Sermon 1.24.2016

Luke 4:14-21 YOUR FAVORITE YEAR Ok, ... we're done with the THREE MAIN traditional themes of Epiphany. We spent some time looking at the star & the Magi. We spent some time looking at the Baptism of Jesus. We spent some time looking at the water-into-wine miracle at Cana. The big 3 are done. **BUT... until we get to LENT, there's still sorta an EPIPHANY GLOW occurring in the texts. The MOOD, if you will, is still sorta Epiphany focused....there's still that sense of there's more here than meets the eye going on. We're gonna take 2 weeks in a row... this week & next week, & we're going to see Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth teaching in their synagogue. A synagogue, btw, is a Jewish house of prayer & bible study. Once a week people would go there to hear readings from scripture; hear an explanation of those readings; and say prayers. If that sounds a little "familiar" to you, it's cuz the NT Christian church was originally a Jewish synagogue. So Jesus is here, at the synagogue in his own home town. Sidenote: Luke says in vs 16 that for Jesus, attending synagogue was his custom. That means he did it all the time. You need to know that Jesus didn't attend cuz the people were always friendly. You need to know that Jesus didn't attend cuz they sang his favorite hymns or had vibrant meaningful worship. He didn't attend cuz they had up-to-date technology; he didn't attend cuz they had pure doctrine; he didn't attend cuz they had great resources for families or passionate outreach programs for their community. He attended, cuz he was religious, and you can't practice your religion if you don't attend. Now, it's not my main point, but it's important... so let that one sink in. Talk about an Epiphany: when the God of the Universe takes on flesh and blood & becomes one of us, he does so as a religious person who regularly attends worship. I want you to think about that the next time Satan tempts you to blow off worship. I want you to think about that the next time you hear someone say I have a relationship with Jesus; I don't need to attend worship. When you take the time to read your bible, you discover that the ONLY Jesus you can have a relationship with is the Jesus who regularly attends worship. Ok. There's 2 key verses I want to lift up for you in today's reading. #1 is vs 19: to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Vs 19 is a 1-sentence summary of the 4 things listed in vs 18 about all those things, good news to the poor, sight for the blind, etc. Wrap 'em all up & what u get is vs 19 PROCLAMATION of a year of the Lord's favor. An outpouring of God's goodness to those who need it most. Then the other key verse, drop down to vs 21 He began by saying to them, TODAY this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. The title of my meditation is: YOUR FAVORITE YEAR When you think of everything you've seen & done. When you think of all of your life... however young or old you are, do you have a favorite year? ONE YEAR that just seems kinda magical? ONE YEAR that it seems like, compared to all other times... the stars just seemed to align in a special way? A while back there was a neat movie by that title... MY FAVORITE YEAR. For the character in the movie, his favorite year was 1954. That was before I was born... but I've seen the movie several times & it's caused me to think... **DO I have a favorite year? 1984 always comes to mind; it's the year Stacey & I were married. But next to that, I always think of 1978. I was only 15 in 1978.... but it was a GREAT YEAR. I was old enough to be able to do things on my own, but young enough that I didn't have any responsibilities. The nation had its problems, but none of them seemed to concern me. In my world there was a great sense of optimism. I had my whole life ahead of me; I could be or do anything I wanted. My grandparents were still alive and in perfect health. I worked for the joy of having a little jingle in my pocket, not cuz I *had to or had bills to pay. I spent a huge chunk of the summer of '78 away from home up North hanging out with my uncle. And best of all, ALL OF THE MUSIC on the radio was by my favorite bands. I mean, think about it, Classic Rock wasn't classic, then, it was BRAND NEW. "Double Vision" by Foreigner; "Don't look back" by Boston; "Infinity" by Journey; "52nd St." by Billy Joel; "Stranger in town" by Bob Seger; "Discovery" by ELO... all came out in 1978. It doesn't get any better than that! Now... maybe your favorite year is something else. Sinatra cut "In the wee small hours" in '55 maybe you resonate more with that year. The Beatles White Album came out in '68, maybe you resonate with that year. U2 recorded Joshua Tree in '87, and Sarah McLaughlan released Surfacing in 1997.... but here's the thing: IT CAN'T BE 1978 forever! Or 1955, or 1968, or 1987, or 1997 or any other year forever. What was your favorite year? WHATEVER it was, WHATEVER made it great... whether it was where you were living at the time... who you were dating at the time... how you were feeling at the time... how much $$ you had at the time... how few responsibilities you had at the time....where you were working at the time... what the rest of the world was doing at the time... WHATEVER it was.... is fleeting. IT'S GONE NOW. You can try to re-live it... you can think about it a lot... you can be nostalgic... you can tell your kids about it... you can join online discussion groups that yak about it... you can buy one of those brand new radios that looks like an antique, you can drive a NEW VW BEATLE, ... you can go to concerts by cover bands who look and sound even better than the original artists... BUT YOU CAN'T GET BACK. Whatever your favorite year was, is GONE. And whatever made it your favorite, IS GONE. That's true for us. It's also true for Isaiah's original audience. Some 500yrs before Christ was born, Isaiah the prophet said those words ORIGINALLY: the spirit of the Lord had anointed HIM... to proclaim this awe-inspiring message. The spirit of the Lord had anointed HIM... to announce that God was doing a mighty work in their day. For those of you who know your OT History, this was when the EXILES were allowed to return home to Jerusalem. King Cyrus the Great of thought it was his idea, but it wasn't, IT WAS GOD'S IDEA. And the prophet was so stirred up about it, so excited about it that he called it a JUBILEE, A YEAR OF THE LORD'S FAVOR.. or in our terms today, HIS FAVORITE YEAR. But even THAT year came to an end. Even that year was gone. Because that's the way it always works. Well... ALMOST ALWAYS. There is ONE EXCEPTION. Cuz when Jesus stands up in that Nazareth synagogue and reads the OT Scroll of Isaiah that day... When Jesus says the spirit of the Lord is on **HIM... When Jesus says God has anointed **HIM... to proclaim a year of the Lord's favor... He doesn't talk about the history behind the text...He doesn't even offer an exposition on what that ancient text might mean for them in their day... Jesus does what no prophet, MAN OR WOMAN, before or after him could do... he says: TODAY this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Note what he doesn't say. He doesn't say now that I'm here, this YEAR is the year of the Lord's favor. He doesn't say I'm going to have a 3-yr earthly ministry and do lots of signs & wonders & miracles & then be crucified so these next 3 years will be a year of the Lord's favor. He doesn't even say at the end I'm going to rise again & so that LAST YEAR is going to be a great year, a year of the Lord's favor. He says *TODAY. And when Jesus, the SON OF GOD in the flesh says TODAY this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing, something very powerful happens. The next day, is still TODAY. Roughly 50yrs after the fact when St. Luke wrote the words of his gospel, it's STILL TODAY. 400yrs later when St. Augustine was witnessing the sack of Rome and the collapse of the western Empire, it's STILL TODAY. 1500yrs later when a German monk was nailing his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg chapel IT'S STILL TODAY. And now... 2000yrs later... IT'S STILL TODAY. When Jesus fulfills the scripture, IT'S ALWAYS TODAY. God's outpouring of Grace, through Christ, is happening NOW! TODAY! Christ is here today... as we gather around the Word & in Prayer; Christ is here today, coming to you in the holy sacrament; Christ is here today ACCEPTING YOU in spite of all of your faults and failures.... God, through Christ, is doing a mighty wonder in your life claiming you as his own son or daughter. And that means whether today is part of the BEST YEAR of your life, or part of the WORST YEAR of your life... or some infinite shade of inbetween ... TODAY this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Today is the Year of the Lord's Favor... TODAY...and ALL OF YOUR TODAYS.. CAN BE YOUR FAVORITE YEAR.

Sermon 1.17.2016

John 2:1-11 MISSING THE SIGNS Ok, Please have your worship folders out & turned to the Gospel reading... we're gonna look at it together today. EPIPHANY. To shine forth. A Manifestation of THE GLORIOUS. That's what we've been talking about lately.... The Star leading the Magi to worship Jesus; The anointing of the Spirit and the voice from heaven in front of all of those people @ Jesus' baptism; And now today's story, Jesus' first public miracle or "SIGN" as John calls it. These are EPIPHANY MOMENTS. Moments of the spectacular that point to the Savior. The KEY VERSE is vs 11... look at it with me, please... What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he _____ revealed his glory; THAT'S EPIPHANY in a nutshell. The Savior's glory being REVEALED in the SIGNS. Signs can be important things, wouldn't you say? Some signs are easy to see. Think of the ICONIC "HOLLYWOOD" sign on Mt. Lee in the hills overlooking Los Angeles. The letters are 45' tall, and the sign is 300' in length. That one's kinda hard to miss. Other signs are easier to miss cuz they're smaller... or in some way they just don't grab our attention as much. You can be driving down the highway and miss the sign for your EXIT. That's not good. You can ignore strange or different health symptoms in such a way that you miss the signs of a serious disease or illness. That's really not good. Think of all the various signs you really don't want to miss. Road closed... bridge out... high explosives area... Some signs are pretty important... you don't want to miss them. The title of my meditation today is THE MISSED SIGN There's A **LOT of stuff going on in today's story from John's Gospel and we don't have enough time to look at all of it, so I just want to focus our attention on THE SIGN. The SIGN revealed the glory of Jesus. The sign was an EPIPHANY MOMENT... but not everyone got it. Signs can be missed. Here's how: --You can miss the signs by being like the SERVANTS. Look with me at vs 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water ____knew! The servants *knew. The servants *knew that what had formerly been water was now wine. The servants knew that something awesome and miraculous had happened, and yet, look at vs 11 again: What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. Why doesn't it say the disciples **AND** servants believed in him?? It's as tho John is saying... you can *see the sign with your own 2 eyes, and STILL BE AN UNBELIEVER. Isn't that true? I dunno if you've ever thought much about this or not, but SIGNS of God's love and glory are all around you. You *see them every day. Psalm 19 says the heavens declare the glory of God ... EVERY day nature SINGS a song of praise to the God of all creation. You see it with your own 2 eyes, and hear it with your own 2 ears. But do you believe? In the Church, we have tangible, physical, SIGNS of God's mercy & presence among us... the waters of holy baptism, bread & wine joined to Christ's body & blood... the bond of fellowship of believers.. the very words of God on printed pages... You CAN SEE the signs everywhere and all the time; You can **KNOW** this stuff front & back... you can recite Luther's Catechism in English AND GERMAN. But knowing isn't the question. You can be like the servants in the story you can KNOW .... but DO YOU BELIEVE? If you don't believe, you've MISSED THE SIGN. --You can miss the signs by being like the Master of the banquet: Look with me at vs 9... and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from ... then drop down to vs10 “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but ___YOU have saved the best till now.” In other words, in the story the Master of the Banquet experiences the SIGN; you could even say he makes a statement of FAITH about the sign, but he's completely WRONG. The Master of the Banquet thinks he knows, but he believes the wrong thing. How often this still happens today.... people, even in the Church, who experience The SIGNS of God's love, grace, and mercy all the time, and yet believe the wrong thing. This happens most frequently in the area of forgiveness. MY SINS can be forgiven, cuz God is gracious, and besides, I'm not all that bad ... but THAT PERSON over there doesn't deserve forgiveness. That's a statement of faith, but it's all wrong. I've been a Christian all my life; I've donated huge sums to the Church; my relatives practically built this place with their own bare hands... God owes me on this one. That's a statement of faith, but it's all wrong. The point is, the Master of the Banquet fervently believed, but he believed the wrong thing. He missed the sign. If you believe the wrong thing, you've MISSED THE SIGN. --You can miss the signs by being like the bridegroom. Look at vs 10 again. The master of the banquet calls the bridegroom over and he says: Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now. And the bridegroom says what? NOTHING. In the story, we don't even know if the bridegroom was aware that his own party had run out of wine. I mean, no doubt, he's got a lot of other things on his mind. He's pretty wrapped up in the STUFF OF LIFE right now. The Servants KNOW, but don't believe. The Master of the Banquet thinks he knows, but believes the wrong thing; the Bridegroom... evidently, doesn't know, and doesn't care.... or is too busy to stop and care. In the spiritual life, this is probably the worst place to be. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the STUFF OF LIFE all around us. It is, after all, IMPORTANT stuff. You've got a career to build, a business to run, a new job to look for. You've got a retirement to manage or plan for. You've got an education to think about. You've got a family that's depending on you. You've got adult children who still need your help on a regular basis. You've got parents that are experiencing severe health problems. I get it. It's a *LOT of stuff. And it's all important stuff. We could say the same about the bridegroom in the story. He's got a lot of stuff on his plate too, and it's all important stuff. But an EPIPHANY MOMENT happened right there under his roof. The Savior of the World was there; the sign that revealed his glory... And people will be reading this story & talking about it for thousands of years... AND HE MISSED IT. Cuz ... turns out, you CAN MISS IT. You can have a head knowledge; you can know all the facts, and still not believe; you can think you know, but in truth believe the wrong stuff; and you can be so distracted that you just don't even bother.... but that doesn't change the reality. THE SIGN HAPPENED. It was there. And the SIGNS are still happening. They're still HERE. The Savior's glory is STILL BEING REVEALED. Epiphanies are STILL HAPPENING. Every time you hear the absolution pronounced, the sign is here & the Savior's glory is revealed. Every time you pray the very words Jesus gave you to pray, the sign is here & the Savior's glory is revealed. Every time you experience the touch of a friend reaching out to you with the love of Christ, the sign is here & the Savior's glory is revealed. Every time the words of a hymn lift your soul to heaven, the sign is here & the Savior's glory is revealed. Every time you receive the holy meal believing that Christ is really there for you, the sign is here & the Savior's glory is revealed. Every time you're inspired to selflessly give to someone in need, the sign is here & the Savior's glory is revealed. Every time you open the word of God ready to be led by it, the sign is here & the Savior's glory is revealed. The question isn't whether or not SIGNS still happen. Epiphany isn't a moment in history, it's a PRESENT TENSE VERB. The signs are everywhere. They continue to happen... the Savior's glory continues to be revealed. The only question is... WILL YOU BELIEVE?

Sermon 1.10.2016

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 HIS GROUP Last week we celebrated Epiphany ... an ancient festival of the church that concentrates on the SHINING FORTH of Christ. And if you were here, or if you remember the story, you know all about the STAR... and the MAGI, "wisemen" who come from the EAST and... in the Bible... are the FIRST GENTILES... the first NON-JEWS to worship the Jewish Messiah. And it's a cool story. But one if you've ever looked at some of the Church's ancient Epiphany hymns, one of the things that we see is that there's MORE to the celebration than simply a big STAR and MAGI with their gifts. There's actually 3 main themes of Epiphany. It starts with the star & Magi... that was last week. The 2nd main theme is the Baptism of Jesus... which we're gonna look at today... and the 3rd & final main theme or emphasis is Jesus' first public miracle... the turning of water into wine at the wedding of Cana... which we'll look at next week. In that sense, Epiphany is sorta like a 'mini-series.' EACH event is telling a separate story, but a story that's linked together with this common theme of the Messiah "shining forth." He'll be the Messiah for Gentiles TOO. He's not just a good man, but actually the beloved son of God...as declared at his baptism; the son of God who has power and authority over the elements of the physical world as shown in the miracle of Cana. So... that's the big picture for where we're at today. We're going to talk a little bit about the baptism of Jesus today. And in so doing I want to remind you of something very important. EVERYTHING Jesus did was for your redemption. I know you know that Jesus died for your sins. But every now & then... and I think pastors are really guilty of this... we Christians sorta get BLINDERS on and reduce the sum-total of Jesus' mission to ... simply... his death on the cross...as if that's the only thing that mattered.... and everything else was just a sorta PRELUDE leading up to it. Or .... everything else is good for MORAL & ETHICAL instruction... but that just turns Jesus into a walking text book. I want to suggest an alternative to you. I want to suggest to you that EVERYTHING Jesus did was for your redemption. Put even simpler, everything he did ... he did FOR YOU. Personally. And that means that even tho the stuff in the story happened a long long time ago in a land far far away, IT MEANS SOMETHING TODAY... it has significance for you in your life TODAY... the story is showing that in some similar way, GOD IS ACTIVE IN YOUR LIFE TODAY. Are you guys with me so far? The title of my meditation is: HIS GROUP MAY 5, 1983. It's not so much a day that will live in 'infamy,' but it's a day I'll never forget. It was my first day of AIR FORCE BASIC TRAINING. A LOT happened that day. The Air Force has divisions of troops just like the Army or Navy... but in the Air Force the unit level is called the squadron, and within the squadron you can have several sub-divisions called FLIGHTS. There were 50 guys in my flight... but that day in 1983 there were SEVERAL SQUADRONS.... several hundred of us all beginning the process ALL TOGETHER. And it's pretty much just like you see on TV. You DO EVERYTHING as a group. You MOVE as a group. You sleep as a group. You eat as a group. You get your shots.... your vaccinations as a group. You get your head shaved as a group. You get your uniforms as a group. And all of this is for several reasons. The Military has found over the years that this is the most timely and efficient way of IN-PROCESSING a lot of people... but more than that... part of what's happening is that your old life as a civilian is being radically replaced by your new life as a soldier, sailor or airman. AS PART OF THE GROUP And it really doesn't take very long at all before everyone starts to look the same. That first day, we didn't even have names sewn on our uniform! And it doesn't matter what your background was... whether you were from a rich family, a poor family or an in-between family.... whether you're black, or white, or Asian or Hispanic.... NOW... you're part of this BIG GROUP that all dresses the same, lives in the same place, eats the same food, and does the same stuff. And I have to say, more than once it's struck me that BASIC TRAINING is like a 'metaphor' for LIFE. We TRY to differentiate ourselves. We TRY to show our individuality ... by the clothes we wear, or the car we drive or the home we live in or the stuff we choose to spend our money on... but in the big picture, we're just a SINGLE GROUP of people... living in the same place, eating the same food and doing the same stuff. And that's why I find vs 21 in our text today SO STRIKING. You can almost miss it. One of the DISCIPLINES of the Spiritual Life is to train ourselves to SLOW DOWN when we approach the Bible. EACH WORD is there ON PURPOSE. EACH WORD has relevance and significance. Each word matters. Luke says in vs 21... When all the people were being baptized... Jesus was baptized too... I can't help but push the pause button on that term ALL THE PEOPLE. That's THE GROUP. And of course in the story, it's THE GROUP that's there getting baptized that day. You could almost view them as The Flight of men and women being "in-processed" to John's BAPTISM BOOT CAMP. They come from all walks of life. Some are rural. Some are from the city. Some are poor, some are people of means. But Luke doesn't care about any of that. For him, they're just ALL THE PEOPLE. THE GROUP. None of them are differentiated. They all look the same; they're all doing the same thing. We don't even know any of their names... it's like none of them have names sewn on their uniforms. And as we take the scene OFF PAUSE and continue the story... Luke gives us a very important detail.... Jesus was baptized too. He's the one person that's singled out. In this story, WHERE do we find the Son of God? IN THE GROUP. With this group of people from all walks of life. With this group of people... some of whom are getting on in years... they're grand parents now, their kids are grown, some of them are seeing their health decline. But Christ is there with them... IN THE GROUP. Where do we find the Son of God? In the group. With this group of people... some of whom are in the "prime of their life"... working... trying to make ends meet... maybe burning a vacation day so as to go out & be baptized by John... worried about how they're gonna pay off their debts... trying to figure out how to keep their kids in school clothes... Christ is there with them... IN THE GROUP. Where do we find the Son of God? In the group. With this group of people, some of whom are quite young... they have their whole life ahead of them, complete with all of the anxieties that brings... what should they do with their life, should they go off to school somewhere, or try to get job, follow in their father's footsteps, or do something different.... Christ is there with them... IN THE GROUP. If you wanna know what Jesus has done for you lately.. if you wanna know where Christ is in your life today... look no further than your BAPTISM.... because it's IN THE GROUP OF THE BAPTIZED that we find Jesus. I don't know if you've ever thought of it this way before, but BAPTISM is the one thing that you truly have in common with him. It's how you get into HIS GROUP... it's how the words of his heavenly father apply TO YOU.

Sermon 1.03.2016

Matthew 2:1-12 MODERN MAGI What was THE STAR? Was it some sort of comet... was it a supernatural star that just temporarily appeared in the heavens... and then vanished FOREVER? If the Magi could see it and follow it, why weren't others seeing it and following it? If it had led the Magi along their journey FOR MONTHS, why did it kinda PAUSE over Jerusalem... but then pick up and continue again the final 6 or so miles to Bethlehem **AFTER the visit with wicked old King Herod? For that matter, WHO and WHAT were the Magi? It's a beautiful old hymn & we're going to sing it this morning, but We Three Kings is a bit misleading... they weren't kings. In ancient eastern courts, of say Persia or Babylon, the Magi would be the ADVISORS of royalty.... they were a privileged caste ... guardians of all WISDOM: knowledge, religious, astronomical, scientific, economic. This is about all that can be said about them in general. Specifically, we have no idea who they were or where they were from... whether they were official emissaries from their land, or just acting on their own. We don't even know if there were THREE of them... that tradition sprang up based on the fact that there were 3 gifts listed, and it would sound sorta weird if there was a 4th guy who didn't have a gift, or if he just gave a STarbucks card or something. Today is Epiphany Sunday. On the calendar, the day itself is always January 6th, but we move it to the closest Sunday so as to commemorate the day together. Epiphany is a BRIDGE. It's the last of our focus on the Christmas story. We're moving on from here. Epiphany. You hear the word itself sometimes in common use... someone might say they HAD AN EPIPHANY.... in that sense it means "A REVELATION." More technically, it means a manifestation...SOMETHING or SOMEONE is there... that didn't use to be there... or there's **MORE** to this than meets the eye. It's a SHINING-FORTH. That's Epiphany. I've entitled my sermon today: MODERN MAGI.......let's pray Do you know how your car works? I mean REALLY KNOW how it works? In its entirety? When I was a boy... I was always very proud of my father. One of the things I was most proud about was the fact that he was an oustanding shadetree mechanic. He bought a little Farmall Cub tractor that was literally in pieces, and he put it back together, like it was a kit. He restored it. He rebuilt the engine for his pickup truck. Dad knew how this mechanical stuff worked, but he'd be the first to tell you that there were still a lot of things that were over his head. His knowledge had its limits. How about your tv.... do you know how it works? I mean REALLY KNOW how it works? In its entirety? These days everything is "smart"... you've heard that term, right? It means the device has a microprocessor in it. I'm kinda rusty cuz I've been out of the field for a while, but I know a little bit about microprocessors... and in general... how these things work, but there's a ton of it that's over my head. My knowledge of this stuff has its limits. Isn't that the way it MOSTLY GOES in life? Pick a topic... how do you get the best coffee... how do ipods work... why is a rainbow colored the way it is... and almost without fail, it boils down to the fact that **IF you had the TIME,... and **IF you had the brains.... and **IF you had the OPPORTUNITY... and **IF you had the DEDICATION... then... with STUDY & APPLICATION you could become an expert, but in the end even your expertise would be LIMITED... at best you'd know 100% of a very small slice of the pie. Your knowledge would still have its limits. And last I checked, we're pretty OK with that. I talk to a lot of people, and I've never once heard anyone say that they're not about to ride in another car until they fully understand the catalytic converter; no one has ever told me that they've unplugged their TV & it's GONNA STAY unplugged until they fully understand how it is that Netflix can stream John Wayne movies to it. USUALLY, our reaction is just the opposite. We may not understand it all.... but if we like the outcome... if it improves our life or makes it a little more enjoyable, we're pretty OK with just going along for the ride, aren't we? We don't need to know, or at least we don't need to FULLY UNDERSTAND all the details. We're OK with there being a **reality** about these things that's beyond our comprehension. And that's the way it works with EVERYTHING ... except God. GOD... and our knowledge of God... is the one exception. We're ok with not knowing what makes TVs smart, but our EVERY QUESTION about God must be answered to our complete and TOTAL satisfaction, or we're outa here. How can a good and all-powerful God allow floods and tornadoes and earthquakes, & diseases and epidemics to happen? Why does God allow the wicked to prosper? For that matter, why does God allow ANY wickedness in the world at all? If God is so good and loving, why doesn't he just "save" everyone? Why does there have to be a hell? Why do some people respond to the Gospel and others reject it? What happens to those who've never had a chance to hear the Gospel or be baptized? And for Pete's sake, just HOW MANY angels can dance on the head of a pin, anyway? I want you to think about the Magi of our story for a little bit this morning, and think PARTICULARLY about what they DIDN'T KNOW. And remember, these are some PRETTY WISE GUYS. --They didn't know where they were going. If they had known, they wouldn't have bothered with Jerusalem & King Herod... they'd have taken the loop & gone straight to Bethlehem. All they could do was follow the star. Their journey really was simply about being FAITHFUL enough to follow the LITTLE BIT OF LIGHT that God had graced them with. --They didn't know the full picture of God's plan. There was no John the Baptist preparing the way yet; there were no 12 Apostles yet; Maundy Thursday, Good Friday & Easter Sunday hadn't happened yet; there was no Apostle Paul with his mission to the Gentiles yet; there was no New Testament to read, yet. Their journey really was simply about being FAITHFUL enough to realize God was working in the world and HE WAS CALLING THEM to be a part of it. --And most importantly, they didn't know that God's plan to touch their lives PERSONALLY wasn't going to be an overwhelming DISPLAY of DIVINE GLORY. This is where the Hallmark cards get the timing a bit wrong. In the story, the Magi don't come to see baby Jesus in the manger. Vs 11 says they're in a HOUSE now. Time has passed...maybe as much as 2yrs. They're not seeing Baby Jesus, TODDLER JESUS. If you have kids, think about when they were toddlers...crawling around on the floor... droopy diapers... drooling... babyfood kind caked on their face. THIS is the manifestation of GOD in their lives. THIS is what they traveled all that distance for. THIS simple encounter is why they bothered. Sounds kinda underwhelming doesn't it? But not to them. Vs 11 says on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they KNELT DOWN AND PAID HIM HOMAGE. They worshiped him. Today, YOU are the Magi. You don't necessarily know where you're going. You're here today, but who knows what tomorrow will bring? Your journey really is simply about being FAITHFUL enough to follow the LITTLE BIT OF LIGHT that God had graced you with. Today, YOU are the Magi. You've got a lot more than they did, but you still don't know the full extent of God's plan. God is God. We're not. There's just going to be stuff about him that he chooses not to reveal. But He's working in the world and he's CALLED YOU to be a part of it. Today, YOU are the Magi. God still isn't overwhelming you with a DISPLAY of DIVINE GLORY, He's still coming cloaked in humble form, in lowly down-to-earth things like baptismal water; & bread & wine; Words of Scripture on a page... read, and proclaimed. THIS is the manifestation of GOD in your life. THIS is why you traveled whatever distance you traveled. THIS simple encounter is why you bother. UNDERWHELMING? Not to the ancient Magi... and not to modern Magi either.

Thoughts going in, June 19th, Pentecost +5

They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. 30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:26-39) I'm on vacation this week, but Pastor Tom Noll will be continuing our look at "Learning from the Master" with reflections on the above reading, as Jesus encounters yet another 'outsider' in Luke's narrative. Cheers, T.M.

Thoughts going in, June 12th, Pentecost +4

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50)

            Our "Learning from the Master" series continues this week with yet another "outsider" taking center stage. To re-cap, Week 1's outsider was a Roman Centurion; his ethnicity made him an outsider. Last week's outsider was the widow of Nain; tragic life's circumstances made her an outsider. This week the outsider is a woman who had lived a sinful life (vs 37). Without exception every commentary consulted draws the conclusion that this woman is either a prostitute (earns her living by selling her body for sex), or is at the very least the 'town hussy' whose moral standards lay far below the accepted standard of decency. Regardless, she is an outsider--in her case, a designation brought about by her life's choices. [Note: at least one commentator has mentioned that then, as now, it was entirely possible for a woman to be so economically marginalized that the 'choice' of prostitution was literally a choice between selling one's body, and death. This could very well be the case for this woman too. In which case, the point in emphasizing her 'choices' is not to stand with Simon the Pharisee and condemn her, but rather to simply emphasize that her 'choice' has led to her status as 'outsider.']

            I found this next bit online and thought it was helpful, so I'm including it here: The Pharisee in our text is part of a holiness movement, a movement of lay people who have taken upon themselves the ‘Holiness Code,’ those who see the entire people of Israel as a “kingdom of priests.” When we recall the divisions that plagued Judaism from the time of the Hasmoneans on with regard to the ‘holiness’ of the Temple priests and the unhappy relations between Pharisees and Sadducees, we can understand the Pharisees’ concerns. They desired not to co-opt the commandments, as had the Sadducees, but to follow God with a whole heart. The Sadducees had eventually (so said the Pharisees) corrupted themselves by accommodating their lifestyle to that of the world around them (the problem of Hellenization). The First Book of Maccabees is excellent reading for getting a handle on this. At the time following the Maccabean revolution with the rise of the Hasmonean dynasty, movements arose as to the quality and legitimacy of the Temple priesthood. It is probable that the sect at Qumran had its origins at this time. Another separatist movement was the Pharisees. They too had a problem with the holiness of the Temple but they also had an issue with the holiness of the people. And so they referred to themselves as ‘the separated’ and the regular Miriam’s and Joshua’s as "am ha-eretz," or people of the land.

We know Jesus also had a problem with the Temple authorities. And Jesus also appears in the Gospels to have had problems with the Pharisees.  Yet, Jesus with his critique of the Temple system and hierarchy would have found much in common with the teachings of the Pharisees, so Luke’s ‘invitation’ is not an unhistorical probability.

            At a dinner given in the home of a Pharisee, a ‘sinful woman’ enters and weeps at Jesus’ feet. In order to get the proper picture, Barclay's words are helpful: In the east the guests did not sit, but reclined, at table. They lay on low couches, resting on the left elbow, leaving the right arm free, with the feet stretched out behind; and during the meal the sandals were taken off. That explains how the woman was standing beside Jesus' feet.

            Our Pharisee, Simon, is appalled. He asks two questions of himself which both expect a negative answer. “If this man were a prophet (and he is not), he would know what kind of woman this is (and he doesn’t).” Therefore, he must not be a prophet. Jesus is aware of what his host, Simon, was thinking (because in reality he's more than a prophet). So Jesus tells a little parable. Like the story of Nathan “parabling” King David, Simon answers correctly but in so doing condemns his own reaction to the woman. We know the rest of the story: Jesus praises the woman for her ‘honorable acts of hospitality’ and critiques Simon for his lack thereof.

            Simon, as a Pharisee, knows the value of repentance and its strategic role in forgiveness. Why then does he judge this woman when she comes repenting? What has caused his negative critical attitude? In the process he also criticizes Jesus, why does he do so?

Simon’s repentance had taken him far. He followed Torah and heeded the commandments that hedged the Torah. His life was a detailed perfection of holiness, he followed God’s ways, he obeyed God’s laws. He was an example of moral perfection. But he would not fellowship with those who had not come as far as he. He is still of the mind that a great gulf exists between himself and this woman. He does not perceive that the goodness and mercy of God forgive both him and woman. Has he become dependent on what he considers his merits? Has he become self-satisfied with his own status before God?

            Simon’s division between himself and the woman indicates that he has co-opted the religion of grace. He has measured his value before God in terms of others whom he has devalued. He is better than this one and that one, holier than her, more righteous than him. He has compared himself to others when he ought to have been comparing himself with himself.

Cheers,

T.M. 

Thoughts going in, June 5th, Pentecost +3

Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother (who was a widow), and a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and those who carried it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 So the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they began to glorify God, saying, “A great prophet has appeared among us!” and “God has come to help his people!” 17 This report about Jesus circulated throughout Judea and all the surrounding country. (Luke 7:11-17)

            Last week we began a 6-part study on discipleship. In Luke's narrative the period of instruction (commonly called the "Sermon on the Plain") gives way to action; instruction gives way to doing; and what follows is a series of fascinating encounters. We are using these encounters to see what we can learn about being 21st century disciples of the Master. Last week (week 1) we saw that Learning from the Master was all about the outsider... and how God's grace is (surprisingly) FOR THE OUTSIDER. Indeed, we saw that WE TOO are outsiders; we saw that being an outsider is a good thing.

            As already noted, the first four weeks of this series sets the 'outsider' theme and sticks with it for a while. Last week's outsider was a Gentile member of the despised occupying Roman Army. Though he was considered 'exceptional,' there's no getting around the fact that he was an outsider.

            In Week 2 of our study the focus shifts. The 'outsider' under consideration this week would not normally have this designation. She is an Israelite; a child of the covenant; part of the people of God; a "daughter of Abraham." As insiders go, she's a full member. HOWEVER, there's a problem. According to the text, she's a widow (vs 12); and to make matters worse, her only son has now died. This would be a very sad situation in any society of any time. But in this particular society, it is especially sad. Marriages were arranged; with very few exceptions, the only status a woman has is through her husband. Even the husband's family of origin will look upon her with skepticism until she bears him at least one son. This woman had done that, but somewhere along the line her husband had died. Still, with an adult son, she would be cared for. Until now. Now that her only son had also died, there was nothing standing between this woman and a beggar's life. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there was now very little standing between this woman and her own death. This is, in the fullest sense of the term, a DEATH MARCH that Jesus encounters at the village gate. And this widow is now an outsider.

            But we saw last week that God's grace comes to outsiders. This week we get a closer look at what this grace looks like at ground level. It looks, specifically, like COMPASSION (v13); and it looks like NEW LIFE (v14). Of course for this widow and her son (note... for the 2nd week in a row the actual recipient of the miracle was completely passive, last week's slave and this week's son) this compassion and new life meant one thing. In a universal sense it will mean something different--yet we cannot lose sight of the fact that the same Lord who had compassion this day in Nain 2,000 years ago reigns in heaven and continues to look upon humanity through the compassion of the Gospel. He continues to offer humanity new life--first in terms of the new life of faith, and then hope and renewal of all of those parts of life that we've managed to mess up.

Cheers,

T.M.