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My sermon on Mary the magdalene (I was last in a series)

Over the past few weeks, We have been listening to the unfolding of the revelation of Mary Magdalene who she was and who she is or who she should be to us today. Mary of Magdela or the Magdalene has been reduced to the prostitute, the sinner, the unclean woman who followed Jesus, and yet, who she was truly. . .is being slowly revealed to us.
Rev. Bob has told us that. Magdela was a fishing community on the Sea of Galilee, three and half miles from the city that Herod Antipas founded—Tiberius. It was a small fishing community. Yet we know from Luke’s Gospel that. “Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources."

Imagine woman traveling the country side of Jerusalem freely with a group of fisherman proclaiming radical news.
Woman in those days had their freedoms severely limited by Jewish law and custom, as they were in essentially all other cultures in that time. Generally speaking: woman were restricted to roles of little or no authority, they were largely confined to their father's or husband's home, they were considered to be inferior to men, and under the authority of men –
either their father before marriage, or their husband afterwards.
Women were not allowed to testify in court trials. They could not go out in public,
or talk to strangers.
When outside of their homes, they were to be doubly veiled.
"They had become second-class Jews, excluded from the worship and teaching of God, with status scarcely above that of slaves."
Their position in society was defined in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the interpretation of those scriptures.
A woman could be arrested, beaten, raped and/or killed for the slightest display of impropriety
and yet, here with Jesus, the Magdalene walks freely as an equal and provides for the ministry of Jesus and the disciples.
I still wonder who this woman was. . . I mean to provide for twelve men on the open road in places where they were under suspicion. . . The men themselves were under suspicion for being associates of Jesus.
What does this make this woman, this woman who walks freely as a follower,
This woman who has the means and the wherewithal to listen and to learn from Jesus,
Who is this woman?
The first time we hear of Mary she is referred to as the woman who had seven demons cast out of her. You may recall that Pastor Bob stated “Whatever her trauma was, Jesus exorcized her of the pain and memories that traumatically scared her.
We don’t know the events that led Jesus and Mary to cross paths, but Jesus met with her in a ministry of exorcism and healings of unclean spirits.
Such afflictions of unclean spirits had to be dealt with in the inward, spiritual personality.
Jesus believed that God’s Spirit was far more vital than spiritual possession. He preaches, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the reign of God has come to you.”
There were very few quick fixed exorcisms. The description of Mary possessed with seven unclean spirits indicates that Jesus exorcism took place over a period of time, perhaps months or even up to a year.
It meant replacing each expelled demon or unclean spirit with the divine Spirit. He anointed her with oil as a symbol of installing the Spirit of God within her psyche and her soul.
He prayed over her many times, and it was a struggle for her to become emotionally and spiritually free.
As she grew in emotional and spiritual health, she finally became free and a committed disciple of Jesus.
In fact, Mary became the living embodiment of the power of the Spirit. “
I understand that seven is a magical number in the scriptures and it usually refers to something of god or in a perfect form.
In the Gospel of Mary she is asked to teach what she knows for peter, peter who later would be named the head of the church, says to her, a woman;
“Sister, we know that the savoir loved you more than all the other women. Tell us the words of the savoir that you remember, the thing s you know
The things we don’t know because we haven’t heard them.”
Mary begins to teach of the assent of the souls and when the soul reaches the fourth power she states speaking of the soul
“It had seven forms. . . “
She lists these forms as darkness,
desire,
ignorance,
a zeal for death,
the kingdom of the flesh (or earthly desires)
foolish wisdom
and the last is a wrathful or vengeful wisdom
she describes these as the seven powers of Wrath”
I believe these are the demons that Mary was exorcised of.
I believe she, somehow must be a rich widow and that her loss, perhaps it was loss of her children, loss of her husband, or just the brutality of the world around her had made her a dark, vengeful and hateful woman
and when her path crossed with that of Jesus’,
Jesus, as bob said, over time healed her of these things and taught her of the soul, taught her of love, and of blessed spirit and generosity.
She was brought in and taught things that no other man or woman was taught.
So now we have an image of a woman, who is somehow well- to- do and independent,
a woman who is not afraid to break with all tradition and understanding of her time and be taught, healed and anointed, by a man who is despised by the reigning Jewish powers and feared by Rome.
We really don’t know if she walked with him for three years or just the final year but, the point is, she walked with him.
She walked and stood with him at the cross when the others had fled.

As it was said, and as I can testify to, as can anyone here who has walked with a loved one on their path to the next life.
No matter how much she believed she was prepared for the death of Jesus. Jesus whom she loved, Jesus the one who has freed her from pain and suffering and handed her a new life, and lovingly taught her how to pray and become intimate with Abba God. No matter how prepared she thought she was,
She could not be fully prepared for the grim reality that awaited Jesus. Then, after being a witness to all he went through, to stand there, at his feet, and wait and watch for 3 hours as his life force slowly waned to be carried off and laid in a tomb before sunset.
I tell you with every bone in my body I know she walked away numb lost in total shock unprepared for the emotions that were running through her. She would play and replay the events over and over again in her mind right through to the morning that she started that long slow walk to the tomb to anoint and care for the body. (Play Video)
Now, imagine her heartache and fear at finding the tomb opened and empty. I
t was not uncommon for tombs to be vandalized but even more uncommon was for a criminal to be granted a tomb to begin with,
So you can understand her fear that the body may have been stolen and even destroyed, for even in death, by being granted a tomb, Christ broke with tradition.
Now imagine seeing what she supposed to be the gardener and asking him if he knows anything please tell her.
I am sure there was much fear and desperation in her voice,
She would do almost anything just to know where they had taken her beloved teacher,
Where they had put him, and yet,
all He has to do is say that one word with all the love and compassion that she had ever heard it,
“Mary”,
Every heartache, all the memories of the past days,
all the pain,
just melted away,
her soul was washed anew with one word. . .
“Mary”
and she responded loud, joyous, practically Giddy, “Rabboni!”
and she lunged at him, wanting to hold him close, but Jesus says “Don’t hold on to me.”,
or “Don’t Cleave to me” which is the same word used in the second story of genesis when it is said; “that a man leaves his mother and cleaves to his wife.”
But it is also the same word used in Jewish mysticism which means
To have an experience of inseparable attachment in prayer and meditation, a link between the human and the divine.
Prayer is a powerful thing, is it possible that Mary, with her training and spiritual knowledge was holding Jesus back with her prayer?
That her love and their spiritual relationship was so strong that she could actually bind him to this plain?
I don’t know.
but what Jesus is saying is you have to let me go, and you must Go now proclaim my resurrection to the others and to the world.
In all four Gospels Mary the Magdalene is the first witness. In all four Gospels it is Mary who proclaims the news of the resurrection.
Without Mary Magdalene, without that witness,
the witness of a women hurt, a woman hurt that was made whole,
a woman who stood outside of all tradition ,
a woman who could do as she pleased in a society that frowned on women doing anything at all,
Mary the Magdalene was chosen by Jesus to be the first witness,
the very First to proclaim the good news.
The first to run to the 11 and the other men and woman and say;
Christos Anesti (Christ is Risen)!
Without Mary Magdalene’s proclamation there is no Easter Sunday.
Jesus who lived outside the norm,
Jesus who reached out to the marginalized and outcast of society, intentionally chose the least of all his followers.
Well the one who would be considered least by tradition, culture and society.
Yet it was Culture, society and the majority ruling class that chose to stigmatize, marginalize and exclude the one person who could embody
and carry on Christ’s message of salvation and redemption for all.
Yet, what is interesting, in other cultures Mary remained an important and pivotal preacher and teacher.
If it wasn’t for Mary’s unique position we would not have dyed eggs at Easter.
For centuries, it has been the custom of many Christians to share dyed and painted eggs, particularly on Easter Sunday.
The eggs represent new life, and Christ bursting forth from the tomb.
Among Eastern Orthodox Christians (including Bulgarian, Greek, Lebanese, Macedonian, Russian, Romanian, Serbian and Ukrainian) this sharing is accompanied by the proclamation
"Christ is raised!" (In Greek "Christos anesti") and it is followed by the response "Truly He is risen!"(In Greek - "Alithos anesti").
One tradition concerning Mary Magdalene says that following the death and resurrection of Jesus, she used her position, as a influential woman, to gain an invitation to a banquet given by Emperor Tiberius.
When she met Tiberius, she held a plain egg in her hand and exclaimed "Christ is raised!" Caesar laughed, and said that Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red while she held it.
Before he finished speaking, the egg in her hand turned a bright red, and she continued proclaiming the Gospel to the entire imperial house. [33]
The challenge before us today is to ask ourselves where have we perhaps judged, pigeon holed or even ignored the Gospel being proclaimed because of the source?
Could we have assumed someone to be something other than they are because society has proclaimed it?
Are we afraid or suspicious of other religions?
Perhaps we are afraid of other manifestations within our own community;
maybe we just choose to pay no attention to the needs of the young or the old.
Perhaps we discount someone because they are transgender or perhaps they live a leather lifestyle?
We as a community of believers are being called by the one who was excluded and pushed aside,
we as a community are being called by the one who made it possible for us to be here today.
We are being called by the Magdalene to look at ourselves and to listen to the good news that is being proclaimed from all corners of civilization,
The good news that is being proclaimed from all corners of our community
Christ is risen, all are forgiven and all are loved children of God!
Christos Anesti (Christ is Risen) Alithos Anesti ("Truly He is Risen!" Or “He is raised indeed”)

Mathew 4:12-23 Fishermen

In today’s Reading we hear how Jesus called his First disciples. Simon who is called Peter and James They immediately dropped their nets and followed him. Imagine how lucky they must have felt to have an opportunity to stop fishing and follow Jesus instead. But not so fast, what does this really mean, what did it mean to be a fisherman at the time of Jesus.
The Sea of Galilee has been renowned for its fish from ancient times. There are 18 different species that are indigenous to the lake. They are classified locally into three main groups: sardines, biny and musht.
Sardines are endemic to the lake. Today at the height of the fishing season tens of tons of sardines are caught every night. Biny fish consist of three species of the carp family. Because they are “well fleshed” they are very popular at feasts and for Sabbath. Musht means “comb.” These are large fish, some of which are 16 inches long and weigh 2 pounds.
Fishing in Galilee was/ and is a thriving industry. Fish was the main source of protein, and the market for fish was extensive. The population of Palestine at the time of Jesus was about 500,000. The ordinary masses depended on fish along with bread as a staple food. Satisfying the epicurean appetites of the upper classes at home and abroad with dried fish was a profitable business.
The fishermen oversaw all aspects of the business. They furnished the boats and equipment for the actual fishing. They paid their help and paid the quota to the tax collector. They attended to the business of sale, were accountable for the preserving of the fish and shipment, and did their own bargaining.
The fishermen hired sailors and fishers (maybe day laborers) to do the work, care for the boats, mend the nets, sift and count the fish. These fishermen operated in legal partnership with others. They belonged to guilds (much like trade unions).
Zebedee, the father of James and John, owned his boats and hired day laborers. This leads to the presumption that he and his sons had a sizeable business, which would have required travel. Peter and Andrew were partners with them.
James and John, according to the gospels, traveled frequently to Jerusalem where fish was required for the pilgrim feasts. It has been suggested that they supplied fish for the high priestly family (the gospel says that John was known to the High Priest, Caiaphas). Was it on these trips that Jesus went to Jerusalem? In John’s Gospel we find him there for many of the feasts, which would have been the times when fishermen went with their fish.
Jesus Chose Fishermen
Jesus entrusted fishermen from Bethsaida with the spreading of his message. They were the ones he commissioned to be fishers of people and to teach all nations. He may have done this for practical reasons. These were savvy businessmen. They were multilingual. Their native tongue was Aramaic. They would also have known Hebrew. Knowledge of Greek would have been essential for people like Peter and his co-workers who were involved in the fishing business. The gospels themselves suggest that they were able to carry on conversations with Greek speakers the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mk 7:26), people in the Decapolis where the curing of the deaf man took place (Mk 7:31), and the incident of Philip and Andrew conversing with the Greeks (Jn 12:20-23). They may also have had a smattering of Latin. Peter converses with the Roman centurion, Cornelius (Acts 10:25).
Fishermen had to develop attributes that others did not have. They had to be skilled at their trade, knowing the when, where and why of fishing, but they also had to be patient, not easily discouraged, strong, hard-working and community- oriented.
As businessmen they had to be judges of character, savvy about the market, conscientious about their civic and religious responsibility. They had to have respect for the law and learn to operate within its limitations. All of this was required in their new enterprise. And in bringing the skills of their trade to Jesus, these fishermen changed the world.
Knowing all this of the trade of fishing and their skill sets and most likely their income and lifestyle Imagine what it means to drop their nets and follow Jesus. Jesus called and they answered without even thinking about it. God placed something on their hearts and when Jesus called they knew this was the time to answer.
There are other stories in the Gospels where people are feeling called for example the young well to do man in Mathew 19 who says to Jesus what must I do to enter heaven and Jesus explains to him to keep the commandments and the young man states I do all that then Jesus says “well if you want to be perfect sell all you have and give the money to the poor” to which the writer tells us the young man “went away grieving for he had many possessions.”
Here was a young man who too felt he had a calling that God had placed something upon his heart and yet when he decided to explore what that meant he wasn’t prepared to answer the call. Then there is the instance of the person who Jesus says follow me and his response is “allow me to bury my father first” and of course Jesus’ reply is “let the dead bury their dead”. Often we feel this response is harsh yet this is nature of Devine calling in Scripture. The characteristics are all the same; they require instant obedience, the caller is not aware of exactly what they are being called to; and the response is through faith alone.
In today’s time here and now we are constantly being called by God. We are not called once, to become people of faith, but many times. All through our lives Christ is calling us. God called us first into life at the moment of our creation. Christ calls us into relationship with God and the spirit. Whether we listen for that voice or not it is there calling us to come ever closer. If we somehow feel we are less than or we hold ourselves accountable for something we have done or haven’t done, we are called into forgiveness; If we are struggling to fulfill our calling, Christ calls us on from grace to grace, and from holiness to holiness. Calling is constantly inviting us to go further and deeper with God.
It is sad but all too often we think of Christ’s call as something that happened in the day of the Apostles along the Sea of Galilee or only for those entering the religious life and Yet Christ is among us calling us this very day often we do not believe it ,we do not hear it or feel it, we do not look for it in our own lives.
These sacred callings come to us suddenly and have obscure consequences just as in any account of calling. The accidents and events of life are one special way in which callings occur and they are, by definition, sudden and unexpected. You may be going about your daily routine and you come across a letter, or a note, or a person, and now you find yourself faced with something, which, if met prayerfully and whole-ly ( that is spelled Wholely) that is with full conciseness and intentionality there may be an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God.
Perhaps it may be the loss of someone dear to us which shows us the impermanence of things in this life and how unimportant the collecting of “things” are and calls us to turn and become more focused on God.
The little things which we do, or we respond to, that come to us as suddenly as a summer squall, may be just the answer to open us up to new possibilities and greater understanding of God callings here and now. It may open up our hearts and minds into a truer view of life and choices that we have not seen before.
Another way that the call may come and we answer is through daily devotion, perhaps you read scripture everyday and suddenly see something in a new way in which we never have before. A new light may seem to shine in Jesus and his Apostles and the way they lived their lives and responded to the world around them that suddenly you see you can now respond to life in a way that you have never responded before.
The Calling of Christ and God is constant, often referred to as the lure. God is ever luring us into a deeper relationship of prayer and awareness. Yet to answer the calls of God requires a prayerfull relationship.
There is an old story about a man sitting at a bar getting drunk in Alaska. He’s telling the bartender about how he recently lost his faith in God after his twin engine plane crashed in the tundra. "Yeah," he says bitterly, I lay there in the wreckage praying with all of my might and crying out to God to save me, and he didn’t raise a finger to help me. I'm through believing in a God who doesn’t care about what happens to me."
"But you’re here talking to me," says the bartender, "You were saved."
"Yeah, that's right," says the man, "because finally some Eskimo came along. . ."
God appears to us through many different people and speaks to us in many different ways. If we have a preconceived notion of what God looks like, or sounds like, we just might miss her when she calls! The voice of God does not always sound like Charleton Heston in Cecil B. Demille’s, "Ten Commandments." Even Samuel, from the Old Testament, confused the voice of God with the voice of his mentor, Eli. God calls each one of us, but we may not recognize God's voice.
When I say that God calls each one of us, I simply mean that the Holy Spirit has a desire to lead us and guide us throughout our lives. I don’t mean that God is like a great puppet-master sitting up in heaven pulling the strings and making us dance around. But the one who created us all gave us different gifts and desires, and we were given those gifts and desires for a reason. When we dedicate our lives to following Christ, we are choosing to live as God would want us to live, and to use our gifts for the greater good. God calls us to be who we are and to live as authentically as we can. When we follow God's direction for our lives, we are being who we were created to be.
The word vocation is derived from the Latin word Vocare, which means, "to call." A vocation is a calling, which sets it apart from being merely a job. My professor Frank Rogers always taught us that; “Vocation is the place in the road where your deepest gladness and the worlds deepest needs meet." God can and does call us at different stages in our lives. For some people, the call is very clear and there is no question about following it. Simon, Andrew, James and John did not hesitate to drop their nets and follow Jesus, leaving the lives and the work that they knew well. For most of us, however, God's call is not so clear and it takes a while to discern just what we are being called to do.
Parker Palmer writes in “Let your Life Speak” of when he was a young man, he was trying to figure out his own calling. He was trying "to find a vocation that seemed real and right." At the time, he was living in a Quaker community outside of Philadelphia. It seems that whenever he tried to talk to any of his Quaker friends they told him, "Have faith, and the way will be made know to you." He was getting very discouraged, because he had been praying and listening and nothing seemed clear to him. One day, he went to visit an older member of the community whom he admired. "Ruth," he said, "I've tried many different kinds of work, but nothing seemed right for me. My friends keep telling me that the way will open if I have faith, yet I've been praying and the way is not being made clear to me. Way may open for other people but it sure isn’t opening for me."
After a moment Ruth responded, "I've been a birthright Quaker for sixty-plus years, and way has never opened for me,” she responded. She paused and Palmers heart sank. Could it be that the Quaker concept of God's guidance was all a lie?
Then Ruth spoke again, "But a lot of way has closed behind me and that has the same guiding effect."
Together they laughed aloud and in that moment Palmer realized a simple truth that re-framed his spiritual life. He writes: “There is as much guidance from God in what does not happen and cannot happen in my life as there is in what can and does happen, maybe more."
One way that we can determine call is if we are sensing a way opening before us, or a way being cut off behind us. This is referred to as looking for signs and blocks. When trying to determine if God was calling her into the ministry, a friend went to a wise woman for spiritual direction. She told her that if she wasn’t sure, she should try doing something else for a while. If God were calling her into the ministry, she wouldn’t be able to avoid it. When God calls us to be our authentic selves, nothing else will bring a sense of satisfaction or fulfillment.
I had gone into the seminary to become a Pastor in MCC. All my studies of Pastoral care and Chaplaincy were to make me a better pastor. Yet when the time came for ordination I had met Bob. We were married and I went into chaplaincy. I was good at it but it was not where I was called to be. I even considered commuting to Santa Ana and back to serve there.
Then I was asked to apply for the position here and not by bob I may add. Bob was sure it was a good fit but I was concerned. I had to pray and pray hard. I had to consider what was best for the people here whom I love, and had already come to know as fellow congregants. The answer was difficult and yet simple. I am called to this Church!
If we want to recognize the Divine call in our lives, we must first pay attention. We must look for God in the ordinary, in the every day, and recognize that all moments are holy and that life itself is grace. We must be open to the possibility of the Holy in our lives. We must be open to the possibility of the Holy in our lives! Peter, Andrew, James, John and their father Zebedee were tuned in to the Spirit. They recognized the spirit in Jesus and up and followed him and Zebedee, recognizing the call, let them go.
The first key to recognizing God's call is to pay attention to pay attention to whatever is going on around us on the outside, and to listen to that still small voice within. When our lives are not fulfilling, or we dread going into our jobs, or even when we get fired, there may be something better lying ahead, and the boredom, or the dread, or the fear and anxiety may be just what we need to push us in a new direction.
A second key to recognizing God's call, and one that is closely linked to the first, is to listen to other people. Samuel of the Old Testament, didn’t recognize God's voice, he thought it was his master’s Eli’s voice, but Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Eli gave Samuel instructions about what to do the next time that he heard the voice. Often other people have more clarity about what is going on in our lives than we do, because they can step back and look at the situation more objectively. At times in our lives, especially those times requiring discernment, it’s important to seek out wise counsel. This is why I encourage people to have a spiritual director. If you do not have a person who is companioning with you in your spiritual journey then Friends, family members and even strangers can be messengers for the Divine, often without realizing it! Listen to other people.
Thirdly, when attempting to discern whether God is calling you to act, pray about it. Before even entering the seminary I prayed constantly for guidance. I was comfortable living on my disability in palm springs had rent I could afford it seemed crazy to give it all up but there was this constant ache, pulling me, calling me to serve. I prayed and prayed hard, If you’re at a loss for words this will suffice: "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." If you don’t feel comfortable asking for something, just sit quietly and listen for the word of God. After praying for clarity, go back to step one and pay attention. Look and listen for the answer. Be open to Holy possibility. Notice your thoughts and feelings. Be aware of signs and blocks. Look for Way to open before you, and notice when Way closes behind you. Know that all moments are Holy moments.
Finally, know also that sometimes God calls us out of our comfort zone. Quoting Micah 6:8, South African United Methodist Bishop George Irvine has said, "If it’s loving, if it’s just, if it promotes right relationships, and if it scares the hell out of you, it just might be a call from God." I really didn’t want to do what god was calling me to do. It meant giving up the life I knew, it meant going into debt, and it meant having the openness to say I am ready to go wherever you lead me. When we follow God's call, we can be assured that God will guide us every step of the way. God often calls us to step into the unknown and do things that require courage and faith on our part. When we are open to the leading of the Spirit, and allow ourselves to, as Frederick Buechner, says in Listening to Your Life;
"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."

A Shepherd's story

Living in a culture far removed both in time and distance from that in which Jesus was born, we are unfamiliar with life in biblical times and it is easy for us to accept without question the traditional romanticized images that have come down to us about the events surrounding the birth of the Messiah and persons who appear in the Gospel accounts. Our lack of knowledge can leave us vulnerable to all manner of alternative and bizarre teaching. For example, in the magazine of a mainline Christian denomination a couple of years ago, a writer stated that he knew Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem who were descended from shepherds to whom the angels appeared!

Although some of Israel’s greatest men – including Jacob, Moses, David and the prophet Amos – were shepherds, in the great collections of rabbinic law the Mishnah and the Talmud, shepherding was a despised profession. According to the Mishnah, “A man should not teach his son to be an ass-driver, or a camel driver, or a hairdresser, or a sailor, or a shepherd, or a shopkeeper, for their craft is the craft of robbers.”
Because many shepherds were hirelings and the flocks they tended were not their own, it was easy for them to steal wool, milk and goats and blame the loss on bandits. Therefore there is a passage that forbids buying wool, milk or goats from shepherds. A Jewish commentary on Psalm 23:2 says: “There is no more disreputable occupation than that of a shepherd”.
A biblical shepherd’s life was independent, responsible and – in view of the threat from wild beasts and robbers – dangerous. Although some sheep owners looked after their flock themselves, the job was usually was done by hired shepherds, who often did not justify the confidence placed in them, Also, shepherds couldn’t help but tread in sheep excrement and touch dead animals which, according to the book of Leviticus, placed them in a permanent state of ritual impurity and ceremonial defilement. Because of that, shepherds were excluded from the temple and the synagogues.

Bethlehem “Which Literally means the House of Bread “had a long association with shepherds and the grazing of sheep. The patriarch Jacob pastured his flocks there almost 2,000 years before the birth of Jesus, and Genesis records that when Jacob’s wife Rachel died, she “was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.”
The “tower of Eder”, Migdal Eder, means “tower of the flock” and was a watch-tower built for the protection of flocks against robbers or wild beasts. The Mishnah tells us that the flocks for the temple sacrifices were pastured there: Quote, “Of the herds, in the space between Jerusalem and ‘the tower of the flock’ and on both sides, the males are for burnt-offerings, the female for peace-offerings.

These sheep that the shepherds were watching were destined for Temple-sacrifices. The same Mishnaic passage also tells us that these flocks lay out all the year round, since they are spoken of as in the fields thirty days before the Passover -- that is, in the month of February, when in Palestine the average rainfall is nearly at its greatest.
The "lambing season" for sheep is in February in Palestine. Could it be that Jesus, being the "lamb of the world" was born at exactly the same time the literal lambs were born. If so then Jesus was born when the lambs were born and he died when the Passover lamb was slaughtered
.
So, Bethlehem, “House of Bread” became the birthplace of the “bread of life” (John 6:35) and the Lamb of God was born within a couple of miles of the place in which the sacrificial lambs for the temple were pastured.



The Shepherds lived most of the year outside, away from the townspeople Flocks were kept outside in this way from February to November, They were constantly with their sheep, since the sheep were vulnerable to all kinds of trouble. The shepherds made sure that the sheep were safe from wandering off and injuring themselves, as well as dangers from thieves and wolves.

So I want you to imagine for a moment what it might have been like on that night in the fields. It is cold; perhaps it had even rained earlier so you are damp and dirty. It is one of those uncomfortable nights. The skies have since cleared and you are with you companions watching over the sheep.
One minute you are talking quietly in the blackness of the winter sky. The next moment the hillside is ablaze with light and booming with the sound of an angel's voice.
An angel of the Lord appears to you, and the glory of the Lord Shines all around you.
This appearance isn’t at a distance, but upfront and personal. It is very sudden, you jump for it is unexpected and it is something even beyond your human comprehension that you are witnessing. You and your companions are so scared you can’t move and can hardly breathe.
The brightness is more than just mega-candlepower. It is Blinding and confusing. In this case the glory shines around the whole area and the result is absolute terror.
The angel moves first to calm your fears....
The angel says; 'do not be afraid.’
Needless to say this voice is not comforting at all for it is not spoken aloud but is heard from within, it is hard to comprehend how you are understanding this for it is coming to you from all around you and yet in you as well, in your heart and in your mind.
The Angel says to you again “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'"
The message the angel brings is very good news that results in joy. But this isn’t simple happiness this joy is overwhelming, it is filled with the Glory of the Angels, their voices and the news that the Messiah is born, this is the greatest joy you have ever experienced!
Notice how broad is the angel's message. It's not for just the pious or the Jew, but "for all the people." What wonderful news for those who are estranged from God and struggling under oppression! The baby is not just born to Mary and Joseph. The Angels has said that the baby is born "to you" -- to the shepherd, to the one who is shunned, forced to live outside of society, the one who it has been said: “There is no more disreputable occupation.” A simple shepherd.
After the angel's startling declaration, the heavens reveal a huge crowd of angelic beings:
"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
'Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to all on whom God’s favor rests.” (2:13-14)
Imagine you are just getting use to the idea of the one voice and suddenly all of heaven appears to you singing God’s praises and proclaiming salvation for all of humanity. The joy and the panic arising in you are almost too much to bear, you actually forget to breath for a while.
How would you know that the angel's message is true?
"This will be a sign to you:, said the Angels You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (2:12)
The sign consists of two elements. The baby is:
1. Wrapped in cloths, and
2. Lying in a manger.
The phrase "wrapped in swaddling clothes” there were perhaps several newborns in Bethlehem wrapped up in this manner that evening.
However, the second sign was that the newborn would be found in a manger -- that was unique! This would indicate the location in some kind of stable -- a Second Century legend indicates that this was in a cave.
Now the scripture tells us the Angels leave them and return to heaven. Suddenly the night is calm, clear and cold again. As a Shepherd you have a responsibility to the sheep yet you just had the most amazing experience. So you talk it over with your fellow Shepherds and decide to “go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So you start searching stable to stable, looking to find a baby in a feeding trough.
As you search the city, a place you are not very welcome in, you get nervous, you begin to doubt what you have seen, and perhaps it was some sort of dream. Knowing you are so marginalized why would this news would have come to you? Then you see it, a manger with a new born babe and couple there just so happy to have a healthy baby.
Then it hits you all over again everything you just saw, you heard and felt, coming to you, one of the outcast of society, it is too much, you fall to your knees overwhelmed at the whole night. Once you are able to gain you composure you retell all you have seen and heard then you go and tell others as well.
For it is written that "They made known what had been told them about this child." The angel's announcement of "a savior, Christ the Lord" is spread throughout the area, resulting in amazement in the hearers.
Yet you still have a responsibility you must return to the fields. It is still cold and damp. But you can barely notice it. You return giving praise to God for your life and the gift that has been granted to you. There is nothing in the world that can take your experience of this night away from you and it will carry you for the rest of your days.
Please pray with me
Blessed creator, what an amazing night the shepherds had! To, be chosen as the first of the marginalized, to have a glimpse of your heavenly glory, to hear a mighty Chorus of praise, to see the Messiah-Child, to listen to the angel recite the glorious title -- Savior, Messiah-Lord. Thank you for letting us hear the story again. Write it large and indelibly in our hearts that we might be fervent Good News tellers, too. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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Do Not Fear Dying, Fear not having Lived

Today we celebrate dia de los muertos – the day of the dead which coincides with all souls day. These Holidays have their origins as far back as ancient Egypt where they believed the spirits of the dead returned each fall to visit the living and they welcomed these spirits with lights and food. These traditions spread to Rome and eventually found their way into Christianity. The day of the dead, officially named All Souls Day in the Catholic Church, is celebrated on November 2, the day after All Saints Day. Although not recognizable as such in its current hyper commercial incarnation, Halloween – a time of visitation by the dead -- is part of this tradition.
Of course at the center of this tradition lies the dark and gloomy figure of death. Why should we invite this fearful figure into our midst, which we would rather not get to know? Why make Death more distinct and palpable? The poet Rainer Maria Rilke described the task of the poet this way: “to confirm confidence toward death out of the deepest delights and glories of life; to make death, who never was a stranger, more distinct and palpable again as the silent knowing participant in everything alive.” This is an invitation to befriend death to become familiar with the transition from this world to the next which is part of life and not to be feared.
In not so distance a time we lived with our elderly and our infirmed. They were in our homes and it was the younger people’s responsibility to care and look after their elders and or infirmed. When one passed the family was all around the person, offering prayers and mourning. The woman would then gather wash and dress the body for viewing. People from the community friends and loved ones would come to the home to pay their respects to the dead and the living. They would bring food to be shared and often drink as well. They would reminisce about the person’s life and have a good time all the while the body was in the living room.
Death was a common and expected experience. Nowadays death is often removed from us. It occurs in hospitals and or nursing homes. Yet when given the choice most people state they would like to die at home with loved ones around. We, as a society, have made death something to fear, to only whisper about. We often find ourselves at a loss of words. Many of us do not even like to walk into hospitals or nursing homes or even mortuaries for they remind us not of those we lost , but our own mortality.
Yet it is a fact of life and it is a part of life. It is the ultimate goal of life. I had a professor who would say “I hate to tell you this but it is not a matter of if you die but when.” You know for some young people that is a hard thing to hear. When you are in your mid twenties you are still of the mind set you are going to live forever. Well guess what . . . you are. Just not the way you feel you will.
The Day of the Dead is a creative response to one of the most important questions in human life: what does my death mean? This is a question born of fear -- our fear of the ultimate unknown. What brings this fear, of course, is our experience of the deaths of those who populate our lives. Each of us wants to know not only what one’s own death means but also what meaning to make of the deaths of those others. We ask these questions from many different vantage points in relation to death – young or old, healthy or sick, working with death in our jobs or rarely seeing it, but no matter. Questions about death are something we all have in common.
The theologian, James Carse, tells the story of one family’s answer to these questions. He met them at a lakeside vacation retreat. They said they were attending a group meeting with a channeler of communications with the dead – that they did this regularly to be connected to a family member who had died, and who had been the central figure in the life of the family. They spoke of the missing member in the present tense, as if he might show up at the lake later in the afternoon to take a dip with them. Carse happened to ask them how long they had been doing the channeling with the one who died. Twenty-nine years, came the calm answer.
He was stunned by this distance, but for this family, their missing relative was as present to them as Carse’s nine-year-old child was to him --. He described the family this way: “These were people who had sought to have death taken away – and death was taken away. Death was now but one event in an unbroken cycle of events, and therefore no longer death. Death no more ended anything in their lives than a leap from the diving board ended the swimmers’ play. Life and death had merged into a timeless whole that nothing could disturb. I could not help feeling that when they got what they asked for, it was not death that ended; it was their lives that had ended. I could not know them where they lived. I could only look on with an indulgent smile. I sat next to them that afternoon – but twenty-nine years away. “
This family that Carse describes had not mourned. Had experienced no loss, no separation, no sadness. They were stuck, Stuck in the death of a family member for 29 years, never moving on, never letting go, never healing. There is a process that one must move through in order to remain healthy and sane. Dr. Kubler-Ross was the first to put the stages of grief into a context. The progression of grief is:[2]
1. Denial – "I feel fine."; "This can't be happening, not to me."
Denial is usually only a temporary defense for the individual. This feeling is generally replaced with heightened awareness of positions and individuals that will be left behind after death.
2. Anger – "Why me? It's not fair!"; "How can this happen to me?"; "Who is to blame?"
Once in the second stage, the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the person is very difficult to care for due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy. Any individual that symbolizes life or energy is subject to projected resentment and jealousy.
3. Bargaining – "Just let me live to see my children graduate."; "I'll do anything for a few more years."; "I will give my life savings if..."
The third stage involves the hope that the individual can somehow postpone or delay death. Usually, the negotiation for an extended life is made with a higher power in exchange for a reformed lifestyle. Psychologically, the individual is saying, "I understand I will die, but if I could just have more time..."
4. Depression – "I'm so sad, why bother with anything?"; "I'm going to die... What's the point?"; "I miss my loved one, why go on?"
During the fourth stage, the dying person begins to understand the certainty of death. Because of this, the individual may become silent, refuse visitors and spend much of the time crying and grieving. This process allows the dying person to disconnect oneself from things of love and affection. It is not recommended to attempt to cheer up an individual who is in this stage. It is an important time for grieving that must be processed.
5. Acceptance – "It's going to be okay."; "I can't fight it, I may as well prepare for it."
In this last stage, the individual begins to come to terms with his mortality or that of his loved one.
One moves back and forth jumping through these stages at various times it is not a simple progression but a process never the less. It is interesting to note that toward the end of her own life Dr. Ross stated there should be another stage. Frustration when one is ready to go but remains living.
These stages of grief apply to any and all kinds of loss whether it be for the family home due to a catastrophe, loss of a pet or the ending of a friendship one moves through these stages in one way or another for they are all a form of death. Which brings us back to the question: To ask what our death means is to ask what it would be like to live life as if there were always an ultimate deadline on the horizon – because in fact there is.
We would treat time as precious and the perishable commodity called being alive as something of great value. Our experience of mortality thus focuses our attention on the question of the value of our lives. We want to know, do our lives make a difference? Do they matter? What we long to know is not whether they matter just for the fleeting few moments – historically speaking – that we are onstage. But rather, do they matter in a way that is lasting. This is a question not only about what is valuable, but more importantly, about how our lives become valuable. If having a life that matters means having a life that is valuable, where do we get the value? Certainly part of the answer is that we create it from within ourselves.
Yet the greatest value came more than 2000 years ago. There is a song that is a favorite of mine it tells the story of as a child one enjoyed imaginary friends and walking and playing with them but as the man got older he had lost his way. The song of “Christopher Robin” by Kenny logins, in which the lyrics say help me if you can I need to get back to the house at pooh corner by 1. But I've wandered much further today than I should and I can't seem to find my way back to the Woods.”
I like this song for it reminds us that we must have that child like wonder. The child like wonder to believe in the words of today’s Gospel. When Christ says I am the bread of life that is a direct reference to the covenant of the last supper. Christ stated I live because of the creator so whoever eats this bread will live because of me. That is the Value of our lives. So valuable that Christ allows us to participate in life through him and the creator with the spirit.
Christ is our way back to the woods. We have to shed all disbelief and often what we do believe to get back to the message of Christ’s salvation through the table and through our lives.
It is Jesus’ assurance that there is new life a new covenant to be given by him through his resurrection. It is through his resurrection this promise is fulfilled! This covenant so strongly made in the love and the life that he poured out that it snapped time.
Hear me, Time itself was changed. .the laws of physics broken for each time . . . wherever, whenever we enact this simple meal of bread and fruit of the vine, we are there. We are there and Christ is here renewing that covenant.
We have to put away our adult hood; we have to put away our skepticism we have to get back that childhood awe and amazement and take on a simple belief. Jesus loved us so much that he made a promise in a small upper room. He willingly handed himself over to the roman guards and allowed himself to suffer and die only to rise again on the third day.
They say the earth shook, the curtain in the temple rent, the light was so bright that when the stone was rolled away the guards fled in fear.
Time snapped and the promise made at a simple meal 3 nights before now became alive and transcendent in the ressurection! It carries on constantly day in and day out around the world; the love that was promised is promised again manifested and made real. It is the value of our lives and our transition. For through the Bread of life, through Jesus the Christ one day we transition from this life of faith into a life of knowing.
Do not doubt it. It is really a simple thing to believe. In Mathew 18:3 it says we must become childlike. That simple faith, that simple way of believing must become true in us again. Santa, the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy, yes even Winnie the Pooh; we rationalize and outgrow these tales. But I tell you the tale of the last supper the redemption of the cross and the resurrection we cannot afford to outgrow. We need to believe in a love so great that it can fill us sustain us and carry us through any adversity, any disappointment and the heart ache of loss of loved ones.
Today day we celebrate all souls day, the day of the dead, all saints day. We honor those who have honored us with their lives. By living with the Christed one we are called to live life to the fullest for when we transition from this life to the next we will be prepared to know love and life in the fullest of the covenant of the bread of life that is Jesus the Christ.
Listen to this poem and pray with me;
I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which came to me as blossom goes on as fruit.

Let this poem be a candle that your soul holds out to you, requesting that you find a way to remember what it is to live a life with passion, on purpose. There is only enough light to take the journey step by step, but that is all any of us really needs.

When you have the courage to shape your life from the essence of who you are, and who God is in you, through you, you ignite, becoming truly alive, alive in the Love and Life of Christ.
I pray these words today find their way to your heart and comfort your soul, amen.

Sunday service - I am Back

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10267947

I hope you all will take advantage to take a look at our sunday services now being streamed. I attempted to emmbed it but blogger didn't like that so here is a link instead. I now serve as the pastor of congregational care and spiritual life. I am currently in the process of getting my certificate in spiritual direction. I have been accepted in the Graduate Theological foundation to do a research based PhD.

I am amazed and astounded by the heartfelt response to the young people who have committed suicide in the recent weeks. Again I encourtage everyone to reach out, to let it be known there are options, call the trevor project, call an adult, go to a teacher call an mcc even if it is from clear across the country. call me! We will work this out, get you support and help to make it better!

"Who do you say I am?"

The question Jesus asks of his disciples comes down to us through the ages. It is asked as loudly and clearly as it was asked then. Now, as then, it can be understood just as the disciples understood it. You are our Friend our companion, you are a baptizer, a prophet the wise one come down from heave. yet Jesus is more so much more. Jesus is god incarnate on earth experiencing our hopes, dreams and disappoints. Those he felt and experienced himself and each one of ours down through the last 200+ years. Not only does he know me, not only does he know me before I was conceived in the womb. He knows me now. As I am today with all my memories, successes and failures, pains and joys, loves and loves lost. Because of this knowledge can I call Jesus, Friend, companion and Lover.

"Who do you say that I am" I say you are my Friend, protector, teacher, mentor and partner in this life and the next. I choose to follow your way as the way for me knowing that the God in you has made ways for others as well. Those other ways I respect and seek the knowledge they can offerme as well as I translate it into my personal relationship with my all loving all compasionate God and Christ.

one in 18000

My husband and I just experienced the first advatage of marriage we only have one AAA policy now instead of paying for two and because we are married we get a lower rate. Really could use a few more perks like that!

last week went to fresno to meet in the middle mariage equality rally. It was huge. we caught up with the Rev. Troy Perry. An intersting twist in the fight. Troys Perry's part of the original suit was that CA would recognize gay marriages from outside the state. Prop 8 did not address the issue nor did the supreme court so technically Gay people can go outside of the state to get married and come back and demand to be recognized.

Can't wait to do it again in 2010! Lets win this thing once and for all!

Why Marriage between Homosexuals is Good for Marriage

An Article By World renowned theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether

Why Marriage between Homosexuals is Good for Marriage

By Rosemary Radford Ruether - May 17 2009

In the current culture wars, we are constantly told by conservatives that gay marriage would be a disaster for the ideal and institution of (heterosexual) marriage. James Dobson, founder of the conservative evangelical group, Focus on the Family, has opined, "Barring a miracle, the family as it has been known for more than five millennia will crumble, presaging the fall of Western civilization itself." Pope John Paul II judged same sex unions as "degrading" marriage. The Vatican Declaration "Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons" (2004) stated that "Legal recognition of homosexual unions obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of mankind."
But are these warnings that gay marriage poses a threat to marriage true? Do they make either logical or empirical sense? At a time when fewer Americans are marrying at all and many are divorcing, at a time when a third of American households consist in single people, why is it a threat to marriage that homosexual people are embracing marriage? Shouldn't we find the large numbers of people who are unmarried, often raising children as single parents, the prime threat to marriage? What is remarkable about the current movement for marriage among gay people is that they are asking for basically the same institution and ideals of marriage as heterosexuals currently enjoy. They want a publicly recognized sealing of a commitment to a life long monogamist union with another person with whom they want to share their lives, an institution which also carries with it certain legal rights, such as shared pensions and health plans. Why is this a threat to marriage?
If marriage is not allowed gay people, what is the alternative that conservative Christians are demanding for gay people? For some, gay people shouldn't exist at all; they can and should be converted to heterosexuality. But few medical and psychological experts now share this view. Sexual orientation has proved to be deeply imbedded and not easily changed. Another alternative is lifelong celibacy. But celibacy has generally been recognized in the Christian tradition to be a special gift, not given to most people. Why should all gay people be assumed to have this "gift?" If conservative Christians demand that gays remain unmarried, but not capable of celibacy, what are we saying? That they should be promiscuous, that they should have uncommitted relations?
Two evangelical writers, Letha Scanzoni, author of the 1978 book, Is the Homosexual my Neighbor?, and David Myers, Professor of Psychology at Hope College, have recently (2005) published a book arguing for gay marriage from a Christian evangelical perspective, What God has Joined Together: A Christian Case for Gay Marriage. In this book they argue that marriage, in the sense of a permanent life-long egalitarian monogamist relationship between two persons for mutual care and child raising, is a fundamental human good. Couples in such relations are healthier and happier. Children are best raised in a stable two-parent household. If this is good for heterosexuals, then it is also good for homosexuals. Gay marriage does not destroy marriage, but rather extends this same good way of life to homosexuals.
The arguments that opening marriage to gay people is a slippery slope that will quickly lead to promiscuity, group marriage, polygamy and incest make no sense. Gay people and heterosexuals have both been promiscuous and pursued various extra-marital relations. The gay marriage movement is precisely a rejection of casual and plural relations. It is an option for a committed, monogamous relation with one other beloved person for the rest of one's life. One of the remarkable things about the recent opening of marriage to homosexuals, briefly in San Francisco and then also in Boston, is the number of gay people who came forward with great joy to officially seal what in many cases has already been a committed relationship of 10, 20 or 30 years. Are gay people "capable" of committed monogamous relations? Obviously so, at least as much as heterosexuals. What they are asking for is for this committed, monogamous relationship to be legally recognized as marriage.
Scanzoni and Meyers argue that accepting gay marriage, far from threatening marriage, will confirm and strengthen the ideal of marriage itself for all of us, heterosexuals and homosexuals. Gay marriage can be a positive example for the many people in our society that hesitate and fear to embrace a permanent monogamous and life-long relation, with its struggles as well as its joys. Gay marriage should be embraced by Christians as "pro-marriage, not anti-marriage." In Scanzoni and Meyers' words, "It can prompt heterosexual men and women to appreciate marriage in a new way."
Rosemary Radford Ruether is Visiting Professor of Feminist Theology at Claremont School of Theology and is the Carpenter Emerita Professor of Feminist Theology at Pacific School of Religion, as well as the Georgia Harkness Emerita Professor of Applied Theology at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. She has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a scholar, teacher, and activist in the Roman Catholic Church, and is well known as a groundbreaking figure in Christian feminist theology. Ruether has published numerous books, including Sexism and God-Talk, In Our Own Voices: Four Centuries of American Women's Religious Writing (ed. with Rosemary Skinner Keller), and The Wrath of Jonah: The Crisis of Religious Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Her most recent books include Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History (May 2005), Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions (Nature's Meaning 2005) and Mountain Sisters: From Convent To Community In Appalachia. Most recently, she collaborated on a multi-volume Encyclopedia of Women in American Religion, with Rosemary Skinner Keller (2006).

finished my Thesis

I have finished and turned in my thesis. Now I am just going backl and tweaking a few things before my oral arguements. I have a papers due on Crisis counseling, marriage and counseling, and a film project proposal and then I am done. I cannot believe it. now all i need to do is find gainful employement.