Isaiah 6:1-8
1 Corintahins 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
Epiphany 5C
Every day has its rituals. Mondays are different than Fridays which are different than Saturdays, which are different from Sundays. My Sunday morning rituals are the ones I follow, shall we say, the most religiously.
I never sleep well on Saturday nights, so Linda usually shoves me out of bed on Sunday morning between 4 and 5. The first thing I do is when I get turn on the coffee. After I shower and dress, I to prepare my English muffin with peanut butter and raspberry jam, pour my coffee, and turn on my computer. I check email, face book, espn, and cnn. The last website to be checked is the NYTimes. They say that the three biggest lies are, I am from the IRS and I am here to help you. Its even easier than it looks, and I read the Entire Sunday NY Times. So, I won’t try to tell you that I read the entire NYTimes. No, the only page I read before church Sunday is the editorial page. There are 4 columnists I read each Sunday. They address issues of issues related to world events, politics and culture. Always, the last one I read is Nicholas Kristof. Mr. Kristof has been a columnist for the Times since 2001 and is a winner of two Pulitzer prizes. He cowrote with his wife, Sheryl WeDunn, the 2009 award wining book , Half the Sky which is a book about the achievements of women who have overcome oppression and turned it into opportunity. Every year, Mr. Kristof selects one college student to travel with him to places in the world mired in desperate poverty. Mr. Kristof’s columns are not sarcastic, hateful, partisan, or cynical. He is not obsessed with the latest Washington scandal. He writes from all over the world, speaking about every day people and the difference they make. He has written with passion about the world wide sex trade that enslaves women and children, prison reform, religious persecution, health care, water purification, the Sudan, Pakistan, Haiti, Kenya. This morning his article is about the holocaust that is gripping the Congo. His writings almost always end in a challenge and hope. When I finish his column I often say to myself, I wish I could preach like he writes. Often it is the people I meet through his works that I hold in my heart when I pray, “Help me to preach in a way that honors and respects those who suffer and die today for your Gospel.”
In the last few weeks Kristof has written 3 columns that deeply moved me. He wrote on January 20 about the desperate situation in Haiti. He stressed the beauty, resilience and strength of the Haitian people. He called on people and nations to assist in providing short tem assistance and relief and long term development in that country. On January 17 he wrote a column entitled Food Sex and Giving which addressed scientific studies which introduce scientific studies which show that it is part of the make up of human beings to give, to be generous, to be part of a cause bigger than themselves. It feels good to give, and to be generous. In fact, helping others, he wrote, may be as primal a pleasure as food and sex.
On January 24, Kristof wrote a column that asked “What can you live without?” In that column, he introduced his readers to Kevin and Joan Salwen . Kevin tells the story of a conversation he had with his 14 year old daughter Hannah. He was driving his daughter back from a sleepover in 2006. While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.“Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal,” Hannah observed. The light changed and they drove on, but Hannah continued to talk about the car and the man. She pestered her parents about inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something.“What do you want to do?” her mom responded. “Sell our house?”
Ooops.
Eventually that is exactly what they did. The family sold their home, downsized, and donated their earnings to a foundation supporting development in Ghana. In so doing they discovered that the smaller home brought them closer together as a family.
These columns have been very much on my mind since I read them, and especially as I read today’s Gospel. The Gospel is one that we are perhaps very familiar with. The crowd presses on Jesus to hear the word of God. Jesus preaches from the boat of Simon Peter. After preaching Jesus instructs Simon to put down his nets. Simon protests, yet does what he is asked. The nets are filled, the boats begin to sink. Simon confesses his sinfulness. Jesus calls. Simon and the others leave everything to follow Jesus.
After a night of empty nets, Jesus fills the nets with fish. Something about that catch shakes Simon’s world. Friends, I want to tell you that if I come back from a day of fishing with four or five fish, I am ecstatic, I am literally beside myself with glee. With Simon, there is no excitement, no elation. Instead, just the opposite, Simon is humbled, he bows in confession and leaves his nets.
It was the biggest catch of his life. And Simon walks away. It was a catch that he only could of dreamed of, and he walks away. I wonder. Could it be that the filled nets spoke to Simon about how empty his life was. All his life, this is what he dreamed of. This catch made him successful, it added to his wealth. In the face of this success, perhaps Simon knew that his life had been as empty as the nets were all night long. Perhaps, just perhaps, this is the sin that Simon is confessing. Jesus, I have wasted my life in pursuit of selfish goals.
Jesus lifts Simon and calls him. Come follow me and I will make you fish for people. Come follow me and I will make you bring people into the kingdom of God. Come follow me and I will fill, not only your nets, but your life. Have you ever reached some milestone, achieved a well deserved award, accomplished some long sought after goal only to discover that your joy is short lived, only to discover that there is still emptiness in your stomach. You have landed the job, written the essay, bought the house, mounted the trophy , won the race and still you are not satisfied. For all the late night talk show jokes about Tiger Woods, isn’t he just an extreme example of someone who had it all, and more, and was still empty, still unsatisfied. He was full, and yet still starving.
The crowds pressed in on Jesus because they were starving. They were starving for the word of God. Starving for that which could satisfy. Simon had a dream catch, his nets were filled to the breaking point…..and he walked away from it because Jesus offered him more.
Jesus makes the same offer to you and I. Peter walked away from his bursting nets. The Salwen family walked away from their home. In walking away from what they had, they were walking toward a fuller and richer life. Jesus invites us to a fuller and richer life as well. It is not as if we need to walk away from everything we have forever. What we can walk away from is the big lie that it is our nets, our trophies, our successes that make us human or give our life meaning. We can walk away from the biggest lie that pursuing my individual happiness will ever bring me happiness. Jesus, showed us, in his life, and in his ministry that true happiness, true life is found in serving God by serving our neighbors, by serving those in need. Jesus is inviting us to be part of something bigger than ourselves, be part of something that will satisfy us longer than a Super bowl trophy or even a tremendous catch of fish.
Jesus invites us to share his purpose, to share in the building of God’s kingdom. Jesus invites us to follow him and be eternally satisfied.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sermon January 24
Epiphany 3
Nehemiah 8:2-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
Luke 4:14-21
On the morning of December 8, the flight I was on landed in Port au Prince. After passing through customs, our luggage was put on a bus and taken to the Hotel Montana. I, and the other 23 participants in the Food for the Poor Pilgrimage boarded another bus and began our visits to ministries sponsored or supported by Food for the Poor. Our first stop was a “fish farm”. The intricate science of harvesting and reproducing fish, and the concept of “fish farming” was something I could barely understand. Next we traveled to “The Little Children of Jesus Home”. Here, orphaned children with varying degrees of developmental disabilities lived and were cared for. I had the pleasure of feeding a young boy, Jean. Because of the language difference, and the severity of Jean’s illness, we could not communicate. My prayer that I recited to myself as I fed him, wiped his face, and helped him drink, was that through my small ministry to Jean, Jesus might touch my soul. It became so clear to me as I was feeding him that I needed Jean much more than Jean needed me.
From the orphanage we traveled to the grounds of Notre Dame. On these grounds were homes for the elderly and a school and orphanage for young boys. We attended the Mass that was held for the elderly and visited the school and orphanage. At the orphanage we were entertained by the singing of the boys. We then distributed to them various small gifts. Notebooks, pencils and pens, crayons, candies and wrist bands. On the wrist bands were the words so identified with the Christmas Feast that was coming soon: Peace, Joy, Hope, Jesus. After the gifts were distributed two of the boys came up to me and pointed to the wrist bands that I was wearing. I had been wearing these wrist bands for a few years. On the green band that I wore, was written, “Save Darfur” I wore this band to remind myself of the suffering of the people of the Sudan. It was a reminder to me to keep the people of Sudan in my prayers. The other was a white band on which was written the word: “One“. This I wore to remind myself of the “One Campaign”. This is an organization involved with advocacy for justice, for adequate health care, for education, and for an end to the poverty that afflicts millions of persons around the world.
I could not possibly refuse to give the boys the wrist bands that I was wearing. In the weeks after I returned from Haiti, even before the earthquake there were many moments when I noticed that the bands were not on my wrists. When I did so, I thought of the boys to whom I have given them.
I wonder where those wrist bands are today? Perhaps they have been tossed aside, maybe now in the bottom drawer of a dresser. Maybe they are buried in the rubble someplace in Port au Prince. Are the boys perhaps still wearing them? Do the wrist bands remind the boys that I promised to keep them in my prayers? Do they remind the boys to pray for me?
One. I have thought of that wrist band often as I read the reading from Corinthians this week. The word “one” appears in the reading repeatedly. One body, one spirit, one another. Paul is repeating his deeply held conviction that in the one spirit of God, we, though many are one body. In the one spirit of God, we though many are members of one another. In the one spirit of God, we though many are the body of Christ, doing the work of Christ.
This truth gives me much hope as I continue to see the heart breaking images of the continued suffering of the people of Haiti. The one body of Christi is suffering in Haiti. The one body of Christ is dying, is homeless and is thirsting in Haiti. The one body of Christ is at work in Haiti. The one body of Christ is at also work in the ministry of those who are tending to the injured, consoling the bereaved, feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty. The body is at work in those who are building shelters and hospitals and schools. They of course are the people who are engaged in the hands on relief and assistance ministry. But, the truth that Paul is emphasizing is that we are part of the body as well. Others do what they can do there. Here we do what we can. The body of Christ, the spirit of Christ empowers us to do what we can. And what can we do? First of all, dear friends we pray. Those who are suffering, those searching for food, or water, shelter or medicine may not have the time or the energy to pray. Those involved in ministry in Haiti are working around the clock. They may not have the time to sit and pray. There are few churches still standing in Haiti. It is hard for them to pray. Time and energy for prayer is a luxury that we have. Pray.
We give. The money we give, the pennies, the nickels, the dollars all do add up. All our financial assistance is part of the body of Christ which supports ministries of those who are there in Haiti. We can also be mindful of our abundance. We can remember with every glass of water we drink the millions of people in Haiti and around the world who lack clean water for drinking. We can be responsible stewards of all that we have. We can raise our voice. One of the true gifts that we have is the ability to be advocates for justice. We, here in this country, can raise our voices to change unjust systems that exist in Haiti and around the world We can be a voice for those who have no voice. We can also give our time to support ministries here. As so much attention is given to the suffering in Haiti, the ministry needs continue in our community. At this time, we are invited to be the body of Christ here as we offer our time in local ministries. I cannot go to Haiti, but there are ministries I can be involved with here, in a few weeks St. Andrews will be hosting families who are without housing---in the power of the one spirit, the work we do on behalf of the families who are with us, support the ministries of those engaged in Haiti. Here in Grand Rapids I can donate blood. Here in Grand Rapids, I can work in a food ministry. Here in Grand Rapids I can visit the sick It is the one spirit giving power to the body of Christ at work in Haiti and in Grand Rapids.
We can also remember that just as the people of Haiti need our support at this time of their need. So we also need them. In the face of such calamities, they bless us with their faith filled perseverance and hope. We are one body, equally needing each other.Indeed, it may be that we need the people of Haiti as much as they need us.
In the Gospel this morning, Jesus proclaims himself to have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. At your baptism, you also were anointed by that same spirit. Like Jesus, you have been sent to proclaim good news to the poor, release to those held captive by poverty and despair, and freedom to all who are oppressed by the tragedies of our time. The spirit that was alive and at work in Jesus, is now at work in the body of those who believe in Jesus. You carry on his work in our day. Today his work is being fulfilled in Grand Rapids, in Port au Prince, in Sudan. His one body is at work in our one world.
This past week I ordered another bracelet. On it will we written the word “ONE”. When it comes I will wear it. When I wear it I will remember the people of Sudan and the people of Haiti. I will remember Jean whom I fed at the orphanage. I will remember the boys of the school and orphanage of Notre Dame. I will remember one to whom I gave my wrist band. The one for whom I promised to pray. When I wear it I will remember the one Spirit of God who is at work in the one body of Christ. The one body of Christ that is carrying on the ministry of Jesus. One spirit, one body, one ministry, that is at work through us who are members of one another.
Now, dear friends, I ask you to pray.
This prayer was written by another part of the Body of Christ. The Sojourners community in Washington DC:
Break our hearts, Lord, break our hearts. For the lives lost in Haiti, each one loved by you, break our hearts. For those who have lost family members -- sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers -- break our hearts. For those who have lost homes and belongings, who sleep on the streets, break our hearts. For the crippling poverty that afflicts millions of Haitians, break our hearts. For our complicity in the sinful structures and systems that lead to oppression and injustice, break our hearts. For the state of your creation -- groaning for redemption and restoration -- break our hearts. And then put us back together, and make us one so that with peace, humility, and your perspective, we might work toward seeing your kingdom on earth. Amen.
Nehemiah 8:2-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
Luke 4:14-21
On the morning of December 8, the flight I was on landed in Port au Prince. After passing through customs, our luggage was put on a bus and taken to the Hotel Montana. I, and the other 23 participants in the Food for the Poor Pilgrimage boarded another bus and began our visits to ministries sponsored or supported by Food for the Poor. Our first stop was a “fish farm”. The intricate science of harvesting and reproducing fish, and the concept of “fish farming” was something I could barely understand. Next we traveled to “The Little Children of Jesus Home”. Here, orphaned children with varying degrees of developmental disabilities lived and were cared for. I had the pleasure of feeding a young boy, Jean. Because of the language difference, and the severity of Jean’s illness, we could not communicate. My prayer that I recited to myself as I fed him, wiped his face, and helped him drink, was that through my small ministry to Jean, Jesus might touch my soul. It became so clear to me as I was feeding him that I needed Jean much more than Jean needed me.
From the orphanage we traveled to the grounds of Notre Dame. On these grounds were homes for the elderly and a school and orphanage for young boys. We attended the Mass that was held for the elderly and visited the school and orphanage. At the orphanage we were entertained by the singing of the boys. We then distributed to them various small gifts. Notebooks, pencils and pens, crayons, candies and wrist bands. On the wrist bands were the words so identified with the Christmas Feast that was coming soon: Peace, Joy, Hope, Jesus. After the gifts were distributed two of the boys came up to me and pointed to the wrist bands that I was wearing. I had been wearing these wrist bands for a few years. On the green band that I wore, was written, “Save Darfur” I wore this band to remind myself of the suffering of the people of the Sudan. It was a reminder to me to keep the people of Sudan in my prayers. The other was a white band on which was written the word: “One“. This I wore to remind myself of the “One Campaign”. This is an organization involved with advocacy for justice, for adequate health care, for education, and for an end to the poverty that afflicts millions of persons around the world.
I could not possibly refuse to give the boys the wrist bands that I was wearing. In the weeks after I returned from Haiti, even before the earthquake there were many moments when I noticed that the bands were not on my wrists. When I did so, I thought of the boys to whom I have given them.
I wonder where those wrist bands are today? Perhaps they have been tossed aside, maybe now in the bottom drawer of a dresser. Maybe they are buried in the rubble someplace in Port au Prince. Are the boys perhaps still wearing them? Do the wrist bands remind the boys that I promised to keep them in my prayers? Do they remind the boys to pray for me?
One. I have thought of that wrist band often as I read the reading from Corinthians this week. The word “one” appears in the reading repeatedly. One body, one spirit, one another. Paul is repeating his deeply held conviction that in the one spirit of God, we, though many are one body. In the one spirit of God, we though many are members of one another. In the one spirit of God, we though many are the body of Christ, doing the work of Christ.
This truth gives me much hope as I continue to see the heart breaking images of the continued suffering of the people of Haiti. The one body of Christi is suffering in Haiti. The one body of Christ is dying, is homeless and is thirsting in Haiti. The one body of Christ is at work in Haiti. The one body of Christ is at also work in the ministry of those who are tending to the injured, consoling the bereaved, feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty. The body is at work in those who are building shelters and hospitals and schools. They of course are the people who are engaged in the hands on relief and assistance ministry. But, the truth that Paul is emphasizing is that we are part of the body as well. Others do what they can do there. Here we do what we can. The body of Christ, the spirit of Christ empowers us to do what we can. And what can we do? First of all, dear friends we pray. Those who are suffering, those searching for food, or water, shelter or medicine may not have the time or the energy to pray. Those involved in ministry in Haiti are working around the clock. They may not have the time to sit and pray. There are few churches still standing in Haiti. It is hard for them to pray. Time and energy for prayer is a luxury that we have. Pray.
We give. The money we give, the pennies, the nickels, the dollars all do add up. All our financial assistance is part of the body of Christ which supports ministries of those who are there in Haiti. We can also be mindful of our abundance. We can remember with every glass of water we drink the millions of people in Haiti and around the world who lack clean water for drinking. We can be responsible stewards of all that we have. We can raise our voice. One of the true gifts that we have is the ability to be advocates for justice. We, here in this country, can raise our voices to change unjust systems that exist in Haiti and around the world We can be a voice for those who have no voice. We can also give our time to support ministries here. As so much attention is given to the suffering in Haiti, the ministry needs continue in our community. At this time, we are invited to be the body of Christ here as we offer our time in local ministries. I cannot go to Haiti, but there are ministries I can be involved with here, in a few weeks St. Andrews will be hosting families who are without housing---in the power of the one spirit, the work we do on behalf of the families who are with us, support the ministries of those engaged in Haiti. Here in Grand Rapids I can donate blood. Here in Grand Rapids, I can work in a food ministry. Here in Grand Rapids I can visit the sick It is the one spirit giving power to the body of Christ at work in Haiti and in Grand Rapids.
We can also remember that just as the people of Haiti need our support at this time of their need. So we also need them. In the face of such calamities, they bless us with their faith filled perseverance and hope. We are one body, equally needing each other.Indeed, it may be that we need the people of Haiti as much as they need us.
In the Gospel this morning, Jesus proclaims himself to have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. At your baptism, you also were anointed by that same spirit. Like Jesus, you have been sent to proclaim good news to the poor, release to those held captive by poverty and despair, and freedom to all who are oppressed by the tragedies of our time. The spirit that was alive and at work in Jesus, is now at work in the body of those who believe in Jesus. You carry on his work in our day. Today his work is being fulfilled in Grand Rapids, in Port au Prince, in Sudan. His one body is at work in our one world.
This past week I ordered another bracelet. On it will we written the word “ONE”. When it comes I will wear it. When I wear it I will remember the people of Sudan and the people of Haiti. I will remember Jean whom I fed at the orphanage. I will remember the boys of the school and orphanage of Notre Dame. I will remember one to whom I gave my wrist band. The one for whom I promised to pray. When I wear it I will remember the one Spirit of God who is at work in the one body of Christ. The one body of Christ that is carrying on the ministry of Jesus. One spirit, one body, one ministry, that is at work through us who are members of one another.
Now, dear friends, I ask you to pray.
This prayer was written by another part of the Body of Christ. The Sojourners community in Washington DC:
Break our hearts, Lord, break our hearts. For the lives lost in Haiti, each one loved by you, break our hearts. For those who have lost family members -- sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers -- break our hearts. For those who have lost homes and belongings, who sleep on the streets, break our hearts. For the crippling poverty that afflicts millions of Haitians, break our hearts. For our complicity in the sinful structures and systems that lead to oppression and injustice, break our hearts. For the state of your creation -- groaning for redemption and restoration -- break our hearts. And then put us back together, and make us one so that with peace, humility, and your perspective, we might work toward seeing your kingdom on earth. Amen.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Food for the Poor
Dear Friends,
I am sure that most of you have been involved in conversations about what you would do if you ever "won the lottery". I suspect that many of you said at some point in that conversation that you would use some of your winnings to do something for someone in need. Maybe you would make a huge donation to a family, a school, a hospital in need. Maybe you said that you would make a huge contribution to a cause that you support. I am sure that you promised that if you ever won the lottery you would do something charitable as a sign of your gratitude. Maybe the conversation ended with you jokingly saying: "Of course, if I ever hope to win the lottery, I suppose I need to buy a ticket."
When I was in Haiti I discovered that even though I have not bought a ticket in nearly 20 years, I have won the lottery. Through no effort on my part, I have been blessed to be born into a life more comfortable than most in the world can even imagine. I have an overabundance of life's comforts: food, clothing, shelter, transportation, access to health care. I do not need statistics to tell me that I live more comfortably than at least 90% of the people in the world. In the lottery of life's pleasures and comforts, I was given a winning ticket.
I cannot possibly describe the poverty that is in Haiti. We drove through streets in the country that passed along rivers of garbage. People lived in shacks that were made with rusty wasted metal. The stench of the squalor was overpowering.
What I will remember most from my time in Haiti however is not the poverty, but the hope. The schools, orphanages, fishing villages, and homes sponsored and supported by Food for the Poor improve the lives of tens of thousands of people throughout the Central and Latin America: children are taught, the elderly are cared for, the outcast are welcome, the hungry are fed, people are employed, the Gospel is lived. I come back from our pilgrimage to Haiti impressed by the work done by Food for the Poor. Many of you have contributed in the past to this ministry. Many of you have received their mailings and publications. I want to tell you, that Food for the Poor lives up to its press. They walk their talk.
In the weeks to come Christian Baron (who also took part in the pilgrimage) and I will continue to share our reflections on the experience of the pilgrimage. We will also explore ways for you to learn more about Food for the Poor. We hope to find ways for others from the congregation to take part in a pilgrimage in the coming year. We invite your questions. To learn more about the Ministry of Food for the Poor, go to their website: www.foodforthepoor.org.
One morning during our time in Haiti we visited a clinic that is located in one of the poor neighborhoods of Port au Prince. The doctors who volunteer their time at the clinic spoke to us of the many challenges they face in the clinic. Among those challenges is the vast number of people in Haiti who are infected with HIV/AIDS. In the midst of the conversation one of the doctors mentioned that he has himself tested for HIV every six weeks. I was stunned by this. Here is a man, blessed with the opportunities opened to him by his education, and he puts himself at risk to help heal the sick. In many ways, this doctor has won the lottery. In his work at the clinic he has found a way to share his "winnings". What would I do if I ever won the lottery? By God's grace, I have won. I have been abundantly blessed in so many ways. How can I possibly show my gratitude? One way will be to continue to support the ministry of Food for the Poor. Another way, is to invite you to support them as well.
Gracious God, help me to live in a way that honors and respects those who suffer and die today for the Gospel. Help me to live in a way that shows my gratitude for all the blessings of my life. Amen.
In God's Peace,
Mike
Monday, October 26, 2009
Gospel and reflection question for November 1
John 11:32-44
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
How has Jesus used others to “unbind” you?
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
How has Jesus used others to “unbind” you?
Sermon, October 25
October 25
Proper 25
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 10:46-52
Ask a person on any given morning, “how did you sleep last night”, the response will usually fall somewhere between, “ok” and “not very good”. At least, that’s the impression I get. Most of us, most nights are not getting a great nights sleep. There might be lots of reasons for this: the overall sense of anxiety and tension that is in the air. The fact that TV stations broadcast all night long, internet is available all night long. The world never sleeps, so neither do we. Illness in the home effects the sleep of everyone that is there. There are many factors, physical and emotional that cut into our sleep.
In response, to this epidemic of insomnia, there are many suggestions on how to improve your sleep. Some suggest sleeping medication. Some suggest watching what you eat or drink in the hours before you sleep. Cut down on the spicey food, and caffeine. Some suggest following the same schedule each night, having a regular bed time, and taking time before going to bed to wind down. Turn the tv off well before you go to bed. Go to bed calm and sleep improves.
Another option would be to buy some eye coverings to shut out any and all light. Of all the options, this seems to me to be the most frightening. I am not sure that I could sleep in the midst of such total darkness. Plus, I think I would be afraid that waking up in the morning I just might forget to take the blindfolds off. Imagine the danger of forgetting to take off the blindfold. With my blindfold on, I just might walk into the closet instead of the bathroom. How would I make my morning coffee. How wo0uld I drive to work? How would I find my clothes. Yes indeed. Living life in blindfolds would be disastrous.
Our readings this morning are about learning to see clearly. The book of Job is not a biography. Rather, it is a short story that is meant to teach. The readers of Job are taught how to see “suffering”. Job was written in a time when people were taught that the good were always blessed, and the evil always suffered. Yet, many could “see” that this simply was not true. To believe that the good are always blessed and that the evil are always punished, one has to be blind to the way the world really is. It takes a certain amount of blindness to believe that only evil people suffer or to believe that all riches and comforts are proof of a persons goodness. Job stands for many persons in the world, good, holy God fearing people who suffered tremendously. The story of Job teaches us that in this world there is a randomness to suffering. Too often the innocent do suffer, and the guilty seem to live very comfortably. It is through his suffering that Job comes to see that God is found not surrounded by riches and comforts, but God is found in the midst of suffering.
As I have read the Gospel throughout the week, the phrase that stood out to me most powerfully, was the response Bartimaeus gave when Jesus asked him: “What is it you want me to do for you?” “Teacher”, Bartimaeus said, “I want to see again.” I wonder: Why did he call Jesus “teacher”? Might you not expect him to refer to him as “Healer” or “Miracle worker”? Why teacher? Could it be that the Gospel is trying to teach us that the ability to see is something that is learned. “I want to see again.” At one time, Bartimaeus could see. Now, He wants to see again. Teacher, Teach me to see again. Perhaps Bartimaeus is a symbol of the person who puts on blindfolds and forgets to take them off.
Do you ever wear blindfolds so that you do not have to see the truth of your life. Do you ever wear blindfolds so you don’t have to see how your actions, your words are hurting those around you? Do you ever wear blindfolds so you do not have to look at your self, So you do not have to see how anger, and jealousy and resentment are turning your heart cold. Do you ever wear blindfolds so you do not have to look at the suffering in the world. So you do not have to see the ravages of violence, poverty and disease. Do you ever wear blindfolds so you do not have to see that the comforts we take for granted cause suffering to others? Do you ever wear blindfolds so you do not have to see the injustices which surround us in our city, our nation and in the world.
Sometimes it is as if we have put blindfolds over our eyes and left them there. We are blind. Jesus have mercy on us. Teacher restore our sight. Teacher, help us to see again.
After he his healed, the Gospel tells us that Bartimaeus follows Jesus on the way. “On the way” where? “The way” for Mark is the way of the cross. On the way to resurrection through suffering. On the way to life through death. The Gospel is teaching us that the way to find God is not to flee from suffering but to pass through it. In the Eucharistic Prayer that we will offer in a few minutes, we will pray: Open our eyes to see you hand at work in the world about us. Open our eyes, take off our blindfolds. Teach us to see again. Teach us to see you in the suffering of the world. Teach us to see you in those who are today crucified on the crosses of poverty, disease, injustice and war.
After he is healed, after the teacher restores his sight, Bartimaeus springs into action. The Gospel invites us to do the same. When we take our blindfolds off, we act. Might I suggest to you all that each one of us, reads one article this week about suffering and poverty. One article about homelessness, one article about the suffering caused by global climate change. One article that will help us take off our blindfold and see again. And after reading one article, may we act. May each of do something, one thing to care for the poor. May we write one letter to congress, may we bring one can of food for a pantry, may we give one hour in service of the community, may we say one prayer for those who suffer.
May we take off our blindfolds and see. May we spring to our feet and act. May we follow Jesus on the way. Maybe when we see, maybe when we act, maybe when we truly follow Jesus on the way, we will finally come to the end of a day, lay down, and get a good nights sleep.
Proper 25
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 10:46-52
Ask a person on any given morning, “how did you sleep last night”, the response will usually fall somewhere between, “ok” and “not very good”. At least, that’s the impression I get. Most of us, most nights are not getting a great nights sleep. There might be lots of reasons for this: the overall sense of anxiety and tension that is in the air. The fact that TV stations broadcast all night long, internet is available all night long. The world never sleeps, so neither do we. Illness in the home effects the sleep of everyone that is there. There are many factors, physical and emotional that cut into our sleep.
In response, to this epidemic of insomnia, there are many suggestions on how to improve your sleep. Some suggest sleeping medication. Some suggest watching what you eat or drink in the hours before you sleep. Cut down on the spicey food, and caffeine. Some suggest following the same schedule each night, having a regular bed time, and taking time before going to bed to wind down. Turn the tv off well before you go to bed. Go to bed calm and sleep improves.
Another option would be to buy some eye coverings to shut out any and all light. Of all the options, this seems to me to be the most frightening. I am not sure that I could sleep in the midst of such total darkness. Plus, I think I would be afraid that waking up in the morning I just might forget to take the blindfolds off. Imagine the danger of forgetting to take off the blindfold. With my blindfold on, I just might walk into the closet instead of the bathroom. How would I make my morning coffee. How wo0uld I drive to work? How would I find my clothes. Yes indeed. Living life in blindfolds would be disastrous.
Our readings this morning are about learning to see clearly. The book of Job is not a biography. Rather, it is a short story that is meant to teach. The readers of Job are taught how to see “suffering”. Job was written in a time when people were taught that the good were always blessed, and the evil always suffered. Yet, many could “see” that this simply was not true. To believe that the good are always blessed and that the evil are always punished, one has to be blind to the way the world really is. It takes a certain amount of blindness to believe that only evil people suffer or to believe that all riches and comforts are proof of a persons goodness. Job stands for many persons in the world, good, holy God fearing people who suffered tremendously. The story of Job teaches us that in this world there is a randomness to suffering. Too often the innocent do suffer, and the guilty seem to live very comfortably. It is through his suffering that Job comes to see that God is found not surrounded by riches and comforts, but God is found in the midst of suffering.
As I have read the Gospel throughout the week, the phrase that stood out to me most powerfully, was the response Bartimaeus gave when Jesus asked him: “What is it you want me to do for you?” “Teacher”, Bartimaeus said, “I want to see again.” I wonder: Why did he call Jesus “teacher”? Might you not expect him to refer to him as “Healer” or “Miracle worker”? Why teacher? Could it be that the Gospel is trying to teach us that the ability to see is something that is learned. “I want to see again.” At one time, Bartimaeus could see. Now, He wants to see again. Teacher, Teach me to see again. Perhaps Bartimaeus is a symbol of the person who puts on blindfolds and forgets to take them off.
Do you ever wear blindfolds so that you do not have to see the truth of your life. Do you ever wear blindfolds so you don’t have to see how your actions, your words are hurting those around you? Do you ever wear blindfolds so you do not have to look at your self, So you do not have to see how anger, and jealousy and resentment are turning your heart cold. Do you ever wear blindfolds so you do not have to look at the suffering in the world. So you do not have to see the ravages of violence, poverty and disease. Do you ever wear blindfolds so you do not have to see that the comforts we take for granted cause suffering to others? Do you ever wear blindfolds so you do not have to see the injustices which surround us in our city, our nation and in the world.
Sometimes it is as if we have put blindfolds over our eyes and left them there. We are blind. Jesus have mercy on us. Teacher restore our sight. Teacher, help us to see again.
After he his healed, the Gospel tells us that Bartimaeus follows Jesus on the way. “On the way” where? “The way” for Mark is the way of the cross. On the way to resurrection through suffering. On the way to life through death. The Gospel is teaching us that the way to find God is not to flee from suffering but to pass through it. In the Eucharistic Prayer that we will offer in a few minutes, we will pray: Open our eyes to see you hand at work in the world about us. Open our eyes, take off our blindfolds. Teach us to see again. Teach us to see you in the suffering of the world. Teach us to see you in those who are today crucified on the crosses of poverty, disease, injustice and war.
After he is healed, after the teacher restores his sight, Bartimaeus springs into action. The Gospel invites us to do the same. When we take our blindfolds off, we act. Might I suggest to you all that each one of us, reads one article this week about suffering and poverty. One article about homelessness, one article about the suffering caused by global climate change. One article that will help us take off our blindfold and see again. And after reading one article, may we act. May each of do something, one thing to care for the poor. May we write one letter to congress, may we bring one can of food for a pantry, may we give one hour in service of the community, may we say one prayer for those who suffer.
May we take off our blindfolds and see. May we spring to our feet and act. May we follow Jesus on the way. Maybe when we see, maybe when we act, maybe when we truly follow Jesus on the way, we will finally come to the end of a day, lay down, and get a good nights sleep.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Gospel for September 27 with reflections
Mark 9:38-50
John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
"If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
"For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
From today's Gospel reading:"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off....If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.... And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
"Reflection:Jesus tells us to cut off a hand or foot or pluck out an eye if they cause us to sin. We get the point -- don't we? Sin is serious, not just for us, but for the community. One person might sin; but the whole community suffers -- especially "the little ones" -- those whose faith is vulnerable. He's calling us to make whatever changes we must to live his life, He knows making serious change can be as painful as cutting off a limb.
So he is here to encourage and enable us. So we ask ourselves: What necessary changes must I make now to follow Jesus more closely?What's holding me back?Do I believe he will be there to help me, once I determine to do something? The Rev. John Boll OP, The Preachers Exchange
John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
"If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
"For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
From today's Gospel reading:"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off....If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.... And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
"Reflection:Jesus tells us to cut off a hand or foot or pluck out an eye if they cause us to sin. We get the point -- don't we? Sin is serious, not just for us, but for the community. One person might sin; but the whole community suffers -- especially "the little ones" -- those whose faith is vulnerable. He's calling us to make whatever changes we must to live his life, He knows making serious change can be as painful as cutting off a limb.
So he is here to encourage and enable us. So we ask ourselves: What necessary changes must I make now to follow Jesus more closely?What's holding me back?Do I believe he will be there to help me, once I determine to do something? The Rev. John Boll OP, The Preachers Exchange
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday Gospel and Forum Question for September 6, 2009
Mark 7:24-37
Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go-- the demon has left your daughter." So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
Has there been a time in your life when Jesus miraclously “opened” your ears, your eyes, or your heart?
Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go-- the demon has left your daughter." So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
Has there been a time in your life when Jesus miraclously “opened” your ears, your eyes, or your heart?
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