Luke 16:19-31, 1 Timothy 6:6-19 We are the Rich man and Lazarus

So my wife had a baby, and I disappeared for a while. It is good to be back at work!

Here is my sermon for Sunday, September 29th on Luke 16:19-31 and 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Good morning friends!

it is good to gather in worship with all of you this morning.

We are continuing our fall journey through Luke this week-you may remember last week we talked about the parable of the unjust steward, and the dynamics of debt and forgiveness in the ancient world.

This week we have before us one of Jesus' parables that gives me the most trouble-the story of the rich man and Lazarus. I was tempted to skip this passage, because unlike last week, where we had a parable with unclear meaning, and I could have fun exploring all the different meanings it might have for us today, this week, we have a story that seems pretty straightforward. Jesus says if you don't take care of poor people, you will burn. It is straightforward, but it's also a message I don't particularly want to preach, or have preached at me. And I'm apparently not alone-of the pastor's I gathered with for lectionary study this week none had ever heard someone preach on Lazarus and the rich man. I've certainly never preached on it-I cleverly picked other themes both 3 years and 6 years ago when this story last came up in the lectionary.

But I figured that 6 years is probably long enough to overlook a story, and while it makes me a little squeamish, there is a lot of interesting stuff going on in this text that I'd like to think about with all of you.

In particular, I think it's worth reflecting on what this story says the afterlife, about parables, and of course, about money and the poor.

So to start out, lets talk about Hades. As most of you probably know, this isn't one of those topics I talk about all that often, nor is it one that I think about very much either.

In general, my thoughts are I'd rather not go there, and I'm not sure it's useful to worry about. I really prefer to focus on texts like Romans 5:18 "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all people, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all” or Romans 11:32: “For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.” or Colossians 1:20. "For in him [Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself ALL things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross,” not to mention teachings about God as love, who cares for all people, and wants them to be blessed.

These passages suggest that God's love is sufficient for all of creation to be redeemed, and that the threat of hell should not define our lives. I know that the theology of hell has been important for Christianity-it's served as a motivator, getting people to act in ways that are in line with the tradition, and I get it, sometimes we need both a carrot and a stick. But I worry that in our efforts to put the fear of God in people, we've made it harder to get close to the God of love who welcomes all people, and that the traditional Christian belief that most of the world's people are doomed to an eternity of torment is unhealthy for the church. Like Pope Francis said earlier this year, I believe that “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ... Even the atheists. Everyone! We must meet one another doing good.” (http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=51077), and like the early church father, Origen, who wrote in the 2^nd century, I think that in the end of time, even the devil himself will be saved.

So what do we do with our story this morning? Well, as I've been praying over this text, I've wondered if Jesus might not be communicating just a bit of this skepticism as well. Or at least, I noticed that neither the good guys or the bad guys in our story come out looking like saints.

Obviously, this unnamed rich man is the stereotypical villain-he feasts on rich food nightly, he wears only the most expensive clothing, and he ignores the poor man lying at his gates, who was hoping only to catch the drippings from the table. Surely he has received his just desserts, in a lake of fire.

But Jesus goes out of his way to build sympathy for this doomed fellow. There he is, in torment, and he sees his ancestor Abraham, seated in glory, and he cries out-not to be relieved of his torment, not to escape from his suffering, but for a single drop of water to cool his tongue. And Abraham's response- well it's just cold. Father Abraham says to his descendent: 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony'. Is that supposed to be compassionate? Helpful? A word of encouragement in a time of trouble? When Jesus asked “If your child asks for bread, do you give him a stone?” In Matthew 7:9, apparently Abraham's answer is yes, yes you do.

I guess it is possible that we are supposed to be delighted at the comeuppance of the rich man, to celebrate with the downtrodden that the rich will go away empty, as Mary said in the Magnificat, but for me, I get the sense that maybe we're supposed to notice a little discomfort down in the belly when we celebrate the suffering of another human being.

Jesus talked about hell a lot-he was worried that his community was wandering far from the fold of God, and was in deep need of repentance and transformation, and he believed that there were and are consequences for faithlessness.

But he doesn't have one static notion of hell-a specific physical description of where bad people go after they die. Rather, Jesus talked about hell using different metaphors-darkness, fire, destruction, a dump, exile, the place where teeth are gnashed. In the same way, I don't think we should read this as a literal description of the hereafter. I don't think we should imagine a pristine heaven and an awful hell, separated by a big gap you can yell across, where the sinners plead with the saved who are resting in the arms of Abraham and attended by angels for help for the rest of time.

All parables are metaphorical, symbolic, and meaningful more for their message than for their details, and in the same way, we probably ought to think of the rich man and Lazarus as archetypes-two sides of the human experience, and this as a simplified story where the whole of human existence is boiled down into the categories of the innocent suffering, who are rewarded, and the evil powerful, who are punished. But just like all the other parables where humanity is simplified into dualistic binaries, Jesus knew that life is more complicated than this, and I suspect that the afterlife is as well.

So to close this section-I believe that since life on earth cannot be strictly divided between evil rich men and those faithful servants in Lazarus' shoes, then we should not be too quick to presume that the complex mix of good and evil that dwells in each of our hearts can be meaningfully balanced and divided on one side of the up/down divide or the other. I prefer to look at this parable and learn a less precise lesson-

that when you are disconsolate, and the world seems against you, trust that God will pick you up, and you will rest in the arms of your creator, surrounded by love, filled with mercy, and granted peace.

Like Lazarus, you will be welcomed into the bosom of Abraham.

And when you look away from the poor, when you make excuses for your failure to care, when you take advantage of those around you, trust that God is watching, and your ill gotten gains will not be forgotten. There is a price to pay for your cruelty.

So when your choices come, and every day we have the opportunity to choose good or bad, love or anger, fear or courage, know that there is a reason to choose love, and to walk in the path of light.

And it is this broader perspective that I think leads us into our text from Timothy-

Timothy has a much more nuanced view of wealth and power than the one Jesus offers here. Now, of course, Timothy has a more nuanced view of wealth and power because he's writing a couple of generations after Jesus, and there are some rich and powerful Christians running around out there that he probably didn't want to upset, but that probably speaks better to us anyway.

This week, I've been particularly taken with Timothy's closing list of instructions for wealthy people-

“As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”

Haughty. What a great word! I think it's precisely correct for our current moment. Living in the richest country in the world, it is easy for us to think that America is wealthy because we are better, to forget that if I had been born in sub Saharan Africa I would be lucky to be making 5000$ a year. To think that because I have skills in the United States that render me employable, I should be proud, and celebrate that I am better than others. Watch out, Timothy warns. This is false success. It is Lazarus who was storing up treasures in heaven.

And along with the reminder not to be prideful in our power, there is Timothy's vision of being complete, of being content-that is something I can work for. It is hard for me to imagine choosing to live in intentional poverty, taking the route of Lazarus and rejecting all the comforts of modern living (though every time I visit an intentional community, I am intrigued by the setup, and how happy people seem there), but I can work at not being addicted to money. I am sure that contentment is a choice, not something we reach when we collect enough toys. In the pursuit of wealth, we can get ourselves in trouble, breaking relationships, losing our center in Christ, and get caught in a rat race that is both destructive and counter-productive.

Just as the rich man in our text from Luke finds himself ignoring his poor neighbor at the gate in his quest to enjoy the finer things in life, so too, Timothy warns, can we get caught in the trap of pursuing rather than dwelling, of chasing the next thing, rather than caring for the people around us. And so too then do we fall away from the path we are called to-to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.

He sums it up with the famous money quote (sorry).

The love of money is the root of a great deal of evil (or, to be king James about it, the Love of Money is the root of ALL evil). Notice that the common paraphrase, “Money is the root of all evil” is not Biblical. (Pull out dollar bill) I know what it is to love money. I like these things, with their idolatrous images of dead presidents, and their pagan symbols. Rachel will tell you that I hate to spend money, and am not all that much more excited about giving it away. Growing up, I had a bucket of cash where I collected spare change and the odd job money I had, and over the course of several years it grew to a pretty substantial amount, because I refused to spend it on anything-it was money, and that made it worth hording. And I'm pretty sure that's a dangerous way to think about these little pieces of paper. Also dangerous, of course, is failing to save for a rainy day, or to plan your spending, but it is easy to love money to much.

So to close, I offer to you the challenge of loving money less this week.

Maybe intentionally not daydreaming about what it would be like to have a new car, or paying attention to how often we go out to eat, or maybe just looking at the thing we own and saying 'yes, this is enough-these things, these people, this life, I can be satisfied.

And in doing so, may we care for those around us, and prepare ourselves for the heavenly banquet.

In the name of Christ,

Amen

Going out 2 by 2 Luke 10:1-20 and Galatians 6:7-16

This week, we're continuing on our journey with Luke, and we've got this wonderful story of the disciples going out two by two that we get to play with.

you may remember last week we talked about freedom and allegiance, in the context of Jesus' call to let the dead bury their own dead, and claim that the son of man has no place to lay his head. These radical claims invited people to look to a new value system, beyond the ordinary, everyday dynamics of life, and to become a new creation in the kingdom of God.

As a consequence

This week, Luke tells us what happened when people made this kind of radical commitment, and said yes when Jesus called “Follow Me”. After collecting his disciples, those who were willing to make a deep commitment, Jesus sent them out in the highways and byways to proclaim that the Kingdom of God had come near. We talk most about the 12 disciples, the inner core that Jesus used to organize things, in intentional parallel to the 12 tribes of Israel, but the hierarchy wasn't that strict-James and John and Peter seem to have been an inner core beyond the 12, and here we see Jesus with a larger group-35 teams of two, traveling from place to place proclaiming the good news.

These faithful 70 were the advanced guard, the ground team, preparing these places for Jesus to come through, so that his ministry might have the most impact in the short time that he had remaining.

Thinking about Government, or how to make American Government Better

It's the 4^th of July, a day to honor the American Experiment- the promise of a representative democracy with strong protection for individual rights-

so I celebrate the blessing that it is to be a part of the United States of America, and how privileged I am. I know that I am richer, healthier, and safer here than I would be had I been born almost anywhere else, at any time in history (the only competitive options are Japan and Western Europe), and that is because of that interdependent experiment in Democracy we call America. 

However, for the 4^th I thought maybe a few notes on how our wonderful Democracy might improve itself. I usually stay out of politics, because I think it's useful to separate the church and the state. But for the 4^th I thought it would be fun to make an exception, because I've always thought it is fascinating to reflect on government structures-its important in the church, and in the world. I've spent many hours reflecting on how churches can structure themselves politically for maximum effectiveness and faithfulness, and some of the lessons apply to the United States as well. So here are 7 things we might do as a country to make things work better in Washington and in our own states and towns. I think these are all non-partisan, they certainly would have negative impacts on both Republicans and Democrats. Just to note-these are all focused on government structure-the most important thing that we can do as a country to improve ourselves is to pass a cap and trade bill with the proceeds distributed equally to all Americans, striking a significant blow against poverty and global warming in one simple step.

Anyway, with no further ado, after the jump

Discipleship challenges Galatians 5:13-25, Luke 9:51-62

It is always fun to deal with hard texts in scripture-here I reflect on Jesus' calling to "let the dead bury their own dead" in relationship to freedom and our allegiance to Christ. 

Let me know what you think. 

Immigration is Great

Thinking about immigration in the context of the Phoenix Mennonite Convention next week, I wanted to offer my thoughts from a Christian perspective. In short, I agree with Open Borders. Morally, all Christians everywhere ought to support basically open borders between countries, such that anyone who wanted to live and work in a different place would be allowed to.

Why? Because open borders helps people around the world, most of whom are not me. Open immigration, from the American perspective, is a key example of loving one's neighbor as one's self, and the kind of self giving love that is core to the Christian vision.

If you live in a developing country, open borders mean:

a roughly 4x increase in income.
an opportunity to escape places of violence, corruption, and natural disaster.
significantly increased life expectancy.
A better life for your descendents for generations to come,
and the chance to experience freedom of choice and human liberty, by getting to live in the place of your choice.

If you live in this country as an undocumented immigrant, open borders mean

the chance to work publicly.
the safety to protest unjust working conditions.
Increased income.
Freedom from fear of deportation, and years of detainment without trial.
Allow you to become a full member of society, with both the obligations and benefits of legal status.

If you are already a United States citizen, open borders mean
a bigger economy
little impact on wages
a changing cultural makeup of the United States
increased global carbon emissions.

When we weigh costs and benefits, why would we not open borders to everyone in need?


http://www.cgdev.org/publication/place-premium-wage-differences-identical-workers-across-us-border-working-paper-148
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/04/if-people-could-immigrate-anywhere-would-poverty-be-eliminated/275332/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/14/immigration-economy_n_3437482.html
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2013/04/03/59040/the-facts-on-immigration-today-3/
http://qz.com/95665/the-us-immigration-bill-is-the-economic-reform-weve-all-been-waiting-for/

Reflections on Phoenix Resolutions

Every two years, Mennonite Church USA gets together for a convention, an opportunity to worship, meet people, play games, and talk about the church. Another task is to make resolutions guiding the executive structure of the church.

As part of preparation for the PhoenixMennonite Convention this summer, our congregation took time to read and reflect on the three resolutions before the Delegate Body of Mennonite Church USA at the Phoenix Mennonite convention over the 4^th of July.

I wanted to share my notes from the conversation here, so if you have other thoughts our ideas, you can add them to our gathered discernment.

June 16th sermon 2 Kings 21:1-21 Naboth's Vineyard

2 Kings 21:1-21

Galatians 2:15-21

In the story of Naboth's vineyard, we are reminded of the abuses of power, and how the system that is society renders many complicit in acts of evil. We are reminded that it is our calling to act as Elijah, and proclaim the good news that God stands against broken systems of racism, injustice, and environmental degradation, and calls us to new life. 

Pregnancy is a lesson in Faithfulness

A few lessons on Christianity, from being married to a pregnant woman.

1) "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" can be paraphrased "if you do not want to have your belly rubbed without permission, do not rub other people's bellies without asking first"

2) After picking up extra chores around the house, sometimes I feel like the Good Samaritan, stopping to help someone beside the road. Then I remember that my wife is providing sustenance to a helpless baby all the time, and I get a better sense of what it means to really be self sacrificing.

3) Paul uses the image of creation groaning like a woman in labor in Romans 8:22. Watching a pregnancy gives a new understanding of the already/not yet-it's possible to be very ready for something to be over with, and also understand that it is an amazing journey, and that the time is not yet nigh.

Galatians 1:11-2:5

My sermon this week is a reflection on the Apostle Paul, and how this convert to the faith was willing to upset many traditions because of his understanding of God's will-maybe we should be willing to do the same!

Good morning friends!

It is great to gather in worship with all of you this morning.

I hope that this summer day finds you filled with the Holy Spirit.

As we work with the early church after Easter and in the season of Pentecost, we naturally spend a lot of time with Paul, the major figure in the New Testament after the time of Jesus. After all, Paul is the major driver of our understanding of grace and salvation, he recorded the communion liturgy we still use, he set out the moral guidelines for behavior in the church.

So what I find fascinating is that when Paul told his own faith story, here in Galatians, he clearly saw himself not as the center of Christianity, but as an apostle on the outside, fighting to support his vision of how Christ was leading the church in contrast to the power structure in Jerusalem.

In our text this morning, Paul explains that after his Damascus Road experience, he went off into the wilderness, traveling to Arabia, rather than returning to Jerusalem to repent or get guidance from the Christian leaders he had been persecuting. It's unclear what he did there, but I expect it was a time of preparation and prayer, like Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness or Elijah's visit to Mount Tishbah.

Sermon June 2nd Christian Formation

Deut 6 and mk 10

Good morning friends, it is good to gather in worship with all of you this morning!

We've got a busy morning today-

We are having a congregational meeting where we will discern how to add classroom space to our building-dividing the fellowship hall, or renovating the front of the sanctuary, or a couple of other options. We have a potluck where we will honor the Sunday School teachers among us-those servants of the church who are doing what is probably the most important work of the church, every Sunday morning. We've given Bibles to 3^rd Graders-an act that resonates back to the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement, and the fundamental belief that each of us can read the Bible for ourselves, and interpret it in the church. Finally, after my sermon, we will be dedicating four children, celebrating their presence in our congregation, and committing ourselves to watching over them in the journey to adulthood, to be the priesthood of all believers in their lives.

I am excited about all of these projects, and I notice that they all have something in common-they are all tasks that we take on as a church because of our commitment to Christian Formation- our commitment to finding ways to walk with people as they deepen their discipleship and come to know Christ more. There are lots of things that the church does that are important-worship and service and stewardship and pastoral care. But at it's foundation, our task is Christian formation-growing in the likeness of Christ. When we asked delegates at the Mennonite convention in Pittsburgh what is the most important task of the Mennonite Church, the answer, far and away, was Christian formation. As the Denomination's Purposeful Plan reads, “this first and highest priority commits us to fashion and mold our lives after that of Jesus Christ. As the sent One of God, Jesus sends us into the world. As missional communities, our congregations, conferences, and agencies will ensure that people are invited to make a commitment to Christ, discipled in the way of Christ, taught to engage with the scriptures, helped to develop Christian identity from an Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective, and given the capacity to cultivate their vocational calling.”

So too, today, do we consider these tasks of invitation, discipleship, and scriptural study, as we reflect on all the steps of faith development.

Thinking hard

I read a fascinating passage from Daniel Dennett's new book. Dennett is famous for being a 'new Atheist' one of the more vocal critics of my profession, but he has some very good things to say, and his criticisms are usually well thought out. Here he outlines 7 rules of thinking, which I found really useful.
Thinking hard

In particular,
I'd highlight his advice to be able to state your opponent's argument so persuasively that they say "yes, that's what I believe" and his advice to pay attention to "surely" and rhetorical questions, which often function as glosses over weak spots in our arguments.

I try not to preach in arguments, but I do try and think using these kinds of tools. 

Heirs of God Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17)

Good morning friends! It is good to gather in worship with all of you. We gather this morning on Pentecost, to remember the moment when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, and the third member of the trinity made herself known to them, empowering them to preach and teach and spread the gospel.

http://tvline.com/2012/03/02/downton-abbey-season-4-and-5-cast-contract/

The Holy Spirit is usually the least understood and least talked about part of the Trinity. When we talk about God as father, son, and Holy Ghost, we generally have a better sense about God and Jesus than the Spirit. After all, we have a sense of who God is- the creator, the one who made the universe, the one who we pray to, Abba, father, the main character of the Old Testament. And we know Jesus, the son, the one who came to earth, the man who taught and preached and lived and died and lived again, the main character of the New Testament. We may not always know quite what it means to call Jesus God, but we know who he is.

The Holy Spirit, though, she is more of a mystery, without an easy hat to wear or easy description to keep in our pocket. God present with us is not as satisfying as the other two more obvious aspects of the divine. Even our prayers leave her out-God almighty...in the name of your son Jesus we pray, amen.

Now, this is not an issue for all Christians-in Pentecostal traditions, the Holy Spirit is ever present, shaking the service each Sunday, as people are filled by the Spirit and respond in visible literal ways. But in our more staid worship, it is harder to say that we are swept up by tongues of fire.

So what do we do with this Pentecost image? If my sermon is not going to be translated miraculously into the various languages of our neighborhood, who is the Holy Spirit, and what does she mean for us?

Well, instead of this image of the Holy Spirit as primarily a physical or emotional experience, what I'd like to play with this morning is the Holy Spirit is God in the church. It is in the claim that the Holy Spirit is with us that we claim our authority to work in the name of God in the world.

John 17:20-26 Are We One?

Sermon 5/12/13

John17:20-26

That they may all be one

Good morning friends! It is good to gather in worship with all of you this morning.

I hope that today finds you well. Our theme this morning is one that is near and dear to my heart-the question of oneness in the church.

In our text this morning, we are offered the last words that Jesus offered to his disciples before the crucifixion- after his long discourse that we talked about last week, with it's promise “my peace I leave with you” and claim “no one can come to the father except through me”, Jesus closes his message not with a final set of commandments, but with a prayer-a prayer for his disciples, a blessing for their flourishing, and their future as the church.

At the heart of this final prayer, Jesus prayed that the church might be one, just as Christ and God are one, that the disciples might demonstrate unity so that the whole world might know that they are followers of the one God, brothers and sisters who love one another.

It is a powerful vision of a community tied together in relationship, a church that is one, just like Jesus and God are one, so committed in mission as to be one spirit. It speaks to a church spanning the globe, proclaiming one gospel, working for the good of all people, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, united in ministry, in prayer, and in practice. This is, I believe, who we are supposed to be.

But as we all know, it's not what the church actually looks like. Rather than being of one heart and one mind, I might go so far as to say that we Christians are experts at division. We have countless denominations, different congregations teaching different things, Christians on opposite sides of every core issue in our society, from abortion and torture to Israel Palestine and climate change. How can we be one when we disagree so vehemently with one another?

And I worry that I might be part of the problem- after all, I'm a member of a tiny denomination, some one tenth of one percent of global Christians, a denomination known for schisms and division, to the point that there are far more Anabaptist denominations than I can keep track of, and none of them are very large. You might even say that from the very beginning, Mennonites were the ones who took what was one, and made it many. Watching Anabaptists at work Desidarius Erasmus wept that “Christ's seamless Coat is rent asunder on all Sides.” What is more, and I'm a minority within that denomination, off on the progressive fringe of the church, and I don't always do a good job of falling in line with the established order, more likely to remain as the loyal opposition rather than submitting to the will of the whole.

My Peace I leave with you

I began this sermon with a reflection on my 3 year pastoral review. I decided not to include it in this space. 

Lets pick up after that reflection: 

Our theme this morning is my peace I leave with you. This promise from Jesus-my peace I leave with you-is one those touchstones I return to again and again in my life.

We live in a world full of anxiety-the modern world is filled with new dynamics, we fill ourselves up with things, projects and plans and activities, our stress levels are higher, and we are running ourselves ragged. To take time to be quiet and restful can almost seem impossible, between juggling work and school and family and all of the other tasks that we are expected to master in our 21^st century lives.

And I know that I can fall victim to the temptation of anxiety, worrying about all the things that are going on in my life, in the congregation, and in the world, paralyzed with fear about making mistakes and failing in my task. Since I was a young child, fear of failure has been one of my primary sins.

So it is good for me to year the voice of Jesus say again, my peace I leave with you.

This is why, I think that passing of the peace of Christ is one of my favorite Christian rituals-its such a simple device-greeting our neighbors with a few words of blessing, which makes it easy for children to learn and practice, yet it has profound potential-it is an opportunity for a moment of prayer, lifting up to God those things in a neighbor's life that might lead to chaos. It is a moment of reconciliation, to confess the wrongs you have done to a sister or a brother, at least to God. It can be a moment of rememberance, that on the night that he was betrayed, Jesus offered his peace to his disciples, that they would not be afraid. I love ritual that includes touch, the feel of the waters of baptism, the texture of the bread at communion, the visceral sensation of washing another's feet, and the small ritual of greeting in passing the peace is one of those ways to physically connect with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Now, I know that some people dislike passing the peace- physical contact is not for everyone!

Sermon 4-21-2013 Mark 8 and Galatians 5, baptism

Galatians 5 (gifts of the spirit)

Mark 8 (take up your cross)

Good morning friends. It is good to gather in worship with all of you this morning. After a week marked by bombings, an explosion, and a massive manhunt, it is right to come together in prayer, in worship, and to commit to one another again to follow the prince of Peace. Today we particularly focus on Christ's calling in our lives, as we welcome LL into our community in the ritual of baptism, the ceremony that marks formal entrance into the Christian community.

In the Easter season, we are surrounded by the New Testament stories of baptism-while we don't have any stories of Jesus baptizing people, as soon as Easter happened, there are all sorts of stories people being marked with water as part of the new community. Paul was baptized after his experience on the Damascus road. Peter baptized Cornelius and his whole household, after he saw the sheet descending, and learned that what God has called clean, no one should call unclean. Phillip baptized the Ethiopian Eunuch, who heard the gospel while riding in a chariot, saw the water nearby, and asked to be dipped right away.

Since the beginning, this ritual has marked entrance to the community of believers.

And so too then, do we come to the water this morning, claiming with these founders of the faith our commitment to Jesus, our willingness to follow Christ. In baptism we claim for ourselves the title of disciple- committing ourselves to Jesus as savior as Lord, making the public declaration that we are on God's side, and that we will do our best to follow faithfully where God calls us.

The danger, and the virtues of lists

A brief reflection on lists

As part of our congregation's work rewriting the covenant of membership, our annual commitment to one another that defines what it means to be part of our congregation, we've been talking about what should and should not belong in the document.

And one thing that has been a point of conversation is the following line:

Because we are Christian pilgrims on this earth, I recognize myself as a citizen in Christ's eternal kingdom that rises above all temporary, earthly kingdoms. This kingdom rises, too, above all superficial divisions of gender, race, sexual orientation, and culture, and the temporary bonds of worldly organizations and bureaucracies.

There are a couple of concerns-first, it's sort of a civic list-gender, race, sexual orientation, these are the non-discrimination words of the secular culture in which we live.

But there is another complain I've heard a number of times-a concern about lists. What about economic status? What about class? What about disabilities? There are more superficial divisions than just these that we have listed. The kingdom of God rises above ALL superficial divisions. Do we really need to say more than that? Is it useful to add these extra things?

Sermon Acts 9 and John 21-Peter and Paul, transformed, and on the road to transformation

Here is my sermon from this Sunday.
Every once in a while I preach a sermon that I didn't really get much out of writing, and I don't feel good about preaching, but Sunday waits for no one, and I just present what I have. And usually when that happens, it's 'just a sermon' (not to suggest that any sermon is 'just' a sermon, because we have gathered, and worshiped, and read the text, and at the very least my words are on the scripture, and come from a place of study and prayer, but people say thanks, and we move on with the week). This week, however, while I struggled with this sermon, and never quite felt like I got it where I wanted it, I've had at least 5 people mention that they particularly appreciated it. It is one of those humbling reminders-this work is not about me and my work, not about my internal experience, but about the connection between people and God, and it is my job not to get in the way.

Acts 9:1-20

John 21:1-19

Holy Humor Sunday

Every year, the Sunday after Easter, 

we celebrate "Holy Humor Sunday." This is a tradition I got from Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, where I grew up. Ostensibly the reason we do this is because Easter is a big joke on the devil, who thought he got Jesus' soul. I suspect mostly we like a Sunday to laugh together, and the Sunday after Easter is both an easy regular time to remember, and makes for a good chance to continue the celebration of Eastertime. 

Either way, it usually means no normal sermon.

This year, I was part of two bits-one, a Rick Steves impersonation (For those of you who do not know, Rick Steves is a PBS TV travel host who goes around Europe being geeky, and looks a lot like me), and second a Saturday Night Live skit with my wife. 

I am pretty sure both are covered under fair use, let me know if I'm wrong. 

You can find the Rick Steves video here

and the SNL weekend update skit after the jump (sadly, no video).

Easter sermon 2013

Easter: John 20:1-17, Isaiah 65:17-25

Christ is Risen!

 (Christ is risen indeed)

It is good to gather in worship with all of you on this Easter Sunday! I hope that this day finds you blessed, and filled with the hope of new life. May the meal that we eat together today bring to mind Jesus’ meal in the upper room with the disciples, may the eggs that you search for remind you of Mary’s discovery of the empty tomb, may that ridiculous Easter bunny herself bring to mind life and laughter and springtime, and the hope flowing in the world that is the core of the Easter story, and may you know light in the midst of darkness.

We’ve been talking this Lenten season about honor and shame-you may remember reflecting on how our sense of honor and our fear of shame can sometimes get in the way-get in the way of welcoming people back into community like the Prodigal son and his older brother, get in the way of God’s calling, as we cry out “get away from me Lord,” with Peter and Isaiah, get in the way of strange and beautiful departures from the ordinary way of doing things, stopping us from helping Mary wash Jesus’ feet, distracting us from things that might open up new spaces for God to work in the world.

The Easter story is in many ways a culmination of that trajectory, that journey towards a complete revisioning of honor and shame. The story of a crucified criminal, executed in the most humiliating way possible, raised on the 3^rd day to become savior of the world invites us to claim again that for God, honor and shame are a completely different animal than they are for us.