feeding the 5000

A young preacher graduated from Bible College and was invited back to his home congregation to preach a sermon. He wanted to make a good impression.  He did his best to prepare to preach to his home church. He wrote his sermon word for word and memorized it. He had a very dramatic beginning to the sermon.

He started by hitting the pulpit real hard and said, “Jesus took 5,000 fishes and 2,000 loaves and he fed 5 people!” He paused very dramatically and pointed his finger at the congregation and said, “Could you do that?” Everyone roared with laughter and he couldn’t imagine what was going on. At that point one man raised his hand.  That set the young preacher off. He said, “Sir, you are guilty of blasphemy. How could you claim to do something that only our Lord could do?” This man stood up and began to explain to the young preacher about the big mistake that he had made.

 The preacher, when he realized what he  had  done, was so humiliated that he couldn’t say another word. He sat down in utter confusion and disgrace. The home church was very loving, very kind, very forgiving and they all came around and put their arms around him and they

said, “Look, everyone makes mistakes. Forget about it. You work on this sermon and next Sunday try it again.”  They finally convinced him.

   

The next Sunday after working on that sermon another entire week, he stood up in front of the congregation. This time he got all of his fact and figures straight, but he started out the very

same way. He hit the pulpit very dramatically and he said, “Jesus took 5 loaves and 2 fishes and he fed 5,000 people. Could you do that?” The same man raised his hand. The preacher was really upset and he said, “Sir, how can you claim to do something like that?”  The man said, “With the leftovers from your sermon last Sunday.”

The story of the loaves and fishes as read today is from marks Gospel yet it appears in all four gospels so it evidently had some significance.  It is often read as a metaphor for community.  The story itself is used to recall how Israel was many times protected and sustained by God. And it mirrors the Jewish expectation of an end of time banquet with God.  Again when they are seated into groups of 50 or 100 these were prescriptions of early Christian community life.

Well, the gospel story for today is an old favorite story about Jesus and his disciples that was told over and over again.  There are some old favorite stories which are told only one time in the gospels.... such as the story of the Good Samaritan, told only once; the story of the Prodigal Son, told only once; the story of the Sheep and the Goats, told only once.  These are favorite, great stories but they are told only once in our Gospel. 

But the story for today, about the five loaves and two fish, is not told merely once, not twice, not three times, but four times in its variations.  It is the only Gospel miracle which is told in its fullness in all four Gospels.

Now, why is this story told over and over again?  I believe it is because this story captures the truth, the essence of all the people involved; the essential truth about Jesus and the essential truth about the disciples and the essential truth about God.

So I would like to retell this story for you, but include elements from the other Gospel versions of the story, and then two more Bible stories that are connected.  Let’s begin.

It was springtime in Israel.  The rains of March and April had come and the land was now fresh and green.  The brown hills had soaked up the spring rains and the flowers were blooming and the hills were green again.

It was Passover time in Israel.  Passover was their great religious feast, like Easter is for us.  That meant a holiday from school, and a holiday from work.  That meant that people were taking trips, packing their donkeys and going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  It was a time of religious aliveness, of fasting and feasting and traveling.

It was popularity time for Jesus.  Jesus had healed people of their diseases and his popularity was becoming enormous.  He was like a new rock star, and thousands would gather to hear him preach just as thousands gather over in the Staple center to hear a rock concert and see a star in person.

We see disciples had just returned after being sent out in groups of two to preach and offer healing and expel demons across the country side.  The disciple come back all excited that it really worked they were amazed and astounded and told Jesus of all that they had done.

But it was also tragedy time in Israel.  According to the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist had just been beheaded.  John, the Baptist, was the greatest moral force, the greatest spiritual force, the greatest prophet the land of Israel had experienced for four hundred years.  He was the person that everyone looked to for moral and religious inspiration, and he was just be headed by King Herod.  Everyone was stunned by this tragedy, by this enormous loss, including Jesus, who had been baptized by John.

And so it was grieving time in Israel, mourning time.  People were stunned, and Jesus wanted to get away by himself to grieve, to pray, to remember.  He wanted to get away to a lonely place and so he got into a boat to sail across Lake Galilee to a remote point, some four miles away, in order to get away from the massive crowds who were following him, to be alone and grieve the loss of John the Baptist.

To help us today, I want to use the geography of our area.  Let’s imagine that Jesus got onto a bike here and rode it to Warner brother studios.  That’s what happened in the story for today; Jesus took a four mile boat ride to a more remote, wilderness area, but the crowds could see from the shore where he was sailing to.  And so the crowds followed along the shoreline, keeping an eye on his boat, and so when Jesus’ boat landed, many of the crowd had already arrived.

And what was Jesus’ reaction to the thousands who had shown up?  Irritated?  Angry?  Imposed upon?  No, he looked on the massive crowd with compassion, like they were sheep without a shepherd, like people who were in need of spiritual feeding for their spiritual hungers inside.  And so he taught them and he healed them.

The day quickly passed.  It got to be later, long into the day, and one of the disciples said:  “Lord, the hour is late and the people don’t have any food and we are a long way from any villages.  Maybe you should send them home now.”  And Jesus said to Philip, according to John’s version of the story, “How are we going to buy bread, so that people can eat?”  Jesus said this in orderto test Philip.  Philip replied, “It would take more than two hundred denari, more than two hundred days of wages, and even that wouldn’t be enough bread to feed all these people.”  Jesus said, “Look around the crowd and see what you can find.”  Andrew found a young boy with five loaves of bread and two fish, and brought the boy, fish and bread to Jesus.  Jesus invited everyone to be seated on the green grass. He had them sit in groups of 100 or fifty  Jesus took the bread…looked up into heaven...gave thanks...broke it…gave it to his disciples...who gave it to the crowds.  And they all ate and were all satisfied ...and… there were twelve baskets of bread left over.  The number who ate was five thousand men, plus women and children.

That story was told over and over again in the gospels, but it continues.  A few days later, Jesus was again out in the wilderness, again with a large crowd of four thousand men plus women and children, and the same story happens again.  This time, seven loaves and a few fish were found.  And once again, Jesus took the bread...looked up into heaven...gave thanks...broke it...gives it to his disciples...who shared it with everyone. And everyone ate and everyone was satisfied, and...there were seven baskets of bread left over after the feeding of the four thousand plus. 

And then comes the final twist to the story, the final intrigue to this saga.  Jesus and his disciples got into a boat and sailed back again across Lake Galilee.  And as they arrived in the boat, the disciples began discussing quietly among themselves, out of earshot of Jesus, “Who brought the bread?  Did anyone bring any bread for lunch?”  And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, asked them:  “Don’t you men get it?  Don’t you understand?  Are you so hard headed?  Are you so hard hearted? You just saw the feeding of the five thousand and twelve baskets of bread which were left over.  You just saw the feeding of the four thousand and seven baskets of bread which were left over.  Don’t you get it about who I am?  Don’t you get it about the abundance generosity of God?  Don’t you get it that God will take care of you in your needs?  Don’t you get it, even after you have personally seen these miracles? 

And that story, about the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish, that story seems to capture the essence of all the people involved.  That’s why it was told over and over again.  This story captures the very essence of Jesus as the wondrous Son of God.  It captures the very essence of God, in God’s abundant and extravagant generosity and grace, twelve and seven baskets full of bread left over.  And it captures the very essence of us his disciples, who don’t get it, even after we have seen first hand, God’s miraculous work in our lives

But this is where it gets kind of sad for me…The real sadness of this situation arises not from the fact that there was so many people, not from the fact that these people were  so hungry  and weary,  not  from the fact that there was no food to feed them, but the real sadness arises from the fact that the disciples had no faith in their Lord as a source of supply. They looked at what they had, or in this case, what they did not have. They knew that it was inadequate, and so, their conclusion was that there was nothing that they could do.

They just got back from performing miracles of their own but now suddenly they are helpless. These guys just didn’t get it, at least not while Christ was among them.

Now I want us to note Jesus’ attitude and action. Jesus was moved with compassion because of the multitude’s condition. To the suggestion “Send them away,” Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.”In response to this came the disciples reply of inadequacy. So Jesus responded, “What do you have?” Their response was that they didn’t even know what they had; they had to go and find out that they had five loaves and two fish. The Gospel records state that they ate as much as they wanted, two of the Gospels state that they ate until they were gorged.

Now p[lease indulge me as I share a similar story of another miracle;

After months of hard work and years of saving, the day came for Reb and Jackay to open their own restaurant. All that was needed was the final health inspection and the issuing of their business permit. That was scheduled for first thing that morning; then "Our Place," as they called

their restaurant would be in business.

But that morning the winds and rains of Hurricane Hugo hit, unexpectedly making its way 200 miles inland to their North Carolina town. Trees were uprooted, power lines were down, homes and stores were destroyed. Reb and Jackay hurried to their restaurant. Everything was intact.

A deputy sheriff pulled up and told them that their restaurant, the fire station next door and a service station down the road were the only ones that electricity. Reb and Jackay called the health inspector to come immediately so they could open, but because of the power outage, he couldn’t get into his office to issue the permit. No permit, no business opening. With a refrigerator stocked with 300 pounds of bacon and beef and bushels of tomatoes, lettuce and bread, there was only one thing to do: give the food away.

They told the deputy, "Tell your coworkers and other emergency people you see that we’ll have free BLT’s and coffee for anybody who want to drop by." Soon firemen, policemen, linemen and other workers were filing into Our Place. When the couple heard that another restaurant was scalping people by charging ten dollars for two eggs, toast and bacon, they placed a sign in their window: FREE BLT’S--FREE COFFEE. Families, travelers and street people were welcomed.

Then something began to happen. People started to clean counters and sweep floors. Volunteers took over the dish washing from Jackay and helped Reb at the grill. Having heard about what was going on at Our Place from the local radio station, people from a neighboring town that had not been too badly hit by the storm brought food from their freezers. Stores and dairies sent over chicken, milk and foodstuffs of all kinds.

And so the long day went. Those first cups of coffee and BLT’s had somehow stretched to 16,000 meals. The restaurant’s small stock increased by 500 loaves of bread, cases of mayonnaise, 350 pots of coffee and bushels of produce.

I imagine this is what occurred at that secluded place with Jesus.  The miracle was community happened.  People reached out and shared what they had till there was abundance.  The disciples, through the grace of Jesus’ learned to lead by example.  What we have in this story, a story so important that it shows up in each of the Gospels, is the first example of paying it forward, and it was paid forward to the point of abundance.

In the play corpus Christi Joshua comes out of the desert hungry he approaches peter the fish monger and asks for fish.  Peter proceeds to inform him that he is not running a charity but eventually he gives in and hands Joshua a fish.  A nearby peasant woman observes this and asks for a fish as well.  Peter gets frustrated yelling at Joshua “see what you started?”  Joshua offers his fish to the woman who proceeds to tell him it is not for her but her five children.  Joshua then pulls five fish out of the basket. 

Peter, who observes all that is happening states; “It’s a miracle I gave you one, just one fish and you gave her five!”  To which Joshua replies; “And you would have given her none!”

Out of his want Joshua gives the woman a fish and they are multiplied. The monger says I gave you one and Joshua says you would have given her none.  Sometimes out of our need comes abundance. We can feed many one fish at a time or one sandwich at time.  Art and Jerry how do you make your sandwiches for your day of feeding the homeless??  Do you suddenly have 30 or forty sandwiches??  They are made one at a time.

I think one message that can be taken from this story is not that Jesus worked a miracle but the miracle happened in community.  I can’t feed 10 or twenty people myself but I can bring in a few cans of food and if everyone does we have a food pantry that is over flowing.  I can’t possibly give enough to keep the doors open to the AIDS hospice in Tijuana but if I give a pocket of pennies every week eventually that jar over there fills up.

Jesus didn’t ask Phillip to collect enough money and buy enough food to feed all the people that were gathered.  No Jesus asked what do you have?  What can you do??  Can you give but one?? If you have no fish and bread can you offer the people a warm welcome and a place to sit?? Or do you choose to be overwhelmed and sit back and say I would give none?  I would do nothing?? So I ask what are you being called to do??  Perhaps read a news paper to someone who has lost their sight??  Perhaps volunteer at a food bank??  Maybe just give one loaf of bread??

When we respond with I can do something.. Miracles happen and people are fed literally and spiritually.  Amen.

Happy Birthday Church; A Pentecost Sermon

Gracious God - bless now the words of my lips and the

      meditations of our hearts.  Breath your Spirit into us and

      grant that we may hear and in hearing be led in the way you

      want us to go.  Amen.

Breathe your spirit into us. What does that even mean.??

today is a significant day -

   this is the day on which the first believers came alive in their faith,

       the day when the Rock upon which Christ planted his church began to

       support and uphold an incredible new life -

a life that has existed since the world began,

   but which was poured out in a special fashion

       and took on flesh in you and me

much as it took life in Jesus, the son of Mary, the son of God

so long ago.

Pentecost is an event that the world has long been promised and which the people of God have long awaited. With that let me say…

Dzien dobry (Polish), Buenos dias (Spanish), Nyado delek (Tibetan), Endermen aderkh (armarhic), Bari Luys (Armenian), Kali Mera (Greek), Shubh Prabhat (Hindi).  I have just announce good morning or good day in several languages those languages were….  But what has that to with today?? Todays Gospel has several Miracles it speaks about.  But before we can get into the Gospel you know I like to set the scene.

We are in the Jerusalem of Jesus’ time it is 50 days after Good Friday.  Actually the name of the Holiday is a Jewish reference. Pentecost is actually a Jewish Holiday a festival of early harvest that occurred fifty days after Passover also known as the festival of Weeks, Shavuot, or the day to commemorate the giving of the Ten Commandments.

It is interesting to note that Christ said in Mathew “Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

Then Later in John Jesus foretells of the coming of the spirit…"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.”

Today is Pentecost and for us that's the birthday of the church,

when the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God came into the

church and gave the church life.

So here it is Pentecost in Jerusalem and the disciples are kind of hiding out.  They are frightened that the mobs that came for Jesus may come for them.  They come and go very clandestinely. This day they are all gathered, again I must emphasize that all means men women and children, slaves and free. It is reported that suddenly there was a roar as of a rushing wind.  It was so loud that the people who had gathered in Jerusalem heard the noise and gathered around the house.  Imagine hearing the sound of a rushing wind and yet there is none…no wind…no movement just the sound, wouldn’t you want to see what was happening.

So gathered outside are Jewish people from Jerusalem and those who traveled back for the holiday,.  There are Greeks and Romans, there were people from what we know as Libya and Egypt, there were probably traders from the Far East as well as Macedonia, People from the entire known world.  Some had come for Passover and just stayed till Pentecost others were there just for that festival.  There were many  people and many languages.

So as the crowd is gathering outside those in the house are hearing the same thing it sounds like a mighty wind is coming and all around them.  They are wondering if they have been found,   if they are under attack of some kind or if the world as they know it is ending.  Suddenly a fire appears in the room divides and alights on each ones head.  They are filled with the spirit and they go out to greet the crowd.

Pentecost is the reversal of what occurred at the Tower of Babel when, because of our sinfulness, because we chose to separate ourselves from God we became unable to understand one another and then a mighty wind came up and blew us to the four corners of the world.

Do you hear the similar elements here, there was a sound of rushing wind but it did not disperse the people but caused them to be gathered and  at Pentecost each heard the disciples proclaim the news in their own tongue.  I have always found this one of the most significant passages.  It is not that the Holy Spirit allowed the disciples to speak languages of all the known nations at the time but that the spirit made it possible for all to hear and understand the message of God.  The message that there is new life and a new way to be in the world  away free from guilt and persecution for as it was proclaimed at the days of creation it is being proclaimed again God saw all things under the heavens and proclaimed them all GOOD!

Those 120 disciples were just a handful of rather ordinary men and women, a few fishermen, a couple of housewives, a former tax collector, a few farmers, some children and some servant girls. Yet through these ordinary people God built a Church which has lasted now for over 2,0000 years. In less than 300 years, that small, insignificant Jewish sect became the official religion of the entire Roman Empire and today the Church of Jesus Christ circles the globe and numbers some one billion members.

How did they do it? What happened to those 120 follower in the year 30 A.D. on the day we call Pentecost? Those 120 followers came in contact with the Christian’s unknown God. Yes, that is right, those 120 followers came in contact with the Christian’s unknown God. They came in contact with God’s Spirit, or the Holy Spirit. For many Christians the events of Pentecost, the events of God’s spirit coming Today is one of the 4 major festivals of the church year. Today we celebrate the coming of God’s spirit, the Holy Spirit into the lives of men and woman, today we celebrate the birthday of the church. But, if you didn’t come to church today, if you maybe hadn’t read your daily devotional booklet, or perhaps if you hadn’t looked at the church calendar, you would have not known this was a major festival of the church year. Today is just as important as Christmas, just as important as Easter, just as important as the festival of the Ascension, but for some unknown reason, this festival, this holiday in the church year goes by almost unnoticed. Why is that?

Maybe because we have a difficult time getting a handle on the Spirit of God or maybe, we don’t understand what exactly happened on this day. And maybe, talk about the Spirit is not so sweet as talk about a baby born in a manager, angels singing in the heavens, gifts being passed about and shepherds tending their sheep on quiet hillsides.

Maybe Pentecost doesn’t get so much attention because we have not found a way to commercialize it, we don’t turn Pentecost into a cultural extravaganza, or into a national holiday, so it goes unnoticed. 

But, this festival, this holiday is very important for the life of the church, for your life and my life. The Spirit of God is not something we should fear, nor something we should ignore, but the Holy Spirit is God’s presence in this world. It is the same presence that was moving over the face of the earth when God created this world in which we live. It is that same presence that took the form of a baby born in a manager in Bethlehem, it is the same spirit of God that walked the earth for 33 years, teaching, healing, proclaiming the love of God for all people. And now, today, it is that same spirit that is with us, it is God’s spirit alive and well on this earth, working through his people, the church, to bring his love into the brokenness of this world.

The power of God’s Spirit came to earth on Pentecost.
Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can. Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Datsun in a controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have a lasting effect, staying power. The Holy Spirit works both ways. At Pentecost, he exploded on the scene; His presence was like "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3). Thousands were affected by one burst of God’s power. But He also works through the church--the institution God began to tap the Holy Spirit’s power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power.

God’s Holy Spirit comes quietly, it comes in slowly, but it comes to us with enough power so that we might do the job God has called, led each of us to do. There is a power, a force and for many an untapped force in each of our lives, that is the Holy Spirit. Many times it is not dramatic, it does not cause us to do dramatic things, but it is there to give us the power to live the kind of lives, to be the kind of people that God intended us to live and  be.

The nature of this spirit empowers us to live first of all pointing to Christ. The kind of life God intends for us to live points not to us, not to our accomplishments, but to the Lord of Life, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit works with our spirit so that we might experience the righteousness of Christ in our lives.

It is this Spirit that comes into our lives, into the church to allow us to spread God’s message of love to all people. It is this Spirit which points not to itself, but to Christ. It is this Spirit which allows us to point not to ourselves, but to Christ. It is this Spirit which makes the church, the Body of Christ, the most unique organization on the face of the earth.

The church is the most amazing organization in the world! And my friends you and I are part of it, not because we did anything, but because the Holy Spirit has lead us, because the Gospel and the Life of Jesus has taught us. The Holy Spirit gathers together, enlightens and makes holy all people on earth and keeps Holy the earth herself.
The power of the Holy Spirit was brought into the world this day over 2000 years ago, and that power is still present today through us and within the church.

Yes, we are welcomed again to the Pentecost event in the Year 2012!!

Today is Pentecost ,the birthday of the church,

when the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God came into the

church and gave the church life.

God loves us so much that God gives us the Holy Spirit, God's

own presence to live inside us. We can't really see the Spirit anymore than we can see the air around us. But we can feel the air, the wind blowing, can't we?  We can see it when the tree

limbs are moving.  So, too, we can feel the Spirit in our lives when we are moved to love God and love others, to worship God and serve God.

Yet to do nothing and wait and hoper for  a nudging from the spirit is not what we are called too.  The spirit calls us to engage actively in a spiritual life, to seek out times of quite with God , to seek out times of prayer, to seek out times of ministry where we engage God and the spirit in the world.  Just as a child learns the difference between stillness and a gentle breeze we must engage in practices so we can detect and learn to recognize the moving of God’s spirit in our lives.

God gives us so many wonderful gifts and the church is just one of them. Tell me, what do you like about the church, this church, On this the birthday of the church, what's special to you about it? Go ahead shout out an answer.. 

The church is first and above all - the people of God   united and empowered by God to show God's love to world.

On a birthday, you usually give a gift, don't you?  Well, on this birthday of the church we do not so much give gifts to the church as we offer back to God the fruit of the gift that was given the

Church when it was born.  We celebrate what God has given!

Rick Kirchoff, Germantown United Methodist Church said this in 2001 at the Opening remarks to the Memphis Annual Conference of the Methodist churches.

When God sends forth the Spirit amazing things happen:

barriers are broken,
communities are formed,
opposites are reconciled,
unity is established,
disease is cured,
addiction is broken,
cities are renewed,
races are reconciled,
hope is established,
people are blessed,
and church happens.

Today the Spirit of God is present
and we’re gonna‚ have church.

So be ready, get ready...God is up to something... discouraged folks cheer up,
dishonest folks ’fess up,
sour folks sweeten up,
closed folk, open up,
gossipers shut up,
conflicted folks make up,
sleeping folks wake up,
lukewarm folk, fire up,
dry bones shake up,
and pew potatoes stand up!
But most of all, Christ the Savior of all the world is lifted up...in Glory

Yes, welcome to the Pentecost event, 2012, and Happy Birthday to the church!
Blessings
 ,

Straight Faith for Gay Equality

Rev. Troy Perry friend and Founder of Metropolitan Community Churches along with Jay Bakker, son of Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker appeared on MSNBC today.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

a walk into palm sunday

Jesus wants to share His eternal victory with you. Palm Sunday illustrates this.


The sun was rising rapidly. It was beginning to shoot its golden beams across the horizon to adorn the sky and bring a grand finale to the dawn that would bring a new day to the history-filled city of Jerusalem. This is the festive season of Passover. The old city was filled with pilgrims, visitors, and travelers who had come from many countries to share in the feast. Secular census records indicate there were at least 2,500,000 people in Jerusalem for the event. An exciting rumor spread through the city: "Jesus is coming!"

Behind Jesus were His sermons; ahead, His suffering. Behind Him were His parables; ahead, His passion. Behind Him were His suppers of fellowship; ahead, what would be called last supper. Behind Him were the delights of Galilee; ahead, dark Gethsemane. Prophecy was now to become practice.

I want you to walk through this story…I want you to put yourself in this story and experience what the day might have been like if you were there, what the day is like as you are there.

Jesus had spent the night at the home of friends in Bethany on the opposite side of the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem. The two towns were no more than five miles apart.

Historians tell us that traditionally persons from various regions all had their special area around Jerusalem where they camped for feast days. The south end of the Mount of Olives had for years been the camping grounds of people from Galilee. These were the unsophisticated and unspoiled people of the area where Jesus spent most of His time and performed most of His miracles. They knew Him best. On several occasions they had tried to make Him a king

In the city of Jerusalem were the wealthy and religious leaders. Jesus had antagonized them by referring to the "scribes and Pharisees" as "hypocrites" (Matt. 23). Also among them were the Sadducees who had long been plotting His downfall. In order to preserve their way of life they often worked with the Romans. They had much to lose if they displeased their Roman overlords. You must remember in order to maintain the lives they were accustomed to they had to work hand in hand with Rome.

In their eyes Jesus was an expendable. Besides, in the eyes of the religious leaders He was a threat to religious tradition, he was not the Messiah.

Notice that, in today’s reading, there were two groups. "Those that went before" were persons who had come out of Jerusalem because of their curiosity as a result of all the shouting. "Those who followed" and "cried out" were the Galileans.

Our distance from the event causes us to merge the two crowds into one and assume it was the same people who shouted "Hosanna" that also cried "crucify Him."

It was the jubilant Galileans who shouted "Hosanna" and the religious and affluent of Jerusalem who wanted to appease the Romans who cried "crucify Him."

So where are you in this crowd? I know we all like to think we are standing with the common folk, the Galileans’ shouting Hosanna, Yet, how often are we observers who stand in Judgment sneering at those who are less fortunate or are making too much noise?? Reflect on the occupy movement how often did we stand outside just making comments, judging, not truly understanding where they were coming from or, if there was one, what their message was??

Passover was a celebration commemorating the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian captivity. It always occurred on the 15th of the Jewish month of Nisan. That's about mid-April for us. All who lived within 20 miles of Jerusalem were required to attend. Actually, Jews from all over the world gladly gathered for this major happening. There was a bustle of activity as they prepared for the Holiday just as there is around here. In Jerusalem Roads were repaired, tombs were whitewashed, and children were rehearsed in the significance of the event.

Jesus needed a donkey. Centuries earlier the prophet Zechariah said Messiah would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Jesus turned to his followers and told them exactly where to find the colt/donkey and to simply say “the Rabbi requires it” to the owner. What Kind of faith did that require?

We read that passage so simply, so matter- of- fact and yet is there a challenge in that? If Christ puts something on your heart how quick are you to respond? If you are called to step boldly in faith because the Teacher requires it of you are you ready? Could you be ready?

So now the disciples return with the donkey and they prepare for the ride into Jerusalem.

All those along the route He was to ride had learned in infancy and repeated often the passage of Zechariah. As they saw Him riding they would recall the words of the prophet. Remember these are people who often could not read so the stories of scripture were memorized and repeated often so they would easily remember the words of Zechariah:

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey" Zechariah 9:9.

The crowds starting shouting Hosanna are you one of the people celebrating in the crowd?? How does it feel to be there? I imagine people pushing up against one another just trying to get a glimpse of this Messiah, the ancestor of David the anticipated one, the king.

Jesus was being called "King" and "Lord." The Greek word for "Lord" is kudos. It was used in various ways. In which of these prominent ways is it used by you?

It was used as a title of respect like our Southern use of the words "Sir" or "Ma'am." It was used of one who is in charge. Luke refers to an individual who was the "lord of the vineyard," meaning He was the master in charge of the vineyard. It was used of deity. In Greek it held the figurative meaning of “praise” but the more literal meaning of “fame” and “renown.” So when someone is given kudos it is as if the person praising them was saying “you deserve to be famous.

So how are viewing Christ as he rides into Jerusalem, is he someone who is worthy of praise and honor and respect in your life? Is he a curiosity that needs to be seen? Is he a majestic and great King or is he a humble servant as the donkey suggests? / Are you, perhaps confused by the mix metaphors and just need to go and process a while away from the crowds?

There is a lot happening in this little vignette.

Why did Jesus come?

Jesus came to identify with His followers. It was now time to bring to a climax His reason for coming to earth. He who could have ridden the wind rode a donkey. He who could have summonsed the Seraphim chose a donkey. Scripture says, "All things were created by Him," Yet, He borrowed a donkey. "The earth is the Lord's," but He borrowed a donkey. What did one see?? First we notice the donkey. Jesus didn't come riding a high spirited war steed or prancing white stallion, but on a colt, an animal associated with peace. Donkeys are quite popular throughout scripture. They were ridden by judges and kings; they were symbols of wealth and common folk alike.

The Palms we use, Matthew, Mark, and John each use a different word for "branches." Matthew speaks of young branches or shoots. Mark refers to a mass of straw. John speaks of palm branches. Each was right. All three were used. Each writer simply mentions the one that stood out to him. This shows there was no collaboration or duplicity in their writing. Each wrote from his own viewpoint.

Years before, this was the way in which the people greeted Judah Maccabee when he liberated the city. The reaction of the crowd was the hailing of Jesus as an anticipated Liberator.

The shouts of Hosanna, Pilgrims today follow Christ's route from Bethany to Jerusalem. As Christ's climactic moment arrived, He and His entourage mounted the crest of the Mount of Olives where suddenly all of the Holy City bursts into panoramic view.

The Jewish historian Josephus wrote about what he saw: "The outward face of the Temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either men's minds or their eyes; for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflect back a very fiery splendor, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn away their eyes, just as they would have done at the sun's own rays."

The exuberant and impetuous crowd of common people on the Mount of Olives shouted, "Hosanna," it is a shout of praise and even a cry for divine help.

In that shouting crowd were persons who owed Him thanks; thanks for their restored sight, thanks for their straightened limbs, thanks for their sanity, thanks for their healed bodies; and even one named Lazarus, giving thanks for his life restored from the grave.

In this time of triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem what have we to give thanks for? Healings, perhaps healing of spirits…perhaps sadness has been lifted. Perhaps a thanks for a simple healing, remember how miserable you were with a cold or something worse and now you are recovered or on a path of recovery. You may feel that there is a need of healing and give thanks in anticipation of that. Maybe just giving thanks and praise because we are able to and cannot even number the things for which we have to be grateful for.

Jesus descended from the Mount of Olives into the Kedron Valley and started His approach through the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem. It would be there that He would later encounter the hostile crowd intent on appeasing the Romans shouting "Crucify Him!"

With which crowd do you identify? I don't mean which in your more spiritual moments you identify with. In reality with which crowd does your lifestyle more closely identify. Consider the various reactions and see which may be closer to yours in the everyday of life. Some, Wanted to use Him. The Zealots wanted Him to be their military liberator. Some Wanted to ignore Him. The Romans felt superior to this lowly Nazarene whom they wanted to ignore. Some wanted to obey Him. The owner of the donkey eagerly wanted to obey and please Jesus. Some wanted to worship Him. They knew He had resurrected Lazarus and that he possessed a great power.

This eventful morning of His entry into Jerusalem we celebrate on Sunday. On this day do you allow Jesus to enter your heart in triumph? Do you walk with Christ throughout the week? Or Does Jesus come to you only by special invitation in an hour of great need?

The crowd reaction of that day is not so different from the various responses of today. Mark in his gospel, chapter 10 verse 32, makes an interesting observation regarding Christ's immediate followers: "Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid..."

When Jesus goes before you there is a sense of amazement and an awe that could inspire a sacred fear. The disciples were not intimidated by their fear at this time, they followed Jesus. With Jesus Courage isn't not having any fear, It is doing what you know is right in spite of your fear. Is fear holding you back in your response to Christ? If there is fear I encourage you to give that up to Christ, show faith in Jesus and express courage by reacting with the crowd that shouted "Hosanna."

Following Christ involves courage, heroism, enthusiasm, power, glory, and peace. Palm Sunday is a living out of Christianity. May this day and its glory bless you, May you find yourself offering up any fear and stepping boldly into a Christ filled life. I pray you find a way to acknowledge the humble Christ who invites you to walk with him, walk with him through Galilee, walk with him into Jerusalem and follow him all the way to Golgotha, for all this leads to one place a glorious Easter morn. Amen.

Keeping sabbath

Perhaps the special character of the stories in the New Testament lies in the fact that they are not told for themselves, that they are not only about other people, but that they are always about us.


They locate us in the very midst of the great story and plot of all time and space, and they relate us to God and relate God to us.



It is interesting to note that we are only at verse 29 in the Gospel of Mark. Marks story has taken us from Christ coming to John in the wilderness, being baptized by John, the sky opening up and proclaiming “You are my Beloved, my own. On you my favor rests.” (John 1:11) In just a few verses, we have been swept up into an exciting crescendo of activity. Even when Jesus astonishingly announces that the "good news" of God's reign has already arrived and calls hearers to repentance and faith, we might be just a little taken aback when a group of fisher folk suddenly abandon their former lives and follow Him. But the writer leaves us no time to take a breath. Immediately, Jesus leads them to a synagogue on the Sabbath where the crowds marvel at His authoritative teaching and power to exorcise demonic powers.



Even in today's reading, there is no slowing of the pace. As the Sabbath ends, it might have been tempting for Jesus to bask in the successful exorcism, the accolades of his authoritative teaching and a reputation that has already spread "immediately" throughout all of Galilee" (Mark 1:28). But in this story there is no time for resting on laurels. Three times in succession, once in the verse, Mark 1:28, and now twice in the opening words of our lesson, we hear the word "immediately," a word whose repetitive impact (fourteen times in Mark 1 and 2) many readers of Mark have noted. It needs to be allowed its effect. With this word, the story fairly bursts through the synagogue doors and pushes towards the rest of Galilee – to the rest of the week, to the rest of our lives and to the place this story of Jesus will take us. The gospel for this day reminds us that the story of Jesus is always on the move and will not allow any of us hearers to remain who or where we are. Within a few short verses, the end of today's lesson will invite us to join this Jesus whose "preaching" and healing of the demonic in life will take him "throughout the whole of Galilee" (Mark 1:29).



This mission has a grand sweep. It is also particular and close to home. It is at least of some interest, if not a bit puzzling, that we find those same four fishermen who answered Jesus' call and "abandoned everything" (Mark 1:14-20) back at home and still concerned with the realities of day-to-day life. For example, a mother-in-law is sick with a fever. Yet, Jesus' power extends even here, and we get an anticipatory glimpse of just where this story and mission might lead us. Jesus took her by the hand and "lifted her up" (verse 31). The Greek literally reads "he raised her." It is surely no accident that here for the first time our imaginations are teased with this promissory "good news" word which will follow this story of Jesus (eighteen times in the gospel) to its surprising, climactic resurrection ending.



Yet, even now, this anticipatory Epiphany promise fairly bursts upon the scene. From the healing of one person, the numbers in the story have a staggering effect that no attempt to discount them as mere hyperbole can undo. People bring "all" who are sick to Jesus; the "whole city" is at the door. He heals "many" who are sick with "all sorts" of diseases and casts out "many" demons. The success seems palpable and unstoppable. Jesus' power is clear.



Except for the demons! Before he has exorcised them with only a word (Mark 1:21-28); now He is more forceful as He "casts them out" and will not permit them to speak (Mark 1:34). However, the final note "because they knew him" is a sobering reminder these demonic powers will not go quietly and so a premonition of where this battle will ultimately take this Jesus.



It is to that battle and its purpose that the rest of today's story now directs us. In the morning Jesus is up early and once again we find him in the wilderness he went “to a lonely place in the desert and prayed there.” I have asked the deacons to read a book for discussion called “Sabbath” by Wayne Muller. Sometimes being Pastor, deacon, musician, usher, greeter or anyone who is involved in the ministry of church, the Sabbath isn’t Sabbath for we are working, ministering in one way or another, please know that I am not complaining nor do I think anyone else would for this is what we are called to do, we are compelled to serve in his fashion.

Here we find Jesus compelled to teach, preach and heal. It is all part of the ministry and the proclamation of kindom yet to be realized. Yet Jesus too needed Sabbath. The literal translation of Sabbath is to rest. In the sacred term it means to take rest in God.

Wayne reminds us that “on the seventh day, God rests. Jewish texts prohibit 39 specific acts during Sabbath- acts traditionally associated with the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. If God could rest in creating the universe, God’s people could rest in building of the sacred temple. Tasks such as sowing, plowing, reaping, threshing and winnowing are prohibited.” By the way winnowing is an agricultural method developed by ancient cultures for separating grain from chaff. I had to look it up. Wayne goes on to explain that “beyond the legalism is an idea that by saying no to making some things happen, deep permission arises for other things to happen.” Allowing a deep sacred rest in God allows other energies, spiritual energies to grow that empower us throughout the week.

This is what Jesus does in the midst of the immediacy of marks Gospel. We usually consider Jesus as “Teaching, healing, or being accosted by the hordes of sick or possessed who sought his touch.” Yet throughout the Gospels we are told Jesus either went off alone, sent people away or invited the disciples to join him in quiet prayer. Today we are told that Jesus went off in the early hours of the morning to a lonely place.

In the Book Sabbath we are told that “Jesus did not wait until everyone had been properly cared for, until all who sought him were healed. He did not ask permission to go, nor did he leave anyone behind “on Call,” or even let his disciples know where he was going. Jesus obeyed a deeper rhythm. When the moment for rest had come, the time for healing was over. He would simply stop, retire to a quiet place, and pray.” Interesting that one translation of the phrase “to pray” as it is used in the biblical writings is “to come to rest”.

If Jesus, God incarnate on earth could take time to come to rest in God imagine how much more we all could use time to come to rest in God. We who are merely human, with our busy lives and complex schedules should take time to rest in God. Perhaps that is taking quiet time in the morning, at noon and again in the evening. Perhaps your Sabbath time might be a time of quiet writing, or painting or simply walking in an open field allowing your soul to touch God and God to touch you.

I don’t know about you but Sunday isn’t enough for me. I need to take time in the morning and throughout the day to just stop, breathe deep and reach out with my spirit to God and allow God to grant me rest. I encourage each of you to seek out your own unique way to constantly have Sabbath during the week. That doesn’t mean TBowing in the middle of the street for all to see but to take a moment just privately with you and your creator.

One way I use is the Liturgy of the hours these are a collection of prayers readings and meditations that are said three times a day by Christians all over the world. I used to get very frustrated trying to figure out where I was or supposed to be in the Book of Common Prayer. One needs a road map to figure it out. However Phyllis tickle took all the prayers and readings and created a straight through series of books. Now I am not saying this method of prayer or anyone method is better than another. Each must find their own way, your own way of connecting and finding rest in God.

Of course you know we offer experiences here during the week as well. Every Thursday we have a spiritual practices be it taize style meditation, drumming circle or labyrinth. These are ways to get connected here. Also the movie night and game nights are also viable ways to take rest with community members and build relationships as well. Stillpoint also offers day retreats once a month that are very inexpensive and quite nurturing for the spirit.

Wayne Muller goes on to remind us that “when Jesus prayed he was at rest, nourished by the healing spirit that saturates those still, quiet places. In the Jesus tradition, prayer can be a practice of simply being in the presence of God, allowing the mind to rest in the heart.” This need for spiritual rest is built into our system and is essential to our spiritual well being. I do not believe it is by any coincidence that the story of creation mentions God resting, I don’t believe it was mere happenstance that God told Moses when he was weary that “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) Certainly Jesus led by example and so we see time and again Jesus goes off to pray and, as I said before, sometimes he would take his disciples with him. That means there was a communal practice as well as the private practice of prayer.

Through all of this Jesus is teaching us a practice of Sabbath not the Sabbath that occurs strictly on Sunday at MCC in the Valley between 10:30 and noon but a Sabbath that is every day. Every day it waits for us to take the time, to stop, to rest in God and allow Gods rest to come to us. This is one of the most compelling calls in Jesus’ ministry. Yet often it is one we most often ignore.

So today I encourage you to remember the Sabbath. Remember to take the time throughout your day, week, year and lives to just rest in God. Take that extra moment to experience the simple touch of the creator, active in your life, giving you rest so that you may have the energy and perseverance to continue to do Gods work, to do what God has called you to do throughout your day in Gods ever loving presence and to be that presence to the world. To be well rested in God so that you, we may get back to that “Immediacy” that is our lives. I pray these words bless you and perhaps inspire you today. Amen.









Wayne Muller, Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest (New York: Bantam Books, 1999), 29.


Ibid., 30.

Ibid., 24.

Ibid., 25.

Ibid.

Via Stillpoint as shared by Judith Favor

A journey continues until it stops

A journey that stops is no longer a journey

A journey loses thing on its way

A journey passes through things, thing pass through it

When a journey is over, it loses itself to a place

When a journey remembers, it begins a journal

Which is a new journey about an old journey

A journey over time is different from a journey into time

An actual journey is into the future

A reflective journey is into the past

***

A journey always begins in a place called Here

Pack your bags and imagine your journey

Unpack your bags and imagine your journey is done

***

If you're afraid of a journey, don't buy shoes

~ Mark Strand ~

(Chicken, Shadow, Moon & More)

John’s Liberating Humility

John’s Liberating Humility




“The spirit of the Exalted YWHW is upon me,

for YWHW has anointed me:

God has sent me to bring good news to those who

Are poor;

To heal broken hearts;

To proclaim release to those held captive

And liberation to those in prison;

To announce a year of Favor from YHWH,

And the day of God’s vindication;

To comfort those who mourn,

To provide for those who grieve in Zion-

To give them a wreath of flowers instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness instead of tears,

A cloak of praise instead of despair.

They will restore the ancient ruins,

And rebuild sites long devastated;

They will repair the ruined cities,

Neglected for generations.



These are the Prophet Isaiah’s words…Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 to be exact this is the Old Testament reading for today yet I wonder if these words could not have come from John himself. I imagine John as a scruffy little man, a bit haggard from living in the wilderness and surviving on wild honey and locusts, quoting this text very loudly at the river’s edge.

John was described as; “a voice crying out in the wilderness!” Today we are told he comes “as an envoy from God, who came as a witness to testify about the light, so that through his testimony everyone might believe.”

John was an envoy, a messenger sent as a witness to the light.

The Apostle John, author of the Gospel of John, seems to have previously been a disciple of John the Baptist. It must have been with great affection and regard for the Baptist that the Apostle writes of him in the first chapter of his Gospel. We find the ministries and messages of John the Baptist and Jesus interspersed and inter-twined in this first chapter. John sought to identify himself with Jesus, and Jesus surely sought to identify with John and his message. There is, however, a great difference between these two individuals, as the Apostle John makes clear in this chapter.

Verse 6: A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. Verse 7: He came as a witness, to testify about the light, so that everyone might believe through him. Verse 8: He himself was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.

The Word was; John came. The Word was the Light; John came, sent from God as a witness to this Light. John was a witness, and the Lord Jesus was the One about whom John testified. John was not the light, but a witness sent to testify that the Light was coming. To us, these words may seem redundant—old news. But they were, and they are, revolutionary. Nothing like the coming of our Lord in human flesh has ever happened before—nor will it ever happen again. John’s role in this is important, yet definitely subordinate. No one knows this more than John. What the Apostle John writes in these verses 6-8, the Baptist reiterates and underscores in his own testimony. These verses give us the reality by which John the Baptist governed his life and ministry.

Now place yourself in the sandals and camel hair suit of John the Baptist. God commands you to go out and to begin calling the nation Israel to repentance, announcing that the Messiah is soon to be revealed. You are not even certain at the time just who the Messiah is—or how He is to be revealed. You are to preach in the wilderness, so that all who want to hear you must come out of the city and into the wilderness. You have never even performed so much as one miracle. Can you imagine faithfully preaching a message of repentance in preparation for the Messiah, as John the Baptist did, without even knowing the name of the one about whom you were preaching?

Truly John the Baptist is a remarkable man, and He is a prominent figure in Advent, showing up each year in at least a couple of the Gospel readings and reappearing in January when we remember the Baptism of the Lord. In listening closely to John the Baptist, one senses deep humility; "I am not the Messiah. I am not Elijah (the greatest of the prophets). I am not the main attraction. The main attraction is coming, and I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals.”

John’s humility comes to expression when he says that he is not worthy to untie the strap of Christ’s sandal. This takes us back into travel on the hot and dusty paths of Palestine. As one walked in the heat and the dust, one’s feet inevitably become dirty. When one came into a friend’s house, the first courtesy provided was water to wash the guest’s feet. But the host would not normally do this himself. To attend to the feet was a task fit for a slave, and it would be a slave who was expected to do the actual washing of the feet

This humility was not only John's perception of himself; it is also recorded in the Gospel writer's description of him: John the Baptist was not the light, but he came to bear witness to the light. It is important that we claim John as a model for our lives, as human beings and as Christians. You are not the Messiah. I am not the Messiah. A messiah is someone who saves, rules, and fixes people. Many in Israel were waiting for a messiah in the first century. Life was difficult, harsh, and oppressive.

John's entrance into the drama of Advent each year might not seem relevant at first glance, but in fact his is a needed voice. Humility is a misunderstood concept' and it may be helpful to say what it is and what it is not. It is not low self-esteem. We are created in the image of God' and that is good. Humility is not false modesty. We have been endowed with gifts, and they are to be used for the Glory of God and the common good. One preacher put it this way: Humility is not thinking less of ourselves. Humility is thinking of ourselves less. Do you see the difference?

This can be liberating. I bet you know of folks who could be described as overachievers. You see their names in the newspaper, or you hear them being interviewed on television and radio, perhaps you have written letters of recommendation for them when they were getting ready to go to college. A day does not go by that someone is not being recognized in his or her Profession.

When congratulated they will say, "Oh, it's nothing", or, "It's not as special as it seems," or, "Yes, oh, but you should see what my brother or sister or neighbor or colleague is doing'" I am talking about other people, but if I am honest, myself as well. Kenneth carter points out that one of his seminary professors poked fun at the “I love me" walls that preachers love to have in their offices degrees, ordination certificates and I do have to wonder about how all of this helps us to preach better sermons about humility!

It is all mixed together with the drive to succeed and with ambition, performance, and goals. If we don't have these hopes for ourselves, we surely have them for our friends and loved ones. There is something constructive about all of this. Objectives are accomplished. Goals are met. Good is done. But there is also a dark side that can be a heavy burden. We begin to think that we are, in fact, the source of light. Sometimes, though, the bulb begins to dim. We might not use the precise language, but we begin to think that we are, in fact, the Messiah. We see other people as problems to be solved; we see daily lives as a series of messes to be cleaned up, dilemmas to be sorted through, and damages to be repaired. If you and I don’t take care of it, who will? The symptoms of this dark side are burnout cynicism, frustration with other people' and paradoxically' self rejection.

But remember, you and I are not the Messiah. We have limitations and boundaries. Advent comes along each year to give us this dose of humility, when once again we meet John, who helps us to get clear perspective.

Make no mistake. John the Baptist was a person of strength. He attracted people to his project'. "Among those born of women,” Jesus says, “no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 1 1 :1 1 ). John was not weak. "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at?" Jesus asks the disciples who had gone in search of John (Matthew 1i:7)' "A reed shaken by the wind?''(v.7).The literal meaning was a weathervane that bends with the currents of the wind. John was not weak; he was strong-he could withstand the forces of the winds and the storms-but he was humble. His humility is found precisely in his understanding of who he is and who he is not.

Humility is not weakness, but the awareness of the Source of our strength. John reminds us that we are human. Were you aware that there is a connection between the word s humanity, humility, and humor. Each word has a common origin, in our word humus. We have a humus pile in the plastic bin out back that includes soil and leaves and kitchen garbage and probably some things I would not want to mention. It is a mixture of the most organic matter, the compost pile, and it is very rich and fertile place. That says something about us: in our humanity we are always a mixture of many things and out of all of it come life and growth.

Humility and humor are connected in our ability to laugh at ourselves-and sometimes we do have to laugh at ourselves. This is related to our humanity. We have limitations, boundaries; we are finite. Humanity is a reminder of our need to be grounded-again the connection with the earth. It is not accidental that the most fundamental posture of humility is kneeling. This self-awareness prepares the way for something more, something greater: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Today we celebrate All Saints’ Day, which also includes dia de los muertos – the day of the dead. 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. Today we celebrate all saints Sunday.


This is the day we remember all those who have passed on from this life to the life eternal. On this day we are especially reminded that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.

When someone mentions the word saint, what image comes to your mind? Perhaps you think about the saints you have read about in books. These are persons who have done great things for God and perhaps even performed some type of miracle. (todays saint)

Maybe you think about statues you have seen of saints, especially in Roman Catholic churches or in cemeteries. Maybe you think about necklaces and medallions made of the saints. I can remember a special gift I was given when I was growing up.

It was a silver necklace with a Saint Christopher’s medal. I think every good catholic boy and girl received one of these at some point. I was told that it would keep me safe and protect me as long as I wore it. I truly believed that, and the necklace became part of my everyday attire.

A saint can be defined as a holy person, a person who has been redeemed, or someone who has been declared righteous by God. By this definition, anyone who has acknowledged Jesus and attempts to follow his ways is a saint.

The book of Acts (9:32-41) tells of Peter going down to the saints, the followers of Jesus, who lived in Lydda and to a disciple named Tabitha (or Dorcas), whom Peter restored to life.

The Bible also tells us the importance of meeting the needs of the saints. In Romans 12:13, we read, “Contribute to the needs of the saints”; in 2 Corinthians 9:11-12, we find, “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God.” The words saint and Christian, or follower of Jesus, are used interchangeably.

Interestingly enough we have heard pastor Bob speak of Holy fools in the past referring to saints. Jim Forest in praying with Icons tells us that “few taunts are sharper than those that call into question someone’s sanity.” Yet often this was the case for those who are called saints. This is because their behavior flew in the face of conventional wisdom.

Think of Saint Francis who stripped of his clothes and stood naked before the bishop in Assisi’s main square, or his preaching to the birds, or taming the wolf and finally during the crusades he walked unarmed across Egyptian dessert into the sultan’s camp.

Jim Forest states further that “Perhaps there is a sense in which each and every saint, even those who were scholars, would be regarded as insane by many in the modern world because of their devotion to a way of life that was completely senseless apart from the gospel.” This reminds me of Saint Margery Kemp. . . As followers of Christ we are called to go against the grain.

Today’s passage from the First Letter of John reminds us that when we accept God’s love through Jesus Christ, we are called “children of God”—saints. A person becomes a saint through the love of God. Saints can be called children of God because of the great love God has poured out for us. As God’s children, we have worth beyond this world, but being a child of God is not some distant or future state; we are God’s children here and now. As God’s children we live differently, following the example of Jesus. It is as if the world does not even know us.

We live abundantly, filled with love, joy, hope, and peace. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). These are the characteristics of a saint and a child of God.

Are these fruits evident in our lives? What are we doing to cultivate them? The passage also tells us that being a saint is a work in progress: “what we will be has not yet been revealed” (1 John 3:2). In other words we are a work in progress.

In this life, we strive to become more and more like Christ. We are becoming reflections of God. This process of becoming a perfect reflection of Christ will take us all of our days on this earth until one day when we see God face-to-face.

The Christian rock artist Chuck Girard has a song that I love it says : “People try to tell me that I can't live this way

That things have changed and life is not the same

And they try to tell me that I'm missing all the fun

But I know this peace I've found has only now begun



Some have tried to tell me to live and just be free

That we must seek life's pleasures while they last

And they try to tell me that these are modern days

And that I'm just a fool to go on living in the past



Someone's always tryin' to shake my faith and bring me down

But all I know is what I feel inside

People to try to tell me that I am just a fool

But I guess I'll be a fool for Jesus

If this is our hope and our destiny, then we will do all in our power to make ourselves ready: “All who have this hope in Christ purify themselves” (3:3), says Paul. He even talks about his own process of becoming all that God wants him to be: “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. “(Philippians 3:12-14)

Paul would later refer to this process as a race (2 Timothy 4:7). All Saints’ Sunday reminds us of the saints along that racecourse who encourage us and cheer us on. We are truly surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.

On this day I invite you to remember those who have entered “the Church Triumphant.” Perhaps they died during this past year or some time ago. Maybe they were a little crazy, or too foolish for this world, Remember that they are still with us. They surround us each and every day. I like to believe that anytime I stop to remember my grandmother, grandfather my friend Harvey or daddy Nick, they come close. I still talk to Nick now and then. As you travel this road of life, striving to become what God wants you to be, know that you are not alone. Standing along that path is a great cloud of witnesses, and they are cheering you on.

May we all persevere until the day when we see Jesus and our loved ones face-to face.

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, to live life outside the norm, to be a fool, 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.

I read this poem last year and would like to conclude with it again;



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 to take chances and risks perhaps even looking foolish to the world.



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 Oct. 2nd The sending Forth

As you leave here go out and find what feeds you, Go out and discover what will keep your heart open; open to the beauty and the wonder that is God’s spiritual invitation to walk with Jesus daily.  Go out and act upon that invitation.  Go out and be the the fruit of the vineyard and allow God to bless you and others through you with an abundant life lived in Christ Amen.

October 2nd Mathew 21:33-46

This week we are examining what many consider to be a very complicated parable: the parable of the wicked tenants. This is a parable about Israel. It goes along with similar themes to the parable of the two sons and the parables of the wedding banquet and feast


A mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl’s grip and said comfortingly to the boy, "There, there. She didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know that hurts." He nodded his acknowledgement, and she left the room.

As she started down the hall the little girl screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, "What happened?"

The little boy replied, "She knows now."

The parable of the landowner and the wicked tenants continues the theme of Jesus’ conversation with the rich young man. “The last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16) is a notion that challenged the general religious economy of Jesus’ era and continues to challenge that of our own time. The parable points a finger at the religious elite of Jerusalem. As the story unfolds, the Pharisees know that Jesus is speaking about the unfaithful history of Israel, Israel who refused the witness of prophets, Israel who killed God’s messengers, and now deny the witness of Jesus, whom some have called the Messiah. Now do not get me wrong this is not Israel the nation so much as Israel influenced by a corrupt leadership.

The heart of the parable is the wicked and violent way that stewards of the law and the temple have failed through the centuries to acknowledge God’s clear message of justice and righteousness. Now the Son has come to give a clear message, and the attitude is still the same. These men of power will not stand much longer for this kind of teaching.

As with many parables, Jesus uses symbols in his stories that give a deeper meaning. This is where we need to be careful because not all things have deeper meanings. Sometimes a field is really just a field. But here we can deduce some likely meanings.

Symbolic Indicators

• The vineyard is Jerusalem

I say likely here because sometimes these things are debated. Here some say that the vineyard is all of Israel. I do not believe that this represents all of Israel because it is narrative it is indicative of Jerusalem. Jesus paints the picture of a wall, a watch tower and a winepress. This combination most likely would have pointed to Jerusalem. The wall around Jerusalem, the watch tower would be the temple who was supposed to keep watch over the spiritual life of the people. The winepress would also point to the Temple but specifically the Temple authorities who were supposed to take care of the people especially the poor financially but Jesus is indicating that they had misappropriated the finances. No wonder the religious rulers were so upset.

Besides, the placement of this parable, in relation to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and arrival at the temple makes it very clear who Jesus is accusing.

• The servants are the prophets

These are the OT prophets many of whom were beaten and killed as God’s messengers. God sent them to all of Israel and to Jerusalem many, many times.

• The son is Jesus

In the parable the son is taken outside the vineyard then killed. Jesus would be very shortly taken outside the city walls and crucified. He was taken outside so that the city and the Temple would not be ritually defiled.

• The tenants are Israelite leaders

Not just one generation but in general all of Israelite leaders over the course of its history. I know that it can be especially tempting to continue allegorizing everything in this parable. However, other than these items, there is no clear indication that Jesus intended for his hearers to do so.

The inheritance is a deeper relationship with God the creator. The fruit is the abundance of a growing community here on earth.. Then there are more generalized interpretations as in the message of the kindom and the productive living that follows. Specifics are not given by Jesus here about what entails productive living nor does Jesus give details on what the judgment looks like other than the wicked tenants will meet their deserved end.



So what message is Jesus trying to give through this parable? It is really very simple for those who have ears to hear. The parable is a proclamation concerning the world to come, and Israel’s part in this present, but not yet realized world to come.

Proclamation

*The stewardship of this heavenly kindom will be taken away and given to a new people; taken away from the hypocritical judicial leaders of Israel’s history.

God’s intention all along is that God has a people who are God’s own. This new people will not be based on birth or race or religious standing or economic standing or even social standing. It is twofold.

• This new people are all those who respond to the fullness of God’s message for them and then bear fruit.

Both parts are essential: Responding to the message of the all loving God given by Jesus and by bearing fruit through productive living. This living is based on the ways of God and the teachings of Jesus. Productive living may not necessarily mean being a good citizen, being a good citizen is just enough but God and Christ has called us to more than that. It may not even mean being affluent economically. In fact, it probably means you will not be affluent.

• Blessings and gifts are not permanent possessions.

It is so easy to get caught in false sense of security. The only security is through the continuing love relationship with Jesus, walking humbly as is taught through the Gospels. Degrees, promotions, bible studies, number of worship services, number of prayers and prayer meetings, number of meals served to the homeless are all great things and often beneficial to our own spiritual growth. However, they do not provide security, the security; that I am what I need to be. They should flow out of where we are at but they also need to flow out of a sense of calling and spiritual walk with God.

The only assurance that God is with us is by intentionally setting our hearts on God. God’s favor and blessings are not permanent. Jesus is giving Israel and us the warning that fulfilling religious responsibilities is not enough. He warns us that we may get to the end and find that we are spiritually bankrupt because we have been denouncing, ridiculing, degrading, and ignoring the very messengers that God has been sending us.

There is no guarantee except what comes through the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit. That is your security deposit. And that is not something that you give but receive and continue to be filled with.

• God does the unexpected.

Probably of all the things that God may be saying to us today through this parable is that God does the unexpected, the unexpected grace and love that is shown by those that love God and God’s ways. The unexpected provision that God gives sometimes before we realized we even had a need, the unexpected lesson that Jesus teaches us when we are wrapped up in ourselves and so self-absorbed.

Jesus gives us a proverb or saying at the end of this parable. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed. When we fall down in complete and utter abandonment to Jesus who is the cornerstone, we may be broken but we are never crushed. However, those who ignore the messenger or even persecute God’s agents will eventually be crushed no matter what ancestors that they may claim or how long one has been in church or who your parents are.

The amazing thing is that when we are broken before God, Jesus takes the broken pieces of our lives and unexpectedly transforms what many people in the world might cast out as trash and creates a thing of beauty that allows the light of the spirit to shine through. Let me say that again; Jesus takes the broken pieces of our lives and unexpectedly transforms what many people in the world might cast out as trash and creates a thing of beauty that allows the light of the spirit to shine through.



The message is plain but not easy. Are you certain of your walk with God? Are sure that you are walking with Jesus? Do you love God and God’s ways more than anything else? Have you responded by living a life of abundant fruit? If not, what blessings that you have will be given to others. There are no barriers here today. The only barrier is the one inside of you. Consecrate yourself to respond to the messenger, Jesus, and live his abundant life giving him the glory. Don’t let yourself be deceived as many in Israel were; deceived by pride and deceived by arrogance. Humble yourself before God or you will be humiliated. Take the time to strengthen yourself for your daily journey by stepping out with Christ.

This means seeking opportunity to enrich your spiritual life. You may try Journaling as prayer, walking meditation, the Jesus prayer, which is Lord Jesus Christ; have mercy on me repeated over and over till it is constant on your heart, or perhaps the daily offices or book of Christian prayer. You need to find what feeds you, what will keep your heart open to the beauty and the wonder that is God’s spiritual invitation to walk with Jesus daily. Then act upon it. Then the fruit of the vineyard will be abundant and when the Owner comes to collect you will rejoice as will God in the abundant life you have lived. Amen.