felix hominum

sermon notes Pentecost 7: Matthew 10: 40-42

Matthew 10:40-42

10:40 "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

10:41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous;

10:42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple -- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

I want to try to convince you, gentle reader, that this is not a descending order.  It is an ascending order.  Let me put it this way.  I find it more likely that one might recognize and welcome a prophet or a righteous man, than go out of one's busy way to do such an insignificant task as offering water "to one of these little ones."  But I have a sneaking suspicion that in the upside down structure of the Kingdom, we have more difficulty realizing that such small acts actually have eternal significance.

A prophet, a righteous person, and a little one - sounds like the beginning of a joke.  I have sometimes wondered about this passage from Matthew's Gospel.  Is this a descending order?  Do these actions and people start at the top, as it were, and then work their way down?   Or are they on equal footing?   Or is this an inversion; building up to the point where you can see the glory in giving a cup of cold water to one the little ones as actually the highest point?

I think one of the inversions of the Kingdom of God is that the greatest glory is found in unexpected places.  You can perhaps easily recognize a prophet or a righteous person as someone whom God 'favours' (don't take that the wrong way).   But when do we stop to see the eternal value in offering the cup of water to the "little ones"?   We naturally seek the "great and the glorious" - because there is something in us that pulls us toward glory. I recall the buzz for tickets when Desmond Tutu came to speak at the U of A Human Rights Lectureship.  The same committee had a member who expressed "absolutely no interest"  in having Jean Vanier come and talk about, well, the little ones.  Our perception has been skewed, and mistake importance for glory.  But enough on that theme for now.

This section comes as part of the missional discourse in Matthew's gospel.  There are themes of "welcoming" and "sending".  Jesus has just finished talking about the sending part in last week's reading.  You know - some will like you and some will really, really, not like you.  So we have heard about sending, and we have heard about the negative welcomes, and now we are going to hear about the "positive welcomings".

It is a rather staggering claim that Jesus is making in v 40.  The welcome of a disciple in mission is a welcoming of Christ, which is a welcoming of the Father.  It is marvellous that Jesus puts us in the same position as himself so many times: as He has been sent, so He sends us.

Well, it's time to move on to other tasks; we'll pick it up again in a day or two.

The latte has now been ordered, so a few more thoughts will be posted in a while. For those who find such things helpful, some takes on the patron/client relationship of representation to which Jesus could be alluding.  This is nothing particular to the ancient culture in which Jesus is speaking - it is a widespread political norm.  As St Paul says,  "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us".[2 Cor 5:20]  To welcome the representative is to welcome the one represented.  And as the last part of the missionary discourse in Matthew, we are finally reminded that we are sent as representatives of Christ, and Christ of God.

That word "welcome" comes up so many times that it would also seem an obvious choice for the focus of a sermon.  I suspect their are two basic approaches:  welcoming others and welcoming Christ.  Various leanings in the church might tend to emphasize one over the other;  I think that the two are necessarily connected, like the two great commandments.  We love God and we love our neighbour.  We welcome Christ and we welcome even the "little ones" in his name.  A few of us were chatting earlier today about this passage, and we got around to that old topic of how welcoming we are as a church.  The passage speaks to the whole ministry of hospitality which Christians need to practice.  It also predicates this ministry upon our own "welcome" to Christ:  how do we invite Him into our lives?

One other thing which keeps coming back to my mind is the notion that the giving of the cup of cold water - the "small act" - is the stuff of which a holy life is made.  Growth in discipleship and holiness is not to be found in a few occasional spurts of encounters with prophets, but in the thousands of small acts and decisions which make up the bulk of our lives. These are the daily acts of "giving the cup of cold water" which , practiced over the course of a lifetime, make up Christian character.

sermon notes Pentecost 5, Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)

I'll be updating through the day, as time and caffeine allow...

For those who see the assigned texts each week, it is interesting to note the parentheses.  Now without looking for trouble, it is worth just thinking for a moment about what part of the reading is "optional":  the part in which Jesus speaks about the difficulties and persecutions of those who are involved in the mission described in the first part of the reading, and of the judgment against those communities which decide against receiving the "kingdom" which "has come near".  It is certainly understandable why some would not want such sayings included in the reading.  They are difficult to stomach for many.  Yet it is worth thinking about:  are such things truly optional?  Can we conveniently place parentheses around such things, as if they either are relegated to the past (perhaps they are specifically contextual to the setting) or that such difficulties should no longer be expected on this side of the Resurrection?  There are a whole host of questions and thoughts simply around the themes of judgment against "that town" which rejects the mission of the kingdom, and the persecution of those who proclaim the kingdom.

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

But back to the beginning of this week's reading. 

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’

Then Jesus went about... - What's with the "then"?  What has just happened before this reading?  Well, he has just called Matthew, done a few healings, and had spent some time in his own home town.  So now he goes to "all the cities and villages".  Even though Jesus will instruct his followers to go first to the towns of the Jews, there is a sense here that the mission of Jesus is expanding outward:  from his own town to all the cities and villages.  And remember as well that at the end of Matthew we have the greater expansion, from Jerusalem outward to all the nations.  There are a few things worth noting:  the good news is the kingdom;  it is accompanied by signs (the cures and healings which we have already seen in Matthew).  Jesus' compassion on the crowds is understood in the context of the lack of good shepherds to guide them.  In fact, Matthew tells us that they were "harassed and helpless".  The one terms makes us think in the active sense, the other in the passive.  Who is harassing these sheep?  Is it the false shepherds?  Or is it that they are in this state because there is a lack of shepherds, hence the call to ask for more labourers?  Bit of a mixed metaphor, but we get the picture.  For those who see that last verse as primarily a "call to action" (which it undoubtedly is), I would suggest that the primary action is that of "asking".  That is, our first action, prior to mission, is prayer.

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

Here we have a great pool of saints' names for various Anglican churches, although "Judas Iscariot" has gone out of style for some reason...  Oh yes, "the one who betrayed him", which Matthew adds just to make sure we know.  But perhaps he adds that line in anticipation of the  verses which end the reading:  betrayal, persecution, "brother handing over brother".  I think it is a rather subtle rendering on Matthew's part.  Why should we be surprised about the persecutions and betrayals in 10: 9 ff?  We have already been reminded that even one of the 12 is capable of betrayal.  Shows Matt's cohesion, thought and style as a writer.  On a more positive note, we see that Jesus gives authority to his 12 disciples (including, at this point, we must include Judas).  The disciples are equipped for the mission which Jesus gives.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”

sermon notes Matthew 7: 21-29; Pentecost 3

Matthew 7:21-29

[21] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. [22] On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?'  [23] Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'

[24] "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.  [25] The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.  [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  [27] The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!"

[28] Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, [29] for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

For obscurity or detail sake, you could have a look at "Broken Parallelism in Matthew’s Parable of the Two Builders" (Direction, 2004).  Most English translations render an exact parallelism, instead of rendering the difference between verbs in v 25 and 27.

Sort of starting in the middle, I am struck by the imagery of the rain and the flood coming.  I think that what Jesus is getting at in train and flood imagery is the flash flood which can hit in the late winter rainy season.  Here's a brief bit of news on a recent flash flood near the Dead Sea:

The body of a Jewish American cantor who drowned in a flash flood near the Dead Sea on Monday was set to be flown back to the U.S. on Tuesday for burial, police said.

The man, David Tauber, was killed near the Dead Sea on Monday when floodwaters raced down the riverbed where he was hiking with his wife, according to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. His wife, Heather Tauber, survived and was treated by medics on the scene...

"[The downpour] was a minor event until it suddenly turned tragic," Merav Ayalon, a spokesperson for Kibbutz Ein Gedi said.

News story here.

That last quote is telling.  There is a suddenness to the floods with which Jesus' audience would have been familiar.  Not like our idea of flood - we have a few days forecast, we watch rivers rise, we can predict the rate at which things will happen.  Anyway, just a little food for thought before I get my caffeine fix and work on the rest of the reading.

 

sermon notes Pentecost 2; Matthew 6: 24-34

What with the early Easter and Pentecost and all that, we are going with: Isaiah 49:8-16a;  Psalm 131;  1 Corinthians 4:1-5;  Matthew 6:24-34.  Things will be filled in over the next couple of days...  For now I have to call someone about a small leak in one of the rads in the sanctuary.

Matthew 6:24-34
[24] "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.  [25] Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Remember that just a few few verses before this, Jesus has told his hearers that there heart and their treasure seem to share the same geography - where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  So on one level he is following up on this.

While there is a tendency to think primarily in terms of trusting (trusting God vs trusting wealth), Jesus begins by talking about serving.  The language used to set the scene is one of servitude or slavery.  Trust involves choice, but slavery involves no choice - it is forced upon you.  What we are faced with is not a decision as to whether or not we will serve a master, but only what kind of master we will serve.  And Jesus wants to prod the fence sitters:  "a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other."  There does not seem to be much middle ground there.  Can God and wealth be so opposed?  Well, perhaps not, but serving God and serving wealth certainly are.

do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink

Someone I read pointed out that we can trust Jesus to take away our sins and give us eternal life, but we have trouble trusting him for the next sandwich.  Says a lot, doesn't it?

Jesus gives us a roundabout question:  of course we are supposed to agree with him that "life is more than food, and the body more than clothing".  But we are then faced with the question:  what is the "more"?  What the "more" is will be told in verse 33.  But for now we are told what we are to avoid:  worrying about life in terms of food, drink and clothing.  In a society whose financial (at least retirement) industry is built on the foundation of worry, this is either a frightening or a freeing message.  Makes me think of the collect for morning prayer (BCP): "whose service is perfect freedom". 

[26] Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  [27] And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? [28] And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, [29] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.  [30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?

Jesus turns our attention not to the negative characteristics of "wealth", but to the positive characteristics of God.  It is interesting how his persuasion proceeds.  He does not preach here against the evils of wealth or possessions.  Instead, Jesus asks us to consider the character of God, our "heavenly Father."  This is the true starting point, and a good lesson in apologetics:  begin with the goodness of God, rather than with the fault of that which you are trying to condemn. 

Secondly, we are invited to consider ourselves in terms of realizing that we are worth something to God - are you not of more value than they? We might tend to slip over this verse, perhaps out of a fear of  - oh I don't know -  thinking too highly of ourselves or something like that.  Fair enough;  there is more than enough back-patting in Christian circles;  why do we need an affirmation or mini-course in self esteem at this point?  I'm not really sure, but for some reason Jesus asks us to consider, really consider, that we have value in God's eyes.  I wonder if this is more connected with the preceding thought:  our value in God's eyes is due to the goodness of His character, rather than of ours.

[31] Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'  [32] For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  [33] But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  [34] So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

There is a good deal of food for thought when this gospel passage is heard alongside Isaiah:

They shall feed along the ways, on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;  they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them...But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me." Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.  See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.

The question about what we shall eat and drink takes can take on a new meaning when heard in the context of communion.  With what do we feed our souls?  There is a marvellous answer to that question for those who hold to a higher view of the sacramental grace offered to us in the Eucharist.

Will continue tomorrow...

Tent dwelling; near Bergama, central west Turkey (May 2008)

sermon notes Easter 4: John 10: 1-10

[in progress - I'll update it over the course of the next two coffees - was looking for some specific pics I took over the last several years which give us a good illustration of this saying:  basically you have a rock wall enclosure, and the shepherd lays down in the opening as the "gate" - vivid image]

All the other readings this Sunday also deal with the theme of shepherding.  The reading from 1 Peter and Ps 23 are both obvious, but the reading from Acts 2: 42-47 also deals with shepherding. It might not be obvious what the connection is between the Acts reading and the reading from John's Gospel, but I believe there is one.  In this part of John's Gospel, Jesus does not refer to himself as a shepherd;  rather he is the the gate and/or the gatekeeper.  In this way he is the one by whom true 'shepherd' (as opposed to bandits and thieves) come in and take care of the sheep.  So Jesus points also to the other 'shepherds' of the flocks - those whom God has called to serve that ministry for the flock.  They are not to 'climb over the wall'.  That is, they need to go through the gate/keeper, who is Jesus, in order to have an authentic ministry among the sheep.  It is here that the reading from Acts comes in.  It gives us a model of what authentic ministry of the shepherds of the flock looked like.  Acts gives us a snapshot of early ministry among the 'sheep' of those shepherds who have come in by way of Jesus.

In the sermons I've preached and heard about passages which deal with the whole shepherd/sheep thing, I have found what I think are two errors of approach.  The first is the tendency to make the passages more about the character of the sheep than about the character of the shepherd. No doubt there is room for looking at both, but I think we need to look more at the character of the shepherd first, and then look at the character of the sheep.  Why start with ourselves, why not start by asking what it is that a shepherd of the people is supposed to do?  Shepherd was a term used of both religious and politic al leaders in the ancient world.  We all see that the image has a long history in the Old Testament.  The leaders of Israel were referred to as shepherds.  We have of course the familiar story of David, the shepherd who was to become King;  we have the story of Moses, who was tending the flocks when he received his calling.

Which brings me to the second thing:  what do we think about being called sheep?  I got into a conversation a few days ago at a local café about the question – what do you think Jesus means when he refers to his people as sheep?  That is, why are we considered sheep?  There was the usual “dumb animals” bit, you know, how we are simply in need of shepherds and how we tend to wander.  This line of interpretation, while it has some value, also has its deficiencies.  There are two better places to start.  First is that it is not so much about the character of the sheep, as the character of the shepherd.   

Throughout the scriptures we can tend to forget that sheep were valuable animals.  A man’s wealth was indicated by the number of flocks he had.  Sheep, from the point of view of the shepherd, are valuable.  That is why we hear parables in which Jesus tells us that the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, that he will leave the 99 who are safe and go after the one who is lost.  If you are a sheep, you are worth something, you are valued, you are sought after.

10:1 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Somewhere I have some pics of this rural village scene.  It's on my other computer.  I'll post it if I find time tomorrow.  Gives you a good physical image.  The old stone-walled sheep pen, shepherds (all rather young, by the way)...

While Jesus is referred to as the good shepherd later in this section of John, in this reading he is the gate or the gatekeeper, and it appears that he is able to subcontract shepherding out to others.  Well, okay, he calls others to act as shepherds.  So this passage speaks of Jesus as the way by which those called come to be among the flock.  It is an image of the shared ministry which God has given to Jesus and to his Body, the Church.  There will be those who are more than happy to fill in specific names for thieves and bandits, but let's leave that alone for now.

It is interesting to note that the way the "figure of speech" is told in one order here at the start, and then told in reverse order in the explanation (vv 7ff).  Here Jesus begins with the negative:  there is a history of bandits and thieves who were supposed to shepherd Israel, but didn't.  The image here is one of access to the sheep.  How does one get in among the sheep?  The way to get in is through Jesus.  On one level this addresses issues of leadership.   If someone in the sheepfold did not get in by the gate (who is Jesus), then that person is up to no good.

Question:  "The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."  To whom is the pronoun referring?  [A] The gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd. The sheep hear the voice of the shepherd, and follow it.  [B] The gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd.  The sheep hear the voice of the gatekeeper, and follow it.  Only when we get to the verses following this reading (11 ff) do we definitely identify Jesus as the shepherd.

4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers."

6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.   7 So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.  8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

One of the key words in John's Gospel is "life". Just google it and you will see what a dominant theme this is for Jesus in John's Gospel.  I have a sense that only those who have come to encounter the risen Christ will begin to grasp what this abundant life is.  Not "what it means", but what it is. There is a difference.  And perhaps for some who come to our churches, sing a few songs, echo a few prayers and go away asking themselves "Is this all there is?", we need to point them to this.

What is it to have abundant life?  Those who have never read Walter Bruggeman's work on the liturgy of abundance and the myth of scarcity might find it an interesting read. 

The language Jesus uses is imagery of overflowing, of excess.  We spend our lives crying out “not enough”, while Jesus offers us abundant life. We spend our time – of which there is never enough, making money – of which there is never enough, so that we can live in our house (which is never big enough) and drive our car (which is never new enough) and spend our free time (of which there is never enough) relaxing, only to repeat the cycle, sometimes in the company of a spouse (who is never-fill in the blank- ___ enough, children (who are never well behaved enough), and the constant cry is never enough.  We are asked to give to the Church – but we live in such an attitude of “never enough” that we are afraid to take even the simplest risk of faith.

One of the temptations here is to impose our own notion of 'abundance' on the words of Jesus.  One form can be the prosperity Gospel (God loves you and wants you to be rich), but I don't think that is what Jesus had in mind.

sermon notes: Easter 3: Luke 24:13-35

The "road to Emmaus" story from Luke's Gospel is a favorite for many people.  There are so many things in it which resonate with us.  There is the theme of walking together, of Christ "coming alongside" us unawares, there is the mysterious "burning in our hearts" as Jesus explains the Scriptures, the theme of not/recognizing Jesus, knowing Him in the breaking of the bread, we have two disciples walking away from Jerusalem only to return to Jerusalem.  It's a start, at which I will pick away over the next day or two.

13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.  15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

The opening of the story shows two disciples walking away from Jerusalem.  It is a great image with which to begin.  After all the events of the past several days (let alone years), we have these two walking away, perhaps more than a bit disillusioned about the whole Jesus project.

One of the most puzzling, but most consistent features of the resurrection appearances of Jesus is the fact that so many of his followers did not recognize him when he first appeared.  On Easter Sunday we heard the story of Mary, who mistook him for the gardener, and now today we have two disciples who also fail to recognize him at first.

They are walking along and discussing the recent events in Jerusalem.  And in the midst of their walking, Jesus himself just sidles in and joins the group.  That in itself is an interesting feature:  Jesus comes along, without making a particular announcement about his arrival.  And like so many others, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”  Now before you jump to any conclusions, perhaps we need to ask why their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 

Some have supposed that Jesus – God – had done something to prevent them from recognizing him, as if their “tunnel vision” was something imposed on them from the outside.  But a closer look at the story reveals that it was they themselves who kept their eyes from recognizing Jesus.

17 And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad.  18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" 19 He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.

Jesus' question to them has an arresting quality - it stops them in their tracks.  Imagination can fill in the blanks here with several possibilities.  "They stood still, looking sad."  Perhaps they are absorbed in their grief and disappointment or confusion over what they thought would turn out differently.  It is interesting to compare their description of Jesus with the declaration of Thomas from last week.  Do they have a limited understanding of (or faith in) who Jesus is?

21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.  22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,  23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.  24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him."

"But we had hoped..."  And here I think we can all fill in the blank with our own personal disappointment or disillusionment.  We had hoped God would do this or that, we had hoped that Jesus would do this or that.  It is such a common experience - we had hoped for this or that, but we are disappointed in our hope.  The two disciples had heard the testimony of the women (but it seems that testimony was dismissed).  It is really quite ironic - the two disciples telling Jesus about some key events in His life, and then telling Him about their own expectations of what they hoped the Messiah would be.  And of course, He is the One who redeems Israel, but not in the way they think He does.  This misunderstanding of the kind of "Messiah" Jesus is sets up Jesus' response to them:

25 Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!  26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

Now it is Jesus' turn to talk about Himself.  The disciples' explanation is inadequate, and we have Jesus explaining His own life and ministry.  Jesus' words here probably strike us as a bit of a dressing down for these two grieving disciples.  Not a terribly "pastoral" way of engaging these two!  While we don't have specific footnotes on Jesus' exegetical interpretation of the Old Testament, we have an image of Jesus telling us that the Hebrew Scriptures tell us about the Messiah.  Specifically, Jesus gives us the images of "suffering" and then "entering into glory".  When Jesus "begins with Moses" we can take that to mean the whole of the Torah - the 5 books of Moses at the beginning of our Bible.

As a connecting note, we might want to jump ahead to where Jesus is "known in the breaking of the bread", but we also come to learn that their hearts were "burning" while Jesus opened the Scriptures to them.  Word and Sacrament go together. 

28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them.  30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.  31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.  32 They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?"

Jesus is quite a character in this story.  First he comes up alongside them unawares, then gives them a lesson with saying that He himself is the object of the lesson, and now it seems he gives the impression that he intends to go on ahead of them.  Maybe he really was going to go on ahead.  Maybe He was giving them an opportunity to show love by offering Him hospitality.  The image here is a reversal of Jesus' call to the disciples to watch with him even one hour only a few nights ago.  A million sermons revolve around the breaking of the bread as a "eucharistic" kind of image - which is not an entirely bad thing in and of itself.  But the disciples' words about their hearts burning while He opened the Scriptures is the necessary prelude to recognizing Him in the breaking of the bread.  Word and Sacrament.

It is also interesting to note that while they invite Jesus to stay with them, it is actually Jesus who performs the duty of the host:  it is Jesus who offers them hospitality by breaking the bread and giving it to them.  Even when the disciples think they have something to offer Jesus, it is really Jesus who is offering something to them.

33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.  34 They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!"  35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

And now the physical imagery changes direction.  Instead of heading away from Jerusalem, they are now returning.  (I keep thinking of the Neoplatonic exitus-reditus theme, but somehow I don't think I will work that into a sermon...)  At any rate, the disciples now return with joy and a sense of urgency - "that same hour".  And they join the other witnesses of the Resurrected Christ:  both what had happened "on the road" and at the "breaking of the bread."

sermon notes - Lent 1 Matthew 4: 1-11

At the beginning of the Lenten season we look at the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.  A story like our own, and yet unlike.  It is like our own in that we are all tempted; it is unlike our own in that we, unlike Jesus, fall short.  In this story from Matthew’s Gospel, we see Jesus being “tempted’ or tested by the devil – the spiritual being who is the representation of all that wishes to oppose God.  Jesus faces three temptations – each one somewhat different, and each one having something in common.

4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  4:2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.

Before we begin, let’s just set the context a bit:  Jesus has just come from his baptism, where God has declared:  “this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”.  The Spirit has descended upon him, and it is said that he was “led up by the Spirit” into this wilderness place.

The First Temptation:

4:3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

What is this temptation about?  Jesus is, quite naturally, probably a fair bit hungry after a time of fasting in the wilderness.  Fasting is a difficult spiritual discipline to practice because we are so accustomed to taking care of our physical needs. To intentionally deny our physical selves is at best, (we tend to think), counter intuitive, and often downright unnatural.   There are really two parts to this temptation:  first is just the temptation for Jesus to break his discipline of fasting – after all, to satisfy our physical selves is the first thing we often think of.  The second part of the temptation is to “command” the stones to instantly become bread – to force it to happen, to take a shortcut from the spiritual discipline of fasting and just give in and eat.  But there are no shortcuts in the spiritual life.

4:4 But he answered, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"  Of course Jesus answers by quoting the Scriptures:  What we have in Matthew’s gospel is only the first part of the quotation from Deuteronomy.  The full quote, as I’m sure you remember (or you can google like I did), goes like this:

“He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”

What kind of answer does this give?  There is some stuff to flesh out in the full text of the quote, which I’ll probably pursue later.  But for now, Jesus is reminding us that we have physical needs (which certainly are important) but we also have spiritual needs.  We are body and soul – we are physical and spiritual creatures.  To feed only our bodies, without feeding our spirits, is a temptation.  This season of Lent invites us to consider how we nourish our hearts, how we “live by every word that comes from the mouth of God”.  It invites us also to listen – it is hard to hear the word of God until we still the background noise in our lives.  On what do we live?:  bread alone, or by the word of God?

The Second Temptation

4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,
4:6 saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Now the story gets a little more complicated.  The devil takes Jesus up to the Temple, and while there are there he decides to throw in some passages of Scripture as well.

If we consider just the setting for this temptation, it should give us pause.  For in the progression of these three temptations, the last is the one about the place of worship.  The Temple was the particular place of ancient worship, the place of the Holy of Holies – and yet at the very pinnacle of the Temple, there is temptation.  I suspect that things have not changed all that much in the last 2000 years.  There is as much temptation in the church as there is on any streetcorner on the Vegas strip – and maybe more.  One can always want to use the things of God for one’s own purposes.  The church is not immune from temptation, and its offspring – sin.  Temptation can take place in the ancient temple and in the sanctuary of the contemporary church.  Temptation to both of the other things:  failure to pay attention to the matters of the heart, and the desire for power – to have things my way.  The church is not immune from all the temptations which beset any other group of individuals who gather together.

But what is the particular form of the temptation here in Matthew’s gospel?  Prove that you are who you say you are, and prove something about this “word that proceeds from the mouth of God”.  After all, it is written that God will do these things for you.

4:7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

The Third Temptation:

4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor;
4:9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."

Next we have a temptation to power and authority over others for one’s own purposes, and through wrong means.  Power in and of itself is not the temptation.  The temptation comes in when one asks:  how will this power be gained?  What price am I willing to pay to get that power over others, and all the temporary glory that comes with it?  “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”  The temptation here is told in its largest form – all the kingdoms of the world.  But we can all fall into this temptation in our own little worlds – the desire to use power and authority unjustly over anyone in our sphere.  The temptation to get and use power over others is of course the opposite of what Jesus exemplifies in his life – instead, as we follow the gospel story, we see that Jesus ends up “powerless” according to the kingdoms of this world, and one of his last acts is of servanthood – as he washes the feet of his disciples.  It doesn’t matter how big or small our kingdom is – it might be an empire, it might be an office, it might be a living room – we all are tempted to have unjust power over others.

There is, as well, a second part to this temptation:  do we assume that the devil is telling the truth in this story? and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.

Is that true?  Is it really the devil’s to give away?  “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof”, says the psalm.   And Jesus reminds Pilate “you would have no authority over me had it not been given you from above”.  So what we have in this temptation is a lie, masquerading as truth.  The world is God’s – God is the one in charge here, not the devil.  It is a lie – a false promise.  And this lie is at the heart of every temptation.  You see, temptation promises to deliver something that it actually has no power to deliver.  Like the first story of temptation in the garden of Eden, when they were told – you will not die, you will be like God.

4:8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"  In Jesus’ answer two things are linked together:  worship and service:  whatever or whoever we worship will not be told by our words, but by our actions:  whatever we serve, that is our god.

sermon notes - Transfiguration, Matthew 17:1-9

This week's option ffor the last Sunday after Epiphany will be the feast of the Transfiguration.  The story occurs in all 3 synoptic Gospels, with some variation of details.  See Luke 9:28 ff and Mark 9.  A coupling can easily be made with the other readings this week.  Exodus 24:12-18 tells us the story of God giving the Commandments (lit 'words') from Sinai.  A comparison of the words from the two mountains can make a good start.  The new word from the mountaintop is that Jesus is the Beloved, and to listen to him is the key to the new commandment.  2 Peter 1:16-21 makes reference to the transfiguration "on the holy mountain" (this is the new Sinai?), and the letter says something of the nature of revelation.

Here's a start, will do more after lunch...

Matthew 17:1-9

1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.

We have a setting like that of Sinai - a sort of divine revelation on a mountaintop.  A note on the geography.  Tabor, the traditional site of the Transfiguration, is lush, (Mt. Hermon is a strong possibility, and it is a source for the Jordan...streams of water).  The traditional site of Sinai (or any other site you might want to suggest as plausible) is mountain desert.  I find it an interesting geographic contrast to think about - both Tabor and Hermon are so geographically different from anything in the Sinai, north or south...   What exactly goes on when Jesus is "transfigured"?  It is not merely the same as what we think of as being "changed".  Essentially, who Jesus is on the "inside" is made physically manifest on the "outside".  His physical appearance tells us something about his identity.

Most of us want "change" on the outside;  God wants change on the inside.  Remember that when Moses came down from the mountain, "his face shone".  This is rather like a spiritual sunburn - Moses reflected God's glory.  It was not something which came from within, but something that came from without.  In the person of Jesus, the glory that was hidden within is now made manifest.

3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

Moses and Elijah - representing the law and the prophets bearing witness to who Jesus is.  Meanwhile, Peter does what too many of us tend to do:  when God is doing something amazing, we focus on building projects.  Now it doesn't of course have to be a building project, but when Jesus makes his presence known, that is what we should pay attention to.  If God is at work, don't get bogged down in the wrong things.  We can be like Peter when we spend our time and energy on the "externals" - the mere trappings of church - and then we can miss out on the presence of Jesus in our midst.

5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"  6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.

7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Church of the Transfiguration/ Mt Tabor/ Israel/ 2007

UPDATE:  lunch is now well finished.  Now where was I?  Oh yes, the Transfiguration.  There is something to be said for learning to see the glory in Christ.  Parallel to this is learning to see the glory in each creature made in the image of God.  To see Jesus for who he really is should have a profound effect.  Likewise, seeing every other human being as a creature made in the image of God should also have a profound effect.

The voice from the cloud is an echo of the voice heard at Jesus' baptism.  It speaks not only of Jesus' identity, but also of his relationship to the Father.  And then there is that little addition:  "Listen to him."  If the Israelites were to listen to Moses and the revelation from the old mountain, how much more are to listen to Jesus, and the revelation from the new mountain. 

The phrase "this is my beloved..." connects the two episodes of baptism and transfiguration in the person of Christ.  And I suppose that we are to see the connection in ourselves:  as we are called in baptism to be beloved of God, so we are also called to be, well, not exactly transfigured yet, but changed.  And there is a pointing forward in the reference to the resurrection to the renewed body, the resurrected life, the fully transfigured life which will be given to us in God's grace.  It is only after death and resurrection that the final transfiguration takes place. 

That whole fear thing throws people for a loop, eh?  The disciples fear simply the sound of the voice; I wonder if they comprehended at the time what the words were actually saying? 

All too often we castigate these expressions of fear on the part of humans as some sort of divine bullying - as if the disciples' fear was God's fault.  It is entirely possible, and I think more likely, that human fear at the manifest presence of God is rather an indication of problems within ourselves, rather than in God.  Jesus touches and reassures:  do not be afraid.

This passage is a fitting end to the Epiphany season - we have follwed Jesus from birth, to early childhood, to baptism - all events which gave us insight into who he is.  The Transfiguration gives us a "final" glimpse of who he is.  The season of revelation is complete.

sermon notes: Epiphany 2; John 1:29-42

This is as far as I've gotten on this week's lections.  I've got a wedding on Saturday, so I've devoted most the sermon prep time this week to that event.... so here's the plan (if it works):  leave a comment with an idea or point and then check back and the sermon will have been written by collaborative effort... :^)

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel."

As we continue along in the epiphany season, we see more of who Jesus is.  After his birth and baptism, we have another testimony as to who Jesus is.  John the Baptist begins with a simple declaration:  Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.  In our own church we repeat this sentiment every week when we say (or sing) the Agnus Dei.  What does it mean that Jesus is the “Lamb of God”?  One can immediately make associations with the Passover Lamb, and see in this statement of John a connection to the larger narrative of Scripture. The statement by John the Baptist tells us both who Jesus is (lamb), and also what he does (takes away the sins...).  It may be helpful initially to think of these two things as separate, but of course who Jesus is and what he does are intimately linked.   Who he is leads to what he does. 

There is an echo of the intro to John’s Gospel when the Baptist says that “he was before me”.

Last week’s readings spoke to us of “revelation”, and this week the theme continues.  Twice John says “I myself did not know him”, and yet John baptized that Jesus “might be revealed to Israel.”  There is a sense in which we are to understand that, like John the Baptist, we do not “naturally” know who Jesus is.  We all begin like John – not knowing Jesus.  But then comes this idea of Jesus being “revealed”. Hmmm…

32 And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."

John the Baptist continues his testimony.  The pairing of water and Spirit is introduced, which will come up again in the conversation with Nicodemus and the woman at the well.  You can find the rest yourself.  There is also that curious notion of the Spirit remaining.  John’s gospel has themes of remaining, staying, abiding.  It seems that this is one way in which Jesus is distinguished from OT prophets.  The Spirit does not come and go in Jesus’ case.  The Spirit remains.  There is also a contrast between the baptism of John and the baptism which Jesus gives.  Everything Jesus touches, he changes:  this is like water into wine.  Jesus transformed the baptism of water into baptism with the Holy Spirit.

35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

Quite remarkable that you can just see the lamb of God walking around.  Even more remarkable is that John the Baptist doesn't seem to mind that two of his disciples have started to follow after Jesus. "Don't be afraid to lose people to the Kingdom."

38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?"  39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.

The basics of evangelism:  invite people to come and see.

40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

sermon notes - Baptism of the Lord, Matthew 3: 13-17

[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.
[14] John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
[15] But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.
[16] And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
[17] And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

The first thing that strikes me about this passage is simply this: we do not baptize ourselves.  Even Christ submitted to baptism by John.  This was not only a recognition of John's ministry. In the process, Jesus transformed John's baptism of repentance into something greater.

John echoes a common sentiment:  I need something from God, and yet God comes and asks something of me?  What John says is very true.  He needs the baptism of Christ (which is baptism with the Spirit), and yet Jesus comes to him.  Jesus uses the plural in his response - "it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness".  What is this all about?  Jesus says neither "it is proper for you", nor does he say "it is proper for me".  Instead he initiates a model for Christian ministry.  God deigns to ask our cooperation in making his grace known and expressed in the world.  We should avoid the two-fold trap of thinking it's all up to us or thinking it's all up to God and that we have nothing to do but sit back and watch. "It is proper for us".

Then we have the visual sign - the Spirit of God descending and alighting on him.  Often, Christians have seen in the baptismal stories signs of the Trinity - Father, Son and Spirit all present.  The presence of the Spirit and the voice are the beginnings of further confirmation of Jesus' identity.  This identity and the signs which confirm it, are also the topic of Peter's message as recorded in Acts 10:

...beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;  but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

It is the fullness of Jesus' identity which makes this feast fitting for the Epiphany season - the manifestation of who Jesus is.

gotta go, will resume later this pm.

speaking of the ridiculous:

The story is told about the baptism of King Aengus by St. Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. Sometime during the rite, St. Patrick leaned on his sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the king's foot. After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king's forgiveness. Why did you suffer this pain in silence, the Saint wanted to know. The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual."

quote via Our Hearts Are Restless

Now where was I?  Put in the context of a liturgical calendar, the baptism of the Lord is part of the manifestation of who Jesus is.  At Christmas we celebrated the Incarnation, and in the reading from Acts we see Peter telling giving us a Cole's notes version of Christ's ministry and work on earth.  You can see the seeds of a "creed" in the words reported by Luke.  We are getting a fuller portrait of who Jesus is.

The primary identity of Jesus is one of "love".  He is the Beloved Son.  One of the themes which I think I will develop is the notion that we, our in our baptisms, are also called into an identity.  The truth of who we are, the full reality of who and what we are can only be realized when we are known as God's beloved, and as we in turn respond to God in love.  We tend to look for identity in a variety of idols, but Christ calls first and foremost, to find our identity in God's love.