Too many people die from deadly illnesses like depression, bipolar, & schizophrenia. Think suicide is a choice? Think again. That's just one of the many mechanisms these deadly diseases use to destroy. But we can not take seriously just how deadly these illnesses are if people have to hide because of stigma. Educate yourself and others so that those who suffer in the darkness of isolation can receive help in the light.

I am absolutely convicted by the reality that we have to acknowledge mental illnesses as the deadly diseases they are in order to take seriously just how dangerous it is to live with them. Calling them anything less is a disservice to treatment and a dismissal to those who suffer.

Pathways and Promises

Ordinary 13A – A sermon based upon Genesis 22:1-14

Good morning. To be honest, I’ve struggled with this sermon all week because when I sat down to look at the lectionary texts, the one God kept whispering to me was the Genesis 22 story of God testing Abraham by telling him to offer his son as a sacrifice. I kept saying, “No, that one is too hard. We’re kicking off Vacation Bible School so let’s do something more inspiring.” But God being the never ending nudger and caller to growth wouldn’t let me get away with picking another text.

So here we are, looking at a story that has horrified people for thousands of years and continues to distress us with what it might mean that God would ask such a thing of us. Maybe kick off day for VBS is the right day to dig into a biblical story so complicated that we usually want to ignore it or explain it away.

So, what can we do to make sense of this story? I’ve read tons of commentaries and scholarly material this week and learned more about how many different opinions and views there are than any one thing. But let me give you a brief rundown of some of what theologians and scholars think about this.

Verse 14 reads, “So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’” So, some think the whole thing is just a myth because the passage ends with telling us how a mountain got its name and how a saying came into being. They say it never happened and it’s just a story to tell us a lesson. Well, whether or not it happened, the tougher part is figuring out what the lesson or lessons are.

Some scholars believe this is a symbolic story where the ancient Israelites living in exile would have understood themselves to be the “firstborn” that God would provide for and also Abraham who God was testing. This is also an interesting thought but what does that really mean to us today? So I kept digging.

Some say Abraham was willing to follow God’s command so unquestionably because he knew that God would intervene and not allow Isaac to be hurt since the boy was part of bigger promises already made by God. Well, maybe Abraham did hope for that but I doubt he truly knew for certain what would happen when they set out. Also, if he already knew, then the moral of the story would be, “if you already know what God’s doing in your life, just play along” rather than “God will provide.”

Many theologians are deeply concerned with misinterpretations of this passage as justification of child abuse. Seeing this text in too flat a way can lead to justifying the use of children as pawns in adult disputes such as divorces. Taking it too far can even lead to a complete perversion of the text and of God’s true will by proclaiming that God condones the use, abuse, and murder of children. However, this passage never says anything like that. In fact, 16 biblical passages firmly forbid human sacrifice and countless passages condemn the injury of children.

So, here we are… lots of opinions but we’re still mortified by the thought of God asking such a thing of Abraham. But I don’t think it’s just us in this time and place. It’s not that we’re reading with a New Testament orientation of a loving God and people of old weren’t. I suspect all people in all times and places have found this story horrific and maybe that’s part of the point.

Biblical stories come to us with a richness and a history that teach us things about human nature and divine covenant in action. So when we see a story that doesn’t match our understanding of those, it catches our attention. See, lots of folks want to know how Abraham could do this without even asking God why? There’s nothing in this passage or the bible in general that calls for us to not ask God questions so we can understand more. So how did a father choose to do this without asking? And when we look at our own faith, we don’t understand how someone could have that kind of faith in the first place. Abraham’s actions stand out to us because they are inconsistent with what we know of human nature so it jars us. And to go a little further, we’re also jarred by the idea that if God would ask this of Abraham, what might we be asked to do? Would we rise to the occasion or go running the other way? And if God is testing Abraham does that mean that God doesn’t know the outcome of human free will?

There are just so many questions that make this passage stand out for further scrutiny. So, what do we make of all this?

Well, the first thing is to figure out what we do know for sure from the passage. One of the first things is to recognize that the biblical reader and God are the ones who know this is a test. Abraham, Isaac, and the people of the story do not know this is only a test. If they had known, they would have interacted very differently.

We also know that since this is only a test, God never intends to hurt Isaac. Keep in mind that Abraham has struggled with faith his whole life. God only wants to know about Abraham’s faithfulness and once that is established the next passage is where God promises Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars.

Another thing we know is that Abraham has come to a new level in his faith. He possesses a deep trust in God. Even when Isaac sees that something is obviously not right about the situation and asks about it, Abraham responds faithfully that God will provide. Again, I want to point out that this passage does not say that passivity and unquestioning are good. It’s just that Abraham didn’t question.

And another thing we know about this passage is from a literary device. Hebrew scripture, was arranged in ballad like songs. So, repeating words, sounds, and other emphasis are always there for a reason but we miss those in translation.

When we read this, we see some form of the verb “to see” 5 times. But when read in Hebrew, the arrangement is in such a way that we learn that sight and a kind of progress of “seeing” are deeply important to unraveling this passage. Abraham is shown to taking in more information through his sight. Revelation in this story is not as much about the words being said but about seeing something new or with greater clarity.

Okay, we’ve done all this biblical digging because we’re looking for what it’s going to mean in our lives. So from what we know, what can we extract as lessons for our lives? Well, I’d like to suggest two lessons we can take away. The first is the obvious one. God provides.

God’s provision for us and our lives is that of incredible abundance. In last week’s scripture message, we explored the ways we experience God’s refuge and strength within the church. But it’s not always easy to see and experience God’s provision. I mean we experience lost jobs, crime, disasters, oppressive sins like racism and classism, and we each carry deep sorrows for the way we’ve been hurt by the brokenness of the world. The way we experience the world, it’s hard to imagine how Abraham could have trusted God so much.

But we need to be clear to understand the sufferings brought about by human brokenness and free will are not the will or work of God. God’s work of giving is in the places that we heal those sorrows and pains. God’s provision is in relationship and community. And God does provide in ways that we could never have arranged for on our own.

Does it mean we can just go along hoping all will be well? No. All was well because Abraham continued to act in good faith and do what God had asked. Just like Abraham was walking the journey of action, so must we. God’s provision in most people’s lives is directly linked to our kindness, love, and compassion for one another. As partners of God in the body of Christ, we always hope but that hope is bound together with action.

This brings me to the second and less obvious point I think this passage has for us today. Earlier I said that one of the things we know about this passage is it’s evolving use of the verb “to see.” This progressive seeing and revelation points to something very important in our lives. I think the second point is that we are often led down paths based upon our current understanding but we are always responsible for keeping our eyes open to new revelation and paths as God opens them up to us.

Abraham was given a command by God and started down that pathway. See, Abraham lived around other cultures where child sacrifice was a common practice even though it wasn’t for his culture. Nevertheless, he could make sense of it at the time. Yet, he kept looking and therefore seeing more and more as time passed. By the moment when the angel intervened, Abraham may likely have understood that this was all a test. But regardless of what he believed, the point remains that he kept his eyes open to what God was continuing to reveal. This made him both faithful in his actions but flexible to adapt to a new path when it came along.

This is a huge lesson. God expects us to keep growing and to be open to new paths as something different is revealed. God leads us but may change what information we have as we are more and more ready to receive it. So, we must be willing to let God change what our understanding of faithfulness means.

And this is a tough one because we’re not always good with change, especially in the religious world. We cling to our comfortable beliefs and ministries. But that’s not what we are always called to do. The idea that “we’ve always done it this way” isn’t necessarily God’s will and guidance. What we’ve always done must be constantly under scrutiny for new revelation.

Now what that new revelation may mean, we’re going to have to explore another time. And from this passage, it seems like something we should always be exploring. But as we leave here today, maybe the questions can get us going. What is it in our personal lives that God might be opening a different door for us? What about our professional lives? What new thing or things is God opening this congregation to? How can that openness be a gift? And how can we support one another in the discomfort of transitions as we adapt to what God has in store for us?

Sisters and brothers, this is our charge: to be watchful, willing to grow, and live in the work of God’s provision. As we go from here, may God bless our seeing and understanding of the pathways that lay ahead of us. Amen

Easter Sunrise - Why Are You Weeping?

Easter A Sunrise - Why Are You Weeping? – A sermon based upon John 20:1-18

Good morning and welcome to Easter sunrise service. We’ve made it through Holy Week where we’ve seen Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem, him sharing in humble service and fellowship with his disciples, Christ being betrayed and brutally put to death. But now we’re here. We have made it to see our risen Christ! And not only is our Gospel passage one of that event, this Gospel account is one of the most moving accounts of the empty tomb. Reading this story always makes me aware of just how frightened and bewildered Mary Magdalene must have been that morning.

And it’s because of her experience that we congregate so early on this day. There’s something special about gathering at dawn that helps us take in what it must have been like for Mary Magdalene when she found an empty tomb on that sacred morning. So again, welcome! And welcome to the resurrection!


Sometime back when I started praying and thinking about what themes we needed to connect with during Holy Week, I never had any doubt that resurrection was where we needed to be today. Oh, I know there are lots of directions pastors can go with the Easter story and each year seems to call for something different. But this year, it felt like God kept whispering the word resurrection to my heart and mind.

So, even though it may seem obvious, that’s where we’re going this morning. In this sunrise service, we’re going briefly reflect on what this story is telling us about how we experience Christ and the resurrection. In the later services, the sermon will focus on what is resurrection and living the ongoing resurrection. So, I hope to see you there.

Well, let’s talk about what happened that morning. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb presumably to grieve or care for the body. But when she arrives, she finds no one. Jesus is gone. She was dumfounded by what was going on so she went to get the disciples. They didn’t know either. In Mary’s grief, she stayed at the tomb weeping. This is when Jesus spoke to her but she didn’t recognize him. Then he called her by name and she did. Jesus told her the truth of his resurrection and then she went to share it with the disciples.

This seems like a fantastic story in part because we have such a hard time wrapping our minds around what happened that morning. And they had a hard time too. What this resurrection meant would not become clear to them for some time to come. So all we have are the circumstances and the reactions. But I think those tell us something about resurrection too. And if we can deal with the jarring reality Mary encountered that morning, maybe we’ll be ready to deal with what the resurrection really means for us later.

So, I think the first thing we need to recognize about encountering resurrection is that when we’re in the throes of sorrow or some other overwhelming emotion, we have a hard time recognizing Christ in our midst. Mary Magdalene was there seeking someone she was close to and thought his body had been violated and stolen. She was absolutely grief stricken when Jesus first spoke to her so it’s no wonder she didn’t recognize him. But even though Mary didn’t recognize him, he still reached out with a question of caring and concern. “Why are you weeping?”

Let’s think of our own lives. When we’re at our lowest, how often do we not recognize the compassionate hand of the Body of Christ when it reaches out to us? I venture to say, more than we probably realize. Yet, that hand keeps reaching out to us even when we don’t see it. So, I think God’s message to us is the same as Jesus’ message to Mary. God is faithful even when we can’t see it and has abundant grace for us in those times.

The next thing I think we can learn about encountering resurrection is that we have to be open to what is being revealed to us. Mary suddenly recognized Jesus when he called her by name. Before she recognized him, she was so overwhelmed that Jesus could have continued to talk to her but she would not have really heard him. But by speaking her name, something so personal, he connected with her and she could take in what Jesus had to share.

I think our lives are the same way. Like I said before, the body of Christ reaches out to us and reaches out to us but sometimes we don’t or can’t recognize it. But God is intentional to speak to us. When God’s message isn’t getting through, God seeks to find what will connect with us personally so that we recognize and are able to hear. Take for example, struggling with illness. Pain and suffering can be overwhelming and even though there are people around us trying to help, we have a hard time receiving that help or recognizing that it’s there. But sooner or later, if we don’t completely succumb to the pain, that just right phrase or that just right moment comes to us that opens our eyes and then we can see God in our midst again.

The third thing I think we should recognize about encountering resurrection is that once we get our bearings and have recognized Christ in our midst, we must act. Resurrection is an action and one that we participate in. When Jesus finished talking with Mary, she went forward to tell others. And in the coming weeks, we’ll see that this going forward turns into a movement. It’s a movement that demonstrates the body of Christ alive in the world… resurrection in our midst.


So, I’ve pointed to three things from this passage about encountering resurrection. 1) Christ is faithful to us even when we don’t recognize him in our midst. 2) Christ reaches out to us in ways that connect personally so that we can recognize him. And 3) recognizing and hearing Christ calls us and connects us to the workings of Christ. So, why did I point these out?

I did so because this morning, we’re looking at an empty tomb and don’t always know what to make of it. Sometimes we’re doubtful. Sometimes, we don’t understand. Sometimes, we can’t see. But that’s okay because Christ will be faithful and reach to us and call us forward anyway with grace and compassion.

I shared this because we each need resurrection in our own lives yet often become trapped by sorrow and pain. But that’s okay because Christ will be faithful and reach to us and call us forward anyway.

I pointed to these things because resurrection is not just a one-time event. Christ comes to us each day with compassion, just as he did Mary, and says, “Why are you weeping?” There are moments and moments and moments that Christ takes what is dead and fills it with new life. Yet we struggle to see where it came from or how we can participate in it. And that’s okay because Christ will be faithful and reaches to us and call us forward anyway.

Sisters and Brothers, He is risen! We don’t say he has risen or did rise as if it was an event of the past. We say he IS risen because it is timeless. We may not know what to make of it yet, but something amazing has happened and will keep happening if we but hear his voice in those resurrection moments.

I hope you’ll stay around for a later service where we’ll look at what this resurrection is and how we can proclaim it each and every day. Amen.

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.

Called to Faith

Sermon basued upon Daniel 12: 1-13. <-- Audio file of sermon.

Good morning. As always it’s a pleasure to be here with you and this week is no exception. You see, worship is one of those spaces where we come and intentionally yet humbly try to watch for God. We catch glimpses of God in music, prayers, the Word, the space, one another, and many indescribable moments. We also catch glimpses of what God wants for us… healing, love, sanctuary, justice, celebration, peace... wholeness, if you will.

I raise this issue about worship not because today’s sermon is about worship but because I think the rich and multi-layered way we experience worship is similar to the rich way we can experience today’s reading from the book of Daniel. You see, this week we continue our look at apocalyptic literary texts from the bible with one that in some ways is the most difficult passage we’ll look at. It’s difficult in several ways but also rich with meaning. But we’re going to try to go from the big picture and zero in on a core piece of meaning.

If you should ever decide to read the book of Daniel, I suggest you do so with an ancient Persian and Babylonian history book one side and a good biblical commentary at your other side while sipping on a big cup of humility. I’m not saying that this book is out of reach for everyday people. I’m saying that the more you engage it, the more it will show you… sort of like worship. So let me start off by sharing with you some of why this is such a complicated text and then we’ll move into figuring out what beauty emerges from its complexity.

First off, if you were following along in your pew bibles, you may have noticed that today’s Daniel text is the last chapter of the book. Daniel is not a very large book and this is a passage that draws to a close a series of stories and visions. I say “series of” because in fact, this book was not written all at one time. When we, the modern reader pick up this book, we see a nicely put together chronicles of a man named Daniel broken into chapters and verses. In reality, the original texts that we pull this from are a combination of scrolls that draw upon the experiences and folklore of the Jewish people while they were in exile. To make matters more interesting, some of those scrolls are in Hebrew while others are in Aramaic. So, we add language issues on top of the historical issues of putting together a book that cuts across time.

Now, all this may not seem important when we read either the book or today’s individual text but it is. It’s important because it means that when we look to interpret the symbols and the stories, we should be even more diligent in our study and care with what we learn. Wars have been started in the name of what people believed this book was telling them. Wars have been started because they were too sure of their own knowledge that they forgot to faithfully watch for what God wanted to reveal.

And this is the key point I believe God has for us today. Our calling is to faith, not knowledge. It is from genuine faith that we see what is important and then grow into knowledge and wisdom that is purposeful and transcending. But even more core, faith is sometimes all we have… and that is more than good enough.

Okay, so with that long introduction, let’s jump into this scripture text more fully. Chapter 12 is really the end to a longer vision that Daniel is sharing that started in Chapter 10. Like I said before, Daniel and the Jewish people are living in exile. This is a time where they are being terribly mistreated. They aren’t being mistreated necessarily because of their religious beliefs, though there is that too. But more broadly, they’re being victimized because the dictator like leadership is concerned only with conquering more lands and more people. All commoners were subject to oppression and the whims of the royals, not just the Jews.

So these stories that called upon folk heroes like the angelic Michael and Gabriel were a source of hope and comfort to the Jewish people that the suffering they felt would not be the last word. And that’s where we break into this story. The conclusion of this great battle where God’s justice triumphs over these worldly rulers is a time to pause and take it all in. And what happens when Daniel pauses in this vision? He sees resurrection and new life.

Now at this point you might be thinking, “how is it that Pastor Lavender sees this as being about faith? Sounds more like last week’s sermon of God’s triumph and the Lamb’s victory.” Well, it is… but it’s not. This vision was shared with people who would not know that victory during their lifetime. They would continue to know suffering and abuse. So, if we have a promise of victory but we aren’t there yet, we’re left to be faithful in the meantime.

Let’s reread part of this passage. Verses 1-4 read,
‘At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase.’

What do we see here? Well, first of all, in a broken world of fear and pride, people are going to suffer. The whole of the book of Daniel is about good, everyday people suffering even when they try to do the right thing. Now we don’t live the wretched lives of the people in exile that starved to death and were held in slave labor but we do know about other ways to suffer, don’t we? Think about your own life. What about times of intense grief and loneliness or fear and uncertainty? We’ve all had them. And we’ll continue to have them. Look around this room or at your friends and family. Unimaginable tragedy strikes without care or concern for how good and faithful we are.

But to the suffering Jews and to us today, this passage offers hope. It offers a vision of deliverance. It offers the first biblical reference to resurrection. Now resurrection is one of those words that sometimes our modern mind doesn’t know what to do with. It’s a word that’s been abused and twisted at times. It’s a word that offers comfort and hope at other times. But what is it?

Well, I spent a lot of time this week reading about resurrection. The Nicene Creed, The Apostles Creed, The Scots Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism… every historical and constitutional document in the reformed Christian tradition refers to resurrection. But by and large, they refer to the resurrection of Christ and its meaning for the life of the church and for us as individuals. Not as much is said about the idea of resurrection and deliverance for the people of God.

But where did I find more information on resurrection? In texts about funerals. We, as a people of faith believe that something happens after we’re dead that does or will transcend death. Our faith heritage is not usually very specific about what that looks like because we just don’t have much biblical guidance one way or another. But we are clear that death is not the last word.

But much like I said of last week’s text, I’m not willing to tell those who are suffering that they have to wait for the hereafter for deliverance and I don’t think Daniel was either.

Resurrection is something that happens in ways we are not always aware of in the midst of it. For the people of Daniel’s time and the generations in exile that read these scrolls, they took heart in the way they passed on parts of themselves, their heritage, and their faith. I say this because of verse 3. “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” This verse is referring to victory found in sharing of ourselves with others, an act of faith.

In the bible, wisdom is never about knowledge or facts. Wisdom is about faithfulness and diligence. People without much knowledge are referred to as wise because they seek more than they speak. They are humble with knowledge and desire understanding over convincing others of their rightness. The wise are also those who remember and hold to the journey that has brought them here and will carry them forward. So when this verse says the “wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky” it’s referring to those who faithfully seek to take part in God’s victory. And that faithfulness will help them lead others to righteousness.

So here we are, back where we started. We’re called to faith. Our hope in resurrection both in the afterlife and now is wrapped up in this faith. For Daniel and his people, their faith was all they had left. It told them of their history, their hope for the future, and sustained them in this time of trial. It was everything to them. And just like the people who read Daniel’s stories found hope in their time, we must ask what is it our faith means to us in this time?

Well, we read from Hebrews 11 today that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” That means that faith is that quiet utterance from within that tells us our hopes are not in vain and that we are not delusional but in fact visionary. So when I ask, what is it our faith means to us, I intend that more as something we should go from here and chew on. What are the hopes that well up in us? What things not seen do we believe in? What beliefs make us better people, more Christ-like? What does our faith compel us to do? What do we even think faith is?

When I am back with you on February 6th, we’ll look at one last apocalyptic text and flesh out what some of these questions of faith look like for us as a community of believers. But in the meantime, let us humbly ponder these questions of what is faith and God’s calling to faithfulness, looking for glimpses of God along the way. And let us do so with assuredness that faith is sufficient and it is our calling. Amen.