nothing because no one loved you. These are the conjunctions of uncertainty, of fear, of failure, of dreams deferred or changed. These are the conjunctions of regret, of hopelessness and disappointment. These are the conjunctions of bitterness, envy and emotional pain. We convince ourselves over and over again that our lives would be different, but they are not because of a lack of resouces, an overwhelming sense of despair and a void that the material things of this world cannot fill. But if we had such and such, we tell one another, our lives would be complete and happy and carefree.
Mary’s story is different. But she stayed, and found what her soul was longing for. But she stayed and beheld the King of Kings. But she stayed and discovered the truth of Jesus’ promise that he would arise from the dead. The conjunction of life permeates her part of the gospel story. The doubt of the empty tomb loses its meaning as Jesus is manifested in glory. Because she but stayed.
This Easter season, let us embrace the conjunctions that define us as people of God, redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ. But for the grace of God, go you and I. We have been given a Savior who loved us enough to die for us, but while we were yet sinners. But, God so loved the world that he sent his only Begotten Son that we would have hope. But, Jesus says, I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly. But I shall raise up this temple on the third day. But today you shall be with me in paradise.
Let us reaffirm that this small word has the ability to transform and empower, to change and reorder, to free us from our fears and anxieties about what is to come. Our Savior has not died, but has overcome the grave; not perished on a cross, but rose in glorious splendor; not gone from our midst, but present here in our lives this day.
May this conjunction remind you that there is always an alternative, always the prospect of a different ending, always another way to transcend the harsh realities of those things which hold us back. Jesus has come to us in the highest form as the conjunction of life and we celebrate this gift of the resurrection and give thanks for his promise of eternal possibilities for us, his children, on this Easter morn. Amen.
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