Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Sunday, February 11, 2018
SLOW REVEAL
(prayer)
The song of the angels is stilled.
The star in the sky is gone.
The kings and shepherds
have found their way home.
The Work of Christmas is begun.
(“I Am the Light of the World” - #87VU)
The star in the sky is gone.
The kings and shepherds
have found their way home.
The Work of Christmas is begun.
(“I Am the Light of the World” - #87VU)
The
light is in the world.
The
Work of Christmas is begun.
//
//
You
may know that Easter is (what is called) a movable
feast. Unlike Christmas, which is
always on December 25th, Easter happens at different times in different years.
Easter
is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the
vernal equinox. Based on these criteria,
Easter always falls betweenMarch 22nd and April 25th.
This
year, the first day of spring is March 20th.
There will
be a full moon on Sat, March 31st.
So, Easter
Sunday 2018 is April 1st. I’m not sure
what to make of the fact tbat Easter will also be April Fools day. I guess that we get to live out First
Corinthians, chapter four, verse ten: We
are fools for Christ.
//
Within
the calendar of the church year, a special season is set aside as a time to
prepare ourselves for Easter. Because -
in the northern hemisphere - this happens during the lengthening days of spring, the season has become known as Lent.
Lent
ends on the day before Easter and is always 46 days long (forty days, plus
Sundays, so it always starts on a Wednesday - known as Ash Wednesday.
When
Easter falls on April Fools Day, and if it is not a leap year, Lent will
(coincidentally) begin on another easy-to-remember date: Valentine's Day.
//
2018
is not a leap year... so, Lent will
begin this Wednesday, February
14th.
//
That
makes today the Last Sunday in the Season
of Epiphany.
//
As
I have sung at the start of all of these Sundays of Epiphany, the work of Christmas begins as Jesus
(the light) shines in the world.
//
Since
the beginning of January, each Sunday, the gospel of Mark has helped us learn
about how Jesus’ ministry begun:
- Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River;
- Jesus took time alone with his temptations in the Judean wilderness;
- Jesus returned to Galilee where he proclaimed that the kingdom of God had come near;
- Jesus went to the fishing village of Capernaum (on the Sea of Galilee), where he began to acquire followers of his own, willing to help him fish for people;
- Jesus taught and healed in the local synagogue, which led to many people flocking to Jesus to be part of what he was doing.
- And, as we heard last week, Jesus decided to set out on a ministry-road-trip to share his message in the neighbouring towns too.
//
Over
the next couple of years, more lessons were shared; healing was known; more
disciples joined in Jesus’ ministry.
Along
the way, Jesus challenged the ridgedness of religious puritanism. He even took his message to gentile (non-jewish)
territories. Political and religious
elites began to notice how much influence Jesus was having.
In
particular, Herod Antipas
(the puppet King of Galilee) was concerned about the rumour that Jesus was a
second coming of John the Baptist (whom Herod had had killed)
//
Oneday while traveling among the villages of Caesarea
Philippi, Jesus addressed the various rumours with his disciples:
Who do people say that I am?
John
the Baptist, or Elijah,
or
one of the other prophets.
But, who do you say that I am?
Peter:
You are The Messiah!
Don't tell anyone about that!
The Son of Man will suffer rejection
and be killed before rising again.
No,
Jesus, that is not what mean when we say you are the messiah.
Oh Peter, your view is clouded by
human thinking; set your mind on divine things.
//
Six Days Later, Peter
(and two other disciples) were given a chance to see Jesus in a different
light.
We
heard that story today.
//
//
“Jesus, Peter,
James and John went up a high mountain where Jesus was changed [transfigured]
before them; his clothes became dazzling white. Then they saw Elijah and Moses
talking with Jesus. A cloud overshadowed
them, and from the cloud came a voice, ‘This
is my Son, the Belov`ed; listen to him!’
Suddenly when Peter, James and John looked around, they saw no one with them
any more, but only Jesus.”
It
was brief… no time to set up extra tents for Moses and Elijah. But in that minūte minute of mystery, the inner
circle of Jesus’ band of followers were given a hint of God’s transcending
glory alive in Jesus.
This
experience was significant to the early church, in that it is shared
in all three of the synopticgospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and may be hinted at
in the introductory chapter of John: the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have
seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son. The transfiguration is also referenced in the
letter of Second Peter.
//
There
are four significant parts of the transfiguration vision seen by John, Peter
and James:
- Jesus is seen as beyond their experience… clothes whiter than anyone in this world could bleach them;
- Jesus is seen as part of the scriptural and historical heritage of the Hebrew people by sharing the stage with Moses (the giver of the law) and Elijah (the first of the great prophets);
- Elijah offers a second significance - because he never died a natural death (blown into heaven by a whirlwind), it was believed - in some first century circles (based on an interpretation of a verse in Malachi) - that Elijah’s return would precede the coming of the messiah;
- And in case this was all too subtle, there was a heavenly affirmation of Jesus as God’s beloved child with the instruction to listen to him.
//
The
disciples’ eyes and ears confirmed the rumour that Peter had voiced less than a
week earlier: Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God.
//
//
When
they re-joined the other disciples, the ministry of Jesus carried on much as it
had before.
Even
through Peter, James and John honoured Jesus’ order to keep the details of
their mountain top experience to
themselves, I wonder if any of the others noticed that their perspective on
Jesus had changed.
//
If
you are like me, you may find that final verse (in today’s reading) a bit
intriguing: As
they were coming down the mountain, [Jesus] ordered them to tell no one about
what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
This
was a repeat of how Jesus responded six days earlier when Peter exclaimed that
he believed that Jesus was the messiah… [Jesus] sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about
him (Mt8:30).
//
Why
all of this secrecy?
Why
is the full truth about Jesus revealed so slowly?
//
//
I
have a theory.
//
Jesus
did not want the focus to be on him.
//
Jesus
was not interested in being the centre of
a charismatic cult but the mentor of
mission movement.
//
Jesus
encouraged his followers to take this mission into their spheres of influence
and make disciples there... not bring him back converts.
//
Message
over the messenger.
//
It
is significant - to me - that the transfiguration is in the middle of the
story. Preaching, teaching and healing
precede it … and preaching, teaching and healing follow it.
The
heavenly voice even tells us that this is not to be the end (or climax) of Jesus’
story: listen to him.
There
was more of Jesus to be revealed.
//
//
The
structure of Mark’s gospel points to this progressive revelation.
- At the beginning, as part of the baptism story, a heaven voice speaks only to Jesus (notice second person language): you are my belov`ed son; I am pleased with you.
- In the middle, as part of the transfiguration story, the voice speaks to a few disciples (the baptism words are repeated, but this time in the third person): this is my belov`ed son; listen to him.
- At the end, the Risen Jesus gives his closest followers one final lesson: Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.
At
first, Jesus knows.
Then
a few disciples know.
And
finally, the world is told.
//
We
are still in the midst of step three.
The
ministry of Jesus is still be revealed.
//
//
Peter,
James and John must have treasured their mountain top experience, but they listened to Jesus by keeping the focus
on what what was being said and done, not on who Jesus was.
Message
over the messenger.
//
//
Ministry
over the minister.
//
//
Last
year, I made use of study leave time take two seperate courses where I could
delve into the Fundamentalsof Transitional Ministry- learning about and building
on the best practices of how churches evolve with the times as their
circumstances change.
//
There
are many factors that lead congregations into transition eras - healthy
congregations are as proactive as they can be in addressing these. But sometimes, even the best of them have
trouble evolving away from the peripheral aspects of their identity.
Change
is hard,
when
we are reluctant to change.
//
The
second course I took concluded with my classmates and I, each, designing a
fieldwork project dealing with some aspect of congregational transition.
We
were divided into groups of five who have continued to meet monthly by
conference.
I
am still going over all of answers people wrote down at last week's annual
congregational meeting to the question: What
is good about this church? I have
actually been collecting input on that question since last December as part of
my project: In the modern reality of a spiritual
not religious context, if people
are interested in learning what St. David's church is like, (if we are being
honest) what should we say and how should we say it.
//
Thank
you for helping me with my homework. I
have my last conference call with my classmates this coming Tuesday morning.
//
St.
David’s United Church has existed (in some form or another) for 120 years. Unless, some of you look incredible for your
age, I assume that none of us have been here for all twelve of those decades.
I
have been here for less than ⅙ of that history but I have witnessed an evolving
church.
2018’s
St. David's is not 2000’s St. David's.
And
it is certainly not 1898’s St.David's.
//
I
know that this congregation has accepted and chosen changes over the years.
I
don't just mean physical changes to the building, or AV systems, or staff
changes…
St.
David’s has also evolved in its understanding of its mission and how to live
that out.
Some
of these evolutions have happened easily; other changes have been met with
understandable resistance.
//
A
message I hear in today’s scripture reading is that Jesus knew that the
ministry he and his disciples were sharing was an dynamic one.
Peter
might have wanted to freeze the moment with transfigured
Jesus - to set up camp permanently on the mountain top, but their mission
lay down in the valley.
Can
you imagine the reaction the others would have had if Peter, James and John had
created a shrine on the mountain? People
might have ignored the world below in hopes of re-experiencing a time that had
passed.
//
//
I
believe that Jesus’ followers (in the first and twenty-first centuries) are
invited to see ourselves in the middle of a story that is still being written.
//
We
are both heirs of a evolving legacy and future benefactors who must constantly
find a new relevance to what it means to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is
near.
//
Is
there still relevance in this congregation’s stated mission that we are a nurturing
Christian community [that inspires] people to serve others as Christ taught?
The
words of our motto - Welcoming In ~ Reaching Out - roll easy
off the tongue, but… what can that mean in 2018?
//
May
we not be so distracted by the wonder of today's mountain that we forget we are
called into the valley.
//
The
story of our part in Jesus’ mission and ministry is still being written.
//
Let
us embrace that which is fresh and unfolding.
//
//
Let us
pray:
God, you
are the source of light in the world.
Shine in our hearts so that - through us - the world might see the
compassion of Christ. Amen.
#104VU “We
Have Come at Christ’s Own Bidding”
Sunday, February 4, 2018
FREE TO CHOOSE
(prayer)
The song of the angels is stilled.
The star in the sky is gone.
The kings and shepherds
have found their way home.
The Work of Christmas is begun.
(“I Am the Light of the World” - #87VU)
The star in the sky is gone.
The kings and shepherds
have found their way home.
The Work of Christmas is begun.
(“I Am the Light of the World” - #87VU)
The light is in the world.
The Work of Christmas is begun.
//
//
We continue to make our way through the season of epiphany - the weeks
from the 12 days of Christmas through to the start of Lent.
On Sundays, here in church - since the beginning of January - we have
been methodically working our way through the first chapter of the gospel of
Mark.
●
Jesus spent time with John the Baptist and
John’s followers by the Jordan River;
●
Jesus took time alone with his temptations in
the Judean wilderness;
●
Jesus returned to Galilee where he proclaimed
(like John had in Judea): the kingdom of God has come near;
●
Jesus spent time by the Sea of Galilee, where he
began to acquire followers of his own;
●
Jesus taught and healed - with surprising
authority - in the Capernaum synagogue.
//
It is at this point in the narrative, that the gospel writer notes that
“at once,
[Jesus’] fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee”
(Mk1:28).
Up to this point, Jesus was able to pick and choose where he went and
with whom he interacted:
-
Jesus chose to retreat into the wilderness.
-
Jesus chose to take John’s proclamation to
Galilee.
-
Jesus chose to head down to the water where he
chose to invite Simon, John and their brothers to join him in the ministry he
was beginning.
-
Jesus chose to enter the synagogue and offer his
insights.
-
Jesus chose to offer calm and renewal to a
troubled member of the synagogue congregation.
But things changed after the people of Capernaum shared what they had
seen and heard that Saturday in the synagogue.
And it didn't take long as we heard today.
After “synagogue/church", one of Jesus’ fisherman disciples hosted
them in his home.
As soon as the sabbath ended (with the setting sun), crowds of people
began to arrive at Simon’s house longing to share in Jesus’ healing authority:
fevers were abated; physical and mental illnesses were cured.
It sounds overwhelming.
In fairness, Mark doesn't say that Jesus was unable to handle the
pressures and demands of the crowd in the way Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
present things in their play; the image that the gospel presents is that of a
healer in full control.
And yet, when people woke up the next morning, Jesus was nowhere to be
found.
We are told that Jesus chose some prayerful solitude before the sun came
up. This seems to imply that:
1.
Jesus needed to re-charge his batteries; or
2.
Jesus needed to sort out what he should do next.
...or both.
//
When Simon finally found Jesus, he said “everyone [has been] searching
for you!” I read that as saying that the
crowds were back. The news of Jesus’
authority was still spreading and even more people wanted to experience it
firsthand.
//
//
The young ministry of Jesus had already faced a few choice points.
/
It began in the Judean wilderness after Jesus’ baptism. After weeks of weighing the options, Jesus
chose not to abuse the authority he was given.
Jesus chose to return to John the
Baptist’s group and stayed among them until John was arrested.
/
At that point, Jesus then chose to return back to Galilee. The gospel text doesn't give us any details,
but, for some reason, Jesus chose not to go back to Nazareth, but to relocate
to Capernaum, where his teachings inspired James, John, Andrew and Simon to
leave their nets and follow Jesus.
/
When Jesus met the troubled man with an unclean spirit in the synagogue,
a new direction was chosen - Jesus would teach through actions as well as
words.
/
That choice
set up the choice Jesus faced in today's reading… He had prayed about it early
that morning. What Would Jesus Do?
//
‘Let us go
on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also;
for that is what I came out to do.’
//
For that is what I came out to do. Jesus seems to be saying that it
was his destined fate to be a travelling preacher-teacher.
//
//
//
That brings me to what I want to explore today.
Fate versus Choice.
Pre-destination versus Free Will.
//
Does God have our lives mapped out for us and we simply live out that
divine plan with only an illusion of choice?
or
Do we live it out our own choices and God is simply our companion along
the way: perhaps offering guidance but not forcing us on one path or another?
//
//
Predestination and Free Will are competing ideologies that
- both - have long and strong histories within christian theological
discourse. This includes many attempts
(over the centuries) to have it both ways.
Some of the arguments can get quite complicated, but the way I see it -
in the end - people really have to lean one way or the other.
//
Free Will is pretty easy to understand.
It is the belief that when faced with a choice, we make the choice based
on a search of the priorities of our hearts and minds.
While it is true that there are many circumstances that are beyond our
control - when we might argue that we have no real choice, a Free Will doctrine
would still argue that how we live in the wake of those circumstances can
vary... based on how we respond;
Free Will proposes that the path we end up on is the result of the physics of
the universe, human interactions and
our complex intersecting choices. Free
Will is the belief that God is not simply moving pieces around a chess board,
all while hacking our minds with an illusion of choice.
//
A Free Will doctrine can be uncomfortable because it is lonely. It seems to be the antithesis of the basic
hope of faith … that we are not alone; that
we live in God's world.
//
A Pre-Destination doctrine brings comfort into an uncomfortable
world. We long for a deeper meaning
behind circumstances that defy understanding.
//
We often hear Pre-Destination language in the aftermath of a
tragedy. There must be a greater purpose
behind the suffering:
●
This happened for a reason.
●
God must have a greater plan.
●
God was looking out for me.
●
A child dies… God needed a new angel.
//
People sometimes reflect on fortunate circumstances with pre-destination
language. Even when the results are
good, if we can't see the logic, pre-destination offers an explanation.
●
God wanted me to get on this plane…
●
God has blessed me...
//
A Pre-Destination doctrine can be uncomfortable because it is
cruel. It seems to be the antithesis of
the basic hope of faith … that God is
love. Logic tells us that in a
universe governed by Pre-Destination, God picks winners and losers… and the
criteria for who the losers are doesn't always make sense.
//
//
Free Will offers opportunities to have an impact in the world;
Pre-Destination offers contentment that there is a time and purpose for
everything.
//
But...
Free Will paints a lonely existence;
Pre-Destination - a cruel one.
//
//
All of this hinges on how we understand the nature of God.
Two characteristics often ascribed to God:
-
Omniscient;
-
Omnipotent.
For many of us these are the very definition of God: all-knowing and
all-powerful.
This does give rise to the skeptic’s paradoxical question: Does
God know how to make a stone that is so heavy that God is unable to lift it?
The “omnipotence paradox” comes in many forms:
●
The oldest might be from Pseudo-Dionysius in the
6th century: Can God deny himself?
●
Other variations: Can God create a prison so secure that God could not escape?
●
Can God draw a triangle who angles do not add up to 180°?
●
Or my personal favorite - Homer Simpson asking Ned Flanders: Could Jesus
microwave a burrito so hot that he, himself, could not eat it?
//
Our language forces us to anthropomorphize
God. Our ability to understand God is limited
by our human experiences. The best we
can do is imagine what we might do if we were all-powerful and all-knowing.
Here’s an ironic question on the free well, pre-destination debate:
Is God destined to use God’s omnipotence and omniscience to their
fullest potential or does God have the ability to freely choose to be less than
that?
//
In the 1999 movie, The Matrix, Morpheus tells Neo that there
is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
//
The truth is… I really don't know whether I am a slave to fate or
whether everything depends on me. I
doubt that this is a knowable known.
//
I really want to believe that I am more than an algorithm being played
out.
I really want to have my life matter.
I want the conversations we have at times like our Annual Congregational
Meeting after church today to have the potential to bring something new into
our midst.
//
I get hints that this is possible when I see all of the choices at work
within today’s gospel reading.
//
Jesus chooses to expand how he will teach people about the Realm of God.
He chooses to show wholeness and renewal in his actions as well as his
words.
Simon’s mother-in-law offers her service to guests in her home.
The disciples choose to go looking for Jesus.
//
Jesus (like John the Baptism) had been preaching a gospel of choice: The Kingdom of God
is near. Will you turn toward it and
believe in this good news?
Perhaps my best hope for free will comes from the day that Jesus came
down to the lake shore: I will be fishing
for people. Will you come and follow me?
Simon, James and their brothers chose to leave their boats on the
shoreline and seek other seas when Jesus called their names.
//
The book of Acts tells us that this same Simon (now going by Peter) told the full story
of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection to stunned crowds during the Festival of
Weeks (fifty days after the first Easter) and 3,000 people chose to walk the
path discipleship that day.
//
//
Maybe I have free will, but God exists beyond linear time and knows
(ahead of time) what I will choose. ??
//
For me… I will assume that my choices matter.
And… I will assume that God remains my companion, regardless of where
those choices take me.
//
If God can have it both ways, I will too.
//
I will take seriously the invitation to be the hands and feet of Christ
in the world, without expecting my god to force my actions.
God, for me, is my companion and guide - not my auto-pilot.
//
I will walk the paths I choose, but I will never walk alone.
//
Guided by testaments, old and new...
-
I choose kindness, mercy and humility.
-
I choose faith, hope and love.
//
And… I will greet the Christ-light in you as we find ourselves sharing
the road.
//
I believe that we will make a difference… because we can.
//
//
Let us
pray:
Holy
God, we seek wisdom to make good choices so that we may advance Jesus’ good
news. Be with us on this journey.
Amen.
***offering***
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