I Say to You, Rise!
Readings: 1 Kings 17:8-24; Psalm 146; Galatians 1:11-17; Luke 7:1-17
The readings today are wonderful stories of how the action of God brings life into the desolation of our human condition. Whether it is physical healing or spiritual renewal, God is present with us.
First of all there is the story of the widow of Zarephath. God leads Elijah into the heart of enemy territory. It is a place where the god Baal has its stronghold. There he finds lodging with a widow. As a widow, she is one of the most vulnerable in her society. Yet she willingly helps him. Perhaps her willingness arises from her need. Whatever the reason, she is taking a chance. To harbour him, a foreigner, puts her at great risk. On the other hand, not doing so could mean starvation for herself and her child.
After a time her young son became very ill. “What have you against me?” she rails at Elijah. You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son.” It is a cry from the depths of the human heart and will be uttered in many ways until the end of time. The woman has lost her child. At least that is her presumption. She turns on Elijah in anger. She turns as we so often do, to the very one who is there to help her. It is pain, bereavement, loneliness, fear, all of her emotions looking for an outlet.
There is mixed with her anger, a sense of guilt. There must be a reason for the terrible suffering she is enduring. She must have done something terrible to deserve such treatment. It must be her fault.
That gives way to anger at God. The real culprit is God. After all, God could have prevented this from happening. God is the villain.
How often that is true in the minds of the bereaved. They may not give voice to it. But they will think it just the same. After all, if I rail against God will God make something even more terrible happen?
“Give me your son,” Elijah says to the woman. And then almost echoing her words he cries out to God for help. God answers the prayer. The woman’s son is restored to health.
Let us fast forward to the time of Jesus. He and his disciples, accompanied by a large crowd of people arrive at the town of Nain just as another procession, a funeral procession, approaches the gate. At the head of the procession is a woman, a widow, who is now burying her only son. Jesus has compassion on her. “Don’t cry!” he says to her. He is not telling her that crying is not a necessary human response to her loss. He is not telling her that she is weak for succumbing to her tears. He is not saying that there is something wrong with her. He is simply saying that there is no need for her to cry.
And then he speaks some words that must have startled the onlookers. “Young man, I say to you, rise!” What happened next must have shocked them even more. The dead man got up and began to speak to his mother.
We could get into the usual arguments about this healing. The favourite has always been, “He must have been in a coma. He wasn’t really dead at all.” What we need to understand is that at that moment Jesus is the source of new life to that young man and his family. By extension, we need to understand that Jesus is the source of new life to us.
Paul’s story is also a witness to God’s life giving action in the world. He loves to recount the transforming miracle of his conversion. Indeed, it almost sounds like bragging. He remembers the Damascus Road, the blazing light, the crashing fall, his blindness, the voice of God calling out to him. As surely as God gave new life to the dying child held in Elijah’s arms, as surely as Jesus gave new life to the young man outside Nain, so Christ gave new life to Paul. And he rejoices in it.
Let us fast forward once again to our own time. A friend of mine says that the saddest thing she had to do was to sell the family home following the death of her father. It brought home the reality of his death. As she packed up his things, memories welled up in her of shared family times, of her growing up years, and of wonderful family gatherings centered around food and always, she told me, there was music.
The sale of the home didn’t go well. The house was in a state of disrepair. The décor was less than up to date. It went for far less than she had expected. And along with it went her treasury of memories.
Some weeks later she had the opportunity to meet the new owners. Not only were they lovely people, but they had children and grandchildren and a wonderful sense of family. The most astounding thing was that they were a family of musicians.
Now looking back at her reaction to the sale, she reflects, “Who cares about money? If Dad’s home continues to be filled with love, life and music, then it was the perfect sale.”
Our human condition is such that there are many ways in which we can be regarded as dead. Our faith can be dead. Our love can be dead. Our sensitivity, or joy, or hope, or trust can be dead. All that Jesus can say to us is, “I say to you, rise!”
As surely as God gave new life to the dying child held in Elijah’s arms, as surely as Jesus gave new life to the young man outside Nain, as surely as Christ gave new life to Paul, so God offers new life to us.
So rise, and rejoice in it. Amen.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Proper 9, Year C
Don’t Be Surprised at Where Faith Turns Up
Readings: 1 Kgs. 18:20-39; Ps 96; Gal. 1:1-12; Luke 7:1-10
My parish before I retired was in Mississauga, perhaps one of the most diverse communities in Canada. The parish was wonderfully diverse. As well as those of us born in Canada including one First Nations family, there were people from the West Indies, South America, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, China, Iran, and Great Britain. Pot lucks, as you can imagine, were amazing. Within walking distance of our church were several Christian denominations, a mosque, a synagogue and a Buddhist temple. It was nothing to see people in our mall wearing saris, African dress, or the hijab. It was a wonderful place to experience other cultures and religions and to learn to have a sense of tolerance. Not that it always happened! As for my own journey, I found myself being constantly surprised at where God showed up. The readings today help to underpin our need to open ourselves up to the possibility that God reaches out to people of every faith and every culture.
Those who have a preconceived notion about who is saved and who is not, about who is in and who is out in terms of God’s reign of Shalom, who is righteous and who is not, will have problems with the readings. They will likely gravitate to the Old Testament lesson.
In it Elijah decides to bring the ongoing conflict between those who support the god Baal and those who support Yahweh to a head. It is the climax to a long struggle for supremacy between two very different approaches to faith. He challenges Baal’s prophets, all four hundred and fifty of them, to a contest to find whose god is the most powerful. Both sides are to choose a bull, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but not set fire to it. Then they are to call on their god to answer by lighting the fire. The outcome will indicate who is the one, true God. When nothing happens for the prophets of Baal Elijah mocks them. They cut themselves with swords and lances. They rave on, but their god remains silent.
Elijah’s turn comes. With great flourish he adds to the difficulty of the contest. In a drought torn country he has gallons of water poured on the sacrifice. He prays, and God answers. The people turn to God whose power has been declared.
What we did not read this morning is that Elijah then ordered the execution of the prophets of Baal. No doubt that part of the story was left out because in today’s world we are appalled when religion is used as an excuse for terror and atrocity. In the ancient world it was not so clear. Religion was the core of human life. Everything fell under the authority of the gods. Everything was sacred. So it is in this story of the competition between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. There is no grey area. God is good; Baal is evil. God is pure; Baal is reviled.
We do hope in our culture to find common ground. The other two readings are ones that help us to understand that faith can turn up even in those we consider to be our enemies.
Paul’s life journey is certainly one in which he learns about inclusion. He recounts the story of his conversion as a time when he began to see God as the God of everyone. He loves to share the story of his Christian experience. Understandably so! It had such a profound effect on him. It totally transformed his life. He had been violently opposed to the Christian faith and had been zealous in his persecution of Christians. God called him “through grace,” he says, to reveal Jesus to him “so that he might proclaim him among the Gentiles.”
Paul never lost sight of that new beginning, of the new chapter in his life, his new life in Christ. His ministry took him beyond the borders of Judea into Syria and Cilicia. So when his opponents began to undermine his ministry to the gentile world, disputing his credentials and authority and instead trying to impose an understanding of faith based on strict observance of biblical laws, he refused to allow himself to be drawn into the debate. He knew that the most important thing was the free grace given by God to those who believe. He went on in his letter to speak of love not as a reason to keep rules, but as a fruit of the Spirit. He learned not be surprised at where faith turns up.
And so did Jesus in healing the Centurion’s Servant! The Roman Empire was widespread. Its personnel were posted out to the very edge of the known world. There was no system of returning a soldier to his home. People would stay for years, perhaps their wholes lives, in a small community in a foreign country, responsible for keeping law and order and reporting back to headquarters every once in a while. Such people often became part of the community, making friends and adapting to local customs despite their official function. Such must have been the case with the Centurion. His slave, whom he regards with some esteem, is ill. The Roman knows that Jesus is a healer and a Jew. He sends for some Jewish friends to make the connection for him. He knows that his request may make life difficult for Jesus. It could alienate him from the Jewish community. For Jesus to enter his home would mean defilement. And so he pays Jesus a compliment. “I am not worthy,” he says, “to have you come into my home. Just speak the word and let my servant be healed.”
Jesus’ response is one of amazement at the man’s faith. Grace is given to a non-Jew opening up the way for the Christian faith to be available to the Gentile world.
So often Christians are under the illusion that peoples’ problems, that the world situation, could be solved by simply preaching the Gospel and having them turn to Christ. For such folk it is about “Air Miles”. They believe that our commission as Christians is to talk about Jesus, to witness to the faith so that others will benefit in the after life. The early Christians did not differentiate between the social and the spiritual. They stood for justice for everyone. Jesus gave authority to the disciples to do what he did and greater. That is our authority as well. When we are truly committed to Jesus Christ both the spiritual and social needs of others become our concern. We need to learn that God is not just with Christians, but with all of humanity in so many different ways. We need not to be surprised at where faith turns up.
So let us ask ourselves, how do we react when we discover that people of other faiths walk with God? Do we seek common ground? Do we look for the face of Christ in everyone we meet? Amen
Readings: 1 Kgs. 18:20-39; Ps 96; Gal. 1:1-12; Luke 7:1-10
My parish before I retired was in Mississauga, perhaps one of the most diverse communities in Canada. The parish was wonderfully diverse. As well as those of us born in Canada including one First Nations family, there were people from the West Indies, South America, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, China, Iran, and Great Britain. Pot lucks, as you can imagine, were amazing. Within walking distance of our church were several Christian denominations, a mosque, a synagogue and a Buddhist temple. It was nothing to see people in our mall wearing saris, African dress, or the hijab. It was a wonderful place to experience other cultures and religions and to learn to have a sense of tolerance. Not that it always happened! As for my own journey, I found myself being constantly surprised at where God showed up. The readings today help to underpin our need to open ourselves up to the possibility that God reaches out to people of every faith and every culture.
Those who have a preconceived notion about who is saved and who is not, about who is in and who is out in terms of God’s reign of Shalom, who is righteous and who is not, will have problems with the readings. They will likely gravitate to the Old Testament lesson.
In it Elijah decides to bring the ongoing conflict between those who support the god Baal and those who support Yahweh to a head. It is the climax to a long struggle for supremacy between two very different approaches to faith. He challenges Baal’s prophets, all four hundred and fifty of them, to a contest to find whose god is the most powerful. Both sides are to choose a bull, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but not set fire to it. Then they are to call on their god to answer by lighting the fire. The outcome will indicate who is the one, true God. When nothing happens for the prophets of Baal Elijah mocks them. They cut themselves with swords and lances. They rave on, but their god remains silent.
Elijah’s turn comes. With great flourish he adds to the difficulty of the contest. In a drought torn country he has gallons of water poured on the sacrifice. He prays, and God answers. The people turn to God whose power has been declared.
What we did not read this morning is that Elijah then ordered the execution of the prophets of Baal. No doubt that part of the story was left out because in today’s world we are appalled when religion is used as an excuse for terror and atrocity. In the ancient world it was not so clear. Religion was the core of human life. Everything fell under the authority of the gods. Everything was sacred. So it is in this story of the competition between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. There is no grey area. God is good; Baal is evil. God is pure; Baal is reviled.
We do hope in our culture to find common ground. The other two readings are ones that help us to understand that faith can turn up even in those we consider to be our enemies.
Paul’s life journey is certainly one in which he learns about inclusion. He recounts the story of his conversion as a time when he began to see God as the God of everyone. He loves to share the story of his Christian experience. Understandably so! It had such a profound effect on him. It totally transformed his life. He had been violently opposed to the Christian faith and had been zealous in his persecution of Christians. God called him “through grace,” he says, to reveal Jesus to him “so that he might proclaim him among the Gentiles.”
Paul never lost sight of that new beginning, of the new chapter in his life, his new life in Christ. His ministry took him beyond the borders of Judea into Syria and Cilicia. So when his opponents began to undermine his ministry to the gentile world, disputing his credentials and authority and instead trying to impose an understanding of faith based on strict observance of biblical laws, he refused to allow himself to be drawn into the debate. He knew that the most important thing was the free grace given by God to those who believe. He went on in his letter to speak of love not as a reason to keep rules, but as a fruit of the Spirit. He learned not be surprised at where faith turns up.
And so did Jesus in healing the Centurion’s Servant! The Roman Empire was widespread. Its personnel were posted out to the very edge of the known world. There was no system of returning a soldier to his home. People would stay for years, perhaps their wholes lives, in a small community in a foreign country, responsible for keeping law and order and reporting back to headquarters every once in a while. Such people often became part of the community, making friends and adapting to local customs despite their official function. Such must have been the case with the Centurion. His slave, whom he regards with some esteem, is ill. The Roman knows that Jesus is a healer and a Jew. He sends for some Jewish friends to make the connection for him. He knows that his request may make life difficult for Jesus. It could alienate him from the Jewish community. For Jesus to enter his home would mean defilement. And so he pays Jesus a compliment. “I am not worthy,” he says, “to have you come into my home. Just speak the word and let my servant be healed.”
Jesus’ response is one of amazement at the man’s faith. Grace is given to a non-Jew opening up the way for the Christian faith to be available to the Gentile world.
So often Christians are under the illusion that peoples’ problems, that the world situation, could be solved by simply preaching the Gospel and having them turn to Christ. For such folk it is about “Air Miles”. They believe that our commission as Christians is to talk about Jesus, to witness to the faith so that others will benefit in the after life. The early Christians did not differentiate between the social and the spiritual. They stood for justice for everyone. Jesus gave authority to the disciples to do what he did and greater. That is our authority as well. When we are truly committed to Jesus Christ both the spiritual and social needs of others become our concern. We need to learn that God is not just with Christians, but with all of humanity in so many different ways. We need not to be surprised at where faith turns up.
So let us ask ourselves, how do we react when we discover that people of other faiths walk with God? Do we seek common ground? Do we look for the face of Christ in everyone we meet? Amen
Friday, May 24, 2013
Trinity Sunday, Year C
The Mystery of God
Readings: Proverbs 8:22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15
You and I live in an addicted society. That can only mean that all of us are in some way or another affected by the disease. Most likely we ourselves are addicted in one way or another. When asked about addiction, most of us would think of alcohol or drugs, and it is true those are common, recognizable addictions. You might also if you really put your mind to it, come up with gambling, sex or shopping. There is a certain popular psychologist who lists one hundred and eighty three known addictions. He himself admits to fourteen. His personal list includes chocolate, television, sports and cleanliness. As you can imagine, with one hundred and eighty three possibilities there are some which you would not likely think about. I had not particularly thought of gossiping as an addiction, but there it was on his list along with others such as intimacy, humour and, yes, religion.
As humans we live with addiction. We are born hungry, and we continue to hunger in one way or another through our whole lives.
I was talking to a young person in our church Youth Group about his first job. He got it to save up for a Wii. It took him what he described as "months of pain" but he finally earned enough money and bought it. "It was a lot to go through," he reflected, "to get what I wanted." He liked it. But no sooner had he bought it than he began to think of what he would like next. He wondered if his whole life would be like that. Wanting something and saving for it and never being satisfied.
I didn't want to disillusion him, but isn't that how we spend our lives? Feeling hunger that will not go away and trying to satisfy it?
When I reflect on that, I cannot help but think that it has something to do with our basic relationship with God. For it seems that our deepest hunger can only be satisfied through a life long journey which helps to unravel the mystery which is at the heart of the Christian faith, the mystery which is at the heart of God.
Most of us seem never to come to terms with our need to satisfy our Spiritual hunger. Even when things happen which seem to reflect God's presence in our lives, we are often unable to give God the credit. We are quick to blame God for the bad things that happen, but at the same time we fail to acknowledge when God is with us.
I have heard many colleagues bemoan the fact that they must preach on Trinity Sunday. If at all possible it is relegated to the Assistant Curate or an Associate. Their excuse is that they do not wish to preach about a doctrine. And if you do put it down to doctrine and deliver some theological treatise about the Trinity you will put people to sleep. The powerful thing about it is that Trinity Sunday celebrates the mystery of God. This day marks our movement from the Easter Season into the ordinary time of the Sundays after Pentecost. We try so hard to explain God. For centuries theologians have attempted to put that great mystery into words. The doctrine of the Trinity is not some great truth that God has put in stone for us to believe. In fact, there is no place in Scripture which talks about the Trinity. It is rather a metaphor developed over the centuries about how we experience God's presence. The concept of the Trinity allows us to explore who God is and how God works in our lives. It calls on us to turn to God to satisfy our hunger. In the midst of anguish and trouble we experience the God who walks with us. In the beauty of nature, we experience the One who created us with wisdom and care. When life gets too serious, we experience God joyfully dancing at the thought of creating the human race. When we are filled with guilt, regrets and anxieties, we experience a God who justifies us, not because we are worthy, but because we have claimed it and are significant to God.
In some ways that can only leave us still hungering. Can we ever be satisfied in our search and hunger for truth? What we need to discover during this season is that the hunger is the Spirit itself drawing us into the truth, guiding, teaching, interpreting so that we may come to a deeper understanding of God.
We can have confidence in God, our loving and caring creator. For we know the saving action of Jesus Christ. We know the guidance of the Spirit. We continue on our life long journey of discovery of the God in whose image we are created.
Today we celebrate that mystery which is at the heart of the Christian faith, by bringing three children into the family of Christ. There is Daria, an active participant in our Sunday School, there is Jacob, a young member of a family that has a history in this parish, and Destiny, whose family is new to this congregation. These three families have participated in Baptismal preparation over the past few weeks. They are prepared to make a commitment to the faith on behalf of their children. As these three children are baptized, as promises are made on their behalf, this whole congregation participates as we promise to uphold them in the faith. We all renew our baptismal covenant, remembering the promises that were made for us when we became members of the Church of God through baptism. As Daria, Jacob and Destiny take their rightful place among us, we look for the power of the Holy Spirit to become active in their young lives. We share in the joy of the God who created us, sustains us and redeems us. Amen.
Readings: Proverbs 8:22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15
You and I live in an addicted society. That can only mean that all of us are in some way or another affected by the disease. Most likely we ourselves are addicted in one way or another. When asked about addiction, most of us would think of alcohol or drugs, and it is true those are common, recognizable addictions. You might also if you really put your mind to it, come up with gambling, sex or shopping. There is a certain popular psychologist who lists one hundred and eighty three known addictions. He himself admits to fourteen. His personal list includes chocolate, television, sports and cleanliness. As you can imagine, with one hundred and eighty three possibilities there are some which you would not likely think about. I had not particularly thought of gossiping as an addiction, but there it was on his list along with others such as intimacy, humour and, yes, religion.
As humans we live with addiction. We are born hungry, and we continue to hunger in one way or another through our whole lives.
I was talking to a young person in our church Youth Group about his first job. He got it to save up for a Wii. It took him what he described as "months of pain" but he finally earned enough money and bought it. "It was a lot to go through," he reflected, "to get what I wanted." He liked it. But no sooner had he bought it than he began to think of what he would like next. He wondered if his whole life would be like that. Wanting something and saving for it and never being satisfied.
I didn't want to disillusion him, but isn't that how we spend our lives? Feeling hunger that will not go away and trying to satisfy it?
When I reflect on that, I cannot help but think that it has something to do with our basic relationship with God. For it seems that our deepest hunger can only be satisfied through a life long journey which helps to unravel the mystery which is at the heart of the Christian faith, the mystery which is at the heart of God.
Most of us seem never to come to terms with our need to satisfy our Spiritual hunger. Even when things happen which seem to reflect God's presence in our lives, we are often unable to give God the credit. We are quick to blame God for the bad things that happen, but at the same time we fail to acknowledge when God is with us.
I have heard many colleagues bemoan the fact that they must preach on Trinity Sunday. If at all possible it is relegated to the Assistant Curate or an Associate. Their excuse is that they do not wish to preach about a doctrine. And if you do put it down to doctrine and deliver some theological treatise about the Trinity you will put people to sleep. The powerful thing about it is that Trinity Sunday celebrates the mystery of God. This day marks our movement from the Easter Season into the ordinary time of the Sundays after Pentecost. We try so hard to explain God. For centuries theologians have attempted to put that great mystery into words. The doctrine of the Trinity is not some great truth that God has put in stone for us to believe. In fact, there is no place in Scripture which talks about the Trinity. It is rather a metaphor developed over the centuries about how we experience God's presence. The concept of the Trinity allows us to explore who God is and how God works in our lives. It calls on us to turn to God to satisfy our hunger. In the midst of anguish and trouble we experience the God who walks with us. In the beauty of nature, we experience the One who created us with wisdom and care. When life gets too serious, we experience God joyfully dancing at the thought of creating the human race. When we are filled with guilt, regrets and anxieties, we experience a God who justifies us, not because we are worthy, but because we have claimed it and are significant to God.
In some ways that can only leave us still hungering. Can we ever be satisfied in our search and hunger for truth? What we need to discover during this season is that the hunger is the Spirit itself drawing us into the truth, guiding, teaching, interpreting so that we may come to a deeper understanding of God.
We can have confidence in God, our loving and caring creator. For we know the saving action of Jesus Christ. We know the guidance of the Spirit. We continue on our life long journey of discovery of the God in whose image we are created.
Today we celebrate that mystery which is at the heart of the Christian faith, by bringing three children into the family of Christ. There is Daria, an active participant in our Sunday School, there is Jacob, a young member of a family that has a history in this parish, and Destiny, whose family is new to this congregation. These three families have participated in Baptismal preparation over the past few weeks. They are prepared to make a commitment to the faith on behalf of their children. As these three children are baptized, as promises are made on their behalf, this whole congregation participates as we promise to uphold them in the faith. We all renew our baptismal covenant, remembering the promises that were made for us when we became members of the Church of God through baptism. As Daria, Jacob and Destiny take their rightful place among us, we look for the power of the Holy Spirit to become active in their young lives. We share in the joy of the God who created us, sustains us and redeems us. Amen.
Friday, May 17, 2013
The Feast of Pentecost, Year C
Enthused with God’s Holy Spirit
Readings: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17, 25-27
"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever," Jesus told the disciples. "The Spirit of truth to be in you." With those words, Jesus made it clear to them that they would not be left alone. The Spirit would be with them. They had recognized that the Spirit guided Jesus. So the same Spirit would dwell in them. With the help of the Spirit they would do great works. In fact, it was Jesus' expectation that they would accomplish even more than he had. They would be released from behind the locked doors that held them captive following his death and resurrection. In Greek it says that they would be 'enthused' which means literally 'God filled'. Released into a world in need of the transforming grace of God. Released into the world as channels of God's peace.
So when the day of Pentecost came, it is no surprise that they were all gathered together in one place. There is power in coming together as a community. They were waiting expectantly for the fulfillment of Jesus' words. Suddenly from heaven there is the sound of rushing wind. So powerful is the experience that it fills the whole house. Tongues of fire appear over their heads. They are empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is something they have been waiting for, the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to them. It marks God's presence and activity within them and within all of creation.
What an extraordinary change took place in them! A few frightened people huddled behind locked doors in an upper room, were transformed into a vibrant, outgoing community of faith. In their enthusiasm, they took the message of the resurrection to the streets. They went public. They became Christ Incarnate in the world.
We meet Sunday by Sunday as a community of believers. There is a power in meeting together, in sharing our experience of the how the Spirit is working in our lives. Part of our witness as Christians derives from gathering in a particular place in order to share the faith. Yet I sense that more often than not we see church as an isolated incident in our lives. We might share a small part of ourselves on occasion, something traumatic that has happened in our lives! Consider how the community comes together for a funeral. We may share some happiness in our lives. But most of the time we have no idea about the kind of pain and unhappiness that is going on in another person’s life.
That is tragic, for good things happen when we begin to see ourselves as a gathered community. It is our gathering that strengthens us in our faith. Our gathering equips us to go out with the message of the resurrection. To go out enthused, God filled. We, like the disciples become Christ Incarnate in the world.
The secular world accepts, and even understands many of our faith symbols. There is a general acceptance of the symbols associated with Christmas. Christmas trees are tolerated in most circles, although in this world of political correctness it may be become a holiday tree. After living for so many years in Mississauga, I was stunned to go into Port Hope at Christmas time and see a manger scene in the park. The cross is a recognized and accepted image. Those who give only nominal acceptance to the faith often wear the cross as a piece of jewellery.
But the Pentecostal experience, the symbol of fire, and praying in tongues, and the kind of enthusiastic response which goes with it, are at the very least embarrassing, and probably more to the point, totally incomprehensible. Incomprehensible not only to the secular world it seems, but also to many Christians. If we associate the events of Pentecost with Christianity in any particular form, it is with the charismatic elements of our faith. The tendency is to view charismatics with skepticism and alarm, sometimes deservedly so. I have heard a charismatic described as "a person who grabs you by the lapels and says 'you must speak in tongues'." And sadly that kind of exclusivity has often been the focus of such groups.
But Pentecost is an important event in the life of every Christian. We all need to find a way to express what happened at Pentecost in our lives. Jesus makes it clear that, just as the Spirit was made available to the disciples, so the Spirit would be with us working in us. We too are called to be enthused with the Spirit, to be God filled.
The experience of Pentecost is about how we begin to express that in our lives. Sometimes there are no words to express what we want to say about God. We grope for the right words. We sit in silence and soak in the beauty of a sunset. We dance. We sing. We pray. We express the Spirit in whatever way is right for us.
Do we really know that the Spirit is in us? The Spirit waits to be released and used as the greatest resource for living that we possess. Pentecost is about the energy and strength that come from being enlivened by God's Spirit. It is about freedom from fear and release from the locked door mentality. It is about the power to transform lives. It is about celebrating the diverse ways in which God's Spirit works.
But most of all, it is about doing greater things than Jesus did. “The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these.” Can we even comprehend that? It is not enough to simply go on thinking that what we do is good and acceptable to God. Jesus healed the sick. He ate and drank with outcasts and sinners. He freed people from bondage.
We all have Spiritual gifts. If we used our gifts as God would have us, they could transform the world. What would it be like if we all used our gifts? There would be those who visit the sick and bring love to a lonely life. There would be those who respond to others needs, sharing faith, listening, caring. Others would teach children and young people with integrity and love. The prophets of our day would warn us of impending disaster and challenge us to clean up our world in order to avert economic and ecological disasters. Some would share wisdom helping us to think more clearly. Some would help us enunciate our faith more clearly. Others would provide the healing touch. There would be those who speak words of encouragement to the downhearted. Some would overcome great difficulties in their own lives and go on to help others. Some would pray. Others would inspire.
Are these not all manifestations of the Spirit of God working in the lives of people? Are they not images of Spirit-filled people, on fire with the passion of God's justice? Pentecost has happened to us. The Holy Spirit has been given and continues to abide within the lives of those who follow Christ. Where does the power come from? God is about us and within us at this very moment. Let us celebrate the presence of God's Spirit in the world and in the church. I wish you all, on behalf of the Church of God, a very happy, Spirit-filled birthday.
Readings: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17, 25-27
"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever," Jesus told the disciples. "The Spirit of truth to be in you." With those words, Jesus made it clear to them that they would not be left alone. The Spirit would be with them. They had recognized that the Spirit guided Jesus. So the same Spirit would dwell in them. With the help of the Spirit they would do great works. In fact, it was Jesus' expectation that they would accomplish even more than he had. They would be released from behind the locked doors that held them captive following his death and resurrection. In Greek it says that they would be 'enthused' which means literally 'God filled'. Released into a world in need of the transforming grace of God. Released into the world as channels of God's peace.
So when the day of Pentecost came, it is no surprise that they were all gathered together in one place. There is power in coming together as a community. They were waiting expectantly for the fulfillment of Jesus' words. Suddenly from heaven there is the sound of rushing wind. So powerful is the experience that it fills the whole house. Tongues of fire appear over their heads. They are empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is something they have been waiting for, the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to them. It marks God's presence and activity within them and within all of creation.
What an extraordinary change took place in them! A few frightened people huddled behind locked doors in an upper room, were transformed into a vibrant, outgoing community of faith. In their enthusiasm, they took the message of the resurrection to the streets. They went public. They became Christ Incarnate in the world.
We meet Sunday by Sunday as a community of believers. There is a power in meeting together, in sharing our experience of the how the Spirit is working in our lives. Part of our witness as Christians derives from gathering in a particular place in order to share the faith. Yet I sense that more often than not we see church as an isolated incident in our lives. We might share a small part of ourselves on occasion, something traumatic that has happened in our lives! Consider how the community comes together for a funeral. We may share some happiness in our lives. But most of the time we have no idea about the kind of pain and unhappiness that is going on in another person’s life.
That is tragic, for good things happen when we begin to see ourselves as a gathered community. It is our gathering that strengthens us in our faith. Our gathering equips us to go out with the message of the resurrection. To go out enthused, God filled. We, like the disciples become Christ Incarnate in the world.
The secular world accepts, and even understands many of our faith symbols. There is a general acceptance of the symbols associated with Christmas. Christmas trees are tolerated in most circles, although in this world of political correctness it may be become a holiday tree. After living for so many years in Mississauga, I was stunned to go into Port Hope at Christmas time and see a manger scene in the park. The cross is a recognized and accepted image. Those who give only nominal acceptance to the faith often wear the cross as a piece of jewellery.
But the Pentecostal experience, the symbol of fire, and praying in tongues, and the kind of enthusiastic response which goes with it, are at the very least embarrassing, and probably more to the point, totally incomprehensible. Incomprehensible not only to the secular world it seems, but also to many Christians. If we associate the events of Pentecost with Christianity in any particular form, it is with the charismatic elements of our faith. The tendency is to view charismatics with skepticism and alarm, sometimes deservedly so. I have heard a charismatic described as "a person who grabs you by the lapels and says 'you must speak in tongues'." And sadly that kind of exclusivity has often been the focus of such groups.
But Pentecost is an important event in the life of every Christian. We all need to find a way to express what happened at Pentecost in our lives. Jesus makes it clear that, just as the Spirit was made available to the disciples, so the Spirit would be with us working in us. We too are called to be enthused with the Spirit, to be God filled.
The experience of Pentecost is about how we begin to express that in our lives. Sometimes there are no words to express what we want to say about God. We grope for the right words. We sit in silence and soak in the beauty of a sunset. We dance. We sing. We pray. We express the Spirit in whatever way is right for us.
Do we really know that the Spirit is in us? The Spirit waits to be released and used as the greatest resource for living that we possess. Pentecost is about the energy and strength that come from being enlivened by God's Spirit. It is about freedom from fear and release from the locked door mentality. It is about the power to transform lives. It is about celebrating the diverse ways in which God's Spirit works.
But most of all, it is about doing greater things than Jesus did. “The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these.” Can we even comprehend that? It is not enough to simply go on thinking that what we do is good and acceptable to God. Jesus healed the sick. He ate and drank with outcasts and sinners. He freed people from bondage.
We all have Spiritual gifts. If we used our gifts as God would have us, they could transform the world. What would it be like if we all used our gifts? There would be those who visit the sick and bring love to a lonely life. There would be those who respond to others needs, sharing faith, listening, caring. Others would teach children and young people with integrity and love. The prophets of our day would warn us of impending disaster and challenge us to clean up our world in order to avert economic and ecological disasters. Some would share wisdom helping us to think more clearly. Some would help us enunciate our faith more clearly. Others would provide the healing touch. There would be those who speak words of encouragement to the downhearted. Some would overcome great difficulties in their own lives and go on to help others. Some would pray. Others would inspire.
Are these not all manifestations of the Spirit of God working in the lives of people? Are they not images of Spirit-filled people, on fire with the passion of God's justice? Pentecost has happened to us. The Holy Spirit has been given and continues to abide within the lives of those who follow Christ. Where does the power come from? God is about us and within us at this very moment. Let us celebrate the presence of God's Spirit in the world and in the church. I wish you all, on behalf of the Church of God, a very happy, Spirit-filled birthday.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Preparation for Pentecost
I have decided to try something a little different on my blog. I am posting the questions that I am asking myself this week as I prepare for preaching next Sunday. I would enjoy hearing your comments.
The readings on Sunday, May 19th are:
Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17, 25-27
Describe how some person has inspired courage in you.
What gifts of the Spirit can you identify in yourself that could help transform your world?
Which gifts of the Spirit can you identify in our community?
How are we developing together with others a mission of liberation in our everyday life?
Language is so important to our understanding. Recall an experience when your words were terribly misunderstood.
When have you been surprised at people very different from you hearing God's message through you?
What do the words "I'm sending you" call you to do this week?
Speak of a time when you were able to go beyond your limitations in speaking or doing something.
Write your gift on a piece of paper. Place it on the offering plate.
The readings on Sunday, May 19th are:
Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17, 25-27
Describe how some person has inspired courage in you.
What gifts of the Spirit can you identify in yourself that could help transform your world?
Which gifts of the Spirit can you identify in our community?
How are we developing together with others a mission of liberation in our everyday life?
Language is so important to our understanding. Recall an experience when your words were terribly misunderstood.
When have you been surprised at people very different from you hearing God's message through you?
What do the words "I'm sending you" call you to do this week?
Speak of a time when you were able to go beyond your limitations in speaking or doing something.
Write your gift on a piece of paper. Place it on the offering plate.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year C
The Power of Prayer
Acts 16:16-34; Psalm 97; Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21; John 17:20-26
I have a favourite place to pray. It is a real place, but I have been there only once. A friend who lives up near the Forks of the Credit took me there when I was visiting her. It is a place, the memory of which I cherish, and to which I go in my memory for comfort, for solace, to feel close to God. The journey to the place is part of its charm. My friend led me around a farmer’s field, into a wooded area until we came to the river. At this point the river meanders wide and shallow. There is a path along the riverbank. We followed the path for some time. As we approached a bend in the river, we could hear the rush of water. Then the path ended abruptly. My friend took off her shoes. “The river is the only way forward,” she told me, and I followed suit. As we rounded the bend the river split. We walked through a shallow part of the river around a huge rock and into a cave. The cave extended over the river, and water cascaded into a deep pool. In the centre of the pool was a huge rock. We climb onto the rock and sat there bathed in sunshine, shadows, mist and rainbows. It still takes my breath away to think about it.
Jesus had a place of prayer. When they stayed in Jerusalem, he and his disciples would often spend the night under the trees in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was located on a slope of the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. A grove of olive trees stood there. The night before he died, Jesus went there with the disciples to pray. Our Gospel for today is part of the prayer, the prayer of one who is praying for those he loves deeply. The moment is intense, the language, deeply moving. Jesus prays for his disciples as they move into a future that lies beyond his physical presence with them. He knows their anxieties. He knows their fears and confusion. He wants to prepare them for what is to follow. He wants them to know that they are not alone, that they will never be alone.
He prays for their reassurance, that they may know God’s comfort. He prays that they may be filled with hope. He prays for peace in their hearts. He prays for God’s continued presence through the community. And he prays for a sense of unity. He prays that they may all be one. That is what Jesus did for the disciples. It is what Jesus did for each of us. It is not a prayer for the disciples alone, but for all of us who believe today, tomorrow and the tomorrow after that.
When we think of the Lord’s Prayer, of course, what comes immediately to mind is the prayer that we say every day. This gives us another Lord’s Prayer, one in which Jesus is praying for us, that we might be strengthened, that we might be unified, that we “may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
What a powerful prayer that is! It is not a prayer that we will all be the same. It is not a prayer that we will agree with one another. It is a prayer that we will be enabled to see more clearly what God has done for us. God brings us together, warts and all, with all our hurts and struggles so that we can learn that it is through our differences that God’s glory truly shines.
There is such power in being prayed for. And yet we do it so reluctantly. We are even more reluctant to have anyone pray for us. Yet it should be a wonderful reminder that we do not have to do everything for ourselves. Others are there offering support. Their prayers are a reminder that we are valued, that we are cared for.
In 1998, I went as a speaker to the Women’s Festival in Harare, Zimbabwe, celebrating the World Council of Church’s Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women. It was a life-changing experience to be a part of that amazing throng of women, twelve hundred strong, but even more life-changing was the partner to partner visit that I made to South Africa. I stayed with a family in Seshego, one of the townships of South Africa. The townships were segregated communities during apartheid. They remain very poor and underdeveloped. The people are amazing. I stayed with a widow, her widowed daughter and two children in their simple home. The youngest of the children, a girl about eight, greeted me with a picture she had made. On it she had written, “’Sesotho”, ‘you are welcome’. Even more astounding from my Canadian eyes, as I entered the home I was invited to pray for the family, and they in turn prayed for me. That is the pattern that emerged everywhere I travelled in Africa. It had a huge impact on me, and I tried to make that a part of my ministry when I returned home. I have to say that in our reserved North American culture it was received with rather a lack of enthusiasm. I reverted to offering prayer at the end of a visit.
If it is powerful to know that others are praying for us, how much more powerful is it to know that Jesus prays for us? So my question to you this morning is, what do you want Jesus to be praying for you right now? I don’t want you to get the idea that all of your problems will suddenly vanish, or that being a faithful Christian will be easy. But what do you want Jesus to know? What do you need? What do you want Jesus to pray for? Is it encouragement as you face a difficult time in your life? Is it for a family member who is ill? Is it patience to be a better parent or friend? Is it joy in the face of the loss of a loved one? Is it for a better world, a safer world for your children to live in? Is it healing of body, mind or spirit? Is it hope when nothing seems to be going right? Is it for peace in your heart? Do you want to thank Jesus for being in your life?
Now think of just one word that sums up what you want Jesus to pray for you. Carry that word with you as you go away from church today. Remember it as you go about your daily living this week. And remember that Jesus is praying for you as he prayed for the disciples. Know the power of Jesus’ prayer. Let that word remind you that Jesus cares for you, that Jesus loves you. To be entrusted with the message of the gospel is to live as people who know we are loved and are free to love. It is to know that Jesus is with us always to the end of the age. Amen
Acts 16:16-34; Psalm 97; Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21; John 17:20-26
I have a favourite place to pray. It is a real place, but I have been there only once. A friend who lives up near the Forks of the Credit took me there when I was visiting her. It is a place, the memory of which I cherish, and to which I go in my memory for comfort, for solace, to feel close to God. The journey to the place is part of its charm. My friend led me around a farmer’s field, into a wooded area until we came to the river. At this point the river meanders wide and shallow. There is a path along the riverbank. We followed the path for some time. As we approached a bend in the river, we could hear the rush of water. Then the path ended abruptly. My friend took off her shoes. “The river is the only way forward,” she told me, and I followed suit. As we rounded the bend the river split. We walked through a shallow part of the river around a huge rock and into a cave. The cave extended over the river, and water cascaded into a deep pool. In the centre of the pool was a huge rock. We climb onto the rock and sat there bathed in sunshine, shadows, mist and rainbows. It still takes my breath away to think about it.
Jesus had a place of prayer. When they stayed in Jerusalem, he and his disciples would often spend the night under the trees in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was located on a slope of the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. A grove of olive trees stood there. The night before he died, Jesus went there with the disciples to pray. Our Gospel for today is part of the prayer, the prayer of one who is praying for those he loves deeply. The moment is intense, the language, deeply moving. Jesus prays for his disciples as they move into a future that lies beyond his physical presence with them. He knows their anxieties. He knows their fears and confusion. He wants to prepare them for what is to follow. He wants them to know that they are not alone, that they will never be alone.
He prays for their reassurance, that they may know God’s comfort. He prays that they may be filled with hope. He prays for peace in their hearts. He prays for God’s continued presence through the community. And he prays for a sense of unity. He prays that they may all be one. That is what Jesus did for the disciples. It is what Jesus did for each of us. It is not a prayer for the disciples alone, but for all of us who believe today, tomorrow and the tomorrow after that.
When we think of the Lord’s Prayer, of course, what comes immediately to mind is the prayer that we say every day. This gives us another Lord’s Prayer, one in which Jesus is praying for us, that we might be strengthened, that we might be unified, that we “may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
What a powerful prayer that is! It is not a prayer that we will all be the same. It is not a prayer that we will agree with one another. It is a prayer that we will be enabled to see more clearly what God has done for us. God brings us together, warts and all, with all our hurts and struggles so that we can learn that it is through our differences that God’s glory truly shines.
There is such power in being prayed for. And yet we do it so reluctantly. We are even more reluctant to have anyone pray for us. Yet it should be a wonderful reminder that we do not have to do everything for ourselves. Others are there offering support. Their prayers are a reminder that we are valued, that we are cared for.
In 1998, I went as a speaker to the Women’s Festival in Harare, Zimbabwe, celebrating the World Council of Church’s Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women. It was a life-changing experience to be a part of that amazing throng of women, twelve hundred strong, but even more life-changing was the partner to partner visit that I made to South Africa. I stayed with a family in Seshego, one of the townships of South Africa. The townships were segregated communities during apartheid. They remain very poor and underdeveloped. The people are amazing. I stayed with a widow, her widowed daughter and two children in their simple home. The youngest of the children, a girl about eight, greeted me with a picture she had made. On it she had written, “’Sesotho”, ‘you are welcome’. Even more astounding from my Canadian eyes, as I entered the home I was invited to pray for the family, and they in turn prayed for me. That is the pattern that emerged everywhere I travelled in Africa. It had a huge impact on me, and I tried to make that a part of my ministry when I returned home. I have to say that in our reserved North American culture it was received with rather a lack of enthusiasm. I reverted to offering prayer at the end of a visit.
If it is powerful to know that others are praying for us, how much more powerful is it to know that Jesus prays for us? So my question to you this morning is, what do you want Jesus to be praying for you right now? I don’t want you to get the idea that all of your problems will suddenly vanish, or that being a faithful Christian will be easy. But what do you want Jesus to know? What do you need? What do you want Jesus to pray for? Is it encouragement as you face a difficult time in your life? Is it for a family member who is ill? Is it patience to be a better parent or friend? Is it joy in the face of the loss of a loved one? Is it for a better world, a safer world for your children to live in? Is it healing of body, mind or spirit? Is it hope when nothing seems to be going right? Is it for peace in your heart? Do you want to thank Jesus for being in your life?
Now think of just one word that sums up what you want Jesus to pray for you. Carry that word with you as you go away from church today. Remember it as you go about your daily living this week. And remember that Jesus is praying for you as he prayed for the disciples. Know the power of Jesus’ prayer. Let that word remind you that Jesus cares for you, that Jesus loves you. To be entrusted with the message of the gospel is to live as people who know we are loved and are free to love. It is to know that Jesus is with us always to the end of the age. Amen
Saturday, May 4, 2013
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