Morning after thoughts, 6th Sun after Epiphany

Well, there are still many things swirling around in my mind about this text.....like, for instance, the way it ends:

(vs 45) "But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter."

99 out of 100 commentators take that to mean that Jesus is now *so popular* because the [former] leper didn't keep his mouth shut like Jesus had *sternly* told him. Due to this extreme popularity, the tiny narrow streets & alleyways simply could not accommodate the huge crowds of the villages that desired to see Jesus, so now he had to stay out in the countryside.
I generally accept that this is the original intent behind Mark's point, however, the alternative is at least worth considering.

We have to remember that Jesus JUST TOUCHED A LEPER. That makes HIM unclean now. Even if he doesn't contract leprosy himself, he still needs to go through the prescribed purification process in order to become "clean" again. It's as though he touched a dead body. Furthermore, if he was interested enough in upholding the Jewish customs concerning these things that he instructed the Leper to go to a priest & submit to the prescribed manner of being declared "clean," (vs 44), then he should do the same, HIMSELF, given that he had just had physical contact with a Leper. And here's the thing......maybe he *did*.....but Mark doesn't say he did. It just says now he can't go into the villages. Maybe it's because he's too popular.......but *maybe* it's because he's been associating with the wrong people. Maybe it's because a large segment of the culture now views Jesus as UNCLEAN.

The thing about that latter possibility is that there will always be the risk that when we TRY to follow Jesus....when we TRY to go where he went and interact with the hurting, disenfranchised, like he did, we'll end up touching the "wrong" people and losing points in the "in crowd" for it. This takes wisdom and discernment. To lose face for being a jerk or a weirdo is not our calling. But to lose face for touching the lepers of our society is.

cheers,

TM

Morning after thoughts, 2nd after Epiphany

Well, perhaps the biggest thing still percolating around in my mind from yesterday's text comes from the last 2 verses (Jn 1:50-51):

50 Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." (NRSV)

I didn't really touch on these verses in my sermon, as to do so would've doubled its length. There are, however, a couple of interesting details. For one, Jesus begins by addressing only Nathanael, but he ends by broadening his focus and addressing whoever else is there. This is seen most clearly in the King James & Amplified versions of the Bible. Check this out:

v51 KJV: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter **ye** (archaic plural) shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

v51 Amp: Then He said to him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell **you all**, you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

The point being that WHATEVER it is that Jesus is talking about, it will be witnessed by MORE than just Nathanael. And that brings me to my second point...

The mention of angels ascending & descending appears to be a clear elusion to the OT account of "Jacob's Ladder." From Gen 28:12: "And he (Jacob) dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."

Jacob was convinced that he was at the very gate or doorstep of heaven.....the PLACE where divisions and boundaries between heaven and earth are blurred.

Perhaps this was Jesus' point....that *HE* is that PLACE. The angels ascend/descend on HIM because he is the ladder or connecting point between heaven and earth.....Divine and mortal in ONE. What's more, our understanding of the Eucharist would continue this thinking. The *reason* we can say that "angels, archangels, and all the Saints of heaven" are **present** with us in our Eucharistic liturgy is because of the Real Presence of Christ in the sacrament.

Cheers,

TM

Morning after thoughts, Advent 3

Good morning!

Well, it's interesting to me that here on Monday morning THE part of the reading that is still percolating around in my brain is the part that was left OUT of the official lectionary, but that I incorporated yesterday, vs 9 of John chapter 1:

"The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world."

What does this mean? What does it look like when the True (or genuine) Light enlightens someone? I won't lie....my thoughts on this have been influenced by the prayer-book "Liturgy of the Hours" which has been my devotional book throughout this Advent. This is a very involved devotional resource that specifically directs the reader's attention to the dominant themes of the week. I was therefore not surprised to read today's (Monday of Advent 3) intercessions. Note the talk of "light" and also note how it ends:

"Light that never fades, rise to dispel the mists about us.
--awaken our faith from sleep.
Guard us from all harm today,
--may your glory fill us with joy.
Give us unfailing gentleness at all times,
--toward everyone we meet.
Come to create a new earth for us,
--where there will be justice and peace."

In addition to these prayers, I am also touched by the prophet Amos--the topic of our adult Sunday morning class. Yesterday we read in Amos 5:15: "Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."

One of the things that seems clear to me is that the God of the Universe has a profound interest in justice (and peace). In moments of weak faith, we perhaps wonder why God is so lax in establishing a greater degree of justice in the world. Yet even in moments of great faith--especially in this country--the topic often plays second fiddle to matters of personal piety, by which I mean an extremely narrow focus on our own "personal salvation" to the exclusion of everything else.

One of the things I take from John 1:9 is that when the True Light enlightens us, our eyes are either opened (or should be opened) to the areas crying out for justice in our communities and in our world. For if God is lax in establishing justice, it can only be because the **means** through which God works--those who claim to follow him--are, themselves, being lax.

Being enlightened.....following the one True Light....is about MUCH more than just going to heaven when we die. It's about doing God's work now.

Cheers,

TM

Advent 2 morning after thoughts...

Good morning:

Well, as I ponder Mark 1:1-8 this morning and the things we covered yesterday, about the only thing that sticks in my mind as something worth mentioning is the way the passage begins:

"The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah..."

In very few words (Greek or English), the Evangelist is communicating something profound to us. On the one hand, we are to sit up and take notice that something new and dramatic has taken place--the evangellion ("good news") of Jesus has begun. Scholars point out that this use of the word evangellion--we could almost say this 'appropriation' of the word--was new for the Church. The word had had more of a political meaning...typically being part of the propaganda machine of the day. An announcement that the emperor was coming to visit; an announcement that a rebel province had been subdued; an announcement that an heir to the throne had been born; THESE were typically phrased in terms of 'evangelion' ("good news"). "GOOD," in other words, was basically in the eye of the beholder, and typically from the perspective of the ruling empire.

But when that word is applied to the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the goodness of the evangelion is NOT subjective. It is truly good news, both from the perspective of God....who longs to save His people, and from the perspective of humanity...who is incapable of saving itself.

The other fascinating thing about this little 1.5 verse section is that Mark wants us to understand that while this evangelion has BEGUN....it's nothing new. For no sooner does he tell us that the good news is off & running than he mentions the prophet Isaiah. The point being that TIME is in the hands of God. The plan of redemption is nothing new. It unfolds throughout human history according to the design of the Creator.

Cheers,

TM

December newsletter article

THINKING ABOUT ADVENT

Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Protect us by your strength and save us from the threatening dangers of our sins, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (collect, 1st Sun. of Advent)

By the time this article is printed and the newsletter hits your mailbox (or inbox), Advent will have begun. Advent—a time of wreaths, lighting colored candles, and sweating the few remaining “shopping days” till Christmas. But is that all it’s about? Have you ever wondered what the purpose of Advent is, or why we bother?
As it happens, the season of Advent has meant various things at various times throughout the course of Church history. The scholar Francis X. Weiser, S.J., for instance, tells us that initially it had a penitential nature. He says: “Since it [Christmas] was one of the main feasts of the Christian year, a spiritual preparation soon began to be held. From the Church in Gaul comes the first news about a definite period prescribed for this preparation. Bishop Perpetuus of Tours (490) issued the regulation that a fast should be held on three days of every week from the Feast of St. Martin (Nov 11th) to Christmas. [Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs]” And while this preparatory period was not yet called Advent, it certainly constitutes something of a ‘proto-Advent’ period in the life of the Church.
Over time, however, the penitential nature of the season has given way to other themes. The Catholic scholar Adrian Nocent concentrates heavily on the theme of “hope” during Advent, saying: “The Church realizes full well how difficult Christian hope is. That is why over the centuries she has fashioned a special liturgy that, beyond other liturgies, is a liturgy of hope, of waiting IN hope [The Liturgical Year].” The Lutheran liturgical scholar Philip Pfatteicher agrees, stating: “The traditional color of Advent is purple…but the preferred color in the LBW is blue. Blue suggests hope, a primary theme of Advent [Manual on the Liturgy].”
The point of these citations has merely been to illustrate that Advent has had various themes and concentrations over time. One lasting theme, however, and the theme I’d like to concentrate on at this point is the theme of the Lord’s coming--as the collect for the 1st Sunday of Advent began: “Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. The theme of the Lord’s coming is also taken up by the traditional Advent hymns. The 10th century office hymn Verbum supernum prodiens is a perfect example. Note that as the hymn progresses through the first three verses, each of the three ‘comings’ of the Lord are highlighted:

Verse 1, The Lord’s coming in history 2,000 years ago:
O heavenly Word of God on high,
Whose love has brought salvation nigh,
And from the Father’s heart didst come
To save a race by sin undone.

Verse 2, The Lord’s coming into our hearts by faith:
Our minds enlighten from above,
And kindle with the fire of love,
That as we hear thy gospel read,
All sinful thoughts may flee in dread.

Verse 3, The Lord’s coming as Judge at the end of time:
So, when thou comest at the last,
And earth’s long history is past,
May we be set at thy right hand,
And with thine own glory stand.
[Translation from New English Hymnal]

In other words, as tempting as it is for each of us to become slightly sentimental during this season, there’s really some pretty deep stuff at work. Those images of baby Jesus in the manger may not be quite as omnipresent as they were thirty, forty or fifty years ago, but they’re still out there. WHEN we see them, our minds should be stirred by the fact that since the Lord has come, there is a call to respond. Each person is called to open the manger of his or her own heart, that the Lord may come to them personally by grace through faith. And this call of response is urgent, pressing, for in confessing that he came once in history, we also confess that he is coming again to judge the living and the dead.
So, as you’re making your list and checking it twice, as you’re hanging the lights on your house and in your shrubs, as you’re noting that the blue paraments are up in church, as you’re trying hard not to become a victim of “parking-lot rage” at the mall, hopefully you’ll also take a little time to concentrate on the wonderful Advent theme of the Lord’s coming.
He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20).
In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Pastor Manwell

More sermons to come...

Ok, I know it's been a while since I've had a sermon to listen to online. That's because we've had 3 weeks in a row of "special" events. November 16th our Bishop, the Rev'd Dr. David Stechholz was guest preacher; last week while I was vacationing, the Rev'd Dr. Roger Pittelko was guest preacher; and finally, in honor of our 50th anniversary our founding pastor the Rev'd Dr. Martin Marty was our guest preacher.

Rest assured, now that vacations & special events are a thing of the past, I'll be back "on the air" regularly posting my Sunday sermons from LCHS.

Cheers,

TM

Morning after thoughts, 27th Sunday after Pentecost

Well, even though I didn't preach yesterday (Sun the 16th) thanks to the fact that we were visited by our Bishop, I did preach on the Gospel text at the casual service on Thursday and I do have some "morning after" thoughts on the text. One of the things we did Thursday evening was to make a "T-graph" and put down all of the things we liked, and all of the things we did NOT like about the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The real "gotch'ya" part of this parable comes in vss 24-26a, & vs 30:

"24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, "Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 26 But his master replied, "You wicked and lazy slave! ...30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

On the DON'T LIKE side of the T-graph was the point that this poor scared servant was so mistreated by the Master--who in the parable is an obvious picture of Christ. We want always to tell our kids, and indeed believer OURSELVES, that God is a God of second chances. That idea is core to the Gospel message. Our past, our shortcomings, our failures, our weaknesses, the times we've let others down, in short OUR SINS....are not something that God holds against us; that, indeed, the Gospel message is that God for Christ's sake overlooks those things. God embraces sinners as His own children, and joint heirs with Christ. This is called "grace"....God's undeserved favor toward sinful humanity.

So where's the grace for this poor scared servant in the parable of the talents?
There are only so many optional answers to that question. One option would be to say that the parable isn't about grace, so we shouldn't try to find any there. But since the central message of the Gospel is about grace, it seems strange that we shouldn't expect to find it somewhere. Another option would be to say that in the end this "wicked & lazy" servant didn't deserve any grace because, unlike the other two servants, he didn't do anything to deserve it. Again, however, this explanation causes some serious problems. If grace is "deserved," then God's "undeserved favor toward sinful humanity" turns out not to be a very good definition of grace. Put another way, if sinful humanity has to *earn* God's grace, how do any of us know whether we're in the group of the first two servants, or in the group of the last one?

Spiritually speaking--which is to say that the original point of the parable may have had a more specific, more narrow application--the end of the parable only makes sense if viewed a certain way. What if the "talents" that were given out by the Master, were in fact, measures of grace? No two individuals are identical. We all stand before God's lawcourt as condemned in terms our status against His perfect Law. But in terms of particular infractions, of course this will vary from individual to individual. St. Paul said, concerning this, that where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Rom. 5:20). In other words, grace is an endless supply of second chances. But there is no grace for one who rejects grace. Put another way, there is no gospel behind door #2. What if the first two servants represent those who willingly accept and live in this relationship of grace with the Lord, but the last servant represents one who spurns this grace? Given that the return of the Master and the "settling of accounts" in the parable is metaphorical for the Last Judgment, the wicked/lazy third servant has indeed run out of second chances.

The parable serves both as good news and as a warning. God is gracious in His dealings with us. He gives us His grace freely and in turn anticipates that we will lovingly live in that relationship of grace, producing the signs of that relationship (more talents, in the parable). But there is also a warning. Failure to "use" God's grace, failure to appropriate it into our lives is rejection--a conscious decision to claim it as un-needed. May we never do this.

peace,

Pastor Manwell