February 17, 2008
Second Sunday of Lent
Year A
John 3:1-17
Repreached from 2/28/1999
A New Way of Thinking
Repreached on 3/20/11
Introduction
I have actually preached this sermon at this church before, but that was in seven years ago in 2001. That was long enough ago that it is okay to refresh your memory. It is a sermon that is will force you to think – actually as I ask you some of the riddles- you may remember the answers from last time. I actually first preached and wrote this sermon in 1999. However, I felt that the message was still relevant for today. And I can assure you that even though I didn’t write a sermon this week, I did do my background research for it.
There are two brothers, the mother gave birth to one at two oclock, and she gave birth to the other an hour later. But they are not twins, how can that be?
Today, on this second Sunday of lent, we are going to deal with riddles, the riddles of life, the riddles of what it means to be a Christian. Those are the riddles that a wealthy prominent citizen, Nicodemus struggled with. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, he was expected to have the answers to everything, but obviously he didn’t. These questions were so difficult for him that he couldn’t sleep and had to come to Jesus in the middle of the night.
The answers that Jesus gave him confused him even more. Jesus answered him with a birth riddle, much like the one that I talked about before. Jesus told him that in order to have eternal life, you must be born again. How can you be born again? Do you have to go back a second time into your mother’s womb? After all, how can two brothers be born at about the same time and not be twins? There is an answer to both, but to come up with you, you have to think about things in a new way. First let us try Jesus riddle. Jesus in the book of John does this all of the time. Someone comes to him with a question and he answered with a riddle – a hard saying. They are confused and say something stupid and Jesus answers with an even harder saying. And if they don’t just trust that Jesus knows what he is saying, then they leave as confused as ever. Jesus even teases Nicodemus – How can you be a teacher of Isreal and not know these things.
I don’t know about you, but I get confused a lot. The problem is that Nicodemus is a left brain thinker. He is used to clear cut memorized rules. A pharisee’s job was to make sure that all of the thousands of rules that had become Jewish law were able to be kept. At the end of the day, he could judge whether it was a good day or not by the number of rules that he broke. If he remembered all of the rules and he obeyed them, everything was okay. The thing is, the good news of the gospel is a right brain activity. It has to do with images, not words, it breaks all of the rules. Being a Christian is not about following the rules – it is in believing that God loves you. But more on that later. If you can answer this question, you are truly a good Christian. How many animals did Adam and Eve put in the ark. If you are awake this morning then you will know that it was Noah who put the animals in the ark, not Adam and Eve.
But the thing that we can celebrate about out faith, is that we don’t have to explain it, or even understand it clearly. Our faith is in the mystery of God. Our faith is like the wind, you don’t know where it comes from, but you can feel its presence. All of those left brain activities like balancing your checkbook, or maintaining your car or using your computer are not things that will get you into heaven. Thank God, I would not have a chance. But when you think about your favorite concert, or a walk in the sun, or what you got on your best birthday ever, then you are on the road to understanding the faith of Jesus. If you put that part of the mind in charge, the part that remembers feelings and doesn’t need concrete answers, then you will get an understanding of what Jesus was trying to get across to Nicodemus.
Here is another one for you, how many birthdays does the average person in America have in a lifetime? Well the answer is negotiable. If you are only born once, then you can only have one birth day. If Christ tells you that we must be born again, then that means that Christians have two birth days right? Well that depends on what it means to be born again. Jesus says that the first birth is a physical birth, and that the second is a spiritual birth. It is sort of like the moment that you have been trying to get the answer to a riddle that has you stomped. It is when all of the solutions that you have been trying to come up with are exhausted. And then the answer just comes to you out of the middle of nowhere. But have you ever noticed that along with this new answer, comes a whole new way of thinking. The Jesus of the book of John liked to speak in riddles, because riddles force us to think until we come up with a new way of thinking. To be born again is to undergo such a radical change of thinking that it is like a new birth. It is to have something happen to the soul which makes us a whole new person. It is a point in your conscious existence when you allow the spirit to move within you and you say Yes to God.
The passage for today contains one of the most familiar bible passages in the world. For God so loved the world that he have his only begotten son. So that we may have life and have it abundantly. God’s love is eternal. God’s love last forever. There is nothing else in the world that will be with us forever, through all circumstances.
When we are open to the new way of thinking that the spirit allows, then we all know the love of God. God’s love is unlimited, unconditional and redemptive.
It is easy for us to be tempted to finish the sentence god so loved with world with conditions. God will love you if you are righteous, God will love you if your study the word, God will love you of you do what others expect of you.
For God so loved the world. Even John is tempted to say that God loves only those who do the will of Jesus. Even the disciples are tempted to say that God only loves Christians. But God loves all people. God loves all of creation. God loves political and corrupt powers, God loves the strucutures in our world which pollute and oppress people. God love those who we agree with, and those whom we don’t. God loves us just as we are
God is concerned with this world and bringing all of this world into the fullness of creation. We are all a part of creation. God is not through with us yet, we are still a work in progress. God still loves this world and is still creating and working to make us complete.
God’s love is redemptive. God loves us just the way we are because God is working to redeem us and make us better persons. God sent Jesus into the world to save us. I follow Jesus in his mission to make a difference in the world then we share his love of creation and of all people.
I have another riddle for you. Frank is a night watchman, who works seven nights a week at a manufacturing plant. His boss is supposed to fly overseas on a business deal, but this really bothers Frank. Frank warns his boss that the previous night he had a dream that his boss would die in a plane crash. The boss ignored Frank’s warnings and left for his trip. On his trip he has some time to think about what Frank said – he returned a few days later and fired Frank.
The business deal turned out wonderfully – so what would make Frank’s boss fire him?
The key to that riddle is what you think about dreams. A dreamer is someone who is not bond by rules and laws. A dreamer is free to think of life in a new way. When we understand the love of God and who that love works in our lives, then that makes us all dreamers.
Have you ever noticed that there is a time just before you wake up where your mind is free to think in all types of new ways.
This twilight time is the time that Nicodemus came to Jesus, he came in the middle of the night. You can tell from his questions that he yearned to be free from his life of rules. He wanted to be from how they controlled his life. Jesus riddles about being born again gave him permission to be a dreamer. He was free to see the world in a whole new way. There is nothing wrong with dreams, unless you are a night watchman and you are dreaming when you are supposed to be watching. That is a cause to be fired.
It is not in the middle of the night for we, we are no sleeping. It is a new day for us, a day of celebration because it is a day that we can be born again and see life in a whole new way.
Okay, I have one more riddle in honor of leap year. Some months have 31 days, some have 30 days. How many months have 28 days? Mind you I did not ask how many months have exactly 28 days. All months have 28 days. We have 28 days and more to feel that love and Christ and to spread it all throughout the world.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Jesus came into the world to give us love. A love unlimited, a love unconditional, a love redeemed – how do you intend to respond to such love?
Oh before I forget, let me tell you the answer to the birth riddle that I told at the beginning of the sermon. The two brothers who were born an hour apart are not twins because they are triplets.
God’s love also gives us the opportunity to see life in ways that we would have never thought of before. That is what is means to be born again. Amen.
Monday, March 14, 2011
What am I being tested for?
What am I being tested for?
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Matthew 4:4-11
Year A
First Sunday of Lent
Repreached on 3/13/11
2/10/08
Introduction
You don’t have to even go to church to know the story of adam and eve. I would think that this story takes the cake as one of the most significant bible stories in all of the world. I don’t even have to repeat that one for you I am positive that you know it. What you might not know is that there is a tradition in Jewish culture called midrash – that is the story behind the story. Folklore that everyone in jewish culture would have know, but it is not written in the book. For instance, in the creation story when it talks about how it think it was in the first day that Jesus made separated the water from the land and bought order out of chaos. Everyone would have known that chaos is actually the name of a water dragon. And it was a pretty big fight to bring get the water dragon chaos out of the water so that the water would be calmed and ordered.
The meaning of the Adam and Eve Story
There are lots of midrash stories around the story of adam and eve – for instance did you know that eve is actually Adam’s second wife. His first wife is named Lilith. God created adam and Lilith at the same time as equals. So Lilith had a fit when Adam started bossing her around and telling her to clean the house and pick up after her. She refused under the premise that as equals, his hands were just as good as hers. Lilith stood up to him about everything. So adam finally divorced her and went to God to explain that the arrangement was just not going to work out. That’s when God put him to sleep and created eve out of adam’s rib. Eve, being younger and not being an equal was willing to do everything that Adam said. So they got along fine. While Lilith lived as a single woman on the other side of the garden. But anyway….
The questions is addresses
There are many stories like that about this the story of first. Because even though simple it addresses the fundamental questions of who we are as human beings. Even the name adam is actually the Hebrew word for mankind. The story of adam and eve addresses the question of why do we have to work so hard to be happy in life, why do we have to earn the things we need in life, why do we have to wait for things to grow, why must there be regrets in life, why do women have to suffer in order to have children, why do we age, why do we die? The questions go on, but the story of adam and eve addresses them all.
New adam and eve story
We all know that the story has also been used to justify the denial of equal rights of women. That it was Eve’s fault that the couple was banished from the garden of eden – the Lilith story takes care of that. But I want to share a new story of adam and eve. I like it because I think that it addresses the fundamental question of lent of the definition of sin and how it affects our lives – I would think each of could relate to the story in some way.
In the beginning God covered the earth with broccoli, cauliflower and
spinach, with green, yellow and red vegetables of all kinds so Man and Woman
would live long and healthy lives.
Then using God's bountiful gifts, Satan created Dairy Ice Cream and
Magnums.
And Satan said "You want hot fudge with that?
And Man said "Yes!"
And Woman said "I'll have one too with chocolate chips".
And lo, they gained 10 pounds.
And God created the healthy yoghurt that Woman might keep the figure
that Man found so fair.
And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat and sugar from the cane and
combined them.
And Woman went from size 12 to size 14.
So God said "Try my fresh green salad".
And Satan presented Blue Cheese dressing and garlic croutons on the side.
And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.
God then said "I have sent you healthy vegetables and olive oil in
which to cook them".
And Satan brought forth deep fried coconut king prawns, butter-dipped lobster
chunks and chicken fried steak, so big it needed its own platter.
And Man's cholesterol went through the roof.
Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming
with potassium and good nutrition.
Then Satan peeled off the healthy skin and sliced the starchy centre into chips
and deep fried them in animal fats adding copious quantities of salt.
And Man put on more pounds.
Then God gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and
still satisfy his appetite.
And Satan created McDonalds and the £1.00 double cheeseburger.
Then Satan said "You want fries with that?" and Man replied "Yes, and super size
'em".
God then brought forth running shoes so that his Children might lose
those extra pounds.
And Satan came forth with a cable TV with remote control so Man would not have
to toil changing the channels.
And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering light and started
wearing stretch jogging suits.
And Satan said "It is good."
And Man and Woman went into cardiac arrest.
God sighed ......... and created quadruple by-pass surgery.
And then Satan chuckled and health insurance and all of the paperwork which goes with it.
The story of temptation
I would think that is the story of temptation in our lives. The things that are right and good for us are bountiful in our lives, but we want something more. Something differerent. Something more exciting. Temptation is the recognition that we have the power in our lives to do what we want to do, even if we know within our lives that it is not the best thing.
Temptation in our lives
God gave us the right to make choices in our lives. That was a really big thing in the garden of eden – choices and the right to think for ourselves and to know that we will bear the consequences of those choices. Adam and eve were not driven out of the garden of eden for the choices they made, but because they were not prepared for the consequences of those choices. We are all faced with temptation, that is what it means to be human. But how do we know to make the right choices and prepare ourselves for those consequences?
Temptation in Jesus life
Because we have the priviledge of knowing the story of Jesus. Every first Sunday of lent, we hear of Jesus was tempted. In todays version of the story, the spirit led him into the wilderness. And while there satan came to Jesus and gave him three choices – choices we face everyday about prestige, plenty and power. In each choice, Jesus chose to do what he knew was right, rather than what would benefit him.
What Jesus shows us about ourselves
In the wilderness Jesus was being tested for the task that God had in store for him. If the essence of God was present in Jesus as we believe, then this would have been easy for him. The essence of what it means to be human was also present in Jesus – so it was a struggle. But Jesus made the right choice and proved that we are capable of doing to same.
A man was the sole survivor in his platoon in world war I. His lost all of his friends in a horrible battle. Years later as he read the story of the battle, he was disturbed to find that history recorded this battle as inconsequential. A newspaper article reported that this was an easy battle and that not many men had been lost. The sole survivor knew different. This battle had been a huge sacrifice, and a lot of effort had been put into defending his territory.
When we hear of Jesus temptation, our reaction is the same – how hard could it have been for the son of God to resist temptation? In the battle of life, when we see the consequences of those who have given in to sin in their lives – we know that it was, and continue to be a huge battle for the son of man. And yet Jesus wanted to show us that the battle could be won. And that we as humans can win the battle.
Power and energy
Like the word Adam, the name satan is not a name for a person it is a technical term. It means the one who asks questions. Satan is not a red man with a pitchfork. Satan is the challenger in our lives, the one who asks pertinent questions – like are you going to eat that? Are you going to let that person get away with that? Are you going to just let that happen? Do you really need to do that? It is in how we answer those questions that determines our sin in life.
Sin is about who we use our power
Dumbledorf, a character in the Harry Potter story once said that there is no good or bad in the world, there is only power and those who do not know how to use it. In the story of adam and eve, God had the power to create. The story says God formed, God formed, God breathed, God planted, God took, God put, God said. God had actually did all of the work of creation. When you look at the story of the serpent, there are no action verbs, the snake didn’t do anything but ask questions about what God had already said. In the story of Jesus temptation – It was the Spirit that led and once again Satan’s only power is to ask Jesus questions about what God had already done. In both stories the people don’t have the power to act- they only have to power to respond. That is something to think about – Jesus power was not in what he did – it was in what he was willing to wait and to let God do for him. Each of us indeed has that same power. There is no good or bad, only power and those who don’t know how to use. Sin is always a misuse of our power – to depend on a God who always acts.
This lent – depend on the power of God
Lent is a chance for us to be reminded of what it means to be human – like adam from dust you came and to dust you shall return. We have no power within ourselves to do anything. And yet God created us to take an active role in the continuing story of creation. Adam and Eve only started the story – God calls you to help God create the rest of the story. It is human for us to have to work and to wait for things to come. Jesus showed us that it is also human to depend upon God to be the powerful force behind making our work useful.
Angels ministered to him….
Matthew ends with a promise that the devil left him and suddenly the angels came and waited on him. As you make the right choices – may you look for your angels.
Amen
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Matthew 4:4-11
Year A
First Sunday of Lent
Repreached on 3/13/11
2/10/08
Introduction
You don’t have to even go to church to know the story of adam and eve. I would think that this story takes the cake as one of the most significant bible stories in all of the world. I don’t even have to repeat that one for you I am positive that you know it. What you might not know is that there is a tradition in Jewish culture called midrash – that is the story behind the story. Folklore that everyone in jewish culture would have know, but it is not written in the book. For instance, in the creation story when it talks about how it think it was in the first day that Jesus made separated the water from the land and bought order out of chaos. Everyone would have known that chaos is actually the name of a water dragon. And it was a pretty big fight to bring get the water dragon chaos out of the water so that the water would be calmed and ordered.
The meaning of the Adam and Eve Story
There are lots of midrash stories around the story of adam and eve – for instance did you know that eve is actually Adam’s second wife. His first wife is named Lilith. God created adam and Lilith at the same time as equals. So Lilith had a fit when Adam started bossing her around and telling her to clean the house and pick up after her. She refused under the premise that as equals, his hands were just as good as hers. Lilith stood up to him about everything. So adam finally divorced her and went to God to explain that the arrangement was just not going to work out. That’s when God put him to sleep and created eve out of adam’s rib. Eve, being younger and not being an equal was willing to do everything that Adam said. So they got along fine. While Lilith lived as a single woman on the other side of the garden. But anyway….
The questions is addresses
There are many stories like that about this the story of first. Because even though simple it addresses the fundamental questions of who we are as human beings. Even the name adam is actually the Hebrew word for mankind. The story of adam and eve addresses the question of why do we have to work so hard to be happy in life, why do we have to earn the things we need in life, why do we have to wait for things to grow, why must there be regrets in life, why do women have to suffer in order to have children, why do we age, why do we die? The questions go on, but the story of adam and eve addresses them all.
New adam and eve story
We all know that the story has also been used to justify the denial of equal rights of women. That it was Eve’s fault that the couple was banished from the garden of eden – the Lilith story takes care of that. But I want to share a new story of adam and eve. I like it because I think that it addresses the fundamental question of lent of the definition of sin and how it affects our lives – I would think each of could relate to the story in some way.
In the beginning God covered the earth with broccoli, cauliflower and
spinach, with green, yellow and red vegetables of all kinds so Man and Woman
would live long and healthy lives.
Then using God's bountiful gifts, Satan created Dairy Ice Cream and
Magnums.
And Satan said "You want hot fudge with that?
And Man said "Yes!"
And Woman said "I'll have one too with chocolate chips".
And lo, they gained 10 pounds.
And God created the healthy yoghurt that Woman might keep the figure
that Man found so fair.
And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat and sugar from the cane and
combined them.
And Woman went from size 12 to size 14.
So God said "Try my fresh green salad".
And Satan presented Blue Cheese dressing and garlic croutons on the side.
And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.
God then said "I have sent you healthy vegetables and olive oil in
which to cook them".
And Satan brought forth deep fried coconut king prawns, butter-dipped lobster
chunks and chicken fried steak, so big it needed its own platter.
And Man's cholesterol went through the roof.
Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming
with potassium and good nutrition.
Then Satan peeled off the healthy skin and sliced the starchy centre into chips
and deep fried them in animal fats adding copious quantities of salt.
And Man put on more pounds.
Then God gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and
still satisfy his appetite.
And Satan created McDonalds and the £1.00 double cheeseburger.
Then Satan said "You want fries with that?" and Man replied "Yes, and super size
'em".
God then brought forth running shoes so that his Children might lose
those extra pounds.
And Satan came forth with a cable TV with remote control so Man would not have
to toil changing the channels.
And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering light and started
wearing stretch jogging suits.
And Satan said "It is good."
And Man and Woman went into cardiac arrest.
God sighed ......... and created quadruple by-pass surgery.
And then Satan chuckled and health insurance and all of the paperwork which goes with it.
The story of temptation
I would think that is the story of temptation in our lives. The things that are right and good for us are bountiful in our lives, but we want something more. Something differerent. Something more exciting. Temptation is the recognition that we have the power in our lives to do what we want to do, even if we know within our lives that it is not the best thing.
Temptation in our lives
God gave us the right to make choices in our lives. That was a really big thing in the garden of eden – choices and the right to think for ourselves and to know that we will bear the consequences of those choices. Adam and eve were not driven out of the garden of eden for the choices they made, but because they were not prepared for the consequences of those choices. We are all faced with temptation, that is what it means to be human. But how do we know to make the right choices and prepare ourselves for those consequences?
Temptation in Jesus life
Because we have the priviledge of knowing the story of Jesus. Every first Sunday of lent, we hear of Jesus was tempted. In todays version of the story, the spirit led him into the wilderness. And while there satan came to Jesus and gave him three choices – choices we face everyday about prestige, plenty and power. In each choice, Jesus chose to do what he knew was right, rather than what would benefit him.
What Jesus shows us about ourselves
In the wilderness Jesus was being tested for the task that God had in store for him. If the essence of God was present in Jesus as we believe, then this would have been easy for him. The essence of what it means to be human was also present in Jesus – so it was a struggle. But Jesus made the right choice and proved that we are capable of doing to same.
A man was the sole survivor in his platoon in world war I. His lost all of his friends in a horrible battle. Years later as he read the story of the battle, he was disturbed to find that history recorded this battle as inconsequential. A newspaper article reported that this was an easy battle and that not many men had been lost. The sole survivor knew different. This battle had been a huge sacrifice, and a lot of effort had been put into defending his territory.
When we hear of Jesus temptation, our reaction is the same – how hard could it have been for the son of God to resist temptation? In the battle of life, when we see the consequences of those who have given in to sin in their lives – we know that it was, and continue to be a huge battle for the son of man. And yet Jesus wanted to show us that the battle could be won. And that we as humans can win the battle.
Power and energy
Like the word Adam, the name satan is not a name for a person it is a technical term. It means the one who asks questions. Satan is not a red man with a pitchfork. Satan is the challenger in our lives, the one who asks pertinent questions – like are you going to eat that? Are you going to let that person get away with that? Are you going to just let that happen? Do you really need to do that? It is in how we answer those questions that determines our sin in life.
Sin is about who we use our power
Dumbledorf, a character in the Harry Potter story once said that there is no good or bad in the world, there is only power and those who do not know how to use it. In the story of adam and eve, God had the power to create. The story says God formed, God formed, God breathed, God planted, God took, God put, God said. God had actually did all of the work of creation. When you look at the story of the serpent, there are no action verbs, the snake didn’t do anything but ask questions about what God had already said. In the story of Jesus temptation – It was the Spirit that led and once again Satan’s only power is to ask Jesus questions about what God had already done. In both stories the people don’t have the power to act- they only have to power to respond. That is something to think about – Jesus power was not in what he did – it was in what he was willing to wait and to let God do for him. Each of us indeed has that same power. There is no good or bad, only power and those who don’t know how to use. Sin is always a misuse of our power – to depend on a God who always acts.
This lent – depend on the power of God
Lent is a chance for us to be reminded of what it means to be human – like adam from dust you came and to dust you shall return. We have no power within ourselves to do anything. And yet God created us to take an active role in the continuing story of creation. Adam and Eve only started the story – God calls you to help God create the rest of the story. It is human for us to have to work and to wait for things to come. Jesus showed us that it is also human to depend upon God to be the powerful force behind making our work useful.
Angels ministered to him….
Matthew ends with a promise that the devil left him and suddenly the angels came and waited on him. As you make the right choices – may you look for your angels.
Amen
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Dazzling as Snow
Dazzling as white as snow
Transfiguration Sunday
February 3, 2008 – repreached on March 6, 2011
Exodus 24:12-18
Matthew 17: 1-9
Year A
My Special moment
I have two questions for you – have you ever had that time in life, when everything came together for you? When life just seemed to make sense. It may have been your wedding day, or graduation, or birthday or some other special day that you felt that you were on top of the world.
My second question is if you could talk to any two people, dead or alive to get advice, who would you ask. For Jesus those two people were Elijah and Moses.
Thursday was that moment for me. I have not been that excited about anything in a very long time. I have not had a chance to sit on edge, and watch such an exciting scene unfold before me. A moment of intrigue, a moment where I question what is real. A moment where you can clearly see that there is a thin line between life and death, between the past and the future, between what you expect and what you don’t understand. It was that moment where you realize that there are those rare moments in our lives where all of our questions are answered, where we realize that the anticipation of waiting is finally fulfilled. But most of the time you realize that you have to spend most of your life in a cloud of confusion, that never goes away, because the answering of one set of questions, just brings about more questions.
Perhaps Jesus did not have the season premier of the television series lost in mind when he bought his most trusted disciples with him to a mountaintop to pray. Season premiere or no, Lost is just a very clear mind game that is not scheduled to end until 2010. But Jesus must have known that there are those moments in all of our lives. The moments where the true identity of the Christ becomes clear to us.
The transfigurations story
When Jesus took his disciples up to the mountain – it must have seemed like a very cruel mind game to them. Jesus takes those 3 of the brothers that we talked about last week – Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain……..
The significance of clouds
In the gospel, God talks to the disciples through a cloud and encourages them to listen to Jesus. In the Hebrew gospel God also talks and acts through a cloud. Moses takes his trusted helpers with him to Mount Sinai to talk with God to get the Ten Commandments. No one is allowed at the top except Moses. But once again a cloud covers the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day – a special day Moses comes out of the cloud with a message for the people.
Now we tend to think of clouds as a bad thing- a bad time in our lives, a time of uncertainty, a time of confusion, a time when we are not able to see things clearly. What are the things that cloud your vision? What are the clouds in your life that prevent you from doing what you really want to do.
The Shekinah Glory
Clouds are actually a good thing in the bible. A cloud signifies the presence of God on earth. The presence of God was somewhere far away on a throne on heaven, but there is also a presence of God here on earth. God’s earthly presence is called the Shekinah glory – and you knew the Shekinah glory was present when you saw a cloud. It was a cloud that guided the Israelite to freedom by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was in a cloud in the mountain that Elijah was able to find the silence of God, it was a cloud that constantly talked with Moses to give him instruction to lead the people, it was a cloud that talked with the disciples to tell them that he was his beloved son listen to him, and when you think about it is that cloud of confusion, doubt, questioning, misunderstanding that constantly stays with us and shapes our faith journey. Cloudiness is a way of life for us.
I just learned about this, this morning. But if you climb a mountain. If you stand between a cloud and the sun, then a halo will develop around you. A round circle with a rainbow on the outside. The phenomenon is called a glory. But isn’t that how we spend most of our lives, somewhere in the middle of a cloud and sunshine?
Moments of Sunshine
When you think about it – those moments when things are totally clear and obvious are few and far between. An organization that I am a part of calls them moments of sunshine- those times when you are totally happy, when you are on the top of your game, when all of your questions have been answered, when you see life very clearly.
The disciples hold onto that moment
We are a lot like the disciples in those moments – we want to worship them forever – do you know anyone who still talks about that moment in high school. We want to build a temple so that moment can last forever, so that we can keep that feeling of clarity, so that we can live in that high of understanding. When the disciples asked if they could build temples for the appearance of Moses, Elijah and Moses, Jesus says no. Jesus usually reminds us that those moments in our lives are not intended to last forever. They come to give us perspective on the clouds, they come to give us a sense of hope to go on, and they come to give us special memories. But they always come to end
Most of our lives are lived in a cloud
Most of our life is to be lived in the cloud – a cloud of confusion and questions – because life is to be lived in the presence of an awesome, overwhelming, unknowable, mind boggling God. A God so big and so wonderful that we will never find the words to describe God. And yet a God who cares so much for you – that God is with you all of the time.
Consulting an oracle
God presence is with us all of our lives – but we have to take special times to learn to move and navigate our way through the thickness and beauty of the Shekinah glory – of god’s presence on earth. Lent is one of those times. Time to get in touch with the cloudiness of God. In the midst of cloudiness many people consulted special people to get the answers to your questions. Perhaps you are still thinking about what to do in Lent – so I have a special way to help you think about what to do for lent……
Okay some of the suggestions may not really be helpful – you will have to eat something in 40 days, and it is probably not a good idea to stay in bed for 40 days. Only God can truly tell you what to do- to see God more clearly in your life. ( not used)
The man at the new company
One man had just been hired by a new company – people started to complain- because he seemed to sit in his office all day and they didn’t see where he was doing anything. So one day his supervisor confronted him and asked what he was doing all that time – nothing he said. But 40 days later he was able to present a plan which increased the company sales by 50% - He had spent those 40 days on silence quietly waiting for an answer from God.
This lent I don’t know what your questions for God are, I don’t know what God has in store for you, I don’t know how God intends to use you to build God’s wonderful kingdom.
But I do know that God’s glory is surrounding your life- may you embrace that cloud in your life.
The significance of the transfiguration
The significance of the transfiguration was that it was a moment of sunshine – where the true nature of Jesus was revealed to the disciples. As they left he told them to tell no one until after the resurrection.
There was a magician who got hired to perform tricks on a cruise ship. And on a ship your performance schedule can be pretty demanding. Every night that he performed, there was always a parrot around. The parrot seemed to love to complain. While the magician performed, he would always yell to the audience that he was a fake, and that he did not know what he was doing. This seemed to get on the magician’s nerves. He did not like that parrot. One day the ship sank. And the parrot and the magician ended up in the same rescue boat. Since there was animosity between them- they sat in total silence, until the parrot finally asked “So, what did you do with the ship?” what was really going on was too deep for the parrot to really comprehend, so he just said what came out of his mouth. That is the same thing that the disciple did. That is why Jesus tells them to tell no one until the resurrection. Nothing that happens to them will make sense until the resurrection. After that they will understand who Jesus really is, and God’s true purpose for us. That is the same for us in lent, today we are just going through the motions, doing what needs to be done, but after Easter, we will walk in the sunshine, and everything will be clear.
My wish for you this lent
May you enter into the clouds of lent, discover the sunshine of Christ in your life- and be willing to keep God’s little secret to yourself until after Easter. Amen.
Transfiguration Sunday
February 3, 2008 – repreached on March 6, 2011
Exodus 24:12-18
Matthew 17: 1-9
Year A
My Special moment
I have two questions for you – have you ever had that time in life, when everything came together for you? When life just seemed to make sense. It may have been your wedding day, or graduation, or birthday or some other special day that you felt that you were on top of the world.
My second question is if you could talk to any two people, dead or alive to get advice, who would you ask. For Jesus those two people were Elijah and Moses.
Thursday was that moment for me. I have not been that excited about anything in a very long time. I have not had a chance to sit on edge, and watch such an exciting scene unfold before me. A moment of intrigue, a moment where I question what is real. A moment where you can clearly see that there is a thin line between life and death, between the past and the future, between what you expect and what you don’t understand. It was that moment where you realize that there are those rare moments in our lives where all of our questions are answered, where we realize that the anticipation of waiting is finally fulfilled. But most of the time you realize that you have to spend most of your life in a cloud of confusion, that never goes away, because the answering of one set of questions, just brings about more questions.
Perhaps Jesus did not have the season premier of the television series lost in mind when he bought his most trusted disciples with him to a mountaintop to pray. Season premiere or no, Lost is just a very clear mind game that is not scheduled to end until 2010. But Jesus must have known that there are those moments in all of our lives. The moments where the true identity of the Christ becomes clear to us.
The transfigurations story
When Jesus took his disciples up to the mountain – it must have seemed like a very cruel mind game to them. Jesus takes those 3 of the brothers that we talked about last week – Peter, James and John to the top of the mountain……..
The significance of clouds
In the gospel, God talks to the disciples through a cloud and encourages them to listen to Jesus. In the Hebrew gospel God also talks and acts through a cloud. Moses takes his trusted helpers with him to Mount Sinai to talk with God to get the Ten Commandments. No one is allowed at the top except Moses. But once again a cloud covers the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day – a special day Moses comes out of the cloud with a message for the people.
Now we tend to think of clouds as a bad thing- a bad time in our lives, a time of uncertainty, a time of confusion, a time when we are not able to see things clearly. What are the things that cloud your vision? What are the clouds in your life that prevent you from doing what you really want to do.
The Shekinah Glory
Clouds are actually a good thing in the bible. A cloud signifies the presence of God on earth. The presence of God was somewhere far away on a throne on heaven, but there is also a presence of God here on earth. God’s earthly presence is called the Shekinah glory – and you knew the Shekinah glory was present when you saw a cloud. It was a cloud that guided the Israelite to freedom by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was in a cloud in the mountain that Elijah was able to find the silence of God, it was a cloud that constantly talked with Moses to give him instruction to lead the people, it was a cloud that talked with the disciples to tell them that he was his beloved son listen to him, and when you think about it is that cloud of confusion, doubt, questioning, misunderstanding that constantly stays with us and shapes our faith journey. Cloudiness is a way of life for us.
I just learned about this, this morning. But if you climb a mountain. If you stand between a cloud and the sun, then a halo will develop around you. A round circle with a rainbow on the outside. The phenomenon is called a glory. But isn’t that how we spend most of our lives, somewhere in the middle of a cloud and sunshine?
Moments of Sunshine
When you think about it – those moments when things are totally clear and obvious are few and far between. An organization that I am a part of calls them moments of sunshine- those times when you are totally happy, when you are on the top of your game, when all of your questions have been answered, when you see life very clearly.
The disciples hold onto that moment
We are a lot like the disciples in those moments – we want to worship them forever – do you know anyone who still talks about that moment in high school. We want to build a temple so that moment can last forever, so that we can keep that feeling of clarity, so that we can live in that high of understanding. When the disciples asked if they could build temples for the appearance of Moses, Elijah and Moses, Jesus says no. Jesus usually reminds us that those moments in our lives are not intended to last forever. They come to give us perspective on the clouds, they come to give us a sense of hope to go on, and they come to give us special memories. But they always come to end
Most of our lives are lived in a cloud
Most of our life is to be lived in the cloud – a cloud of confusion and questions – because life is to be lived in the presence of an awesome, overwhelming, unknowable, mind boggling God. A God so big and so wonderful that we will never find the words to describe God. And yet a God who cares so much for you – that God is with you all of the time.
Consulting an oracle
God presence is with us all of our lives – but we have to take special times to learn to move and navigate our way through the thickness and beauty of the Shekinah glory – of god’s presence on earth. Lent is one of those times. Time to get in touch with the cloudiness of God. In the midst of cloudiness many people consulted special people to get the answers to your questions. Perhaps you are still thinking about what to do in Lent – so I have a special way to help you think about what to do for lent……
Okay some of the suggestions may not really be helpful – you will have to eat something in 40 days, and it is probably not a good idea to stay in bed for 40 days. Only God can truly tell you what to do- to see God more clearly in your life. ( not used)
The man at the new company
One man had just been hired by a new company – people started to complain- because he seemed to sit in his office all day and they didn’t see where he was doing anything. So one day his supervisor confronted him and asked what he was doing all that time – nothing he said. But 40 days later he was able to present a plan which increased the company sales by 50% - He had spent those 40 days on silence quietly waiting for an answer from God.
This lent I don’t know what your questions for God are, I don’t know what God has in store for you, I don’t know how God intends to use you to build God’s wonderful kingdom.
But I do know that God’s glory is surrounding your life- may you embrace that cloud in your life.
The significance of the transfiguration
The significance of the transfiguration was that it was a moment of sunshine – where the true nature of Jesus was revealed to the disciples. As they left he told them to tell no one until after the resurrection.
There was a magician who got hired to perform tricks on a cruise ship. And on a ship your performance schedule can be pretty demanding. Every night that he performed, there was always a parrot around. The parrot seemed to love to complain. While the magician performed, he would always yell to the audience that he was a fake, and that he did not know what he was doing. This seemed to get on the magician’s nerves. He did not like that parrot. One day the ship sank. And the parrot and the magician ended up in the same rescue boat. Since there was animosity between them- they sat in total silence, until the parrot finally asked “So, what did you do with the ship?” what was really going on was too deep for the parrot to really comprehend, so he just said what came out of his mouth. That is the same thing that the disciple did. That is why Jesus tells them to tell no one until the resurrection. Nothing that happens to them will make sense until the resurrection. After that they will understand who Jesus really is, and God’s true purpose for us. That is the same for us in lent, today we are just going through the motions, doing what needs to be done, but after Easter, we will walk in the sunshine, and everything will be clear.
My wish for you this lent
May you enter into the clouds of lent, discover the sunshine of Christ in your life- and be willing to keep God’s little secret to yourself until after Easter. Amen.
God will not forget you
God has not forgotten
8th Sunday after Epiphany
February 27, 2011
Isaiah 49:8-16
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Year A
Erma Bombeck said that the only thing that she ever listened to from the Bible was the command to consider the lilies of the field… she missed the whole point of the text. Jesus did not tell us to consider the lilies, but to consider their situation. If God takes care of them in all of their beauty, then surely God will take care of us also. Even though it is a good idea to consider the lilies.
If God takes care of nature, then God will surely take care of us.
We tend to think that our problems are too big for God to really understand. We tend to think that we have to come up with our own solutions to our problems. In reality, there is nothing going on in our lives that is too big for God. We would prefer worry and strife in solving the world problems, instead of relying on the true source.
The world has changed a lot. There was a time when you were planning a trip, you could call AAA and they would map out your whole trip for you. They would give you a map of how to get there, where to stop, where to eat, and what to see.
The Bible, God’s word is the same. Every day the holy spirit gives us a sense of direction, and the holy spirit gives us an answer.
The theme of the scriptures for today is to trust and obey.
Isaiah 43 – there are three different writers for the book of Isaiah. They were addressing three times in the history of the Israelites, but it seems that they seemed to have the same old problem. They were discouraged, they felt that nothing was going their way, they felt that God must have forgotten about them.
When we worry, we come to all sorts of conclusions. We think our problems are God’s fault, leaders, fault, neighbors fault, or someone else’s fault.
I got an email from a former parishioner, who go t so mad at me that he left the church for some reason he recently sent me an email talking about what would happen if Obama’s health bill passes. He was a republican and knows I am a democrat, so he thought I would have cared.
The problem is that blaming leads to judging. And judging stands in the way of us being what God called us to be.
Paul says that we are servants of Christ, and stewards of God’s mysteries. We are to live for Christ’ hope for the world – to take care of the things that God cares about.
That goes back to the need to trust and obey. Worry is a sign that we need to step back and ask God.
In keeping with the journey theme – we are all on a trip from here to there, to who we need to be.
The parishioner that I talked about earlier, went on a yearly trip to Hawaii. He and his air force buddies would always join together in February.
There was a couple who was taking a trip to Hawaii. The husband was intentional about renting cars ahead of time, so that when they arrived at each island, all of the details would be taken care of. When he got to the first island, their car was not ready. To help out, the company gave them an upgrade from a Ford Escort to a Ford mustang. It seems the same thing happen at the next island – the car was not ready. Instead of the car they ordered, they were given a Lincoln town car. The same thing happened at the next island and they were given a BMW. At the next island they drove a Mercedes. After the trip was over, the wife asked her husband how he liked the trip. His response was the it would have been a wonderful trip if only the rental car had had their cars ready for them when they came….
That’s how we are – always complaining when God does not do what we ask – never paying attention to the fact that God does not give us what we ask for, because God has so much more in store for us.
With discouragement comes the old friends of hopelessness and blame.
God’s plans are so much better than our plans.
In Isaiah 43 God says…
I answered you
I kept you
I helped you
I have given you
We need to stop worrying and listen. It is not what you expect, but it is what you need. Just trust and obey.
Can a mother forget her child? How much more I will not forget you.
When I was a child, if I was not prepared for a test, I used to write the answers on my hand. But by the time I got to school, the answers had worn off, because they were written in pen.
God says that not just your name, but YOU are engraved on God’s hand. God cannot forget you!
Let us pray…..
8th Sunday after Epiphany
February 27, 2011
Isaiah 49:8-16
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Year A
Erma Bombeck said that the only thing that she ever listened to from the Bible was the command to consider the lilies of the field… she missed the whole point of the text. Jesus did not tell us to consider the lilies, but to consider their situation. If God takes care of them in all of their beauty, then surely God will take care of us also. Even though it is a good idea to consider the lilies.
If God takes care of nature, then God will surely take care of us.
We tend to think that our problems are too big for God to really understand. We tend to think that we have to come up with our own solutions to our problems. In reality, there is nothing going on in our lives that is too big for God. We would prefer worry and strife in solving the world problems, instead of relying on the true source.
The world has changed a lot. There was a time when you were planning a trip, you could call AAA and they would map out your whole trip for you. They would give you a map of how to get there, where to stop, where to eat, and what to see.
The Bible, God’s word is the same. Every day the holy spirit gives us a sense of direction, and the holy spirit gives us an answer.
The theme of the scriptures for today is to trust and obey.
Isaiah 43 – there are three different writers for the book of Isaiah. They were addressing three times in the history of the Israelites, but it seems that they seemed to have the same old problem. They were discouraged, they felt that nothing was going their way, they felt that God must have forgotten about them.
When we worry, we come to all sorts of conclusions. We think our problems are God’s fault, leaders, fault, neighbors fault, or someone else’s fault.
I got an email from a former parishioner, who go t so mad at me that he left the church for some reason he recently sent me an email talking about what would happen if Obama’s health bill passes. He was a republican and knows I am a democrat, so he thought I would have cared.
The problem is that blaming leads to judging. And judging stands in the way of us being what God called us to be.
Paul says that we are servants of Christ, and stewards of God’s mysteries. We are to live for Christ’ hope for the world – to take care of the things that God cares about.
That goes back to the need to trust and obey. Worry is a sign that we need to step back and ask God.
In keeping with the journey theme – we are all on a trip from here to there, to who we need to be.
The parishioner that I talked about earlier, went on a yearly trip to Hawaii. He and his air force buddies would always join together in February.
There was a couple who was taking a trip to Hawaii. The husband was intentional about renting cars ahead of time, so that when they arrived at each island, all of the details would be taken care of. When he got to the first island, their car was not ready. To help out, the company gave them an upgrade from a Ford Escort to a Ford mustang. It seems the same thing happen at the next island – the car was not ready. Instead of the car they ordered, they were given a Lincoln town car. The same thing happened at the next island and they were given a BMW. At the next island they drove a Mercedes. After the trip was over, the wife asked her husband how he liked the trip. His response was the it would have been a wonderful trip if only the rental car had had their cars ready for them when they came….
That’s how we are – always complaining when God does not do what we ask – never paying attention to the fact that God does not give us what we ask for, because God has so much more in store for us.
With discouragement comes the old friends of hopelessness and blame.
God’s plans are so much better than our plans.
In Isaiah 43 God says…
I answered you
I kept you
I helped you
I have given you
We need to stop worrying and listen. It is not what you expect, but it is what you need. Just trust and obey.
Can a mother forget her child? How much more I will not forget you.
When I was a child, if I was not prepared for a test, I used to write the answers on my hand. But by the time I got to school, the answers had worn off, because they were written in pen.
God says that not just your name, but YOU are engraved on God’s hand. God cannot forget you!
Let us pray…..
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