Sermon 25 Feb 18

Mark Twain worried, he said “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”

Was working with a couple of kids at Centreville School this week. In the grade 2 class they were learning to write descriptive sentences about people they interviewed. So, two kids were sent to interview me & write a descriptive paragraph. So I was asked about my favourite thing, favourite food, favourite colour, favourite thing to do & the first question from the other child was, how old are you? So I said 51, he responded “wow, you going to die soon”. HE went on to say, “You are a lot older than my mom she is only 37, my grandmother she is 69, so she is older than you.”

Having a child tell me I am going to die soon; doesn’t have quite the same impact as if it was my doctor telling me this information, but it does may you think.

Jesus is telling His disciples today that he is going to suffer and be rejected & die. They were deeply impacted by this news and the disciples naturally want to deny such accusations. How could this possibly be?  There must be a mistake a way to stop such speculation.

This text in Mark’s gospel introduces a new phase in Jesus teaching and ministry to the disciples. This teaching was unlike any Jesus had spoken of before and they were not prepared to hear today what He had to say.  The disciples had left fishing boats, jobs, and families to follow Jesus. Their work was hectic and exhausting, at times there was   opposition and suspicion, but on the whole,  they found their work exciting. Sure, there were the occasional times where they did not understand Jesus, but they were called to be disciples to be followers and therefore they would continue to gain insight and understanding along the way. There was still a lot to be done and understood. But now, Jesus unexpectedly, what seemed abruptly to them, is speaking of His own suffering, rejection and death this was not at all on their horizons; they reacted with genuine surprise, shock, bewilderment and fear. 

Who would want to hear such news about anyone?

Dr. William Sloan Coffin of New York’s Riverside Church said this in the April 20,1984 edition of the Lutheran Standard, after the death of his son, Alex. "The night after Alex died, I was sitting in the living room of my sister’s house outside of Boston, when a middle-aged lady came in, shook her head when she saw me and said, "I just don’t understand the will of God." Instantly, I was up and in hot pursuit, swarming all over her. "I’ll say you don’t, lady!!" I said. (I knew the anger would do me good, and the instruction to her was long overdue. )

I continued, "Do you think it was the will of God that Alex never fixed that lousy windshield wiper of his, that he was probably driving too fast in such a storm, that he probably had had a couple of ’frosties’ too many? Do you think it is God’s will that there are no street lights along that stretch of road, and no guard rails separating the road and Boston Harbor?"


Dr. Coffin continues in the article: "Nothing so infuriates me as the incapacity of seemingly intelligent people to get it through their heads that God doesn’t go around this world with His fingers on triggers, His fist around knives, His hands on steering wheels. God is against all unnatural deaths. And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy and muteness. As Alex’s younger brother put it simply, standing at the head of the casket: "You blew it buddy. You blew it."

Dr. Coffin continues: "The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is, "It is the will of God." Never do we know enough to say that. My consolation lies in knowing that it was not the will of God that Alex died; that when the waves closed over the sinking car, God’s was the first, of all our hearts to break."

What gives any of us the right to say “|it was the will of God?” I

It doesn’t make the situation any better, or more understandable, who would think God would will tragic circumstance on anybody?

In a similar way the disciples, Peter, the impulsive disciple, on hearing Jesus news, began to reprimand Jesus when he spoke of the suffering and rejection and death that He was about to experience. Peter’s response came from the self. He was thinking of himself.

Jesus said to Peter “get behind me Satan” in other words, Peter quit thinking of yourself.                      

Sarah Henrich – Working Preacher and her commentary on this passage writes Jesus' reproach of Peter is a truly severe correction. Peter has thought the matters of humankind, not of God. Better put, he has conceived Jesus' identity and God's realm in human terms, not in godly ones. Such misconception is the very stuff of Satan. It is dangerous business to limit God's way of being in the world to what we desire. 

She goes on to say that Mark forces us to see that even when we think we have grasped something of Jesus in one circumstance, we fail to see in another. Our blindness is not healed in one step, or even in two or three. Like the disciples, we learn from being corrected, even rebuked. And like them, we fail to apply the lesson we learned, for the fullness of its meaning is beyond us.

Astronaut Peter Mansfield was talking on CBC Thursday morning about the view from space and being able to see the community where he grew up & than in minutes see more parts of the earth where he had travelled. He had a specialized view of the earth.

Think now of God’s view of us? Not only is God above us, God is beside us, before us, and need I say it, within us, in our hearts. Who has the better view of what is going on in and around us and who holds the bigger picture and the larger plan of all things?

1 Colossians 15:15-20

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Devastating situations and mountain top experiences we have all had. But I do not hesitate in saying that the highs and the goods far outweigh the devastatingly bad ones. Maybe not at the time, but later on when the cloud recesses and the sun sends a shimmer of light once again, despite the loss, the pain there is thanksgiving to. Even while going through a challenging, heart breaking time, we mustn’t lose sight of God’s grace, and blessings. Life can be very tough, and very, very good.

In the commentary on today’s gospel lesson, one of the writers in speaking about Mark’s gospel and how for Mark the cross is central to understanding Jesus and the nature of discipleship. Says, as Jesus makes His first prediction of the cross, of which there will be two more in Mark, cross bearing is something we all must do, & it is appropriate on this 2nd Sunday of Lent that Jesus reminds us of the cross we to must bear and what lays ahead for Him. Jesus said “If any want to become my followers….”

Mark’s gospel does not want his church to use Easter and skip Lent & Good Friday.  The importance of Easter and the resurrection is the unfathomable love and sacrifice that was made on Good Friday. 

Life cannot be all Easter, but the hope and promise of Easter makes the Good Fridays and Lenten wilderness journeys of our lives all the more bearable, endurable, because the hope and promise and miracles of the God of Easter resurrection are always with us and always within view. We can take the good news of the resurrection into every circumstance and situation that life takes us to and through His Son that that we now have His will, in our hearts and lives, this is God’s will. God sacrificed so that we can carry that hope of Christ with us in all things. Thanks be to God. Amen

Preaching Through the Christian Year, Year B – Fred B. Craddock, John H. Hayes, Carl R. Holladay, Gene M. Tucker

Sarah Henrich – Working Preacher

C. Clifton Black & Michael Rogness

Sermon for February 11, 2018

I believe our first impulse is to say, what does this mountain top experience mean? What is the transfiguration all about?  It is the glowing story of a spiritual encounter, not only between God and God's Son but as well Elijah & Moses whom are at the center of the story and those who are watching,  Peter, James and John & of course us, viewing them all.  Maybe this event isn’t so much about explaining it and searching for meaning as it is experiencing the moment & taking it all in.

Let us first trace our steps. Two months ago we were in the season of Advent, the season of preparation of waiting. Following New  Years we found ourselves not only in the deep cold of January but in the season of light, Epiphany which includes the visit of the Maji guided by the light, Jesus baptism when the sky opened & the spirit descended upon Jesus. Now we are on the eve of the season of Lent. A season of reflection and preparation which concludes with the light of Christ terminated at His crucifixion, the darkness, until Easter Sunday, when light pierced the opening of Jesus grave. A grave found empty & His risen spiritual presence alive for all to see and know that death had been defeated once and for all.  Today we turn away from the twinkling stars of Christmas toward the deep wilderness of Lent.  As gloomy as that may sound, it is very good news.  Most of us can get so distracted by our gadgets, busy with our work, and trenched in our commitments and projects, overwhelmed by the snow and weather  that a nice long spell in the wilderness maybe just what we need. 

First we must head up to the mountaintop.  If you've been looking for some way to trade in your old certainties for new movement in your life, look no further.  This is your chance to enter the cloud of unknowing and listen for whatever it is that God has to say to you. 

Today we have reached the mountain peak, and as we stand looking around the air is fresh, the breeze is cool, may be you feel it on your face.

Six days before climbing this mountain Jesus had spoken to them about His suffering and death that He must undergo. Now as Jesus stands on the Mountain Peak His presence becomes a dazzling glow of white such as no one on earth could ever bleach it. On either side of Him stands Elijah & Moses, two of the greatest prophets. Off, to one side is Peter, James & John.  Soon a cloud overshadowed the Peak & a voice was heard saying “This is my Son, the beloved, listen to Him.”

Now the most commonly deciphered explanation of this experience is that:  Moses stands on one side of Jesus representing the Law, Elijah stands on the other side of Jesus representing the prophets, and Jesus, central is the Messiah.  God, by singling Jesus out saying "my Son, the Beloved," God places the gospel over the law and the prophets. The Transfiguration is an experience that speaks of the promise of a life beyond what is obvious to earthly eyes a lot of the time. Moses and Elijah, are two individuals whose deaths, who’s passing's were mysterious, & were believed by many Jews to be God's forerunners of the end times. Because Elijah went bodily into heaven (2 Kings 2:9-12) (we heard read a moment ago) and Moses' grave was never found (believed to have been buried by God himself in Deuteronomy 34:4-7), these two men of the faith were thought to be available for God to send back. God would send them to inform humankind that God's reign was at hand. It is no accident that these two appear with Jesus on the mountain. They may address that change already prophesied by Jesus (Mark 1:15 – The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.”) and as the two messengers disappear into the cloud the voice of God comes with the words to "This is my Son, the beloved, listen to Him," HE is the only one left. Now Jesus becomes the divinely chosen precursor of the turn of the age.  Sarah Henrich

The word from the cloud, "Listen to him," is a reminder to pay attention to Jesus' words (including those predictions in Mark 8:31 where He speaks of His suffering. Suffering is a part of life and Christ willingly endured suffering for us in order to win eternal life and forgiveness and freedom to live and worship God. God who sacrificed His very own, that we all can gain life in greater fullness and freedom. A life in which we no longer fear death for now it is not the end, but a whole new spiritual beginning with Him. A Lord, God Almighty who suffers and lays down his life and as a result opens glory to many.

There are other dazzling glow experiences in scripture that we remember today as you may see the connection.

In the Book of Exodus, when Moses climbed Mount Sinai to fetch the tablets of the law, the whole top of the mountain stayed socked in divine cloud cover for six whole days and his glimpse of God’s backside (Exodus 33:7-23).  In 1 Kings, when Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem, a dense cloud filled up that huge place so that the priests could not even see what they were supposed to be doing.  When Ezekiel had his vision of the four living creatures, he saw them in the middle of "a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually." Elijah’s encounter with God in a strange “sound of sheer silence” (1 Kings 19:11-13). When one is so close to God, everything changes. Impossibilities dissolve.

 

We should also note that both prophets, Moses & Elijah like Jesus, labored to help the people of God remain faithful as they were enticed by idolatrous religious ideas. All of them sought to keep the people of God hopeful as they suffered the burdens of abusive political systems. That is, Moses’ and Elijah’s closeness to God wasn’t something to be hoarded; it energized them in their service to others, equipping them to know and pursue the Lord.

At the Transfiguration, then, Jesus stands in impressive company, sharing the moment with two others who know what it is to share close communion with God and to frustrate that pesky and seemingly unyielding boundary between life and death.

 When Jesus lit up right in front of him, Peter knew what he was seeing. The Bible calls it "God's glory"--the shining cloud that is the sure sign of God's capital P Presence.  He catches a glimpse of his reality as Son of Man, God's chosen messenger of God's reign.

We to every once in sometime see glimpses, brief epiphanies  that we cannot fully grasp or explain. Epiphanies aren’t always subtle.

The following is an excerpt from Frederick Buechner's book "Beyond Words."

 Even with us something like that happens once in a while. The face of a man walking with his child in the park, of a woman baking bread, of sometimes even the unlikeliest person listening to a concert, say, or standing barefoot in the sand watching the waves roll in, or just having a beer at a Saturday baseball game in July. Every once and so often, something so touching, so incandescent, so alive transfigures the human face that it's almost beyond bearing.

Putting all this together, we have a story that reassures Jesus' core disciples and Mark's readers:  Jesus' predictions of betrayal, death, and resurrection are to be trusted. The struggles yet to come for Jesus should in no way diminish confidence in his promises or his predictions of resurrection. As Mark's gospel drives toward the bitterness of the passion and the uncertainty of an ending without a resurrection appearance, when all seemed hopeless after Good Friday, this story itself shines as a beacon of hope in all things. 

Put yourself in Peter, James & John’s place and what would you be thinking?

Recall that James and John believe in that glory and try to claim a place at Jesus' side there (10:35-37).  ³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” ³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. ³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” They don't understand the price of that glory, even when Jesus tries to remind them.  Even glory can be misunderstood. Everybody wants a piece of it, but no one thinks of the cost involved.

Throughout these passages, there is a theme of God's faithfulness. God has not left God's people without guidance, without help, without hope ever. From Moses to Elijah to Daniel to Jesus, perhaps to Mark writer of this "good news" (Mark 1:1), and including many more persons of faith, we continually are helped to see the way of God in the world, as well as the promise for God's future for all of us. Perhaps we have to trust the glimpse that others have had: all the twelve, for instance, were not part of this experience and Peter, James, and John did not talk about it, as they were instructed, until after the resurrection. But the glimpse, even of others, is a gift to all of us from God.

Next Sunday we will come to our Lord’s Table for Communion. We will be reminded of glory in the elements of bread and wine that point both to Jesus alive and Jesus whose life was lived with and for us, who ate the simplest meal with his disciples as promise of a future glory. As we share in that sacrament we too share an experience and promise of that glory.

Listen to him, says God’s voice from the cloud.  The purpose of such a mountaintop experience may be to strengthen us for the journey back down to the valley of the shadow of death, where our real work remains to be done.  BBT                                                              

Today you have heard a story you can take with you when you go.  It tells you that no one has to go up the mountain alone, it tells you that sometimes things get really scary before they get holy.  Above all, it tells you that there is someone standing in the center of the cloud with you, shining so brightly that you may never be able to wrap your mind around Him, but who is worth listening to all the same. When we return and enter the valleys of life because he is God's beloved, and you are His, and whatever comes next, you are not alone, for the Lord God is with you.   Amen. BBT

              

The Bright Cloud of Unknowing -  sermon by Barbara Brown Taylor

Matt Skinner Working Preacher Mark 9:2-9

Sarah Henrich Working Preacher Mark 9:2-9

Matt Skinner Working Preacher Mark 9:2-9

James Boyce  Working Preacher  Mark 9:2-9

 Buechner's book "Beyond Words."

Sermon for February 04, 18

Last week we heard about the dilemma in the church at Corinth in regard to the meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Eating meals at the temple meant that the meat had been sacrificed & although the Christians did not indulge in the worship of the idols, what message did eating the meat send.

 While buying the meat from the Corinth markets & eating meat at home, a person did not then know the true source of the meat. It may have been from the temple, but maybe not. So, by eating in their homes they were further removed from the idol temple worship & its surroundings. One unfortunate obstacle about most homes at this time was that they were not large enough to host a gathering, a party a banquet, so they were often held at the local temple, which offered plenty of dining rooms to use for such occasions. But now eating within the temple grounds meant that not only was one certainly consuming idol food, but one was in the boundaries of the temple rituals there you were now under the roof on the grounds of the idol worship site.

So, the Corinth congregation was divided over this. Some argued; well we are not participating in the worship of the idols, we eat the food that has first been offered in honor to the patron deity of the temple, but we worship only the one true and holy God of Israel and there is no other God. For them, the idol worship meant nothing because they were firm in their beliefs that there is only one God and one Lord. This seems to say that they could go through the motions of the rituals without really honoring the idols as gods.  (But why would you?)

But wait, not everybody can do this. Some, however, are witnessing the behavior of these “experienced (knowledgeable) seasoned Christians” and would believe that it is ok to honor the other deities alongside Christ. So now for the more influential people, the message they were receiving is that these idols exist, and to them the rituals have power & so now they are split in their beliefs in their worship & that is not faithful to God. To the one & only Almighty God of Israel. Their devotion is not in their hearts and cannot be there if they are split, confused & torn in their beliefs. They may legitimately question whether involvement in religious ceremonies means that it is acceptable to worship other gods alongside Jesus. They are confused because the boundaries are not clear.

To relate this dilemma to a context that we can more closely identify with. Many of us pray before a meal. To some, that prayer may seem hasty, superficial a mere ritual. I just want to eat; the food is getting cold! To others at the same meal, that prayer may be deeply meaningful. It is a pause in the day to remember God’s presence and too be reminded of how blessed we are to have this meal. It is that pause of gratefulness of quiet & worship that may reset the moment in a whole new direction. The words of the prayer-grace give thanks to God. Does partaking in the prayer automatically mean that one is acknowledging that there is a god who is worthy of thanksgiving? Can one partake in religious rites out of respect without believing the words that are being spoken?

Maybe that is some of us here today?

We all need boundaries. We need boundaries to work with in to establish ourselves to know who we are and what are our beliefs and our thoughts, and our values are. We need boundaries to establish ourselves and what we are about.

And when those boundaries are being swayed, we are hopefully able to sense that, to react to respond to that. As Paul emphasizes there is freedom in Christ, 1 Corinthians 7:21-24 (NRSV)

²¹ Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever. ²² For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ. ²³ You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. ²⁴ In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God.

Freedom in Christ gives us the boundaries in which to exercise our faith beliefs.

Now consider the Corinthians’ context, what about those who used to believe in other gods and have returned to their former religious practices based on the examples of church members? So, they have swung back to their former ways, because they didn’t see the distinction, the line, the separation the boundary between the worship of idols and the worship of the one true holy God of grace and mercy and peace. They didn’t have the witness or the beliefs of Christianity in their minds and hearts to know their boundaries. That is what Paul is getting at here. How does participation in the rights of the local temple affect one’s witness to the God of Israel, who is a jealous God? This is what is at the heart of the debate in First Church Corinth.

Paul is asking those with influence to abandon their behaviour when it would cause others to go astray.

That sounds easy enough to do, but what is it is your economic and social network. How many times can you decline an invitation to dinner at the temple, before you are not asked again? For instance, how many times can one decline a dinner invitation when the host is a business partner? Hosting and attending these banquets was important economically and socially. If a person’s presence at that banquet, however, is destroying a brother or sister, is the status gained by the meal really worth it? Social privileges come at a cost.

The divide is not just over “knowledge”. The divide is between the better off and the not as well off in the community. There are lots of people in the community who have never been asked to a banquet; many who have never even been considered because of their lower status and besides that, due to their socio-economic level they could not reciprocate such an invitation. So, the ware not asked.

Paul encourages those who have power and influence to abandon their privileges when their behavior would lead others astray or leave others behind.

So, eating at the local temple -- even if one does not believe in idols -- is encouraging others to return to former religious practices. Paul’s words to sum up this situation are jarring: “And so by your knowledge this weak one is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brother and sister and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:11-12).

To quote John Gills on his exposition of this passage he writes

shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
every word almost carries in it an exaggeration of this matter; it is not some slight injury that is done to the person, but even causing him to "perish"; and this is not said of any person, but a "brother", to whom the strongest affection, and strictest regard, should be shown; and a "weak" brother, of whom the greater care should be taken; and therefore it is an instance of cruelty to do damage to such an one, and that not ignorantly, which cannot be pretended, but "through thy knowledge"; not through the true use, but abuse of it: those that have knowledge should know better, and improve it to the edification, and not the destruction of fellow Christians;. John Gills exposition of the Bible

Paul wants the Corinthians, particularly the “know-it-alls” who have social status, to consider their brothers and sisters in Christ and to be willing to abandon their rights, status, and privileges when necessary. It may be permissible for them to attend the banquet, but it is not beneficial to the whole to the good of the community.

Paul gets more personal now and speaks about his own ministry and practice. As an apostle Paul refuses to take payment from the church in order to bring the gospel free of charge. He would rather take up labor, which the Corinthians considered humiliating to do, than to take their money. For to accept the money of those of social status would make it very, very difficult if not impossible for him to correct their behavior. He cannot be indebted to them. HE speaks of his debt to the gospel & how he owes his life and existence to God.

This consciousness of obligation and gratitude -indebtedness leads him to be a servant to the nations. Paul connects his argument in the language that the know-it-alls are using: “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.” No one in the Roman world strives to appear weak. Weakness is not a virtue. Paul is asking the powerful to come alongside the “weaker” and consider the circumstances through another perspective. After all Christ died for the weak and for all.

The fact that Jesus intentionally identified with all people. There were no levels or classes or race, identifications or weak & strong, all people were equal in Jesus eyes and in his acknowledgment and love for them. Jesus did not overlook or favour one before another. Galatians 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 His is the model the example that shapes Paul’s instruction (1 Corinthians 11:1; see Philippians 2:6-11). Seeking the advantage of another rather than one’s own advantage (1 Corinthians 10:33), a tough, tough message to deliver in First Church Corinth. How well-received of a message is it today in the Centreville-Memorial United Church in the Newburgh United Church? Paul is convinced that the gospel turns this world of privilege upside down. In this season of Epiphany, what might those of us with privilege need to relinquish so that others can see the love of God through us?

Working Preacher Commnetary

Sources: Carla Works -  Associate Professor in New Testament
Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington, D.C