Sunday, January 29, 2012
Message preached by Esther Baerends
Mark1:21-28
Deuternomony18:15-20
A poetic telling of Mark 1:21-28:
What is this?
A new teaching, they cried.
Who is this man,
who commands such respect?
What were their clues,
how did they know
to trust the words he spoke?
Was it the way he walked?
Or the look in his eye?
Could it have been his clothes, or friends,
or the way he talked?
A new teaching! They cried,
and with such authority,
unlike the scribes we know so well.
What as their manner, I ask myself,
what made them so different to Jesus?
Did they squabble and quibble over points of law?
Did they talk a talk that looked nothing like the walk they walked?
Who is the man, they asked each other- could he be- could this be him?
The man to follow, after so much time, the one who fulfills those prophecies.
God told Moses there would be another, another just like him.
Could this, at last, be him?
When I first saw the topic for today’s service, “With Authority”, it made me step back a little, debating whether I should pick a different topic. At first it seemed so serious and kind of daunting. It made me think, how could I, a youth of 21 who is planning, but has not yet had any theological background, talk to a congregation about authority? What kind of authority do I have to do this? Why would anyone listen to me? This is not just a question that I ask myself but that many of you have probably asked yourselves at one point or another as well. It is a question that applies to many situations be it ministry, business, school, or even just socially. We constantly question if what we say has any merit; will someone believe us, will they understand us? Can they trust what we say?
In today’s society there are many different ways of looking at authority. So what does it really mean to us? How do we choose which authority to follow?
In the passage from Mark we hear about Jesus coming to the synagogue to preach. He comes to Capernaum as a visitor, an outsider of sorts, yet when they go into the synagogue, Jesus starts to preach. Now I can only imagine that the scribes were not too happy. In walks a stranger, and though the details of whether he asked to speak or not are lacking, Jesus somehow takes over and starts teaching in a completely new way. And for them, probably the most frustrating part of all is that people are actually listening to him! They like this new teaching! So we wonder, what is it about Jesus that gives him such authority? Is it only the words he speaks? Or is it perhaps his manner of speaking?
These questions bring us to the second passage from Deuteronomy where Moses relays the message from God about a coming prophet. That he will raise one up from among them and put His words into the prophets’ mouth who will speak them. This passage, though fairly straightforward brings us to another question though, is it purely God’s words, spoken through Jesus that gives him authority? Does all the authority come from God or does Jesus possess some himself as well?
Mark’s passage becomes more interesting. Not only does Jesus command authority by his teachings, but he goes on to perform a miracle as well. A man, possessed by an unclean spirit, confronts Jesus. The dialogue in Mark between the unclean spirit and Jesus paints a strong picture. What stands out is the fact that the unclean spirit recognizes Jesus and kind of goads him on, immediately asking if Jesus has come to destroy them. Talk about coming straight to the point. What amazes the people further is that in one short command, the unclean spirit is sent out of the man’s body. Now of course there is some debate as to how accurate that account really is, what was the unclean spirit exactly and whether it took a short time or long time to rid the man of his demons, but the point is that Jesus had now also shown his authority through actions and not just words. The people were left in awe of Jesus, the scribes were most likely not. To them Jesus did not seem like a true teacher, for instance breaking the rule that the Sabbath is a day of rest because Jesus performed a miracle.
Nico Ter Linden, a Dutch minister and theologian writes about exactly this; what set Jesus apart from the scribes that day. Whereas the scribes taught the Torah, the law, that which was written, Jesus taught from the heart. He did not preach words that were already written but words that came from the heart, but not only did he talk but he also embodied faith through his actions. Jesus gave life to the written word and this resonated with people. Ter Linden goes on to say that text can be dangerous. If that is all we focus on then it becomes dry, lifeless, something only of the mind and no longer of the heart. Faith needs to be alive, to be lived and Jesus showed that to the people that Sabbath day in the synagogue. It is no longer just about words but also about actions.
This discovery, for us, is not something new. We make decisions about authoritative figures based on their words and actions in our world today as well. For example at election time; we listen to the speeches of the candidates, get a feel for their charismatic characteristics but also we look at their actions during the campaign. How do they talk to others? How do they deal with issues? And a lot of the time that says a whole lot more than the words they address us with, which may even have been written by third party speech writers.
Even in our own lives, though there are varying degrees, we show our authority by words and actions. Living our lives in certain ways, trying to show those around us who we really are. In that way, Jesus truly was an example that we should follow; in words and in deeds.
Amen.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
THE ANSWER MATTERS
January 22, 2012
Epiphany 3
Jonah 3:1-5,10
Mark 1:14-20
(prayer)
Many people, even those with little experience with the Bible, have heard of the prophet Jonah. At the very least, many people know that it has something to do with him being swallowed by a whale. Although, if we are honest, we might have to admit that we could be getting Jonah and Disney’s Pinocchio mixed up.
//
The book of Jonah is unique among the prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). Rather than being a collection of the prophet’s messages and speeches, it is a narrative story about the prophet.
The reading for today comes from Jonah chapter three: near the end of the story. I want to lay the groundwork for what we heard a few minutes ago, by summarizing the first part of the book of Jonah.
//
Jonah lived in the early eighth century before Jesus: during the time of the Assyrian Empire which grew out of the region centred in the upstream areas of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The main central city of the empire was Nineveh: on the Tigris River, about 1000km upstream from the Persian Gulf. The ruins-mound of ancient Nineveh is located near the modern city of Mosul in northern Iraq.
The story of Jonah starts with Yahweh (i.e God: translated as “the LORD” in most English versions of the Bible) telling Jonah that Nineveh’s wickedness has become too much for God and God wants to confront the Assyrians: Jonah is to be God’s messenger.
Without explanation, the story tells us that Jonah went the exact opposite way to what God had said. Jonah was in Joppa which is in western Israel on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The path to Nineveh was over land to the northeast. Jonah bought a ticket on a boat going to Tarshish - to Spain.
I would interpret that to be Jonah saying a big fat ‘NO’ to God’s request.
//
Once on its way laterally across the Mediterranean Sea, the ship barring Jonah ran into some very rough weather. It was so bad that the captain knew that his sailing skills alone would not save them. He asked all of the crew and passengers to pray for the safety of the ship. There were people from many places aboard and the captain told them each to pray to their own gods – covering all of the bases – maybe one of the deities would spare them.
Among the people on the ship there was a sense that someone’s god was the cause of their calamity. They questioned each other: ‘What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’
Jonah was honest about the fact that he was fleeing from his god. That was enough for everyone else: Jonah was the cause of their troubles. Before they forced the issue, Jonah offered to leave the ship. And he was prepared to go before they arrived at the next port. They didn’t want to kill Jonah – they tried to row and sail toward shore, but the winds made that impossible. Jonah begged them to throw him into the sea.
They did ... and the storm quickly abated.
I imagine the other sailors waving thankfully and sadly to a bobbing Jonah as they sailed away, knowing that he was sacrificing himself for them.
The truth is that Jonah’s motivation was not martyrdom. Jonah clearly knew that God was prepared to kill him, if he didn’t go to Nineveh, so Jonah decided to do it himself, he would willingly drown in the middle of the sea rather than go to Nineveh.
//
[ Why was Jonah so set against going to Niveveh? Well we don’t learn that until the end of the story, but I’ll spoil the ending for you. Jonah absolutely hated the Assyrians; he did not want them to even be given the opportunity to repent of their wicked ways. Jonah believed strongly enough in God’s mercy that he knew that if the Assyrians repented God would forgive them and they would live. That’s the last thing Jonah wanted. Jonah couldn’t take that chance – he wanted God to remain angry at the Assyrians and take out a strict vengeance on them. Jonah wanted no part in any possibility of forgiveness. ]
So, Jonah allows the Sea to take him rather than answer God’s call.
//
{now, we come to the familiar part of the story}
//
Instead of quietly leaving this life as he slipped under the water, Jonah was jolted and sloshed around. When he got his bearings, he realized that he was inside of a massive fish. The bible never actually says that it is a whale that swallowed Jonah, but a “large fish”. Don’t get lost in the details of stories like this – the wider message is always far more important than the way the story is told!
Three days, Jonah was in the fish. During that time, Jonah prayed a prayer of overwhelming gratitude for God’s salvation. He re-professed his faithfulness to God. After three days, the fish reached the eastern shore of the Sea and Jonah was released on to the dry land (‘spewed out’ is the way the NRSV describes it).
//
As we read this morning, God (again) called on Jonah to go preach to the Ninevites. This time, he went.
Jonah called on the Assyrians to turn away from their wicked ways.
As Jonah feared, the people of the great city acted on his words and worshipped Jonah’s God. They even followed the Hebrew rites of repentance – tearing their clothing, wearing sackcloth. Even worse, as Jonah feared, God forgave. Nineveh was saved.
The story ends with Jonah climbing up a hill to sulk under the shade of a ‘caster bean tree’. In the end, Jonah maintains a strong faith in God (he knew all along that God was ‘gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, ready to [forgive] – Jonah 4:2), but Jonah can’t reconcile his hard-earned distain for the Assyrians with God’s natural compassion.
Jonah knew that God was great, but still didn’t like how God expressed that greatness.
It’s a strange story.
God forgives Jonah’s running away; God forgives the people of Nineveh; but Jonah cannot forgive God for these acts of divine mercy.
It is a reminder that, once hate and anger grip deep within a person, it can be hard to let go of their impact.
Jonah’s is a story, not so much about being called by God, but about the impact of answering that call.
//
//
As we return to the book of Mark today (most of our gospel readings between now and the end of November will come from Mark), we also heard about people being called.
A couple of weeks ago (if you were in church) you might recall that we read the story about Jesus being baptized by John-the-Baptist. Mark (like Matthew and Luke) follows up the baptism of Jesus by telling us that Jesus went into the wilderness for a forty day fast. During that fasting time, Jesus wrestled with tempting possibilities of how to live out his ministry.
Our reading today is the very next part of the narrative. Jesus began to preach: “The kingdom of God has come near.” Mark says that Jesus began doing this right after John-the-Baptist was arrested.
//
It is interesting to note that all three of the first gospels say that John preached a message of repentance. Matthew’s gospel puts a bit more clarity on John’s reasoning. Chapter three of Matthew’s gospel begins: In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ That’s the same message that Mark says Jesus preached – “the Kingdom of God has come near”.
It’s not too much of a stretch to put the pieces together and conclude that when Jesus ended his wilderness fast and heard that John had been arrested, that Jesus decided to carry on the work that John had begun.
Modern theologian, John Dominic Crossan, has noted that Jesus did learn a significant lesson from John’s experience. John was what we might call ‘a settled preacher’ – he stayed in the Jordan River valley and people came to him. When the authorities grew suspicious of his activities, John must have been easy to find and arrest.
Jesus seems to have decided not to repeat that final experience, so he proclaimed the same message about the nearness of the kingdom of God, but he did it as ‘a travelling preacher’. He would take that Near-Kingdom-Message out to the people.
John’s style was to welcome in;
Jesus’ style was to reach out.
//
So, Jesus did not stay in Nazareth (where he spent most of his first thirty years), instead he moved over to the Sea of Galilee, to the fishing villages near Capernaum.
No doubt, people of the region heard his message while he preached there: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
How long Jesus had been in the area before he offered Simon, Andrew, James and John (a different John from ‘The Baptist’) the opportunity to join him is not clear. But the impact of Jesus’ presence had to have become deep enough within each of these fishermen that when Jesus called, they responded right away. Mark gives us the impression that there was no need for these four people to think about the offer. “Immediately” they left their nets and followed. John and James were in the middle of mending nets with their father, they ‘immediately’ left the family business and went with Jesus. Andrew and Simon’s response was even more dramatic. They were out on the water in the midst of fishing. When Jesus called, they ‘immediately’ left their nets. I like to imagine them just dropping their nets and running straight out of the water and following Jesus, still soaking wet. [We can only hope that there were others with them, so that all their wares didn’t drift just away.]
Like Jonah, with the fishermen in Galilee, it is not so much about being called, but about the impact of answering that call.
//
//
I really don’t know too many people who have a ton of extra time on their hands. I think it is a fair assumption to say that many of us have FULL lives – and there are, no doubt, those among us who are ‘beyond busy’ with all of the responsibilities and desires of this life.
When we feel called to be part of something important, we have to consider the complex impact of this call. When life is full, you can’t just keep adding things to the pile. Didn’t someone once talk about a camel’s back and straw?
Answering a call almost always involves giving up something else in that pile that is our life.
Sometimes it could be something very tangible and immediately life-affecting like it was for Simon, John, Andrew and James – they made the choice to change vocations.
Jonah’s experience was different – he was being asked to change his attitude – his way of thinking about what was important to him.
It’s interesting (the contrast between these two stories): for the fishermen, the decision to change jobs seems to have come fairly easily, whereas Jonah’s decision to make an internal change was vehemently resisted ... until it was obvious that resistance was futile. And in the end Jonah had not yet fully embraced the change.
//
Ironically, for those of us in the modern world, the decision to be a follower of Jesus tends to be more like Jonah’s than Simon’s.
Most of us are in the midst of sorting out a call to internal adjustments. I believe that this kind of calling is brought in to more focus now in 2012 that it was for people who felt the call to be part of the Jesus Movement 50 or 60 years ago.
The rise of the secular society has taught us that ‘living without a religious allegiance’ is not frowned up on. How one expresses their faith and spirituality is no longer assumed or presumed. Our human advances in communication and travel have widened our eyes to the diversity of the world. This knowledge gives us a better sense of how and where we might fit in to the bigger picture of things. Although this may have made each of us feel a bit smaller or isolated in our lifestyle and faith – knowing the reality of our existence has to be a good thing.
So, in this day and age, making any effort to explore one’s spiritual side is going against the grain and must be honoured as incredibly important and valuable.
So, thank ‘you’ for seeking value in this time together today.
Somehow in a world that lauds the majesty of the reaches of human experience and knowledge, you still find yourself asking “is there more?”
//
If you look at our church’s website or our ad in the local paper, you will find the call to ‘boost your spirit’.
That phrase is intentionally multi-faceted.
I am hoping people hear that as:
1) an invitation to feel better about this time in their life; and
2) to explore their spirituality.
These two meanings are not necessarily unrelated. I believe that there can be a real connection between an openness to spirit and a sense of contentment with life.
As we delve into what it might mean (for each of us) to be invited to ‘boost our spirits’, we will naturally engage ourselves into a conversations about the priorities and directions of our lives. We will examine what is truly important to us.
//
As far as this spiritual exploration relates to Jesus and his mission and message, we can find ourselves challenged to follow in the way of Jesus. Jesus wanted people to turn their lives toward God – to honour a faith in the belief that ‘we are not alone, that we live in God’s world’. The way that Jesus lived out this belief was to draw people together in an open atmosphere of love and mercy – compassion and forgiveness. To Jesus, there is room for all in the shelter of God’s wings.
Contrary to the actions and statements of some people calling themselves Christian, to be a follower of Jesus is to see that this near-kingdom experience must be one of inclusion of the stranger, even the enemy.
A week or so ago, I posted (on the church’s facebook page) a video clip from comedian (and proud atheist) Bill Maher where he mocks people who call themselves “Christian” and yet seem to exude an attitude quite different than the way Jesus focused his message. I’m not going to play the clip for you as part of this spoken sermon as it does have a swear or two in it and I don't want some people to be offended because of the language and miss the point of what is being said, but I will summarize things by saying that how we live out our faith is more important than the labels we put on it. Maher aptly points out that “if you ignore every single thing that Jesus commanded you to do ... you’re not Christ’s followers, you’re just fans.” Here's a link for the web sermon.
//
The story of one’s spiritual journey is not limited to our sense of feeling called. It is really about the impact of how we choose to re-orient our lives in the wake of our answer to that call.
In rare cases, people can make a remarkably quick adjustment, echoing the immediacy of the fishermen: feelin born again in an instant. But there is good news in what Jonah believed. God is deeply patient. God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, ready to welcome over and over again.
All the best to each of us on where this journey is taking us.
Thanks be to God. Let us pray:
Holy Mystery,
We are grateful for your divine patience. Support us as we explore the depth of our spirits. Be with us all the way, God. Amen.
#563VU “Jesus, you have come to the lakeshore”
Epiphany 3
Jonah 3:1-5,10
Mark 1:14-20
(prayer)
Many people, even those with little experience with the Bible, have heard of the prophet Jonah. At the very least, many people know that it has something to do with him being swallowed by a whale. Although, if we are honest, we might have to admit that we could be getting Jonah and Disney’s Pinocchio mixed up.
//
The book of Jonah is unique among the prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). Rather than being a collection of the prophet’s messages and speeches, it is a narrative story about the prophet.
The reading for today comes from Jonah chapter three: near the end of the story. I want to lay the groundwork for what we heard a few minutes ago, by summarizing the first part of the book of Jonah.
//
Jonah lived in the early eighth century before Jesus: during the time of the Assyrian Empire which grew out of the region centred in the upstream areas of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The main central city of the empire was Nineveh: on the Tigris River, about 1000km upstream from the Persian Gulf. The ruins-mound of ancient Nineveh is located near the modern city of Mosul in northern Iraq.
The story of Jonah starts with Yahweh (i.e God: translated as “the LORD” in most English versions of the Bible) telling Jonah that Nineveh’s wickedness has become too much for God and God wants to confront the Assyrians: Jonah is to be God’s messenger.
Without explanation, the story tells us that Jonah went the exact opposite way to what God had said. Jonah was in Joppa which is in western Israel on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The path to Nineveh was over land to the northeast. Jonah bought a ticket on a boat going to Tarshish - to Spain.
I would interpret that to be Jonah saying a big fat ‘NO’ to God’s request.
//
Once on its way laterally across the Mediterranean Sea, the ship barring Jonah ran into some very rough weather. It was so bad that the captain knew that his sailing skills alone would not save them. He asked all of the crew and passengers to pray for the safety of the ship. There were people from many places aboard and the captain told them each to pray to their own gods – covering all of the bases – maybe one of the deities would spare them.
Among the people on the ship there was a sense that someone’s god was the cause of their calamity. They questioned each other: ‘What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’
Jonah was honest about the fact that he was fleeing from his god. That was enough for everyone else: Jonah was the cause of their troubles. Before they forced the issue, Jonah offered to leave the ship. And he was prepared to go before they arrived at the next port. They didn’t want to kill Jonah – they tried to row and sail toward shore, but the winds made that impossible. Jonah begged them to throw him into the sea.
They did ... and the storm quickly abated.
I imagine the other sailors waving thankfully and sadly to a bobbing Jonah as they sailed away, knowing that he was sacrificing himself for them.
The truth is that Jonah’s motivation was not martyrdom. Jonah clearly knew that God was prepared to kill him, if he didn’t go to Nineveh, so Jonah decided to do it himself, he would willingly drown in the middle of the sea rather than go to Nineveh.
//
[ Why was Jonah so set against going to Niveveh? Well we don’t learn that until the end of the story, but I’ll spoil the ending for you. Jonah absolutely hated the Assyrians; he did not want them to even be given the opportunity to repent of their wicked ways. Jonah believed strongly enough in God’s mercy that he knew that if the Assyrians repented God would forgive them and they would live. That’s the last thing Jonah wanted. Jonah couldn’t take that chance – he wanted God to remain angry at the Assyrians and take out a strict vengeance on them. Jonah wanted no part in any possibility of forgiveness. ]
So, Jonah allows the Sea to take him rather than answer God’s call.
//
{now, we come to the familiar part of the story}
//
Instead of quietly leaving this life as he slipped under the water, Jonah was jolted and sloshed around. When he got his bearings, he realized that he was inside of a massive fish. The bible never actually says that it is a whale that swallowed Jonah, but a “large fish”. Don’t get lost in the details of stories like this – the wider message is always far more important than the way the story is told!
Three days, Jonah was in the fish. During that time, Jonah prayed a prayer of overwhelming gratitude for God’s salvation. He re-professed his faithfulness to God. After three days, the fish reached the eastern shore of the Sea and Jonah was released on to the dry land (‘spewed out’ is the way the NRSV describes it).
//
As we read this morning, God (again) called on Jonah to go preach to the Ninevites. This time, he went.
Jonah called on the Assyrians to turn away from their wicked ways.
As Jonah feared, the people of the great city acted on his words and worshipped Jonah’s God. They even followed the Hebrew rites of repentance – tearing their clothing, wearing sackcloth. Even worse, as Jonah feared, God forgave. Nineveh was saved.
The story ends with Jonah climbing up a hill to sulk under the shade of a ‘caster bean tree’. In the end, Jonah maintains a strong faith in God (he knew all along that God was ‘gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, ready to [forgive] – Jonah 4:2), but Jonah can’t reconcile his hard-earned distain for the Assyrians with God’s natural compassion.
Jonah knew that God was great, but still didn’t like how God expressed that greatness.
It’s a strange story.
God forgives Jonah’s running away; God forgives the people of Nineveh; but Jonah cannot forgive God for these acts of divine mercy.
It is a reminder that, once hate and anger grip deep within a person, it can be hard to let go of their impact.
Jonah’s is a story, not so much about being called by God, but about the impact of answering that call.
//
//
As we return to the book of Mark today (most of our gospel readings between now and the end of November will come from Mark), we also heard about people being called.
A couple of weeks ago (if you were in church) you might recall that we read the story about Jesus being baptized by John-the-Baptist. Mark (like Matthew and Luke) follows up the baptism of Jesus by telling us that Jesus went into the wilderness for a forty day fast. During that fasting time, Jesus wrestled with tempting possibilities of how to live out his ministry.
Our reading today is the very next part of the narrative. Jesus began to preach: “The kingdom of God has come near.” Mark says that Jesus began doing this right after John-the-Baptist was arrested.
//
It is interesting to note that all three of the first gospels say that John preached a message of repentance. Matthew’s gospel puts a bit more clarity on John’s reasoning. Chapter three of Matthew’s gospel begins: In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ That’s the same message that Mark says Jesus preached – “the Kingdom of God has come near”.
It’s not too much of a stretch to put the pieces together and conclude that when Jesus ended his wilderness fast and heard that John had been arrested, that Jesus decided to carry on the work that John had begun.
Modern theologian, John Dominic Crossan, has noted that Jesus did learn a significant lesson from John’s experience. John was what we might call ‘a settled preacher’ – he stayed in the Jordan River valley and people came to him. When the authorities grew suspicious of his activities, John must have been easy to find and arrest.
Jesus seems to have decided not to repeat that final experience, so he proclaimed the same message about the nearness of the kingdom of God, but he did it as ‘a travelling preacher’. He would take that Near-Kingdom-Message out to the people.
John’s style was to welcome in;
Jesus’ style was to reach out.
//
So, Jesus did not stay in Nazareth (where he spent most of his first thirty years), instead he moved over to the Sea of Galilee, to the fishing villages near Capernaum.
No doubt, people of the region heard his message while he preached there: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
How long Jesus had been in the area before he offered Simon, Andrew, James and John (a different John from ‘The Baptist’) the opportunity to join him is not clear. But the impact of Jesus’ presence had to have become deep enough within each of these fishermen that when Jesus called, they responded right away. Mark gives us the impression that there was no need for these four people to think about the offer. “Immediately” they left their nets and followed. John and James were in the middle of mending nets with their father, they ‘immediately’ left the family business and went with Jesus. Andrew and Simon’s response was even more dramatic. They were out on the water in the midst of fishing. When Jesus called, they ‘immediately’ left their nets. I like to imagine them just dropping their nets and running straight out of the water and following Jesus, still soaking wet. [We can only hope that there were others with them, so that all their wares didn’t drift just away.]
Like Jonah, with the fishermen in Galilee, it is not so much about being called, but about the impact of answering that call.
//
//
I really don’t know too many people who have a ton of extra time on their hands. I think it is a fair assumption to say that many of us have FULL lives – and there are, no doubt, those among us who are ‘beyond busy’ with all of the responsibilities and desires of this life.
When we feel called to be part of something important, we have to consider the complex impact of this call. When life is full, you can’t just keep adding things to the pile. Didn’t someone once talk about a camel’s back and straw?
Answering a call almost always involves giving up something else in that pile that is our life.
Sometimes it could be something very tangible and immediately life-affecting like it was for Simon, John, Andrew and James – they made the choice to change vocations.
Jonah’s experience was different – he was being asked to change his attitude – his way of thinking about what was important to him.
It’s interesting (the contrast between these two stories): for the fishermen, the decision to change jobs seems to have come fairly easily, whereas Jonah’s decision to make an internal change was vehemently resisted ... until it was obvious that resistance was futile. And in the end Jonah had not yet fully embraced the change.
//
Ironically, for those of us in the modern world, the decision to be a follower of Jesus tends to be more like Jonah’s than Simon’s.
Most of us are in the midst of sorting out a call to internal adjustments. I believe that this kind of calling is brought in to more focus now in 2012 that it was for people who felt the call to be part of the Jesus Movement 50 or 60 years ago.
The rise of the secular society has taught us that ‘living without a religious allegiance’ is not frowned up on. How one expresses their faith and spirituality is no longer assumed or presumed. Our human advances in communication and travel have widened our eyes to the diversity of the world. This knowledge gives us a better sense of how and where we might fit in to the bigger picture of things. Although this may have made each of us feel a bit smaller or isolated in our lifestyle and faith – knowing the reality of our existence has to be a good thing.
So, in this day and age, making any effort to explore one’s spiritual side is going against the grain and must be honoured as incredibly important and valuable.
So, thank ‘you’ for seeking value in this time together today.
Somehow in a world that lauds the majesty of the reaches of human experience and knowledge, you still find yourself asking “is there more?”
//
If you look at our church’s website or our ad in the local paper, you will find the call to ‘boost your spirit’.
That phrase is intentionally multi-faceted.
I am hoping people hear that as:
1) an invitation to feel better about this time in their life; and
2) to explore their spirituality.
These two meanings are not necessarily unrelated. I believe that there can be a real connection between an openness to spirit and a sense of contentment with life.
As we delve into what it might mean (for each of us) to be invited to ‘boost our spirits’, we will naturally engage ourselves into a conversations about the priorities and directions of our lives. We will examine what is truly important to us.
//
As far as this spiritual exploration relates to Jesus and his mission and message, we can find ourselves challenged to follow in the way of Jesus. Jesus wanted people to turn their lives toward God – to honour a faith in the belief that ‘we are not alone, that we live in God’s world’. The way that Jesus lived out this belief was to draw people together in an open atmosphere of love and mercy – compassion and forgiveness. To Jesus, there is room for all in the shelter of God’s wings.
Contrary to the actions and statements of some people calling themselves Christian, to be a follower of Jesus is to see that this near-kingdom experience must be one of inclusion of the stranger, even the enemy.
A week or so ago, I posted (on the church’s facebook page) a video clip from comedian (and proud atheist) Bill Maher where he mocks people who call themselves “Christian” and yet seem to exude an attitude quite different than the way Jesus focused his message. I’m not going to play the clip for you as part of this spoken sermon as it does have a swear or two in it and I don't want some people to be offended because of the language and miss the point of what is being said, but I will summarize things by saying that how we live out our faith is more important than the labels we put on it. Maher aptly points out that “if you ignore every single thing that Jesus commanded you to do ... you’re not Christ’s followers, you’re just fans.” Here's a link for the web sermon.
//
The story of one’s spiritual journey is not limited to our sense of feeling called. It is really about the impact of how we choose to re-orient our lives in the wake of our answer to that call.
In rare cases, people can make a remarkably quick adjustment, echoing the immediacy of the fishermen: feelin born again in an instant. But there is good news in what Jonah believed. God is deeply patient. God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, ready to welcome over and over again.
All the best to each of us on where this journey is taking us.
Thanks be to God. Let us pray:
Holy Mystery,
We are grateful for your divine patience. Support us as we explore the depth of our spirits. Be with us all the way, God. Amen.
#563VU “Jesus, you have come to the lakeshore”
Sunday, January 15, 2012
הִנְנִי (HINENI)
January 15, 2012
Epiphany 2
1st Samuel 3:1-10;19-20
John 1: 43-51
(prayer)
If you start reading the book of 1st Samuel from the beginning, you learn quite quickly that Hannah was one of two wives of Elkanah. Peninnah was the other wife. Peninnah had children and Hannah did not. The legacy of children was very important in the culture of the day. Sadly, wives were often valued by their ability to rear healthy children: particularly male children (sorry, ladies: it wasn’t a very enlightened time of human history).
In spite of this, Elkanah loved Hannah and treated her very well, maybe even better than he treated Peninnah and her children.
When it came to the relationship between these sister wives, things weren’t so rosy. Basically, they were competitors for Elkanah’s affection and admiration. And Peninnah was merciless in her taunting of the barren Hannah.
Hannah became depressed and felt that she had been abandoned by God because she could not have children. At the tabernacle, she prayed: “O LORD of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death.”. A nazirite was a person who took a vow to be “Holy to the LORD”. Such a person abstained from alcohol and certain foods; they never cut their hair and sought to be in a constant state of ritual purity by avoid any contact with a dead body, even those of a family member.
The Bible says that when the family returned to their home: “Elkanah knew his wife Hannah” – you know what that means. Nine months later Samuel was born. After he was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle, to Eli the priest, and said “For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD”. And so it came to be that Samuel (the son of Elkanah and Hannah) lived at the tabernacle with Eli the priest. That’s where we picked up the story today in our first reading.
//
We heard how Samuel was in the tabernacle, where the Ark of the Covenant was, because the lamp of the God was still lit, when he heard his name called. He naturally assumed that he was being called by the only other person nearby. After all, Eli was aging and his eyesight was poor, I imagine he often called out to Samuel to tend to him for this and that. So Samuel went to Eli [“Here I Am” – hinəni - הִנְנִי], only to learn that Eli hadn’t called him. Curious. This happened three times, before Eli concluded that it must be God who was calling the boy.
The fourth time Samuel was called, he didn’t go to Eli but said, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening”. And God replied, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it, tingle”. Exciting, eh?
//
It wasn’t enough for Samuel to simply hear the call of God, he had to be willing to listen.
//
The gospel of John tells the story of Jesus a little differently than the other Biblical gospels. Next week we will ready the familiar story of Jesus calling the fishermen, Simon, Andrew, James and John away from their nets to help Jesus ‘fish for people’.
It we had started reading the gospel of John today from verse 35 instead of 43, we would have heard John’s version of the calling of Simon and Andrew. As the fourth gospel tells it Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and learned from John that Jesus was the Messiah. Andrew went and told his brother and they went to see Jesus and the rest is history. In fact, in the gospel of John, Jesus nicknames Simon as Peter (Rock) right away.
//
Focusing on today’s reading, Phillip was from the same town as Simon Peter and Andrew and learned about Jesus from them. Phillip passed the news on to his friend Nathaniel: “We have found [the one] about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth”.
Nathaniel was not very impressed: “Nazareth? Couldn’t be. Nothing good ever comes out of Nazareth.” And so, he did not follow Jesus.
//
Jesus then took on a more direct role, he went to Nathaniel himself. He had been watching Nathaniel and judged him to be of good character – the kind of person, Jesus was looking for. It’s unclear whether Nathaniel was humbled by this surprising attention or if his ego was simply stoked, but he joined Jesus’ band of followers at that point.
//
It wasn’t enough for Nathaniel to be told about Jesus, he had to be open to listening to Jesus.
//
//
In life, some people have a job, some have a career and some have a vocation. And sometimes, we use these words (vocation, career and job) interchangeably.
The origins of the word job are uncertain, but it could mean a “piece” of something. That makes sense as a person’s work life can consist of any number of jobs.
Career’s origins are similar to “carriage” or “chariot”. A career evokes the image of a path that is travelled.
Vocation, on the other hand, is related to the word “voice” – a vocation is a calling. In this way, a person is especially suited for this work – as if this is what they were meant to be doing.
I suppose a person’s job over the course of time could stretch into a career. And if this is something that felt drawn to, as if they were particularly gifted for this job, we could also call it a vocation.
//
Today’s scripture passages draw us into the nature of being called.
In the wider United Church, we use the word Call is a couple of very specific ways:
(1) when congregation and a minister have ‘interviewed’ each other, the congregation may choose to Call that minister to be in an open-ended pastoral relationship with them;
(2) when a person is considering becoming involved in spiritual leadership within the church: we say they are exploring or discerning a Call to ministry. Our congregation, right now, is in the process of working with ‘one of our own’ in formal discernment (a process that takes at least a year). The main UCC resource for a Discernment Committee is called “Discerning a Call”. That booklet describes the full nature of call in several distinct ways. The first of which is the basic call to be a follower of Jesus: The call to be a Christian is...the call to discipleship of Jesus Christ—to hearing and doing the Word of God. The letter to the Ephesians (4:1) includes the reminder “to lead a life worthy of the calling (vocation) to which you have been called.” All Christian believers have a vocation to be “co-creators” and stewards of community and all creation, in order to fulfill God’s purposes for humanity. This is the call of all [people of the church].
In the Discernment Process, call is further narrowed down to include ultimately: the call of gifts – for formal ministry leadership in the church, there are certain gifts, skills and learnings that can help confirm the wider call,
In a way, this is the kind of ‘call’ being described in our scripture readings today. It is an invitation to become part of something larger than ourselves. The expectation is not that people will necessarily jump right in and follow blindly, but that they do more than simply ignore the call or just walk away.
Being called to serve God begins with being open to listening to that call and letting it resonate with us for a while. God is saying something very flattering to us as we consider our sense of call. God is inviting us to embrace this gifts we have and serve from there, outward.
A psalmist once wrote that God knows us better than we know ourselves. We echoed the sentiment of Psalm 139 as we called each other to worship earlier. The original Psalm includes this statement of faith: “O LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. You [are all around me], and lay your hand upon me.”
God knows us (the good, the bad and the ugly) and God still calls us. No one is unworthy of serving God; no one can consider themselves of being unworthy of following in the ways of Jesus, our Christ.
//
As I mentioned before, next Sunday, we will focus on call again – and more specifically responding to the invitation to become involved in a vocation with Jesus. But for today, I simply want to emphasise that the first and necessary step is to listen – to pause and let the invitation enter us.
When we feel called, before we ask any questions, before we discern the details, before we make any life-changing decisions, we simply need to say “Here I Am! – hinəni - הִנְנִי”
“Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.”
“Here I am!”
“Here I am!”
//
What wonders might be in store for us when we open that first door of faith?
//
Holy God of Wonder and Hope;
Be patient with us when we are too busy and distracted to hear the small, still voice. Give us the courage to consider deeply what it means to follow Jesus.
Amen.
#79MV “Spirit, Open My Heart”
Epiphany 2
1st Samuel 3:1-10;19-20
John 1: 43-51
(prayer)
If you start reading the book of 1st Samuel from the beginning, you learn quite quickly that Hannah was one of two wives of Elkanah. Peninnah was the other wife. Peninnah had children and Hannah did not. The legacy of children was very important in the culture of the day. Sadly, wives were often valued by their ability to rear healthy children: particularly male children (sorry, ladies: it wasn’t a very enlightened time of human history).
In spite of this, Elkanah loved Hannah and treated her very well, maybe even better than he treated Peninnah and her children.
When it came to the relationship between these sister wives, things weren’t so rosy. Basically, they were competitors for Elkanah’s affection and admiration. And Peninnah was merciless in her taunting of the barren Hannah.
Hannah became depressed and felt that she had been abandoned by God because she could not have children. At the tabernacle, she prayed: “O LORD of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death.”. A nazirite was a person who took a vow to be “Holy to the LORD”. Such a person abstained from alcohol and certain foods; they never cut their hair and sought to be in a constant state of ritual purity by avoid any contact with a dead body, even those of a family member.
The Bible says that when the family returned to their home: “Elkanah knew his wife Hannah” – you know what that means. Nine months later Samuel was born. After he was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle, to Eli the priest, and said “For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD”. And so it came to be that Samuel (the son of Elkanah and Hannah) lived at the tabernacle with Eli the priest. That’s where we picked up the story today in our first reading.
//
We heard how Samuel was in the tabernacle, where the Ark of the Covenant was, because the lamp of the God was still lit, when he heard his name called. He naturally assumed that he was being called by the only other person nearby. After all, Eli was aging and his eyesight was poor, I imagine he often called out to Samuel to tend to him for this and that. So Samuel went to Eli [“Here I Am” – hinəni - הִנְנִי], only to learn that Eli hadn’t called him. Curious. This happened three times, before Eli concluded that it must be God who was calling the boy.
The fourth time Samuel was called, he didn’t go to Eli but said, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening”. And God replied, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it, tingle”. Exciting, eh?
//
It wasn’t enough for Samuel to simply hear the call of God, he had to be willing to listen.
//
The gospel of John tells the story of Jesus a little differently than the other Biblical gospels. Next week we will ready the familiar story of Jesus calling the fishermen, Simon, Andrew, James and John away from their nets to help Jesus ‘fish for people’.
It we had started reading the gospel of John today from verse 35 instead of 43, we would have heard John’s version of the calling of Simon and Andrew. As the fourth gospel tells it Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and learned from John that Jesus was the Messiah. Andrew went and told his brother and they went to see Jesus and the rest is history. In fact, in the gospel of John, Jesus nicknames Simon as Peter (Rock) right away.
//
Focusing on today’s reading, Phillip was from the same town as Simon Peter and Andrew and learned about Jesus from them. Phillip passed the news on to his friend Nathaniel: “We have found [the one] about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth”.
Nathaniel was not very impressed: “Nazareth? Couldn’t be. Nothing good ever comes out of Nazareth.” And so, he did not follow Jesus.
//
Jesus then took on a more direct role, he went to Nathaniel himself. He had been watching Nathaniel and judged him to be of good character – the kind of person, Jesus was looking for. It’s unclear whether Nathaniel was humbled by this surprising attention or if his ego was simply stoked, but he joined Jesus’ band of followers at that point.
//
It wasn’t enough for Nathaniel to be told about Jesus, he had to be open to listening to Jesus.
//
//
In life, some people have a job, some have a career and some have a vocation. And sometimes, we use these words (vocation, career and job) interchangeably.
The origins of the word job are uncertain, but it could mean a “piece” of something. That makes sense as a person’s work life can consist of any number of jobs.
Career’s origins are similar to “carriage” or “chariot”. A career evokes the image of a path that is travelled.
Vocation, on the other hand, is related to the word “voice” – a vocation is a calling. In this way, a person is especially suited for this work – as if this is what they were meant to be doing.
I suppose a person’s job over the course of time could stretch into a career. And if this is something that felt drawn to, as if they were particularly gifted for this job, we could also call it a vocation.
//
Today’s scripture passages draw us into the nature of being called.
In the wider United Church, we use the word Call is a couple of very specific ways:
(1) when congregation and a minister have ‘interviewed’ each other, the congregation may choose to Call that minister to be in an open-ended pastoral relationship with them;
(2) when a person is considering becoming involved in spiritual leadership within the church: we say they are exploring or discerning a Call to ministry. Our congregation, right now, is in the process of working with ‘one of our own’ in formal discernment (a process that takes at least a year). The main UCC resource for a Discernment Committee is called “Discerning a Call”. That booklet describes the full nature of call in several distinct ways. The first of which is the basic call to be a follower of Jesus: The call to be a Christian is...the call to discipleship of Jesus Christ—to hearing and doing the Word of God. The letter to the Ephesians (4:1) includes the reminder “to lead a life worthy of the calling (vocation) to which you have been called.” All Christian believers have a vocation to be “co-creators” and stewards of community and all creation, in order to fulfill God’s purposes for humanity. This is the call of all [people of the church].
In the Discernment Process, call is further narrowed down to include ultimately: the call of gifts – for formal ministry leadership in the church, there are certain gifts, skills and learnings that can help confirm the wider call,
In a way, this is the kind of ‘call’ being described in our scripture readings today. It is an invitation to become part of something larger than ourselves. The expectation is not that people will necessarily jump right in and follow blindly, but that they do more than simply ignore the call or just walk away.
Being called to serve God begins with being open to listening to that call and letting it resonate with us for a while. God is saying something very flattering to us as we consider our sense of call. God is inviting us to embrace this gifts we have and serve from there, outward.
A psalmist once wrote that God knows us better than we know ourselves. We echoed the sentiment of Psalm 139 as we called each other to worship earlier. The original Psalm includes this statement of faith: “O LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. You [are all around me], and lay your hand upon me.”
God knows us (the good, the bad and the ugly) and God still calls us. No one is unworthy of serving God; no one can consider themselves of being unworthy of following in the ways of Jesus, our Christ.
//
As I mentioned before, next Sunday, we will focus on call again – and more specifically responding to the invitation to become involved in a vocation with Jesus. But for today, I simply want to emphasise that the first and necessary step is to listen – to pause and let the invitation enter us.
When we feel called, before we ask any questions, before we discern the details, before we make any life-changing decisions, we simply need to say “Here I Am! – hinəni - הִנְנִי”
“Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.”
“Here I am!”
“Here I am!”
//
What wonders might be in store for us when we open that first door of faith?
//
Holy God of Wonder and Hope;
Be patient with us when we are too busy and distracted to hear the small, still voice. Give us the courage to consider deeply what it means to follow Jesus.
Amen.
#79MV “Spirit, Open My Heart”
Sunday, January 8, 2012
GOD SPEAKS
January 8, 2012
Epiphany 1
Genesis 1:1-5
Mark 1:4-11
(prayer)
I do not believe that the universe was created in six days. I do not believe that the start of the book of Genesis is an historical account of how things came into being. Believing in the holiness of the Bible is not limited to taking every word as a literal fact.
In fact, that may be one of the most unfaithful things to do. There is so much richness in our scriptures that will be missed if we are not open to poetry and metaphor and other ‘more than literal’ meanings.
//
I find Genesis chapter one beautiful and deeply meaningful. The imagery must have been incredibly striking to the original listeners to the story, but it also reaches through the years and can impact us as well. It is the story that God is the one who brings order to chaos.
Chaos is given the image of a dark, churning ocean. There is no edge, water to every horizon. The waves have no pattern or predictability. There is no bottom to this sea – it is ‘water, water, everywhere’. And it is pure darkness – no hint of any depth of view. No sky above, no stars, no ability to figure out where we are or navigate away through the chaos.
It is total chaos...except for one thing: the ‘ru’ah elohim was moving over these waters’. Elohim means god. Ru’ah means breath, or wind or spirit. Most English translations render ru’ah elohim in Genesis 1:2 as the ‘Spirit of God’. Keeping with the image of the surface of a sea ‘wind of God’ fits nicely as well. And while we are at it – in so much as we hear this as God being alive in the midst of this chaos, the ‘breath of God’ works as well, as it implies existence. So, it is really ‘ru’ah elohim’ in the fullest sense of those words. But, the word in the last sentence of Genesis 1:2 that really catches my attention is the verb:
me-ra-che-phet
usually translated as moving: the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters. The root word of that verb, however, implies a less-active Spirit. The root meaning of that verb is ‘relax’. What image jumps into your mind to hear that ‘there was darkness on the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was relaxing over the waters’?
Another common English translation that we hear for Genesis 1:2 is to say that the spirit hovered over the waters. I prefer ‘that’ to the phrasing in our pew bibles which says that “a wind from God swept over the face of the waters”. Swept is too active – the ru’ah elohim was just there: in-active, hovering, relaxing... waiting. There is chaos all around, but God is calm. Just two verses into our bible, God is the calm in the midst of the chaos.
Then (verse three), God acts. How, when, why – we don’t know. But God gets off the couch and acts.
God speaks... the ancient Hebrews ascribed such wonder and power to God that the ordering of the primordial chaos was as easy to God as simple speech is for most of us.
“And God said, let there be light.”
//
Chaos is the inability to find any grounding, any stability. That’s why darkness is such a good image for the ancient story teller to us. ‘Light’ is what breaks the chaos of darkness. Even a violent ocean has a chance to be managed if the sailor can see. Light doesn’t have to eliminate darkness; it only needs to temper it. Just a little light (just a silver of light) can create enough contrast through the creation of shadows and depth perception that we can get our bearings.
The ancient Hebrews were not nuclear physicists or astronomers – they knew nothing about string theory or big bangs. But from the depths of their experience they proclaimed a faith in a divine spark that ignited all that exists.
“Let there be light!”
God is the calm source of perception.
And being aware of who we are, where we are and what our next move might be is the basic stuff of existence.
//
//
In the cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary (a collection of suggested scripture readings for each Sunday over a three year period) we are in Year B – we have been since the start of Advent back on November 27th. Many of the gospels readings in the lectionary for Year B come from the book of Mark. Mark is thought to be the oldest of our biblical gospels finding written form in the early 70s of the first century. It predates Matthew and Luke by a few years and John by as much as a couple of decades. Mark’s gospel is the shortest of the four. Later gospel writers (particularly the authors of Luke and Matthew) are even thought to have used Mark as a starting point in composing their texts.
Even though we’ve been in Year B for a month and a half, we haven’t read a lot from Mark yet. That is mainly because we have been focusing on Jesus’ birth and Mark does not include any Christmas stories. Mark begins with Jesus’ baptism. Mark doesn’t make any mention of Jesus’ age, but Luke says that Jesus was about 30 years old at this time. That may sound young to us, but in a world where the life expectance for a peasant was probably about 40 or 45, Jesus was well into middle age when he went to John at the Jordan.
Starting the story of Jesus as the Christ with Jesus’ baptism makes sense; because it was this physical act of faith and commitment that began Jesus’ active ministry (as we will see begin to unfold over the coming weeks).
//
Judaism (long before Jesus and John came along) had strong traditions of ritual washings to symbolize confession, repentance, forgiveness and restitution. What John was doing was simply a ‘slightly’ extreme and eclectic version of this tradition.
Water (for all ancient societies) was the most basic need for communities. For those who lived in eastern Judea and Galilee, the river Jordan was the very real symbol of on-going life.
John using these valued waters for his ritual only added to the significance of what he was wanting people to experience.
Baptism is about make a conscious life-directional course. The symbolism was that the water was washing away the negative past and give one a fresh start on the new more faithful direction. A person went into the water with a desire to change and emerged - changed. An even deeper meaning could be to say that going in and out of the water was like allowing the old self to die and a new self to be born: a death and a resurrection, so to speak.
The water isn’t magic – the change is a conscious one on our part – the water is the symbol and the ritual that allows us to experience the choice in a physical and tactile way. A willingness to publically declare our new allegiance.
John preached that people should come to him because they needed to re-focus their faith back on God – to confess the errors of their ways to commit to a renewed faith. And along with that message, John sought to prepare people for the coming of the expected Messiah.
The gospel writer intentionally evokes the physical presence of the ancient prophet Elijah, by describing John as wearing a coat of camel hair and a leather belt (Elijah was once described as being ‘a hairy man, with a leather belt around his waist.’ (2Kings 1:8)). Tradition said that Elijah’s return would herald the coming of God’s Messiah
I imagine that the specific issues that would draw people to John would vary from individual from individual.
It appears that Jesus journeyed to the Jordan because he had made the decision that the time had come for a new way for him to live and express himself. Call it Jesus’ mid-life crisis. Jesus would put away his carpenter tools and grabbed some the strong sandals of a travelling preacher.
As he emerged from the water, Jesus felt the support of God. It enveloped him in a unique way. God speaks – ‘you are my deeply loved child – I am very happy with you!’
These words engender a calming, confidence inspiring attitude.
I love you and I am proud of you.
Who doesn’t want to hear those words? To be told that you are cared for and that you are affirmed for who you have become? Those are words that might often be said a time of transition: like a child maturing and moving into adulthood.
Jesus was by no means a child (in the physical sense), but this was defiantly a time of transition for him.
Jesus was about to step into uncertain waters...and God tells him – you can do this!
//
//
We are at the start of a new year. Sure it is just an artificial line on the paper of a calendar, but it is part of our culture to reflect on where we’ve been and to imagine where we might be going. Even this language is metaphoric – we really mean to reflect on who we are (the qualities and priorities of our lives). And we are invited to think about the aspects of life we control. Who do we want to become?
//
We will do this in an intentional way a congregation in just four weeks at our Annual General Meeting (on February 5th).
And there are various ways that we, as a society, decide on our direction (through community agencies, governments, school boards and parent councils and more...).
But, of course, this is more than a collective endeavour – we are at the edge of the water, seeking enough clarity and encouragement to figure out what the next step might be.
//
When the ancient storyteller spoke about the origins of the world, the word-given actions of God were described with a simple word: טוֹב (tov) ... ‘good’. “God saw that the light was good.” This type of phrase ties together the whole creation story in Genesis chapter one – “God saw that [it] was good”, until in verse 31 when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: ‘God looks at everything and it is
מְאֹד טוֹב (very good)’.
Our foundation is goodness - born of God in mystery beyond our understanding. So that is what grounds us now and for all time.
And I hope that we can feel the encouragement that Jesus felt – that God loves us and that God believes in our abilities to live lives of authentic, living faith.
Like the crowds coming to John, we too are not ‘each one of us’ alike. We all have different faith needs at this point in time – so, I hope that each of us knows that God loves us all who we are right now and that God knows that we can move forward into this uncertain future certain of God’s admiration and encouragement.
All the while, I will hold on to the image that God is relaxing nearby, watching, waiting and wondering when I might need to heard God’s voice again.
Let us pray:
Thank you God for the richness of our traditions and for the unfettered future you offer. Amen.
**OFFERINGS**
Epiphany 1
Genesis 1:1-5
Mark 1:4-11
(prayer)
I do not believe that the universe was created in six days. I do not believe that the start of the book of Genesis is an historical account of how things came into being. Believing in the holiness of the Bible is not limited to taking every word as a literal fact.
In fact, that may be one of the most unfaithful things to do. There is so much richness in our scriptures that will be missed if we are not open to poetry and metaphor and other ‘more than literal’ meanings.
//
I find Genesis chapter one beautiful and deeply meaningful. The imagery must have been incredibly striking to the original listeners to the story, but it also reaches through the years and can impact us as well. It is the story that God is the one who brings order to chaos.
Chaos is given the image of a dark, churning ocean. There is no edge, water to every horizon. The waves have no pattern or predictability. There is no bottom to this sea – it is ‘water, water, everywhere’. And it is pure darkness – no hint of any depth of view. No sky above, no stars, no ability to figure out where we are or navigate away through the chaos.
It is total chaos...except for one thing: the ‘ru’ah elohim was moving over these waters’. Elohim means god. Ru’ah means breath, or wind or spirit. Most English translations render ru’ah elohim in Genesis 1:2 as the ‘Spirit of God’. Keeping with the image of the surface of a sea ‘wind of God’ fits nicely as well. And while we are at it – in so much as we hear this as God being alive in the midst of this chaos, the ‘breath of God’ works as well, as it implies existence. So, it is really ‘ru’ah elohim’ in the fullest sense of those words. But, the word in the last sentence of Genesis 1:2 that really catches my attention is the verb:
me-ra-che-phet
usually translated as moving: the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters. The root word of that verb, however, implies a less-active Spirit. The root meaning of that verb is ‘relax’. What image jumps into your mind to hear that ‘there was darkness on the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was relaxing over the waters’?
Another common English translation that we hear for Genesis 1:2 is to say that the spirit hovered over the waters. I prefer ‘that’ to the phrasing in our pew bibles which says that “a wind from God swept over the face of the waters”. Swept is too active – the ru’ah elohim was just there: in-active, hovering, relaxing... waiting. There is chaos all around, but God is calm. Just two verses into our bible, God is the calm in the midst of the chaos.
Then (verse three), God acts. How, when, why – we don’t know. But God gets off the couch and acts.
God speaks... the ancient Hebrews ascribed such wonder and power to God that the ordering of the primordial chaos was as easy to God as simple speech is for most of us.
“And God said, let there be light.”
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Chaos is the inability to find any grounding, any stability. That’s why darkness is such a good image for the ancient story teller to us. ‘Light’ is what breaks the chaos of darkness. Even a violent ocean has a chance to be managed if the sailor can see. Light doesn’t have to eliminate darkness; it only needs to temper it. Just a little light (just a silver of light) can create enough contrast through the creation of shadows and depth perception that we can get our bearings.
The ancient Hebrews were not nuclear physicists or astronomers – they knew nothing about string theory or big bangs. But from the depths of their experience they proclaimed a faith in a divine spark that ignited all that exists.
“Let there be light!”
God is the calm source of perception.
And being aware of who we are, where we are and what our next move might be is the basic stuff of existence.
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In the cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary (a collection of suggested scripture readings for each Sunday over a three year period) we are in Year B – we have been since the start of Advent back on November 27th. Many of the gospels readings in the lectionary for Year B come from the book of Mark. Mark is thought to be the oldest of our biblical gospels finding written form in the early 70s of the first century. It predates Matthew and Luke by a few years and John by as much as a couple of decades. Mark’s gospel is the shortest of the four. Later gospel writers (particularly the authors of Luke and Matthew) are even thought to have used Mark as a starting point in composing their texts.
Even though we’ve been in Year B for a month and a half, we haven’t read a lot from Mark yet. That is mainly because we have been focusing on Jesus’ birth and Mark does not include any Christmas stories. Mark begins with Jesus’ baptism. Mark doesn’t make any mention of Jesus’ age, but Luke says that Jesus was about 30 years old at this time. That may sound young to us, but in a world where the life expectance for a peasant was probably about 40 or 45, Jesus was well into middle age when he went to John at the Jordan.
Starting the story of Jesus as the Christ with Jesus’ baptism makes sense; because it was this physical act of faith and commitment that began Jesus’ active ministry (as we will see begin to unfold over the coming weeks).
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Judaism (long before Jesus and John came along) had strong traditions of ritual washings to symbolize confession, repentance, forgiveness and restitution. What John was doing was simply a ‘slightly’ extreme and eclectic version of this tradition.
Water (for all ancient societies) was the most basic need for communities. For those who lived in eastern Judea and Galilee, the river Jordan was the very real symbol of on-going life.
John using these valued waters for his ritual only added to the significance of what he was wanting people to experience.
Baptism is about make a conscious life-directional course. The symbolism was that the water was washing away the negative past and give one a fresh start on the new more faithful direction. A person went into the water with a desire to change and emerged - changed. An even deeper meaning could be to say that going in and out of the water was like allowing the old self to die and a new self to be born: a death and a resurrection, so to speak.
The water isn’t magic – the change is a conscious one on our part – the water is the symbol and the ritual that allows us to experience the choice in a physical and tactile way. A willingness to publically declare our new allegiance.
John preached that people should come to him because they needed to re-focus their faith back on God – to confess the errors of their ways to commit to a renewed faith. And along with that message, John sought to prepare people for the coming of the expected Messiah.
The gospel writer intentionally evokes the physical presence of the ancient prophet Elijah, by describing John as wearing a coat of camel hair and a leather belt (Elijah was once described as being ‘a hairy man, with a leather belt around his waist.’ (2Kings 1:8)). Tradition said that Elijah’s return would herald the coming of God’s Messiah
I imagine that the specific issues that would draw people to John would vary from individual from individual.
It appears that Jesus journeyed to the Jordan because he had made the decision that the time had come for a new way for him to live and express himself. Call it Jesus’ mid-life crisis. Jesus would put away his carpenter tools and grabbed some the strong sandals of a travelling preacher.
As he emerged from the water, Jesus felt the support of God. It enveloped him in a unique way. God speaks – ‘you are my deeply loved child – I am very happy with you!’
These words engender a calming, confidence inspiring attitude.
I love you and I am proud of you.
Who doesn’t want to hear those words? To be told that you are cared for and that you are affirmed for who you have become? Those are words that might often be said a time of transition: like a child maturing and moving into adulthood.
Jesus was by no means a child (in the physical sense), but this was defiantly a time of transition for him.
Jesus was about to step into uncertain waters...and God tells him – you can do this!
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We are at the start of a new year. Sure it is just an artificial line on the paper of a calendar, but it is part of our culture to reflect on where we’ve been and to imagine where we might be going. Even this language is metaphoric – we really mean to reflect on who we are (the qualities and priorities of our lives). And we are invited to think about the aspects of life we control. Who do we want to become?
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We will do this in an intentional way a congregation in just four weeks at our Annual General Meeting (on February 5th).
And there are various ways that we, as a society, decide on our direction (through community agencies, governments, school boards and parent councils and more...).
But, of course, this is more than a collective endeavour – we are at the edge of the water, seeking enough clarity and encouragement to figure out what the next step might be.
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When the ancient storyteller spoke about the origins of the world, the word-given actions of God were described with a simple word: טוֹב (tov) ... ‘good’. “God saw that the light was good.” This type of phrase ties together the whole creation story in Genesis chapter one – “God saw that [it] was good”, until in verse 31 when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: ‘God looks at everything and it is
מְאֹד טוֹב (very good)’.
Our foundation is goodness - born of God in mystery beyond our understanding. So that is what grounds us now and for all time.
And I hope that we can feel the encouragement that Jesus felt – that God loves us and that God believes in our abilities to live lives of authentic, living faith.
Like the crowds coming to John, we too are not ‘each one of us’ alike. We all have different faith needs at this point in time – so, I hope that each of us knows that God loves us all who we are right now and that God knows that we can move forward into this uncertain future certain of God’s admiration and encouragement.
All the while, I will hold on to the image that God is relaxing nearby, watching, waiting and wondering when I might need to heard God’s voice again.
Let us pray:
Thank you God for the richness of our traditions and for the unfettered future you offer. Amen.
**OFFERINGS**
Sunday, January 1, 2012
THE LIT PATH
January 1, 2012
Christmas 1
Isaiah 60:1-6
Matthew 2:1-12
(prayer)
Going on annual ski trip with Sean this afternoon (to Panorama). Reminisce about first time I skied at Sunshine at top of Great Divide chair – above tree line, snowing skilled from blue square sign to blue square sign.
Saw Hobbit trailer (prequel to Lord of the rings trilogy) online recently; reminisce about new year’s eve dates with Patti – including last night; lighting of beacons calling Rohan to Gondor’s (message of light sent from Mines Tirith to Edoras – [show map]). [use video] Gandalf “hope is kindled”
Following the lit path – wise men; guided (joseph by dream-angel); Christians by jesus the light of our world.
Epiphany ‘aha’s
God is love – therefore God can’t hate – so let’s stop/resist messages that assumes this
Jesus welcomed the ‘un-welcomed’ – so let’s do the same > show my love, the world will know your my disciples
Open door church – let all come in.
We learn from each other and the past – biblical literacy is essential – context – now what?
2012 end of the world worries
God's love is our guide; Jesus' life is our guide.
We are to let The Light go viral. From God, through Jesus, through us
(prayer)
#8MV “On this Path” sing through twice)
Christmas 1
Isaiah 60:1-6
Matthew 2:1-12
(prayer)
Going on annual ski trip with Sean this afternoon (to Panorama). Reminisce about first time I skied at Sunshine at top of Great Divide chair – above tree line, snowing skilled from blue square sign to blue square sign.
Saw Hobbit trailer (prequel to Lord of the rings trilogy) online recently; reminisce about new year’s eve dates with Patti – including last night; lighting of beacons calling Rohan to Gondor’s (message of light sent from Mines Tirith to Edoras – [show map]). [use video] Gandalf “hope is kindled”
Following the lit path – wise men; guided (joseph by dream-angel); Christians by jesus the light of our world.
Epiphany ‘aha’s
God is love – therefore God can’t hate – so let’s stop/resist messages that assumes this
Jesus welcomed the ‘un-welcomed’ – so let’s do the same > show my love, the world will know your my disciples
Open door church – let all come in.
We learn from each other and the past – biblical literacy is essential – context – now what?
2012 end of the world worries
God's love is our guide; Jesus' life is our guide.
We are to let The Light go viral. From God, through Jesus, through us
(prayer)
#8MV “On this Path” sing through twice)
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