What is Real?

What is Real? <-- Audio file link. 
A sermon based upon Romans 5:1-11.

Good morning. On this 3rd Sunday of Lent, we’ve now made it half way to Holy Week and that’s no small task. I hope you’re finding this Lent meaningful in whatever way you need but particularly in the ways God wants for you. I know I am.

And today’s scripture text is one that may offer us different kinds of support and hope depending upon where we are in our journey and what we need. There are many ways to dig into Romans chapter 5 and unearth blessing. But today, we’re going to focus in on the first part of the scripture passage and talk about the character and quality of life in Christ.

You see, last week we said that the phrase “eternal life” is not just about the hereafter. To live eternally is also about our life here and now. It is about abundant life. Yet, it’s one thing to talk about it and another thing to live it.

I say that because life is messy. It’s not always full of joy. In fact it has a good deal of tragedy. And sometimes we find it hard to feel love at all due to physical or emotional pain and suffering.

So, this is where we find Paul’s letter to the Romans today. Paul was a very realistic guy. He knew that just because we have been reconciled to God through Christ didn’t mean that babies would stop dying, poverty would go away, and all war would end. He knew that we would live in the midst of real life but that we might be able to live into it differently… with hope.

Let’s re-read part of this text. Paul tells us, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand…”

You see, Paul wants us to hear that part of life in Christ is one of faith where we trust and don’t have to worry about whether we are okay in our relationship with God. This is not like a relationship with a fickle friend who gets mad when we didn’t say the right thing about her or his new car and doesn’t speak to us for weeks. Rather, “we have peace with God” is what the scripture says. Peace is a gift of never having to wonder if the relationship is solid because it always will be. And in Paul’s mind… and hopefully in our lived lives, this peace frees us to live more abundantly.

But if our justification or atonement is complete in Christ, why is it that we have such a hard time feeling that peace? Why do we struggle so to feel and experience the presence of God? Why are our lives often more full of turmoil than a sense of reconciliation? I suspect as did Paul that it might be because we confuse God’s love and blessing with the absence of suffering.

We are quick to talk about God’s love and bountiful blessing when things are going well for us but when life gets hard, we quickly retreat into “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And I don’t say that to shame us because even Jesus sank into such sorrow on the cross as the pain overtook him. So clearly that response is part of our human nature. But Paul is asking us to live into a more divine nature because of the love poured out on us.

When we read further in this passage, Paul says, “… we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

Paul has just in some ways summed up a lifetime of wisdom but it’s wisdom that needs some unpacking. First of all, let’s look at this word “boast.” The way this word is being used when we look at the original Greek is not about bragging. Paul has already stated earlier in this book that bragging is not the way we should handle ourselves. In this case to boast means something that doesn’t quite translate into a single word. It means that we won’t be shamed in our hopeful orientation toward life. This hopeful and confident life is a lived expression bursting forth in us. This is what Paul is getting at.

So what does all this mean that we live confidently in the face of suffering? I ask because it’s important that we understand what is really being talked about here. You see, I’ve heard an abusive husband justify his abuse by saying that his wife needed to suffer so that she would grow stronger. And I’ve heard a politician justify his inaction on issues of poverty by quoting this passage and saying that the poor would be made rich by their sufferings. And in our everyday lives we often have an inner voice that says, “God won’t put more on us than we can handle.” But are these the things Paul meant?

I feel that I can confidently say no. No, suffering in abuse and oppression is not what God wants for us. And though it’s a popular saying in Christian circles, “God won’t put more on us than we can handle” isn’t actually biblical. Such notions suppose that God is doing these things to us rather than the reality that we suffer under the brokenness and falleness of humanity.

Paul is actually just being realistic. We do suffer under the brokenness and falleness of humanity. We do encounter sickness, death, depression, poverty, war, racism, and all manner of pain and oppression. It is simply a characteristic of the lived life. But Paul is telling us that God’s love is not only in the times of peace. God’s love is poured out on us at all times. And if we will recognize God’s presence, the gift is that even in times of suffering, we will grow in endurance, character, and hope.

So what does all this look like? Well, when I read this passage, I can’t help but think of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and the passage about “What is real?” If you don’t know the book, the story opens with a boy receiving lots of toys for Christmas. He received toys with wind up springs and fancy clock works. And he also received a simple velveteen bunny. That bunny made friends with the wise old rocking horse and they would talk at night in the nursery while the boy slept. So, if you will, I’d like to read to you from The Velveteen Rabbit so that maybe we catch a glimpse at what this real life is that Paul wants for us.

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.

"The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."

The Rabbit sighed. He thought it would be a long time before this magic called Real happened to him. He longed to become Real, to know what it felt like; and yet the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad. He wished that he could become it without these uncomfortable things happening to him.

The book goes on to tell the story of love between the boy and the rabbit. It was a love so full that it transcended all the bad things that happened and the bunny became real. This is a story of abundant and eternal life.

And I think Paul is talking about living a real life too. A real life is one that springs from abundant love but contains both peace and suffering. Does becoming real hurt? Sometimes. Is it a process? Most definitely. Can it make us the worse for wear? Quite possibly but “once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”

Sisters and brothers, God loves us abundantly. The character of that love is not in how easy a life we have. Rather, the quality of that love is made full by being present with us even when things are difficult. God is with us in the dark places just as much as in the light. Our calling is to carry the peace we have in God with us so that we trust in that love. Our calling is to live the life of love in such a way that we are made real and help others to become real too. This is not a life without struggle but it is life where we can cultivate hope.

As we continue our sojourn through Lent, may we love and receive love in ways that makes God’s abundance manifest all around. Amen.

For God So Loved the World

For God So Loved the World <-– Audio file of sermon based upon John 3:1-17.

Good morning. A great deal of prayer and reflection has gone into preparing this sermon. I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me this week, “what are you thinking?” and my reply was, “about my sermon.” I don’t tell you that to impress you. Quite to the contrary, I tell you this to impress upon you how complicated and nuanced this passage is. In fact, I fear that if you don’t take notes, you may get lost but I’m trusting that the Spirit will reveal something of use to each of us today regardless of my ramblings. So here we go.

You may be wondering why this is such a difficult passage. It sounds simple enough. Nicodemus comes to Jesus seeking guidance. Jesus offers a response. Nicodemus doesn’t quite get it. Jesus then tries to clarify and a central passage of Christian teaching is born. Simple, right?

Oh if it were only so. First of all, I should tell you that I have a history with this passage and I bet some of you have had similar experiences. See, my family are all from an evangelical Christian tradition and I was raised in that. I was scared into believing in God by threats of the fires of hell and eternal damnation. I was also told that if I believed hard enough and said the right “sinners prayer” that I would be “saved.”

Not wanting to be burned eternally, I prayed and tried to convince others that they needed to believe too. At the very center of this experience was John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” The emphasis was on the perishing, not God’s love.

I’m not telling you this to mock evangelical beliefs. In fact, I concede that I first recognized my calling into ministry from within that denomination. So, I know that God was alive and working in our lives. There were people of great sincerity who committed every waking hour to gaining converts. We’re not talking about televangelist charlatans but rather people of sincere faith and love trying to do what they thought was right.

But by the time I was a pre-teen and a teenager, I had begun to question whether the fear of God was the path God wanted us to take. Did it produce a mature faith that Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 13? Did fear of God make me do the good deeds because it is the selfless, right thing or because of selfish fear of judgment?

My questions led me back to this passage and others with new eyes. I began to see that God was of such abundant love that no action on my part could ever separate me from it. And I continued that faith journey that would soon land me in the Presbyterian Church where I found others that embraced an abundantly loving God. I found the words in the Brief Statement of Faith and heard what I believed to be true about God. Those words were:

Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.
Loving us still, God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant. Like mother who will not forsake her nursing child, like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home, God is faithful still.
We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church.
—lines 40, 47-57

And so my overarching belief in God’s abundant love and grace was nurtured and I began the path to a fearless faith of selfless acts rather than a fear filled one chock-full with compulsory deeds.


I’ve offered this long preface to say that this passage has for many been reduced and boiled down, combined with popular notions of afterlife, and turned into a slogan on a bumper sticker. That slogan holds truth but misses God’s abundance because it was too quick to strip away all that lies around it. Sometimes the good stuff is as much in how something is said as much or more than what is said… and this is one of those times.


You see, as soon as the story starts, we don’t just get Nicodemus coming to Jesus. He comes to Jesus in the cover of night. We’re talking about a Rabbi, a minister who’s seeking deeper understanding of God. This is a good thing but he’s not able to do it out in the open which will hamper his faith and understanding as we soon will see.


Nicodemus is very complimentary to Jesus by acknowledging that he is surly of God. This is a big deal because the rabbinical belief at the time would have commonly held that the Rabbis and other educated teachers were the only ones with special knowledge from God. But what I want us to hear were his exact words because they come to bear later. Nicodemus says, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”


“We know” is the word I want us to hold onto here. See, we’ve got this educated minister type who is professing to “know” something of God’s truths. Hold onto that thought… we’ll come back to it.


Jesus replies to his nighttime visitor’s compliment by saying, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” This is where things start to get interesting and I need to give a quick lesson in biblical study.


First of all we need to look at this phrase “the kingdom of God.” We usually read this phrase through current imagery. That imagery of the kingdom of God is usually imbedded in some notion of afterlife and heaven. But in Jesus’ time, they did not use this phrase that way nor did they have a notion of heaven in the same way modern Christianity has developed one.


This phrase meant to be in the presence of God. That presence is both an earthly experience and a spiritual experience. So it can include images of afterlife but it is equally about experiencing the presence of God here and now. As a side note, that’s what the Lord’s prayer is asking for when it invites God’s kingdom on earth. It is inviting the experience of God in its fullest sense.


Next, we need to look into translation issues. Most of you probably know that the New Testament was originally written in Greek and the Old was in Hebrew. We still have some scrolls that are quite old that those are considered the most authoritative for translating into any other language, be it English, Spanish, Korean, or otherwise. The older scrolls are considered more authoritative because they have fewer edits or copying mistakes. All that makes sense, right?


Well, translation into any language is still not an easy thing. Sometimes there are just not words that translate exactly. Other times, we use phrases that don’t translate well either. For example, earlier I said that we “boil down” meanings. You know that I mean we take out all the extra stuff rather than cook it until it has no water in it. But if we were trying to translate my sermon into another language, they would be confused as to why I just dumped a bible into a pot to cook all the water out of it.


So translation takes time, skill, and faithful seeking in order to be done well. But most of us aren’t going to learn Greek and Hebrew. Trust me, I’m thrilled when I realize how much I still know and can use it well. But I’m even more grateful for commentaries & a really good study bible because smarter people than me have spent their lives working this stuff out.


So, I want to call your attention to all the footnotes in the book of John. If you have a good study bible, it will show you lots of word choice variations from the original Greek. Often it will say that an alternative meaning exists and the book of John is full of them compared to other books of the bible. And we’re not talking about synonyms here. It’s actual different meanings. Well, most scholars believe all the dual meaning Greek words in the book of John are very intentionally picked for their nuance because more concrete Greek words could have been used but they weren’t.


And that’s where we find ourselves in this reading. Jesus says, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” If you pick up a study bible, you’ll see that the Greek word we translate as “from above” also means anew or again. In fact, many translations like the NIV and King James use the word “again” instead of “from above.” But this is not an either/or choice here. This is a both/and situation. When Jesus is talking about this rebirth it is one of time and space and beyond. It is both “again” and “from above.” We know this by what happens next.


Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Nicodemus, zeroed in on the meaning of being born again. But Jesus offers new images to help him wrap his mind around it. He says, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit… The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”


So we have this set of images of being of both water and Spirit. Water birth as in the birth at a certain time and place… like the waters of baptism or of the womb. Spirit birth as in something that has no bounds and is purely of God. By the way, the word we translate as Spirit is another double meaning word. It also means wind. So, Jesus is working hard to get Nicodemus to see a more complicated image of rebirth that will reveal the Kingdom of God, the presence of God. He goes on to try to explain that this birth of Spirit is like the wind. He tells Nicodemus we can’t control it. This is another key point, so hold onto that one too.


Nicodemus is still baffled and questions Jesus. Jesus responds with a monologue that holds even more imagery to point to how mysterious this rebirth is. Now, we’re tempted to read this monologue as the only thing that matters but I’ve had us hold onto earlier points because they do matter.


First of all, Jesus calls into question how a teacher who is supposed to “know” things and earlier claimed to know what was of God could miss the truth of the Spirit. Next, Jesus uses heavenly descended and ascended language. This is key because it comes back to the Kingdom of God. By pointing to Jesus’ direct connection with God, Jesus is confirming his status as having knowledge to share from God. Then Jesus uses some more dual meaning words when he makes a comparison between himself and a story of healing with Moses.


This is where we get into the talk of belief and eternal life and I’ve spent so much time getting here because we can’t understand what is being said here if we don’t understand how complicated the road was to get to him saying this. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”


Now, I could have just written a sermon focusing in on those two verses but I believe that does a disservice to God and to us. We’ve taken a journey with Jesus through a dialog about being born anew and from God. When we first understand that this birth is full of mystery and is of God, we see these verses with different eyes.


First of all, we’re told that “God so loved the world.” We are not told that God loved people who liked Jesus, or worshiped only God, or Israelites, or any other group of people. God’s actions sprung from an abundant love of the whole world. That alone is radical enough.


Next we see that God gave us Jesus. It doesn’t say that God “gave up” Jesus as some are tempted to hear it. That reduces Jesus to only his death. Rather, we are given this gift, not as a sacrifice but as a piece of God with us. This gift is for our good and salvation. In fact it tells us the gift gives eternal life.


Eternal life… again, this is one of those phrases we often hear through the ears of modern beliefs but when Jesus and Paul and others in the bible talked about eternal life, they were talking not only about beyond this time. They were talking in present and ongoing terms as well. Eternal life is synonymous with abundant life and liveliness.


And finally, we are told that this gift is not to condemn the world but to save it. This is still wrapped up in that abundant love. Yet, these verses are so frequently used in unloving ways to condemn non-Christians. Is it that not believing in Jesus is the same as being condemned?


Well, that’s not exactly what this says. It only says that Jesus is a way to eternal and abundant life. And this is one of those places I choose to stay humble. I’m not sure what God’s plans are in the life of the Buddhist, the Muslim, or the atheist. And I’m definitely not sure how God reveals God’s self to the sheep from another fold that are referred to in John 10 yet we’re told they still recognize God’s voice. So I don’t concern myself with the job of God nor with the judgment of God. Our lives are full enough just trying to tap into that abundance that God has very clearly called us in this flock to.


Okay… I know I’ve taken you on a winding road that probably leaves you either wanting to read more or so tired you want a nap but our hope is that God has revealed something. So what is God’s message to us this second Sunday of Lent? I think there are several things. First, we need not have the assuredness of Nicodemus when we seek God. Come humble and seek what God has to tell us, not the other way around. Second, this rebirth is full of mystery. Some of it we can control like the waters of baptism. But other parts, like the birth of Spirit are like the wind, we can’t control it. It’s tied up in God’s grace. Third, God’s love is abundant and precedes us and anything we could ever do to deserve or earn it. That alone is salvific even if we never hear anything else. And finally, the kingdom of God made manifest can be found in Christ. Jesus is our abundance not only in the hereafter but here and now as well. May this Lenten journey reveal more of Christ’s abundance in our lives. Amen.

How Did He Do That?

How Did He Do That?: <-- Audio file of sermon based upon Matthew 4:1-11


Good morning. We missed you if you weren’t able to be with us on Ash Wednesday. It was a lovely service full of the Spirit’s moving. We joined in soup and salad supper with one another, watched as the kids bore in the elements to the table for communion, and sought to understand where and how God wants us to experience the holy during this time of Lent. But it’s not too late. Just because you might not have been here, doesn’t mean that the fruits of retreating into the wilderness have passed. We’ve barely gotten started in seeking the holy so keep coming back… we’re on a journey together.


Okay, that sounded more like a sales pitch than I meant but the essence is the same. We’re on a journey and a worthy one at that. And the main origin of that journey is part of our scripture passage today. We read in Matthew about Jesus retreating to the wilderness to fast. He did this just after his baptism and just before he set out on his ministry.


See, we have to remember that prior to this point, we know very little about Jesus other than a few stories of his childhood. We can guess that he was a good Jew who worshiped and kept the holy days. We also can guess he was in the family business as a carpenter. He was in his early 30’s so that makes all this more interesting. You see, the average life expectancy for folks in his time was only 35 because the infant mortality rate was so high. But if you made it into adulthood, you would likely die by age 50. So, in the scheme of life and in his community, he would be seen as well into or past mid life. Now a days we say we might call him a young man but then, he would have been a master carpenter with nearly 20 years under his belt.


But I didn’t start down this road to fill the room with all that we don’t know or understand about this man from Nazareth. I actually want to point to what we do know and can understand from his life. I want to point to what we can know in our own lives from this because Jesus sets a wonderful example for us to follow. The fact of the matter is that by the time we get to the end of this passage, he’s going toe to toe with Satan and wins. So, I think it bears some interest on our part to find out how he did this since most of us have a hard time resisting the little things let alone the offer of the world.


So, how did Jesus do it? What does this passage tell us? First of all, we can know that good decision making and preparation are important.


We don’t know exactly why he suddenly at age 30 decided that it was time contemplate a career change but we know he did not enter into it lightly. He was diligent in his decision-making. How do we know this? Because he listened to the Holy Spirit and went on a retreat into the wilderness to fast and pray.


Now you may ask what that has to do with it since it only takes up one verse in this passage. Well, the answer is a lot. This is more than what anthropologist Joseph Campbell would call the typical retreat of the hero archetype before a journey.


Jesus chose retreat to isolate himself so he could consider what was happening. He did not want distractions of his work or community life to get in the way. This gave him the space to understand what was going on more fully.


Also, he fasted. Now, fasting is a somewhat lost spiritual discipline in the modern era but it is an amazing tool for digging deep into ourselves. The process of fasting is more than just an act of self-discipline. It is an act of therapy.


Theologian Richard Foster wrote a book some years back called The Celebration of Discipline where he shares the practices of several mostly lost spiritual disciplines. In it, he talks about fasting in a way that has always stayed with me and informed my own attempts at fasting. He said that when we fast, there is a tendency to dismiss our feelings but that the feelings are precisely the point. If we are agitated or short tempered or sad when we’ve not eaten, it’s not because we have not eaten. We have those feelings because the spirit of anger or sadness lives within us and without food to cover it up, those feelings come to the surface. So, fasting provides an amazing opportunity to look our un dealt with feelings and issues in the eye and do something about them.


I imagine Jesus stared down a lot of fears and doubts during this 40-day period of fasting. It was probably a period of great growth with the combination of fasting and isolation. There would have been nowhere to hide from his inner angst.


But what does Jesus’ example of decision making and preparation mean to us? We all have times in our lives that we are about to do something big or make decisions that are life changing. Many of us have even contemplated and changed careers too. But it’s unlikely we went to the wilderness to make those decisions.


Well, the model of Jesus is a sound one here but I think we can learn more than just how to imitate his actions. The point is that he clearly took it seriously. He did what he could to consider what setting out on ministry would mean and to prepare himself. Likewise, when we are in that place, we must take steps to hear the Holy Spirit and to make good decisions and prepare ourselves.


This looks different for different people. Some of us are helped by engaging in various spiritual disciplines like fasting. In fact, if you’re ever interested in learning more or practicing it or other disciplines, I can suggest some books for you. Others of us make decisions and prepare through equally spiritual means of prayer, consulting loved ones, and careful analysis of the situation. Regardless of the decision, how serious we take it will be clear by how intent we are to seek God’s guidance and gifts in making that decision.


And speaking of gifts, that has bearing on the second point I want us to see in this passage. The bulk of this scripture tells of Jesus resisting temptation. How does he do this? By quoting scripture and standing firmly upon it. Each and every time Satan temps Jesus, he comes back by quoting scripture.


So, what does this tell us? Well, it’s unlikely that Jesus had lugged up the sacred scrolls from the temple so he could study them in the wilderness. First of all, the Rabbi probably would have attacked him at the door since scrolls were not only expensive, they were sacred. But more to the point, Jesus would have already known these scriptures because his culture was much more imbedded in the use of scripture for stories and cultural references.


So again, what does this tell us? Well, much like the example of Jesus on retreat, I don’t think the answer is necessarily to mimic Jesus outright. We can learn from his example. The point is that to resist temptation, Jesus used the skills and gifts God had given him. He tapped into what he already had.


You see, in a general way we often talk about becoming more Christ like. But we mean that in terms of our the likeness of our heart, mind, and spirit. But when it comes to gifts, we all are in different places. To resist temptation and do the right thing, we don’t all have to become bible scholars and quote scripture with ease. The key is to find, cultivate, and use the gifts and skills God gave each of us. To me, this is one of the most crucial pieces of spiritual truths we can ever internalize.


Jesus stood on a foundation of faith he knew and supported him. It didn’t feel empty to him to quote scripture. It felt empowering and fortifying. So, what is it that each of us have that helps us do the right thing? What foundation is our faith built upon that empowers and fortifies us? What blessings has God given us to make us better people?


We all have something to tap into. Some have the gift of scriptural study and knowledge. Others have a strong moral compass reinforced by rigorous attention to growth and love. For some of us, our families and friends are the fortress that makes us stronger. Reading, persuasive speech, compassion, learning, fasting, quite time, journals, prayer, retreats, holy days, volunteering… whatever it is that God has given each of us, it will help us to become better people… fuller members of the body of Christ.


And that’s the point. This holy season of Lent can be like a time of retreat to consider what God has fortified and empowered us with. It can be a time when we emerge with a stronger understanding of the tools God has given us so that we are able to do the right thing when we are faced with temptation.


So, this is where we are… Lent, on the journey. We know how Jesus emerged from the wilderness stronger. What can we apply from his example so that we can do the same?


Last week pastor and theologian Peter Gomes died. It is a loss of a theological giant. But his words live on and I think he completely understood what we’re talking about here today. He said, “The question should not be ‘What would Jesus do?’ but rather, more dangerously, ‘What would Jesus have me do?’ He came to ask human beings to live up to their full humanity; he wants us to live in the full implication of our human gifts, and that is far more demanding.”


Sisters and brothers, Peter Gomes, just like Jesus, knew that it is by living into our God given gifts and skills that we find the tools we need in situations. That doesn’t mean that we have to do things alone. In fact, sometimes our biggest gift is our community. But it does mean that we have to be rigorous in finding and cultivating those gifts. May we use this season of Lent to do that work so that we blossom into the creation God calls us to be. Amen.

Seeking the Holy

Seeking the Holy: Ash Wednesday sermon based upon Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Good evening. It is good to be with you on this beginning day of the holy season of Lent.

Some in this room look forward to Lent as a time they’ve encountered since childhood. Many have negative memories of being forced to fast without understanding why or what is to be gained. Others look at this time as something odd that just doesn’t quite make sense. No matter our history, Ash Wednesday and Lent still come to us like clockwork 40 days before Easter.

So, here we are. We gather on a day we don’t usually and with the imposition of ashes, we engage in a practice that seems foreign in our culture. But why are we here and what is all this about? Well, I’ll sum up all of Lent for you in one phrase: Seeking the Holy.

The idea of Lent is about seeking what God has for us so that when Holy week arrives, we’ll have the courage to bear the crucified Christ. We’ll be able to look into the eyes of a Christ murdered for living fully into love. And by the end of Holy week, we hope our Lenten practices will have prepared us to receive in a new and bolder vision of the risen Christ. We’ll recognize when we see Christ around us in the world. We’ll hear God’s call more clearly and we’ll respond with faith and passion to that call.

Now, that’s a lot of hope to be bound up in 40 days. Most of us can’t give up our biggest vice for a few days. How are we supposed to get from here to there and feel like we’ve experienced that kind of growth? Well, it starts right here. (Hold up ashes)

We start this journey on ash Wednesday with the symbol of ashes for a reason. Ashes are about sorrow and repentance. They also symbolize our own mortality as we are formed from the dust of the earth and to dust we shall return. So, when we receive the ashes, the hope is that it is an outward marker of an inward understanding, and understanding of humility.

When we are humble, we can truly repent because we can truly see the damages we’ve caused by our words, deeds, and deeds left undone. So, a good first step in seeking the holy is cultivating humility. That’s really what the whole of the Matthew passage is about. It’s a guidebook for keeping ourselves humble so we can see God.

And usually that’s what the practices of self-examination and penitence, prayer and fasting, works of love, and reading and meditating on the Word of God are about. The things we give up and the practices we take on for Lent point us toward God.

So this is where we find ourselves this evening. What is it each of us needs to see God more clearly and experience God more fully? What is it that will prepare us to bear witness to what Easter has to offer? Many of us have already chosen Lenten practices that will be of meaning. But I want us to think not only of the practices but of the experience.

So, I’d like to take us on a guided meditation to reflect on how we might seek and find the holy during this time. I realize this might be a bit out of our comfort zones. I know it’s out of mine. But I believe God’s still small voice is bolder than mine will ever be. What God will tell you is what you need. So, as we prepare ourselves, just try to remember that you are in God’s loving arms and the loving arms of God’s community. Whatever is revealed to you is something God and those who love you will help you through.

To begin, I’d like you to know that there are no wrong answers here. There are times in our lives when silence is too much to bear and recognizing that the inner conflict is holy too. So, if you find yourself uncomfortable, ask yourself and God why. If the answer is too big for this moment, then feel free to sing a song in your head or do what you need. This won’t last long and we’re here together.

So, let’s begin. Let’s lower the lights just a bit. Try to relax the tension you feel in your body.

Breathe naturally and you can either close your eyes or just relax your gaze. Remember, there are no wrong experiences here.

Now just let the silence speak to you for a few moments.

I imagine God is already speaking to you but let’s try and focus in. Think on the question, “where is God?” or “where is the holy?”

What things have been getting in the way of experiencing God and the holy? Fear, discontentment, boredom, frustration, embarrassment, hate, fatigue, depression, sadness, greed, self-centeredness… gossip, haunting memories, health problems, our playthings like television and the internet, overscheduled time, underutilized time.

What does God want for you? joy, liberation from fear, guilt, & shame, belonging, courage, vitality, peace, kindness, humility, gratitude, an inner sense of grace, community & connection… to volunteer, to take quiet time in the day, to enter into a different kind of prayer, to seek God in study, to restore God’s temple (your body), to engage in acts of love of both yourself and others.

What small steps can you take to claim what God wants for you during this time? Intentional scheduling, covenanting with a friend for support, making a plan, cutting out something distracting, taking the time to breathe.

What would it take to start out each day with grace and love for yourself and others that God has for us? What would it take to see the holy in others and our everyday lives?



What God’s still small voice tells us right now is true. It is something that will bear fruit in Lent and beyond. This time is about a journey to seek the holy and I believe God is calling. Take what God has shown you and hold onto it. Nurture it in the days and weeks to come. Feed it in the ways God has shown you tonight and will reveal in the time to come.

If we are seeking the holy, I imagine that what will emerge is not just a single Lenten practice but a focus on something that will truly make us better people and stronger community. May God bless this journey and our walk together. Amen.

A Moment, A Life

A Moment, A Life: <-- Audio file of Transfiguration Sunday sermon based upon Matthew 17:1-9.


Good morning. Today is transfiguration Sunday and if you’ve spent much time at church in your life, you’ve probably heard more than a few sermons from the gospel texts that recount this event in Jesus’ life. It’s a dramatic scene of Jesus, Peter, James, & John climbing to the mountain top. Then Jesus’ face shines with brilliant light and his well-worn robe suddenly glistens with a brilliant whiteness. As if this isn’t startling enough, suddenly Moses and Elijah appear and start talking with Jesus. Now, I don’t know how Jesus stayed so calm in the midst of all this but Peter, James, & John were filled with awe. Peter wanted to stay there and live in the glory of the moment forever. But he had barely said that before the voice of God booms from a cloud affirming Jesus as his son that he is so proud of. At this, Peter, James, & John were absolutely overwhelmed and fell to the ground. Then Jesus comforted them and led them back on their journey… and a remarkable journey at that.


So what is it we’re supposed to get from this story? What is transfiguration? Miriam Webster dictionary defines transfiguration as “a change in form or appearance; a metamorphosis; an exalting, glorifying, or spiritual change.” So transfiguration Sunday marks a moment of spiritual change in Christ. Something big happened on that mountaintop and we mark and honor it. But just as Peter wanted to stay and the moment and found out he couldn’t, we must also recognize that transfiguration Sunday is but a moment that points to something bigger going on. Transfiguration Sunday is about a moment in Christ’s life. But I think it tells us something about our lives as well.


To be transfigured is a moment in time that changes us. It’s a moment that stays with us in ways that we remember. It reveals something of who we are, who we’ll become, or sometimes even what we don’t want to be. To be transfigured is to be open to the moment and letting what that moment has touch us and leave us forever transformed. To be transfigured is but a moment in time but a moment that we can use to push us forward and compel us onward as we gather the energy and direction that it gives us. And I want to suggest that transfiguration happens in our everyday lives.


So as I thought about transfiguration this week, I spent some time looking thinking about how we’ve tried to capture this biblical moment, the transfiguration of Christ as well as how we experience transfiguration in our everyday lives. So, I want to share with you a PowerPoint of some images that capture the transfiguration in many different forms.


I could fill a whole afternoon with artwork where we’ve tried to capture the transfiguration of Christ. But here is just a sampling of a few… like this one from the 1300’s were we see the climax of the scene.

… or this one from the 1800’s

… or this one from a more modern time.

Even look at the cover of your bulletin. Artwork from this event has captured our minds and imaginations for a long time.


But capturing the transfiguration of Christ is only worthy if we can also capture it in our own lives. So here are some images that may resonate with you on a more personal level. Images of moments that transform and give our lives deeper meaning.


See, sometimes we have moments were we realize that we are but small players in something so much larger than us, yet we’re called to be a part of them…

we look on not sure what this moment will bring but we know it will forever change things.

Some moments speak for themselves.

There are moments we never imagined but once we’re there, we rise to the occasion

… there are the moments made in the midst of sorrow

… and the sorrow made better by a comforter.

There are the moments that a whole country will never forget

… and the moments that a family would not be the same without.

There are moments we could not have imagined

… and connections that will have meaning for a long time to come.

Transfiguration is about the experience, the understanding.

Some moments call us to something bigger and hold out a vision

… while others make dreams come true.

There are moments of liberation and pure joy

… and joy

… and joy

… and joy. Joy that takes hold of us and makes us the people we want to be, children of God.

There are moments of triumph to get where we’ve never been

… moments of getting back up when we’re down.

Moments made beautiful by the friends around us.

Moments of attaining what we always wanted

… worked for

… ran after.

Moments no one imagined for us

… moments only before held in our imaginations.

And there are times when no one thought it could be done.

And as we prepare to go into Lent, we should consider all the moments of self reflection where we see beyond the shadows into who we are

… We take who we are to God

… And we climb to new mountaintops literally but mostly figuratively.

We wait for new dawn to show us something new

… something amazing

… or sometimes something quiet yet bold.

And from those Lenten experiences we have new found curiosity about God’s creation

… we wonder what could be or become of our lives.

And we take these moments with us, setting out on a journey, not knowing what will happen and not always realizing that we’ve been in the midst of something transforming.

We journey not knowing what moments will come

… and not always having the answers in those moments

… but always knowing that those moments will forever be with us compelling and moving us forward.

Sisters and brothers, Jesus went to the mountaintop and was transformed in that moment but he came back down the mountain and used the blessing of his father and energy of the experience to compel him forward. We must also do the same. Our lives are filled with moments that impact us and change us spiritually. Our job is not to build houses and try to live in that moment but rather to make a life where the moments lead us and let God lead us to something even more extraordinary. Amen.