Advent 2, December 6 2015, thoughts going in

Luke 3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene-- 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God's salvation.' "

            Advent week 2.  Regardless of which of the 3-year lectionary cycles we're on, weeks 2 and 3 belong to John the Baptist. The forerunner of Jesus and his prophetic message loom large in Advent.

            In introducing this, the last of the Old Testament style prophets, Luke in essence borrows a page from the Hebrew scriptures. Compare Luke's introduction of John with the introductions of these OT prophets:

1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel (Hos 1:1)

1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah--the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. (Mic 1:1)

1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa--the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. (Amos 1:1)

1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile. (Jer 1:1-3)

            Something pretty important is happening here. The introduction of the prophet and the details surrounding his call unequivocally state the God is acting in human history; that God is inserting himself and making our story HIS-story. Of course any study of mythology reminds us that every culture had stories about the gods or their gods inserting themselves into the human story, but in those cases the settings were always fantastical: Mount Olympus, or mystic islands, etc. etc. The prophets, however, have their story set decidedly in the real world... and that's precisely where Luke sets the story of John the Baptist. In other words, he does not begin by saying "once upon a time." He wants to stress to us that everything he has to say is REAL; it all REALLY HAPPENED; the word of God came to this latter day prophet just the way it had in the olden days.

            But speaking of the olden days, there's another fascinating thing to be said about the call of John the Baptist. The people of the day could be forgiven if there was some doubt or skepticism because it had been so long since a prophet had arisen in Israel. The previous prophet had been Malachi, whose prophecy ends with the promise that God will: send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes (Mal 4:5). In other words, Malachi implies that the next prophet to come will be "Elijah." What follows, however, is silence; 400 years of silence. During the period of the Maccabees, many questions arise--for instance, what to do with the altar that had been profaned by the Seleucids. It was decided that the best course of action would be to dismantle it, lay the stones aside, and WAIT for a prophet.

            Taken together, the picture that emerges is that YES God does act in human history, he intercedes and makes our story HIS-story, but he does so at his own time. The more I think about it, the more it seems to me that the people who maintained their faith during those periods of extended waiting (the Egyptian captivity, the period between Malachi and John the Baptist, etc.) are true heroes of faith.

            But the point Luke is making is that NOW THE WAIT IS OVER... or at least, nearly over. At long last, here's the prophet they've been waiting for. God is stirring; God will once again be found at work among his people, and this time will be the ULTIMATE... the CULMINATION... what the writer of Hebrews refers to as "these last days" (aka the final epoch).

            This Sunday's prayer of the day says: Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming give to all the people of the world knowledge of your salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. In the text, John comes onto the scene to "stir up" people's hearts; to announce the waiting is over; to announce the Savior is here; and to urge radical reaction on the part of his hearers. Nature, in his prophetic narrative, RESPONDS! Valleys rise up to see him coming; Mountains bow low in deference. Their hearts are stirred up. Are ours?

Cheers,

TM

Advent 1, November 29, 2015

No 'thoughts going in' for this coming Sunday, as I'm out of the office. Pastor Tom Noll will be subbing for me.

T.M.

Christ the King, November 22, 2015, thoughts going in

John 18:33-37 -- Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

            Christ the King Sunday is one of the most recent additions to the Christian liturgical calendar. Begun by the Roman Catholic Church in 1925, the celebration of Christ the King was adopted fairly quickly thereafter by a number of Protestant denominations with European roots who were already seeing the gathering threats of fascism and communism. The day is now celebrated worldwide by Roman Catholics and most Protestant denominations. The message is simple: in spite of how things may look...Jesus Christ is King, and Lord of All.

            In addition, the day also functions as a 'bridge Sunday.' We're on the verge of a major liturgical mood change, as we transition from the weeks of Ordinary Time and into Advent. Such major transitions always entail a bridge Sunday that allows us to pause and catch our breath.

            From the perspective of sermon theme, this makes things both simple and complicated. Every sermon begins with the nugget of an idea regarding a 'theme.' It's not so much a question of what does this passage mean, it's more a question of what is this passage saying today, and what can be reasonably presented within a 15-20 minute time slot. Sometimes just determining the answer to that question can take a lot of time in the preparatory process. Themed Sundays alleviate that issue by handing the preacher a ready-made theme. Of ALL of the things that could be discussed regarding the Jesus/Pilate dialog, attention will automatically be focused on the kingship of Jesus this week. On the other hand, predetermined themes always make things more complicated because they're rigid. Much of the sermon developing process is about going with the flow; being inspired by a certain text, or certain phrase within a text, as the preacher meditates on it within the context of the congregation's local life and milieu. Themed Sundays take away this flexibility.

            Regardless, it is a foregone conclusion that on Christ the King Sunday, I will have something to say about the kingly reign of Jesus.

            Those who know me will not be surprised that the historical nuggets that form the 'back story' ALWAYS pop out at me when considering a particular text. This is especially true when I consider John 18:33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "are you the King of the Jews?" In his book Bandits, Prophets and Messiahs: Popular Movements at the Time of Jesus, Richard Horsley details the fact that "both before and after Jesus of Nazareth, there were several popular Jewish leaders, almost all of them from the peasantry, who, in the words of Josephus, 'laid claim to the kingdom,' 'donned the diadem,' or were 'proclaimed king' by their followers." In other words, this wasn't the first time Pilate had heard of some dust-covered peasant with outlandish claims. From Pilate's perspective, the only likely thing preventing it from being utterly laughable was the fact that some of these insurrectionists were capable of creating quite a ruckus--and Pilate's primary job was to keep a lid on things. Bottom line, the guy standing before Pilate doesn't look very kingly.

            This is something we all can relate to. This past week, violent, radical people used religious ideology as a motivation to murder 129 innocent people in Paris--some of whom, no doubt, were Christian. If Jesus is King, why didn't he stop this from happening? Amanda Blackburn, a young pastor's wife from Indianapolis, was brutally murdered in her own home a week ago in what police describe was a robbery attempt. If Jesus is King, why didn't he stop that from happening? Back in June, an angry young white man walked into a historic black church in South Carolina during an evening prayer service and killed nine people. If Jesus is King, why didn't he stop that from happening?

            My point is that in many ways, Jesus doesn't 'look' any more kingly to us than he did that day in Pilate's court 2,000 years ago, and this is primarily due to our conception of how kings are supposed to rule. At their worst, an absolute monarch is a capricious tyrant. Examples from history abound, from King Herod the Great--who thought nothing of murdering his own family out of fear they were plotting against him--to King Henry VIII whose intense personal loyalty to wives and counselors alike could turn cold on a dime. But at their best, an absolute monarch rules with justice and benevolence for all. Regardless, the common denominator is that kings HAVE and USE power; they rule. And this is the one thing Jesus is apparently not doing. He's not ruling.

            Or is he? One issue we routinely have to confront is that we want Jesus to rule in the lives of others, or in human history in general with a rod of iron, but we want him to rule in our lives with grace. We want him to smack the bully who stole our lunch money; we want him to fire the co-worker who stabbed us in the back and got promoted over us; we want him to transfer the boss who mistreats us; we want him to give us a raise; we want him to restore the American dream to its mythic ideal; we want him to let the Cubs finally win a World Series; the list is endless. Yet at the same time, we want to be personally forgiven when we mess up, again; we want assurance that the lie we told, the gossip we spread, the hateful words that passed our lips, and the uncontrolled anger that raged over us are all forgiven in the blink of an eye. In short, our tendency is always to want the King's rule of grace to tip in our direction, but his rule of justice for everything and everyone else. It doesn't work like that.

            Here are some brief, but relevant points about Jesus' rule of grace: (1) It is real. As the dust-covered rabbi standing before Pilate 2,000 years ago, Jesus was in the process of exercising absolute rule over the forces of sin and evil. NOTHING could have prevented him from embracing Calvary's cross. And nothing could have prevented his absolute victory over death and the grave. (2) It is for everyone. We make the Son of God to be yet another one of history's capricious tyrants when we imagine him graciously winking at our own evils, but crushing those of our enemies'. If grace isn't for all, it isn't grace; it's favoritism, nepotism, cronyism, etc., and Jesus is no Chicago politician. (3) It is personal. It empowers real change in the lives of real people. From the converted slave trader John Newton (author of the hymn "Amazing Grace"), to Nixon's 'hatchet man' Chuck Colson, to former gang man Tony Campolo... and literally countless millions of others, the kingly rule of Christ comes personally into lives and changes them. And as sacramental Christians, we believe that this happens objectively as we receive him who comes to us in the holy meal. Finally, (4) Jesus' rule of grace is moving. He will come again to judge the living and the dead, as we say in the creeds. The rule of grace we experience today is moving toward this end... it is moving toward the final chapter of human history when ALL things will be put right... and in a strange, but unavoidable plot twist, a man named Pontius Pilate will stand before Jesus.

Cheers,

T.M.

            

Pentecost +25, November 15th 2015, thoughts going in

Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25: 11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching

            Having taken a bit of an 'excursus' into Hebrews for last week's sermon, I couldn't resist going there again this week. As a brief aside, though, I wanted to point out that as the church year races toward the finish line, more and more the appointed readings begin 'tipping their hand' and making allusions about the way human history will finish out. This week's first reading from Daniel speaks of the 'end times,' when people will arise, "some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." The Gospel reading for the day is from Mark 13 where Jesus prophesies the destruction of the Temple and says: Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. And in the passage from Hebrews, the author encourages his readers not to give up meeting together (and encouraging each other), especially as they see the day approaching. "The day," in this context, is Judgment Day. ALL of these readings taken together present a united front of thought as we come to the end of the church year with its emphasis on Christ as Eternal King on his throne (Nov 22nd), and Christ who will come again (a second Advent) on Nov 29th. As believers, we await this day with eager anticipation.

            But in the meantime, life needs to be lived. What is there that distinguishes the life of the believer over and against a life of unbelief? Verses 19-25a tell us. WORSHIP. Hebrews 10:25 says: not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. The two English words meeting together are actually just one word in Greek: episynagōgē. You can almost see the word "synagogue" in there.

            Most people think of the Jewish house of prayer when they hear the word synagogue, and that's not a bad place to start. One of the fascinating things about Bible study is the GAP that occurs between the testaments. When you're reading the Old Testament, you read about kings, and prophets etc., but when you jump to the New Testament there are groups you've never encountered before like Pharisees and Sadducees, and there's this thing called the synagogue.

            Scholars aren't quite sure exactly when the synagogue came on the scene. Like most things it was probably a work in progress over time. Most, however, point to the period of exile as a likely beginning. In 586 BCE, under Nebuchadnezzar’s command, the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem, destroyed Solomon's temple, and carried off everything and everyone worth having. The only ones left behind were the lame, aged, and destitute. And it was very likely in the midst of this exile--when God's old covenant people found themselves in a strange land with no Temple and without the peace and comfort of their normal surroundings--that the synagogue was born. The synagogue helped them maintain their identity as a particular people. True, some amalgamated into Babylonian society through intermarriage etc., but most wanted to remain in a covenant relationship with God. The synagogue helped maintain this identity. The synagogue was also a place of mutual support and encouragement. Those who needed help could find help; it was the community's social services agency. Last, but certainly not least, the synagogue was the place to encounter God through Scripture reading and exposition; prayer and liturgy. The bottom line is, being the people of God--even in exile--was a 'team sport,' and the synagogue was the glue that held them all together.

            And so I find it just a bit fascinating that when the writer of Hebrews is lamenting the fact that some people aren't attending worship anymore, and with the whole Greek language at his disposal to try to express his concern, the word he's inspired to choose is a form of the word SYNAGOGUE.  To use something of a 'pidgin' English translation of the verse, he's saying let's not give up synagogue-ing together! Because when we synagogue together, we're expressing our identity... we're supporting and encouraging each other... and we're encountering God!

Cheers,

T.M.

            

Pentecost +24, November 8th 2015, thoughts going in

24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands—the representation of the true sanctuary—but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us. 25 And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. 27 And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, 28 so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation.

            Let us proclaim the mystery of faith: "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again." So goes the familiar line in the communion liturgy of the Church. It's a succinct statement of faith that, while profound, gets almost zero time to ponder given that we immediately move on to the next line of the liturgy. This week, the second reading offers us an opportunity to slow down and ponder the mystery of faith--as the writer in this section of the epistle clearly has this in mind.

            But first, some opening thoughts on the epistle itself: The letter never identifies its author. Down through the centuries, many possible candidates have been suggested, with St. Paul at the top of the list. Others have also suggested Barnabas and Apollos as possible authors. In the end, it's impossible to know. Most modern scholars feel that the style and content of the letter make Paul a very unlikely author. What we do know is that the author was (a) well educated in terms of rhetorical training and Greek philosophical categories; (b) had extensive experience in interpreting and applying the Jewish scriptures in their Greek form (aka the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament used by Jews outside the Holy Land); (c) was a Jew, himself, and had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

            If the author's identity is a mystery, it follows that his intended audience is also shrouded in mystery. He appears to be writing to fellow Jewish believers in Jesus, but where? In the first century there were more Jews living outside of Palestine than inside; and thanks to the missionary work of St. Paul and his associates, the gospel of Jesus was spreading far and wide. And what was the point of the letter? In terms of exhortation, the author seems to be encouraging his readers to stay the course; not to revert to the older religion of Judaism which dealt in shadows and types, but remain true to the culmination of these things as found in Jesus. This purpose is stated from the very beginning of the letter in a line (adapted from the RSV translation) that has become a liturgical refrain: In many and various ways God spoke to his people of old by the prophets; but now in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. The implication is clear; the old type/shadow has given way to the culmination. Hence, everything the author has to say from this point onward reflects, in some way, this idea that the culmination has come... all of which brings me to chapter 9 and this week's epistle reading.

            Right off the bat it has to be stated that the "wow" effect of vss 24-28 is mostly lost on us. The author has in mind the details of Yom Kippur (lit. "Day of Atonement") as established in Leviticus 16 and observed from the days of the Tabernacle down through the point of the destruction of the last temple in 70AD. These verses culled from Leviticus 16 will give you the gist: 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. 3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 11 “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 15 “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 29 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work 30 because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. 31 It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; 34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.”

            So, even though we may not have the same intimate knowledge of this ritual as the writer and his recipients, we can easily see the connection being drawn. The old Day of Atonement ritual was done repeatedly (yearly); was the holiest day of the year; was done by one man on behalf of himself and the whole people; involved the blood of a sacrifice; and has now been completed by the atoning death of Jesus.

            As I think about the various possibilities in applying a text like this to today's non-steeped-in-ancient-Jewish-ritual audience, I'm indebted to one commentator who noted the three-fold use of the word "appear:"

            --The Risen Christ: and he appears now in God’s presence for us (v24). Often church 'doctrine' is reduced to dusty non-relevance, such as you have to believe in the resurrection because it's in the Bible. But the point of the resurrection isn't about memorizing a historical fact. It's proclamation of the wonderful Gospel truth that Jesus is, even now, in heaven "for us." When we see that "for us" part, we need to know that Jesus is specifically showing himself to God's legal demand for justice. Humanity had offended (and continues to offend) God's righteous law, but Jesus the one, sinless, perfect man, presents himself to God as the satisfaction for all of the legal demands of the law. The presence of Jesus in heaven, for us, is a constant reminder that all debts are paid. Jesus functions here in a priestly role, ministering for us in God's presence.

            --The Crucified Christ:  he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice (v26). This sentence seems to echo the words of John the Baptist, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The point being made here is the efficacy of his work. The best a martyr for a cause can hope for is to inspire others to action. While Jesus certainly taught that others should be inspired by his life and follow his lead, his death was far more than any martyr's death. It actually DID SOMETHING. In a once-for-all re-writing of human history, the God of the universe humbled himself to taste death for us, for the purpose of defeating it. Jesus functions here both as 'victim/sacrifice,' but also as victor.

            --The Returning Christ: he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation (v28). This last part is such a relevant point to ponder as we speed toward the end of the church year with its emphasis on the Kingship of Christ (Nov 22nd) and his return to judge the living and the dead (1st Sunday of Advent, Nov 29th). Many Christians fear the notion of being judged by Christ--it nearly drove Luther crazy. And there's no way to avoid it--this text itself says we all have "an appointment" with death, and then comes judgment (v27). But those who are putting their trust in Jesus as their savior have nothing to fear. When he comes again, the 'judgment' he brings for his beloved followers is--according to this verse--SALVATION!

Cheers,

T.M.