Repent! Sermon on Luke 13:1-9

Grace and Peace to you from God our Creator, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ
Amen

My sermon for Feb. 28, 2016 - Lent 3

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

         Repent. Repentance. As defined by Rolf Jacobson in his book Crazy Talk: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Theological Terms, Repentance is “The change in a person’s behavior that follows recognition of having sinned and immediately precedes further sinning.”
     
         I have a good friend, actually the best man at our wedding, who was raised in a conservative anabaptist-leaning faith. According to the church elders, in order to become a member of this church; in order to be baptized… one has to repent of all their sins before submitting to a believer’s baptism. Here in the ELCA, we usually baptize infants, but occasionally we do baptize adults. In the case of infants, we have the parents and sponsors promise that they renounce the forces of evil, likewise when they’re adults, we ask them the same question. But there is no literal repentance involved. In my good friend’s church, he had to pretty much tell everyone he ever had contact with, as far as he could remember, that he was repenting for his sins, any wrongdoing he had ever done to them.
And that, is how we became the best of friends. I had hung out with him a few times, but it was sitting in the back corner of 7th grade biology together… when he asked for my forgiveness. I was confused, as I wasn’t sure he’d ever done anything to me, but he asked for my forgiveness. He explained his church and his quest to find repentance from everyone… and rather than saying sure and moving on… I wanted to know more.

        Why was he seeking repentance… what biblical reasoning had he for it… What was it about his church that was different than mine? So, every day in science class, and afterward, we’d have discussions on religion. He had a different faith than mine, but it didn’t matter. I wanted to know more. I showed him what I could about my understanding of Lutheranism, and he told me about his church. And ever since, he’s been my right hand man.

          Jesus tells the people that bad recent events have killed many folks who didn’t repent, and thus, perished in the disasters. Repent, or perish like the rest of them. Then he tells a parable about a fig tree that doesn’t bear fruit. The fig tree had been barren for a couple years, and rather than cut down the tree after a couple years… the gardener tells the owner to leave it for one more year. Then we’ll see what happens.

         Do something different, or be cut down like the fig tree. Sounds very doom and gloom eh? And yet, I think he’s got a point.

         There’ve been a few members here who have talked about family members struggling with the disease of addiction. Addiction hits all walks of life, including some who have stood up in this pulpit. It’s a messy, destructive thing, and it’s not always alcohol or drugs. Sometimes it’s gambling or gaming or sex or sports… Sometimes, it’s invisible. People can hide their addiction well. And then, some people can’t.

         And even when it’s invisible, it still affects everyone around the addict. Destructive addiction creates a ripple effect around the addict. Hopefully, it doesn’t create too much harm, but it definitely can, and does.

        This country has a varied history with addiction. From offering soda drinks with real cocaine and other drugs, to experimenting and creating our own drugs, to prohibition and outlawing both alcohol and drugs. Before the 1964 Surgeon General’s report on smoking, everyone smoked cigarettes and it was recommended by doctors. Alcohol, while a legal vice, is very destructive in mass quantities, yet can have some health benefits in small quantities. Every sports game you watch on television is full of commercials for beer or liquor, both on and off the field. Marijuana, while federally illegal, is legal to own and use in a few states, and to use medically in a lot more states including this one.

        I’m not advocating for any usage here, but what I’m trying to get at, is this country has a fascination with addiction. Those undergoing treatment for their addiction, and recovering from their addiction, may find the world we live in, difficult to cope with. A recovering alcoholic may see all the commercials on TV for beer and liquor, and think otherwise. We have a fascination with addiction.
But when the addiction takes hold, and life becomes a service to the addiction, where everything in life revolves around the addiction… That’s where people need to repent, and change where they’re headed, before they perish. Before they kill someone or themselves. While it may sound harsh, like this is the most ‘law’ you’ve heard coming out of my mouth, but repenting of the sin of addiction, before it destroys lives, is not all that harsh at all, for that is where the gospel is found.

       The Good News is that God loves us even when we are at our deepest and darkest depths of addiction or pain. Even when we feel like there is no way of escaping it, God is there right beside us.

         Let me make this clear, there is absolutely nothing you can ever do that will separate you from God, that will ever void the Grace, Love and Mercy that is bestowed to all. Christ’s message of repentance is simply this: change from the destruction, and live a better life. While in the depths and darkness of addiction, one may feel separated from God, like one is going through hell, like everyone else is going through hell… But God shows up.

       While in the deepest darkness of our own sin, whatever it is, addiction or not… repenting, changing our sinful behavior, whatever it is, saves us from ourselves. It is the knowledge that our Savior, our Christ, our Messiah died on a cross to save us from the torment of our own sins, knowing that the love of Christ, the Grace of God was poured out for us all on that day. That no matter what we do, how we sin, whatever we think our sin is… No matter what we think someone else’s sin is… God saves us all from ourselves, our own pattern of sin, our own sinful nature.

       So, repenting means to change. Change positively. So that the world outlook goes better for both you and the rest of the world. A shedding of the sins you own up to. At least, an attempt to do so.
My good friend repented to everyone he knew. He asked for forgiveness for all that he thought he had done to people, and he was ready to be baptized. But then, after nearly finishing the race, events happened, and he was no longer in the race. He stopped attending church as often, and fell out of place. Out of sorts. I can’t remember what it was, but church wasn’t as important to him as he had planned, so he just stopped going.

       The act of repenting had changed him alright, but maybe not the way the church was intending. But I think life can be like that. We repent of our ways, we change how we go about doing things, and sometimes, the new way doesn’t turn out like we planned. We start out trying to reform in some way, and end up headed a different direction.

Sometimes it takes a few tries. Folks with addictions don’t always go through rehab and are sober on the first try. It may take a few tries. The fig tree hadn’t produced fruit the first year, or the second year… But there’s hope for the third. There’s hope for that next try.

We do and say terrible things sometimes. We all do. And, whether it’s in the moment or afterward, we know it too. For some of us, the shame and guilt of disappointing someone can be a lot to bear. It’s helpful to release the pain in the shame, and talk about it. Repent. Ask for forgiveness from the someone you may have disappointed. When we repent, and change our ways, it’s not for God’s benefit, but for our own and others around us.

For it is by the love of God, poured out through the Grace of God, by the death of the Son of God, that saves us all from ourselves. That even when we repent of our sins, change our ways and become even more fabulous than we were before, there is still absolutely nothing that you could ever do to make God love you more or less. God’s grace is poured out for all. Through the waters of baptism we are called and named Children of God. Through the bread and wine… We are reminded of God’s grace present in Christ’s blood and body. We are participants in God’s grace present in the sacraments. We are compelled, called, but not required to act, because of the grace, and in spite of the world which holds us back. In spite of our sin holding us back, we are called to better our lives, and the lives of everyone around us, better for us all. To live out the promise of God’s reign on earth. And Jesus is with us, every step of the way.
Amen.

It's Time to Get Off the Mountain - Transfiguration Sunday Sermon

Part Two of my short two-part sermon series on Love and Service. Transfiguration Sunday 2016.

Grace and Peace to you from God our Creator, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ,
Amen

Epiphany is the season of light. Over the last few weeks, we have explored Jesus’ coming out stories. Jesus declaring to the world, that he is the Messiah. He is the Savior of the World. He is the One called to die for all. He is the one to bring light into darkness. Love into Hate. Hope into Fear. Hope that the world, might see a new dawn. A new dawn beaming with Light. Light, for the World.

Jesus is the Light of the World, and today’s Gospel is God declaring, once and for all, that Jesus is God’s Son, the Chosen One. Flanked on both sides by prophets of old, both Moses and Elijah, Jesus is bathed in light; glowing in God’s presence. The three disciples gathered there to watch, want to hang out. Peter, that old rock… Peter wants to stay, put up tents, and watch the glory that is this time. Jesus is flanked by the superstars of old, and Peter wants to bask in the awesomeness of this moment. This was happening, and this was happening NOW. Peter wants to sink it all in, but God declares to the world that Jesus is God’s son. the Chosen One, and Peter misses out. Peter, James, and John… miss out on this awesome moment to see the Justice League, the Avengers, the X-Men… These superheroes of young and old… just hang out and talk.

What an amazing sight, and God cuts it short. For a fleeting moment, the disciples see the true Light from God, and the prophets of old to guide Jesus on his way… For this Light, is fleeting, and Jesus knows what he has to do. This is the moment, when Jesus comes down from the mountain, into darkness.

Into Darkness. Jesus and the disciples come down off the mountain; away from the overpowering Light from God, into the darkness of their reality. Into the darkness of ministry. Into the messiness, the complicatedness, the nitty-gritty task… of bringing Light into this darkness.

Last week, I preached about the Love of God poured out for all. I preached that there are people both in Jesus’ time and in this reality we call life, that are in the shadows, on the margins of society; whether discriminated against based on their race, gender identity or expression, religion, sexual orientation, wealth or whatever… There are, in the shadows, people with whom the society in which we live forgets about.

I told you that these realities are what they are, and even if we are a small town and community in rural Minnesota… They certainly affect us too. I ended last week’s sermon, with a narrative of how our Scandinavian ancestors made their home here, and how we knew this story to be our own, and our heritage. This was our story. But it was not the story of everyone else in this state. That there are those in this state, and even this community, with a different story, and their story, their reality, was equally as valid as ours. That God’s love for them, was equally valid as it is for us.

Jesus and his disciples go down the hill and into the darkness that is real life. Peter wants to hang out on the mountaintop to live in the awesomeness of that moment, but it was fleeting, and it was time to get to work.

So, they enter the town and are greeted by a great crowd, and a father tells them that his boy is sick. His boy is possessed with a spirit, and when the disciples try to help, they are unsuccessful. Jesus yells at his disciples, scolding them for not learning from the mountaintop. Jesus pulls out the spirit, and the boy is saved.

And all were astounded at the greatness of God… Lent is fast upon us. Beginning on Wednesday and continuing on through the Vigil of Easter, the time for reflection and Soup Suppers will be here. The darkness of the season, the storm before the calm, the anticipation of the Gospel of Easter… is fast upon us. Today is the last Sunday of Epiphany, and a literal shift in the seasons of the church. A shift, a change, progression…

We shift our minds from the glory of God, to anticipation of the cross. The remembrance of Jesus walking in the desert for 40 days in a whirlwind of temptation. We shift our minds from Light, into darkness.

Darkness that we know what is coming. Even if the disciples continue over and over throughout the Gospels to ignore the reality that their friend is going to die, we know this to be true. We know, and it is our Christian identity to know that the Savior of the World, the Messiah, the Anointed One, is going to die. We know that during this time of darkness and anticipation, that the eventual end of Lent, is the death of our Savior on the cross. A death, that was like any other for a criminal of his stature. A death on a cross, on yet another hill, to save us all, from ourselves. It is this death, and his eventual resurrection, that is our Christian hope. Our truth. Our light through the darkness. That even though we know that our Messiah dies, we know what comes afterward. We know the Good News.

The Good News that even if death has come, it cannot win the day. Even though the shadow of death is long, that the Light of Christ shines through it.

So, as we look toward Lent, and this time of reflection and anticipation; as we talk about how Jesus was changed, how his ministry shifted into knowing his mission in the world and going out and doing work… I want to ask you a favor.

During this season of Lent, I’m going to put a box outside my office door. I want as many of you, who are able and willing, to ponder this question with me. What is the darkness that you see in our community, in our patch of God’s green… well, snow-covered… Earth. What are the struggles you see this community struggling with, the darkness, the pain, the sorrows… What are the shadows of our reality that you see needing a Light to be shone… What are the realities that you know of, that aren’t being addressed in our community. What are the needs, the desires of the community that you see that are in need of attention?

I’ll let you define your own definition of darkness, but I want Zion to consider, what it is that this community around us, needs? What are we lacking? What are the realities that are missing in this area? What people need welcoming, to be reminded that we are Minnesota Nice. Where can the Light of Christ shine upon this area, to show that all are welcome to bask in the Light? I encourage you to think on these ideas during our Lenten journey together. The first sermon I preach after Easter, I will compile the results, and share with you what Zion has figured out.

Jesus calls us to be transformed, transfigured before God, and to come down off the mountain, and get to work. Get to work showing the Light to the world, so that all may know the warm embrace of God. The Love of God. The Love of God that knows no bounds. Peter wanted to make structures to celebrate the arrival of the prophets. Peter wanted to hangout, in the world of newness and light; in the glory of God.

The People of Zion have done great things in this community. The People of Zion continue to do great things in this community, shining the Light of Christ wherever you go. God calls us to get off the mountain, and get to work. In many ways, we have done amazing work in this community, and even globally. Amazing work. A community is never done growing. We are never done growing. As long as we look forward, with an eye to improving the world around us, to bettering the reign of God around us, so that all might share a seat at the table. As long as we look toward coming down the mountain, and shining the light into the darkness of our world, life will continue to grow. New seeds will be planted. New structures built. Lives changed. Hearts opened to see the glory of God shine through their deepest darkness.

Jesus was up there with Moses and Elijah. With God shining down on God’s Son, God shows us that we are never alone. We are working alongside great people. We are working in a long line of great people. We have our heritage of harrowing stories of survival and prosperity. Our ancestors carved out a living out of this soil, this patch of land we call the United States. We follow in the footsteps of amazing people, and stand on the shoulders of giants. We are never alone. We journey together into Lent with our heads held high, knowing that together, we have done and will continue to do beautiful things.
Amen.

It's About Love. - Sermon on Luke 4:21-30

My second sermon of 2016 at Zion Lutheran of Amor

Epistle - One Corinthians 13:1-13
Gospel - Luke 4:21-30

Grace and Peace to you from God our Creator, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, Amen

Other than a select few of you, I would suppose that most of you have moved away from where you grew up. Even if you moved away and came back, at one point or another, I’m thinking that most of you have the experience of moving away. Most of us have a sense of what it feels like to leave what you knew so well, and uproot yourself or your family to a new place. A new locale. A new school, a new job. Some of you might have gone away to college, or the service. Something called you away from home.

Home. It’s where the heart is; it’s where the heart wants to be. I considered, and still probably do consider Donnelly my hometown. So far, it’s where I’ve lived the longest. And yet, I’ve called many other places home. Each of us have a place we call home. Maybe it’s your home right now. Maybe it’s this church. We feel grounded in the place we call home. It’s truly where our heart is.

Jesus returns home in last week’s Gospel, and today’s Gospel is the second half to that story. Jesus returns home and it’s almost like he never left. The people still think he’s the carpenter’s boy. They’ve heard of his miracles in Capernaum, but don’t witness any while he’s there. They’re amazed at his reading of Isaiah, and wary of what he does with it. He points out that there are people that we forget about, and it’s not the people in his hometown. It’s not everybody else. There are people in his world; the blind, oppressed, poor and lame… that the people forget about.

Maybe they’re not held to the same standard as everyone else. Maybe these people are hurting, and are not taken care of. Maybe people blame them for their lot in life. It’s their own fault they’re poor, oppressed, blind and lame. Jesus points out that these forgotten people, are in need of salvation as well. They are in need of his ministry as well. They are in need of God’s love as well.

God’s love. Most of you have probably heard today’s second lesson. It is the quintessential wedding text. Why not? It’s about love, after all. It’s also a continuation from last week’s texts. Last week, Pastor Jim pointed out that we are all part of the Body of Christ. All of us use the gifts that God has given us. All of us are brought together by Christ, and the greatest gift that God gives us: God’s love. It is God’s love that breaks the bonds of division. It is God’s love that brings us together. Where there is neither Jew nor Greek, but we are all people of God. Through the waters of baptism, we are called and named children of God. It’s love. Love that is poured out for us.

This is true in our own world today. Entire populations of people are discriminated against because of their skin color. Because of who they love. Because of the money they make. Because of their gender expression or identity. In the name of whatever power they wish to hold over people; the Bible, the Constitution, the Country… People are discriminated against, and Jesus is there now, just he was then, telling us that all are deserving of God’s love. All are welcome at God’s table.

Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians that Love - Love is the greatest gift that is given to us by God. Whatever we think we might know about people. Whatever we might think we know about what is going on in people’s lives, that makes them unworthy of whatever we want to withhold from them. Whatever we think we might know about what someone wrote about in the Constitution or the Bible or wherever… It is love that conquers all. Love that goes beyond knowledge. Love that goes beyond supposition, discrimination, prejudice, and hate. In the words of Paul, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.” 
(1 Corinthians 13:4-10 NRSV)

Love. Not hate. It was hate that drove Jesus out of his own hometown that day. It was hate that drove Jesus to the cross another day. Hate for the good news. Hate for the idea that everyone is special in God’s eye. The idea that everyone is loved, by the same God that loved God’s son. It’s that old verse from John that everyone seems to memorize. For God so loved the world… not just Nazareth. Not just Jerusalem. Not just Israel. Not just the West. Not just the United States… the world.

Why is this idea of a God that loves all… so offensive, so wrong, so despising… that people were willing to throw Jesus off a cliff? What is it about mentioning the forgotten ones, even saying that a select group of people, ‘those people’... aren’t worth mentioning, or worth focusing on…

This idea that God loves even the people who weren’t like everyone else that Jesus was speaking to… Jesus cures the sick, feeds the hungry, heals the injured, provides ministry to the Gentiles, prostitutes and tax collectors… shows the people that even the ones they’d rather not worry about… are deserving of his grace. God’s grace. God’s love. The unwinnable, unattainable, unwavering grace that God bestowed to all, through the death and resurrection of God’s son, Jesus the Christ. The death and resurrection of the Messiah that saves us all. From ourselves. Our sin. Our hatred. Our blindness. Our selfishness. Our complacency.

God’s love was poured out for us on the cross, and God is the one calling us to spread the message of God’s love to the world.

I was asked this week… So what? What can we do about it? What can we do about the realities that are happening in our world right now? In our own community? We’re a small community in rural Minnesota. Things are the way they are, because it’s the way it’s been. I’m going to explore this question with you more next week, as we look toward the Transfiguration of Christ and the transition into Lent, but let me leave you with this…

At some point, most of us will leave the home we know, and travel to a new reality. Most of our ancestors, probably came from the same general part of the world. Whatever land they came from, they probably didn’t go back. They probably left home… and looked toward a new life for themselves, on the shores of this great country. Not knowing what they’d see when they got there, they boarded the boats, and traveled across the treacherous seas with many other people. Many other people, who likely didn’t all speak the same language. All together in the same boat, these people of different backgrounds, headed to different destinations. Our Scandinavian ancestors all pretty much settled in the same general area of the United States. They settled in the same place, because they grouped together with similar languages, similar customs, similar religion.

They formed communities. Named them after their homeland. (Amor for instance, supposedly comes from the town in Sweden, Mora - but there was already a town in Minnesota named Mora, so they switched the A around and Mora became Amor…) They named their churches after their hometown or their region. These churches became the center of communities, just as they were in their homeland. They spoke the language of their homeland in church. They spoke the language of their homeland at home.

Our ancestors made a home for themselves that was very much like their home that they came from. Over the years, their native tongues were outlawed in public spaces, including churches, so churches soon offered services in English. Schools taught English. Homes gradually became English speaking, and the world around them, could speak the same language in church. The world around them, spoke English.

We know this history, because this is our history. Our way of life. Our way of life passed down from generation to generation. This is our heritage.

Now, understand, that this is not the heritage of everyone else. This is not necessarily the heritage of everyone in here. This is definitely not the heritage of everyone in this state. Jesus is telling the people of his hometown, that there are people in his world that don’t have the same experience as everyone gathered. There are people who don’t experience life as they do. Jesus tells them that they are equally deserving of love, as everyone there is. Equally deserving of his ministry. Because the prophets of old did it. Because Jesus himself did it. Because we must do it. Minnesota has a long history of neighbor welcoming neighbor. No matter their background. No matter their heritage. No matter their current reality. Love one another. As God loves you.

Amen