June 28, 2015 Mark 4:21-25

Mark 4:21 - 25, Pg. 38

Jesus said to them, 

“Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” 

And he said to them,

 “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”

***

There is a picture I took at Vacation Bible School this week. One of the preschool classes has on their elephant masks and is lined up in two rows. It took forever, to get their masks on straight, then to form two lines, and have one row kneel, and stay kneeling, much less face the same direction. It reminded me of being a kid at soccer or t-ball team pictures in the hot Texas sun with the contrast of nicely brushed hair and a sport uniform. It always seemed to take forever, and by the time the photos was shot we were always a little sweaty our hair now stuck to our foreheads. So I can understand why when you scan the VBS picture left to right, and come to last on the bottom row, our Alex is making a face like the a giant lion mid roar. Its the perfect photo bomb. I laughed when I saw it and smiled and showed Sharon Defrees who did the same. We laughed in part, because it's Alex, typical fun and silly and downright lovable Alex, but its great, because it points is more. It points to a light we have in this church, a lamp that is lit. We go to a church where kids are allowed to be kids and adults take the time and energy to nurture them in unconditional love. We recognize that God created kids fun and silly and downright lovable, and if anything, we are to emulate them. This understanding is the measure we are given as a church and this past week even more was given us in the form of fifty kids, equally silly and smiley, and having fun. One mom, who attends the Catholic church but was helping lead a station at our VBS. She said that when they drove up to our church, her preschooler yelled from his back car seat, “This is the fun church!" The measure you give is the measure you get, and more will be given you. We have been given the Alexs and the Sharons, and because of it, we were also given the Catholic mom and her preschooler. At the end of a packed four days, after all the fifty kids stood on stage singing and dancing to the songs they learned that week, parents videoing and volunteers watching the culmination of fun, silly, and downright lovable, Annie remarked about the life that was alive in the church. It was the light not under a bushel basket, but let shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Two Saturdays ago, Open Door had their volunteer picnic at Geiser Gullman Park. For those volunteers who served hearty and filling breakfasts to middle schoolers each school day and interacted with the youth showing care and interest Larry Cassidy returned the favor with steaks for the volunteers. Mark and Betsy Ferns were there with their granddaughter Keegan and her friend; Larry had extended the invitation to the out of town girls and the group had welcomed them. As the volunteers sat down with their bounty, their light shining, a couple kids from the park looked on, hungry themselves. Its not quite clear how it happened, but soon the girls, had walked their steaks over, and given them to the hungry kids. The measure you give is the measure you get, and more will be given you. We are given the Larry Cassidys, the Ferns, various volunteers, and hungry middle schoolers. We were given more in Keegan and her friend, and the hungry kids at the park. It makes sense to me that in that community of Open Door volunteers who feed and care, their love was shown and received in the community of Baker City. It was the light not under a bushel basket, but a light - let shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Several family members of the nine who were killed at Charleston’s Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church measured their grief with grace for the murderer of their family members. “I forgive you,” the daughter of victim Ethel Lance, 70, said through tears to Roof. “You took something very precious from me and I will never talk to her again. I will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you and have mercy on your soul.” Daniel Simmons Sr. 74 said although my grandfather and the other victims died at the hands of hate, this is proof that everyone’s plea for your soul is proof that they lived and loved and their legacies will live and love. So hate wont win and I just want the court to make sure hate doesn’t win.” http://abcnews.go.com/US/dylann-roof-hears-victims-families-speak-1st-court/story?id=31896001 The families were given a measure of light and more was given them. It makes sense to me that the families of the people who met for that Bible Study, where welcome and grace was shown to Roof, displayed even more grace and unconditional love after the victims murder. It was the light not under a bushel basket, but a light - let shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Jesus said to the gathered, and says to us,

“Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” 

And he said to them, and to us

 “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given.

What is the light that is in you? From what does it seek to be hidden? Upon what does it shine? The world sparkles and is illuminated with more light. What is the light that is in you? Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Amen.

June 21, 2015 Mark 4:1-9

Again Jesus began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 

“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

***

Driving back home yesterday I got excited to see what was new in the manse garden. Before I left, I had spent a weekend moving dirt, sprinkling grass seed, planting tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, cosmos and hosts and bleeding hearts, and about two dozen pots with various lavenders and chives, and morning glories, and flower seeds in silver, blue and white. Upon return, I learned I can grow grass and Cosmos, that the sprinkler doesn't reach the random four foot squared section where I planted the vegetables. I learned sprinklers every other day in the month June in Eastern Oregon is not enough water for anything to grow besides Canada Thistle and Pigweed, and that if I’m going to spend the time planting things, I should also spend the time making sure the conditions are right. But life is like that sometimes. 

Its particularly like that when we’re rushed with too many things and too little time. Church this year has felt like that, life has felt like that. I can’t keep up. We can’t keep up. Perhaps by trying to do too much, without focus, we are simply creating more work for ourselves, two dozen pots where nothing grew. Maybe it takes ears to hear and listening. 

When is the last time you listened to your life? Was it recent enough to know what its saying? When is the last time you noticed the patterns of repeated struggles, the rocky ground, the thin soil and the scorching sun? When’s the last time you named the thorns which chock out your blossoming? Conversely, when is the last time you took note of what is blooming within you, and the soil and sun and the rain which allows your flourishing? Do you know, have you counted your yield?

When I turned thirty I asked for the gift of advice, and Suzanne Fouty told me to have what she called, ‘touchstone days,’ where a couple times a year, you take the time to access your life, to note where you are, and where you want to be, and the distance between, and the things that are holding you back, and those that are propelling you forward, and those that find you exactly where you are, etc. etc. Well, for me, traveling alone for three days by car to plane, then tram to train, from train to train, to ferry, to bus, to ferry, to rocky path up barren island landscape of short alpine grass, captured under grey skies, surrounded by blue water, ending at an Iona Abby, beginning with worship where old moss covered stones echo harmonies as desolate, harrowing, and scared as the grave, and in like manner lift, to that which transcends words and notes and sound itself, there was nothing to do but listen, to the emptiness, to the quiet, to the place of feeling beyond thinking, to the place of watching beyond doing, to the place of being stripped down to shivering bone and (breaking) beating heart, senses heightened to the simple interactions of a community of transient pilgrims shifting equally with the North Wind, which set forth our visible breath, spiraling,

 “I will weep when you are weeping

When you laugh, I’ll laugh with you

I will share your joy and sorrow

Till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven

We shall find such harmony

Born to all we’ve known together

Of Christ’s love and agony”

It was a touchstone moment, and if I am honest it was two, that I hate being cold, but yet, even still, worship, in moments when it transcends, is inseparable from who I am and my connection to all of creation and life itself. That, and I will never go to Europe again before late July or August. Warmth and worship, two things that are some of my deepest soil, where my roots can dig down, where I can flourish if I don't just rush through. On the plane ride over, I had put together most of the summer’s worship, and a decent amount of Fall’s, but there in that Abby, I knew I had to plan to sit in the heat of backyard this summer and plan Advent through Ordinary Time. I knew I needed it, and I knew we as a congregation needed more spirituality, and were ready for a deeper worship. This is the patch of new thick neon grass at the manse, and the cosmos that grow whimsey and wild within me. 

I wonder where do you have to go to be away enough to listen to silence? Whom do you need to see to let go? Whom do you have leave for awhile? What do you need to not be able to do that blows you off track like the cold North wind? What feelings will you discover beyond thinking? What will you find yourself watching? What is your place of deepest soil, and what does that tell you about your calling? What does your calling look like in your church, your community, the world? And Jesus said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

What do we as a church need to do to find a quiet spot to think, to listen to our calling to our community and the world in praise of God? What do we need to not be able to do? What feelings will we discover beyond thinking? What is our place of deepest soil, and what does that tell us about our calling?  And Jesus said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” 

June 14, 2015, 2Corinthians 5:11-17

Sermon Presented by Jim Kauth

Third Sunday after Pentecost—June 14

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time / Proper 6

Read Mark 4:26-34

This is the Pentecost Season; during this time of year I invite you to consider the works of God’s Holy Spirit in your lives and the lives of others. What is God doing or has God done for you and your community. All praise and glory for God!

In Mark we hear Jesus say, “Here is what the kingdom of God is like:” and He tells a parable; again He says, “What else is the kingdom of God like?” and He tells another parable. We ask ourselves what does Jesus mean by these parables, what is He talking about? Why do we ask this?

Listen to the lyrics of this John Denver song, “Annie’s Song”

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Do we ask what John Denver means when he says, “You fill up my senses like a night in a forest, like the mountains in springtime”?

No, we don’t ask, we just let the lyrics and music sink in; we just experience the words and the moment. Biblical translators are not as lyrical as John Denver; I wonder how John would have written these verses in Mark?

The kingdom of heaven

Is like a small seed

planted in soil

it grows while we sleep.

But we do ask what does Jesus mean?

What is a parable, how does it teach? Why did Jesus teach through this method?

In these parables Jesus compares the “Kingdom of Heaven” with earthly things; the planting, growing, blossoming and harvesting of crops or a garden plant that grew from an almost microscopic seed into one of the largest garden plants, a haven for wildlife.

In essence a parable is a comparison.

How does a parable teach?

It teaches through experience!

Have you noticed that we can immerse ourselves in a good novel, we can experience what the characters in the story experience though not all of us enjoy the same novels-stories? It is true we each have our preferences for types of stories, ways the story is told, a mystery, a memoir, a style of writing even the choice of words, these preferences determine our willingness to enter into the stories; so it is also true for parables. Though our parable preferences are determined not by subject or literary style but by our God given ability to see and hear the parables, our ability to hear God’s Word with our mind’s eye. Hearing with our minds eye is the best description I’ve found for experience!

Why teach through this method?

Remember Jesus’ ministry is God given, God directed and God driven, God is in control, God chose the disciples, those who can hear God’s Word with their mind’s eye. God chose the parables. There is a winnowing; those who God has chosen from those not chosen, those who have been chosen to hear the Word later rather than now. Parables winnow, God chooses for God’s own reasons.

At different times, during Jesus’ ministry, God directs Jesus to teach by parables, and then through miracles. Through God, Jesus teaches to the whole person, intellect, emotions, body and soul, sometimes Jesus’ teaching is focused on one aspect of who we are, our intellect and then later another part of us, our spiritual body or our physical body or our emotions. God through Jesus teaches us, as God would have us worship, we learn with our entire being just as we worship with our entire being. Parables are just one way God teaches our entire being!

We can experience a Jesus parable just like we experience a John Denver song; let it sink in; experience the words and the moment. Let the parable sink into your entire being as you study, meditate then contemplate on what is shown to your mind’s eye. Yet unlike a John Denver song a parable carries layers of meaning from God, some we are meant to understand now, some later, some not at all!

You’ve noticed that I haven’t told you what I think these particular parables mean. You will never run out of people who would gladly tell you what a parable means, learned commentators and pastors, Christian educators and people like me. But a parable’s meaning is best understood through the journey we all must make as we walk the Christian Way. I haven’t shared with you a meaning because parables speak to individual people and individual communities at specific times. It’s time for you to sit quietly at the feet of Jesus, for you to hear with your mind’s eye, to understand what God is saying to you and this community right here and right now. Talk to each other and grow in spiritual wisdom as a family of faith, grow in faith as a disciple of Christ.

Read 2Corinthians 5:11-17

In Corinthians is where the tire meets the road, Paul addresses the application of Jesus’ teachings, Jesus’ spiritual directions to real life.

Who empowers and guides our spiritual growth in faith? God’s Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that grew Paul’s Faith in Christ, that allowed Paul to live in the “Fruits of the Spirit”, the same Spirit that gave Paul new eyes to see “the old life is gone, a new life has begun!

Last week I mentioned that the Church in Corinth displayed less evidence of transformation / spiritual growth than did other congregations! We know from Paul’s first letter to them their fellowship was marked by divisions, by doctrinal disputes, by confusion over spiritual gifts.

In 2Corinthians Paul is preaching “Reconciliation”, reconciliation with God first, then with each other. How do we enter into the Kingdom of God? By being reconciled with God. For us to reconcile we must make the adjustment. When we set our watch by the kitchen clock, we are “reconciling” our watch to the clock. We change our watch so that it keeps time set by the standard of the kitchen clock. When our life is reconciled with God we change our life so that our life keeps time by the standard of God!

But how do we reconcile with each other?

Hear what Paul says in 1Corinthians 13:4-7

⁴ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

What do you hear? Love does not insist on its own way, we live by God’s standard by not thinking of only ourselves but by keeping our focus on others, by not insisting on our own way? Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. What do you hear? When Paul looks at the Corinthians he sees the truth, he sees who God intended them to be, he is joyful ¹⁶ Because of all that God has done, we now have a new perspective. We used to show regard for people based on worldly standards and interests. No longer. We used to think of the Anointed the same way. No longer.

Paul wants the Corinthians to see the same way God sees, the same way Paul now sees, Therefore, if anyone is united with the Anointed One, that person is a new creation. The old life is gone—and see—a new life has begun!

How do we reconcile with others by reflecting the love God has given to us, ¹³ And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

How do we reflect this divine love?

By living through the “Fruits of the Spirit”.

I want you to hear what life lived by the Fruits of the Spirit sound like.

This is from a song written by Jimmy Dean.

I never made a fortune and it's probably too late now

But I don't worry about that much, I'm happy anyhow

And as I go along life's journey, I'm reaping better than I sowed

I'm drinking from my saucer, cause my cup has overflowed.

I ain't got a lot of riches, and sometimes the goings tough

but I've got kids who love me and that makes me rich enough

I just thank God for his blessings and the mercies he's bestowed.

I'm drinking from my saucer, cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong, and my faith got a little thin

but then all at once the dark clouds broke, and the sun peeked through again

so Lord help me not to gripe about the tough rows I hoed

I'm drinking from my saucer, cause my cup has overflowed.

And if God gives me strength and courage, when the way grows steep and rough

I'll not ask for another blessing, I'm already blessed enough

And may I never be too busy to help another bear his load

I'll keep drinking from my saucer, cause my cup has overflowed.

Let God’s Word speak to you, sit at the feet of Jesus, listen with your mind’s eye, let God’s Holy Spirit work in you and through you.

Drink from your saucer cause your cup has overflowed, show the world how to drink from their saucer cause through God, their cup can overflow!

AMEN

June 7, 2015 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35

Mark 3:20–35

Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered—so many making demands on him that there wasn’t even time to eat. His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was getting carried away with himself.

The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power. Jesus confronted their slander with a story: “Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get rid of Satan? A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were fighting Satan, there soon wouldn’t be any Satan left. Do you think it’s possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man, and walk off with his possessions unless you tie him up first? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.

“Listen to this carefully. I’m warning you. There’s nothing done or said that can’t be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God’s Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.” He gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil.

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him. He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, “Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you.”

Jesus responded, “Who do you think are my mother and brothers?” Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, “Right here, right in front of you—my mother and my brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Message                                     

2 Corinthians 4:13–5:1

We share the same spirit of faith as the one who wrote the psalm, “I believed; therefore I spoke.” (Psalm 116:10) We also believe, and that belief leads us to acknowledge that the same God who resurrected the Lord Jesus will raise us with Jesus and will usher us all together into His presence. All of this is happening for your good. As grace is spread to the multitudes, there is a growing sound of thanks being uttered by those relishing in the glory of God.

So we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life every day. You see, the short-lived pains of this life are creating for us an eternal glory that does not compare to anything we know here. So we do not set our sights on the things we can see with our eyes. All of that is fleeting; it will eventually fade away. Instead, we focus on the things we cannot see, which live on and on.

We know that if our earthly house—a mere tent that can easily be taken down—is destroyed, we will then live in an eternal home in the heavens, a building crafted by divine—not human—hands.

The Voice     

***

 Sermon by Jim Kauth

 

I really did not want to preach on these verses from Mark and 2Corinthians! I had a choice of Biblical readings for this Sunday and Mark and Corinthians where the least undesirable. I researched possible Bible readings for the Pentecost season that weren’t listed in the recommended readings for the liturgical year. I even picked topics dealing with the Holy Spirit and time after time reasons appeared that prevented any in-depth study of those Spirit related topics in preparation for this sermon, almost like God’s Holy Spirit was pushing me toward Mark and Corinthians. I’m a stubborn man but I think God made His point; God is far, far more stubborn than I am and I truly thank God for that. So here I am preaching on Mark 3:20-35 and 2Corinthians 4: 13-5:1. I would point out that this work of the Spirit seems entirely appropriate at this time of the year as the Pentecost Season is a time to reflect on the works of God’s Holy Spirit in this world and in our personal lives.

This is my interpretation of these parts of the Gospels, but “you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation, you must not relinquish this to a biblical commentator”, your pastor, me, anyone.                                         Bob Utley

Let’s look at Mark 3:20-35, “Jesus came home and as usual a crowd gathered” why? Why did crowds gather around Jesus?

·         Was Jesus’ style of preaching so mesmerizing? That was one reason; the Gospels give us that impression.

·         Did the crowds gather because of what he was preaching? Yes, for some what Jesus said was moving and most importantly gave them Hope.

The life of rural and socially low standing urban citizens was not a life of ease. Roman rule was marked by great latitude in social, cultural and religious practices but Rome was not forgiving when it came to paying taxes. Roman taxes were heavy. Only the rich could afford to pay those burdensome levies on a regular basis. Subsistence farms and many of what we would call today family farms were sold on the auction block for unpaid taxes. Many, many farm families went from land owners with a sense of pride and belonging to tenant farmers feeling hopeless, living on the land they once owned but now worked for an absentee owner. The fabric of community was stretched almost to a breaking point. So yes, what Jesus had to say did bring hope.

·         Did crowds gather around Jesus for the physical healing, YES, think of Jesus as “Doctors without borders” and “Red Cross” that bring food, doctors and medicines all rolled up into one person.

Healing drew people, people who were rejected, people who were marginalized, people hurting emotionally and physically and people hurting spiritually. Jesus healed them all. Jesus gave people dignity; He gave a sense of belonging to people who were set outside of community whether they were tax collectors or lepers.  Jesus included people He did not exclude people, unless you have experienced this type of excluding you cannot imagine the healing power of inclusion.

Regrettably many of us do understand exclusion but have not experienced the healing power of belonging. I think healing was the single most important reason for “as usual a crowd gathered” around Jesus.

If you were among the crowd gather around Jesus seeking healing and wealthy members of congress or religious leaders or their representatives came and said Jesus was an agent of Satan, that Jesus was doing the devil’s work, what would you think? Remember neither the religious leaders nor the civil authorities have done anything to relieve your suffering, you have even less food for you and your family, your taxes are a greater burden, your level of living has been dramatically lowered by them, these so called leaders. What would you think of their accusation?    

I can tell you this, Jesus did not respond to just His accusers; Jesus pitched His voice so the crowd that was there could hear what He said. His response to the accusation was for the accusers, the crowd and any person whose door to their mind and heart was not shut, locked and barred. This time Jesus responded to the minds of the accusers, pointing out where their logic was faulty. The faith of Jesus and our faith in Jesus involves everything we are, our mind, body, emotions and soul and what affects one will affect all the other parts of ourselves. And while Jesus coolly shreds the accusation and the accusers through logic He also warns, the spiritual consequences of this accusation, that Jesus is in league with Satan, rejects God! You reject God at your great peril. God heals, Jesus heals and the Holy Spirit heals all that is us, body mind and soul. Satan does not heal, Satan destroys!

An important part of Jesus’ healing is His attitude toward people. Jesus cares for people, for us out of great love! We are God’s BELOVED! We are not to be pitied, we are to be forgiven, God did not send His unique Son to condemn this world but to save this world. Jesus embraces His relationship with His Divine Father, Jesus embraces His sonship and Jesus embraces us, “The person who obeys God’s Will is my brother and sister and mother”, in other words we are family.

“He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you. Jesus responded, who do you think are my mother and brothers and sisters?” This question is not a denial of his family through birth by blood; it is an embracing of His God given family through “Birth from above by water and the Spirit” (John 3)

What does God want us to understand through this chapter and these verses by Mark?

·         In Israel, there was great need for Hope, for love, for healing

·         In Israel, their leaders where blind to God’s way, to the peoples suffering.

·         Jesus healed people through the grace of God, through the Love of God and in this Love He embraced all, who would obey the Will of God, as family.

·         Jesus did not conform to the worldview of Israel’s leaders and they were afraid. These fearful leaders rejected anything and anyone who did not conform to their outlook.

Has the world changed much?

Paul was a master motivator! We see it here in 2Corinthians. Paul’s radical vision of this momentous world change wrought by the death and resurrection of Jesus promises a transformation for believers; we are transformed - we are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus.

Yet the Corinthians displayed less evidence of transformation than did other congregations! We know from Paul’s first letter to them that their fellowship was marked by divisions, by doctrinal disputes, by confusion over spiritual gifts, even by immorality that was winked at by the local body. So how to motivate these brothers and sisters?

Think of all the ways we try to motivate others as a coach, a parent, a pastor, a friend, we make rules, we shame, urge, condemn, we nag, we belittle, we give praise, we withhold praise, we plan competitions to provide rewards, we withhold rewards all to get people to do the right thing!  And all are typical of our human understanding of each other. God sees us differently, understands us differently, so God motivates us differently.

• First God motivates people by example, Jesus’ example. And Paul does just that, often he would say imitate me in this or follow me as I follow Jesus. We Christians motivate other first by example.
• God seeks to create a climate that frees us to respond and to grow in the Word of God, through unconditional love and confidence that we will choose to respond to His Will. Paul also expresses this unconditional love and confidence through out his letters. “I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds” (7:4) This is no pie-in-the-sky confidence, this confidence is grounded in Paul’s total, complete trust in God. Nothing can disrupt God’s plan. The Corinthian have begun to lose confidence in themselves, Paul countered this loss of confidence with his own unshaken confidence in these men and women, Paul would believe until they believed in themselves.
• In this particular portion of 2Corinthians Paul also reveals his own motivations. Paul bears his soul to his brothers and sisters in Christ. “We share the same spirit of faith” not just between each other but also with another child of God who wrote Psalm 116. “I believed; therefore I spoke.”(116:10)

116 is a song of prayer and praise, between verses 8-11 the psalmist drifts back into prayer. He recognizes that Yahweh had delivered him from death. Yahweh had dried up his tears, and prevented him from falling before his enemies? The psalmist pledges that he will render to Yahweh free and joyous service in the land of life and light. In his time of distress the psalmist had found human help unreliable. Yet he never lost his faith in God. Paul connects Jesus’ saving grace with the deliverance Yahweh provided to the psalmist and like the psalmist who believed, Paul believes and therefore speaks praise and offers thanksgiving prayers. Like the psalmist Paul also pledges free and joyous service to God and he sees his life as one now lived in the “land of life and light”.

WOW, do you see yourself living in the “Land of life and light”? Once again Paul is saying, “follow me as I follow Jesus”.

            Paul sees the world from God’s perspective; therefore Paul weighs the weight of his suffering against the weight of God’s promised glory and sees no reason to despair!

• Paul continues to compare heaven and earth and he finds this temporary life lacking. Paul is speaking from experience, Paul knows discouragement and he has experienced God’s comfort and care during these times of despair. Paul like the psalmist of 116 has learned through hard lessons that the things of this world are impermanent and untrustworthy but God does not abandon us, God IS worthy of our complete trust. 5 ¹We know that if our earthly house—a mere tent that can easily be taken down—is destroyed, we will then live in an eternal home in the heavens, a building crafted by divine—not human—hands.

Why these two readings, are they connected, if so how are they connected? In chapter three Paul explains how the Spirit transforms believers so we are conformed to the image of Jesus. And in this part of 2Cor.4:13-5:1 chapter Paul clarifies that this change means believers embody Jesus’ death through suffering and participate in His present, risen life.

What does it mean to embody Christ? Well, in Mark we clearly see Jesus’ attitude, Jesus cares for people, for us, out of great love! We are God’s BELOVED! We are not to be pitied, we are to be forgiven and God did not send His unique Son to condemn this world but to save this world. Jesus embraces His relationship with His Divine Father, and Jesus embraces us.

• Will we conform to the likeness of Jesus?
• Will we care out of love?
• Will we forgive?
• Will we embody the death of Jesus through suffering?
• Will we participate in the present life of Jesus, His risen life?
• Will we by example show the world that there is a land of life and light and Jesus is the way to this wonderland?
• Will we choose to live in the land of life and light?

AMEN

                              

May 31, 2015 Matthew 25: 31-40

Matthew 25: 31-40

“Listen carefully to the word of the Lord”
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”

***

“Will You Let Him In?”

William Shakespeare, in his play, Richard III said “An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told”. In my sermon here today, I will endeavor to do both.

How often have you heard the phrases,
“Can’t wait to meet Jesus”, “I look forward to the return of Jesus, when he comes again”, “Are you saved?” These and many similar statements tell us how invested we are in the future and how anxious many of us are to "get to heaven." As Christians, many of us cloister, insulate, isolate and segregate ourselves from the world to assure we'll be ready and able to make that trip.

My late Granny would have referred to such religiously forward lookers as “so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good”. She just might have been right. All of Jesus’ commands of us can be summarized in the Great Commandment, to love, and the Great Commission, to spread the Good News. Both of these are to be done right here, on earth. An Example; the lords prayer from Matthew chapter 6 verse 10, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

I have chosen the following narrative to illustrate the earthly focus and regard for our fellow man that Jesus was succinctly illustrating in our scripture reading of Matthew chapter 25. The narrative goes as follows:

The boy paused and knelt next to the furrow in the field, briefly resting from the long, hard day of work under the hot July sun. He turned over some small pebbles and examined them in his hand. All the pebbles were different and seemed foreign; all far-traveled pieces deposited by the great Ice Age Floods thousands of years ago. He dropped the pebbles and returned to his work. As he worked, he listened carefully and intently to the words of his parents who told stories of faith, the redeeming power of Christ, and discussed the origins of those pebbles and the rich soils in which their crops grew. This was how it went, during the long hot summer’s tending to fields and crops.
Several years later on a dark, and stormy winter night (as most good popular literature begins with an ominous tone), as the incessant rain poured down, an event occurred that would forever be remembered. This night would become a central part of their story. Sometime in the middle of the night, a knock came at the door.
Thud!, Thud!, Thud!
The startled family arose from their slumber and the father moved boldly toward the door; from the top of the stairs, with reluctance and foreboding the mother urged the man to not open the door. The three children huddled close, edged in behind the security of their mother. The father cautiously opened the door and revealed a short, thin, Hispanic man, disoriented, drenched, and chilled to his core by the harsh elements of the season. With little apparent regard for possible dangers and sensing evident fear in the stranger, the father calmly ushered the man into the house, warmed by the dull glow of a fading fire in the wood stove. Relief came over the stranger’s face as he was warmed by the fire and given food to replenish him. Though only speaking broken English, the stranger explained that his car had broken down on the remote road after he had become lost traveling between towns. He had abandoned his car and walked through the rain and darkness toward the only faint lights he could see. The stranger had come upon three houses: At one he was greeted by the intimidating barking of aggressive dogs and feared he might be confronted; the other house was dark, overgrown with brush, and seemed vacant. The man had chosen the house in the middle, illuminated only by the soft blue glow of a mercury vapor light hanging above the nearby barn. After the stranger had recounted his story, he awkwardly reached into his pocket and produced several crumpled and damp pieces of paper. One paper was a blurry, partially faded phone number; the others were similarly tattered pieces of identification. The father and mother reached out and took hold of the papers. Instantly they both gasped......the papers identified the man as (Hey sus). Literally translated, the man’s name was Jesus. The father then took the phone number and called; a woman on the other end answered and explained she would be by shortly to pick up the man. A car arrived, Jesus quietly left. The family exhaled deeply as the long night came to a close.
Now you might say what unique story; but how predictable that the story illustrates our treatment of others by coincidentally naming the stranger Jesus. Many stories in popular folklore recount similar tales of a disguised Jesus visiting a home and being denied because the people were just too busy preparing for an expected visit of a Kingly Christ. Such skepticism is expected and certainly would be no different than that of the disciple Thomas, following the death of Jesus. Even Thomas, with an intimate knowledge of Jesus, was in disbelief when told by his fellow disciples that they had “seen the Lord”. John chapter 20, verse 25 tells us that Thomas replied ”Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” As the commonly skeptical scientist that I am, I might agree with the sentiment of Thomas or agree that the preceding story is all too convenient. Except..... that this is my story, my family’s story, and in fact it all did come to pass on a dark and stormy night at the door of our farmhouse many years ago. Three times my father could have denied this strange, disheveled man standing at our door in the middle of the night:
My father could have frightened the stranger into fleeing......
My father could have not responded and kept the door secure and closed....
My father could have opened the door, confronted the stranger and denied him entrance, turning the stranger away, back into the cold rain of the night.......
But he didn’t. Through what must have been a great deal of Peace and Grace derived from God, he opened the door and took Jesus in.
And if some are still skeptical, saying “well Jesus is a common name for a hispanic man”, which is true, consider the astronomical odds and extreme coincidence it would be that on a terrible stormy night, in the depths of a little traveled rural area, at a small indistinct farmhouse on a lonely road, ONE MAN out of 6 billion, in desperate need of aid and of little means, speaking only an unfamiliar language, knocks on the door, and his name is Jesus.
But doubt is normal.
Fortunately, we have a helper, the Holy Spirit, who lives within believers, enabling us to believe that which we do not see with our eyes.
This is illustrated in John, chapter 20. Verses 26-29, where Jesus gathered with the disciples and said “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

There's no question that this earth is a complicated, and at times a messy place. But to fulfill Jesus' commands, we can't evade or avoid it. We can't truly love one another at arms' length. We can't spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ without reaching out and getting dirty. We can only grow closer to Jesus by starting with those in need right around us.

We need to daily prepare our hearts, let go, and follow where the Holy Spirit is guiding us.
Step out and don’t always do things in the ordinary. Then listen to the Holy Spirit very carefully, for you never know the place, the hour, or in what form Jesus will knock.
But when that time does come, will you open the door and let Him in?

May 24, 2015 Mark 3:20-35

and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 

And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, 

“How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 

And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property 

without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 

“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 

but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness,

 but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” 

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” 

SERMON (PASTOR)

I wonder if this is Jesus’ college years. He has had his preteen time in the temple, that first questioning of his parent’s authority. He did time in the desert alone and was tempted, and now back, he is spewing out paradigms and parables his mother, sister and brothers have never heard. Its like he’s back to Baker for the summer, son of an Oregon Trail ranching family, and while at college became part of the Green Party. Its so different, so opposite, that his family is worried, “They went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.”  And I wonder the times we think someone has gone out their mind, because what they speak challenges all that we’ve ever known or what we believe we know.

I dislike going to the Thursdays Pastor’s meeting in town because of this. It is hard for me to hear other leaders who seem so wrapped in fear and rules, and judgement, of whose in and out, what’s right and wrong, and saving the lost, and hating the sin and loving the sinner, and that America is fallen though the elect, and everything for Israel and no mention of Palestine, and the need for trained gunmen in the sanctuary, and then sometimes they start comparing ministry to sports, all the while talking over and interrupting one another, and I, the only woman in the room as the only full female pastor in town, get to the point where I’ve had it. Once, I pointed out how they spoke to each other, how it made me feel disgusted at their lack of listening and unwelcome to enter in  the conversation because I am not one to raise my voice over another to be heard, and I haven’t been back. But I tell you, in that room are pastors who cared for me, held my hands and prayed for me while I sniffled and snotted grotesquely, and were understanding during my divorce when I assumed they would be the last. In that room are pastors who have taught me things about God, that I have kept with me and used in my own ministry. Like that God has already freed us and taken on our sin, which lifts our need to focus on confession, and turns it to praise, or the illustration one pastor presented with the caveat that it is harsh because it needs to be. He said, if a child dies from drinking Draino it is not the parents the killed that child, Draino kills, and there are things in life that just happen that are beyond our control and not ordained by God. It was a theology I believed, but to hear it so starkly from someone I assumed was an everything happens for a reason pastor, presented an alternative example from my weaker ones.  These are men from whom I am learn and are colleagues in ministry, whose care is clearly in the Spirit filled. While it is exhausting to hear the Bible preached in ways that seem just about opposite of my theology, and sometimes seem to undo the inclusive hopeful welcome of our Presbyterian ministry, what is harder to reconcile, is that I never leave unchanged, and that I know those in their pews congregants feel likewise. If this version of Christianity is so detrimental, why does it sometimes work? How can Satan cast out Satan? 

The scribes in our scripture aren’t worried about Jesus speaking, as much as they are worried that it works. This nobody from Nazareth is collecting followers. My worry isn't that these pastors are peaching, I worry because they and their followers have the power to define who God is in Baker City, so much so, that have even influenced my definition of God. I worry because their ministry works, and like the scribes to Jesus, it puts my ministry in a more precarious place. How can I stand here and tell you all are welcome, when other churches say people must change to be included in the fold? How can I stand here and tell you its not about rules, when the the social strata of this town seems to figure itself out by high school prom and a person is defined by that group for the entirety of their life? How can I tell you its about service, when we have community that takes no thought in attempting to evangelize to our Open Door kids? Sometimes, it seems like it would be easier just to tie up the strong man, so I may plunder the house of God using everything for my own. But I am afraid, I too have seen and felt the movement of the Spirit outside these Presbyterian walls, because though in this town, and elsewhere, Christianity can feel like a house divided, God is not. God is using each of us, both inside this church, and other churches, and those who have ever been to church. God does not cast out God. And so, sometimes I have to get outside these walls, and frankly, I’ve been kicking myself for not having gone back to the Pastor’s meeting, and I promise I will this summer.

I wonder what would going outside these walls look like for you? Where do you least expect to hear the voice of God and when are going? Is it a bar at night, is it in the youth of this generation, or the old people of the last, is it in Fox News or the Huffington Post, is it in the internet or the newspaper, is it in a museum or a city council meeting, or lazing around on a Monday morning? Its not the place you want to go, or the thing you want to do, its probably one of the least, but its the practice of remembering that God is not defined, and that God’s family likewise may not always look like that old Oregon Trail Ranching Family, that Jesus is in the college student, and the disheveled family creating chaos at the grocery store. Its the practice of remembering and experience that God is not divided, and nor are we.