Sermon for April 26, 20

Sermon for April 26, 20

God of the Living Word, you come to us in sacred story, in bread broken and wine poured out, in friendship and in conversation. Send us your Holy Spirit as your Word is read. May our hearts burn within us as we encounter your truth, through Christ, our Risen Lord. Amen.

Gospel Lesson Luke 24:13-33 The Walk to Emmaus

We turn to the gospel of Luke today, and we hear of the women going to the tomb of Jesus this morning and found it empty? They were  questioned by two men in dazzling clothes, who asked them “why look for the living among the dead?” The men in white reminded them of what Jesus had told them, that after 3 days He would rise again.  So Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James & the other women went directly and told the apostles. The men not sure of the news causes Peter to jump up run to the tomb & he saw the linens cloths that once were wrapped around Jesus body now empty just lying there. Their response to this news brings further confusion, disbelief, grief.

Now later the same day, two people, who were not part of the eleven within the original circle of the Twelve, yet are part of a "group" of disciples (24:9) are walking to Emmaus. Perhaps they are returning home, what more could they do? 

One of the individuals walking was Cleopas and some theologians suggest his companion may well have been his wife Mary. If you go to John’s account chapter 19: 25 it reads “Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.“ Now the spelling of Clopas is slightly different, but that was not unusual either, so we might consider that this could be a husband and wife walking home who were witness to Jesus crucifixion and then received the news that morning that Jesus tomb was empty.

Now going home, back to their ordinary life, their greatest hopes gone.  In spite of all they knew, all the stories they could rehearse, in spite of the witness of others, they simply had not seen Jesus--nor had anyone else they knew.  The prophecies of Jesus and hope of salvation grew cold.  Doubts began to rise up for them, Good Friday had not been Good.  Time had passed and there was no change, no resurrection, no Jesus. As they walk the 7 miles to Emmaus, they begin to share their hearts. The grief, the pain, the awful death of Jesus and now, His body missing, gone!  So much to discuss to try and understand to talk about; just so many unanswered questions, so burdened with grief, so overwhelmed, so much to think about.

Even though those two people walked the road a long time before us, we can identify with some of what they were feeling, today.                                                                        Walk with me through our experiences and feelings of this past week and walk with me through these pages of hope and inspiration in God’s Holy Word.

So much has taken place in our lives and in our country since we last were together. Walking is a great way to get exercise and enjoy a visit with a good companion. Thank goodness we can still get outside and take walks, and enjoy the company of another, even at 2 meters apart. We need the walks just to allow us some time to let our mind wander, figure things out, see things differently. Sometimes it is a nice way to talk as you walk because as you are moving it is easier to let the conversation flow, then if sitting still talking face to face. This often makes it easier to talk from the heart.  Aristotle’s definition of friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.

How are you feeling about things going on around you right now? Are you just about done with self isolation? Your desire to get out and do things again is getting stronger? If what we were already dealing with, was not enough, while we worshipped last Sunday a tragedy of unprecedented proportions was occurring in Nova Scotia. There are no words that can begin to put things in perspective. The difficult & tedious work is underway to piece together the reasons of how and why such a tragedy occurred. Miles of walking and talking will not begin to help us understand but possibly lessen  a little of the grief, the shock the loss, the pain that so many, all over our country and beyond are feeling right now. But, for the ones impacted directly by this heinous tragedy their lives are forever deeply scarred, and tragically changed.                                                                  The words grieving and isolation should not share the same sentence, and yet right now it has too. When we grieve it helps to have people near us for comfort for company, support for help. Large groups of people are not permitted to gather which sadly delays the opportunity and the need to honour our loved ones who have died and share our memories and grief together. Not only does the Covad 19 virus continue to afflict us, to isolate us, concern us  but it now frustrates us more as the time lengthens and the curve is lessening and the need to be with our loved ones and friends who are hurting grows deeper still. There is no end to self isolation yet, we must endure, be patient, understand that we do this for the health and safety of each other and ourselves. When the fear of the virus has decreased, what will it be like to go out again? What adjustments will we have to make, to our new reality? Life will be different, life has changed, we have changed.  What has the virus taught you about yourself, and about what is important?  One thing that caught my attention was hearing about some stores closing on Sunday’s to give their employees a rest. This was not something I thought I would ever hear again. A day of rest, was that not what the Sabbath was intended for?

Maybe we will still need to walk two meters apart for a long time yet? But it does allow us to be together in some way and to share about ourselves.  That is good news.

As the couple walked the dirt road to Emmaus, they talked and they grieved. Then a stranger joined them and they shared with Him all about  Jesus of Nazareth & how the leaders had Him crucified. But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. (How many times in our lives have we uddered those words… We had hoped the news would be different, that the headaches would go away, that the business would be more profitable, we had hoped…) Their answer revealed a lot about their expectations of Jesus, and about their faith in God. They had hoped he was the promised Messiah, the ruler who would redeem Israel. They may have been looking for a Messiah who would drive out the Roman oppressors, and rescue God’s chosen people from a life of poverty and struggle. When he healed the sick, cast out evil forces, they believed in the God who saves. When he stood up the Pharisees, and taught the people with such wisdom, understanding and grace, they saw a true prophet. When he spoke about the kingdom of God, they thought he must be planning to re-establish the throne of David.                                              But now His tomb is empty, they told Him.

 Then the stranger reminded His follower travelers of all the prophesies & interpreted all the scriptures about Him.

Josh D. McDowell has been in ministry for more than 50 years.  He said one reason the Bible’s Old Testament is so important to Christians is that it contains over 300 prophecies. It is like the threads of a tapestry, that establish the Messianic testimonials of Jesus.

The Old Testament is like an intricate jigsaw puzzle. The numerous pieces, on their own, are puzzling — until they are assembled enough to fill out the intended picture. Thus, the New Testament is the decryption key for unlocking Old Testament meaning.

Samples of the 300 prophecies include  Jesus: Exodus 12:21). the Passover lamb”

(1 Corinthians 5:7).“For indeed Christ, our Passover, (our deliverance) was sacrificed for us”  The festival of Passover celebrates God’s deliverance of the Israelite people from slavery in Egypt

(Zechariah 9:9).: “ Behold, your king is coming mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”

(Luke 19:35-37). “And they brought the colt to Jesus, …and as He rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. _ worshipped as their king – came a humble king

(Isaiah 49:-6). “  I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth'                              

(Acts 13:47-48): “For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’

Jesus is: Deliverance,  King, The Light of the World,  Messiah, Promised Holy One, The Cornerstone,  Redeemer, Healer, The Word, The Christ .

As the travelers reached Emmaus they invited their guest to join them, and it was in the breaking of the bread that the disciples’ eyes were opened Jesus opens eyes to see him as the risen Lord.. Were not our hearts burning within us they asked of themselves.

We don’t have the privilege of sharing the meal with Jesus as the two apostles did at the end of their walk that day. But we do have this. We have the witness of the disciples who had lost all hope. Their story rings true, because it is honest about their struggle to see and believe.

Once the Scriptures were explained to them, the complete change in them went from defeat to people who would die for Christ.

Did Jesus rise from the dead, or didn’t he? No question is more important!

If he did not, there is no real hope for the world, or for us.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

But if Jesus is alive, our hope is alive. 1 Peter 1:3 says, “He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

No matter how you may be feeling, or called upon to do, know that our risen Lord shares your journey with you. He is risen indeed. Halleluiah!

 

Resources Used:

Luke 24:13-35 Scripts of the Exile (Butler)   Scripts of the Exile By Rev. Amy Butler

 Josh McDowell Ministry A CRU Ministry  Posted March 28, 2018 by Sheri Bell and filed under the categories Apologetics, Resurrection.  Title: Did Jesus Fulfill Old Testament Prophecy?

Easter: "we Had Hoped..."Contributed by Vic Folkert on Mar 27, 2020     

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35   Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Our church bells rang out Friday for the people of Nova Scotia, both the CV & N bells will ring during our service today, remembering each of the 22  lives lost. We pray for and walk with the people deeply wounded by this tragedy & now we offer a Lament played by Olivia Hughes entitled Ash Okan Farewell.

Sermon for April 19, 2020

Sermon for April 19, 2020 4^th On line Sunday

I am drawn to this passage I believe it speaks so clearly of our humanity.

The disciples still coming to grips with Jesus resurrection and how that could possibly be. Their response to His resurrection is something we can really identity with and even understand. What we hear they are doing is hiding behind locked doors, they continue to be afraid even now.  Why?

What do we do when we don’t understand? When our mind is confused and our heart doesn’t know what to feel? What would you do if you (and maybe you have) witnessed a true and horrifying tragedy and then a unbelievable, miraculous experience with the same person all a matter of a few days?

So much had changed in those 3 days from death to life, from tragedy to hope, but why were they hiding behind locked doors in fear of the Jews? What were they really afraid of?

In our own way right now we can relate to hiding behind locked doors, trying our best to keep the Corona Virus Covad 19 out. Out of our bodies, lives, out of our homes, and out of where we live. We have been self isolating in our homes, needing to be away, being told to keep away from everyone else. We have been living in a element of fear too. Living anxiously about how this Covad 19 virus can travel and compromise the health of many people of the whole world. Even keeping our doors locked does not guarantee safety from it’s grip.

Jesus came among the disciples and said “Peace be with you.” He came among them, even though the doors were locked and HE stood in their midst. They witness the tender scars of His flesh in His hands and His side. They had seen the nails driven into His body and the spear into His side, and yet now here He was with them in the locked room in His risen presence. It was Him, the flesh wounds, His voice, His face. Once they had taken this all in, Then the disciples rejoiced when they had saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

We have all experienced times when we didn’t go to an event for reasons of our choosing or we chose to go out rather than staying home and in either  scenario, something happens that your miss out on.

Maybe you miss a fabulous performance because you chose to stay home, or maybe while you are out running an errand that could have waited, a long time friend drops in for a short visit, and you kick yourself for not being there.

Well Thomas, had left and where he went we will never know, but the door was locked.  He missed seeing Jesus and my feeling is that He was sorry that he missed Jesus and maybe mad at himself for not being there with the disciples.                             Now he has missed out, and he is left out of what his fellow disciples have witnessed and what they have seen and experienced and where they have moved forward in their faith and understanding, Thomas has not he is still needing more.                     

Does Thomas doubt what the disciples are saying and revealing to him? OR does he just need his own experience, the experience that the disciples are revealing to him as they share what they saw & as a result declared and rejoiced!  

Thomas announces that the only way he will believe is  “Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe.”                       

Is it proof Thomas wants? Could it be just the experience again of being with Jesus that he longs for? Has being labeled Doubting Thomas been his appropriate name over the centuries, has he earned it or has it just stuck with him as some nick names do?

Doubt, is but a key ingredient to faith.  If you don’t question, you don’t learn or care, you don’t grow.  Bill Tammeus a long time journalist and religious writer entitled his 2016 book  The Value of Doubt: why unanswered questions, not unquestioned answers, build faith.

As believers we sometimes feel that we cannot express doubt or criticism because it shows weakness in our beliefs and we don’t want to discourage the faith of others, but encourage. 

Tammeus writes that the opposite of faith is not doubt; rather the opposite of faith is certitude or conviction and a key component of faith is trust.

Leonard Ravenhill died in 1994 but he was an English Christian evangelist and author who focused on the subjects of prayer and revival. He stated this: I have no faith in my faith. My faith is in the faithful God.     

Trust in the Living Christ, as Tammeus describes, …. cannot be fully explained or quantified to others, yet faith empowers one to seek good in the face of evil.  Trust in God allows the miracle of hope when many believe there is none.  

Can we really have faith in a faithless age? I say YES we can and we do and I believe it is a time more than ever where Christians need to live our faith in good works and in spiritual works. Sometimes our faith gets locked, like in a box from our days in SS. Our faith hasn’t been released or brought into practice, exercised and therefore it cannot grow and be questioned. Our doubts go  unexpressed and get locked in the box because we are afraid of  having doubts, afraid of what we do not understand or know. We must open the box and explore our spiritual terrain.  Ask what are my questions? What are my doubts? What faith beliefs do I own today and what am I just assuming from childhood or culture without experiencing or understanding for myself? In our questioning we will find a deepening meaning to our lives too.  

 Many people today are living in fear of this virus plus fears like financial concern, family breakdown, cancer, health, growing older and needing assistance, abuse, insecurity, there are many fears and now compounded with the Covad 19. Fear is a powerful thing and can wear us down, wear us out.

Where can a person find security, find a solid foundation, a cornerstone to build life upon, a solid rock to feel secure upon and experience life with a firm footing, not sinking sand?

Our Lord’s tomb or grave is empty death could not hold Him. Through the power of God He rose from the grave and He is the anchor of life the source of our hope in all things our comfort in the storm our all we need to secure us through this life and eternity. In Him we place our faith our hope and He will guide us through all of life’s challenges and difficulties. 

We were not there as Thomas was when Jesus returned  Jesus shows up bringing life, offering life, embodying life.  A week later …and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Life and peace are resurrection reality. They do not necessarily change the circumstances of our life and world. But the life and peace of Jesus’ resurrection enables us to meet and live through those circumstances. He gives us his peace, his presence His life, so we are then free to unlock the doors of our lives, our hearts and move forward in faith. 

Resources

Unlocking Doors – A Sermon on John 20:19-31, Easter 2 Interrupting the Silence Father Mike

SUZETTE MARTINEZ STANDRING is a nationally syndicated columnist with GateHouse Media offering her thoughts on  her blog on The Value of Doubt: why unanswered questions, not unquestioned answers, build faith By Bill Tammeaus

Sermon for Easter Sunday April 12, 2020

As Mary moves towards the tomb of Jesus and grief consumes her heart. John reminds us of that, “It was still dark”. The sunrise had yet to happen, both physically and metaphorically: for Mary, in body and soul, “It was still dark”. No doubt she may have been wondering if there would ever be light again.

Who would have thought a year ago when we gathered to celebrate Easter in our churches and with our friends and family, that a year later our church doors locked, businesses closed, schools closed, millions out of work, , air travel almost ground to a stop, countries on lockdown, many normal events in our communities, cities prohibited and everyone being told to stay home. Those working to provide the necessities of life protect themselves with shields as best they can, from the Corona virus diseas that is threatening all of the world and has claimed the lives of all to many.  The Term “social distancing”, new to our vocabulary, but now very frequently used and exercised goes against everything that we naturally do when we see and greet people we are happy to see, people we love, people we want to extend our support to.

We have all had our share of news on the Covid 19 Corona Virus disease, but have you thought about the virus from a theological standpoint?

As Christians we are a people of faith in a loving and giving God. A God whom we trust and place our faith in, and who does not want us to live in fear, but in faith in Him. Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.     or

Deuteronmy 31:6   Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The gospel is the good news of God, John 3:16 sums it all up ⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  It is the empowering work of God’s love in us which enables us to move forward, to trust, to cope, to maintain, to not let fear overcome us.

Our self isolating is not solely for ourselves, but for respect and concern for one another. For our families who we desire to be with, for our neighbor for the stranger for each other, we do what is best for all concerned. We are in this together and what we are doing is out of compassion and love for one another. We act with faith in these times not fear.

Reaching out through a hug, a kiss, handshake are at the heart of family and friendship. Often when we meet someone for the first time, we may extend our hand in friendship and respect for that person. It is important and can meet a great deal.

Our Lord God did not choose to save us by sending a hand, or a letter or a text God sent Himself in the form of His Son, Jesus.  Not only did He send His Son, but sent Him in a way that we could embrace Him and identify with Him, learn from Him and worship Him. He came in human and divine form born an infant to dwell among us living the true reality of life on earth like us. He was about embodiment, incarnation, He was and is about face to face, and hand in hand we go through life and death.  ^{Psalm 23:4} Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Jesus touched the contagious, the lonely, ill and afraid and made them and makes them whole.

For now and this Easter 2020, we witness our faith our compassion for others in different ways. The phone calls, the texts, the mail, the packages dropped off, the signs in our windows and so on. In one community a woman brought her therapy dog to the window of the nursing home just to make contact with those inside. Many people are picking up groceries for others allowing them to stay safe at home. The little things are not so little anymore and we are learning & or relearning some important values. Time is a valued commodity that for many races by in a blurr. Right now some people you are struggling with what to do with the empty space on your calendars. See it as a gift, to use wisely. We are limited but not restrained.  In faith we embrace each day anew, mindful that we are not in charge, as we may have thought. Psalm 90:12 says Teach us to number our days,  that we may gain a heart of wisdom. May we live the embodiment of the gospel of Jesus Christ wherever we are and wherever we go, even as we stand in line and wait our turn.

 A crown of thorns was placed on Jesus head before His crucifixion. Dr. Timothy C. Tennent, President of Asbury Theological Seminary  wrote that the term “corona” in “coronavirus” is a word meaning “crown.” It is because the virus, under extreme magnification, actually looks like a thorny crown; therefore, it is—quite literally—the thorny crown virus. The coronavirus disease Covaid 19 reminds us that as Christians we always—even when there is no virus in our midst—embody the sufferings of the world. Lent now over, the nail we were given on Lent 1, can now be released,  as stated in the words of Isaiah 49:16a “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” The nails, the tomb no longer hold Him.  He has overcome and defeated all. Nothing can hold Him, the power of God is stronger It is the anchor of every hope we have and ultimately the anchor of hope for all humankind. (Hebrews 6:17-20)  

We are witnesses to the moment when Mary meets her risen Lord. Her grief turns to joy and she brings to us the good news that has been proclaimed throughout the ages, "I have seen the Lord." The light of the world could not be extinguished.

A story that begins with sadness, fear and searching ends with surprise and great and everlasting joy. It is a story that takes us full circle back to the opening of the gospel of John.

Jesus' first words are a question directed at the disciples of John the Baptizer. "What are you looking for?" (John 1:38) And here, in this beginning, this new creation, Jesus asks Mary the very same question, "Whom are you looking for?" (John 20:15). Is Jesus asking the same question of us this Easter morning? What are we looking for? It was when Jesus called her by name that Mary recognized her beloved Rabbouni. Is Jesus calling our name? And when John's disciples called out to this Rabbi, he invited them to "Come and see" (John 1:39). Are we being called to see the new things that God is doing in our lives and in the  world that we do not recognize right now?

Second, unlike the synoptic gospels that begin at dawn, John's gospel account begins in the dark,  "In the beginning." Could it be that John is taking us back, once more, to that darkness when "the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep" (Genesis 1:2). The author is echoing Paul's declaration that in the death and resurrection of Jesus we are experiencing a new creation, "everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) There may be more truth in that then we realize right now.

Without knowing it, Mary has correctly identified Jesus as the gardener who is bringing a new world, a new life, and a new creation into being, as he had done before:

"All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1:3-5).

Unlike the Genesis story in the garden when Adam & Eve are sent out, Mary leaves the garden rejoicing. She has the Lord and understood "the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)  "I have seen the Lord." (John 20:18) Her message declares to us the new beginning that God has prepared for all of us.

      The Easter story is not one to be confined to the history books: it is a living experience for each one of us as we learn to truly see Christ for who he is and the impact he can have on our lives. Seek and you shall find.  He is Risen, Halleluiah!!

Resources

In the beginning . . . In the new beginning . . .  Wednesday, March 18th, 2020 The “Crown” in the Coronavirus: A Theological Reflection on the COVID-19 Pandemic    Dr. Timothy C. Tennent, is President of Asbury Theological Seminary and Professor of World Christianity.

Lucy Lind Hogan | Working  preacher; John 20:1-18

Sermon #2 during the Coved Crisis April 05, 2020 Palm Sunday

Sermon #2 during the Coved Crisis April 05, 2020 Palm Sunday

On this Palm Sunday, we continue with our Lenten sermon series on Spiritual Disciplines (all are posted on our N-CV Blog site with links to our facebook page as well ) The main resources used for this series have been the Reformed Worship Resources for Planning & Leading Worship Dec 18 edition and BB Taylor’s book An Alter in the World - A Geography of Faith   Today we focus on the Practice of Waking Up To God – Vision (Chapter 1).

Let us Pray: God of all wisdom and knowledge, in the reading and hearing of your Word, help us know you more clearly so that we may love you more dearly. In loving you more dearly, help us follow you more nearly, day by day.  Speak to us now your message on this holy Palm Sunday, a day we had planned to come to your holy table in the sacrament of Holy Communion, but we come to you in other ways this morning, our hearts open to your presence our lives in need of your grace, speak to us now and may these thoughts and words speak your truth in love. In Jesus name we pray.

The people who shouted “Hosanna” at the gate of Jerusalem had very clear – and very wrong- ideas about who Jesus was and what he had come to accomplish. They wanted a Messiah who would put their Roman oppressors to flight; instead, Jesus was tortured by the Romans, offering the enemy forgiveness as He died on a cross.

Taylor says she grew up believing that people met God in church, not realizing that the whole world is the house of God. “The problem is, many of the people in need of saving are in the churches, and at least part of what they need saving from is the idea that God sees the world the same way they do.

We look for God in the predictable places in our predictable ways with our old self-serving expectations. To be truly saved, however, is to seek God beyond our confining expectations and to practice being  awake to God’s presence and power in surprising, even in ways contrary to our expectations ways.

Taylor describes an encounter with God in Hawaii as she walked on the lava rock, water splashing around her & at times over her, splashing against the rock, and after the crashing of the waves there was suddenly a sanctuary a still pool of water and it hit her with the sound of sheer silence. The calm water so green and cool calmed her too. When she walked around this still pool, with only the occasional ripple from the breeze off the ocean, she came to 3 upright stones near the edge where the water was deepest. The rocks were shaped like baguettes, the colour of humpback whales. This display of rocks, this alter, marked the spot of something significant that had happened there and it had affected a person in such a way that they marked it. When this happened to Jacob, with his encounter with God, in the rocky wilderness, where he saw something that changed his life forever, he named it Bethel.

Jacob was still a young man when he left running away from home, his family had become unraveled, his dad was dying, his twin elder brother Esau, who was entitled to their father’s blessing was cheated out of it because their mother and Jacob colluded together for Jacob to receive it instead. This enraged Esau so much that Jacob left with literally the cloths on his back fearing for his life. When he ran and walked as far as he could, he looked around for a stone to use for his pillow. When he laid down to sleep his head on the rock, the warmth of the sun was still in the stone.

As he lay sleeping this dream came to him, it was so vivid. A ladder was set up on the earth, with the top of the ladder reaching heaven where the angels of God were ascending and descending. Then suddenly God was there beside Jacob, there was no trumpet fanfare or warning, and God told Jacob of his offspring in the land and said to him, “I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Jacob awoke still feeling God’s breath stirring in the morning air, shaken by what he had just experienced, Jacob got up and…..¹⁶  he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

¹⁸ Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹ He called that place Bethel though the city used to be called Luz.

²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹ so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God ²²

When those words came out of Jacob’s mouth, there was no temple in Jerusalem. Without one designated place to make their offerings, people were free to see the whole world as an altar. God’s presence could erupt anywhere, and when it did they marked the spot in any way they could, but people didn’t hang around for long, because God was always on the move.

For a long time God’s divine presence was content with a tent, a tent of meeting where God meant with people both inside and outside. But the tent was the face to face place, the place where the presence of God was so intense that Moses was the only one to stand it and when he left the tent he wore a veil over his face so as to not scare the young people.

 King David proposed giving God a dwelling place a permanent address, but God discouraged it, for God had been moving in a tent and a tabernacle. So David didn’t build a dwelling for God, but the next generation Solomon his son did, Mount Zion was the address in Jerusalem.  Still today, two ruined temples later, people from across the world travel to Mount Zion to leave their prayers in the foundation stones of God’s old address.

As important as it is to mark the places where we meet God, what happens when we build a house for God? A house on the corner, where people gather to say worship offer their prayers and praise God, because doing this together rather than alone reminds them of who they are, it offers a sense of belonging, community, shared values. They are special places, but it isn’t the only God resides.

Do we build God a house that we can choose when to go see God? Do we build a house so God doesn’t have to stay at our personal address? What do the four walls of God’s house do and say to the rest of the world? Are we trying to detain God? What about places such as the likes of the waterfalls, the mountains, the prairies, the trees, the desserts? What happens to the people who never show up in our houses of worship, can they still worship? What about all the other creatures that God has made, how do they offer their praises to their Creator? As it states in Isaiah 55:12  “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

Francis of Assisi could not have told you the difference between the sacred and secular because he read the world as reverently as the Bible. For him a single bird was as much a messenger of God as a cloud full of angels. He made no discretion, there was no line between the church and the world & for this reason among many others, Francis is remembered as a saint.

Francis also built a church following a vision that was probably as vivid as Jacob’s ladder was to him. But the vision Francis had was to rebuild the church. Unsure what church God meant to rebuild, Francis chose a ruined one near where he lived. He recruited all kinds of people to help build and of course many people came just to watch and before long and before they realized it they were mixing cement. Even those unable to lift a single brick on their own meant and worked with others combining their efforts to work together, otherwise had they been individually stronger, they may never have meant. Through time building the church became more important than finishing it. Building it gave people who were formerly invisible, purpose and meaning and even friendship & worth. When the church that Francis had rebuilt was done, it did not stand as a shelter from the world; it stood as a reminder that the whole world was God’s House, God’s residence, God’s creation.

It is easy to forget that.// We often like to compartmentalize and envision our church, this particular place as God’s one and only holy place. But in fact the house of God stretches from one corner of the universe to the other. Sea creatures and ostriches, camels and butterflies live in it, right next to and along with people who pray and worship in languages and ways we do not speak or understand.

We are not in charge of this House of God, and we are not the judge of it, we were nowhere, when Almighty God laid the foundations of it, the earth, we are guests here, charged with serving other guests – even those we might call enemies. There is only one house and human beings must learn to live together in this dwelling place or time may run out on us all.

We need to use to wisdom to get along with others, it is a gift from God that is strengthened by practicing and discerning what is right and noticing what happens when it succeeds and when it doesn’t.
It is trusting that the practice of wisdom itself will teach you and me and guide us in what we need to know. Wisdom must be used or it loses its strength.  

As human beings we tend to separate things into many piles - separating spirit from flesh, sacred from secular, church from world, but we shouldn’t be surprised when God doesn’t recognize our distinctions.

Jacob in the wilderness, awoke to the presence of God even whom showed him a vision of heaven and of God’s presence even in the wilderness of the world. Maybe then Jacob began than to realize what David had written about in Psalm139 that reads  ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, people waved palms in praise to Him, they had seen Him raise Lazarus to life and they had their own expectations of who Jesus was and what HE could do for them. They based their praise on what they had seen and heard and their own self-serving expectations of who they wanted Him to be. There were many people, many powers that be, many who wanted  Jesus killed, there were His disciples who followed, confused about much, but faithful, there were beggars who sought food and miracles, there were children excited by the anticipation of the crowd and the celebration of a parade.

Jesus rode on, clip, clop, clip, clop he rode on knowing the cross was on the horizon, Jesus rode on for each and everyone. He didn’t compartmentalize, He didn’t show favoritism or mark any place as the holiest of holies, He rode on, clip, clop, clip, clop for each and every one, and for you and me too.

 The Son of God rode on. He rode on in majesty, rode on to die, many would not wake up to who Jesus was until after His resurrection. Many today do not know who He is yet, but He rode on for you and me, He rode on, rode on to die and rise again, defeating the gap between God and human kind. The witness of the suffering love and amazing grace of God in Christ Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life.

"Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

Main source of content from Barbara Brown-Taylor An Alter in the World, A Geography of Faith

Reformed Worship Dec 18 Issue, Article entitled Everyday Jesus Spirituality – Customized Spiritual Disciplines submitted from Peter Schuurman who is director of Global Scholars Canada.

Bible refs NRSV & NIV