Rock the Boat, Together: Poetic Sermon on Luke 12:13-21

My sermon from Sunday, 7/31

This is my third to last sermon at Zion, so I decided I'd try something a little different, and preach in poem form. I wrote the first part in iambic tetrameter, and the second part using a Slam Poetry-esque mode... Poetry is best when it's read aloud, so I've attached the audio (follow the link). 

I thought about copyrighting this... but then I thought that copyrighting the following words would be a disservice to the meaning of the sermon, and so I give it out freely here. 

Elon Musk made all his patents free for people to look at and improve, and I'm not a tech billionaire, but I like the concept. So here's my Elon Musk moment. Take, borrow, steal, whatever. These words are as much yours as they are mine. 

All Grace and Peace to you from God -
Creator, Spirit, Staff and Rod
Amen

A man had ample crops to spare
And wanted time... enough to share
So store away his crops he did
Away from everyone he hid

But God looked down upon his head
And told the man he’d soon be dead
What use of crops had he if slain?
His time was up, no more to gain.

For Jesus told this parable
Not only to the culpable
But unto us he shared this tale
To listen, grow and to avail

Ourselves for service. All of us.
Because we all must ride the bus
It’s not enough to idly stand
Perhaps instead to lend a hand

The treasures kept in banks still sit
Accruing int’rest, all of it.
Because some banker told us so
It’s good to keep, dontcha know?

Of all the countries in the world
We boast our wealth, our necklines pearled
And yet, we struggle feeding more
Than we have ever known before

The cost of living freely? High.
Collectively, we breathe a sigh.
A sigh of willful ignorance.
When life is not unlike a dance

We sway together, softly now
Try not to rock the boat, our scow
For God so deeply loves us all
And God is sending us a call

To stand against oppression strong
To fight and right, offend the wrong
Because the God of fire and pain
Puts out the flames in tears and rain

When scores of wealth and energy
Are stored away and atrophy
The death that stares us in the face
Will put an end to riches, Ace

We steward resources around
To those who have been wrongly found
Deserving help. But who deserves?
Well, that is up to you. It serves...

It serves just one to judge someone
It serves but only you, so run -
So run away from all your guilt
So stand in awe as walls are built

It's not your fault that life's this way
It's not your sin. Please don't dismay
Just stand and sit and lay awake
Just eat and drink and do not shake

The boat.


“...there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave
and free; but Christ is all and in all!”




I meant it when I said it…
I’m tired of hearing that someone is undeserving of love
Of food
Money
Cars
Education
Basic things we all need

That’s not how God works.
That’s not how Grace works.

That’s not why Christ died.

Christ didn’t die for whoever is special enough to earn God’s grace

That’s not how God works.
That’s not how Grace works.

The author of Colossians just said it. We have been renewed in Christ… in the waters of baptism

In the ever-flowing waters of our baptism
We are connected by the same water, through that water
Through the water that flows in our baptism
We are connected through the water to every living thing on this planet.

Every living thing. In our baptism we are connected.
We are named, claimed and called children of God
We are washed in the water that flows in and among us all

Christ is all and in all.

Today’s gospel is about stewardship.
Stewardship of our resources
Our time
Our energy
Our money
Our love

God created everything out of nothing
God created you, created me, created us all

God loves you, loves me, loves us all

God calls us to spread the love, the wealth, the time, the energy
To us all.

Time and time again, Christ is caught messing with the system

Christ is caught preaching about the poor and blind in his hometown
Christ is caught feeding the poor
Healing the sick
Calling on people to give of themselves
Telling parables about lost sheep
Lost coins
Lost children

Christ performs miracles
Teaches
Preaches
Heals
Feeds
And feeds again

Never once asking if they deserve it
Never once asking if they needed it
Never once pointing out that if one was healed then everyone needed to be healed.
Never once pointing out solutions to our modern realities

Because Jesus lived in an unfair world
Not unlike this unfair world

Jesus lived to die

Jesus lived so that when we die
We would have a life with him

Our ticket on the bus is already taken care of
Our price has already been paid
Because the same Christ who stood up to the system that oppressed him
The same system that oppressed his friends
Neighbors
Jews
Gentiles
Tax Collectors
Samaritans
Lepers
Fill in the blank

Jesus stood up for them
For you
For me

That same Christ stood up, knew his time was due

And he died

For you
For me

Jesus died to save us all from ourselves

Our hatred
Our bigotry
Our indifference

Jesus the Christ died

Rose again three days later and saved us all

That’s the Good News

That’s the Gospel

That’s the truth that you and I… the truth that we all share

That we share together.

Together.

That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it

Together.

You and I and the McDonald’s fry guy

We’re in this thing called life together

What use is your money
Your time
Your energy
Your stuff

What use is it to you just sitting there

What use is it to anyone else but you

God saw the man with the crops, just sitting on his wealth

And God told the man his life was due

All his stuff… all his hard-earned stuff… was sitting there


We all have stuff.
I’m very conscious and cognizant about how much stuff I currently own, as it’s all being packed in front of me

Stuff I forgot about
Stuff I knew about
Stuff I don’t care about
Stuff that really… just needs to be thrown away

And stuff is good
Stuff keeps us going
Stuff gets us from point A to point B
Stuff gets us going in the morning and helps us with our day
Without stuff… well, we’d be just like the people on the street, without stuff

Or all their stuff is in a bag
Or a basket
Or a shopping cart

So many people have such little stuff

That our large amounts of stuff… looks… sad in comparison to their non-stuff

Some folks on TV have overwhelming amounts of stuff
There are many TV shows on many channels devoted to people having too much stuff

This acquisition of stuff… can be harmful to people

And yet, there are people who would offer all of their stuff… for just a pile of someone else’s stuff

Stuff. We need it. It gives us meaning

I have lots of stuff. All of us are lucky and blessed to have as much stuff as we do.

We should all count our blessings for our stuff.

When you reduce our worldly possessions, that honestly may hold so much meaning to us
Because we can tell stories about them… We know how we got them and why we got them and why we still need them…
When you reduce these worldly possessions to a word such as stuff

It’s almost silly. It’s really quite silly how often the word ‘stuff’ was just used…

But in reality, it’s all just stuff.

And in God’s reality… it’s all just God’s stuff.

And God’s stuff is beautiful.

We should all be thankful for our stuff, but we should all be willing to part with our stuff.

Ultimately, it’s not our stuff that matters, but it’s you. It’s me. It’s all of us

Christ is all and in all.

Christ lived, died for you, and for us all - to live a life together.

A man had ample crops to spare
And wanted time... enough to share
So store away his crops he did
Away from everyone he hid

But God looked down upon his head
And told the man he’d soon be dead
What use of crops had he if slain?
His time was up, no more to gain.

For Jesus told this parable
Not only to the culpable
But unto us he shared this tale
To listen, grow and to avail

Ourselves for service. All of us.
Because we all must ride the bus
It’s not enough to idly stand
Perhaps instead to lend a hand

For God is Love. And Love abounds.

So rock the boat.

Together.

Amen.

Because Love Matters: Sermon on Luke 10:25-37

This is a homily on the Good Samaritan, preached at Camp Nidaros, a pastoral retreat on Walker Lake started in the 1910's by pastors, whose ancestors still utilize the cabins and camp.

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

Who is your neighbor? The lawyer in today’s Gospel asks Jesus… Who is his neighbor? So, I ask you the very same question - Who is your neighbor? Jesus tells us exactly who our neighbor is. It’s exactly who you don’t expect it to be. Exactly who you don’t want it to be. The Samaritans weren’t well liked in those days, which makes this parable that Jesus tells even more profound. Love your neighbor as yourself. The Golden Rule. The same idea that has passed between peoples of different areas and different religions for ages. The Greatest Commandment. It’s the ability to look at one another as human beings, just as you are a human being… and know that they have blood running through their veins, and air running through their lungs…

Love. It’s a complicated emotion that is talked about many times throughout the entire bible, but especially the Gospels. Love. Such a complicated emotion, and yet, it’s rather quite simple, or at least it should be. Compassion. Knowing that the person sitting next to you, living next you, breathing next to you… is just as valued to God as you are. Is just as worthy of all the life, liberty and freedoms you desire and need. It’s about love folks. It’s always been about love. It will always be about love.
Who is your neighbor? Who is deserving of love when others deny it? Who are the voices crying out for help, lying beaten and defeated on the road of life?

I’m going to be honest with you. This has a terrible week to be a law enforcement officer, a terrible week to be a person of color… and a terrible week to be a human being. I mean it. If we can’t look at the events that happened in Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights and Dallas… and see a total breakdown of human existence…. This isn’t how life should be. If we can’t look at the events of Orlando a month ago… In Baghdad… Istanbul…

It seems like life is devolving into chaos, with people at each other’s throats… And it makes me sad. I think it’s safe to say that it makes God grieve as well.

The Psalmist writes in the thirteenth Psalm…
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
    and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

The nation seems to be in a perpetual state of mourning. It seems that there’s something new every week. A mass shooting here, another minority attacked there, and terrorist attacks in between. It’s almost enough for me to want to get back to hearing about emails and walls…
But maybe not.

Why is this message of love - so hard for us to hear? Love God, Love your neighbor and be the Good Samaritan to help another stranded on the road. Simple. And yet, we fail all too often.
We are the Levite and priest, passing by the man hurt on the road. We are the ones passing by, letting life go… watching Rome burn as we stand and watch. Sure, we say our prayers and thoughts are with the victims… but how often do we stand up for the one on the road? How often are we standing against indifference, and staring at the face of injustice?

Why am I asking this? Because Love Matters. Elie Wiesel, a survivor of the Holocaust and author said, “The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference”

Because Love Matters. When we are faced with injustice, we can either pass by and let it happen… or be the Good Samaritan and stand up against it.

Because Love Matters, the man who called on us to love one another… to love our neighbor as ourselves… the man who lived among, walked alongside of, and preached for the other… the outcasts… Jesus the Christ… died for them, for us, for me, for you… to save us all from ourselves. Our indifference. Our injustice. Our pain. Our sorrow. Our weariness. Jesus the Christ died to save us all... through the unwinnable, unshakeable grace, love and mercy of God - poured out for us all.
Jesus died, through the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate act of love… Jesus died for the neighbor.
So, I ask you again - who is your neighbor? Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were your neighbors. The five police officers killed in Dallas were your neighbors. The people who pulled the triggers were your neighbors.

Jesus calls on us to love. Because Love Matters. Amen.

Unity in Community: Sermon on Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

My sermon for Independence Day weekend

Gospel: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

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

Tomorrow, we celebrate 240 years of independence from Great Britain. The United Kingdom, of which Great Britain is a part has, in it’s own right, now declared their own independence from the European Union, a move that disrupted trade and stock exchanges across the globe. The United Kingdom itself, is a uniting of four distinct regions: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. So, therefore, the Uniting of four distinct regions has declared as a whole that it no longer wants to be part of the larger European Union, which has it’s origins after World War II in the late 1950s. Okay - so that was a short recent history lesson all in the purpose of saying… it’s a complicated world out there folks. Finding clarity in muckery is often difficult - and the politics of a country half a world away may yet have far reaching consequences for us here in these United States…

But I’m not up here to give you a history lesson. I’m up here to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and risen. Jesus sent out 70 people to go out into the country and spread the good news of God’s presence and peace. Jesus told these people that if they are welcomed with open arms, break bread with the Samaritans and spread the good news of God’s peace. If they aren’t welcomed in, Jesus told them to forget about the encounter, and still proclaim God’s peace for them.
Seventy people were sent out. In pairs. Wherever one of them went, the other followed. Wherever the other 68 went, all 70 were doing the same job. All 70 were proclaiming God’s peace and presence. There’s something powerful in knowing that those 70 people, all sent out to different places, all had the same message. Those 70 people were all different, yet all were sent with the same word of peace. Those 70 were united under one cause, and that unity kept them together.

That group of 70 was united in community. A community of believers, much like this church. Much like Zion. While there are more than 70 of us here, and we are all different from different backgrounds and different understandings of the same world… We are united when we bring God’s peace to one another. We start every worship service with a sharing of the peace. We greet one another in a show of our welcome, in the smile or the hug or the handshake. We greet one another in this place, for we are all here for the same purpose - to worship the One who called us here to begin with. We are called to be with one another together in worship and song. We are a community. A unifying presence for a common purpose. We are gathered here today as a community of believers.
Community can be powerful. Even with different opinions and outlooks on the world, we can be united in our calling to live out the Gospel. Even though we are different, in many ways,  we are the same.

Take our country for example. These United States of America are a united community of fifty unique and beautiful states. The Great Seal of these United States has on there a phrase in Latin - E Pluribus Unum - or, out of many, one. Even though we are many, we are one. This uniting didn’t happen overnight. Sure, 240 years ago, 13 colonies declared themselves independent from the rule of a foreign crown… but the Revolutionary War was fought for years after that. After declaring independence, writing our own constitution… Britain came back in 1812 to try to take it back… again… we still have a country. Then a bunch of states were acquired in the Louisiana Purchase, including most of this one… then further land was bought and paid for, then the Civil War happened and broke up the Union that we had and a few more years of war, the country was a little more whole… Then the Transcontinental Railroad happened… and Manifest Destiny, and more states were bought and fought over and paid for and slowly but surely, the fiftieth state was acquired in 1959. We have been a country of 50 states for more than 50 years.

Who knows about Puerto Rico or Washington DC or Guam or American Samoa or all the other regions we kind of call American soil… but aren’t states. Even this country is only mostly united.
We have different places we call home. Yet, we are all American. Last Friday was Canada Day. They celebrated their identity as Canadian on Friday. They were once part of the British Empire too. The British Empire once spanned the globe, and it could be said that the sun never set on the British Empire. Because of their previous foreign dealings, they have an even more complicated system to be united under.

Systems of unity were complicated even long before Jesus was walking around. The tribes of Israel didn’t really get along with each other. Kingdoms were united then divided and warred against each other. Even into Jesus’ day, the Jewish leaders were united by their Jewish identity, but divided on how they interpreted the law. The Roman Empire was united by the Emperor, but even emperors were divided and so on and so forth.

Jesus lived in a world that was constantly changing as well. The Paul and the authors of the other books of the New Testament lived in a changing time… The author of Ephesians wanted to unite the Jews and Gentiles together. The tension between unity and division has been a constant thing.
The disciples were divided as to how they saw their ministry. What united them is the same thing that unites us. Their friend, our Messiah - walked this earth with a diverse group of people, both Jew and Gentile, women and men. Jesus of Nazareth lived in an ever-changing world with an ever-changing group of people, and taught them. Healed them. Loved them. Died for them, for us. Jesus the Christ died on a cross and rose again to save us all from ourselves. Our divisiveness. Our anger. Our hatred. Our blindness to realities out there… Our sin. Jesus’ death and resurrection saves us through God’s grace, God’s mercy, and God’s love. For this God, that unites all under God’s unwinnable, unshakable grace, love and mercy… For we are united in Jesus’ death, and can celebrate together the hope and promise his resurrection means for us all. In a few minutes, we will be united at the table, just as we are united in the waters of baptism.

We have different words that separate us by who we are as human beings, but we are united by our broken humanity. We may have words that describe us as Christians, but we are all united through Christ.

On this Independence Day weekend, remember the sacrifices of all those who made this country what it is. Remember what makes us independent, but yet always strive to remember our  dependence on each other… and our dependence on the One who unites us all.
Happy fourth everybody.
Amen.

How Many Sins? - Sermon on Luke 7:36-8:3

This sermon was written on June 9. I preached it on Sunday, June 12 without knowing about the events in Orlando earlier that morning. This was also preached in a situation not welcome to discussions on rape culture and that of the Stanford rape... What follows is a sermon preached in the context I just described... It would be a different sermon in a different context, if I was able to preach to the current realities of the world.

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

This story is one of my favorites for many reasons. It happens in all four of the gospels, each writer telling a slightly different story. In the other three, the story is more about feeding the poor with the money that would be spent on the ointment poured on Jesus. This version is more about the sins of the woman, rather than her wealth, or lack thereof.

All four gospels point out the difference between the people of the house, and the people around them - how there’s a dramatic difference between them in some regard. And, if you think about it, many of the Gospels’ stories… are about exactly that. One group holding power over another group… and somehow, Jesus fits in the middle of it all, and brings peace.

Jesus takes the inequality of the woman’s sins, and negates them. Whatever sin she had, Jesus canceled them out. For that is the Gospel. That right there. That truth - that no matter who you are, where you come from, what you do, what you’ve done… Jesus cancels the debt seemingly owed to people and society… Jesus sets us free.

So… what is sin anyway? Can it be quantified like Jesus makes an allusion to in his parable? I’ll share with you the definition found in this little handy book, called Crazy Talk: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Theological Terms - edited by one of Luther Seminary’s Old Testament professors, Rolf Jacobson. In it he says -

Sin - “Theologically, people [are bad] at being human the way God intends humans to be because of a condition known as sin. Also known as ‘fallenness’, ‘brokenness’, and ‘the human condition’; sin refers to the state of who we are, the condition we are stuck in. The biblical story goes like this: God created everything and it was good (Genesis 1); God created human beings to play a special role within Creation (Genesis 1-2); sin entered into the world because of the rebellion of the first human beings (Genesis 3); ever since then, God has worked to cure the disease of sin (see the entire rest of the Bible).

The condition of sin has many unfortunate side effects. Instead of trusting and taking God at God’s word, we place our trust in other gods - most often the one who wears our face and clothes. Instead of trusting our neighbors, we distrust them and drive them away.” (p. 161)

Dr. Jacobson’s point - is that sin permeates who we are, no matter who we are… we are sinful beings. Sin is in our nature. It is Christ who set us free from that sin - so that we may go out into the world and worry about many other things that need to be worried about - rather than our own perceived sin.

Sin is a troubling thing. A complicated thing. We think we know what sin looks like. We call actions, feelings sin - where there is none. Sin is bounced about like candy at a parade. Placing blame, pointing fingers at other people for their perceived sin helps no one. Pointing the sin inward - pointing out our own sin - our own misgivings - our own troubles… There - there powerful work can be done. When we start to look inside at who we really are, deep inside… but we can’t do that too much either.

The last time I preached, I talked about humility and confidence. Humility is what keeps us grounded and confidence is what keeps us going… So. I noted that if we have too much of either, nothing works correctly. Thus - if we look deep inside, and see too much sin - think we’re not good enough or whatever… then shame comes into play - and that’s a very dark place to be.

How much shame do you think the woman had in the Gospel this morning? Jesus describes her as woman with many sins… like baggage carried around with her. How much shame does it take to kneel at the feet of her lord, and wash his feet - with her tears. Because of her perceived sinfulness - She felt ashamed enough to wash his feet with her tears and hair. And then Jesus does the unthinkable - something no one expected him to do. Jesus forgives her of all her sins. Just as the man in the parable forgave all the debt. Jesus forgave this woman’s sin. All of them.

I asked in the beginning if you could quantify - or count sins. How many sins does it take to qualify for ‘many sins’? What kind of sins? Let’s go with an easy one that all of us do probably on a daily or weekly basis. Lying. Now, you may not actively go about lying to everyone you see… but… think of it this way. Most of you have smart phones, computers, or other devices that help you connect with the modern world. And if you don’t that’s okay too. For every program you install on a computer, there’s what’s called an ‘End-User License Agreement’ or ‘EULA’. They’re usually really long, pages and pages and pages of things that dictate how you use the program. Most of them basically boil down to: don’t steal this program and claim that it’s yours.

Well, guess what - How many of you have ever read every single word of every one of those agreements? But you click on the ‘I have read and fully understand everything that I’m agreeing to’ button… and your program installs. Now, all you did was click a button. But that’s still lying, even if it’s to a computer. Lying is a sin. You have committed a sin.

Like I said, we probably do it on a daily or weekly basis. Sometimes, we just can’t help it, or think it’s not really a big deal. Honestly, all sin is equal under God, and we all fall short to the glory of God… We are all sinful people. But we are also saints. Luther had a famous saying, that we are all simultaneously sinner and saint. You see, like I keep saying, God’s got this taken care of.

In fact, God had this taken care of long before you were ever born. The hope and promise found in the Good News of Jesus the Christ is what took care of our sin for us. Our Christ, our Messiah lived among many sinners of many sins, man and woman alike. Jew and Gentile alike. Jesus taught, caught, walked, talked, preached, fed, healed, cured, resurrected… and died for us all, to save us all from ourselves. From our many sins. For it is this salvation - this grace from God that permeates our sin, our brokenness, our reality as humanity. God’s grace, that was poured out from God and is freely bestowed to all of us in the name of Christ… This grace, love and mercy from God - they’re unwinnable, unattainable… and there’s no amount of sin that will ever take that promise away. There’s absolutely nothing you can ever ever do - to make God love you less. God’s got this taken care of.

God’s love is more powerful than your sin. God’s love overtakes anyone’s perceived sin, and washes it clean. In the waters of baptism, we are made clean, called and named children of God and we are tasked from that moment to live into the Gospel - to learn the commandments of the church, to read and get to know the Holy Scriptures… So that we may one day go out into the world and make the world a better place for us all. God’s love, God’s forgiveness, God’s salvation… sets us free from the chains of sin that weigh us down, and sets us up to live out our calling.

Christ died for you, for me, for us all. Whatever sins you carry around with you, however many sins you carry around with you… know that you are loved, and saved from the burden of that sin.

Earthly sins are divinely forgiven, but still earthly punished. Sins against ourselves are between ourselves and God. Sins against another person are sins that require apology, repentance, forgiveness, and in some cases, consequences. Like the quote from Dr. Jacobson said, we are terrible at being human the way God intends humanity to be. So we rectify that. We learn from other’s mistakes, and try to make the world a better place for us all.

Sin abounds, and grace abounds. We are simultaneously sinner and saint. We live in the grey of life, and we try to make that grey a little brighter for us all, through the work of God and the Good News. This is our calling. This is who we are.

God’s mercy endures forever.

Amen.

Humility and Confidence: Sermon on Luke 7:1-10

My Sermon for the Second Sunday after Pentecost

Gospel: Luke 7:1-10

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

Humility is something Minnesotans are usually known for. And we’re proud of it. Think about that for a second there. We’re proud of our humility. We even have a word for it we’re so proud. It’s called being, “Minnesota-nice”. Here in Minnesota, and the upper Midwest in general, we get angry at someone’s boasting. They’re not being humble enough.

Between humility and confidence… we have to find the right balance, or we throw people off. I was definitely put off by the lack of humility found in California when I lived out there. Uffda. Everybody’s somebody out there, and they’ll let you know about it too. No thank you.

Some folks from outside of Minnesota, think of this concept of the Minnesota humility… fake.
And so, a humble Roman centurion who commands armies and owns a slave, humbles himself and asks for the help of Jesus to heal his slave. Knowing the power that both men possess. Jesus, who humbled himself in the form of a slave, healed a slave.

I think, that right there, is where the true humility comes in. I’ve referenced it in a couple other sermons, and I’m going to again, but Paul’s Hymn to Christ in Philippians really cements this idea of Jesus’ humility. Between healing the slave, lepers, and everyone else - feeding the hungry with tiny scraps of food, causing the blind to see and the deaf to hear… Jesus got down in the muck, the darkness of life’s realities, and lived out the promise of the Messiah with the fringes of society.

Jesus displayed the ultimate acts of humility by being as powerful as he was, for fruitful endeavors. Even when wandering through the desert for 40 days and nights, Jesus was tempted to use his powers for other reasons, but humbled himself to use them for other people. Above selfish gain.

The Messiah, who was expected to be a war hero, a powerful leader to rid the people of Roman oppression, humbles himself in the request of a Roman leader, and heals the leader’s slave.

So, beyond humility, this story is also about healing. How Jesus healed the undeserved. Healed the sick, fed the hungry, advocated for the poor. The need for healing in this world is a constant one, and there are professionals that help in this task. Sometimes healing comes in different forms, where health looks different than what we would originally assume. Heaing is tricky that way. When you stub your toe, nothing really needs to be healed, hopefully… the pain will dissipate slowly. If you skin your knee, a bandage covering the wound will allow your own body to heal the wound in a few days. Break a leg, the medical professionals will set the pieces back together and wrap a cast around it, and again, your body will heal itself with the assistance of the cast around your leg. Healing, while aided by medical professionals, is mostly done by our own bodies. But when the injury is major - a heart attack, stroke, major burns and large wounds… Or when it’s a disease like cancer or AIDS… When healing… takes on a different form. Or even mental health, when healing includes treatment plans and counseling and therapy and… health and healing is a complicated ordeal.

Jesus healed folks. Cured folks. Walked with them, lived among them, and ate meals with them.
What if healing is more than just cut and dry, but something intangible? What if we are humbled by the wonder and complicated nature of healing?  For some, healing may indeed be cut and dry, as simple as putting a bandage on a wound. For others, healing may involve years and years of rest, therapy, and knowing that whatever ails you, will be with you for the rest of your life? Healing for some, isn’t a cessation of ailment, but a living with, dealing with, and acknowledging it’s gonna be there. Healing is knowing that the stuff you suffer from, will be there… but there’s nothing you can do about it, and rather than dwelling on it, you live the rest of your life to the fullest. For some, that’s the healthy thing to do.

And then again, there are some that when things turn for the worst, the end itself… is a healing notion. That after a long hard battle with cancer or other terminal illness… the ending of pain that only the end can bring… That only the warm embrace of our loving Lord can offer… Then healing looks a little different. To stand in a room with people that all know that there is nothing else to do but wait for the Lord… now that’s a humbling experience.

It was my first day of my chaplaincy at Unity Hospital in Fridley… and a man was dying of pancreatic cancer, and I was called in to offer a word of prayer, to ask God to welcome him home. He had a full life right up until the end, and learning very quickly the seriousness of what caregivers are called to do… I was called in to offer to pray for his journey home, and pray I did, and the whole time, this man was looking at me, but I think, he was really looking through me. The words I said, didn’t really matter. This man was about to die, and he probably couldn’t hear me or understand me. It was a humbling, holy moment - one I’ll never forget.

All the doctors in all the world all put off the inevitable. Human beings are the only creatures on the planet that are aware of their own mortality. In all of the medical and scientific breakthroughs, we’ve certainly extended life spans, but the end result is always the same.

And yet… we as Christians know that death is not the end. We know that there was a man who humbled himself in the form of a slave, healed slaves, fed the hungry, and walked, talked, preached, and lived among the people… and then died on a hill, to save us all from ourselves. Jesus the Christ died and rose again to save us all from our broken humanity, from death’s sting, through the unwinnable, unshakable Grace of God. For it is this Grace, Love and Mercy that we all freely receive, and are freely bestowed… so that we may go out into the world and freely bestow the same Grace, Love and Mercy to all we see. For while we will all be called home one day; we have a calling in this place to serve God’s creation. So that all may live with the peace and overflowing love we have in Christ.

I said earlier that there is a fine line between humility and confidence. We as Christians have confidence in Christ’s death and resurrection and the salvation of all. We have the confidence to live out that good news, that Gospel. We have the confidence that we are called by God to live out our service to God and God’s creation… and yet… we also have the humility to know that all of this isn’t up to us. We know that all of our good works, all of our preaching, teaching, loving, serving, living, dying… is through the grace, the love, and the mercy of God. We have to keep in mind this balance of humility and confidence. Too much humility, and we keep the bible on the shelves, live out our days not talking to anyone, not helping anyone in the name of Christ… Too much confidence, and we think we can do all of this ourselves. That the work we do has been preordained by God and we can go conquer the world in the name of Christ.

There is a balance there, and we have to hold on to it. Knowing that humility is what keeps us grounded, and confidence is what gives us strength and lets us go places.

And now, here we are. Tomorrow is Memorial Day. A day when the nation remembers the fallen members of the military, for their humble sacrifice to their country. A time when the people of this nation mourn their beloved service members, and hope for a day when they all come home. Not only is tomorrow a time to remember their humble service, but a time for the nation to heal from past wars. Friday was the first time a sitting President of the United States visited Hiroshima, one of the cities where atomic bombs were dropped over 70 years ago.

Healing comes in many forms, including that of bonds between once-warring countries. The feelings of loss we feel from a loved one’s passing are feelings that can be healed, in time. With God as our immortal comforter and healer, we humble ourselves, knowing that God is in control. God’s got this.

Amen

Identity in Trinity: Sermon on John 16:12-15

My Sermon for Trinity Sunday.

Gospel: John 16:12-15

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

Three in one. One in three. It’s impossible to figure it out. Seriously. God is beyond all of our comprehension, so how God is three forms but one form, all for one and one for all… God makes no sense, but complete sense. God is beyond sense. God is beyond definition. God is beyond all concepts of figuring out who God is. But we know who God is, and how God interacts with God’s world. We can see God interacting with us, in us and through us. God has interacted with humanity on a personal level, in the form of Jesus Christ, God Incarnate. God continues to be with us, in and through us, through the work of the Holy Spirit, some of which Pastor Jim explored last week.

So, God is Creator. God is Jesus. God is Holy Spirit. God is all these identities, and more… God is described as many identities in the bible, and not one encompasses all that God is, including the identity of father. God cannot be contained to an identity such as father, nor mother, brother, sister, friend, creator, life-giver, savior, sustainer, lord, spirit, wind, breath, messiah, or any one descriptor. God is all of that, none of that, and some of those in different ways at different times. God is indescribable to a fault, that our mode of understanding the un-understandable is faulty. We try to put into words that which describes God’s actions in the world, and all fall short of the totality of God.

Occasionally, I’ve made reference to my rabbi friend in other conversations, but the man I took undergraduate religious studies classes from - is a retired rabbi. I call him my rabbi, because rabbi means teacher, and he’s taught me a great many things over the years, even beyond the classroom. When he was in rabbinical school, he had a special Hebrew bible called a Biblia Hebraica, or a Kittel - named after the editor of the text. On every other page, there was a blank page designed to be there to take notes. So, every other page has handwritten notes, that my rabbi wrote in pencil, 50 years ago. On these pages, he would write God, but instead of writing G O D, he wrote G - D… You see, for some, the name of God is ineffable - you can’t even name God, God - so, God is so indescribable to some folks, they can’t even say God. To this day, my rabbi refers to God in some other manner, like ‘Holy One’ or some other way.

So, God is indescribable, undefinable, and un-understandable. The story of creation in Genesis 2 tells the tale of when humans decided they wanted to think like God, so taking a bite of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… That was too much.

Describing God as a Holy Trinity is a way of describing the indescribable, and yet… like I was getting at a couple weeks ago, using words to describe God helps, but does not encompass all that is God.

Much like using words to describe ourselves, does not describe all that we are. We are more than Minnesotan, American, or lake-dwellers. While we pick words to describe ourselves, to better ascribe professions, states of being, interests, or identities… We are more than these words, for we are all people. God is more than all the words we use to describe God, because God is God, and cannot be held to any standard of what we envision that word to be.

To break this down a little more, I’m going to share with you some paragraphs from the Athanasian Creed. The whole creed is very long, so I’ll share with you what I share with the confirmation students when explaining the Holy Trinity.

 “And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God....” and so on and so forth...

This explanation is wordy, long, and again, this is only some of the whole creed. But I use this portion to emphasize, that explaining God is hard, even for the early church. So, we try our hardest. We use words that are common to us, that make the most sense. We use Father, because Jesus called God Father, or better translated - daddy. We use Creator because God created the universe and continues to create to this day. We use Son to describe God Incarnate, Jesus Christ. We use Spirit to describe God’s actions in the world.

All I’m trying to get at, is God can be described in an inordinate amount of ways, but what ultimately matters is not how we describe God, but how we live out God’s truth. God’s truth in the Gospel found in God’s son, Jesus the Christ. God’s son, who lived among many people who went by many names, including those whose names were changed. Jesus lived among people of many identities, and taught, healed, helped, loved, and fed the people around him. Jesus, who told parables about loving your neighbor, no matter their identity, no matter how they described themselves; died on a cross with criminals beside him, and rose again three days later to save us all from ourselves. For that is God’s truth that matters, beyond how we refer to God. It is this truth that reminds us that - what is central to our faith as Christians - no matter how we refer to God - is that we believe and profess God’s grace, love, and mercy was poured out through Christ’s death and resurrection. That God’s love - that can never be taken away - is poured out for all through our Christian truth.

How people identify themselves is up to them. How God identifies Godself is up to God. We know God. We see God’s action and work in our lives and in the lives of our neighbors. We see God’s handiwork in the world around us, in God’s creation, in hospital rooms and in the lakes and fields that surround us. God is all around us, and God surrounds us with God’s love, and God’s beauty every day. Even when we’re down and out; even when we’re at our worst… God is there. God is there in the best of times, and the worst of times.

Just like the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We’ve had 16 previous interns here at Zion. I’m number 17, and I’m rounding 3rd base on my way home. God has always been present at this church, even in the worst of times. This congregation has been through the ringer at times, and yet, we always seem to come out on top. This absence of an intern is no different. For the last 17 years, Zion has guided seminary students like myself through their education in seminary, and instilled in them the stories and values of this congregation. I have something in common with 16 other great leaders, those that have stood up in this pulpit and learned from you and Pastor Jim. You’ve left quite a legacy, and God has been very gracious to the interns, and to the congregation. God will still be present without an intern, and maybe out of the absence of an intern, a newer presence of you folks, (like Dan) can be up here helping to lead each other.

The story of the rural church is changing. The story of Zion Lutheran Church of Amor is changing. God is ever-present throughout the best and the worst times. The Holy Trinity is alive and well in this congregation, as we press on, facing the adversity head on and adopting this new identity, this new reality. Zion is still Zion with or without an intern. I’m not leaving quite yet, and I’m looking forward to these last few months with you folks. God’s not done here. Remember the truth of the Gospel. Hold on to the truth of God’s saving word. Because God’s never letting go of you.

Amen

Unity and Identity: Sermon on John 17:20-26

Sermon for the last Sunday in the Easter season. First Sunday of two services.

Gospel: John 17:20-26

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

“Why aren’t you Christian?”, someone says to me. “I’m Lutheran,” I say… and I of course know I’m Christian… but for some folks, it’s not that simple. For some folks, the idea of a denomination is silly. Why would a religion divide itself on lines that don’t need division? Well, why do we baptize babies? Why do we commune every baptized Christian instead of only members of our church? Why do we have an empty cross instead of Jesus up on there? Why do we have an altar up here? Because there are lines in the sand that need to be made to distinguish ourselves. To identify ourselves. As it says in the United States’ Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” We hold these realities as identifying principles. We draw these lines because this is how we differentiate ourselves, and claim our uniqueness. We are Lutheran. We are members and participants in a worship of a congregation which claims itself as a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. For some people, none of that says the word Christian. “Why aren’t you just Christian?”, they ask. “I am”... I say… but what does that really mean?

People may not know what the usefulness of denominations is. In that case, I like to have them imagine a tree, like a family tree. As we are all part of the same Christian family tree. Then, I like to pull out a piece of paper, draw a bunch of lines on it, and point out that all these other denominations are part of the same tree that says Christian. We all hold certain truths to be self-evident. Those creeds we say every Sunday? Those are ways in which we claim our Christian identity. The wine and bread we consume every couple Sundays? Those are ways in which we claim our Christian identity. The practice of pouring water on babies and other folks’ heads? Those are ways in which we claim our Christian identity… That cross behind us… That is our cross to bear. Our reminder of the resurrection. Of the promise. Of the hope of a new life to come.

Right before the passion narrative, Jesus is praying with his disciples for the life of the church - past, present, and future. That the Church in which is about to form because of his death and resurrection and God’s grace… will be unified. But, then in the course of human history is divided, but in essence, still unified. First off though, there it is, right there. What Jesus is doing right there in the text - that is something that holds all Christians together. Christians pray. This prayer echoes Jesus’ earlier prayer to his father, the prayer we call the Lord’s Prayer. Christians pray the Lord’s prayer in many forms, many languages. Of all the churches in all the world… Christians pray. Christians celebrate life together in worship and service to others. Christians remember the life of their Messiah. Christians pray.

Prayer is a powerful thing. Prayer is a unifier in the room, when all other points of unity are out the window, prayer brings people together. Now, there are some denominations that don’t allow others to pray for them. Some don’t allow women to pray. But usually, prayer is a unifier. In our fellowship hall, there are old Swedish Psalmboks. Prayer unites us in the present, all around the world, in different languages and in different contexts. Prayer unites us with our ancestors. Prayers are throughout the bible, not only in the New Testament.

For all of human history, we have had a need to thank the Creator, ask for presence from the Creator, and pray for hope from the Creator. For all of human history, we have known there are things beyond our comprehension, beyond our skillset, beyond our knowledge, that only the Creator of the universe can possibly understand or deal with. The need to ‘Let Go, and Let God…’ has been, and will continue to be a constant need for humanity. Prayer unites us with the past, present, and future Church.

So, what does the future Church, look like? As I stated in the beginning of this sermon, some people have a hard time recognizing that any name other than Christian… can be Christian. Any denomination, division, or way of expressing ourselves… other than the word, Christian… is a denomination, division and way of expressing ourselves… too far.

For instance, I’m a human being, as much as you and every other human being on this planet, is exactly that. A human being. We can all unite on the fact of our existence. That we have blood running through our veins, with a heart or other medical device pumping that blood… and a brain on top of our shoulders. We all experience humanity differently, and yet, we are all indeed, human. We have different words that describe us, different ways of expressing ourselves. We own these words, know these words, and gain power from these words.

Likewise, I love music. I play guitar, occasionally piano (by ear, but after a while… it starts to hurt) and I can rightfully call myself a musician. I have musicality. It is a God-given talent that I can share by using my God-given voice or a guitar, or maybe other instruments. I love music. This love is part of my identity, my existence. Singing or playing guitar… is a way of expressing that love. That part of my identity. By expressing that part of my identity, I can hold power by calling myself a musician. I gain acceptance in some circles. Other people may enjoy my presence as a musician, one of the expressions of all that make me a human being. I do not stop being a human being by calling myself a musician. I am both. I can be both. You can too. All of us have words that describe who we are as human beings. That make us unique. That help us express that very holy expression of God-given existence. And all of us are necessary as different parts of the body of Christ.

Some of us have professions - words that ‘profess’ our jobs, our vocations, our callings as human beings. When meeting people for the first time, usually the second piece of information, after the first words of our expression - our names - usually the second piece is what we do. Well, we do lots of things. We live, we breathe, we work, or we don’t work. What people mean when they ask what you do - is what your profession is. What do you profess as a reason for existing on this planet we call home?

Some of you are celebrating Mother’s Day today, while others may celebrate Father’s Day in a month. Some of you are or were teachers, lawyers, farmers, bankers… whatever words we use to describe ourselves, we are all united in Christ, by Christ’s love. Whether we are musicians, or not. Whatever words you use to describe yourself, you are still you. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than you.”

We use words that help describe how we interact in this world with each other. And, for some on this planet, we use the word Christian. We profess, as Christians, that we know of a man who lived a long time ago, named Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Humanity… lived on this earth - preached, taught, helped, healed, fed, served, walked, suffered, died… and rose again. Christians across the globe can agree with all of those core realities. This Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah - died, and rose again three days later, to save us all, from ourselves. That man that lived so long ago - died for you and me, to save us all from ourselves through the Grace, Love, and Mercy of God…

We can profess, as Lutherans - one of those words we use to describe ourselves - That there is a God that loves you, me, and everyone. God loves us, and there is absolutely nothing that we can ever do to stop God from loving us. We can profess as Lutherans that the Word is a living Word - one that was inspired from God, and informs our daily lives to this day, and for the world to come.

Jesus was praying with his disciples before his death that the world he lived in, the Church that was to be formed with him, and the words of unity in which he spoke - would hold true for all of time. That all of us, as human beings, as Christians, could come together under the truth of his death and resurrection. There may be points of disagreements between denominations, or even with people inside denominations, or even the same congregation, or even families. There may be lines that divide us, and ultimately, that’s okay. We have words that describe who we are, how we feel about things, that allow us to interact with the world. Words give power to people, movements, ideas. Jesus the Christ is the Savior of the world, and we describe our profession of that faith in him as Christian. We are Christians. Whatever other word you use to describe your faith, does not discount the ability that you believe in the truth of God’s son crucified and risen.

It is this truth we profess as Christians, and it is this truth that Jesus is asking us to unite around. For we are all in one mission. To show and live out the grace, love, and mercy of God through Christ. That is our calling as Christians. That is our cross to bear. That is how we identify. That is how we must live out our lives, in service to God and to one another. In the words of Martin Luther, This is most certainly true. Amen.