Pentecost 7c - Conclusion

Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Psalm 25:1-10; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37

I sometimes get a Word doc that was created in Word 2010 and since I’m running an older version the file has to be converted, not a big deal, although my pc also points out that some of the more nifty features might not work because I’m living in the past. The first two lessons for Pentecost 7c have to be converted by the Gospel, no pun intended. The irony is that while the lawyer appears to pass the neighbor test, Jesus and his Samaritan story would be condemned on more than one count by Deuteronomy, a book that holds racial purity as necessary for the bountiful blessings promised by the book. The psalmist would no doubt label Jesus a sinner whose rebellious ways by breaking the Sabbath laws call for instruction in God pleasing piety. But Jesus points to a new reality that has been of old and all the nifty features follow, for God’s heart has always been to rescue humans from the darkness of their own design and transfer them to reign of light and love.

Pentecost 7c - Luke 10:25-37

The Good Samaritan by Vincent van Gogh 1890

Luke 10:25-37

When parables become proverbial they lose their primary means of instruction which is a classic bait and switch. The lawyer testing Jesus is himself tested by the parable and forced to acknowledge the Samaritan as neighbor, though he can’t bring himself to state it outright. “I suppose it was the one who showed mercy.” On the other hand as long as the Good Samaritan stays a story it hardly matters, even for the lawyer who passed Jesus’ test while failing his own. The “go and do likewise” is the real point of the parable and only makes a difference if those who no longer seek to justify themselves act more like the Samaritan and less like the priest or Levite. Which means we can recast the story with a Lutheran pastor, a medical doctor and a Taliban fighter and unless we “go and do likewise” the parable has no point in being recast or retold. But if in hearing his own voice naming the neighbor the lawyer is moved to act like a priest or Levite who caring more about the bloodied man than remaining ritually pure stop to do what the Samaritan does then the parable is more than just a clever ruse to convict a lawyer. For those justified by Jesus and no longer surprised by the plot twist or fooled by the bait and switch the story is an invitation to “go and do likewise” and in so doing just maybe put the punch back in the parable.

Pentecost 7c - Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1:1-14

Paul makes fruit bearing sound easy but truth to be told even if worms and blight don’t destroy fruit fully grown it takes cooperation of sun and soil and water just to get the tree to bud and the bud to flower. The fruit that we enjoy comes from supermarket aisles, washed and polished, neatly displayed and far removed from the labor that produced and packaged what we take for granted. And so the fruit of faith might be better understood if we were closer to its origin which of course is what Paul is praying for. The Colossian Christians have truly comprehended the grace of God which means they understand that the fruit of faith has little to do with them and everything to do with the One who has rescued them from the power of darkness and transferred them to the kingdom of Christ. A life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing, is a life that recognizes and gives thanks for faith fully grown and supermarket ready no thanks to our abilities but wholly dependent on the cooperation of Son and Spirit and Baptismal water.

Pentecost 7c - Psalm 25:1-10

Psalm 25:1-10
The psalmist trusting in the Lord prays for God’s great love and mercy from of old to be remembered so that youthful sin and rebellious ways might be forgotten. While the Lord remembering us in love erases the memory of our rebellion we do not easily forget our own folly or foolishness or willful acts of insolence and indulgence. Memories as fresh as the day they were recorded return accusing and condemning bringing guilt and shame. The enemy that triumphs over me lives in my own heart and mind as I remember what God has forgotten as if God still holds it against me. Forgiveness freely offered is never fully received as long as I continue to hold myself accountable for the sin God forgot long ago. Since the way of the Lord is first and foremost forgiveness the instruction of the sinner begins with trusting the Lord, faithful and loving, and in doing so forgiving self. It does not mean forgive and forget which I think is beyond our ability, or at least mine. What we can do is remember forgiveness whenever we remember what God has forgotten and in so doing be finally free from youthful sins and rebellious ways.

Pentecost 7c - Deuteronomy 30:9-14

Deuteronomy 30:9-14

If the ancestors God delighted in prospering were Abraham, Isaac & Jacob they reaped the benefits of God’s benevolence before the commandments and decrees were written into the book of the law. As it is written, “Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) If that was true for them then turning to God with heart, mind and soul is not first and foremost about behavior but belief. As long as we think of observing commands as something we have to do “thou shalt not” will always be too hard and far from us. But Jesus abandoned heaven and for our sake crossed the sea of sin and death to bring the Word, his very presence, near to us. It is the heart drawn to God, the mind mesmerized by love, the soul resting secure in peace that makes observing the commands as close as your own breath. When turning to God for love of Christ compels us observing God’s commands is not something external, something we have to do, but rather an expression of who we are as those who live and breathe the law of love.

Pentecost 6c - Conclusion

Isaiah 66:10-14; Psalm 66:1-9; Galatians 6:1-18; Luke 10:1-11; 16-20

Since Pentecost 6c is not particularly patriotic making these texts fit the 4th or vice versa will no doubt appear forced. On the other hand faith and freedom belong together so maybe it won’t be such a stretch. Isaiah’s vision of the comfort of consolation offered at the bosom of Jerusalem reminds me of Lady Liberty whose lamp lifted beside the golden door beckons the homeless, tempest tossed, huddled masses yearning to be free. Psalm 66 remembers the providence of God when the children of Israel between an army and a wet place passed through the waters on foot. We remember our beginnings as a people whose victory over tyranny of king and empire hung in the balance in the winter of ’76 and only by the grace of God has the government of the people, by the people, for the people not perished from the earth. Paul’s word to the Galatians, “you reap what you sow” is the necessary word of caution and correction for each of us and in a larger sense the nation whose greatness is derived from its capacity for goodness. And finally in the Gospel the seventy sent out return rejoicing in their power which is temporary until Jesus points them to a greater truth, that God is the recorder of names in the final kingdom come. We also can become enamored by power and prestige and holding tightly to the temporary miss the eternal truth. Nations rise and fall but the word of the Lord stands forever. And so on this Pentecost 6c 4th I am proud to be American by birth and Texan by choice, but eternally grateful to be a child of God by grace.

Pentecost 6c - Luke 10:1-11;16-20

Luke 10:1-11; 16-20
To be sent out with no purse or provisions as lambs into the midst of wolves doesn’t sound so promising unless the success of the mission does not depend on the missionary. In fact, the kingdom of God comes near the house that welcomes peace and the house with the “No Soliciting” sign. Where the kingdom is recognized healing happens. Where it is not recognized the kingdom stands as sentence against the shortsighted as they are left to their own devices which is always less than what the kingdom offers. The dust shaking judgment anticipates the woes in the verses the lectionary leaves out. It is a litany of losers, where even sin city Sodom is better off “in that day” than the cities who choose not to welcome peace. But even those who proclaim peace don’t quite recognize the kingdom come near for they rejoice not in the name of Jesus but in the power they wield with his name. Jesus redirects their joy from submitting spirits to their names written in the final kingdom come. And if the one despised and rejected, the Lamb who led to the slaughter and before his shearers was dumb is the one who writes the names recorded in heaven maybe there is hope even for the litany of losers?

Pentecost 6c - Galatians 6:1-18

Galatians 6:1-16
Jesus said, “If you love only those who love you what good is that to you? Even the pagans do that.” Which means to fully fulfill the law of Christ one must bear the burden of those who you are quite happy to see weighed down. In which case the law of Christ cannot be fulfilled unless you bear the burdens of “those who want to make a good showing in the flesh” in the same way you "do not grow weary in doing what is right” for those “who follow this rule.” Maybe the apostle Paul was too close to the conflict to apply his own instruction about gently restoring those who by their transgression troubled him so. Of course it is true of our time as well when well meaning people passionate about defending the faith as they understand it violate its first principle. Love is the law of Christ. Is it any wonder that those outside the faith grow weary of our witness? If we are to be the body of Christ then to be crucified “to the world” is to be crucified for the world. When we argue over doctrine and dogma and in defending the Gospel fail to live it we are no longer defending the Gospel but violating it. Does it mean that anything goes and there are no truths to be taught? No. But if the fullest expression of the truth is love then love determines how all lesser "truths" are taught, which means Paul might have to recant his wish that “those agitators go the whole way and emasculate themselves!” (Galatians 5:12) Oy Vey!

Pentecost 6c - Psalm 66:1-9

Nicolas Poussin, Crossing the Red Sea, 1634.

Psalm 66:1-9

Psalm 66 praises the awesome works of God remembering the rescue through the sea when escaping from Egypt the children of Israel were trapped between an army and a wet place. It is the story told time and again down through the centuries. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord heard your cry and with a mighty arm rescued you from Pharaoh’s grasp bringing you to a land flowing with milk and honey. While it is remembered with shouts of joy and singing it is also the story told when the milk has gone sour and the honey runs out, when enemies are all around, when life hangs in the balance and feet are on unsteady ground. When all seems hopeless remembering in the present the providence of God in the past is how one gets through today and into tomorrow. It is remembering God’s faithfulness that preserves the life that is essential, the life of hope. It is remembering God’s mercy that places the feet of faith on the solid ground of trust. And so we remember the awesome work of God on our behalf, not a passing through the sea on dry land, but God in human flesh passing through the sea of sorrow and suffering and death. In the tomorrow that will be the day that never ends the enemy that will cringe before God is death which like the chariots of Pharaoh has been swallowed up in the sea of victory.

Pentecost 6c - Isaiah 66:10-14

Isaiah 66:10-14

Isaiah might be enamored by Jerusalem’s anatomy but I’d rather be consoled in Paris. On the other hand no city in the world seems to attract as much attention as Jerusalem, which sadly has not been the source of much rejoicing. Jerusalem, which means the city of peace, has more often been a city of sorrow. Isaiah’s vision of the exile’s return to Jerusalem to be nursed and carried on her arm and dandled on her knees was not realized and even the rejoicing of Zionist exiles reclaiming the Promised Land was short lived because of the violence and bloodshed that greeted their return. In our time devout Jews gather at the Wailing Wall to pray for the restoration of the temple as Palestinian Christians weep at walls that surround and separate them from the part of the Promised Land that is their home and all the while God weeps over the plight of all people who love Jerusalem. But in the dream of God’s design those who rejoice in her and those who mourn because of her will both be comforted by her. In the dream of God’s design Jerusalem is for all people a place of peace where the feast that never ends will begin. It may be that we have to do more than pray for the peace of Jerusalem for the dream of God’s design to come true, but not by denying the right of Jewish people to live in safety or by denying the real plight of the Palestinian people imprisoned in their own land. The hatred that exists and is the cause of such suffering will only be overcome when each sees in the other the dream of God’s design. And when God’s dream comes true Paris, although full figured, will play second fiddle to Jerusalem, the real city of amour.

Pentecost 5c - Conclusion

Pentecost 5c – Conclusion

The sanctuary of San Gabriel is ready for the faithful. With a new wood patterned floor, freshly painted walls and ceiling, the pews and altar and pulpit have been put back in place and the transformation brought tears to my brother’s eyes. I said to Pr. Jesus, “I bet you’ll have a crowd on Sunday.” He said, “We will next week. This Sunday Mexico plays Argentina at 9 AM in the World Cup.” Sounds like the 11 AM at Calvary when the Cowboys play an early game. Some things are the same in every culture. The building team finished strong, a building rising from nothing in a week and ready for the next phase which will be done by members of San Gabriel and Sam, the next door neighbor who found the church he had been searching for. As we left the fiesta the day camp kids were singing to us the songs we taught them and waving called to us, “come back.” There is no doubt we will for this week made us familia. After packing and cleaning Advent’s family life center we headed for the hotel and the Grapevine Mills Mall for a celebration dinner – the youth at Chili’s and the adults Texas Love and War. The day ended with worship. “Circled up” as we call it, sitting with our feet in the pool, singing “He Is Able”, our muscles sore, our minds tired but our spirits rejoicing that God gave us the strength to serve, considering us to be faithful and appointing us to service. (1 Timothy 1:12 –2010 theme verse) It doesn’t get any better than that.

Pentecost 5c - Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-62

It’s eleven pm and my alarm will go off at four am tomorrow so I can have breakfast ready for the building crew by five. Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. I’m setting mine towards my cot in the corner of the kitchen. But before I do I have a few snapshots of another productive and spirit blessed day. It seemed to us a “God-incident” that on the day we were to put a metal roof on the fellowship hall the sky was overcast and the temperature ten degrees cooler than yesterday. When the slip and slide sprung a leak Pr. Kyle fixed with a single piece of duct tape (of course) but the day camp kids told him to use two and make it in a sign of a cross. Oh, and they want us to come back next week and do day camp again. After the Fajita fiesta with the people of San Gabriel both Pr. Jesus and one of his parishioners spoke emotionally of what the building and the day camp means to them and how grateful they are to God for us. I told him we were the ones who have been blessed by them and are grateful that God’s plan was to bind us together. Oh, and Frank wants to go with us on our next mission trip, anywhere, anytime. He was thinking next week. But it was Pr. Jesus’ son Brian who summed up what this means for them as he talked about the children singing and laughing and learning about Jesus. “You’ve given us hope,” he said. He went on to say that now church is not just a place you come and hear the word and be bored (sorry Pr. Jesus I think my son might say the same thing) but it’s a place to have fun while you hear the Word and grow together in love. We could see it and sense it in these faithful people who had a dream that before our very eyes God is making come true. And with that I’m setting my face on my pillow.

Pentecost 5c - Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Galatians 5:1, 13-25
It’s been a long but fruitful day. Everyone’s been fed dinner, we’ve showered and now have a little free time before worship followed by well earned rest. There was fruit of a spiritual kind envisioned by Paul as well. Our youth workers who were about to begin “taping and bedding” were blessed by a family from San Gabriel who have a working relationship with the task. As we were talking about something we’ve been thinking of doing back home, Frank said maybe San Gabriel should do a mission trip to Calvary. In the joining of our time and talents lines of us and them have been erased as seamlessly as the wall board in the fellowship hall. A man who lives down the road walked by to see what was happening and stayed to work. Turns out he’s been looking for a church home and since he said he’d be back tomorrow we think he may have found one. New children turned up at day camp as the word is spreading from one cousin to another. Pr. Jesus said there were some he’d never seen before and prays for the seeds of the Gospel to be planted in their homes. There is a spirit of excitement and anticipation of the fruit that will be produced through the finished sanctuary and new fellowship hall and a week’s worth of song and scripture and snow cones. We are living the list of spiritual gifts which makes work more worthwhile, play more enjoyable, sleep more peaceful and ultimately joy more complete.

Pentecost 5c - Psalm 16

Psalm 16

“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” (Ps. 16:6) I can’t say that the boundary lines of San Gabriel fall in a pleasant place, though I’m sure the native Texans will disagree. But if pleasant means comfortable today was not. The wind was blowing hot and dry and dusty and a twig of a Mesquite tree provides the only spot of shade. But with a couple shade shelters, Calvary’s faithful and fun day camper counselors and a group of children and youth and suddenly you’ve got singing and laughing and a pastor in shorts and a black cleric on a slip n slide ®. The lesson for today was Peter walking on water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. When I finished the story and said when we keep our eyes on Jesus we can do amazing things a small voice from the back of the group asked, “Where can I see Jesus?” I knew what he meant and I suppose we all would like to see Jesus as Peter did. But Jesus can be seen even in a boy’s question which speaks of longing and desire and need. And Jesus is in strangers becoming friends and silly songs about Creation (aka the Hippo Song) Jesus is community gathered, meal shared, Word spoken and lived by people young and old(er) serving their Lord by serving others. So I guess hot and dry can be a pleasant place. Therefore my heart is glad and my body rejoices, although I need to be a little more careful with the slip portion of the slide.

Pentecost 5c - 1 Kings 19:15-21

1 Kings 19:15-21
I’m blogging this week while on a mission trip with 62 Calvary members to San Gabriel Lutheran Church in Alvarado, TX  where we are completing the sanctuary, holding a Day Camp and building a fellowship hall. I do the cooking and day camp openings and closings and lead evening worship. With a day that begins at 4:45 AM and doesn’t end till after ten I’m not sure how timely or coherent these posts will be, but I trust the Spirit will provide. One of the challenges of this trip is that while we’re staying at Advent Lutheran in Arlington we’re cooking lunch and dinner outside on a grill at San Gabriel, so I appreciate Elisha’s resourcefulness to make boiled BBQ. Of course it’s not about using the yoke to cook rather than contain the ox. It’s about moving forward and there’s no going back to the plow once the oxen have been eaten. San Gabriel is led by Jesus Escamilla, a parish lay minister authorized by the synod to word and sacrament ministry who like Elisha heard the call to follow. It is a church that started when Jesus, a plumber by trade, began leading Bible studies in homes. We had a moment to sit and rest in a little bit of shade today and watch the fellowship hall being built by Calvary’s youth and adult mentors. Jesus said when he sees what has happened in such a short time, how San Gabriel grew from a vision and a prayer he knows that he is blessed and that with God all things are possible. I agreed but thought to myself yes, all things are possible with God, but it helps if you have Jesus to work with, and I don’t mean the second person of the Trinity.

Pentecost 4c - Conclusion

Isaiah 65:1-9; Psalm 22: 19-28; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-29

I’ve started and deleted this morning’s blog a dozen times and all I can think of is what my colleague and friend Pr. Kerstin, now Captain Hedlund, used to say, “I got nothing.” The other thing that came to mind was cartoon character Bullwinkle J. Moose (The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show 1961 – 1973) “Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!” So I’m going with the theme of something out of nothing for Pentecost 4c. New wine will be found within the cluster of the people that provoke God on purpose and from those who are a stench in God’s nostrils a remnant will remain and be a blessing to God. When all appears lost and even God seems absent the cry of the psalmist is heard and the sound of future rejoicing can be heard in the suffering of the present. The divisions of race and creed and gender which seem fixed in stone are erased in the water of baptism as God pulls the present into the future where definitions that divide do not exist. And the man who could not be contained by chains is calmed by Christ and in his right mind changes the minds of the people of Gerasene. I don’t know if that’s pulling a rabbit out of my hat but as I said at the outset, I got nothing.

Pentecost 4c - Luke 8:26-39

Luke 8:26-39
The man set free from demons is the hope of every parent, sister, brother or friend of a loved one shackled by insanity, tormented by self abuse or consumed by addiction. The story is recorded in Mathew, Mark & Luke and it would seem from the narrative, especially the details of self mutilation in the Gospel of Mark, that the man was chained as much for his own protection as he was to protect others from his violent behavior. No doubt the man of Gerasene had family and friends who like their counterparts in our time prayed desperate prayers and hoped and wept and blamed and despaired and prayed again. And so when the shackles of insanity are finally broken and the Legion possessed pigs take the demons to the deep it seems odd that the people are afraid and tell Jesus, as politely as possible, to get out of Dodge. On the other hand it makes perfect sense that the man now in his right mind pleads to go with Jesus and if permitted I imagine would have died rather than desert or deny him when the time came to choose. But Jesus sends him home and because he does the next time Jesus steps out of a boat in Gerasene people recognize him immediately and run “throughout that whole region bringing the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was… begging him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak...”(Mark 6:55, 56) The possessed man now in his right mind has changed the minds of the people of Gerasene by the telling of his story and the witness of his life. There is healing in hope that springs from touching Jesus through the love and care and support and encouragement of people in their “right minds” concerning the promise of God to deliver us, as Luther put it, from sin, death and the devil. It may be that healing happens as it did in Gerasene. It may be that healing is the strength to endue another day. It may be that healing is the courage to make difficult decisions born of love for the possessed. But however it happens the only way minds and lives are changed is when we who have been set free share our story and the witness of our lives so that those still bound might experience the blessing of a right mind.

Lectionary 4c - Galatians 3:23-29

Galatians 3:23-29
Clothed in Christ the divisions of race and religion, social status and gender are washed away in the waters of baptism. This is the vision that captures the imagination but like a dream fades from memory in the harsh light of day. It works in theory, but in practice? Not so much. It might be because we are more comfortable when we are subjects of a disciplinarian. Rules and regulations define our everyday, putting people in their proper place, maintaining the social order for the sake of order (or profit?) Now I’m not advocating anarchy and neither is Paul. What he is advocating is a real time reflection of the future where all things are made new and people of every tribe and nation, language and tongue dine together in perfect unity at the final feast that never ends. If in the future of God’s design definitions that divide do not exist then we who are joined to the preview, who are justified in the here and now by faith, ought to live what we trust and hope will one day be. Maybe the reason it only works in theory is because we don’t practice it enough.

Pentecost 4c - Psalm 22:19-28

Psalm 22:19-28

Psalm 22 begins with the absence of God but ends with assurance as the one who cries “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” is confident that the Lord not hidden has listened to the cry for help. It is the absolute honesty of the psalms of lament that allows them to end on a note of praise. In a way they are liturgical venting, the psalmist’s heart poured out in questioning and complaint. It does not mean the condition that prompts the cry of dereliction is resolved but that voicing the complaint, an act of faith, restores the strength that is sapped and renews the confidence that is shaken. That is true for the laments of our lives which is why the psalms are the place we go when trouble surrounds us and deliverance seems far off. It is why this psalm sprung forth from the mouth of Jesus as he hung on the cross and while the witnesses of the crucifixion only heard the first verse, “My God, my God…” Jesus knew the psalm ends with rejoicing even as the cross was prelude to resurrection. So too with us, for Jesus overcame pain and sorrow and suffering and the darkness of death so that all our laments would end in praise.

Pentecost 4c - Isaiah 65:1-9

Isaiah 65:1-9
Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible but as it is with favorite books there are chapters I favor over others. Isaiah 25 and the feast of fat things for all people, the return to Zion with singing in Isaiah 35, the tender speaking of Isaiah 40, “comfort, comfort my people” are all to be preferred over “I will not keep silent, but I will repay.” But in the same way that the Gospel is meaningless without the Law and the Law is hopeless without the Gospel so God is not wholly God without being just and the one who justifies. (Romans 3:26) Which is to say while God is merciful there is a cost associated with continually grieving God and even though sin is not counted against us there are consequences that cannot be avoided. Isaiah 65 reveals a dimension of the incarnation, God in the flesh, which is not as comforting as the babe of Bethlehem. No. This is God as grieving parent, God as jilted lover; God provoked on purpose continually by those God seeks to save. It is also an image of God who has been pushed to the point of breaking, whose fierce anger has been aroused by continual mocking and disregard. But while it is true that we are a rebellious people who walk in a way that is not good, following our own devices I don’t think fear motivates one to love the God who calls to us, “Here I am, here I am.” However if I am the parent of a rebellious child who provokes continually I might sympathize with God’s patience being exhausted. If I have loved another with my whole heart only to be lied to, cheated on, made to be a fool of, then I might sympathize with God’s righteous anger. And when I sympathize with God’s anger and pain and profound sadness by confessing that I am the rebellious child and the unfaithful spouse then I might just be the wine within the cluster and a blessing to the God that by my sin I provoke. I hope so. And believe me, so does God.

Pentecost 3c - Conclusion

Pentecost 3c - 2 Samuel 11:26- 12:15; Psalm 32; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36-8:3

I spent Wednesday night on the Short North in Columbus, Ohio with Captain Hedlund, aka Calvary’s own hometown hero Pastor Kerstin. We hit eight restaurant/bars in as many hours. From a selection of Thai Tapas to Lamb Lollipops with artichoke relish, Blackened Scallops paired with minty Mojitos, a cheese plate with Gorgonzola, walnuts, strawberries and honey, pulled pork tacos, a Surly Girl® Pizza (crumbled gorgonzola, 6 cheese blend, dried cranberries, red onions and pecans drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette) and gourmet ice cream cones to finish you could say it was a foretaste (and then some) of the feast of fat things. (Isaiah 25) The menu for Pentecost 3c includes a poor man’s lamb served to a rich man’s guest which convicts a king of breaking God’s heart. The Psalmist awake all night wastes away famished until confession ends the fast and joy follows the feast of forgiveness. In Galatians Paul challenges Peter who was enjoying shellfish with Gentiles until certain people from James made him go back on the Law diet. And the woman who crashes Simon’s party to be with Jesus is the guest of honor, remembered to this day, while Simon is the sinner who should be weeping. All in all a surprising and satisfying menu of Law / Gospel as always flavored by grace. That being said my middle region will still have to pay for the Short North on the treadmill. Sins are indeed forgiven free once and for all but avoiding the consequences will cost you extra.

Pentecost 3c - Luke 7:36 - 8:3

Luke 7:36 - 8:3
I caught a 5:20 AM flight from Columbus, OH to Charlotte, NC to get to Dallas by 9 AM but feel like I’ve been stuck in a holding pattern all day. Maybe the woman felt the same way. Stuck in “sin” so named by the Pharisee, storing up tears, accumulating guilt there comes a moment when courage born of desperation makes her crash the party to which she never would have been invited anyway. The Pharisee is stuck in a different sort of pattern. Smug in self righteousness, not recognizing the shallow nature of religion by the rules, Simon appears more amused than offended by the turn of events. Jesus is a joke to him and the opportunity to see the preacher from Galilee make a fool of himself is what the party is all about. But the joke is on Simon because Jesus turns the table and the host becomes the object and the gate crasher the subject. “Do you see this woman…?” is an invitation for Simon to look at himself and if he has enough courage to admit the truth he might end up next to the woman at Jesus’ feet.

Pentecost 3c - Galatians 2:15-21

Galatians 2:15-21

I’m blogging from the Bexley Monk in Columbus, Ohio having just finished a three day intern supervisor training event at Trinity Seminary. The Monk, formerly the Blind Monk, was the hangout of choice in my seminary days. A few of us considered the Monk an extension of the classroom and at a corner table would preside over animated conversations on all things theological. Of course I couldn’t afford the Monk in those days and and so moderation was the only option. The other hangout of choice was the Leipzig House, which was well within my budget and then some. Unlike the Monk the “Zig” was the local “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places” (Garth Brooks) sort of place. While I didn’t “pastor up” back then I bet I wouldn’t look so out of place at the Monk, while I might raise some eyebrows at the Zig. Paul has the same problem with Peter who formerly went where no Jew had gone before but now under pressure has changed his behavior, if not his mind. At the heart of Paul’s accusation of hypocrisy, against the Rock upon which Christ promised to build his church no less, is the question of what makes one right with God. Jews sought justification by religiously obeying the 613 laws in the Torah. Paul sees justification in the invitation to die with Christ which is an invitation to die to any attempt to justify oneself. It is the invitation to be crucified with Christ that calls us to speak the Gospel where people might raise their eyebrows so that one day the rest of their bodies might follow suit. I suppose that means I have to leave my comfy chair at the Monk and go play pool at the Zig, even if I’m “Texas-ed up” (wearing burnt orange) and could be crucified for real in Columbus Ohio. Hook em Horns!

Pentecost 3c - Psalm 32

Psalm 32

Silence is golden, unless you have something you need to say. The psalmist, which in the way of the psalms is always meant to be whoever happens to be reading the psalm, is wasting away one night at a time. You’ve been there, or maybe still are. You toss and turn waking every hour on the hour as things said or left unsaid replay in your head on a continuous loop. A sleepless night is followed by an endless day until back in bed it starts all over again. Maybe you’ve also been in that place where sick and tired of being sick and tired you come clean and tell the truth and determine to do what you always knew you had to do but didn’t have the will or the courage or the desire or the help to begin. Of course that makes it sound so simple when it is often only by bit and bridle and living “many are the torments of the wicked” that one tells the truth and acknowledges sin to oneself, to the Lord, and here’s the hard part, to someone else who loving us will not abandon us to more of the same. It is why we are called to be in community and if we weren’t always putting on a happy face and pretending as if everything is fine and I’m okay, really I am, we might take advantage of what the church was always meant to be; a hiding place where no one hides.

Pentecost 3c - 2nd Samuel 11:26 - 12:15

2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:15
“Each one is tempted when, by one’s own evil desire, one is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15) David is not bewitched by Bathsheba’s beauty but consumed by his own evil desire and when his desire conceives he compounds it by killing Uriah. The story that leads up to Nathan’s “you are the man” details David’s desperation to hide his deceit. If Uriah had been more like David and slept with Bathsheba the plan would have succeeded. Of course sooner or later someone would have noticed that Uriah’s boy looked a lot like the King. But when the righteous will not cooperate with evil schemes the only solution is to kill the righteous one. Nathan sent by the Lord is given the unenviable task of speaking truth to power which is why he comes through the back door and tells a story of injustice before identifying David as the villain. That David can become so incensed at Nathan’s story of a rich man taking a poor man’s only lamb and not connect the dots speaks of sin’s power of self deception. David, a man after God’s own heart has broken God’s heart and in continuing to live as if nothing happened David is as dead as Uriah. That power to deceive self is why the accusation “you are the man” which sounds like judgment is actually good news for David for though the he suffers the penalty of sin he is restored to life. It is so for us when Nathans sent by the Lord tell the truth about our infidelity, for all sin is unfaithfulness towards God. In the naming of our sin the Word that forgives is found for the One who was more righteous than Uriah, whose heart melted like wax within him as he hung upon the cross, recreates in us a clean heart and renews within us a right spirit.

Pentecost 2c - Conclusion

1 Kings 17:17-24; Psalm 30; Galatians 1:11-24; Luke 7:11-17

All the lessons for Pentecost 2c have happy endings. God hears Elijah’s “Let this child live” and brings the boy back. The psalmist weeping through the night wearing sackcloth is clothed with joy come the morning. Paul the persecutor of the church is chosen by God to proclaim the faith. The young man of Nain hears Jesus’ command to rise and sits up surprising everyone, including himself no doubt. While happy endings are never arrived at easily or quickly the life of faith anticipates the ending on every page of the story. That’s the gift Mil and Lillian and Phyllis give to those of us who have more pages left to turn. It’s always been that way. Joined with the cloud of witnesses who by lived by faith, sure of what they hoped for and confident in what they did not see, they now know fully and see face to face. Each of them in their own way and with the gifts God gave them make our stories more faith-filled by the way they lived theirs. There is no greater tribute than that. Well done, good and faithful servants.

Pentecost 2c - Luke 7:11-17

Miracle at Nain by Mario Minniti (1577-1640)

Luke 7:11-17
Two parades meet in the city of Nain. One led by Jesus. The other by a weeping widow. The Jesus parade, having just witnessed the healing of the Centurion’s servant, is following with anticipation expecting something from the prophet from Nazareth who never disappoints. The widow’s parade loudly wailing anticipates nothing as the widow’s only hope is borne lifeless on a bier. The parades meet in the gate where one will have to give way to the other. One might expect the Jesus parade to step aside and show some respect but the prophet from Nazareth filled with compassion will have none of that. “Do not weep” means the widow’s parade is the one that will step aside and when the son sits up the two parades become one because the prophet from Nazareth never disappoints.

My father called yesterday with news that a dear family friend, Phyllis Lucht, died suddenly. She was one who walked her whole life in Jesus’ parade, a kind, generous, compassionate and faithful Christian woman who I remember as always smiling or laughing, filled with the joy of the Lord. While the Lucht family and we who loved Phyllis will walk for a time in the widow’s parade, Jesus met Phyllis in the gate and as she anticipated her whole life the prophet from Nazareth, Jesus her Lord, her Savior, did not disappoint. As it is now true for Phyllis may it be so for us when one day we meet Jesus in the gate of death and he tells us to rise to eternal light and love and life.

Pentecost 2c - Galatians 1:11-24

Galatians 1:11-24

I’ve been writing Living the Lectionary from Roots Coffeehouse in North Richland Hills since December 2009 because it’s close to my son Joshua’s school, they’re not a chain so the coffee is more interesting and the Wi-Fi is free. But now Starbucks offers two hours of free internet access if you purchase and register a SB card. Yes, I know that means it’s not technically free, but with school out for summer and an SB on every corner of the planet who cares if their coffee is only a step or two above McDonalds? So with apologies to the folks at Roots, I’m afraid I’ll be blogging this summer from a comfy chair in a satellite of the corporate coffee empire. You don’t have to like the apostle Paul to appreciate what the Lord accomplished through him. Truth is he seems to be rather full of himself for one who will admit elsewhere to being the least of the apostles. That being said it was God who did the choosing and scripture would seem to support the idea that God chooses those who otherwise would be less than acceptable or dare I say left behind. Moses, reluctant and slow of speech, is chosen to speak for I AM. David the youngest brother from the smallest tribe is chosen to be king and although an adulterer and murderer is a man after God’s own heart. Mary of Magdalene, once possessed by seven demons is set free to become the apostle to the apostles, "I have seen the Lord." And Paul, the persecutor of a charismatic but insignificant Jewish sect, is the one whose work and writings birth the church into the Gentile world to change it forever.

Pentecost 2c - Psalm 30

Psalm 30

Mil Anderson, a now gone to glory member of Calvary, was working in a field hospital on the beaches of Normandy six days after the allied landings. Six months later she was evacuated from Bastogne as the Battle of the Bugle began. Once the tide began to turn she followed the allied advance caring for the wounded and dying often within hearing of the front. A slight but feisty woman she reminded me of my grandmother Lillian Smith who was cut from the same cloth. Coping with adversity, hardship and loss, they did their praying silently and endured patiently whatever was their lot. At the same time, living within the constraints of their era, they pushed back against the boundaries imposed upon them and made it possible for the daughters of our time to achieve more than the women of the greatest generation could have hoped for or even imagined. The psalmist crying out for help to God is clothed in healing with answered prayer. The joy of the morning is known by living through the weeping of the night. Life is brought forth from the experience of going down to the Pit. Dancing springs forth from sackcloth, rejoicing follows grief. Mil and Lillian, and so many like them, lived the movement of this psalm and made strong as a mountain by faith in the Lord, inspire us all to do the same.

Pentecost 2c - 1 Kings 17:8-24

1 Kings 17:8-24

When I was 11 my family visited the American military cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer which sits on the bluffs above D-Day’s Omaha beach. It was a beautiful sunny day in 1968 and all I wanted to do was explore the remaining WWII fortifications and play solider with my brother. I was stopped by the sight of row upon row of perfectly aligned white marble crosses that seemed to go on forever. It is a painfully beautiful sight where conversation, if any, is held in hushed tones as if talking any louder would dishonor the dead. I can’t say for certain but I think even an 11 year old boy might have been moved to tears on such sacred ground. The widow weeping gives her only son to the prophet whose presence she assumes has led to his death. “What do you have against me, O man of God?” The prophet is equally pained and questions the intention of the One for whom he speaks. Why, O Lord, have you killed the widow’s son? I imagine not a few of the 9,387 who lie above the beach, or the 1,557 never found, whose names etched in the stone colonnade are all that remain, had mothers like the widow who wept their questions, “Why?” or like the prophet accused God of less than holy intentions. No doubt the mothers of the 21,222 Germans at La Cambe, asked the same question. Elijah stretched out three times on the breath-less body of the widow’s son and the Lord restored his life so that returned to his mother she believed the truth; life is stronger than death. The lifeless body of the Lord, stretched out three days in the darkness of death, burst forth from the tomb so that one day those slain in the course of human conflict might be revived and know the truth; life is stronger than death. When at last the nations learn to study war no more and death is swallowed up in victory those who wait in the silent sleep of death at places like Colleville-sur-Mer and La Cambe will meet again, not as brothers in arms, but as brothers in the arms the Lord.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity - Conclusion

Proverbs 8:1-4; 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-11; John 16:12-15

I was doing a Google search to find an image for today’s blog when I happened upon the Holy Trinity I know well and understand completely. Mirepoix, the Holy Trinity of sauces and soups, 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery, the foundational flavor of all things French. Sautéed or roasted, the three become one and everything that follows is built on the base of the Mirepoix. Since I’ve avoided simple analogies to explain the mystery of the Trinity I’m going to resist comparing Father Son Spirit to Onion Carrot Celery. However, as the foundation for sauces that celebrate life the Mirepoix isn’t a bad image of what the Infinite Imagination had in mind when uttering “Let there be…” brought forth all there is. In Proverbs Father Son Spirit, the foundation upon which everything is built, rejoices in the inhabited world and delights in humanity. In Psalm 8 the majestic name above all the earth mindful of mortals crowns them with glory and honor. In Romans the love of God poured into human hearts through the One who dies to turn enemies into friends makes it possible for suffering endured to produce a hope that does not disappoint. And finally Holy Breath creating something from nothing makes possible the vision of the future, the finished product if you will, a vast multitude of every race and tongue and tribe singing as one. In the meantime we anticipate the first taste of the feast when through acts of love and lives that are “winsome and compelling” we get down to dicing onions, carrots and celery. Whew! A whole week of Trinity talk and not a heretical thought in the lot which is good because the Bishop is reading the blog!

The Feast of the Holy Trinity - John 16:12-15

John 16:12-15
Someone asked me recently when the Holy Ghost disappeared and the Holy Spirit appeared. I’m not sure when but I know why. In Hebrew the word attached to the third person of the Trinity is Ruach, in Greek Pneuma or breath. Spirit seems to capture that idea better than Ghost, but Holy Breath might be better. In the beginning Holy Breath hovered over the chaos and called forth the creation. Holy Breath animated humans formed from dust. Holy Breath inspired words in the mouth of the prophets to convict and correct so that the vision of redemption and return could be realized. Holy Breath cried in a stable and on a hill. Holy Breath stepped out of the darkness of death and through locked doors to breathe on disciples hiding in fear and confusion. On the day when the waiting came to an end Holy Breath like the rush of a wind spoke through fisher folk and tax collectors in languages unlearned. To this day Holy Breath breathed scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) “calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies and keeps us in the one true faith.” (Luther) And wherever and wherever the one holy catholic (small c = universal, invisible) and apostolic church steps into and lives out of the truth as guided by Holy Breath, the Father Son Spirit is glorified.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity - Romans 5:1-11

Romans 5:1-11

The second article of the faith tells the story of the One not created who was before time began and yet chose to let go of glory and empty himself to be found in human likeness. This is where the Trinity gets tricky and the creeds only state the "what" leaving humans to figure out the "how", which is where we get into trouble. But if the unbroken unity of the Trinity is love for the children of creation then Father Son Spirit are equally engaged in the work of redemption, though it would appear that the Son does the heavy lifting. In the person of Jesus the One uncreated becomes weak to save the weak, becomes sin to save sinners, and surrendering his life forgives his enemies. The image of an angry God now appeased by a human sacrifice, albeit God in human flesh, is not what Paul means by being saved from the wrath of God, for God’s love is proved by the death of Christ and wrath and love cannot coexist. God is the only actor on the stage of salvation. While we were ungodly, while we were weak, while we were sinners, while we were God’s enemies, God died for us, ahead of us, instead of us so that by the life of God the love of God might be poured into our hearts through the Spirit. This One in Three and Three in One, Father Son Spirit, dwelling within us produces hope that does not disappoint by enduring suffering and reflecting the character of Christ, which is love.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity - Psalm 8

Psalm 8
The unity of Father Son Spirit cannot be divided and yet each member while fully present in the other is also distinct. Attempting to say something about each One in Three, while preserving the Three in each One is a tip toe through the tulips of heresy, but I will press on, gingerly! In the time before time began the One who was not created called forth the heavens and the earth setting the stars like jewels in the crown of space. From infinite imagination the One who was not created called forth living things weaving them together with the fabric of the earth. And when all was said and done and very good the One who was not created formed in the image of the infinite imagination a creature both beautiful and terrible. Given our drive to exercise dominion over all things, including the One who imagined us, God might be mindful of mortals for God’s own sake. That might not be so far from the truth. The first article of the faith names the One who created the heavens and the earth as God, the Father Almighty. It is the parent in the infinite imagination that is mindful of the children created in the image of God. Love for the child will move that same One who was not created to inhabit mortal flesh and be crowned with glory and honor, not in the heavens but on a cross on a hill. Love for the child will move that same One who was not created to inspire the mouths of babes and infants and the young and the old to sing Alleluia when the enemy and the avenger, death itself, is swallowed up in victory. The One in Three and Three in One bound together by love for the children both beautiful and terrible until and for the day when the children of the infinite imagination are reborn into the eternal future.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity - Proverbs 8:1-4; 22-31

Proverbs 8:1-4; 22-31

This Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Trinity and wisdom would be wise to advise us to say as little as possible about the mystery that defies definition. Or if we are so bold to attempt an analogy we should preface everything we say with St. Paul’s word picture of the temporal peering into the eternal, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror…” or the words of Job after God showed up. “I’ve spoken of things too great for me to understand.” That doesn’t mean there isn’t something to say, only that an analogy easily understood will always be a poor reflection of the definitive truth. Like a joke that has to be explained it loses something in the translation. So the best thing to be said is that the unity of the Trinity is not to be explained to the human mind but believed in the human heart. What we are to believe is that the unity of the Trinity is the ultimate expression love. In the creative unity of love Father Son Spirit calls forth from nothing all that is and it is very good. In the redeeming unity of love Father Son Spirit dies for the created whose lust for creator status turned the goodness of creation into something less. In the sustaining unity of love Father Son Spirit rejoicing in the inhabited world and delighting in the human race continually recreates us so that the goodness of God’s creation, light and love, might overcome the darkness and death of human design. Father Son Spirit is the Unity of Love beyond knowing except our knowing it is all we need to be holy and whole.

The Feast of Pentecost - Conclusion

Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17, 25-27
There are some weeks when these blogs come easily and other weeks, like this one, when they don’t. It did seem ironic that it should be so difficult on the week of Pentecost when one might expect the Spirit to show up without much effort on the part of the blogger. But true to the day of Pentecost the Spirit’s arrival always surprises. The disciples waiting for weeks are blown away by the wind of the Spirit and lit up by tongues of fire they speak like drunks but without the slurred speech. God surprises us, and most of all Doris Lakota, by determining Monday afternoon to be the day when by the Spirit sent forth she is recreated in the eternal future and renewed like the face of the earth. The Roman Christians, and all who familiar with suffering wait for redemption with the whole creation, find strength and courage in the hope that not seen is none-the-less anticipated and believed. And finally in the Gospel Philip asks to see what he couldn’t imagine even though the answer was right in front of his face “If you have seen me…” Surprise!

The Feast of Pentecost - John 14:8-27

John 14:8-27

Years ago I had one of those moments when I desperately wanted a clear word from the Lord. Nothing seemed to be working. Not prayer or conversations with colleagues or time in silent meditation. I don’t recommend what I did next because I think it treats the scripture like a Christian version of the Magic 8 ball®, but desperate times called for desperate measures and so I opened my Bible at random and landed on John 14:9. “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still don’t know me?” That’s the other reason not to do it. God might use your name and when God has to use your name you know you haven’t been paying attention. Philip asks the question that is on everyone’s mind and though it sounds like a rebuke Jesus honors the question and shows Philip what he asks to see. It is in the person of Jesus that the mystery of the Holy One is made known. And even if the humanity of John’s Jesus plays second fiddle to his divinity Jesus is for Philip and the disciples a present, physical reality that can be seen. It is Judas (notably not Iscariot) who asks the question for us who have not seen and yet long to believe. It is in keeping the word from Jesus’ own lips, “Love one another” that God is made known. The Holy, Invisible, God Only Wise revealed in kindness offered, in mercy shown, in comfort extended, in generosity sown in the name of Jesus. In that we become the answer to someone’s desperate prayer - ask anything in my name. God made visible in love. In the same way that the internal unity of Father, Son, Spirit cannot be separated, so we too cannot be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. No longer alone without a home like those who have been orphaned, the good news for us is that even if God’s answer sounds like a rebuke, God uses our name because we are known.

The Feast of Pentecost - Romans 8:12-25

Romans 8:12-25
The first readers of Romans never thought the creation would still be waiting 2000 years later to be set free from its bondage to decay. Given the weight of the human foot print in 2010 it may be waiting more eagerly than ever. According to Genesis it was human rebellion that subjected the creation to frustration and the ground of the garden where only good things grew was cursed so that only painful toil produced fruit. Paul imagines a day of redemption where the curse of the fall is reversed and the whole creation rejoices in the homecoming of the prodigal human race welcomed by a waiting Abba. Which is why the very real sufferings of the first readers of Romans were not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed. That is not meant to minimize suffering but only put it in the proper perspective. In all our trials and tribulations, in our suffering and hardship, in our sorrow and pain, we too eagerly long for redemption, groaning inwardly, but not as those who have no hope. And what might be our brightest and best hope? Isaiah saw it and it sustained him while he suffered slavery in Babylon. The Assyrian lion lies down with the lamb of Judah, swords and spears are beaten into plow shares and pruning hooks, and people of every tribe and tongue sit down to feast together as God dines on death. I consider whatever I have to face today or any day not worth comparing with what I believe will one day be true for you and me and all people. And if on any given day I wait impatiently, groaning outwardly, complaining and frustrated, the hope of the future is held in trust by you for me. And when you grow weary my hope will be yours because we are in this thing together until at last the hope of the future we can only now dimly imagine is fully revealed.

The Feast of Pentecost - Psalm 104:24-35

Psalm 104:24-34
The God who made the Leviathan just for fun sent forth the Spirit yesterday afternoon and while family and friends and pastors gave thanks for life that endues forever and prayed peace on those who walk as yet by faith, Doris Lakota was birthed into the eternal future. She was a believer who sang of the goodness of God with her life as long as she lived and looked to the Lord in every season to fill her with good things like faith and courage and hope. But while the psalmist was anxious to hold on to this life, Doris was anxious to let it go and be reuntied with Jess and see the glory of the Lord face to face. The mediation of the heart that is most pleasing to the Lord is to not be dismayed when the Lord’s face appears to be hidden and rejoice that though breath is taken away, the Spirit that renews the face of the earth will recreate us from the dust to which we all return.

The Feast of Pentecost - Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21
Lutherans are rarely mistaken for Pentecostals and even when the charismatic renewal blew through the church our version of Pentecost was more polite than possessed. It could be our Nordic or Germanic heritage where church doesn’t look anything like drinking new wine in the morning. But that doesn’t mean we are less spirit filled or on fire for the Lord. It just means our expression of Holy Spirit fire tends to toast, not burn to a crisp. It is a mistake to envy the more demonstrative Holy Spirit folk or think that they are holier than thou, though thou art free to raise a hand while singing A Mighty Fortress or shout “Amen” if the preaching warrants such a response. While those things are all well and good, this text is not about personal expressions of emotional piety. The day of Pentecost is about speaking the story of Jesus in a language people can understand. On that first day of the “last days” it meant speaking in the tongues of Gentile nations. In these “last days” it means speaking the story to those who are by self definition spiritual but not religious, but in truth still seeking for something that satisfies the restless heart. In these “last days” the church must step outside of its holy halls and wake up from the illusion of privilege and power. It means we stop lusting after the myth of a Christian nation and acting as if we are victims of a secular conspiracy. For those of us who call on the name of the Lord in this day of the “last days” it means speaking the story subversively so that sowing the seeds of curiosity we might be asked why we long for peace, why we feed the hungry, why we share ourselves in service, why we hope, why we love. It may be that speaking from the heart about the Spirit that fills us with peace those who are spiritual but not religious might be tempted to be religiously spiritual which might be an apt description of a Lutheran Pentecostal.

Easter 7c - conclusion

Acts 16:16-34; Psalm 97; Revelation 22:12-21; John 17:20-26
Easter 7 is the last Sunday of Easter and if we haven’t figured it out by now the lectionary question of the resurrection season is what must I do to be saved? The scriptures teach that the Christ has done what we could not do. If that is true then the answer to “what must I do?” is nothing and we should be satisfied. But we have trouble with doing nothing so we require something even if it’s only claiming Christ as all in all. But contrary to religious opinion believing is not next to nothing. What if ‘what must I do to be saved?” is being satisfied that there is nothing to do? Then the something we choose to do is not to be saved but because we are saved. The Philippian jailer stands still because Paul and Silas choose not to run and washing their wounds the jailer is washed in the waters of baptism. The Lord as king who might bring a world of hurt to whoever boasts in worthless idols is himself lifted up so that by the cross the world of hurt is healed. The nasty may live next to the nice in John’s vision, but the end of the dream is an invitation to the thirsty to “Come” and receive the water of life as a free gift. And if the disciples satisfied in Christ live as one the world might notice and in noticing might desire to live differently, which is to say, more like disciples who live as one.

Easter 7c - John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26

I am sitting at a table in the Starbucks at the corner of TX 183 and Mockingbird Lane. It is perhaps the busiest and nosiest Starbucks on the planet. I’m not sure why since it is also one of the most difficult to get to given one way lanes and limited parking and Dallas drivers that don’t drive Texas Friendly.® It’s not that the patrons are noteworthy. They are pretty typical Venti, no fat, triple shot, apricot la-de-da whatever Lattes. The only thing that makes this SB stand out is that the half dozen baristas periodically break into singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and other classics at the top of their lungs. It might be that after seeing you circle three times trying to park they just want to make it worth your while once you’ve arrived or maybe they just like to sing loudly but whatever the reason they seem to be enjoying themselves. And while no one has joined the song we’ve ordered up Venti no fat smiles all around. I think that’s what Jesus is praying for in John 17. Not singing at Starbucks, but a unity of mind and spirit and purpose that like a loudly sung song in a public place prompts a response. And if the world would witness a people who sing with joy about Jesus even if they can’t carry a tune and serve the other out of love because it’s the right thing to do then I think they might make the effort to overcome one way lanes and limited parking and less than friendly drivers just to join the song and share in the Jesus Venti no fat lifestyle.

Easter 7c - Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17; 20-21

Revelation 22:12-21
The lectionary for Easter 7c leaves out verse 15 of Revelation 22 presumably because verse 15 leaves out “dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” I don’t know about you, but the Heinze household believes all dogs go to heaven, except maybe our bad dog Chihuahua, Feliz Puppydad, who will need to be potty trained in purgatory first. Verses 18 & 19 don’t make the lectionary lesson either, but that has more to do with what one would add to Revelation than whatever one might leave behind. So warning and welcome live side by side and we do a disservice to the scripture when we pick and choose, even though denominations clearly discriminate. Those more liberal, or by self definition progressive, need to acknowledge the nasty with the nice, while those intent on saving the world as long as it is monochromatic need to look more closely at the Jesus who consistently colors outside the lines. But both sides should take note that while we argue about what verses to include or exclude the rest of the world doesn’t give a damn, which doesn’t really matter if they are all going to hell. But if Jesus died to make a difference then we better figure out a better way than “turn or burn” or “all paths lead to the same place” to speak the truth of Jesus so the dogs in verse 15 might actually want to find a welcome place in verse 17.

Easter 7c - Psalm 97

Psalm 97
The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice, unless lit up by the Lord’s lightning it trembles. Let the coastlands be glad, unless occupied by adversaries it is consumed. Psalm 97 imagines the mountains melting like wax and the Lord surrounded by clouds and thick darkness bringing it on like Iron Man 2. But for those rescued from the hand of the wicked and loved for hating evil the Lord is like the gentle light of dawn bringing joy to the upright who have survived the night. Here in lies the rub between judgment and justice, penalty and pity, the ones forgiven for eternity and those whose eternal punishment seems to outweigh the crime. How do we bow down before the throne of the Lord as king Iron Man and at the same time proclaim the servant God of grace? It may be that the Lord as king brings a world of hurt to whoever boasts in worthless idols, but the gospel proclaims a God whose heart melting like wax within him, his hands nailed to wood by the wicked, forgives those who knowing full well what they were doing didn’t have a clue why he allowed it to be done to him. So rejoice in the Lord then, you who have been made righteous by the Lord as king, who forgave the wicked as if they were you.

Easter 7c - Acts 16:16-34

Acts 16:16-34
In Acts 16 healing happens because Paul “very much annoyed” by a slave girl tells the divining spirit outing him as a slave of the Most High God to shut up. Of course the slave girl freed is a set up for the freeing of the Philippian jailer who doesn’t know he’s the one behind bars. Once the stage is set, Paul and Silas singing in the aftershock of the earthquake is such a surprise that the jailer brought back from the brink asks, “What must I do to be saved?” even though what he really wants to know is “Why are you still here?” The answer that saves the jailer and his household is to believe in whatever kept Paul and Silas in the cell singing when running away made more sense. That is the answer that saves us as well, for instead of coming down from the cross and saving himself Jesus stayed put so that like the jailer we might be brought back from the brink. In this we know we are saved, not by confessing a creed or adherence to tradition or allegiance to denomination or ritual, but when believing in Jesus means staying put with and for the other when walking away would be much easier. And so whether we can carry a tune or not we sing the mercy of God in the aftershock of whatever life throws at us for we know as slaves of the Most High God we are truly free.

Easter 6c - Conclusion

Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10-22:5; John 14 23-29
I’m counting the census takers that are meeting at the tables across from my blogging chair at Roots Coffee House. I think there are eight of them, although I’m pretty sure some of them are hiding in the back room. Of the ones I can count 4 are female and 4 are male. 5 are Caucasian, 3 are African American and they all look to be in various stages of middle age. I’m not sure what that has to do with the lessons of Easter 6c except that the constitutional mandate to categorize people by race and gender and age reveals how far we are from the Biblical mandate to be one. Lydia, without a synagogue because women don’t count, welcomes Paul the Jewish male into her home which by their partnership in the Gospel will become an all are welcome place of worship. The nations in the psalm judged with equity are counted as those who will know God’s saving power. The twelve tree forest in the gates counted and walls measured New Jerusalem will heal the nation’s warring madness and people divided by race and language will be joined into one vast chorus of praise. And finally, unlike the peace of the world that passes quickly into fear and trouble, Jesus brings a peace that passes our understanding which means when Jesus does the counting everyone counts.

Easter 6c - John 14:23-29

John 14:23-29
“Do not let your hearts be troubled” might be mistaken for a Jesus “Just Do It” theology if it were not for the peace that precedes it. In the same way that “Believe in God. Believe also in me” precedes the same command in the beginning of chapter 14, the “do not let…” does not lead. It follows. And the peace that precedes the “do not let…” is not put on a happy face and the whole world smiles with you because the sun will come up tomorrow bet your bottom dollar solution to real life strife. In the same way, “believe in me” does not mean just get over it. Nor does it minimize trouble because it could be worse, even if it clearly could be. That would be worldly peace. Temporary and illusionary the peace of the world denies sorrow, medicates pain with costly pleasure, or seeks solace by seeing to it that other hearts are equally troubled. The peace that Jesus gives embraces suffering and dies to destroy the power of death. Called to cling to the cross by which Jesus overcomes the world and all the trouble in it, the people of Jesus’ peace believe that trouble is temporary while peace is eternal. In the fourth chapter of his second letter to the troublesome Corinthians the apostle Paul did not let his heart be troubled, though he had more than enough of his share. “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” Do not let your hearts be troubled is not a command. It is an invitation.

Easter 6c - Revelation 21:10-22:5

Revelation 21:10-22:5
It is a strange vision of a city that is out of this world. Carefully measured and described with twelve gates of pearl, walls of jasper, streets of gold and foundations adorned with jewels, some with names that will twist the tongue of Sunday’s lectors, the vision is intended to impress. Written to those suffering the pain of persecution it must have seemed a dream too good to be true. But the vision went beyond the immediate need for rescue and redemption. For those who longed for Jerusalem’s ruined temple rebuilt, God and the Lamb will be in plain sight and no curtain will hide the Holy of Holies. There will be no need of sun or moon, or gates shut to keep out the danger that lurks in the dark, for all that threatens and practices falsehood will be banished. And the twelve tree forest will heal the nation’s warring madness so that all that follows in the wake of war, pestilence and plague and famine and death will be forever erased from the human lexicon. It may be a vision of the future but it came from someone who in this world longed for the out of this world that only peace can bring. We might have to wait for the city to come down but there is no reason we cannot be building the foundation today by dreaming the dream and casting the vision while working to make this world look a little more like the next. That really would be out of this world.

Easter 6c - Psalm 67

Psalm 67
The psalmist was a having a good day when Psalm 67 was written. Not like the day “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me” Psalm 22 was penned. That both praise and lament are sung in the same song book is a testament to the truth telling of the Psalter, for life is both blessing and bust. There is a tendency in the American mega-denomination to attribute only glory to God and prosperity to God’s people who invest wisely and often. But the graciousness of the crucified God is to be present in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy. The blessing of the crucified God is to shine the light of God’s face into the darkness of our lives when forsakenness has sapped our strength and doubt overshadowed hope. The way of the crucified God, the saving power made known to the nations, is justice for the oppressed, freedom for the captive, good news for the poor. When the blessing of God is no longer seen as a right for the righteous equity among the peoples will be established and the increase of the earth will not be hoarded or squandered but shared. And that will be a good day indeed.

Easter 6c - Acts 16:9-15

Acts 16:9-15

Even though Paul and his companions do enter Europe Through the Back Door ® the Acts 16 travelogue would be more interesting if National Public Radio Travels with Rick Steves had recorded it. Luke, on the other hand, is more interested in conversion than conversation about where to dine and recline, though he could not possibly foresee how Europe would both shape and be shaped by Christianity. And so when one considers how the faith will one day be expressed in crown and cathedral it is worth noting that it begins with a woman named Lydia, who is not to be confused with the tattooed lady of the song. She was a convert to Judaism without a place to worship because Philippi must not have had the ten men necessary to start a synagogue. It would not have mattered if there were a hundred women worshipers of God , without at least ten men the requirement to start a synagogue could not be met so shall we gather at the river became her place of prayer. On the other hand there may have been a hundred synagogues in Philippi but not one of them would welcome a woman who dealt in an industry that boiled Mollusks to dye the cloth reserved for the rich and famous. So stuck between a rock and hard place she is eager to receive the faith that declared there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus. When the church is more conversant in who is worthy to dine and recline than the language of conversion we would do well to note that while the man of Macedonia called for help, it was Lydia who came to the rescue and started the church Paul prayed for and praised for its partnership in the Gospel.