tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29854966531209740132024-03-18T14:52:12.538-04:00Check Out The SermonsSermons by The Rev. Dr. Keith Emerson, Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Suffolk, VAKeith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.comBlogger671125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-22733026186007701302024-03-18T14:51:00.001-04:002024-03-18T14:51:17.838-04:00Tell Me about your Heart<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj395xwT1TIU0LI1vxGiD7O0D0rVCzNpV9izCEpo-TbcMvEkMuLVcCQ-rUT5_62SmmHop4JsgQEKE2ghIcl-jdPh14K9PpVaLXXK3KQwahfPtd2vYwLfEtQjZCcP-5sHwdK2bRCu3tlgaoRvvd0kZI7iukxlYx0uC01lHXJES_PhqAtsTh0LSfesAELzm4p/s220/Lent%205%20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="220" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj395xwT1TIU0LI1vxGiD7O0D0rVCzNpV9izCEpo-TbcMvEkMuLVcCQ-rUT5_62SmmHop4JsgQEKE2ghIcl-jdPh14K9PpVaLXXK3KQwahfPtd2vYwLfEtQjZCcP-5sHwdK2bRCu3tlgaoRvvd0kZI7iukxlYx0uC01lHXJES_PhqAtsTh0LSfesAELzm4p/s1600/Lent%205%20B.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><p>John 12:2--33</p><p>Lent 5 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 18.7pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -9.35pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Create in me a clean heart, O God, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">and
renew a right spirit within me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">These are, of course, the words of what we now know as the 51st
Psalm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author invites us to ponder
the condition of our heart; not as a cardiologist would, but as God does – emotionally,
morally, spiritually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Let me tell you about the heart of Morrieaux, a character in
Michael Christopher’s play <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Black
Angel</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tells the story of Herman
Engel, a W.W.II German general who is sentenced to thirty years behind bars for
atrocities committed by his army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
play is set after Engel has been released from prison and is living in a cabin
in a remote woodland location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, he
and his wife hope to finish out their days in obscurity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Waiting in the wings is Morrieaux, a Frenchman, whose entire
family has been massacred by Engel's army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Morrieaux has privately vowed if he ever has the opportunity he will
take Engel’s life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His personal death
sentence is kept alive over three decades by the fire of hatred burning in his
heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, with Engel free, the time has
come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Morrieaux stirs into a frenzy
nearby villagers who plot to go to Engel’s cabin by night and burn it to the
ground; the elderly couple trapped inside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">But even this is not enough to appease the hatred of the lead
character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the play reaches its
climax, Morrieaux poses as a reporter and goes to Engel’s cabin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He grills the general about the details of
the village massacre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The years have
taken a toll on Engel and in his feeble humanity he seems to Morrieaux less
like the monster he had imagined and more like a tired old man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beyond this, some of the details of the Engel’s
version of the story do not fit as neatly together as Morrieaux had imagined;
opening the possibility the general is not the villain he has been made out to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doubt begins to contaminate the
place where only pure hate and vengeance have reigned for so long.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">As the afternoon wears on, Morrieaux takes pity on Engel and
tells him of the villagers’ plans for that very evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He offers to lead the general and his wife to
safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I will go with you on one
condition,” Engel tells Morrieaux, “You must forgive me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his fantasies Morrieaux has rehearsed a
thousand different ways in which he would kill this man, now he is willing to
cancel the execution, but not the hate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
leaves the cabin and Engel, his hate-filled heart intact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he walks away we hear the villagers
approaching who, with sacks over their heads, proceed to burn the cabin and
murder the general and his wife.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">The play asks the question why is Morrieaux unable to
forgive?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it easier to save a man’s
life than to forgive him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because his hatred has been a passion too
long lodged in his soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He cannot live,
he can no longer be the person he is, without his hatred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has become his hatred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His hate does not belong to him, he belongs
to it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Tell me about your heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What lies in its secret places?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tell me about your heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
hides within its deepest recesses?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
there hatred?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bitterness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immorality?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bigotry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rampant pride and
conceit?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vindictiveness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does your heart covet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it consumed with shame?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it controlled by an addiction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does it ever boil over into violence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or perhaps your heart is mostly passionless
and indifferent; lacking hope and purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe it is broken and, to your estimation, wounded beyond repair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell me about your heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Our Gospel reading this morning records a one verse parable of
our Lord: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 9.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Unless a grain of wheat <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: .25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">falls into the earth and dies, it remains
alone; <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">but if
it dies, it bears much fruit.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">The meaning of the parable then follows: “The person who loves
his life loses it and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for
eternal life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t need the
character of Morrieaux to show us how difficult it is to disdain the present
condition of our heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we seek
validation of this truth all we need to do is take stock of the things which we
do not want to turn over to God’s creative renewing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">I think back to the Hebrew Psalmist. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The text tells us he or she is lying close to
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is something about facing ultimate
consequences which affects the human heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Either it can make a person callused and closed, or it opens the heart –
often miraculously – to some new possibility; the vision of which is so overwhelming,
so beautiful it brings to the heart restoration and renewal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">The prophet Jeremiah, in our first reading, is at such a
moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he walks among the ruins of
Jerusalem and the Temple and surveys all that his people treasure is gone,
everything supporting them in their faith lost, he receives a breathtaking
promise from the Holy One:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“There
will come a day when My law will not be kept in a temple located in a holy
city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will make a new covenant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will write My law upon the hearts of the
people.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">With this promise of God’s internal presence, the Hebrew
religion, though it was in ruins, is reborn. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">It is no simple task to keep your heart in this place, so says
our collect this morning:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">…among
the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed
where true joys are to be found…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Tell me about your heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Better yet… tell the One who recreates and
renews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-9188100253333235782024-03-11T11:19:00.005-04:002024-03-11T11:19:34.177-04:00The Nehushtan<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJXU_w1Zi3UJfGgOgHZh9Mf2kroLnCj4CrpllJo6hQvIUkU64pUe8TE7grdVJRWO21y1-UHqygf4AOtkbXFZOzLPM44OA_eg8LG-e8Xco-v71iUwrlcbaabMOR3px0rZkp1uqCRCKi8Al4febZWA6C98bCyiFX328eFabL07Tc9vzJODKJIpQ8UY9xNpj/s774/Lent%204%20B.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="774" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJXU_w1Zi3UJfGgOgHZh9Mf2kroLnCj4CrpllJo6hQvIUkU64pUe8TE7grdVJRWO21y1-UHqygf4AOtkbXFZOzLPM44OA_eg8LG-e8Xco-v71iUwrlcbaabMOR3px0rZkp1uqCRCKi8Al4febZWA6C98bCyiFX328eFabL07Tc9vzJODKJIpQ8UY9xNpj/s320/Lent%204%20B.GIF" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>John 3:14-21</p><p>Lent 4 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">This morning we encounter
one of most peculiar stories in the entire bible: the divine punishment of
snake bites in the wilderness and healing power of the Nehushtan, an image of a
bronze serpent crafted by Moses and mounted on a pole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if the cliff notes are not bizarre
enough, wait until we dive into the details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We Christians might care little about this story except Jesus himself
identifies his own Crucifixion with it right before one of the most famous
verses in all of scripture: John 3:16.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Here is what we can make of
the passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is one of the wilderness
‘murmuring’ stories where the people complain about the hardships they are
enduring: no food and no water are high on their list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God responds to previous murmurings by
providing; first, water from a rock and then, on a nightly basis, a flakey
substance so odd the people name in ‘manna’, a Hebrew word which literally
means <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what is it?</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What it is? is crusty material similar perhaps
to our communion wafers: bland, tasteless, and, if it is your sole dietary allotment,
something you would tire of quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">What is it?</span></i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">
figures prominently in today’s reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our first text tells us the people complain to Moses saying, “We detest
this miserable food.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert Alter, in
his translation of the first five books of the bible, notes the intensive sense
of the first person-plural and all the words following.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He renders the verse as “we loath this
wretched bread.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What is it?</i> is so bad people gag whenever they try to swallow
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">So what is the divine
response to the ‘murmuring’?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wandering
in the wilderness, the people suddenly find themselves in a snake pit – literally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creatures are slithering out of the rocks and
striking out Godly retribution through their venomous bites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Serpents play an
interesting role in the bible, don’t they!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In Garden of Eden the serpent is the agent of temptation and
deception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Isaiah, a serpent-like
creature places a flaming coal on his tongue as a part of the prophetic
commissioning process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, in the
wilderness, the serpent is an agent of divine punishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">But the diverse role of the
serpent gets even more weird as the story unfolds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people plead with Moses to intercede with
God on their behalf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We have sinned,”
they say, “Tell God we are sorry and ask God to get rid of these snakes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God responds by instructing Moses to fashion
an image of a snake, mount it on a pole, lift it up, and show it to the
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Whoever looks at the snake will
be healed,” God says.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Whoever does not
will die.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Moses, as if adding to the
absurdity of it all, elects to craft the snake out of bronze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could have chosen any material – wood
(easy to chisel), stone (he had already worked with it on the Commandment tablets),
but in something of word play/pun Moses elects to make the snake (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nehash</i> in Hebrew) out of bronze (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nehoshet</i>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He makes a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nehash nehoshet, </i>an object which, over time, comes to be known as “the
Nehushtan”, and do you know what, it works!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The means of rejection, judgment, and punishment becomes the means of
forgiveness, redemption, and healing because God’s power works through it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">It is this aspect Jesus
picks up and connects to his eventual death on the Cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The instrument of his own rejection,
judgment, and punishment will become the means by which the world will be
forgiven, redeemed, and healed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
curious episode in the wilderness becomes a looking glass into a wonder the
whole world will eventually see when Jesus is lifted high upon the Cross.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Eventually the Nehushtan
comes to reside in the Holy of Holies, the place in the Temple where God’s
Spirit dwells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It remains here, along
with the Ark of the Covenant, for centuries until King Hezekiah has it
destroyed around 700 BC because people are bowing down to it and worshiping it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time, what had been given as a divine
gift becomes an object of reverence apart from the Holy One who acted through
it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">I suppose it is a good
lesson to remember when we are in need of healing, comfort, or forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the healing service we hold in the Chapel once
a month after the Sunday morning service I read the liturgy which at one point
states:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">May God make you know and
feel that the only name under heaven given for health and salvation is the Name
of Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Every time I read it I
think to myself, but don’t ignore your doctor’s advice and take your
medications as directed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, the
medical profession, along with clinical counselling, the fitness movement, and
a host of other vocations aimed at improving and prolonging the quality of life
can become for us a Nehushtan; objects we revere devoid of an awareness of how
it is actually God who works and through them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just like those wilderness murmurs who looked at the bronze snake on a pole
and were healed, whatever our need and no matter where we turn for help, our
response when we find it is always “Thanks be to God.”</span></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-68290969781678023842024-03-04T11:46:00.002-05:002024-03-04T11:46:28.303-05:00A Shift in the Temple<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxGtAaL38kSs_aqpMCcklLXR1D_fYcXli1jw9BwkW9NRnr9KmIBacQyJpXDas53ICwdnlwQ6fjMOC7rj5m2q4hS45SL9Mm74GppwraGnrnEjbwJLhTsxFRasR72eoakhYb6vt9bZ6tsdHYewXo-X0yAYUCN-oBwTtiw8ZWahJ278uR8RZNwT82SX9bUV1/s403/Lent%203%20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="289" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxGtAaL38kSs_aqpMCcklLXR1D_fYcXli1jw9BwkW9NRnr9KmIBacQyJpXDas53ICwdnlwQ6fjMOC7rj5m2q4hS45SL9Mm74GppwraGnrnEjbwJLhTsxFRasR72eoakhYb6vt9bZ6tsdHYewXo-X0yAYUCN-oBwTtiw8ZWahJ278uR8RZNwT82SX9bUV1/s320/Lent%203%20B.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><p>John 2:13-22</p><p>Lent 3 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">In the
gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus drives out the merchants and money
changers from the Temple on the day after Palm Sunday because he is appalled by
their dishonest and corrupt practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pilgrims comes from far and wide to make sacrifices at this holiest of
places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once they arrive in Jerusalem
they must convert their money into local coinage in order to purchase an
appropriate offering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What they
encounter are financiers charging exorbitant exchange rates and peddlers
selling sickly and deformed birds and animals when the offering required is
supposed to be pure and unblemished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(When it comes to giving to God, only the best will do.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These three gospel record Jesus acts because
his Father’s house has been turned it a “den of thieves.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is not attacking the Temple and its
sacrificial rites, only those who are profiting by ripping off others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus’ actions, in these gospels, becomes the
impetus for his arrest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Now, as
we heard moments ago, John’s gospel describes the same event but if you pay
attention to the text there are subtle and not so subtle differences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not so subtle: John has this event taking
place at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and not in Holy Week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John is not concerned at all with holding his
narrative to a chronologically accurate timeline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, he weaves events in such a way so as
to reveal who Jesus is and what he is all about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So by placing this story near the beginning,
John is saying Jesus’ entire ministry has something to do with the Temple
itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Well,
the key to answering this question is found in a subtle detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In John’s gospel, when Jesus drives out the
sacrificial birds and animals and overturns the tables of the money changers,
he does not do so because they are a den of thieves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you notice what he said?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus said, “Stop making my Father’s house
into a marketplace.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is not condemning
unethical sales practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
leveling an indictment on their entire system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">When
asked by what authority he acts, Jesus responds, “Destroy this Temple and in
three days I will raise it up.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those
who hear him take Jesus to mean the stone and mortar structure which has taken
decades to erect and still is not finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But here, at the very beginning, John has Jesus shifting the entire
focus and function of the Temple to himself. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">It is a
motif John will build on throughout his gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Think about the conversation Jesus has with the Samaritan woman at the
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point she asks him about
the appropriate place to worship, either the Samarian site of Mount Gerizim or
the Israeli location of Mount Zion in Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you remember how he answers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The hour is coming, and is now here, when
the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the
Father seeks to worship him.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
continues the shift from an emphasis on an outer structure to one’s own inner
devotion.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The way
John tells Jesus’ story takes on even greater significance if we consider how
his original audience would have heard it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John writes some two decades after the fall of Jerusalem and total
destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
of John’s readers grew up making pilgrimages to the Temple to offer a
sacrifice, something no longer possible (think solastalgia – for those of you
who attended last Sunday’s Lenten program).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Other readers had never been to Jerusalem, let alone the Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To both groups, John has Jesus saying,
“Forget about the Temple and the things of old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am the new Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You no
longer need to offer sacrifices of cattle, lambs, or doves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now you are to worship the Father in spirit
and truth.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">If Jesus
calls us to worship God in spirit and truth, what might he find in us which
might lead him to make a whip of cords in order to drive it out of us?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Perhaps
the first thing Jesus may find is what Erma Bombeck called “the gift that keeps
on giving” – guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David Grohl,
founding member of the rock band The Foo Fighters, said “Guilt is a cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guilt will confine you, torture you, destroy
you… It’s a thief.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, at least for
some of us, our religious heritage has instilled in us a deep sense of
unworthiness, of guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have absorbed
a spirituality which holds God is exacting; demanding from us a standard of
holiness beyond anything we can possibility achieve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this is where you are, Jesus wants to
drive it out of the temple of your soul.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I
suppose the flipside of guilt is self-righteousness; the notion you are good in
God’s eyes because… you name the reasons… while others who do not meet the
standards of your religious heritage are not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus said, “Why do you criticize the splinter in your neighbor’s eye
while ignoring the log in your own?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus makes a whip of cords to drive out of us any and every sense of
judgementalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">And,
while I could preach from now until next Sunday of this subject, allow me to
name just one more impediment to worshipping God in spirit and true: fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While guilt infects how we remember the past,
fear eats at the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each shares the
same power to cripple our ability to live in the present moment, which is the
only place we can worship God in spirit and truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you know how many times the phrase “fear
not” appears is found in the bible?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>365 –
one for each day of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus seeks
to drive out all fear so that we might be free to live, to love, and to worship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">These
are just a few of the building blocks and cornerstones which Jesus uses to
build his new temple in us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What other measures
and messages resonate with you as Jesus drives far from us all that holds us back
from coming to him in spirit and truth?<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-5136997516012698212024-02-26T11:32:00.002-05:002024-02-26T11:32:40.195-05:00The Crux<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlEBkqkotqULNYkBiyz2Dnz_yfyjT_hkCXxx9BsnCxQX7fu6Z2sx4_SmVzz94V5bHFNDRXHLK9RnfV0GZNEylsGw4arxUqLwrQj3YQhxrAGG7h-luCmt3cXn3I3Szy7UqHRk0SEMw6T2sZJxkz7Nyg3GQp7etJXpE_zIjfTW05YpOnsF01AZJUp9Ux2-b/s675/Lent%202%20B.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlEBkqkotqULNYkBiyz2Dnz_yfyjT_hkCXxx9BsnCxQX7fu6Z2sx4_SmVzz94V5bHFNDRXHLK9RnfV0GZNEylsGw4arxUqLwrQj3YQhxrAGG7h-luCmt3cXn3I3Szy7UqHRk0SEMw6T2sZJxkz7Nyg3GQp7etJXpE_zIjfTW05YpOnsF01AZJUp9Ux2-b/s320/Lent%202%20B.gif" width="213" /></a></div><p>Mark 8:31-38</p><p>Lent 2 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">A police officer notices a
car weaving in and out of traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
driver appears to be highly agitated, screaming at other cars and making crude
gestures with her hands and fingers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
office turns on his lights and pulls over the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Asking for title and registration he asks,
“Do you know why I stopped you?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I have
no idea,” the driver replies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Well,”
says the officer,” I noticed your bumper sticker says ‘Jesus is my Co-Pilot’
and based on your actions and behavior, I was worried the car is stolen.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">When people learn we
profess faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior they will have certain
expectations about who we are and how you behave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes they say more about the other person
than they do about us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If, for example,
they know a lot of judgmental and hypocritical Christians, they might just
assume you are the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they know Christians
who are kind, loving, and trustworthy, they will be stunned if you go around
gossiping behind the backs of other people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">I can’t tell you how many
times, upon learning what I do in life, a person, caught off guard, has said,
“You’re a priest!?!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose there are
a myriad of ways I don’t conform to some folk’s preconceived ideas of what an
ordained person looks like and does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
the church I served in Iowa, someone once said to me, “You aren’t like Father
Greg (my predecessor).”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“How so,” I asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Well, he used to mow the lawn wearing his
clergy collar.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">This morning’s reading from
the Gospel of Mark draws our attention to Jesus’ identity and to our
expectations of him, or at least it used to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For reasons unknown, the assigned lectionary passage has been shorted by
a few verses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gone are the days when we
heard Jesus ask his followers, “Who do people say I am?” and “Who do you say I
am?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are questions about identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter, this time at least, aces the test:
“You are the Messiah.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Jesus then goes on to teach
the Messiah must go to Jerusalem to suffer, be rejected, and killed only to
rise again on the third day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, in no
way, conforms to Peter’s expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He, and the other disciples, seem to believe the Messiah will deliver Israel
from Roman occupation and then reign from the throne of King David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They suppose they will be given positions of
power and even argue about who among them will sit at his right and left hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is their expectation for the Messiah,
the Son of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">We expect rock stars to
trash hotel rooms, politicians to speak out of both sides of their mouth, Hollywood
actors to be self-absorbed, clergy not to smoke a cigar (ask T.D. Mottley for
the backstory on why I was dubbed ‘the Godman’), and we expect the Messiah to
triumph over every obstacle and evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That this is a very tempting option for Jesus to choose is made clear in
his response to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">It is always tempting (a
good Lenten word) to live into what other people expect of you, rather than to
be who God calls you to be and to do what God calls you to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I am not suggesting you show up to a
wedding wearing pajamas because people expect you to be in a suit and tie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am saying you are to strive for God’s
expectations of you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Listen again to how Jesus
describes it:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">If any want to
become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and
follow me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those who want to save
their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the
sake of the gospel, will save it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">“Take up your cross and follow
me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most often we associate this phrase
with some kind of sickness, sadness, or suffering we must endure cheerfully and
bravely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, to be sure, each of us faces
challenges like this and how we engage them can be a powerful witness to our
faith and faithfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I think
Jesus is getting at something different here when he instructs us to take up
our cross and follow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">The word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cross</i> comes to us from the Latin root <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">crux</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From this root we get
such words as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">crucifix</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">crucifixion</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">crusade</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">excruciate</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also gives us the word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">crucial</i>, the <i>crux</i> of the
matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To pick up your crux and follow
is to determine what is the most crucial thing you need to be about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In its root usage, the word <i>crux</i> describes
two things that cross, like a crossroads or the vertical and horizontal pieces
of wood which make up a cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think
to take up your cross means to merge your God-given identity with God’s
expectation of what you are to do given who you are.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Some people fast from eating meat on
Fridays in Lent, and this is well and good, but is it <i>crux</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it critical?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Absolutely not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, it may be a helpful devotional aid as
you ponder what is <i>crux</i>, but (like so many rituals and practices) it is a
spiritual launching point and never an end unto itself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus’ call to pick up your cross and follow
is an invitation to discern what is critical in your life and to pray over how you
are to put it into the service of the work of the gospel. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">What is your <i>crux</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, I don’t expect you to have a
coherent answer for this question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
not sure I do either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I invite all
of us to come before our Lord, Savior, and Guide seeking an answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The alternative, Jesus says, is to gain perhaps
the whole world, but in the process forfeit your life… to live for something
less… much less… than the <i>crux.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-34406797914038176492024-02-20T11:04:00.000-05:002024-02-20T11:04:06.852-05:00Life Comes at You Fast<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hLQDBl7pYFsMOpHZhiPvtQD8DCGTRMk-FC3tP3rLIFdTGeMT1K0jKnc4iNsldrecKyg5SJyTSMnZSs5MRsU8ug24dpRdZ-UN3b4m_k8nYu1tIXSo1TwESkh9JsnSq2cSs5DP1SYxPw4FQ-_rbNaUQD8AZv2-kIbgGHkcM5uBdEV0u6_Quo7RV8E8Y5LF/s474/Lent%201%20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="474" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hLQDBl7pYFsMOpHZhiPvtQD8DCGTRMk-FC3tP3rLIFdTGeMT1K0jKnc4iNsldrecKyg5SJyTSMnZSs5MRsU8ug24dpRdZ-UN3b4m_k8nYu1tIXSo1TwESkh9JsnSq2cSs5DP1SYxPw4FQ-_rbNaUQD8AZv2-kIbgGHkcM5uBdEV0u6_Quo7RV8E8Y5LF/s320/Lent%201%20B.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Mark 1:9-15</p><p>Lent 1 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">If, upon hearing today’s
gospel reading, you are feeling a sense of Déjà vu, there is good reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the third time we have read from this
brief passage in the last nine weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After this morning we will be free and clear of it for the next three
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only six verses long, it
condenses a lot activity into a very tight description and it unfolds with
great speed because Mark uses one of his favorite words to describe the pace:
immediately…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Mark, things happen
fast and for a reason.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Think about Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has led a quiet life since the fantastic
events surrounding his birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly,
he is baptized, blessed, possessed, tested, and comforted prior to launching
into his public ministry; all unfolding in about forty days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">The Stoic philosopher
Seneca famously noted life comes at you fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our days can turn from quiet to turmoil in the blinking of an eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One moment we are in the cool waters of the
Jordon experiencing a spiritual high, the next we are in the barren wilderness
being tested; seemingly with nothing and no one to support us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">In the year 1880, at the
age of 22, Teddy Roosevelt married socialite Alice Hathaway Lee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wrote to his brother, “My happiness is so
great that it makes me almost afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having
been married, written a book, attended law school, and elected to public office,
Teddy wrote in his diary it was the best year of his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">And it only got
better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winter of 1883 found the
couple preparing for the birth of their first child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again he wrote in his diary,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">I
can imagine nothing more happy in life than an evening spent in the cozy little
sitting room, before the bright fire of soft coals, my books all around me, and
playing backgammon with my own dainty mistress.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">On February 12, 1884, Alice
gave to a birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two days later, on Valentine’s Day,
Roosevelt’s mother succumbed to Typhoid Fever and died in his home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stunningly, just eleven hours later, Alice
died from kidney failure; an ailment which had gone on undiagnosed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day Roosevelt made a large X in his
diary and wrote, “The light has gone out of my life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Life comes at you
fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">This is a truth many of you
have been living with recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
maybe December at least nine of our members have been in the hospital and have
received a troubling diagnoses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Immediately, as Mark would say, life is changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These folks, and those who care about them,
have been driven into the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is not a choice they have made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a
journey which has been thrust upon them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We don’t voluntarily choose periods of trial, temptation, struggle, they
happen to us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Here is what I want you not
to miss about today’s reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
though Jesus is alone in the wilderness God is with him throughout his trying
ordeal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Angels minister to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a priest it is such an honor and blessing
to visit people during their wilderness moments, to listen, to pray, to share
the sacraments, to be a visible reminder all of us are holding them in prayer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am always humbled by how a priest’s presence
expresses the never-failing presence of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">This is certainly one way
we expect God to be with us in the wilderness, but there are also blessings we
could never imagine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Mark’s gospel
this truth is conveyed through six words: “he was with the wild beasts.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely among them are lions, jackals, bears,
and snakes, but far from menacing, the text suggests Jesus has tamed them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has restored the shalom between humans and
creation which existed at the beginning in Eden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So too, when we are in the wilderness God is
at work in and around us to make peace with those things which once were
frightful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">And when we emerge from the
wilderness, we find ourselves proclaiming the good news:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 22.5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -13.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">God has been with
you to see you through. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 22.5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -13.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Family, friends,
health professionals, people from everywhere have rallied round you and
supported you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 22.5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -13.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">You have felt
God’s power at work in you and you have been empowered by the thoughts,
prayers, and expressions of compassion so many have offered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 22.5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -13.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">You have found an
inner strength you never knew you had.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 22.5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -13.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">You have become a
herald of the good news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Teddy Roosevelt was devastated
by the deaths of his mother and wife and, grief-stricken, was rendered almost
unable to function for some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
two years later he fell in love with Edith Kermit Carow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They married and had five children together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teddy ran for mayor of New York City and
lost, but continued his life as a public servant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a Rough Rider, he played a decisive role
in Battle of Kettle Hill in Cuba in 1898.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He garnered fame and popularity from his exploits and bravery, going on
to be elected Governor of New York, Vice-President under McKinley, and then
President after McKinley’s assassination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">There is something about
the wilderness which makes a person more than he or she could have been without
its experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is certainly true for
Roosevelt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is true for Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it is true for you and for those you love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is in the business of redeeming our every
hurt, loss, and struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, life
comes at us fast, but God and those who allow God’s Spirit to work in and
through them, are with us to see us through.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-73576870424502304162024-02-14T20:12:00.000-05:002024-02-14T20:12:19.430-05:00Post It Notes & Ash Wednesday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1_ndFGqdXyk5vrKLhAumK3WV5THdntb-U2UMvcBZpL_KvbsA8LQC4CkaSVCMvPbc6aw0zRgys-QIKEHxGjxb8ynTyq45yX8RcbaFzAHhktSy6T9gjMcXm84_fWmV5kDeOGXBxwJ1wNbU1xcT4srCaMK-E0fuVDaU3Wsgca3f5tobbIUvEla-pdeheUoz/s900/don't%20forget.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1_ndFGqdXyk5vrKLhAumK3WV5THdntb-U2UMvcBZpL_KvbsA8LQC4CkaSVCMvPbc6aw0zRgys-QIKEHxGjxb8ynTyq45yX8RcbaFzAHhktSy6T9gjMcXm84_fWmV5kDeOGXBxwJ1wNbU1xcT4srCaMK-E0fuVDaU3Wsgca3f5tobbIUvEla-pdeheUoz/s320/don't%20forget.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21</p><p>Ash Wednesday</p><p></p><p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Years ago a man working for
the 3M Corporation invented a kind of sticky paste whose properties allowed one
thing stick to another thing and then be peeled off without harming either
thing or leaving behind any residue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
one could think of a useful application for this paste and so it became just
another idea buried in some file drawer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>3M thought so little of the invention they didn’t even bother to take
out a patent on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Well, one person believed
the paste might be useful for office notes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So he bought the rights to the sticky stuff for a little bit of money
and began to market a product he called “Post-It Notes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest, as they say, is history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we all use these little yellow pieces of
paper to remind us of various things we don’t want to forget: phone numbers,
appointments, grocery lists, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Today, Ash Wednesday, might
be called the “Post-It Note” day of the liturgical year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We come here today/tonight because we want to
remember something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a few moments I
will take ashes, mark the sign of the Cross on your forehead, and say, “<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Remember that you are dust and to dust you
shall return</span>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think of it as an
ancient, spiritual Post-It Note with a message you should not forget.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">I hear people say, “<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I can’t wait for Christmas,</span>” or “<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I’m ready for Easter</span>,” but I have
never heard anyone say, “<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I am really
looking forward to Lent,</span>” or, “<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Gee,
isn’t it wonderful Lent is finally here.</span>”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lent, with its Post-It Note reminder we are
dust and will someday return from whence we came, is about as welcome and
refreshing as an ice-cold shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
spend our lives trying to feel good about things, trying to get as much out of
the moment as possible, and trying to stay focused on the positive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Ash Wednesday Post-It Note runs against
everything we are trying to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I
put the ashes on you and ask you to remember you are dust, there has got to be
at least a small voice inside you whispering, “<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Thank you Father Keith for that piece of cheery news</span>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">One question we might want
to ask is this: what is the danger of forgetting we are dust?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happens if we miss the Post-It Note or
simply avoid its reminder?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what
difference does it make if we are mindful of this truth and vigilant to its
implications?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">If we forget we run the
risk of thinking time will never run out on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We put off until it is too late the things of ultimate concern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we forget we lose sight of our limitations
and become frustrated with our imperfections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If we don’t embrace we are dust we miss out on an essential connection
to the world around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultimately, if
we forget we do not recognize a fundamental part of our make-up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We end up trying to be something else…
something we are not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We lose sight of
our calling, our purpose, our capacities, and our limitations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">For Christians Lent begins
with a disruptive and deeply disturbing message which abruptly interrupts the
richness and pleasures of day-to-day living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lent begins with the grim reminder we are dust, but it moves forward
with an invitation to a journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
image of Lent is that of a pilgrimage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place undertaken with a devotional manner. For Christians the sacred journey of Lent
looks like prayer and fasting, and committing oneself to acts of charity and
occasions of public worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the
journey may not take us to a far off holy destination, it leads us on a
spiritual path to the Cross and empty Tomb.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">As you make your Lenten
pilgrimage this year I invite you to do so with today’s Post-It Note kept
squarely before you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with every
pilgrimage, you always know where you are going… be it a holy place like
Jerusalem or a holy moment like Easter Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The thing you don’t know about a pilgrimage is how it will affect
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though you know your destination,
you cannot predict who you will be when you get there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people you meet along the way, the
prayers you utter, the way God’s Spirit speaks through the biblical lessons you
read, the wonders you see, and the dangers you engage all work together to
reshape you on your pilgrim’s way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Post-It Note: We are dust
and to dust we will one day return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
God is a potter who fashions and refashions our dust when we place ourselves in
God’s skilled hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We begin our Lenten
journey by remembering we are only dust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We engage our Lenten journey by putting our dust in the hands of Master
Artisan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We trust when our pilgrimage is
complete God will have shaped our dust in a way which allows us to be more like
who God has created us to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 2.7pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-83555899078144304842024-02-05T09:21:00.000-05:002024-02-05T09:21:11.979-05:00Jesus the Introvert<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDdCaGLsEafTo7GrmrHtdMkHOJ3wfRDms7MjWXVcfcbGJuK181ITo0aLOZzO2dcPk73D5FkLBE33wgz9veiAS2AZEbEzRHjZJrrlcHb-kkz5SVRObucw5NBuE84tUO5D39FKTuRQebvvoydveiNX18EejqCBQCFa5mwppKILaJl7tm5R2m4H4c5fmZUpm/s782/Epiphany%205%20B.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="782" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDdCaGLsEafTo7GrmrHtdMkHOJ3wfRDms7MjWXVcfcbGJuK181ITo0aLOZzO2dcPk73D5FkLBE33wgz9veiAS2AZEbEzRHjZJrrlcHb-kkz5SVRObucw5NBuE84tUO5D39FKTuRQebvvoydveiNX18EejqCBQCFa5mwppKILaJl7tm5R2m4H4c5fmZUpm/s320/Epiphany%205%20B.GIF" width="320" /></a></div><p>Mark 1:29-39</p><p>Epiphany 5 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">We
minister types refer to it as the “clergy coma.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is what happens to us on Sunday afternoons
after a very full and busy morning at the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We go home and we collapse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Multiple services, education programs, and
people coming at us from all directions with all manner of concerns:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">s<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">An
update on a person in the hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">s<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">A
question about the order of the procession.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">s<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Feedback
on what the bishop is reported to have said or done.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">s<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">A
comment on an item for the Vestry agenda.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">s<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Anxiety
about someone who has not been in church for a couple of weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">You get
the idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the more introverted a
priest is by nature the more worn out she or he will be after all of Sunday
morning’s activities are over.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">If you
have ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality inventory than you know the
preference of introversion verses extroversion is all about energy – what
drains you and what restores you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Extroverts are energized by large crowds, speaking in front of people,
and generally (from my point of view) living in the midst of chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than anything else, extroverts are
exhausted by being alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I once worked
for a priest who would do anything other than close his office door and write an
article for the monthly newsletter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That, for him, was torture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had three services each Sunday morning and by the time the last one ended, he
had more get-up-and-go than the energizer bunny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me, not so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Introverts
tend to enjoy reading, coding, painting, and/or writing; activities one tends
to do on one’s own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We prefer to work
alone rather than being a part of a group project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will find us hanging out in the corner at
large social gatherings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Chanco
clergy retreats the introverts gather outside out on the porch rather than in a
noisy crowded room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tend to leave
(escape) parties early, but (according to Myers-Brigs) I am off the charts
extroverted in small, intimate settings and therefore tend to be the last
person to leave the campfire at Clergy retreats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">So here
is a question: was Jesus an introvert?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, more than one introvert has said yes and written a book or an
article to argue why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You need look no farther
than this morning’s gospel reading for evidence to support their thesis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus has had a hectic day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He attends the local synagogue with his small
band of followers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is asked to preach
and teach, and what he says is well-received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then a man possessed by a demon becomes unhinged and Jesus confronts the
situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afterward he goes to Peter’s
house for a Sabbath meal and learns the disciple’s mother-in-law has a
fever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus takes her by the hand and
lifts her up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this, as with the demon
before, the fever leaves her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The text
then tells this:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: .1in; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">“A<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">t sundown they brought to him all
who were sick or possessed with demons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the whole city was gathered around the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he cured many who were sick with various
diseases, and cast out many demons.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">If you are an introvert by nature, this is
a sure-fire recipe for a clergy coma!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Crowds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No place to escape from it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not to say Jesus (or introverted
clergy) don’t want to preach, teach, and heal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He did and we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is to say
all of this activity leaves Jesus somewhere between drained and exhausted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gets some sleep and then rises while it is
still ‘very dark’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He slips away to what
the text describes as a deserted place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is alone and wants to be alone… needs to be alone in a way extroverts
don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">In her book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Powerful Purpose of Introverts</i>, Holly Gerth explains why this
is so necessary for Jesus and for those of us who are introverts:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 11.7pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">When we turn inward, we’re not withdrawing or holding
back; we’re choosing to show up in a sacred space of creativity, contemplation,
and imagination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our inner worlds are
where insights, innovations, breakthroughs, solutions, and intimate connections
with God originate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 2.7pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Extroverts
experience the same things, they just get there in a different way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They rely on group process and discover by
talking things out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They draw energy
from communal settings because they relish being a part of the whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus was able to minister to the whole
because he made time and space to be alone… to pray.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 2.7pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Most
Episcopal worship is an introvert’s dream, save for passing the peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our liturgy invites you to go inward in order
to hear God’s still, quiet voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
not dancing to a praise band, clapping our hands, shouting ‘amen’, or dancing
in the aisles (except when the Jazz Band is here).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as introverts need to be with people
from time-time-time, extroverts need at least a little time to be alone with
God. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 2.7pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">There
is in each of us a secret inner wisdom, a voice (if you will), which tells us
things we need to hear, but never will if we don’t go from time-to-time to a
deserted place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This can be daunting and
draining for extroverts, but it is work you need to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For us introverts, being in such a space is a
natural as breathing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least once a
day, Cindy will walk into my office, observe I am doing nothing, and ask what I
am up to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My response, “I’m thinking
about Jesus!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encourage you to do the
same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carve out a space – it doesn’t
have to be long – where all you are doing is thinking about Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s good for you. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-60782216764292255742024-01-29T13:06:00.000-05:002024-01-29T13:06:31.874-05:00Get-Right Day<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJdnMj_6dxQzkc9-bC1ZcF14bpl03dPu150-DnBZKDfQvBRFr9HLA3qqNZ4rdC0h-OIedYsZtJ0n9aWrgUYafBgR-ygcKQKSsZd6Ty9Il95vB2hRxfHwpxBSweGCYOtW_6shkp26cOCB-WbkDPNVLMexznWYjvnW94xuXu-QG6thUicLOBOtfcZVu9FhK/s1525/Epiphany%204%20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1525" data-original-width="1258" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJdnMj_6dxQzkc9-bC1ZcF14bpl03dPu150-DnBZKDfQvBRFr9HLA3qqNZ4rdC0h-OIedYsZtJ0n9aWrgUYafBgR-ygcKQKSsZd6Ty9Il95vB2hRxfHwpxBSweGCYOtW_6shkp26cOCB-WbkDPNVLMexznWYjvnW94xuXu-QG6thUicLOBOtfcZVu9FhK/s320/Epiphany%204%20B.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><p>Mark 1:21-28</p><p>Epiphany 4 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Many of you will recall
when the house behind us on Saratoga St. was used as a halfway home for some
folks who, for various reasons, could not live on their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few of the residents became regular clients
of our food pantry and you may remember Reggie who attended Sunday services and
lots of coffee, which, due to digestive issues, he was not supposed to have.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">And then there was Mr.
Johnson who was not permitted to leave the house, but ‘escaped’ from time to
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One Sunday morning between services
there was a wild pounding on the Parish Hall doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was Mr. Johnson and he was ranting that
the lady who ran the house was trying to kill him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, some of you managed to get him settled
down while I went across the street and fetched the supervisor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She came over, corralled Mr. Johnson, and
gave him a firm talking to as she escorted him out of our building.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Guess what happened the
very next Sunday, again between services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You got it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a beating
at the door and it was… Mr. Johnson complaining loudly once again the
supervisor was trying to kill him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
time I did not welcome him into the building, but started walking him through
the parking lot and back to his home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“She’s gonna kill me,” he protested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Oh,” I said light-heartedly, in an attempt to calm him down, “now you
know she is not going to do that.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
over and over and rather boisterously he professed an unwavering belief his
life was in danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, and fed up,
I said with some force (loud enough, at least, for a person in the bank parking
lot to hear), “Listen, she is not going to kill you, but if you come back over
here again and pound on our door, I just might!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I glanced over at the person at the bank and,
from the expression on his face, could tell this is not something he expected
to hear come out of the mouth of a person wearing a clergy collar!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">This morning we read from
Mark’s gospel about Jesus’ first public appearance after his baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the Sabbath and he and his new
followers go to the local Synagogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just as we do here, he wanted to be a setting where he could worship,
pray, read from Holy Scripture, and gather as a community in a peaceful
setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark tells us on that day Jesus
was asked to be what we would call the preacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The text does not tell us a single thing
about the content of what he said, only that those present are amazed by the
authority he exhibits while teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">And then comes what we
might call the Mr. Johnson moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Demons have possessed a man at the Synagogue and they cry out to Jesus:
“What do you have to do with us?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A more
literal translation is “Why can’t you just let things be?” “Have you come to
destroy us?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I know who you are.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Why can’t Jesus let things
be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because he is not going to allow
anything to impede human flourishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
is going to teach God’s word so that we who listen might understand, and in
understanding be empowered to think and do those things that are right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is going to banish anything and everything
which might hold us back, drag us down, lock us up, or tie us in knots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is Kingdom work and, as we heard Jesus
proclaim in last week’s reading, the Kingdom of God has come near.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means every other kingdom, every other
realm, every other dominion, every other power is being supplanted; now, in
part, one day in full.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Suppose we were to spend
some time pondering this reading and think about what it says to us and to our
church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suppose it was the only
Scripture we had to draw upon to gain a sense of identity and purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suppose from it we had to craft a mission
statement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would it be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I contemplated this for a while this past week
and here is what I have come up with:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 27.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Come as you are, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">leave as God intends for you to be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">And God intends for this
particular person to be free from of all that possesses him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With just a few words, spoken with authority,
it happens: “Be silent, and come out of him.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And with this the Mr. Johnson moment is over once and for all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All present, who I suspect have seen the
demons speak out many times before, are amazed, stunned I would say. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Word about this and other
things Jesus does spreads throughout the region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Jesus journeys from town-to-town, locals expect
it to be showtime… “Do here what you did in Capernaum.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for Jesus it is not showtime, it is get-right
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has come to help folks get
right with God, with their community, with their family, and with themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">You are here this morning
and perhaps you sense the presence of Jesus in this place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps you hear his message and respond in
the silence of your heart, “Why can’t you just let things be?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus answers, “Because today is your get-right
day!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 27.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Come as you are, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">leave as God intends for you to be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-12392345051440883722024-01-23T12:22:00.002-05:002024-01-23T12:23:27.805-05:00When the Going Gets Tough...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LUXXshOKBiiyLRxqdCC3-pyz5QlMNsBVkAbyX_jrbwCjYBdW310PBLr9Khe_Un6o-DIyi2GCED_EeeHy0nxovyBsIvkjI1yoUuPjGSno9YjWu5-bakP6EVD-vK_StsmsfSBijZ2xbVLPcvQ3ZuBinEByuvlAyQ8lGTXrMNy6v2Iyfjlizij3P4HVLjCS/s400/Epiphany%203%20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="400" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LUXXshOKBiiyLRxqdCC3-pyz5QlMNsBVkAbyX_jrbwCjYBdW310PBLr9Khe_Un6o-DIyi2GCED_EeeHy0nxovyBsIvkjI1yoUuPjGSno9YjWu5-bakP6EVD-vK_StsmsfSBijZ2xbVLPcvQ3ZuBinEByuvlAyQ8lGTXrMNy6v2Iyfjlizij3P4HVLjCS/s320/Epiphany%203%20B.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Mark 1:14-20</p><p>Epiphany 3 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">“After John was
arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.”</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Somewhere around the turn
of the last century a football coach is said to have told his team, “When the
going gets tough… the tough get going.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first printed reference of this quote appeared in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Corpus Christi Times</i> in 1953, again
referencing a speech by a local football coach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since then, any number of people in any number of fields, from business
leaders to motivational speakers to clergy like me, has drawn on it to inspire
people facing challenging circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Now, certainly Jesus didn’t
know the expression, “when the going gets tough…”, but he did have this to draw
on from the Book of Proverbs:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">The wicked flee when no one pursues,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>but the
righteous are bold as a lion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(28:1)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Perhaps this is why, on
learning his cousin John the Baptist has been arrested, Jesus decides to return
to Galilee – the very region ruled by John’s imprisoner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">From the outset of his
story, everything in Mark’s gospel happens quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It begins not with a birth narrative, like
Mathew and Luke, but with a title:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">The beginning of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">It then launches into the
message John proclaims at the Jordon River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At verse 9 Jesus appears and is baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes Mark just five verses to tell us
about this moment and how immediately afterward Jesus goes out into the
wilderness to be tempted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The comes
verse 14 with the information Jesus returns to Galilee, his home, after
learning of John’s arrest.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Now, we would not be
surprised if Jesus went back and laid low; doing everything possible to keep
his neck out of the noose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heck, we
wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed as far away from Galilee as possible; a
lesson he would have learned from his father, who upon returning from exile in
Egypt and learning Herod’s son is ruling over the region of Bethlehem, takes
his family to Galilee in order to be out of harm’s way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while we might think it unwise, we would
not be completely shocked if Jesus went back home to call out the injustice of
John’s arrest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus does none of these
things.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Here is what he does:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 8.75pt; margin-right: 8.15pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">“Jesus came to
Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and
the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Good
news?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When John has been arrested?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Roman soldiers brutally occupy the land?
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When self-serving religious leaders fleece
the flock rather than tend to it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
can anyone talk about good news when bad news is rampant?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, Jesus can talk about it because he
knows God is beginning to do something special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He can feel deep in his spirit; a spirit which has been filled with the
Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kingdom of God has come
near, he says, and nothing can be more consequential and restorative than this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">This
passage provides a wonderful lens through which we can reflect on where we are
as parish at the occasion of our Annual Meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of your wardens – Joby and Bill – present
a similar theme in their reports to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They write about our building and attendance challenges, acknowledging
the impact each has had on the Vestry’s morale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the bad news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good
news is found in eight new acolytes, an active youth group, beautiful, inspiring
music from the organ and choir, enthusiastic hospitality after church, a
talented and dedicated staff, faithful lay volunteers, the financial boost we
receive from a well-managed, well-funded endowment, your financial generosity…
I could go on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
message I want to proclaim to you as we begin 2024 (the 382<sup>nd</sup> year of
our existence): the kingdom of God is near.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Yes, it
is the same message Jesus brought to Galilee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And he knows while he may be the standard bearer of the good news, but
he cannot be the only one to announce it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He begins to gather followers who will learn to live into the good news
so more and more people will be caught up in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need people here to live into the good
news which is God’s presence in our midst.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">If
truth be told, three years from now, when Jesus is crucified, by objective
standards very little will have changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, a few people will have been healed, a handful of demons will have
been banished, several thousand people will have heard Jesus teach, but the bad
news will still remain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only through the
power of the Resurrection and the imparting of the Holy Spirit will a mighty
movement arise which will change the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We pray as we remain faithful to the good news in our lives God’s Spirit
will rise up and lighten this darkened world of ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">When
the going gets tough… the tough proclaim good news!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-31557304260852924052024-01-15T11:26:00.002-05:002024-01-15T11:26:20.993-05:00Transforming a Worldview<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7_xGL3vFXLOOOQJLdLHIgwhLufaPP3NX6lqepR4lQwZHpEZ4aInXvq-yN8_WOHlSnCljWqbf0A6Vu_1xVkjlF4A3W-U0DTEOQ6T9a0-hJcnSViiZ_vL1yM4zsL0IltoYzsR-J4jqS59fFM5GEU6rqz_QY9nBRqj6YETUwcnIaMKkRvnAQVT7dGBx_YHq/s474/Epiphany%201%20B%20-%20Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="474" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7_xGL3vFXLOOOQJLdLHIgwhLufaPP3NX6lqepR4lQwZHpEZ4aInXvq-yN8_WOHlSnCljWqbf0A6Vu_1xVkjlF4A3W-U0DTEOQ6T9a0-hJcnSViiZ_vL1yM4zsL0IltoYzsR-J4jqS59fFM5GEU6rqz_QY9nBRqj6YETUwcnIaMKkRvnAQVT7dGBx_YHq/s320/Epiphany%201%20B%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>John 1:43-51</p><p>Epiphany 2 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Today’s Gospel reading is
tantalizing both for what it tells and for what it does not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tells us Philip links Jesus to a long
expected prophetic promise, but it does not tell us how or why he makes this
connection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just reports Jesus says
‘follow me’ and Philip follows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">But before (or perhaps as)
he follows, Philip tracks down Nathanael to let him know what is
happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On hearing where Jesus is
from, Nathanael utters his famous quip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Philip replies with a less famous, but
very significant response, “Come and see.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">In Philip and Nathanael we have
examples of two distinctive ways of operating in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Philip is open to possibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sees people for who they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is drawn to their inner qualities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nathanael, on the other hand, makes snap judgments
about people based on old and often unfounded stereotypes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has an “us and them” outlook which divides
people into two groups – those who are like me and those who are not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a tribal mentality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Who are you more like,
Philip or Nathanael?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a little like
both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my better moments I recognize
the humanity of people, even if they are very different from me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, there are times when I look down my nose
at folks who I suspect don’t measure up to my standards.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">The Dalai Lama said this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">In today’s
interconnected and globalized world, it is now commonplace for people of
dissimilar world views, faiths and races to live side by side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a matter of great urgency, therefore,
that we find ways to cooperate with one another in a spirit of mutual
acceptance and respect…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether one is
rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or non-believing, man or woman,
black, white, or brown, we are all the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all share basic needs for food, shelter,
safety, and love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all aspire to
happiness and we all shun suffering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of us wants the best for our family and
loved ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all experience pain when
we suffer loss and joy when we achieve what we seek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this fundamental level, religion,
ethnicity, culture, and language make no difference.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Philip, I think, gets
this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nathanael does not… at first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon meeting him, Jesus says of Nathanael,
“Here is a person lacking guile.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Asked
how he knows this, Jesus relates he saw Nathanael earlier when he was sitting under
a fig tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, whatever this is all
about, it is all Nathanael needs to know to be convinced: “Rabbi, you are the
Son of God, the King of Israel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
as if his eyes are opened and all his prejudices and preconceived ideas melt
away.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">This exact transformation
is something we must work for and pray for in today’s world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is no longer possible to live in a
community where everyone else thinks and acts and looks like you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Archbishop Desmond Tutu said this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">We must embrace our
differences, even celebrate our diversity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We must glory in the fact God created each of us as unique human
beings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God created us different, but
God did not create us for separation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God created us different that we might recognize our need for one
another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must reverence our
uniqueness, reverence everything that makes us what we are: our language, our
culture, our religious tradition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Philip knew this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon meeting Jesus, Nathanael discovered it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">Tutu goes on:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">We are made for
goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are made for love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are made for friendliness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are made for togetherness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are made for all the beautiful things that
you and I know. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are made to tell the
world there are no outsiders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All are
welcome… We all belong to this family, this human family, God’s family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Twentieth Century;">In this
season of Epiphany we celebrate God’s light coming more and more into the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we yearn and strain to be
followers, disciples, children of the light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And as Jesus promised Nathanael, we too, as we allow the light of God’s
love dwell in us, will see angels descend and ascend on all we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-76562291211434998172024-01-08T10:38:00.001-05:002024-01-08T10:38:08.333-05:00Baptism & Acceptance<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrJsWdBfoLI0vpJfC1STqC4n1-7T72PLYs7qOeUsMwBBBoeCAIFqAEqPj3ySJBxp2KtpuYZvQD7bFVJVnqIC3c2cfi9Lq-3klOiDkkZOrfS4JkG7JiM3huyIJTqfSjcxBsTBrug97ym7QQEo615jGXRPPrarJSgVB8vG5m8plMdJrOu9NFY2LqXE_uRWh/s2548/Epiphnay%201%20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2548" data-original-width="2032" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrJsWdBfoLI0vpJfC1STqC4n1-7T72PLYs7qOeUsMwBBBoeCAIFqAEqPj3ySJBxp2KtpuYZvQD7bFVJVnqIC3c2cfi9Lq-3klOiDkkZOrfS4JkG7JiM3huyIJTqfSjcxBsTBrug97ym7QQEo615jGXRPPrarJSgVB8vG5m8plMdJrOu9NFY2LqXE_uRWh/s320/Epiphnay%201%20B.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><p>Mark 1:4-11</p><p>Epiphany 1 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Earlier
this week, the Episcopal News Service posted a story about two priests in the
Diocese of West Virginia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What did they
do to warrant the attention of the faithful?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Start a new outreach ministry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Baptize fifty people at a
single service?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not quite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Write a new Christmas carol?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hardly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So what then did they do to be noteworthy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, while watching the Duke’s Mayo college
bowl game, they took offense when the announcers put mayonnaise on a pepperoni
roll (apparently West Virginians have strong feeling about their favorite foods).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the two priests, who both serve in the
diocesan office, took to Facebook with their complaints, which in and of
itself, does not merit comment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
their post, as they say, went viral and received over 13,000 responses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This the Episcopal News Service deemed to be worthy
of a report. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">David
Lose, a Lutheran pastor and seminary professor, observes we live in a culture
where people crave affirmation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He cites
social media as one manifestation of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How many ‘friends’ do you have?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How many ‘likes’ did your last post receive?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many ‘hearts’ did the picture your dog get?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some on social media give only a passing
thought to this while others are obsessed by it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wherever you fall on this scale, we seek
affirmation because we are social creatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We want to be noticed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want to
believe our life matters to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
want to be liked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Lose
contends being on social media crates the perception we are surrounded by a
like-minded community of people who value us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He asks why then does research reveal people today report feeling
simultaneously more connected and lonelier than ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His answer, while we crave affirmation, what
we need is acceptance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Acceptance,
Lose contends, is not the same thing as fitting in; a skill we learn as
children and draw on time and again as adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In order to fit in we change ourselves so we will be accepted in our various
peer groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This helps to explain why we
may present ourselves one way at church and a totally different way with, say, our
bridge partners or bowling buddies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
can be a lot of work to act up or act out who you suppose you are supposed to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be accepted means you are
absolutely valued for who you are just as you are.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Which
brings us to the baptism of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he
emerges from under the Jordon’s waters he hears God’s voice, “You are my Son,
the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Coming just a few verses into the beginning of Mark’s gospel, we are
given not even a hint of what Jesus has done to deserve such status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As David Lose writes, this much we do know:
“Wrapped up in these words of acceptance are the blessings of identity, worth,
and unwavering regard.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">This
new self-awareness, along with receiving the Holy Spirit, empowers Jesus to
launch into his public ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there a connection between a sense of
acceptance and a pursuit of mission; a connection between baptism and the “blessings
of identity, worth, and unwavering regard”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You bet there is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I am so
very proud of our teenagers who about a year ago identified food insecurity as
something important to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time,
meeting with young people from Main Street Methodist and Suffolk Presbyterian
churches, the group got excited about participating in a nation-wide movement known
as “The Lil’ Food Pantry.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based on the
concept of the lending library box, but focused on food, its motto is “Take
What You Need, Leave What You Can.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will
Henderson and Graham Webb came before your Vestry to present the idea and ask
for funding, which they received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
then set out to build a pantry, which is now located just outside the door of
the Parish Office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other young people
have thought through how they can publicize this new ministry so the community
knows it is here to help and here to be stocked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I am inspired
by the vision, dedication, enthusiasm, and effort of our teenagers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, you may take these words as being rooted
in affirmation, and most certainly those who have worked on this project (including
Lee Cross) deserve to be noticed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
for me, the praise I offer is grounded in acceptance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every person who seeks to live out the faith
deserves our support and encouragement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am so encouraged God’s Spirit has moved and our young people have
responded.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">In just
a moment we will renew our own Baptismal vows and promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will remember what we have renounced
(Satan, the world, and the self) and who we have embraced (Jesus, our Savior,
Lord, and guide).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will affirm the
core of what we believe by rehearsing the Apostles’ Creed and we will recommit
ourselves to the basic values and practices of the Christian life… with God’s
help.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">In this
moment I hope you gain a sense of how deeply loved and accepted just as you are…
not only by God, but also by your family in the faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while the national religious media may
not report on anything you ever do as you live out your faith, your life
matters and your witness makes world a more loving place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are richer for all you do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for the way and manner in which you
live into your baptism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-73934211062125657252023-12-18T11:22:00.002-05:002023-12-18T11:22:57.025-05:00Knowing Who You Are Not<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwKDNjgBaULxnefZTvx7v7rJ2sccnh704EsHRiY-4b3BBcnI0keOjrkCoS0vOWFDYT5TX8IIG9Vg23R1fiW0S3loMMhtqyggCubVY_GK_eLbamYf4J11cJ_LnaC2Kw3MMWQkS74SThK6ScC1tsulzc7Dfu60TxpzF63TXpjDUQb8tJqo6kpvz8VLFmiej/s800/Advent%203%20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwKDNjgBaULxnefZTvx7v7rJ2sccnh704EsHRiY-4b3BBcnI0keOjrkCoS0vOWFDYT5TX8IIG9Vg23R1fiW0S3loMMhtqyggCubVY_GK_eLbamYf4J11cJ_LnaC2Kw3MMWQkS74SThK6ScC1tsulzc7Dfu60TxpzF63TXpjDUQb8tJqo6kpvz8VLFmiej/s320/Advent%203%20B.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>John 1:6-8, 19-28</p><p>Advent 3 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">When I was in
seminary, the first week of January was a thing unto itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our third and final year, you took the
General Ordination Exams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first year
we were taught how to be lectors – a little class we referred to as “Read &
Bleed.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our middle year we were
schooled in the Sung Service; what we called “Rant & Chant.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully, this class was pass/fail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Show up every day for a week then turn in a
cassette tape of yourself chanting and you pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I got my tape back it had a post-it note
attached to it by the professor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It read
simply, “You may want to practice more before you attempt to do this in
public.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I have never practiced,
nor have I ever led chanting in a service.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Here is a question
rattling around in my head all week as I have pondered today’s gospel reading:
How do you learn what you are not good at?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Put another way, how do you discover who you are not supposed to be?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">One of the amazing
things about John the Baptist is he knows who he is not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The John the gospel writer tells us
emphatically the Baptizer is not the light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is a witness to the light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John himself says, “I am not the Messiah.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When asked, he says, “I am not Elijah.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am not a prophet.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was there a time when he considered he might
be the Messiah or Elijah or a prophet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder how he
discerned who he wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When asked,
John famously states,<span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"> “Among
you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not
worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather than a statement about humility, this too is a revelation about
identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">In Levitical law,
if a husband dies before his wife gives birth to a son, the husband’s brother
is required to marry her in order to sire a son who will carry on the original
husband’s name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The brother is referred
to as the ‘kinsman-redeemer’ because he redeems his kin’s name from death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, if the brother refuses to take on this
role and another person wishes to do so, that person takes the brother to the
public square and in the presence of the elders takes a sandal off the foot of
the one who will not do his duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By so
doing, the willing person announces he will function as the
kinsman-redeemer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when John says he
is not worthy to untie the sandal of the one who is to come, he is saying, “I
am not the redeemer, he is.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Over my tenure of
serving as your rector, we have been blessed to have two wonderful Music
Directors/Organists – Al Reese and Thom Robertson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have not always been as fortunate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1952 we hired Leroy Gross to fill this
position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often referred to in the
Vestry record as “Prof. Gross,” it seems he had a hard time getting along with
folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could not hold to spending
limits, is divorced by his wife for desertion, takes up residence in the Parish
House’s kitchen, and generally makes a pest of himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point he is told in writing by the
Senior Warden to confine himself to the Music Room and not to interfere with
the operations of the general offices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let your imagination run wild as you ponder what was going on!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1956 he resigns his position and the Music
Committee hires his replacement – a Mrs. Thomas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She prepares the choir and is ready to lead
the hymns on her first Sunday, only to discover Prof. Gross at the organ
bench.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He decides on his own and
unannounced to unresign!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Whatever you might want to say
about ol’ Leroy, he certainly is not the model of knowing who you are and who
you are not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">It occurs to me the times I have been most ineffective
have been when I asserted myself into roles for which I was not
well-suited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also occurs to me from a
very young age we begin to learn who we are largely by weeding out who we are
not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My college chaplain told the story
about teaching in a religion class on the Temple’s sacrificial system when a
student passed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After revived, he
said whenever he sees blood or even thinks about it he feels faint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he added he needed to overcome this
problem because he wanted to be a surgeon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">When I entered into the search process which eventually
led to your calling me here, I considered want kind of church would be best for
me to serve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out of college I worked as a
lay minister at a huge church with three clergy and multiple full-time employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two churches I served at as an assistant
had an average Sunday attendance hovering around 300 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two churches I served as rector averaged
around 100 folks on Sunday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was the
only priest and the only full-time employee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Experts refer to this as a Pastoral size church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Now, many clergy in my position would have been
looking to “move up”, to seek a bigger parish and the supposed prestige which
accompanies it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wondered how do I know
I would be happy in such place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if
I don’t like directing staff and clergy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I discerned I liked working in a Pastoral size church and that I
understood its needs and unique dynamics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the rest, as they, is history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Accepting your call has been one of the best decisions of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">We often talk about discovering who we are supposed to
be and what we are supposed to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Equally important, but often flying under the radar, is ascertaining who
we are not and what we are not called to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Through his clarity of self and place John the Baptist models this for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And because he knows who he is not
he is ideally suited to be the voice in the wilderness pointing to the Light.</span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-47660567080597611462023-12-11T15:16:00.001-05:002023-12-11T15:16:06.992-05:00Make Straight a Path<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4Tg0Utl_E0JMJkTIpXOCKVAMwE9Igxz6fC_gGpU4Ipuda377V699KvYppw5T161wVML_JsBMKBfOYpsoAe1Ww6Zkt_sLfbnsqYkGOZ_dsEtMVn-8qN8alVm9wVJz-izqIepxVJLVb3F6DXj6TzC1-EIbvPVb420Jn_9bs7ulnMn1esugEPtU0mtiMMol/s3936/Avent%201%20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2624" data-original-width="3936" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4Tg0Utl_E0JMJkTIpXOCKVAMwE9Igxz6fC_gGpU4Ipuda377V699KvYppw5T161wVML_JsBMKBfOYpsoAe1Ww6Zkt_sLfbnsqYkGOZ_dsEtMVn-8qN8alVm9wVJz-izqIepxVJLVb3F6DXj6TzC1-EIbvPVb420Jn_9bs7ulnMn1esugEPtU0mtiMMol/s320/Avent%201%20B.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Mark 1:1-8</p><p>Advent 2 / Year B</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Several years ago I
spent a wonderful week vacationing at Canaan Valley in West Virginia. Now there is no easy way get to anywhere in
West Virginia, hence there is no easy way to get home. On my return trip I decided to make my way to
Seneca Rocks, which was a wonderful decision if you don’t mind driving on
remote roads. From there I headed south
and found myself on a scary, winding, narrow, and at times dirt road before
connecting with U.S. 250, which I could have driven all the way to Richmond if
I opted to. A United States highway will
be smooth sailing, I reasoned. I could
not have been more wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Getting on 250 in
the Monongahela National Forest and heading east, it took me nearly three hours
to drive approximately 90 miles to Staunton.
There were, to my recollection, seven step accents and seven step
descents over ridge lines. And each way
up and each way down over all seven was cluttered with numerous switchbacks and
hairpin turns. One ridge would have made
for a fun drive. Two would have given me
my fill. But after seven I vowed never
again to drive 250 in West Virginia. When
I finally got to Staunton I decided to get on I64 and from there it was an easy
drive home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I thought about
that drive as I pondered the words of the prophet Isaiah which we heard read
just moments ago:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 27.0pt; margin-right: 4.05pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.2pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">“In the wilderness
prepare the way of the <span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span>,<br />
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 27.0pt; margin-right: 4.05pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.2pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Every
valley shall be lifted up,<br />
and every mountain and hill be made low;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 27.0pt; margin-right: 4.05pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.2pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">the uneven ground
shall become level,<br />
and the rough places a plain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 27.0pt; margin-right: 4.05pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.2pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Then the glory of
the <span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span> shall be
revealed,<br />
and all people shall see it together,<br />
for the mouth of the <span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span> has
spoken.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
people of Israel had lived in exile in Babylon for more than forty years, but
change was on the horizon. Soon they
were going to be allowed to go home.
Isaiah’s call to make a straight, level, and smooth highway in the
wilderness was a message of hope. I was
a call for the people to plan and prepare for a second Exodus. And, it had a practical element to it: the
path from Babylon to Jerusalem had been sparsely traveled for four decades and
no doubt was in sad repair. The journey
was going to be arduous. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Five centuries
later, John the Baptist quotes from Isaiah and draws on the call to prepare a
way and to make straight a path but utilizes this in purely spiritual and
personal terms. John senses how the
twists and turns of life, with its highs and lows, have left people feeling
disoriented, uncertain, and lost. For
him, the way forward and the way to God had become much, much to difficult and the
average person needed a way to be reoriented.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">For John, this
looked like calling people to repent.
The Greek word <i>metanoia</i>, which we translate as ‘repent’,
literally means to stop in your tracks and turn around. We might say “do a 180” or “make a U-turn”. There is so much to distract us along our journey
and our lives are going to be a mess until we decide to stop traveling in the
wrong direction. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">John offered a way
to ground one’s decision to repent… baptism in the River Jordon. This provided people with spiritual strength
to return to the way. And getting on the
right way is essential to prepare the way for the Lord, who wants to do
something marvelous in and through you. But
for this to happen we need to stop and ponder what God desires from us. The prophet Micah asked, “What does the Lord
require of you? His answer: “To act
justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (6/8). If your life is not moving in this direction,
then you need to repent.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I suspect for many
of us the images of twists and turns and highs and lows (like driving in West
Virginia) is more poignant than <i>metanoia</i>. We are trying to do the right thing and to be
the people God calls us to be, but there are so many obstacles in our way. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">We want there to be
peace in the world, but other than prayer and perhaps a charitable contribution,
there seems to be little we can do. We
want there to be civility in our society, but short of treating others with
respect and limiting our exposure to the most reprehensible voices out there,
again, there is little we can do. We care
about climate change, but other than being as responsible as we can be, we are
powerless to make an impact on the bigger picture. We want to live into the Baptismal Covenant’s
promise to respect the dignity of every human being. We can do our part, but sense in our world a
rising disdain for ‘the other’. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">It occurs to me believing
your witness does not make a difference is a distraction from which we need to
make a <i>metanoia</i>. And if one witness makes a difference, it
gets doubled if another joins in. Think
what happens when an entire faith community commits itself to living into God’s
dream for all people. Add enough people
and soon you have a movement and movements have the power to reshape the world,
or, as Isaiah put it, “to reveal the glory of God.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #081c2a; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">God calls us to make a straight way
in the desert. Advent is a season marked
by hope and it comes at just the right time… when we are burdened by a spirit of
despair. Both Isaiah and John proclaimed
a hopeful message and they call on us to change, to be expectant, to be ready,
and to prepare the way of the Lord!</span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-37630359939014230682023-12-04T10:56:00.003-05:002023-12-04T10:56:49.216-05:00Marking Time with the Church Year<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3o4MsuDJsPnnKsv1nurPn-TrRhI7NoJdPj7bCMYz698iQ7v6sZCeW_iq9NEoAksLZXvrIcPI_hjvcYksbfqvJCdAFYyW08soBwNzA8jKx0GmdhyphenhypheniQyS_xn7prDJuxZNEc6JNnk5sDaA-abDeMJXReIibPPDNNIqwI89b4AlimLHTv_bilafcOTketp-FE/s400/Advent%201%20B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3o4MsuDJsPnnKsv1nurPn-TrRhI7NoJdPj7bCMYz698iQ7v6sZCeW_iq9NEoAksLZXvrIcPI_hjvcYksbfqvJCdAFYyW08soBwNzA8jKx0GmdhyphenhypheniQyS_xn7prDJuxZNEc6JNnk5sDaA-abDeMJXReIibPPDNNIqwI89b4AlimLHTv_bilafcOTketp-FE/s320/Advent%201%20B.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><p>Mark 13:24-37</p><p>Advent 1 / Year B</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">One of the lead
characters in Elizabeth Goudge’s novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Dean’s Watch</i> is a gentleman by the name of Isaac Peabody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the town horologist – a clock and
watchmaker who is one part tradesman, one part craftsman, and one part
artisan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Set in 19<sup>th</sup> Century
England, the novel gives the reader insight into an era when keeping time is
cutting-edge technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peabody makes
weekly rounds to wind clocks and is constantly working repairs in his
shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the pieces he makes are a
thing of beauty… as unique in their design and appearance as the individual
they are intended to serve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
timepiece Peabody crafts is built to last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With proper care he anticipates his clocks and watches will tell time
accurately for generations to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">From the beginning
of time all living creatures have sought ways to mark time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do the geese migrating to the Eastern Shore
or the salmon swimming the streams of the northwest know time, or do they merely
respond to a deep, instinctual rhythm beating with the motion of the
seasons?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps they do not choose how
to mark time so much as they obey patterns the origins of which lies in God’s
blueprint for life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">From the
construction of Stonehenge at the dawn of civilization to today’s incredibly
precise atomic clock human beings have conceived of ways to mark time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This pursuit is more than a passing fancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you remember the Tom Hanks’ movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Castaway</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you remember how he traced the subtle
movement of a ray of sunlight on the wall of a cave to mark the years he spent
stranded on a deserted island?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scene
rings true because at an intuitive level we know the human need to manage
existence by quantifying it into discernable rhythms of time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">We have a variety
of ways to do this now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is the
calendar, of course, with its days and months and years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Linked closely to the calendar are the
seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we also measure time
through such diverse means as the workweek, the school year, and the
programming schedule of TV and radio programs, to name just a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The choices are manifold, and it is ours to
make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The Christian faith
provides us a unique way to mark time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
call it the church year, and today, the first Sunday of Advent, marks the
beginning of a new year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The focal point
of the Christian measure of time is not the sun or a schedule of work, but
rather the life of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The seasons of
the church year correspond with events which unfold during his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">In Advent we await his
coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Christmas we celebrate his
birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the season of Epiphany we
remember how his divinity – his inner light – shown out for all to know and
see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Ash Wednesday we confront our
mortality and during the season of Lent we focus on the brokenness of our
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this leads us to Holy Week
where we remember how, on the night before his death, Jesus creates a new
community of love nourished by his presence in bread and wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Good Friday we watch as Jesus carries our
brokenness to the Cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Easter
Sunday we celebrate his resurrection and claim his promise that our own
mortality and brokenness have been overcome. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy
Spirit and during the weeks that follow we learn again what it means to be a
follower of Christ in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The church invites
those of us who are so caught up in the marking of time to orient our pursuit
by connecting with God… who exists beyond time… as God has been manifested in
time in flesh and bone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while the
story of Jesus does not change from year to year, we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We come to this Good News as new people;
people whose experiences over the past year have changed us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps we are older or wiser or richer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps we are leaner or meaner or battered
or bruised or broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever has
happened to us has opened us to hear God’s word and to receive God’s love in a
new way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following the church year helps
us to remember all of our life is in God; that nothing happens to us happens
apart from God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">During the Sundays
of the coming weeks and months we will read primarily from Mark’s account of
Jesus’ life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These readings will invite
us to link our story with his… to integrate all we are and all we do with who
Jesus is and with how he lived his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As our lives continue to unfold Jesus’ words in Mark’s gospel will help
us to make sense of what is happening to us and where life is taking us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Invariably the story of our lives will
thicken and we will look for strength and comfort in the midst of tension and
struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will find the words we need
in the words of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And our stories
will twist as unexpected events transform our lives for good or ill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But through it all we will be encouraged to
remain in God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">There are many ways
we can mark time and how we mark time affects how we perceive the world around
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you have to follow the church
year to be a ‘good’ Christian?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course
not!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a requirement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an invitation... an invitation to mark
time by using the life of Jesus as your reference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-87244499997853892782023-11-27T10:39:00.000-05:002023-11-27T10:39:22.784-05:00The Sole Criteria<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioA0-0yJlhSMh-CmtUYv7sF9qyB7NuOnL3NWfhwiYhyphenhyphenGLjquO098paj8EaRwKfd_zRlw2x7BUIufw9oCcgjMgx9xO_qZecfH0j0F0CTk5f1QcnZvHe_a9ERIvuFYoeGP6IdeWurr8zgDYN0JXSgIUX379p8HJW30o_yvd5MfNOl4uxJGUDh0j7DcJQvRog/s400/Proper%2029%20A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="400" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioA0-0yJlhSMh-CmtUYv7sF9qyB7NuOnL3NWfhwiYhyphenhyphenGLjquO098paj8EaRwKfd_zRlw2x7BUIufw9oCcgjMgx9xO_qZecfH0j0F0CTk5f1QcnZvHe_a9ERIvuFYoeGP6IdeWurr8zgDYN0JXSgIUX379p8HJW30o_yvd5MfNOl4uxJGUDh0j7DcJQvRog/s320/Proper%2029%20A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Matthew 25:31-46</p><p>Proper 29 / Year A</p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">For the third Sunday in a row our gospel
reading is a parable taken from the 25<sup>th</sup> chapter of Matthew’s gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the parables of the Ten Maidens and the
Talents, today’s focuses on a final judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus tells these stories in Jerusalem just days before he will be
arrested, tried, and crucified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either
the disciples are getting smarter or Jesus is getting better at his
story-telling, because, unlike so many of his early parables, this one requires
no explanation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is as straightforward
as it can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Jesus is going to judge people on one basis
and one basis alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will not count
how many times you came to church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
will not quiz you for creedal orthodoxy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He will not check to see if you are born again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All Jesus will do is recall the times you
gave him something to eat, to drink, or to wear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will recall when you welcomed him into
your home, comforted him in sickness, or visited him in prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t even have to know it is Jesus you
did these things for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anytime you do it
for anyone you do it for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Notice who is being judged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not the church or Jesus’
followers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus says “all the nations”
will be gathered before the Son of Man and separated into two groups… those who
did something for him and those who did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“All the nations.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any time we read
a verse like John 14:6, “No one can come to the Father except through me”, the
conversation always gets around to other religions and people of different
faiths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will they be saved and will they
be punished for not believing in Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, according to this parable the sole criteria used to judge every
person regardless of faith or race or nationality is this: what did you do to
help other people, especially the neediest and most vulnerable people in your
society?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Were you generous, caring, and
selfless or were you critical, hardened, and indifferent?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">One of the things I wonder about this
parable is Jesus’ grading scale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If one
time you give one cup of water to a thirsty person is this enough to get you
into the sheep pen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, conversely, if
one time you fail to give a cup of water, will this get you rounded up with the
goats?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, what if you do the right
thing, but do it for the wrong reason?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Are you a sheep if you give food to the hungry but have disdain for
them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you a goat if you do the wrong
thing for the right reason?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Jesus, I
didn’t give you $10 that one time because I thought you were going to use it to
buy liquor.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I don’t know what the grading scale will
be, but here is what I experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
are times I do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do it because I need to do it in order to
feel good about me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then there are
times I do the right thing because I recognize the humanity of the person I am
helping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see the person as a person
and I recognize the person’s need and I see I have an opportunity rather than
an obligation to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I recognize
the humanity of the other person and respond to it, I sense more acutely the
Kingdom of God in my presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The opposite is also true in my
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I fail to recognize the
humanity of another person, the world seems darker and more hellish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C.S. Lewis thought hell is a place where
one’s humanity is diminished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>N.T.
Wright, the English bishop and theologian, envisions hell as the end of a
process where one consistently choses to dehumanize what once was human. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The great challenge
in life is to see in other people what God sees in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our challenge is to love the other person as
we believe God loves them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The theologian </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Gustavo Gutierrez writes, “God is committed to the
poor, not because the poor are good—but because God is good.” Today’s
parable reminds us a good God created us to be good to one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Ultimately, I believe those judged to be sheep receive their reward not
because they reached an arbitrary percentage of helping others, but because
during their life they cultivated a disposition to recognize the humanity of
other people and to base their interactions on this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This inclination nurtured in this life
continues on to the next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goats are
those who cultivate the opposite and consistently fail to recognize the
humanity of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an inclination
which continues into the life to come and they receive judgment not as
punishment but, based on their life’s story, as a recognition heaven and all
its ways is not a place they would enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">On this final
Sunday of the church year, we proclaim the Kingship of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We affirm one day every
knee will bow to him and all tongues praise his holy Name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend to side with those who believe in a
crowded heaven and an empty hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many theologians
hold to the theory of an empty hell because they believe in the end all people
will respond to the call of a loving God who desires none should be lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We begin to open our hearts to God’s voice
here and now and one way we do this is to recognize the humanity of every
person we encounter and to respond to their most basic needs.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-12201768658216185172023-11-20T10:14:00.000-05:002023-11-20T10:14:03.871-05:00I Quit!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjas3TepXIZVeZOPj6CfFVGeWFZp6IMPZ3z-wCxZC5PrhZ5tuYEuEL46YVOZvljf-WNrZ-9oZuveSOWQeR5iBU6_BJJEIvvgnj-D3VmIBUvPJVvB6tbEk3q355JAWRqW02bgqUtSZiASst8TwLNlAE41Cj1Hm1rHVdUDilUY5HAExNfnpjopwn3GGlXl__S/s864/talents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="864" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjas3TepXIZVeZOPj6CfFVGeWFZp6IMPZ3z-wCxZC5PrhZ5tuYEuEL46YVOZvljf-WNrZ-9oZuveSOWQeR5iBU6_BJJEIvvgnj-D3VmIBUvPJVvB6tbEk3q355JAWRqW02bgqUtSZiASst8TwLNlAE41Cj1Hm1rHVdUDilUY5HAExNfnpjopwn3GGlXl__S/s320/talents.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Matthew 25:13-30</p><p>Proper 28 / Year A</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">George Bernard Shaw said people are always blaming their circumstances
for what they are, but the people who make it in this world are the people who
get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, they
make them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Whatever philosophy
provided the inner drive for the servant given the one talent in today’s
parable, this was not it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He looks at
his boss and says, “I am afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
looks at his gift and says, “I don’t know what to do.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he looks within and says, “I don’t
believe in myself.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Putting it all
together, he simply says, “I give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
quit.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that pretty much is
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">There are two in
the story who receive a trust and use it well and there is one in the story who
does nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two are invited to enter
into joy; although, as any of us knows, when you use your gifts and talents in
pursuit of your deepest, most meaningful passions and interests, you already are
in the midst of joy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then there is one
who is sent to a place of darkness where there is weeping and ‘much dental
distress’; but all of us, who from time to time, have been given to inaction,
lack of focus, or loss of purpose, know doing nothing with what you have is
itself already a place gloom and despair.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">As we approach the
end of the liturgical year, as what the church calls ‘ordinary time’ draws to a
close, the Scripture readings always take on the theme of last things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last week we heard about the maidens who waited
for the delayed groom’s arrival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some take
extra oil for their lamps while others do not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those who do not are caught unprepared and miss out on the
celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now this week we hear
of a master who entrusts generous portions of his estate to servants who are to
oversee affairs while he is away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he
returns the servants are called to account, “What did you do with what I gave
to you?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I was afraid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t know what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave up on myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quit.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Judgment comes swift and sure to such a person.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">George Costanza, in
a Seinfeld episode, once bellowed, “Yeah, I’m a great quitter: it’s one of the
few things I do well… I come from a long line of quitters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My father was a quitter, my grandfather was a
quitter… I was raised to give up.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Christian theology does not bred quitters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tells us not to fear God, but to trust
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tells us not to wait for
directions, but to trust the Holy Spirit to guide our instincts and to direct
the righteous desires of our hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
tells us to believe in ourselves because we are made in the image of a creative
and creating God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tells us not to
give up and not to give in and to use all we have, be it a lot or a little, to
the glory of God and for the benefit of all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">In the days of
Jesus, a talent was equal to fifteen years of wages for a day laborer –
something close to $200,000 by today’s minimum wage standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not chump-change and this is what the
servant given the least received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
would you do if someone entrusted you with $200,000?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, the least amount, is still sizeable, isn’t
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the theology of Jesus,
the least among us has gifts and talents and resources which are more than abundant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are you doing with yours?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anything?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or have you given up on
yourself and quit on what God has given you?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Maybe you say to
yourself, “I am too old now to make a difference.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonsense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe you say, “I am too young.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe your excuse is, “I
don’t have enough education” or “I am not qualified.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, get the education you need and get
qualified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God gives you everything you
need to do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">good</i> things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heck, God gives you the ability to do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">great</i> things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is holding you back?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I am proud of the
members of our youth group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have
identified food insecurity as a community issue they care about and want to address.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are planning to build what will be
called “Suffolk’s Lil’ Food Pantry” and place it on our parish property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Functioning just like the Lending Library
boxes, Lil’ Food Pantries are a national movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our motto is going to be “Take What You
Need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leave What You Can” and it is a perfect
example of using the talents entrusted to you to make a real difference.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Elizabeth
Kubler-Ross, who is famous for her work on grief, said, “<a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotation/people_are_like_stained-glass_windows-they/8840.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">People are
like stained-glass windows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They sparkle
and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty
is revealed only if there is a light from within.</span></a>”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This inner light is the light of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It guides us when we are strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sustains us when we are weak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It speaks to us of God’s love when we are
afraid of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It helps us to pick up
ourselves, dust off ourselves, and keep trying when things don’t go our
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the voice that says, “I
believe in you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not give up on
yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not quit.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-14551278773417552672023-11-13T10:41:00.000-05:002023-11-13T10:41:27.152-05:00Will You be Ready to Shine?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7AMCVR418i3jrxbqBFGtr4CpfiQL6K7GlcH7KV-yy5tOds30X90fxXM1lLiUh12P-bZaabSyvuPdAqu5-m1907gZ7TgLfzaHgw6Yg6IDf9qw-K_vQc4Q1Bfs9X9nXHToPNL5kgDJgboMsYekkO5qR2MMh6e1OhbwH4XnxoLWrHWlXKmW-fKb9vCAE_qh/s970/Poper%2027%20A.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="970" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7AMCVR418i3jrxbqBFGtr4CpfiQL6K7GlcH7KV-yy5tOds30X90fxXM1lLiUh12P-bZaabSyvuPdAqu5-m1907gZ7TgLfzaHgw6Yg6IDf9qw-K_vQc4Q1Bfs9X9nXHToPNL5kgDJgboMsYekkO5qR2MMh6e1OhbwH4XnxoLWrHWlXKmW-fKb9vCAE_qh/s320/Poper%2027%20A.GIF" width="320" /></a></div><p>Matthew 25:1-13</p><p>Proper 27 / Year A</p><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">As the end of the church
year draws near our assigned readings from Scripture turn to last things;
especially to the Lord’s return and the judgment which comes with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we hear the prophet Amos describe with
dread the “day of the Lord.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We read
Paul’s words to the church in Thessalonica how the dead will rise and we will
join them when Jesus appears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we
hear Jesus tell a parable about a wedding feast and we know from experience
someone is going to get left out or kicked out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Jesus’ story has been
labeled the Wise and Foolish Maidens and the Ten Bridesmaids, but the Greek
word used in the story indicates they are ‘virgins’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given most young girls in that society
married around the age of 13, it is likely these maidens are 11 or 12 years
old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The five who plan ahead and bring
extra oil for their lamps are called ‘wise’, but this is a bit misleading
because the Greek word is best translated as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">prudent</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The five who do not
bring extra oil are called ‘foolish’, however this too is a questionable
translation given the Greek word actually means <i>moron</i>, which is much
harsher than foolish.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The moral scale from moron
to prudent seems a bit skewed, doesn’t it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It especially feels off given its binary nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These is no middle ground, no shades of gray,
just two extremes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All ten are waiting
for the groom to return with his bride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All ten expect to join the celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All ten fall asleep when there is a delay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The five with oil are not praised for their
generosity because, in fact, they don’t share from their reserves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are not commended for their sense of
community because, in fact, they do not offer to go with the girls who must
forage for oil in the middle of the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The single thing they do to merit favor and blessing is to plan
ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the only reason the other
five are excluded is because they didn’t do the equivalent of packing an extra
pair of socks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I spent a lot of time this
week staring out my office window trying to make sense of this story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept coming back to the oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does it represent?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the thing we would be prudent to
prepare for?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Some commentators play up the
parable’s allegorical nature by giving detail and meaning to every aspect of
the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for them, oil represents
salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are saved you will be
admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven when Jesus returns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re not saved, you won’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some, it is just this simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it raises another question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does it mean to be saved?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All ten were waiting for Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All ten wanted to be with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All ten had oil, it is just that half were
running low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">At some point I began to
think back to Amos’ words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tells
people who look forward to the day of the Lord they will be completely taken
aback by it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking for God he says…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 4.3pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Is not the day of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> darkness, not light,<br />
and gloom with no brightness in it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 4.3pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">I hate, I despise your festivals,<br />
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 4.3pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Even though you offer me <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 4.3pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">your burnt offerings and grain offerings,<br />
I will not accept them;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 18.7pt; margin-right: 4.3pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.35pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">and the offerings of well-being <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 4.3pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">of your fatted animals<br />
I will not look upon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 4.3pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Take away from me the noise of your songs;<br />
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">God is completely disgusted
with the Israelites and abhors their attempts at appeasement through acts of
worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sounds completely hopeless,
doesn’t it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then Amos points the way
forward:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 4.3pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">But
let justice roll down like waters,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 4.3pt; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: -9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>and righteousness like an everflowing stream.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">What if
this is the oil!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The oil allows a person
to be a light in the darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier
in Matthew’s gospel Jesus said, “No one lights a lamp and puts it under a
basket, but on a lampstand so that it gives light to the whole house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let your light shine so people may see the
good you do and give thanks to God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This, I think, is the point of the oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is to continue ceaselessly to be a light, a force for justice, a
source of righteousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I also spent some time
wondering who the young maidens represent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most commentators say the church, but this means some good and faithful
people are going to have the door shut on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I suspect they represent everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are all asleep wait for God to act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In truth, Jesus draws nigh all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Opportunities to celebrate, to do justice, to act with righteousness abound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the question is, when these moments come,
will you be ready to shine?<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-10949824848302003702023-10-30T11:10:00.000-04:002023-10-30T11:10:40.951-04:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ctUqqma1jg5ET_zVIHuWc-xtHpqPNEUaG6QP-gN6IafmfTJXPOWJB2_nfLX7bAQv80pW2KJrD9PXjLD4sJSgK5viYWKCynqk3BZ5Ia8nXy-oCtk-wGtMOio4p77wgtO3lCTSjPgl2A9GQ2xeT2LoOUzFpqYJ8lMhG5rdawruXrYHBjHWn2wf9tuWupXc/s1600/Proper%2025%20A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1029" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ctUqqma1jg5ET_zVIHuWc-xtHpqPNEUaG6QP-gN6IafmfTJXPOWJB2_nfLX7bAQv80pW2KJrD9PXjLD4sJSgK5viYWKCynqk3BZ5Ia8nXy-oCtk-wGtMOio4p77wgtO3lCTSjPgl2A9GQ2xeT2LoOUzFpqYJ8lMhG5rdawruXrYHBjHWn2wf9tuWupXc/s320/Proper%2025%20A.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p>Matthew 22:34-46</p><p>Proper 25 / Year A</p><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Somehow I hold to the
belief beneath all that is dark and dreary and damaged in this world a
fundamental goodness holds sway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
suppose this is why I am so moved by something the Irish priest and poet John
O’Donohue wrote in his book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To Bless the
Space Between Us</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">There is a
kindness that dwells deep down in the structure of things; it presides
everywhere, often in places we least expect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and
patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of
kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are
able to trust and open ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I hear O’Donohue’s words
as being a faint echo of Jesus’s thundering proclamation the greatest
commandment is to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I have always imagined the
idea of loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and (as Luke records it)
strength as being akin to spiritual weightlifting; in other words, if I can
bench press 200 spiritual pounds today, then tomorrow I should try to press
205.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day after I need to go for
210.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The process is never ending because
the ultimate goal of perfect love toward God and neighbor can never be
achieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All</i> – as in <u>all</u> your heart, <u>all</u> your mind, <u>all</u>
your soul, and <u>all</u> your strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All</i> is a very daunting word, isn’t
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It suggests observing this
commandment involves effort and rigor and determination and dedication and…
failure.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I began to wonder what if
fulfilling the command to love involves not trying harder and harder, but
rather letting go and listening and allowing yourself to be carried in God’s
goodness which undergirds all things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O’Donohue
begins his book with this:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">There is a
quiet light that shines in every heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It draws no attention to itself, though it is always secretly
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is what illuminates our minds
to see beauty, our desire to seek possibility, and our hearts to love
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without this subtle quickening our
days would be empty and wearisome, and no horizon would ever awaken
longing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our passion for life is quietly
sustained from somewhere in us that is wedded to the energy and excitement of
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This shy inner light is what
enables us to recognize our very presence here as blessing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Something in his words
resonates with me and it hints that loving God heart, soul, mind, and strength
has more to do with the shy inner light than it does with spiritual
weightlifting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the creation is God’s
work, and if God called it good, and if God is omnipresent (found in all times,
places, and things), then being attentive to our quiet, inner light – the part
of our hearts which allows us to connect with the richness of life – is at the
heart of what it means to love God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
suggests reveling in the beauty of a gorgeous fall day is an act of loving God
more significant than something like, say, memorizing the books of the bible in
order.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">And it suggests loving our
neighbors as ourselves is not so much an act of effort on our part, but
something more akin to becoming open to the possibilities of kindness which
exist all around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a passage reminiscent
of how Paul describes the gift of love, O’Donohue writes about the nature of
kindness:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">[It] has
gracious eyes; it is not small-minded or competitive; it wants nothing back for
itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kindness strikes a resonance
with the depths of your own heart; it also suggests that your vulnerability,
though somehow exposed, is not taken advantage of; rather it has become an
occasion for dignity and empathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kindness casts a different light, that has the depth of color and
patience to illuminate what is complex and rich in difference.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Just like the notion of
pay it forward, kindness begets kindness and the blessing we off to another has
a way of returning back to us as blessing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">We use the word ‘kind’ to
signify two very different things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
can mean “to do good rather than harm” or it can mean “a class, sort, or variety,”
as in “my kind of people.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is closely
related to the word ‘kin’ and ‘kindness’ itself is derived from the word
‘kinship.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be kind is to see another
as kin and to show kindness is to treat a person like family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Jesus commands us to love our neighbor
he is asking us to do far more than to be our kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is, as O’Donohue puts it, directing us to
“illuminate what is complex and rich in difference.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">So let’s start here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s start with the belief there is
something inside us, something O’Donohue describes as a quiet inner light which
is always responding to something God is doing in this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It responds to beauty, to desire, and to possibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It offers kindness and blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nurture this light and you will be well on
your way to living into love for God and love for your neighbor.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-30374393717221639982023-10-22T11:15:00.004-04:002023-10-22T11:20:09.128-04:00Who Bears God's Image?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMn5c8k_6XdBHCJP_PNnjaEIT76p9UL1pXQudz1GrY_mEMCNIEWf_QGKijNJrcaR9VE4zz2B-_kNheI8rP5nyZjb9X8x0D6YrKMLdxZ1eDfYXYSpJhuhUm7-D5QeLjvTBJkBQgZyvpoKCI2-I23uptEhxlVjUW9t9pyg2eqFjG4jLPh0j_B8O9o46DKGMr/s576/Proper%2024%20A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="576" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMn5c8k_6XdBHCJP_PNnjaEIT76p9UL1pXQudz1GrY_mEMCNIEWf_QGKijNJrcaR9VE4zz2B-_kNheI8rP5nyZjb9X8x0D6YrKMLdxZ1eDfYXYSpJhuhUm7-D5QeLjvTBJkBQgZyvpoKCI2-I23uptEhxlVjUW9t9pyg2eqFjG4jLPh0j_B8O9o46DKGMr/s320/Proper%2024%20A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> Matthew 22:15-22<p></p><p>Proper 24 / Year A</p><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">If Jesus and the religious
leaders had been playing a game of chess today’s reading would begin with the
religious leaders moving a piece and saying “check.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They pose their question: “Is it lawful to
pay taxes to the emperor?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Jewish
people despised Rome’s poll tax so if he answers “yes” Jesus risks having turn
against him the folks who just the day before hailed his arrival into Jerusalem
with palm branches and shouts of “hosanna”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If he answers “no” Jesus will face the wrath of the Roman
government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The religious authorities
believe they have him just where they want him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">Then Jesus asks them to
show him the coin used to pay the tax.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What does it say to you that Jesus did not have a coin in his possession?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He forces the religious authorities to
produce one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It bears the image of the
emperor who himself claims to be divine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Faithful Jews would not carry this coin because doing so is a violation
of the first two commandments: have no other gods but God and make no graven
images.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does it tell you that the
religious authorities are able to put forward a Roman denarius?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">“Whose head is this and
whose title?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Greek word translated
here as ‘head’ is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ikon </i>which some
versions of the bible render as ‘image’, others as ‘likeness.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His challengers respond, “It is the
emperor.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Render unto the emperor the
things that are the emperor’s and unto God the things that are God’s.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And with this answer Jesus claims “check” and
“mate.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">In our zoom call last
Tuesday we began our time, as we always do, talking about one of the readings
for the upcoming Sunday; usually the gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bishop Susan said she loves to preach on today’s reading and I asked her
why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said, “If the coin bears the
image of the emperor, who bears the image of God?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, I think, is a really good question to
explore.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">It is a central question
addressed in the very first story in the bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Genesis 1:26 reads, “And God said, let us make man in our own image, in
our own likeness.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So God creates human
beings, male and female, in God’s image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore, one way to answer this question is every person, regardless
of age, gender, ethnicity or religious persuasion bears the image of God and
therefore is infused with dignity and worth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This truth forms the foundation of all human rights and equality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any attempt to build barriers, create
divisions, or assert dominance over another person or group is a fundamental
rejection of the biblical truth all people bear the image of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">I don’t intend to comment
every Sunday about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but today’s reading
with its focus on how every human being bears the image of God, has much to say
about this crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read an interesting
article this week in which the author argued we should not be pushing people
either to side with Israel or with Palestine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The real division in the middle east is between people who want peace
and those who don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My hunch is more
want peace than don’t, but, sadly, it only takes a small minority to throw that
volatile region into chaos.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">Who bears the image of
God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We who confess the to the Christian
faith hold Jesus Christ is the perfect image of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is God from God, Light from Light, true
God from true God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He proclaims to
Philip, “Anyone who has known me has seen the Father” (John 14:8-9).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">We who hold to this faith commit
ourselves through baptism to live intentionally into the image of God, using
Jesus’ words and deeds as our measuring stick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Think about the promises we have made:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 9pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">Will you
proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 9pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">Will you seek
and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 9pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">Will you
strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every
human being?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">To each question we
respond, “I will, with God’s help.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So,
not only are we committed to bearing the image of God, we are empowered to do this
through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Tw Cen MT",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 16pt;">Render unto the emperor
the things that are the emperor’s and unto God the things that are God’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people take from this we should simply
be compliant with our government and do whatever it tells us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I think just as the coin bearing the
emperor’s image circulates throughout society, we are to circulate God’s image
everywhere we go and with whoever we have contact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whose image is on you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In whose likeness are you made?<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-42803479184901877112023-10-16T12:48:00.003-04:002023-10-16T12:48:48.219-04:00A Weird Wedding Feast<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKq0p56ac3ALqdlzT7ZThUQvJTZ4JUiVrcMVGWjriE1jiuQV85cKWDA9QbZ-orn6EtcpQ5tvGIy8TEpsMZZRbxcGwnxDS_EDrP9AvV_uSs7zDAJ1jZD0kGVNs3cfbS6Rt-RXw72vqErUblcL9rgLrwu8IAXv5JPeGWbXRR6qFCQScOVSt9NJrg2lL4CR8/s736/Proper%2023%20A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="736" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKq0p56ac3ALqdlzT7ZThUQvJTZ4JUiVrcMVGWjriE1jiuQV85cKWDA9QbZ-orn6EtcpQ5tvGIy8TEpsMZZRbxcGwnxDS_EDrP9AvV_uSs7zDAJ1jZD0kGVNs3cfbS6Rt-RXw72vqErUblcL9rgLrwu8IAXv5JPeGWbXRR6qFCQScOVSt9NJrg2lL4CR8/s320/Proper%2023%20A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Matthew 22:1-14</p><p>Proper 23 / Year A</p><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Today’s parable of the
wedding feast proclaims one particular thing which truly is good news: you and
I are invited to God’s feast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact,
it is open to everyone who will respond to the invitation to attend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is good news indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, as they say, the devil is in the details
and the details of this story leave much to be desired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">It starts off on such a
high note – a king plans a wedding feast for his son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When all is ready, he sends out his servants
to summon the invited guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
not identified, we would expect these folks are family and friends of the king
along with various dignitaries and worthies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But this group refuses to attend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The king resends his representatives to plead with the invitees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some guests go about their daily affairs
while others mistreat the envoys, going so far to kill them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an act of unexpected violence not
merited and seemingly without any particular motivation or aim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The king retaliates with a response out of
proportion to the atrocities committed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He sends his troops to “destroy” the murders and to burn their
city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">It is impossible to hear
this ancient story without connecting it to what is happening now in Israel and
Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Palestinians have been the
victims of human rights violations for decades, but (to be clear) this in no
way justifies attacking and slaughtering innocent civilians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The actions of Hamas, a radical fringe of the
Palestinian people, is bringing untold suffering to innocent Christians and Muslims
within its own population; many of whom are peaceful and support working with
Israel to resolve nonviolently the difficult issues between them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Israel has responded to
these attacks as it must to secure its people and borders as well as eliminate
the threat Hamas poses to its safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But in so doing it is creating a humanitarian crisis beyond imagining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not a military analyst so I don’t have a
blueprint for how to conduct this war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I am a human being and what I can say is my heart breaks for both
sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray for a just peace but fear
the possibility of ethnic cleansing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">So, back to the
parable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After destroying the murderers
and burning the city, the king sends his servants out to invite whoever they can
find.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out of the ashes and ruins enough
people are found to fill the hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are
they there because they want to be or are they just attending because they fear
what the king might do if they stay away?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Either way, the guests are compliant, going so far as to adhere to
ordinary customs around such an occasion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All, except for one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The king
notices a man not wearing a wedding robe and orders him to be bound hand and a
foot and thrown into the outer darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps it softens the thud of this act to know the king provides
wedding robes for people to wear, thus, not wearing one is an act of defiance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Traditional
interpretations of the story hold the king represents God, Jesus represents the
son, prophets such as John the Baptist represent the servants, the religious
leaders and authorities of the day represent the initial invited guests, and
the people who respond to the invitation are the folks who follow Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man without a robe is an allusion to
people like Judas who are in the Jesus movement, but not of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the troubling things about this
interpretation is how it portrays God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If the king represents God, then God is both generous and vengeful, reactive
with fury, and willing to judge our character if not our attire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, this is not the only parable
Jesus tells and he gives us a much broader picture of God the Father in the
rest of the gospels.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">We had a pretty full
agenda for last Monday’s meeting of the Vestry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After mulling over various issues with the building and property and
reading through the financial reports, we had finished everything on our list,
but the meeting was not over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to
talking about the people and families who have not returned since the
pandemic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the invited guests who don’t
to come to the feast, we pondered why these folks have not come back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t have any real answers, but recognize
we are not alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty much every
church, regardless of denomination or theological leaning, has seen its average
Sunday attendance drop.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">And it isn’t just
churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Summer camp registrations are
also down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Chanco Board has hired a
consultant to help us to better understand who we are and what we offer in order
to better market ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At our
meeting last Tuesday, she shared some basic marketing principles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first, which relates to your product, is
this: people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In today’s parable this would transform the invitation
to come the feast into “I want to celebrate my son’s marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will you join me?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps at St. Paul’s our message should not
be “Our Sunday service is at 9:30”, but rather “Faith, friendship, and a focus
on outreach drive us and all we do.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-71773690336883860302023-10-09T17:57:00.005-04:002023-10-09T17:57:59.823-04:00Nihilists in the Vineyard<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-B6Sz_iTzw7Lj5Ks-ZiAcSPH0eMXC-75dzQN2ZJ1PRruER6winb8QjW24yxH6Y4MMgbxyayAuji0wrNV1u34xGKRBDppZ0SbMeSa5mWbOBCmDIKmOwuSCNTveMJoOmyyejhIssa1gjpdRiYU0uRluuvQp09sJrWmViEqekJVrPlOpmxdAw_sULIXcMedT/s800/Proper%2022%20A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-B6Sz_iTzw7Lj5Ks-ZiAcSPH0eMXC-75dzQN2ZJ1PRruER6winb8QjW24yxH6Y4MMgbxyayAuji0wrNV1u34xGKRBDppZ0SbMeSa5mWbOBCmDIKmOwuSCNTveMJoOmyyejhIssa1gjpdRiYU0uRluuvQp09sJrWmViEqekJVrPlOpmxdAw_sULIXcMedT/s320/Proper%2022%20A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Matthew 21:33-46<br /><p>Proper 22 / Year A</p><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Today we hear the last of
Jesus’ “vineyard parables.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vineyard
was a common Old Testament metaphor used to describe the people of Israel, so
it is not surprising Jesus draws on this imagery as much as he does. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you recall, two weeks ago we heard the
parable of the workers called to the vineyard at various hours of the day who
all get paid the same amount, regardless of the time they spent laboring. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last Sunday we heard the parable of the father
who directs each of his two sons to work in the family vineyard. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One refuses, but later goes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other agrees, but then does nothing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And today we hear the parable of the tenants’
revolt against the absentee landowner.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Martin Heidegger, the
German-born philosopher who died in 1976, has been described as a nearly
unreadable author, a racist and a bigot who never fully disavowed his support
of Nazism, and one of the most important thinkers of the 21st century. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
that is some résumé!</span><span style="background: #F6F6F6; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">wrote a great deal about nihilism; a Latin word meaning
“nothing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a philosophical belief our
modern life lacks a shared meaning and direction by rejecting fundamental
aspects of human existence, such as knowledge, morals, and values. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who write about nihilism point to
society’s desire not to be under any authority beyond the individual, to have
nothing and no one able to make a claim on us, and no commitments required of
us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is precisely what the tenants in
Jesus’ parable are after</span><span style="background: #F6F6F6; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">One professor sums up our
times by pointing out “the things that once evoked commitment – gods, heroes…,
the acts of great statesmen, the words of great thinkers – have lost their
authority.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is saying our society,
like the tenants who shed the rightful claim of the landowner, has dispensed
with any such notion of objective norms or values or moral good existing beyond
the individual’s preferences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tenants
are the ones who pick and choose the ingredients we want to add into the stew
of meaning we cook up for ourselves (if we even want to take the time to think
about it). </span><span style="background: #F6F6F6; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Heidegger points out life
in an ownerless vineyard has some serious consequences. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He held we become isolated in our existence,
alienated from one another, and suffocated in a life devoid of meaning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same professor put it this way:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">“When there
are no shared examples of greatness that focus public concerns and elicit
social commitment, people become spectators of fads and public lives, just for
the excitement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When there are no
religious practices that call forth sacrifice, terror, and awe, people consume
everything from drugs to meditation practices to give themselves some kind of
peak experience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The peak experience
takes the place of what was once a relation to something outside the self that
defined the real and was therefore holy.”</span><span style="background: #F6F6F6; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">To the degree I understand Heidegger I am
intrigued by his thinking regarding how technology fosters nihilism. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a nutshell, he says we have reduced
creation to efficiency and adaptability, with little or no thought to its
intended, greater purpose. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He holds we view
the environment as being “a gigantic gasoline station, an energy source for
modern technology and industry.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of
us also see nature as something spiritual, particularly when, for example, we
are moved by a beautiful sunset. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for
us, both endeavors – industry and inspiration - share the common understanding
that creation exists solely for our benefit and use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is our vineyard, not God’s.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Cardinal Celestin Suhard,
who served as Archbishop of Paris in the 1940’s, famously said, “to be a
witness [is to be] a living mystery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
means to live in such a way that one’s life would not make sense if God did not
exist.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while the world wants to
live like there is no God, just as the tenants wanted to live as if there was
no owner, we are the opposite - people who, in the absence of the vineyard
Owner, live in such a way that makes sense only because there is a vineyard
Owner. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in such a way that our
lives are a mystery in a nihilistic world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We adhere to a meaning and direction from
beyond ourselves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We accept Jesus as our
Lord and seek to live out his word and example; forgiving when forgiveness is a
challenge, giving generously even when we have very little to offer, extending
hospitality to all – especially to those people on the margins of society,
picking up our cross and daily dying to self</span><span style="background: #F6F6F6; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">In a world that has either
dispensed itself of God or perhaps just tamed God to suit its own purposes, our
lives should not make sense at all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
our witness does make sense because there is a God who owns the vineyard and
has a rightful claim on each one of us.</span><span style="background: #F6F6F6; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-71001517664773697972023-10-03T10:04:00.000-04:002023-10-03T10:04:42.760-04:00Musings on Authority<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY8savlpE-wEivYX1rbclBcFTsCyS1kawl4A1x0b1sazEaxTE7LFE4Ip-sQi6855KX1YFRVNf9r5p_xJM7N0eClFI5ckCj1-3JP5_5wSabQO_dtMcZ8hLK4MTpEqORgsCYmTPVXEH-4oTchMbRNCw_BvDH3kuHzbIjhsN1L-ACLn0sTVmuYZLLmkBQxP7/s262/Proper%2021%20A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="262" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY8savlpE-wEivYX1rbclBcFTsCyS1kawl4A1x0b1sazEaxTE7LFE4Ip-sQi6855KX1YFRVNf9r5p_xJM7N0eClFI5ckCj1-3JP5_5wSabQO_dtMcZ8hLK4MTpEqORgsCYmTPVXEH-4oTchMbRNCw_BvDH3kuHzbIjhsN1L-ACLn0sTVmuYZLLmkBQxP7/s1600/Proper%2021%20A.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><p>Matthew 21:23-32</p><p>Proper 21 / Year A</p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">To
better understand today’s gospel reading it is essential to know its
context. In our liturgical calendar it
takes place on the Monday in Holy Week.
Just the day before Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, sending
people into a messianic fever. He enters
the Temple and is dismayed by the economic activity and graft surrounding the
purchase of sacrificial offerings. Jesus
famously overturns tables, frees animals, and chases away money-changers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">That
was yesterday. Today, Monday, Jesus
returns to the Temple to teach. One
commentator describes Jesus as “occupying” the Temple; an apt description I
suspect because the crowds gathered around hold sway over the actions of the
religious leaders who fear their reactions.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Chief
priests and elders cautiously confront Jesus.
Over the course of the day, they and other religious leaders will
challenge Jesus five times; asking various questions intended to trap him by
getting him to say something that will get him in trouble. This morning’s challenge is the most direct:
“By what authority are you
doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” They want to know its nature and source.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">They are the ones who possess the
authority of the institution. They have
been to seminary. They have been
ordained. They have been installed into
various positions within the religious hierarchy. They have the power to call on the Temple
guard and to petition the Roman government to act on their behalf. Jesus lacks their credentials and
resources. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Throughout his gospel, Matthew demonstrates
Jesus’ authority comes from God. “You
are my Son and with you I am well-pleased.”
Jesus manifests his authority with humility, compassion, empathy,
wisdom, and integrity. Essentially, he
is living into who he supposed to be and doing what is a called to do and
neither is possible if you are not self-authenticating. You have to discover, then embrace, who you
are created to be and what you are called to do.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">The first funeral I conducted after being
ordained was a graveside service for a person I had never met. All the family members lived out of the area
and so I didn’t know any of them either.
We were all sort of milling around and I remember thinking, “Someone
ought to do something.” Then it occurred
to me, “You are the one wearing a collar.
Everyone is waiting on you to get this started.” Those strangers saw something in me – a
person authorized by the church to act as a priest – which I not fully
appropriated in myself at that point in time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">I imagine many of you can tell a similar
story about the first day of your teaching career or the first day working on a
hospital floor or the first time you argued a case or the first time you
changed a diaper. We must grow into the
authority we are given. We must grow in
confidence and competence so that the authority we possess is not just something
we have been given, but it is also something we believe about ourselves. This morning we find Jesus fully inhabiting
who he is and what he is supposed to do.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Those who come to confront him in today’s
reading, as well as the readings in the weeks to come, exhibit the potential pitfalls
of authority. They abuse their power for
personal gain and seek to manipulate their followers. They act dogmatically in order to resist
reform and innovation. They marginalize
certain individuals and groups through bias and discrimination.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Always
remember, you must be very discerning in who you allow to be a spiritual authority
in your life. You must never blindly follow
someone to the exclusion of your own experience and intuition. Ask if the person is using their authority to
exploit others or to help them. Is he or
she genuine and authentic or one person in the public eye and someone totally
different out of the limelight? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">An
interesting thing is happening conservative churches across our country. Pastors are reporting parishioners are accusing
them of being liberals and pushing a woke agenda. The interesting thing is this: what they are
being criticized for saying is actually teachings Jesus puts forward; love your
enemy, turn the other cheek, blessed are the poor, etc. When pastors try to explain this, more often
than not the complainer says something like, “Well, those teachings don’t work
anymore.” It raises an important
question for each of us to ponder: Do you allow your own authority to be subservient
to Christ’s or do you pick and choose from the bible to validate your own beliefs
and agenda?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">We
believe what St. Paul teaches: one day every knee will bow and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-48735878954922312702023-09-25T11:02:00.001-04:002023-09-25T11:02:27.077-04:00The Daily Wage<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgomqMPKSDtNx9wwZ3q8mmoT8nCrctuNVR0x0p6dxAgI_3QYnQMnrkVto3xQmTuXVxHm9Y7wISWqK_NP32qpX3KqtnMR-BPpHvhE3ESjD2pH3D79YuCmOh6h8SWLyTenEVNhxEXqOx_1f6WFVRuccahQ739MT0YWugyMkJUjK_3QNn4JDXp1R1UGZyImA/s600/Proper%2020%20A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="600" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgomqMPKSDtNx9wwZ3q8mmoT8nCrctuNVR0x0p6dxAgI_3QYnQMnrkVto3xQmTuXVxHm9Y7wISWqK_NP32qpX3KqtnMR-BPpHvhE3ESjD2pH3D79YuCmOh6h8SWLyTenEVNhxEXqOx_1f6WFVRuccahQ739MT0YWugyMkJUjK_3QNn4JDXp1R1UGZyImA/s320/Proper%2020%20A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Mathew 20:1-16</p><p>Proper 20 / Year A</p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Day
laborers are an important part of the work force in biblical times and both the
Law and the prophets go to great lengths to protect them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, Deuteronomy 24:14-15 says this:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and
needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one
of your towns.</span></span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";"> <span class="text"><b><sup> </sup></b>Pay them their wages each day before sunset,
because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the </span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span><span class="text"> against you, and you will be guilty of sin.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Jesus
is more than aware of the value of this sector of the workforce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Matthew 9:37-38, he draws metaphorically
on it when describing the need for disciples to do the work of the Kingdom:
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, so pray the Lord will send
laborers out into the harvest.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">This
morning we hear Jesus tell a parable about a wealthy landowner who hires
several waves of workers over the course of a day, agreeing to pay the first
group the “usual daily wage” while promising to pay “whatever is right” to
subsequent recruits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the
day the landowner pays the usual daily wage to those who worked the least,
leading to speculation from those who worked the longest they will be paid
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they aren’t, they are outraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Here
are two small details about this parable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First, it appears only in Matthew’s gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And second, while Jesus explains to his
disciples the meaning of many of his stories, this one he does not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is up to us to figure out how to interpret
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Some
hold the first group of workers represent God’s chosen people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are the ones who have ‘worked’ the
longest at being God’s witnesses in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The later workers represent converts to the faith, gentiles who are now
disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘wage’ all receive is
salvation but those who have been at it the longest believe they deserve
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose this is close to the
standard interpretation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Some
commentators are critical of this parable because it perpetuates a system of
economic injustice, allowing the wealthy to thrive while trapping the
disadvantaged in a cycle of poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why
does Jesus have the landowner pay only the daily wage?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why does the one who invited people to sell
all they have, give it to the poor, and follow him, not have the landowner to
do something dramatic to lift all the workers out of their destitution?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an interpretation which goes against
what most see in this story – an overly generous landowner who goes above and
beyond to take care of day laborers in his community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">My
focus is on the “usual daily wage.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Typically,
it is a Roman coin called a denarius and it affords a person the ability to buy
enough food to feed a family for one day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Today we might call it a living wage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is the minimum amount of money a person needs to survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus’ landowner, aware of this, continues to
hire throughout the day because he knows families will go hungry if he doesn’t
put people to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paying “whatever is
right” might seem obvious to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If one
group works twelve hours to earn a denarius, then those who worked only one
hour should receive 1/12 of a denarius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Jesus’ landowner knows
this pittance will not be enough to feed a family of four.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one-hour worker needs the usual daily
wage just as the twelve-hour workers do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">When
Jesus’ followers ask him to teach them how to pray, he gives us great insight
into how he himself approaches living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What does it say to you his prayer includes “Give us this day our daily
bread”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It says to me Jesus did not
always know where his next meal is coming from, but he trusts God does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It says to me he lives one day at a time and
in his experience God provides enough for today’s needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I
am grateful I don’t have to live hand to mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I see a person at the grocery store checking out the cost of an
item to see if she can afford it or not, I am made deeply aware of how blessed
I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daily bread is not something I
have to worry about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there is plenty
else I need to get through this day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
knows what it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God cares about
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And God provides.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I
know some of you have a lot on your plate (and I am not talking about
food).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Health problems, family dynamics,
career concerns, disappointments, emotional scars… I could go on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think this morning’s parable tells us God
is not going to make these things simply go away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God is going to give us everything we need
to carry our load for today. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Today
we remember God’s favor is not about who earns what or who deserves the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is about what you need today in order to
live faithfully and fruitfully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I count
on it and you can too!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-29851906853656733792023-09-18T10:57:00.001-04:002023-09-18T10:57:11.579-04:00To Bind or to Unbind?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDi4ZEDofnNU-JfXPETxSFRmy2lfkSbgE5vEgNrfVXk7_lx4iq1kCBzwcIz98F8ZawuvLIdwx823cZO0edDcQjUb7MKnfhOXyHXuC615LsUEphJhrfzbc5lT9XsgFEN7FyJaS6k7KWQUJ2xX94L29kCjxoR65WR_Mag8IgNlKuS85pV43snn5R4Hl_V7LM/s1024/Proper%2019%20A.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDi4ZEDofnNU-JfXPETxSFRmy2lfkSbgE5vEgNrfVXk7_lx4iq1kCBzwcIz98F8ZawuvLIdwx823cZO0edDcQjUb7MKnfhOXyHXuC615LsUEphJhrfzbc5lT9XsgFEN7FyJaS6k7KWQUJ2xX94L29kCjxoR65WR_Mag8IgNlKuS85pV43snn5R4Hl_V7LM/s320/Proper%2019%20A.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Matthew 18:21-35</p><p>Proper 19 / Year A</p><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">There was an
attention-grabbing headline last Monday coinciding with the 22<sup>nd</sup> anniversary
of the terrorist attack on our country: “Planners of 9/11 Offered Pardons.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with most headlines, this one was a tad
misleading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year, it seems, military
prosecutors offered the prisoners not to seek the death penalty if they would
sign confessions to their roles in the high-jackings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The prisoners, who are kept at </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Guantánamo Bay,</span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"> attempted to negotiate a sentence which would
end their solitary confinement, allow them to eat and pray with together, and
give them access to mental and physical healthcare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">As you might
imagine, when word of the negotiations became public, reaction was swift and
predictable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Terry Strada, who was
widowed on 9/11, spoke for many when she said, “They deserve no mercy…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">They
have no remorse. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would do it again…
and [they believe] we deserve what we got when they come over and they
terrorized us the way they did…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why
do they deserve any type of mercy now?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Last Monday, the Biden Administration announced it has ordered the
Department of Defense to rescind the offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">This
morning, Peter approaches Jesus with a question: “How many times should I
forgive my brother who sins against me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Seven times?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The number seems to
be based on account found in the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis when God
banishes Cain for murdering his brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After a series of curses, God promises the family of anyone who does him
harm will suffer for seven generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A few verses later, Cain’s great-great grandson, Lamech, fesses up to killing
a man who injured him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brags God will
avenge him for seventy-seven generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps this little detail informs Jesus’ response to Peter; “Seventy
times seven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus then tells a parable
which is a cautionary tale about what happens if we, who have been forgiven by
God, do not forgive someone who offends us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">It
is a teaching which makes us uncomfortable because we have all experienced hurts
and wrongs that are difficult to forgive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is tempting to do one of two things with all of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either try to parse seventy times seven and the
parable in some way which gives us an outlet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Or, simply admonish each other to forgive, as if it is like turning on a
light switch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One approach is not faithful,
the other is not realistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Kevin
used to knock on my front door at all hours of the day and night, always asking
for money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last summer he asked to
borrow my lawn mower because someone was going to pay him to cut their
grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had done this two or three
times before, but this time he never returned it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encountered him several times over the next
few weeks and each time he had some kind of story, but the bottom line is I had
to lay out over $400 for a new mower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh, and Kevin hasn’t knocked on my door since then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">Robert
also comes by asking for money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier
this summer I told him I would pay him $20 if he would return later in the
afternoon and weed for an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
agreed, told me he was hungry, and asked if I would pay him in advance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did and he did not come back to fulfill his
part of the deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He too has avoided knocking
on my door since then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not inclined
to forgive either, although I easily could if either reappears in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In these two slights I could practice Jesus’
teaching about forgiveness because, in reality, the offenses are aggravating,
but not grievous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">None
of us would say the same is true for what Terry Strada has been through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If she advocated to show mercy to the </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Guantánamo prisoners, we would all marvel at her ability
to forgive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That she doesn’t, we understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people describe forgiveness as being
similar to a pilgrimage whose progress comes in fits and spurts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That Jesus, hanging on the Cross, prays for
God to forgive those who crucified him shows us the goal of our
pilgrimage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">According
to legend, there was a ritual practiced in Africa some time ago called “The
Drowning Man Trial”; based on the principle the only way to get over grief is
to save a life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a person is
murdered, the surviving family members enter into a year-long period of grieving
while the killer is held in prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
comes the time for trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The killer is
tied up and thrown into a river as the family of the victim looks on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a choice to make and it is theirs
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either they can let the killer
drown and have their justice, but it means they will spend the rest of their
lives in mourning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, they can forgo
justice, rescue the killer, affirm our common humanity, and begin the process
of recovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
Latin word for mercy is <i>eleison</i>, which literally means “to unbind.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we refuse to forgive, we bind the one
who has wronged us and in a very real sense we remain bound by what we have
suffered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeking vengeance and
punishment has a way of trapping us in grief and bitterness while the pilgrimage
of forgiveness has a way of initiating healing, both for us and for the one who
has wronged us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, I think, is what
Jesus wants to keep in front of us through today’s difficult teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2985496653120974013.post-80798517278445500392023-09-11T10:49:00.000-04:002023-09-11T10:49:13.528-04:00Church Conflict<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsiXLcoFv2myl53PC38ktxorLeyrkE-KWu9IRpmW773MbVPIyvbUY0f2PmbO8bk1N9IjgCZZjyZ4qKPxy7BnsK7GCDRANXH0Raj_eIID6zPFuK9vaSGFKn3pck-j4xpORezhaKUpCOmm-ufg46-rCoULpGW0zgwnl5db-PgnNwb87Cv_hUgJ3HohoEwcr/s1500/Proper%2018%20A.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsiXLcoFv2myl53PC38ktxorLeyrkE-KWu9IRpmW773MbVPIyvbUY0f2PmbO8bk1N9IjgCZZjyZ4qKPxy7BnsK7GCDRANXH0Raj_eIID6zPFuK9vaSGFKn3pck-j4xpORezhaKUpCOmm-ufg46-rCoULpGW0zgwnl5db-PgnNwb87Cv_hUgJ3HohoEwcr/s320/Proper%2018%20A.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Matthew 18:15-20</p><p>Proper 18 / Year A</p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">When
the preacher took to the pulpit everyone in the congregation noticed the huge Band-Aid
on his chin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the sermon dragged on
and on and on, minds began to stray and most wondered how the preacher had
injured himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the service he
was bombarded by everyone with the same question: What did you do to your chin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He patiently answered each person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“While I was shaving I was thinking intently
about my sermon and, not paying attention to what I was doing, I accidently cut
myself.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without missing a beat, one of
the church’s longtime members responded, “Next time, focus on shaving and cut
the sermon!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">I
don’t know how much you keep up with news about the Episcopal Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those who do, you know this has been an
interesting couple of weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On August
30, Julia Ayala Harris, the President of the House of Deputies (elected lay and
clergy leaders from every diocese in our church), announced in a letter to the members
of this body that a retired bishop had made “unwanted and non-consensual
physical contact” with her followed by “inappropriate verbal comments”
immediately after her election to her office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tw Cen MT, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Ayala
Harris found the actions so egregious she filed a formal complaint under the
process outlined by our national disciplinary canons.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Tw Cen MT, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">She said nothing </span><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">publicly</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> about this while
the investigation was on-going, which went on for over a year.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Tw Cen MT, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Even though the event was witnessed by three
other people who corroborated her account, a church attorney determined the
incident merited only a “pastoral response”, rather than a more severe form of
punishment.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Tw Cen MT, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">This is when the president
chose to go public with her experience.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: Tw Cen MT, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">She did not name the bishop responsible for these offenses, but
subsequent reports revealed him to be her former bishop from the Diocese of
Oklahoma.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Tw Cen MT, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">This
incident follows on the heels of two other accusations against bishops in our
church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One bishop has been accused by
his adult children of being physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive
toward them and his ex-wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
bishop has been accused of “a pattern and practice” of discrimination against
LGBTQ clergy and their supporters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">On
August 31, a group of over fifty bishops signed a letter indicating they are
aware of all three allegations and are deeply concerned about the perception
bishops accused of misconduct get a “free pass.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bishop Susan did not sign this letter because
she serves on the Disciplinary Panel which oversees this process and thus is
not able to comment publicly on matters which might fall to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I understand it, she would not be involved
in any of these cases until they reached the point of a church trial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">From
this morning’s gospel reading we learn there has always been conflict in the
church – always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus experienced it within
his own small band of followers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul dealt
with it in several of the churches he founded, especially the church in
Corinth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The process Jesus lays out for
dealing with conflict is rooted in the belief our relationships in Christ
matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every effort must be made to
nurture and protect them, and, when damaged, to heal and restore them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">It
also speaks to the need to safeguard the health and well-being of the community
as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If one person’s actions or
behavior is disruptive or detrimental to the common life of a congregation, it
cannot be ignored or swept under a rug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fortunately, most congregations have a healthy culture which allows for
things to get worked out in a fairly natural way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, there are times when a more direct,
aggressive approach is necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes this will resolve the issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes it won’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stronger
the relationship – what Jesus refers to as “binding” – the more likely a
positive outcome will be.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
person most likely to be most disruptive in a faith community is the ordained
leader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We clergy can cause all manner
of mischief!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years ago, the
Episcopal Church changed its canons around clergy discipline – what is referred
to a Title IV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old canons were based
on the model of a military court marshal and allowed little room for
flexibility or discernment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current
model is more pastoral in nature, provides care for the accuser and the
accused, and seeks healing and restoration whenever possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it perfect?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it is better than what we had before and seems more adaptable to
necessary change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you would like to
know more about this, talk with John Rector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He has been elected by our Diocesan Council to serve on our Disciplinary
Board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, he has undergone
extensive training in the Tile IV process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tw Cen MT",sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">In
her letter to the deputies, Julia Ayala Harris wrote, “My motivation for
sharing this story stems from a deep love for our church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is from this place of profound care and
concern that I raise important questions about safety and security.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I applaud her courage and pray her actions
will lead to deeper awareness and reform. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Keith Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00355205406981299042noreply@blogger.com0