On the Way to Wonder

First Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-12

¹Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ²Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”
  ⁴Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. ⁵The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”
  ⁶Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. ⁷Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. ⁸Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
  ⁹When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” ¹⁰He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” ¹¹As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. ¹²Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Psalm: Psalm 50:1-6

 ¹The mighty one, God the Lord, has spoken;
  calling the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
 ²Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty,
  God shines forth in glory. 
 ³Our God will come and will not keep silence;
  with a consuming flame before, and round about a raging storm.
 ⁴God calls the heavens and the earth from above
  to witness the judgment of the people.
 ⁵“Gather before me my loyal followers,
  those who have made a covenant with me and sealed it with sacrifice.”
 ⁶The heavens declare the rightness of God’s cause,
  for it is God who is judge. 

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

³Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9

²Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. ⁵Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” ⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

  ⁹As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

CHILDREN’S SERMONS

         Shifting gears.  Many of us had the opportunity to learn to drive on a 4WD car or truck.  Perhaps it was on the farm, on a dirt road in Kenya, or on the hills of Los Angeles.  One of my scary experiences was learning to drive in our old jalopy named Betsy, my mother co-piloting as I went into the foothills of LA to pick up my sister from a party.  I was headed uphill and had to downshift and stalled.  Sweaty palms.  I could not get the car in gear for the life of me and finally had to ask my mother to take over.  Sooooo humiliating.  How do we down shift when we climb a mountain?

First ?:  the engine sputters and we know we need more power – right?

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Second ?:  engage the clutch peddle to put the engine in neutral so the gears can be changed and synchronized – right?  Something like that goes on under my shaking hand.

Third ?:  Move the gear shift to a more powerful gear (either up or down) making sure you get the right gear and don’t strip the engine.

Fourth?:  Gently step on the gas, feeling it synch with the gears

In my case, I probably tense waiting for the jerk from a rocky transition.

Shifting is not a one-time event on your trip.  Jesus and we are on a journey and today we will see Jesus shift gears.

Prayer:  Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be honoring to you, my Redeemer.

SERMON

Today we are encountering Jesus as he and Peter, James, and John climb a high mountain.  It is on mountains that things happen!  Moses sees the burning bush.  Moses receives the Ten Commandments.  Abraham starts to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.  Elijah confronts the 400 priests of Baal.  Jesus delivers his sermon on the mount, defining the principles of the kingdom of heaven.  In fact he is crucified on Golgotha, the skull.  We call it “mountain top experiences.”  Today we’ll ponder what has been called, the Mount of Transfiguration.  Baptism signals the start of Epiphany and Transfiguration signals the beginning of Lent this Wednesday on Ash Wednesday. 

         Transfiguration is not “transformation.”  At the Indy 500 the racecars line up and when the race starts, they do not transform into airplanes.  When the driver puts the car through its gears, it changes from a post card picture to a racecar.  It never becomes something it has not been like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly or a tadpole becoming a frog.  We are not talking today of Jesus becoming something different than what he has always been but we are seeing a revelation, an unveiling, of a part of his personhood that so far has been veiled.

         I can see the road sign, “Uphill grade, no passing lane for a mile.”   There might be a sign showing a car swerving left and right to indicate sharp carves ahead.  Jesus knows it is time to turn to Jerusalem and walk through the crucifixion.  He is preparing to go from his public ministry of teaching and healing, revealing the character of God, and so enter the journey to the cross that we call Lent.  As in other transition points in his life, Jesus draws aside.  Perhaps it is somewhat like us taking our car in for a tune-up before a big trip. 

         Jesus retreats to a secluded place where he can let “his hair hang down” i.e. where he can truly be himself.  Jesus transfigures, drops the veil and the disciples see him as he truly is – true God and true man.  He is the light of the world as his clothes become whiter than white.  He steps into those thin places where the supernatural and the natural meet and there encounter Moses and Elijah.  Perhaps like me, you have wondered why those two men?  Why Moses and Elijah?

         Could it be that he is checking the map and double-checking the route?  I do that before a big trip.  Moses who received the law on Mt. Sinai could confirm that all people are sinners and cannot help themselves.  People are lost without the cross.  The cross and resurrection is the goal, not the defeat of Roman domination.  Elijah, one of the greatest prophets, could confirm the prophecy of a coming savior who would be the sacrificial lamb.  The people want salvation from Rome but prophecy says there will be a suffering messiah.  The map is reviewed and the plan confirmed. 

         But I also think that Moses and Elijah appeared because they could encourage Jesus in unique ways.  Both Moses and Elijah knew what it was like to stand alone on a mountain and stood between their people and evil.  Moses stood at the Red Sea and had to step forward in faith and put his rod in the water for it to part.  Elijah stood alone on Mt Carmel and prayed for the fire of God to eat the sacrificed bull with 12 barrels of water poured on it.  The people were silent.  Both men followed God’s plan and God was faithful – but it was scary.

         Both men also had deaths cloaked in mystery.  Moses walked up to Mt. Nebo with God and died with God holding his hand and no one knows where Moses’ grave is.  Likewise we read about Elijah’s death, more realistically his being swept up to heaven in a whirlwind, chariot of fire as in our Old Testament reading today.  The people thought perhaps John the Baptist was Elijah returned and others believe he will be one of the two witnesses in end times.  All very mysterious but both men testify again of God’s faithfulness and participation in the death of his servants.  We know Jesus was true God knowing this but I believe being true man he also needed the reassurance of the companionship of Moses and Elijah.  The mountain top experience was a tune-up and a checking of the map, the plan. During transition times and before important events we would be wise to follow Jesus’ example and draw aside with God to pray over our plans.  Going for a spiritual tune-up is always good and hopefully before the red light comes on!  Double-checking the map is what we do with Bible study, worship and fellowship.

         Meanwhile our three disciples are terrified and confused.  Perhaps they should build three shelters, three churches – one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus.  Seeing and realizing that Jesus is true man, like us, but also true God, changes us too.  Something happens to us when we comprehend the scope, the power available in our faith, the potential – the reality of who Jesus is.  We too have trouble figuring out which gear we need to use to navigate our faith.  Hence we see so many varieties of Christianity – Pentecostals, End time focuses, faith healers all sort of flavors and varieties in all kinds of languages.  Like Peter we are confused and try so hard to do what we think is right.  Peter has made the mistake of confusing Jesus’ deity with the prophets’ glory.  Jesus is not equal to Moses and Elijah.  He is not just another prophet.  Jesus is true God and true man.

         God speaks from the cloud, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”  God is not assuring Jesus as at the baptism but is now speaking to the followers, to us.  Jesus has called us to “follow” and God now says, “listen.”  As we come to the trials that challenge us like driving up a steep mountain  – or descending one for that matter, the Mt of Transfiguration speaks to us.  We do not need to transform into an angel or something we are not.  Drawing aside to reflect and unveil our true identity and being with friends is always helpful.  Checking the road map as found in Scripture is necessary.  We are not going to avoid death but death is not the end of the story.  Faith is not about being happy ever after on earth but about following Jesus and listening to God.  Are we using the right gears as we travel the route we are on.  It is possible to be in cruise when we need to engage 4WD.  We need to get on our knees and pray. 

         Epiphany is about understanding who our God is as revealed in the person of Jesus.  We started with baptism and the voice in the cloud saying, “This is my son with whom I am well pleased,” and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove.  On the Mt of Transfiguration, the veil is taken away for a moment and we see the Jesus who is the light of the world.  Jesus cast out the unclean spirit that would cripple the man in the synagogue.  He has power over the evil in our lives.  Jesus gently extended his hand to Peter’s mother-in-law, put his arm around her and lifted her up and the fever left so she could perform her hostess duties. He gently lifts us up and enables us to do his will.  Jesus healed many who came to him for help.  This is but the beginning of the Gospel of Mark.  Mark reveals Jesus as true God and true man.  But Jesus was not satisfied just with healing us physically but came to spread the good news of the coming of the kingdom, eternal presence with him, under his rule.  Now he turns his face to Jerusalem to provide us with eternal life.  Let us journey through Lent with him.  Ash Wednesday we will place ashes on our foreheads as a kind of map showing that our journey is to the cross because we are ashes.  May God tune us up, open our eyes to the map for each of us, and help us use the right gears to climb the mountains in our lives. Praise his name.

First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31

 ²¹Have you not known? Have you not heard?
  Has it not been told you from the beginning?
  Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
 ²²It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
  and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
 who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
  and spreads them like a tent to live in;
 ²³who brings princes to naught,
  and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
²⁴Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
  scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
 when he blows upon them, and they wither,
  and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
²⁵To whom then will you compare me,
  or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
 ²⁶Lift up your eyes on high and see:
  Who created these?
 He who brings out their host and numbers them,
  calling them all by name; because he is great in strength,
  mighty in power, not one is missing.
 ²⁷Why do you say, O Jacob,
  and speak, O Israel,
 “My way is hidden from the Lord,
  and my right is disregarded by my God”?
 ²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard?
 The Lord is the everlasting God,
  the Creator of the ends of the earth.
 He does not faint or grow weary;
  his understanding is unsearchable.
 ²⁹He gives power to the faint,
  and strengthens the powerless.
 ³⁰Even youths will faint and be weary,
  and the young will fall exhausted;
 ³¹but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
  they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
 they shall run and not be weary,
  they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm: Psalm 147:1-11, 20c

 ¹Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God!
  How pleasant it is to honor God with praise!
 ²The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem,
  and gathers the exiles of Israel.
 ³The Lord heals the brokenhearted
  and binds up their wounds.
 ⁴The Lord counts the number of the stars
  and calls them all by their names. 
 ⁵Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
  there is no limit to God’s wisdom.
 ⁶The Lord lifts up the lowly,
  but casts the wicked to the ground.
 ⁷Sing to the Lord| with thanksgiving;
  make music upon the harp to our God,
 ⁸who covers the heavens with clouds
  and prepares rain for the earth,

      making grass to grow upon the mountains. 
 ⁹God provides food for the cattle
  and for the young ravens when they cry.
 ¹⁰God is not impressed by the might of a horse,
  and has no pleasure in the speed of a runner,
 ¹¹but finds pleasure in those who fear the Lord,
  in those who await God’s steadfast love. ^20cHallelujah!

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

¹⁶If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. ¹⁸What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
  ¹⁹For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. ²⁰To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. ²¹To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. ²³I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

²⁹As soon as [Jesus and the disciples] left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. ³¹He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
  ³²That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. ³³And the whole city was gathered around the door. ³⁴And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
  ³⁵In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. ³⁶And Simon and his companions hunted for him. ³⁷When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” ³⁸He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” ³⁹And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

CHILDREN’S SERMON        

         Many of you here will remember the movie, “Chariots of Fire” and its beautiful theme song that captivated our hearts.  The opening and closing scenes show the British track team running in the sand along the ocean beach in preparation for the 1924 Olympics.  Eric Liddel the Scottish runner for the British team is the son of a missionary, studying at Oxford, helping his sister run “the mission” and pondering his future.  He takes a break in his work to train for the Olympics.  On the ship going to France, he learns that his qualifying race will be run on Sunday.  This news throws him into a moral conflict.  He believes that the Sabbath should be observed in ways that did not include running an Olympic race.  Harold Abrams, the Jewish English runner on the team runs for Liddell and Liddell runs the 400 meter race, not the 100 meter.  One of the questions running through the movie is the question, “Where does the power come from to run the race?”

Prayer:  Lord as we ponder that question today, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, my power source.

SERMON

Do you have Sunday traditions?  One Sunday morning my son asked me, “Mom, why don’t you cook any more?”  In Kenya, we would always had homemade coffee cake on Sunday morning.  I was not doing home baking in the same way.  “No TV till after lunch,” was a family rule.   Sunday evening the kids were required to put on a DVD with a Christian theme.  They quickly learned to find a redemptive theme in many of their favorite videos!  As a child I earned by weekly allowance of a nickel by being able to tell my parents what the sermon was about.  My parents went out to lunch with friends on Sundays.  Others use Sunday afternoon to visit grandma.  In all these situations, there is a worldview that understands Sundays to be a day of rest.  Possibly this traces back to God resting on the seventh day of creation or the third commandment that tells us to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy.

         Today’s text shares three Sabbath day insights into Jesus’ Sabbath.  Last Sunday we saw him in the synagogue but he was not silent, observing but actively engaged, being the living Word as he read the written word.  He was engaged in the confrontation of evil, the unclean spirit crippling a man at the synagogue.  He did not claim, “a day off,” but silenced and expelled the evil spirit, restoring the man to life.  Surely by now Jesus can chat with his disciples about the lesson he taught or the good deed he performed!  Jesus heads to the home of Simon Peter, along with Simon’s brother Andrew and their friends James and John.  Probably others were involved but unnamed in the passage.

         As Jesus enters the house, he is told that Simon Peter’s mother-in-law is sick in bed with a fever.  Possibly lunch is not ready and people are hungry.  Traditions of hospitality are upset.  I would guess there is tension in the air.  Again the predictable is interrupted by “evil” that is illness, or at least by inconvenience.  Why does our author, Mark, shares this incident?   It is the beginning of Mark’s gospel and he is showing us Jesus’ concern for even women, for an elderly woman, not at the synagogue, probably widowed and sick..

         “³¹He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.”  “At once” Jesus cares for Simon    Peter’s mother-in-law when he hears she is sick. We do not see Jesus confronting evil as with the unclean spirit, by ordering silence and dismissal.   Instead we see a tender scene.  Jesus takes her hand.  No bull dozing into her space.  It says that then he lifts her up.  I can only imagine that it is an arm around her shoulder to support her in a kind of hug, respecting her weakness and lifting her up.  Then the fever leaves.  Sometimes Jesus does do miracles and confronts evil with miracles but sometimes he enters our lives, gently, quietly, extending a hand, putting his arm around our shoulder and gradually helping us stand and get our balance.  God is not sitting back on some heavenly couch on Sunday, watching us through his cosmic television or zooming into our station to see what the deal is for when he goes to work on Monday, when he is back on the job. Restoration and revival can happen any day of the week, in church or in the home.  Restoration happens in direct confrontation with evil in our lives and restoration also happens in a gentle, encouraging approach that reaches God’s hand to us, assisting us to stand, and returning us to service.  Jesus is the living Word, written and spoken, found in church and Jesus is the compassion that works in our relationships.

         Secondly, the people are awed by Jesus’ dealing with evil in the synagogue and his fame spreads.  By evening, people have gathered at Simon Peter’s home with the sick and demon possessed.  The Sabbath is not over and Jesus is still healing “many.”  Sick are healed and many demons are cast out BUT “he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.”  Twice we have now heard Jesus tell evil to be silent.  Interesting! Mark is again challenging our concept of God.  God does not rest forgetting us on the Sabbath, withdrawing from his creation.  AND God does not want the testimony of evil to build his kingdom.  Why?

         Can you imagine the post scripts to the testimony of those spirits?  Jesus healed Jimmy, why not you?  Jesus healed Sam, and he was not as sick as you.  Jesus healed Eunice and she is not deserving like you.  Jesus healed Sarah so follow that healer.  Evil cannot be trusted for loyalty to God, cannot be trusted to understand God’s plan, and cannot be trusted to tell the truth. So Jesus again tells the evil spirits to be quiet.  We may not be the person with an unclean spirit like last week, we may not be the sick person healed today, and we may not be one of the townspeople that gathered that evening, but that does not mean that God is not dealing with evil in our lives and in our world.  In all those scenarios, Jesus is willing to work and restore to us life as he is true God with the power and true man with compassion for our situation.

         So where does that leave us?  The next morning, Jesus is missing when more people come for help.  The news of a healer has spread and many need healing.  Success is so intoxicating and the needs of humanity are never ending.  But Jesus, “while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” For a third time our concept of God is confronted.  What was that about?  When we think of God, we do not think of a being with questions, with doubts, with confusion but in the face of success and human need, Jesus, true man withdraws to a deserted place.  Jesus has been tempted in all the ways people are tempted and he understands our doubts and confusing time when we need to withdraw and collect ourselves, to reconnect with the eternal and “charge our batteries.”  It could be that Jesus as true man also needed these times alone to think.  When the disciples find Jesus, they hear that the goal is not to heal and cast out demons but to spread the good news that the kingdom is near.

         Jesus draws aside to refocuses himself and refocuses his disciples.  Jesus has not come to make our life happy and comfortable. In the end people must still die.  Death by the virus is not sadder than death of a child with cancer or a mother in a car accident or a husband killed on the job.  Death is never welcome.  The wages of sin is death and we are all sinners.  Jesus has come to deal with death and to offer us life, not just to heal a temporary problem.  Jesus, and the gospel writer Mark, refocuses us.  The focus is not the miracle but the miracle worker and the spreading the good news that the kingdom of God is near.

         This Sabbath we have gathered around the living word to refocus our hearts and minds.  Are we looking for a miracle today and the deliverance from evil that has a grip on us?  That would be nice!  Are we looking to be lifted up from that would which holds us down so that we can serve better?  That would be nice.   Are we looking for God who is present and restoring our lives every day?  He does not rest nor does he grow weary.  Let us close with the words of the prophet Isaiah.

²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard?
 The Lord is the everlasting God,
  the Creator of the ends of the earth.
 He does not faint or grow weary;
  his understanding is unsearchable.
 ²⁹He gives power to the faint,
  and strengthens the powerless.
 ³⁰Even youths will faint and be weary,
  and the young will fall exhausted;
 ³¹but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
  they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
 they shall run and not be weary,
  they shall walk and not faint.”

And the people of God said, AMEN!

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

 [Moses said:] ¹⁵The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. ¹⁶This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” ¹⁷Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. ¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. ¹⁹Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. ²⁰But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.”

Psalm: Psalm 111

 ¹Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
  in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.
 ²Great are your works, O Lord,
  pondered by all who delight in them.
 ³Majesty and splendor mark your deeds,
  and your righteousness endures forever.
 ⁴You cause your wonders to be remembered;
  you are gracious and full of compassion. 
 ⁵You give food to those who fear you,
  remembering forever your covenant.
 ⁶You have shown your people the power of your works
  in giving them the lands of the nations.
 ⁷The works of your hands are faithfulness and justice;
  all of your precepts are sure.
 ⁸They stand fast forever and ever,
  because they are done in truth and equity. 
 ⁹You sent redemption to your people and commanded your covenant forever;
  holy and awesome is your name.
 ¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
  all who practice this have a good understanding. God’s    praise endures forever. 

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

¹Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ²Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; ³but anyone who loves God is known by him.
  ⁴Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” ⁵Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords—⁶yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
  ⁷It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ⁸“Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. ⁹But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? ¹¹So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. ¹²But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. ¹³Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

²¹[Jesus and his disciples] went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.²²They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. ²³Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, ²⁴and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” ²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” ²⁶And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. ²⁷They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” ²⁸At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

CHILDREN’S SERMON

Double identities is a favorite literary theme that is always fascinating.  Let’s see how many you recognize”

1. Dr. Jekyl and ——————————– (My Hyde)
2. Clark Kent was __________________(Superman)
3. Prisoner 24601 was ____________ (Jean Val Jean of Les Miserables, the birthdate of Victor Hugo, the author)
4. Prisoner imprisoned on an island, befriending a monk returned to find girlfriend married and he disguised himself as __________________(Count of Monte Cristo)
5. Texas ranger was the only one to survive an ambush, became known as ______ (the Lone Ranger – and he wore a mask too!)
6. My favorites are the Scarlet Pimpernel who snuck people out of France and the guiotine by wearing costumes or there is the story of the Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican who helped soldiers hide in Rome from the Nazis by wearing costumes to sneak past the guards.

All these are fun stories as we cheer for the disguised person setting life straight.  It is no wonder ID verification is important today. 

Let us pray:  Lord may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart praise you and not deceive.

SERMON

This week, we are still in Mark 1.  Mark’s introduction of Jesus is progressing.  Baptized, tempted, followed by disciples, Jesus enters the synagogue in Capernaum. Capernaum is a town on the north end of the Sea of Galilee, not that far from Nazareth, and is thought to be the hometown of Peter, Andrew, James and John, the disciples called last week.  It seems to be the center of Jesus’ public ministry.   So it is not surprising to find Jesus in the synagogue and welcomed to read.  In our text today, Jesus speaks with “authority” three times. We see the authority that comes from knowing about something, the authority that comes from being the author, and the authority that must be talked about.

1.  Authority of education.  Today’s event happened before IUPUI, before Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, before the printing press and public education for all.  Scriptures were copied by hand and for most, education was oral.  The Scribes (Think of scribble.  Think of Scripture.) were distinguished Jewish professionals who copied manuscripts but who also had secretarial and administrative responsibilities, similar to possibly judges and teachers.  There were strict rules governing their profession.  These men had the authority of knowing Scripture.  The text tells us people  ^“ were astounded at his teaching, for he, Jesus, taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”  Jesus had a different authority than the educated Scribes. Jesus did not just copy the words and study them, he wrote the words.  Jesus was “the Word,” not an authority but the author of the scriptures.

         I would understand this to imply that there is authority that comes from “knowing about” a subject but there is also knowledge that comes from being the inventor, the author.  We are trusting Dr. Fauci for this pandemic – and we trust the nurse that gives the shot.  We trust professors and scientist.  Astronauts trust NASA.  The claim to have worked 45 years in government carries weight of relationship and knowledge.  Jesus did not speak with that kind of authority.  He spoke with the authority of the author.  His teachings carried the listeners to a whole new level of awareness and insight. 

         When we read the Bible, we believe it is “inspired,” we are reading a message from THE Author of that message.  The Bible does tell a historical story but it also carries the weight of the presence of God in the story and through the story, of someone at creation, of truth that applies to us today.  Mark is telling us that Jesus appears, not just as another authority in competition for the election of our affection, but Jesus enters history and the synagogue as the author of Scripture, teaching with authority.  How we respond is up to us.

2.  Authority opposed.  Jesus is teaching with authority when a “man with an unclean spirit,” cried out.  Some feel that this man may have been a Scribe implying the imperfection of the Scribes’ understanding.  I would understand that going to the synagogue was similar to us going to church now.  The men met in one area where Scripture was read and women were behind a wall and expected to ask questions of their husband at home.  Hence a man with an unclean spirit could well have been present.  The politically correct way of talking today would probably be to say a person with mental illness was present and interrupting the speaker.  Perhaps it would be like a heckler.  Today we would be slow to ascribe Satanic authority to someone who disagrees with the preacher.  This interruption, though, is the central part of the scenario.  Authority does not mean others agree and believe.  It is possible to know scripture like the Scribes but it is also possible to know scripture and resist the author, the authority of scripture.

         I notice the man approaches with questions.  “’What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’”   This sounds very similar to the serpent dealing with Eve by asking questions.  Did God say?  Did God mean?  Is God honest? Doubts about the authority and validity of God are raised.

         -The unclean spirit asks if Jesus has “authority” as he is “Jesus of Nazareth”, using a human title.  He approaches Jesus as human.  By what authority is he reading Scripture that day? This question still reverberates through our world today.  Many know about Jesus, the man of Nazareth, but they do not acknowledge that he can speak into their lives with authority.  It makes me ponder, what does Jesus have to do with us at Bethany today?  Was he a fantastic man who taught good principles for people to follow today?  Am I just following family tradition?  What brought you to church today?  How do you answer the question – Jesus, what do you have to do with me?

         -Next the man asks, “Have you come to destroy us?”  This question raises doubts about the legitimacy of God’s rules in our life and God’s intent.  Surely we won’t die if we eat the fruit?  God could not have meant that we forgive in the face of abuse and war.  This week we remember Auswitz.  Corrie Ten Boom tells of meeting her prison guard after the war and realizing her need to forgive him.  Today we struggle with advocacy, justice, demonstrations.   We have rights we need to fight for – right?  Authority opposed tries to keep the control of our lives in our hands.  Jesus of Nazareth said many interesting things and wise things but does it mean I must obey?

         -Then the man addresses Jesus by his title, “Holy One of God,” and attempts to name Jesus.  At that point Jesus says “Silence!”  The spirit shrieks and leaves the man.  The spirit has tried to claim authority over Jesus.  When my full name is invoked, it is usually a power scenario.  The principal does not use my shortened name when calling me to the office.  My husband does not use my full name usually except in legal transactions.  My friends do not call my full name.  When the man uses a spiritual name for Jesus, Jesus responds, “Silence.  Come out of him!”  The spirit shrieks and must leave the man.  Jesus has authority with power.  End of discussion.  Jesus does not debate about his authority, he declares and expels any competition.

         This is the climax in Mark’s story today.  Mark begins his gospel, “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”  Jesus is introduced by John the Baptist, an accepted prophet of God at the beginning of chapter 1.   He is baptized with a full appearance of the Trinity.  He is being followed by disciples.  Today he is confronted by the demonic, by evil, and he speaks with authority.  Mark has made his point.  Jesus speaks with authority more than Scribes who know the Scriptures.  Jesus speaks with authority over evil that opposes Scripture.  And we stand with the audience, marveling.

3.  Authority that must be told.  Again the people are amazed.  “²⁸At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.”  “At once,” there is another of those action words that moves Mark’s report forward.  Authority of Jesus is not something we catalogue in the back of our mind for a day when we are in need, it is authority that must be acted upon.  We can question and doubt and resist like the man with the unclean spirit, we can follow like the disciples, and we can all share the good news to people we meet.

         We may not have seen “unclean” spirits cast out and we may prefer to talk about the evil of social systems that rob people of their humanity, but we have encountered the Holy One of God who helped sort out our lives.  We do have the Scriptures available in our language that we can read – or we can turn on the radio or TV.  We do see God speak through nature as each day the sun rises and the moon shines.  We may worry about the pandemic but we know the love of friends and Lord who will be with us through this time.  Jesus speaks through the Scriptures with the authority of the one who is the living word.  Jesus has the authoritative power to deal with the evil that seeks to sow doubt and distrust in our hearts.   And this is good news we can share with those we meet.  May the Holy Spirit be with you as you grapple with the authority of Christ in your life.  Who is that masked man, you ask.  He is true God and true man, speaking with authority.  Amen  

First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10

¹The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, ²“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” ³So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. ⁴Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” ⁵And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
  ¹⁰When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Psalm: Psalm 62:5-12

 ⁵For God alone I wait in silence;
  truly, my hope is in God.
 ⁶God alone is my rock and my salvation,
  my stronghold, so that I shall never be shaken.
 ⁷In God is my deliverance and my honor;
  God is my strong rock and my refuge.
 ⁸Put your trust in God always, O people,
  pour out your hearts before the one who is our refuge. 
 ⁹Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath; those of low estate cannot be trusted.
  Placed on the scales together they weigh even less than a breath.
 ¹⁰Put no trust in extortion; in robbery take no empty pride;
  though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.
 ¹¹God has spoken once, twice have I heard it,
  that power belongs to God.
 ¹²Steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord,
  for you repay all according to their deeds. 

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

²⁹Brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, ³⁰and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, ³¹and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it.  The present form of this world is passing away.

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, ¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

  ¹⁶As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. ¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” ¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

Children’s SERMON

Our Old Testament lesson for today comes from the book of Jonah.

1. Who was Jonah, a king or a prophet?    Jonah was prophet in the Northern Kingdom that is around the Sea of Galilee, the area where Jesus grew up. 
2. What was Jonah’s message?    God sent Jonah to Nineveh, modern day Iraq, outside Mosul, with a call to repentance or else.
3. Did Jonah obey?  No.  Jonah did not go north but went to the ocean and climbed on a boat to Tarsus, Paul’s hometown.  Does God give second chances today?
4. God sent a storm and Jonah confessed it was his fault.  “Throw me overboard.”  God sent a fish that swallowed Jonah.  Jonah prayed and the fish spit Jonah up on the shore and then Jonah went to Nineveh and preached. 
5. The people repented. God relented.  Jonah pouted.  Was Jonah happy?  NO.  God grew a vine that shaded Jonah as he pouted and Jonah was comforted.  God sent a worm that ate through the vine.  Jonah is now truly upset with God. 
6. God shares his concern for the lost – people and animals whom he created.

Let us pray:  Lord may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you as we gather today.

SERMON

         Jonah is quite a story.  Usually we eat fish, fish don’t eat us. God gives Jonah a second chance.  Does God give second chances today? Seldom do we see revivals and people repenting and fearful of God’s wrath today.  Would God truly punish ignorant people and animals?  We preach the love of God, not judgment.  Worms that eat plants in a night are rare.  God changing his mind, relenting of his intention to punish, is contrary to our faith in a God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Jonah challenges our concept of God.  Our reading today challenges us also.

         The Gospel of Mark is known as an action gospel.  He keeps the story rolling.  I was struck by the connecting time words.  “Now,” “immediately,” and “immediately” again.  Mark seems to be connecting “call” with stories that are uncomfortable to hear today and challenge our Santa Clause idea of God, ready to make our life work – “Try him, you’ll like it.”  As we see Jonah wrestle with God in the Old Testament reading, we will wrestle with God this morning.

         NOW.  John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, has a popular ministry leading masses of people to repentance and baptism.  Surely he is doing God’s will and deserving of God’s protection and blessing.  But what we hear today and is confirmed in other gospels is that John was arrested.  He was beheaded because of a drunken party to please a sexy young dancing stepdaughter.  UNFAIR!  The call to ministry is not a call to success and happiness and often is in the context of unjust social systems.  Half of the United States is excited about our new President and half is outraged.  Many want the vaccine but are going to have to wait and poor countries may not even be able to buy.  The West again has the money and resources.  For many this is a source of irritation.  Some people pray and receive a miracle and others pray and die.  Like Jonah, it is easy to affirm that we know God is compassionate and loving but we are also very angry when what we perceive is evil seems to be prospering.

         In the midst of the “now”, in the midst of political whims, Jesus returns to Galilee, his home area, and starts his public ministry.  Jesus picks up where John must let go.  Call is for faithfulness in the now and we do not need to hold ourselves responsible for the whole story.  Many of us know the grief of raising a child as best we know but then that child so beloved to us makes choices that hurt.  John the Baptist, from prison, sends his disciples to ask Jesus if Jesus is truly the promised Messiah.  Like John, we question ourselves.  Many of us enter jobs or marriages and as much as we want them to last forever, life changes and we must let go.  We must allow Jesus to step in and carry on.  We are called for now and here where we are.  Our candidate may not have won; our loved one may have succumbed to Covid but that does not mean God is inactive.

         Interestingly Jesus preaches that “”the time has come, the kingdom is near, repent and believe.  Ouch.  That is hard for our ears to hear today.  The word, “repent” brings visions of those other emotional ones, the leapers and jumpers, the old-time revivalist.  Amazingly, the Ninevites fasted, prayed and repented.  Call clarifies for us who we want to please and serve, self and world or God.  When I was a child I thought like a child but when God calls and I understand his will, am I willing to believe his way is best? Am I willing to call for repentance or offer forgiveness?  Am I willing to turn the other cheek?  Am I willing to share of my resources?  Call is not always easy and may end in prison and Call leads to a confrontation with our lifestyle and beliefs.  Lord, HELP!

IMMEDIATELY.  Jonah runs to the Mediterranean Sea to get away from God’s Call but Jesus goes to the sea, to the Sea of Galilee, his home territory, to start calling disciples.  Mark tells us about the call of Simon, who later becomes known as Peter, and his brother Andrew.  They were fishermen who Jesus calls to be “fishers of men.”  I do not think this necessarily means we are all called to be evangelists but Jesus calls us where we are and invites us to a broader understanding of our vocation – now.  Fishermen become fishers of men.  Nurses become healers of people, not just disease.  Teachers become mentors of students and not just imparters of knowledge.  Our vocation becomes an avenue to share the good news of the nearness of the kingdom.

         Perhaps it goes without needing to be said that immediately places a “now” on ministry.  If I wait until I think I am ready, I may never do anything.  If I wait until I think I am competent, I will be tempted to focus on my limitations.  Simon and Andrew were not theologically trained, but ordinary people like you and me.  Perhaps we are “retired” but that does not mean we cannot share good news.  Perhaps we are young but that does not mean we are incompetent.  Jesus called people where they were and broadened the intention of vocation.  “Immediately” calls us back to now and calls me to reflect if I am just doing tasks or am I allowing the Holy Spirit to call me to a broader perspective.  This “immediately” does not allow me to whine about being old, being poor, being uneducated, being isolated, or not being responsible.  I cannot look to the government or social security or the doctor to be responsible for my vision for life.  Jesus calls us now to “follow” him.

         Call is not to success but to faithfulness – now.  Call is not to task but to service – now.  The next “IMMEDIATELY” tells me I am called to awareness of a broader family, the family of the kingdom of God.  James and John left their nets with their father and followed Jesus “immediately.”  Ouch.  As a young –ger person headed to the mission field with my husband and the first grandchild, I remember hearing my parents share, “I know my daughter is called to be a missionary but I am not sure I am called to be a missionary parent!”  I now understand better the tension in this call.  Perhaps there were other brothers to help the father of James and John.  Perhaps the fishing business was prosperous and the father could hire other helpers.  We don’t know.  James and John did not wait for all the details to be worked out but trusted and followed. James and John moved from their nuclear family, biologically connected, to a broader definition of family, spiritually connected.  That is not an easy transition.

         Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh.  The stereotype of these people was horrible. In Kenya, one tribe would never give a daughter to another tribe because they… fill in the blank – eat fish, don’t circumcise their men, or whatever.  In Minneapolis there could be a Norwegian Lutheran church on one corner, a Swedish Lutheran on another and an English Lutheran on the third.  We know the challenge of crossing imaginary lines in the sand.  We have a new President since last Sunday and it will be a challenge for half the country to follow his call to unity.  Trust has been broken.  Because of our faith in Christ, we find ourselves in a similar challenge with people that we are uncomfortable with.  Oh my. God help us!

         In the New Testament reading for today, Paul reminds the Corinthians, “The present form of this world is passing away,” and so they are to hold onto relationships loosely.  Friends, spouses, children are gifts for a time but our trust must be with God, not with them.  I read once that “leave father and mother” is not a call to leave in the lurch, to leave unloved and uncared for but is a call to value God and to realize his love calls us to a bigger family.  The Jesus, who called, healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever when he visited.  The Jesus, who called, had time for the woman bleeding as he went to heal Jairus’ daughter.  The Jesus, who called, welcomed the little children, the blind, and the lepers.  He cared about people, families and our relationships.  He can care for our loved ones.  Call is a call to trust him with that which we hold close to our hearts – now.      Trust is not something that happens tomorrow, that is earned.  Trust is what we do when we cannot see how things will work out.  God relented of his anger with the Ninivites but that did not change Jonah’s need to preach.  James and John’s father may struggle with the family business but that did not stop their response.  The new President may not be the one we would have liked but that does not remove from us the responsibility to be Christians now nor does it erase God’s hand in the events.

         Call is not to success but to faithfulness – now.  Call is to a vision of service to others and not just to a list of tasks for the day.  Call is a step into an unknown future trusting God to work it out and trusting God to care for those we care for.  We do not know what tomorrow will bring but we know who is with us now and tomorrow.  The book of Jonah ends with God asking Jonah a question, “And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”  God is concerned about all parties in the election, all struggling with covid, and all the economic challenges…and the animals in the environment.  “He’s got the whole world is in His hands, you and me brother, you and me sister, and the itty, bitty babies.”  Amen!

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

 ⁷Thus says the Lord:
 Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
  and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
 proclaim, give praise, and say,
  “Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.”
 ⁸See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
  and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.
 ⁹With weeping they shall come,
  and with consolations I will lead them back,
 I will let them walk by brooks of water,
  in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

 ¹⁰Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
  and declare it in the coastlands far away;
 say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him,
  and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.”
 ¹¹For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
  and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
 ¹²They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
  and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
 over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
  and over the young of the flock and the herd;
 their life shall become like a watered garden,
  and they shall never languish again.
 ¹³Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
  and the young men and the old shall be merry.
 I will turn their mourning into joy,
  I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
 ¹⁴I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
  and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
 says the Lord.

Psalm: Psalm 147:12-20

 ¹²Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem;
  praise your God, O Zion,
 ¹³who has strengthened the bars of your gates
  and has blessed your children within you.
 ¹⁴God has established peace on your borders
  and satisfies you with the finest wheat.
 ¹⁵God sends out a command to the earth,
  a word that runs very swiftly. 
 ¹⁶God gives snow like wool,
  scattering frost like ashes.
 ¹⁷God scatters hail like bread crumbs.
  Who can stand against God’s cold?
 ¹⁸The Lord sends forth the word and melts them;
  the wind blows, and the waters flow.
 ¹⁹God declares the word to Jacob,
  statutes and judgments to Israel.
 ²⁰The Lord has not done so to any other nation;
  they do not know God’s judgments. Hallelujah!

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. ⁵He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace ⁸that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight ⁹he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. ¹¹In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, ¹²so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. ¹³In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; ¹⁴this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

Gospel: John 1:[1-9] 10-18

 [¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
  ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.]
  ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
  ¹⁴And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

SERMON

Prayer:  May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, my Rock and Redeemer.

         The Christmas season follows the Advent season.  It is two weeks long and carries us through Epiphany, the day we remember the arrival of the wise men. Next week we enter the Epiphany season when we hear about the life of Christ.  That’s a bit confusing but “epiphany” means a new revelation or understanding.  The coming of the wise men celebrated on January 6, includes the Gentiles in the Christmas story — that was revolutionary.  The life of Christ was also revolutionary, an epiphany.  He healed, taught new ideas, and broke religious rules to the astonishment of people and powers. The significance of Christ’s incarnation as a baby is our text today.  We are in the Christmas season, second week. 

         During the Christmas season we tend to focus on the events of Jesus’ childhood. Last week we looked at the experience with Simeon and Anna in the temple at the circumcision of Jesus.  We could also look at the flight to Egypt, the murder of the innocents, or Jesus in the temple at age 12.  But all these events that come from Jesus’ early childhood are not recorded in the Gospel of Mark.  So our text today is going to draw from the Gospel of John, rather than Mark.  We are not going to focus on the events of Jesus birth.  We are going to ponder the impact of his incarnation, his coming, on our lives as we enter 2021 and reflect on 2020.

First.  Incarnation testifies to the reality of a personal being, God, the creator, who does not stay afar observing us but who enters our world and is personally involved with life. 

         Christianity is unique becauseGod comes to us, we do not climb to God.  God was with us in 2020 and will come to us in 2021.  It may be in inconspicuous ways that we may not recognize but he was here. Even as the world did not recognize the babe of Bethlehem, we may have to look to see the hand of God in our life.   Unlike “the Force” of Star Wars, God is not an impersonal energy, guiding life’s events.  We are not an accident.  God is personal and comes to us.

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.”

         Some believe Jesus became the Messiah at his baptism, rather like accepting a job.  The Holy Spirit descended like a dove and Jesus took on his role as Messiah.  He was a good man who pleased God and so was chosen.  Or perhaps Jesus had a good body God took over and worked through him.  Either way, a godly man or a manly God, it is hard to relate to him.  We know we are not perfect. His godliness overshadows his humanness. Christmas season reminds us that Jesus was true man.

         We confess that Jesus is true God and true Man. Incarnation is the word we use to share about a God/man mystery that makes Jesus “touchable” and is seen as a helpless baby. “The Word” that was at creation, who made everything, who sustains our life and is our light, who is God, became real human. 

         Christmas, a time for celebrating his childhood, helps us see Jesus as true man. The Christmas season reminds us that Jesus understands all aspects of life. He understands our struggling teenagers, our babies helpless in ICU units, our elderly feeling forgotten, and even the angst of being a hormone driven young adult.  Our God did not just come down to do a job, salvation, but entered humanity and goes with us into 2021.  If leprosy did not drive him away, then Covid certainly will not. We do not perfect ourselves and climb up to God, trying to deserve his love, but he comes to us to reveal himself through all we are about to experience this year.  Our Lord understands our human dilemmas and is not just the power source to solve them but also the compassionate, empathizing God who walks with us.

         The challenge:  As we enter 2021, let us reflect on our concept of God.  Do we think of God as being distance and impersonal or do we see God present, personal, and relevant daily.  Perhaps there is something that we are keeping in a closet in our heart because of guilt, because of fear, because we were so stupid, because we were so abused, because we were soooo human.  The Christmas story reminds us that the Word who created us, walked through all phases of life responding in all those situations we are challenged by and is not repulsed, not driven away by our human sinfulness.  The eternal became mortal testifying to a perspective that is broader and more eternal, not impersonal or bias, not distant and analytical but a true union of God and man.

Second.  The incarnation calls for belief in a personal God who created and identifies but it also testifies of a God who wants to have relationship with us.

            ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept    him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave       power to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood or of        the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God

The purpose of incarnation is not just God “doing his thing,” executing his plan, but his heart’s desire is that we might believe.  If the goal of faith is to believe that God is real then all paths lead to Rome and all faiths are equally acceptable as all believe there is a God and people just choose the flavor of Kool-Aid they will drink, as youth say.  Incarnation is about more than proof of reality but creates grounds for relationship.

         This relationship is not something that is not forced upon us, a marriage set up by parents or a means to social acceptability.  Relationship with Christ is a gift we choose to receive, we choose to invest in.  Like all relationships, it is a struggle to “hang in there” on the down days.  Life does not always unfold the way we would like.  (Do I hear an “amen” to that?)  Jesus gives the “power” to become children.  Relating to God is not accidental but intentional and we need more than human strength to do it.

         So as we enter 2021, how are we intentionally growing our relationship with a God who incarnated to be with us?  Are we choosing the relationship or does it just kind of happen when we see a sunset or have a good day?  How will we grow this relationship in 2021?  Relationships are not just automatic; they are intentional and need work to thrive.

         Incarnation testifies to a personal being, God, who created heaven and earth who comes to us.  We are not an accident and relationship is not accidental.

Third.  Incarnation testifies to truth and grace.

            ¹⁷The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came     through Jesus Christ. 

The incarnation of Jesus draws us into a confrontation with the reality of this world.  Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai.  We call it “the Law.”  The Commandments are 10 universals by which life works best.  We will be happier if we do not go around killing others.  All cultures have rules about murder.  If we build happiness in our marriages, we will be happier than continually shifting partners in uncommitted relationships.  Slander and mistruth help no one.  Resting one day a week and honoring parents when possible also lead to a balanced life.  Of course, keeping God most important – is most important!

         These laws, these guidelines are ideals and life does not happen nor are we be able to force life to be the way we think best, no matter how many civil laws we pass.  We have seen demonstrations and destructions this year that make our head hang.  We have seen mass bombings and terrorism in the name of finding a better tomorrow – we grieve.  In spite our best efforts to mask and distance, disease claims lives at times we would not choose.  One more day with our loved one, we beg.

         The incarnation, the coming of God in human form and entering in relationship with us shows a Messiah who healed, who taught love of enemy, who encouraged going the extra mile.  Those responses do not come naturally.  We are naturally self centered and selfish.  Choosing relationship is choosing to believe there is truth bigger than my perspective.  Forgiveness will bring a better world as we let God handle vengeance.  Being in relationship to Jesus and confronting our self-centeredness makes us realize our need for grace.  “By grace we are saved through faith.”  We do not become good enough to deserve relationship to a God who wants to relate to us.  We must humble ourselves, accept his gift and acknowledge his way – that takes grace.  Grace and truth came in Jesus Christ.

         As we enter 2021 and as we use these two weeks to shift from Christmas celebration to surprising truths found in the life of Christ, we realize that the incarnation, the birth of the babe in Bethlehem, means God has come to us to be with us in 2021.  It means he wants to be in relationship with us as we face and handle our various challenges.  And it means he will be leading us into deeper truth that we experience by his grace.  God incarnated in Jesus and lives in us that we might be more like Christ.  It is a journey, not a sudden one-day experience but he will be faithfully beside us, guiding us, and speaking to us in 2021.  Praise his name!

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10–62:3

 ¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
  my whole being shall exult in my God;
 for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
 as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
  and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
 ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
  and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
 so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
  to spring up before all the nations.

 ^62:1For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
  and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
 until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
  and her salvation like a burning torch.
 ²The nations shall see your vindication,
  and all the kings your glory;
 and you shall be called by a new name
  that the mouth of the Lord will give.
 ³You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
  and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Psalm: Psalm 148

 ¹Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens;
  praise God in the heights.
 ²Praise the Lord, all you angels;
  sing praise, all you hosts of heaven.
 ³Praise the Lord, sun and moon;
  sing praise, all you shining stars.
 ⁴Praise the Lord, heaven of heavens,
  and you waters above the heavens.
 ⁵Let them praise the name of the Lord,
  who commanded, and they were created,
 ⁶who made them stand fast forever and ever,
  giving them a law that shall not pass away. 
 ⁷Praise the Lord from the earth,
  you sea monsters and all deeps;
 ⁸fire and hail, snow and fog,
  tempestuous wind, doing God’s will;
 ⁹mountains and all hills,
  fruit trees and all cedars;
 ¹⁰wild beasts and all cattle,
  creeping things and flying birds;
 ¹¹sovereigns of the earth and all peoples,
  princes and all rulers of the world;
 ¹²young men and maidens,
  old and | young together. 
 ¹³Let them praise the name of the Lord,
  whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is over earth and heaven.
 ¹⁴The Lord has raised up strength for the people and praise for all faithful servants,
  the children of Israel, a people who are near the Lord. Hallelujah! 

Second Reading: Galatians 4:4-7

⁴When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. ⁶And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

²²When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, [Joseph and Mary] brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), ²⁴and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
  ²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
 ²⁹“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
  according to your word;
 ³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation,
  ³¹which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
 ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles
  and for glory to your people Israel.”
  ³³And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
  ³⁶There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
  ³⁹When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

SERMON:

Prayer:  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

         The new calendar year will start with January 1 at the end of this week and we will reflect over the events of this year, bemoaning how hard 2020 was and how we hope not to have another tough year like this one.  Many of us are more than ready to be finished with politics and all its accusations, ready to be finished with Covid 19 and all its restrictions and fear, ready to be rid of financial restrictions from lost jobs, ready for kids to return to school so adults can work…oh my, ready for a change.  Our prayer is that 2021 will be easier than 2020.  I note, though, that our focus of this prayer is on the desire for the events of our life to be less stressful.

         On the other hand, if there is another hand, the liturgical year started November 29, 2020, with Advent, a time of waiting for the fulfillment of promise by God. It does not track life chronologically by events of today but looks through a different lens.  It centers around the anticipation of Jesus, his early childhood, his life, his death, his resurrection and how his reality impacts our life.  Christmas Day celebrates the Incarnation of the Eternal.  Perhaps we could call it the materialization of the Holy so that our physical eyes can see – the unseen.  The Christmas story has not ended.  We have read the preface to the book and now on to the introduction!  I feel like we have stepped into “the transport” circles on the star ship Enterprise with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Bones, and are being transported to a new world, going to “places where no man has gone before.” 

         None of the people we have met so far in the Christmas story have totally understood what is happening much beyond their present.  Certainly the Romans were looking for a Messiah whom they thought they could kill if they identified him.  Certainly Zechariah and Elizabeth had seen an angel and bore a miracle son they called John and whom they thought would rally their people to return to faith – in what? The law?  Certainly Joseph and Mary had seen angels and knew their baby was of God and would be the Messiah, but the popular belief was that the Messiah would bring salvation from the Romans.  The shepherds, well, they visited and returned to their fields and probably seldom were able to go to worship.  Things are happening within a known setting in irregular ways but how are they understood?

         Today we are being challenged.  Joseph and Mary are “amazed” by what they hear as they bring the baby Jesus along with their two doves to have Jesus circumcised – the eighth day, probably before the arrival of the wise men.  Joseph and Mary are amazed.  How will we be amazed by this message today?

         When Kirk, Spock, and Bones step onto a new planet with new forms of life, they go from the known to a new understanding, in some ways a new revelation.  In a similar way, the story of faith is an unfolding growth in seeing and experiencing life.  One of my favorite Star Trek original episodes involves a visit to a planet where life is based on nitrogen rather than carbon.  It was something like that in my memory.  They discover that the creatures they mistake to be rocks are actually animate and that the “mother” is protecting her rock eggs but they wound her with their lasers.  Once they understand the way the planet works, probably Spock did some sort of mind lock with the creature, they heal the rock being and the episode ends happy ever after.

         Today we have Joseph and Mary holding the baby Jesus as he is circumcised and Simeon and Anna who enter the story with new eyes, speak amazing words.  Why does Luke include this episode in his gospel?  Could it be that Luke wants us to understand that revelation does come just through angels to “key characters in a story” but it also comes to us, ordinary people?  Revelation enters our time and often is cloaked in mystery.  As we grasp it, we are amazed!  Are you ready to be amazed?

         Both Simeon and Anna have been waiting a lifetime for the appearance of “the promised savior.”  We know about waiting.  Stay six feet apart.  Wait for the stimulus check.  Wait for the vaccine.  Wait for the weather broadcasted environmental challenge or wait for the changing of the guard in the presidency.  We wait.  Simeon was an ordinary, righteous man, a common churchgoer like us.  He was not a priest, possibly not that learned but known to be righteous and devout, listening to the Holy Spirit.  He is like me.  He is waiting “for the consolation of Israel.”   Simeon challenges me to ask myself how I wait.  Am I listening to God on Sunday and news the rest of the week, or gossip, or whatever?  Simeon understands that God’s salvation plan will unfold in his lifetime and so he looks for evidence of God working in his world.  When all the events surrounding Simeon are confusing, Simeon looks and listens.

         Do I hear the voice of skepticism, that little voice whispering in your ear – right???  Good enough for Bible characters but not for me.  Does God rrrreeeaaallllyy speak today?  Does God speak to ordinary people like us today?  My answer is yes.  We call it inspiration.  There are those “aha” moments as we wrestle with the direction of life, do I marry him or her – is there another, is this the right job or is there another, which major to choose in college, or even which gift to buy at Christmas – suddenly the “light dawns,” as we say, and we know in our gut which way to go.  God speaks through nature, through music, through friends, through Scripture and through experience as he journeys with us.  He speaks into reality but does not contradict himself.  Like Simeon we wait for God’s truth to become real in our life and we receive God’s revelation. But we only understand partially, seeing through a glass dimly.

         Let us not forget Anna, a widow of many years, perhaps as much as sixty, who also was an ordinary person, waiting for God to speak. She also committed her time to prayer and fasting. Many years of waiting for an answer!  Wow, we have trouble waiting through commercials.  Prayer and fasting imply to me that her actions were congruent with her desire to live faithfully.  She was not passive but active.  A deep skepticism has settled on us these days, I believe.  All the political indecision and medical indecision can lead to a futile resignation and sense that – what will be, will be, “que sera”.   The news media has lost credibility and the intense campaign to get us to be vaccinated resonates as “the lady doth protest too much.”  So, let us do a little mental check on our spiritual disciplines that help us actively listen for God’s voice. Spiritual disciplines often involve habits of reading Scripture, journaling, prayer, fasting, meditation, fellowship and even stewardship.  We may be willing to receive a revelation but is our cell phone charged, our antenna connected?  Anna was an ordinary person like us, listening and investing energy in her relationship with God through prayer and fasting.  How are we investing as we wait?

         Revelation amazes us as we are challenged to see the future in new ways that we don’t really grasp.  Kirk and Spock had never thought of life being organized with rock beings.  They don’t really understand what that means and are amazed.  Joseph and Mary listen to Simeon and are equally amazed.  What did his prophecy mean about that little baby, so helpless in their arms?  What is the implication for their lives?  Revelation is cloaked in mystery, in the future, in the unknown, taking us to “places no man has ever gone.”

         “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵so that the inner thoughts of     many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Hmmm.  I would be hesitant to say this has truly been fulfilled and how but again I see “revelation” at work.  The Christ child will reveal “the inner thoughts of many.”  Simeon and Anna cause me to reflect on if I am listening as an ordinary person and how I am listening.  Simeon’s words cut deep into my heart.  Am I listening and acting like I do to the evening news broadcast, a bit passively and critically and doubtfully, or am I listening with faith that the unseen, that which I don’t understand, that which leaves me out of control – is possible.  Revelation reveals if I listen with human ears or spiritual ears.  The mystery of revelation calls me to faith in a God who is acting in history – yours and mine, who acts for my good whether today or in the future, and who holds the whole world in his hands even if we don’t see and understand.  Revelation amazed Joseph and Mary and amazes me because I don’t understand and I am called to trust God.

         Revelation is not necessarily about predicting a happy-ever-after ending and often acts as “a sword that pierces our soul.”  We are afraid to hear we will die.  We are afraid when our candidate loses.  We may have questions about the unknown of the new vaccine. Yes, I want to go to heaven.  Yes, I want the Romans conquered.  Yes, I want the Messiah but hearing what that looks like is more challenging.  My inner thoughts and desires are revealed and I am challenged to trust God.

         Revelation amazes us as we step into new territory.  Revelation amazes us as we realize our selfishness and must bow to the God who knows and leads.  But revelation also leads us to praise and to speak to others.  Anna could not be quiet when she met the Christ child in the temple.  Her prayers and fasting had been answered!  God is acting into the future in ways like a baby that she could not understand but Anna sees the bigger picture, not the baby from God but the God in the baby.  Anna bursts into praise.

         Today we have gone where no man had ever gone before.  Ordinary people like Simeon and Anna who were waiting for God faithfully, saw a baby brought for an ordinary circumcision.  Ordinary people doing ordinary actions but revelation is seeing the extraordinary, seeing the hand of God in the ordinary events of our lives.  He is not defeated by Rome.  He is not defeated by poverty.  He is not defeated by our lack of understanding.  God is active in our world today and THAT, my dear friends, is grounds for praise and sharing.  May you see with the eyes of your heart this week and may you find time to practice spiritual disciplines and listen to a God who reveals to ordinary people like us, his mysterious love.  Blessings.

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

¹¹Thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. ¹²As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. ¹³I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. ¹⁴I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. ¹⁶I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
  ²⁰Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, ²²I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
  ²³I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

Psalm: Psalm 95:1-7a

 ¹Come, let us sing to the Lord;
  let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
 ²Let us come before God’s presence with thanksgiving
  and raise a loud shout to the Lord with psalms.
 ³For you, Lord, are a great God,
  and a great ruler above all gods.
 ⁴In your hand are the caverns of the earth;
  the heights of the hills are also yours. 
 ⁵The sea is yours, for you made it,
  and your hands have molded the dry land.
 ⁶Come, let us worship and bow down,
  let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
 ^7aFor the Lord is our God,
  and we are the people of God’s pasture and the sheep of God’s hand.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23

¹⁵I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. ²⁰God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. ²²And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

 [Jesus said to the disciples:] ³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. ³⁴Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ⁴⁰And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me.’ ⁴¹Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

SERMON

Charles Dickens opens his famous book Tale of Two Cities with these words:

         “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age     of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of       belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light,     it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was          the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had   nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were      all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far        like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities        insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the        superlative degree of comparison only.”

We come to the end of Pentecost and the end of the Christian year.  Next Sunday we start the liturgical cycle again only we will be looking at our faith through the eyes of Mark.  This year we have listened to Matthew tell us first about who Jesus was and then how the reality of Jesus’ life impacts our lives.  Today we get a glimpse of the final scene, of what will happen when Jesus returns.  Like Dickens’ introduction, in that event we will be faced with the extremes of our life: kings and peasants, good guys and bad guys, rewards and punishments.

Kings and Peasants

         How do you picture Jesus?  Some like the picture of him welcoming the little children onto his lap.  Another famous picture is of Jesus walking like a shepherd carrying a little lamb.  My parents had the picture hanging in their bedroom of a young man at the helm of a boat in a stormy sea and Jesus standing just behind him with one hand on the youth’s shoulder and the other pointing the direction for the ship to go. Jesus does not paint a picture of his return for the disciples based on their experience of him.  He opens our text today describing “the Son of Man coming in his glory.”  Advent, starting next week, introduces Jesus in a manger, humbly ushered into human lives.  Today Christ the King comes in glory with the angels.  Is that the Halleluiah Chorus I hear in the background?  Like another song, I wonder if I will fall down at his feet in awe or be shouting in joy.  Or will I be able to speak at all?  I can only imagine!

         It will not be a humble manger in a stable but all the nations of the world will be gathered before him and he will speak with authority.  This is not a courtroom.  This is not waiting for the election returns.  What we have seen as a poor reflection in a mirror, we will see face to face.  As 1 Corinthians 13 says, “Now I know in part, then I shall know fully even as I am fully known.”  The end will be King Jesus coming to his world and bringing real justice to his people.

         But wait, we also see another picture of Jesus in this scene.  “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me.”  King Jesus is also that lowly child in a manger, the needy people, perhaps the neighbors, of our everyday life.  The picture here may be of a returning king but it is also a picture of a present king who is enmeshed in the reality of our lives.  He is not just returning, he is also revealing, shall we say unmasking, his presence in our world.  We thought he left but he has been here all along.  This picture of the Christian God is far different from other religions with gods sitting on shelves, fighting in the heavens, or sending angels to keep track of our good deeds and bad deeds.  The Christian God, the triune God, the God known to us in the reality of Jesus will be seen as the Son of Man coming in glory with his angels and the God who has been present in our everyday lives.  Jesus was there in the best of times and in the worst of times.

Good Guys and Bad Guys

         “It was the age of wisdom and the age of foolishness.”  When Christ returns he places people on his right and people on his left, two groups.  He calls it sheep and goats but we could call it wise and foolish, believers and unbelievers.  I lived for a while in the desert of Kenya with people who had sheep and goats.  At first I could not tell one from the other as I had only seen them in childhood books.  Kenyan sheep had black heads and white bodies with a large bulbous tail of fat that flapped behind them.  During times of famine, pieces of the tail were cut off for food.  My workman shared how he fell from a tree and a piece of sheep fat was cut off and used as a bandage.  Sheep walked with their head down, following the sheep in-front of them, nibbling grass.  I never saw them jump or leap but just follow the leader.  Their milk is very sweet and smooth for tea.  Goats on the other hand are lively, jumping around, male bucks bumping heads and fighting.  You had to catch them by the back leg to milk them and their milk is the closest to human milk for a baby.  I have seen three sheep blindly follow the leader right into a speeding bus.  Klunk, klunk, klunk, as they rolled under the wheels.  But I must also say I hit a goat jumping off the hill beside the road to run in-front of my car.  That guy didn’t make it either.

         Both sets of people are confronted with how they responded to the needy people in their lives who in actuality represented Jesus.  Both claim they have little remembrance of the incidents.  The sheep don’t remember helping and the goats don’t remember not helping.  For the sheep, compassion and mercy were so natural the incidents do not even stand out in their mind. 

         I find it interesting that Jesus does not play the comparison game with either group of people.  The goats are not guilty for not being sheep.  They are guilty for their own actions.  The sheep are not rewarded for being better than the goats.  It is not a judgment based on a sliding scale of comparison.  There is no failure because of a less than perfect lifestyle.  There is no picture of large crowns for the famous and small crowns for the poor, no forgotten people who tried so hard with the little they had.  Also the picture is not of success as in the previous parable where the guys who doubled their talents were praised.  Some are not singled out for their amount of engagement.  The standard seems to be engaging relationship of compassion for the need of the other or lack of engagement because of no concern for the other.

         The question that comes to my mind is to wonder if at the final coming of Christ, are our works what tips the balance and determines if we enter heaven?  Works salvation. Ephesians 2: 8-10 says,

         “⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not     your own doing; it is the gift of God— ⁹ not the result of works, so that    no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are what he has made us, created in     Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be          our way of life.”

         People grade or evaluate each other by works.  They like those people kind to them and avoid those who are not so nice.  Perhaps we are more prone to forgive or help those we are related to in some way but, as Thanksgiving comes this week, I can remember the conversations about who did what last year, brought what to the meal, or decorated their home in various ways.  We won’t mention the anxiety of Christmas gift shopping.  Works reminds me of the “chores” that had to be done to get an allowance.  People who had abusive fathers find the thought of pleasing a “Father God” very frightening.  Works play into my control issues.  I am in control of my works so I deserve to get to heaven, ergo, I do not have to worry about relationship with an unseen being.  For sure this being will reward my good efforts to love my neighbor as myself.  Salvation by grace is a humbling concept and we are quick to ponder this part of the story.  Surely the sheep were nicer than the goats, smarter than the goats, more deserving than the goats: the good guy is me.  Surely the goats were the bad guys, the guys in the newspaper, the demonstrators or that other party or that other ethnicity or even that other religion.  They were bad guys.  Neither the sheep nor the goats understood their lives accurately.  We are saved by grace, in relationship to Christ.  The thief on the cross entered Paradise that day as did Peter at his death.  This is a mystery we understand only partially but which will become clear at the coming of Christ.

Rewards and Punishments

         “It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.”  The end will be a time of rewards.  When the reigning and revealing King Jesus returns and separates us into those who desire to follow him and those who do not.  The parable teaches that places have been prepared for both groups of people.  Those who want to live in Christ’s kingdom will hear, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  We call it heaven.  I understand it to be a place living in honest relationship with the God even as we sought to relate in this life.  It is almost impossible to describe.  The end of Revelation tries.  Eternal life, flowing rivers, eternal light, no illness, continual presence of Christ.  Life with the King. 

         For those who did not want to be involved with God during their lives but created their own set of rules to live by and evaluated their lives by their own lives, another place is prepared for them where they will not be forced to live as they do not want.  God does not force us to believe and pledge allegiance to him.  The parable calls it a place of punishment and through the ages, many gruesome pictures have been painted.  Even as we cannot envision the joy of heaven, for those of us who follow Jesus, we cannot envision life without his presence.  We are incredulous to believe there can be life without his presence.  Rewards and punishments are all cloaked in mystery. 

         So ultimately, what do we know?  We do know that Christ will return as king.  We know he will call his followers from all the nations of the world.  We know Christ will see through eyes of having walked in our shoes and understanding all the influences in our lives.  We know we cannot earn heaven a present for good works but it is a result of presence with Christ. It is a gift that God offers us.  True justice and fairness will become reality.  We will no longer struggle.  The Jesus we see in the Gospels who welcomed the children, healed the blind, walked on water and rose from the dead, will be the there as predicted in Isaiah 61: 1-4 and Luke 4:18-19:

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and release to the prisoners;
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
³ to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
⁴ They shall build up the ancient ruins,
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.

Christ the King ushers in a season of light, a time of hope, and heaven.  All God’s people said, “Amen!”

First Reading: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18

 ⁷Be silent before the Lord God!
  For the day of the Lord is at hand;
 the Lord has prepared a sacrifice,
  he has consecrated his guests.
¹²At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
  and I will punish the people
 who rest complacently on their dregs,
  those who say in their hearts,
 “The Lord will not do good,
  nor will he do harm.”
 ¹³Their wealth shall be plundered,
  and their houses laid waste.
 Though they build houses,
  they shall not inhabit them;
 though they plant vineyards,
  they shall not drink wine from them.
¹⁴The great day of the Lord is near,
  near and hastening fast;
 the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter,
  the warrior cries aloud there.
 ¹⁵That day will be a day of wrath,
  a day of distress and anguish,
 a day of ruin and devastation,
  a day of darkness and gloom,
 a day of clouds and thick darkness,
  ¹⁶a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
 against the fortified cities
  and against the lofty battlements.
¹⁷I will bring such distress upon people
  that they shall walk like the blind;
  because they have sinned against the Lord,
 their blood shall be poured out like dust,
  and their flesh like dung.
 ¹⁸Neither their silver nor their gold
  will be able to save them
  on the day of the Lord’s wrath;
 in the fire of his passion
  the whole earth shall be consumed;
 for a full, a terrible end
  he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Psalm: Psalm 90:1-8 [9-11] 12

 ¹Lord, you have been our refuge
  from one generation to another.
 ²Before the mountains were brought forth, or the land and the earth    were born, from age to age you are God.
 ³You turn us back to the dust and say,
  “Turn back, O children of earth.”
 ⁴For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is   past  and like a watch in the night;
 ⁵you sweep them away like a dream,
  they fade away suddenly like the grass:
 ⁶in the morning it is green and flourishes;
  in the evening it is dried up and withered.
 ⁷For we are consumed by your anger;
  we are afraid because of your wrath.
 ⁸Our iniquities you have set before you,
  and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
[ ⁹When you are angry, all our days are gone;
  we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
 ¹⁰The span of our life is seventy years, perhaps in strength even          eighty; yet the sum of them is but labor and sorrow, for they         pass away quickly and we are gone.
 ¹¹Who regards the power of your wrath?
  Who rightly fears your indignation?
]  ¹²So teach us to number our days
  that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

¹Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. ²For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! ⁴But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; ⁵for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. ⁶So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; ⁷for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

 [Jesus said to the disciples:] ¹⁴“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; ¹⁵to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. ¹⁷In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. ¹⁸But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ ²¹His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²²And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ ²³His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; ²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. ²⁹For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ³⁰As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ”

Prayer:  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

         Today we come to the next to the last Sunday in Pentecost.  Next week is Christ the King Sunday and then Advent.  I’m ready for the Hallmark channel and stories with a happy ending after all we have experienced these days.  But, today Jesus is still answering the disciples question about signs of the end of the age and the coming of the kingdom of heaven.  I want to look at the parable today through the lens of law and gospel.

         The parable is about a master who gathers his slaves and gives them differing amounts of talents according to their ability before he goes on a long journey.  He returns and the slave given five talents has made five talents.  The slave given two talents has made two talents.  The slave given one talent has buried his talent for fear of the master.  The master calls the slaves forward.  He is pleased with the five and two talent slaves but angry with the one talent slave.  The first two slaves are praised and rewarded and the third is punished and cast out.  How do we understand this?

         First we are going to look through the eyes of law.  Remember that the law drives us to the cross for we see our inadequacies and limitations, our need for Christ and salvation.  Law shows us we are broken people in a broken world that needs a savior.  We and our neighbor never get it right.  Did I hear an “Amen!” on that?  Government is not going to prevent death.  Laws do not create roads that are always safe or people that pay taxes honestly.  Hospitals treat but God heals. Ultimately, law drives us to the cross.

         So where do we see law in this parable? 

         Do you notice that the language of the parable has changed from bridegroom and bridesmaids culminating in a wedding feast?  Today we talk about a “master” and his “slaves.”  I suspect as Americans we grimace to hear these words.  For sure Americans want to think we are free to forge our destiny.  Anyone almost can become president.  If we work hard enough, we can make a future happen.  If we use all the medicines, creams and goops of advertisements, we can ward off old age and death.  Are we surprised at language that promises to control a pandemic and to save the environment?  We are master’s of our destiny, not slaves.  Slaves are not free to follow their dream.  “Lord” tends to elevate the master to distant Washington DC whereas the title “master” brings the story close to home.  If I need to bow to  Jesus as my “master,” I may well discover I have arthritis in my knees!

         Also we would like to believe we are all equal.  People have various degrees of talents we will agree but we also believe success is a statement about training, heritage, money and hard work.  My mother used to say, “If I had gone to college, I would have written a book,” for she was a product of the depression and the fourth daughter.  College was not for her but she wanted her children to have that opportunity.  We think slavery is a reversible state that can be changed to equality with the master if we protest long enough and get laws changed.  One of our political agendas is to tackle racism and create equality.  “All men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights: life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  If the constitution says it, it’s true and we resist the blatant inequality in this parable.

         Thirdly we do not want to think the master would punish the lazy slave.  We want to think of the master as loving and forgiving, kind of a glorified Santa Claus.  If we relegate the stories of judgment to the Old Testament, to the past and focus on salvation for all…sometime, we can ignore the closing lines of this parable.  “Good” masters are kind and forgiving and slaves do not have to fear them.  The master will accept the slave’s victim language. The last slave had to bury his talent because he was scared.  Our mental state justifies our actions. In the same way, we justify alcohol and pornography. We convince ourselves we had to indulge or that the other drove us to it.  When the third slave claims he knew the master was strict, it reminded me of Adam answering God that it was the wife God gave him that led him to eat the apple.   Both Adam and this slave blame God for their problems.  The master in the parable does not accept this whine.  Not only did the slave blame God, he buried the talent, essentially cutting off communication with God. We are responsible for our actions, ouch.  God will not make us love him.

         Confronted with this parable, my humanness cries out against being a slave to another and not the master of my life.  I don’t want to be an ordinary person but I want to be special.  I have made mistakes but surely they are forgivable. Right?

         So where do we see grace in this parable.

         The master gives talents to all.  In the parable “talents” are amounts of money.  Every person receives something.  My talent may not be yours but each person brings something to this fellowship of believers.  No one here today is unimportant or unneeded.  We form a body with different roles.  Also, it does not appear that there are instructions on how to use the talents.  Singing in the opera, singing in the church choir, and singing my child to sleep all have meaning.  How we use our talents is up to us.  The slaves are “entrusted” to manage the talents. T]The master gives and goes about his business allowing the slaves to enjoy their talents.  There is trust.  The master does not micro-manage the slaves.  The talents are not a test to evaluate the slave but a gifting, designed to enhance the life of the slave.  The criteria is the trustworthiness of the slave not how well the slave uses the talent compared to another slave.

         Next, I note that the talents are given according to the slave’s ability.  The master knows his slaves, their abilities and their limitations.  The master is involved, knowing his slaves. Even though we experience him as off on a journey, there seems to be a personal relationship and knowledge.  The master does not compare the slaves but deals with each one individually. 

         I looked up the quote that goes with “walk a mile in my shoes” and found over 300 variations of it.  I liked

Walk a mile in my shoes

See what I see

Hear what I hear

Feel what I feel

Then maybe you’ll understand

Why I do what I do…

Till then, don’t judge me.

As this parable unfolds, we see a picture of a master who is present with his slaves, knows them, departs and then returns.  It is possible then to equate the master with Jesus.  Jesus has walked in our shoes, seen, heard and felt what we’ve felt and understands us.  He is not sitting far removed on a throne but standing face to face with his slave.  Jesus “sees” me and understands.  He has walked with me through my life.  He may not be Santa Claus but he is the Good Shepherd leading me, guiding me, and with me in the valley of the shadow of death.  I need fear no evil.

         “Enter into the joy of your master, ” are the words at the close of the age.  “Well done though good and faithful servant,” is another way of saying it.  The master does not give a Christmas bonus.  The master does not smile and tell the slave to go fix dinner as in another parable.  The end of our journey is “JOY.”  That is grace! I do not think this joy is experiential like the happiness of entering heaven, like being handed the keys to your new home, or like the reunion with a long lost friend.  Our human joy always seems to be followed by the valley after the mountain-top.  I think here we are talking about a permanent atmosphere because it radiates from Christ himself, a sense of always being loved, of never disappointing, of continual presence.  I cannot imagine what it will be like but I suspect it will not be St Peter meeting us at the gate, asking for the right password, checking the log to make sure our name is written in the book of life.  No.  The parable says that the master, Jesus, will meet us and say “Enter into the joy of your master.”  Wow.

         Next week we will stand at the throne and face Christ, the King.  This parable tells us that day is coming but is not yet.  It will be like a wedding feast when the groom receives his bride.  It will be like a master returning to reward his slaves.  It will be a time of reward for all that has been entrusted to us.  It will be a time of transparency, of being known.  And it will be a time of joy.  It is a time to look forward to.  Thank you Lord.

First Reading: Amos 5:18-24

 ¹⁸Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord!
  Why do you want the day of the Lord?
 It is darkness, not light;
  ¹⁹as if someone fled from a lion,
  and was met by a bear;
 or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall,
  and was bitten by a snake.
 ²⁰Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light,
  and gloom with no brightness in it?
²¹I hate, I despise your festivals,
  and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
 ²²Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
  I will not accept them;
 and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
  I will not look upon.
 ²³Take away from me the noise of your songs;
  I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
 ²⁴But let justice roll down like waters,
  and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Psalm: Psalm 70

 ¹Be pleased, O God, to deliver me;
  O Lord, make haste to help me.
 ²Let those who seek my life be put to shame and confounded;
  let those who take pleasure in my misfortune draw back and be         disgraced. 
 ³Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me turn back because of        their shame.
 ⁴Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
  let those who love your salvation say forever, “Great is the Lord!”
 ⁵But as for me, I am poor and needy; come to me quickly, O God.
  You are my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

¹³We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. ¹⁵For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. ¹⁶For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13

 [Jesus said to the disciples:] ¹“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. ¹¹Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹²But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ ¹³Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  An Aesop tale similar to our text today:

The Shepherd Boy & the Wolf

A Shepherd Boy tended his master’s Sheep near a dark forest not far from the village. Soon he found life in the pasture very dull. One day he thought of a plan to amuse himself.

He ran toward the village shouting at the top of his voice, “Wolf! Wolf!” The Villagers who heard the cry dropped their work and ran in great excitement to the pasture. But when they got there they found the Boy doubled up with laughter at the trick he had played on them.  A few days later the Shepherd Boy again shouted, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again the Villagers ran to help him, only to be laughed at again.

Then one evening as the sun was setting behind the forest and the shadows were creeping out over the pasture, a Wolf really did spring from the underbrush and fall upon the Sheep. The Boy ran toward the village shouting “Wolf! Wolf!” But though the Villagers heard the cry, they did not run to help him as they had before. “He cannot fool us again,” they said. The Wolf killed a great many of the Boy’s sheep.

Prayer:  Lord may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable in your sight.  Amen.

SERMON

         Today our text continues answering the question the disciples asked at the beginning of chapter 24 of Matthew. Discussing the beauty of the Temple but its eventual ruin, they asked Jesus to explain, “When will this happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age.”  How do we know Jesus is about to return?  Jesus answers with a story, using the image of a bridegroom coming for his wedding. The people invited are gathered and waiting.

         Today we can identify with the disciples’ anxiety as we have now gone through our last week of political elections, all the confusion and overload of media. As I write this, there is still no clear decision.  “Be patient!” is the mantra.  Impending change raises questions and anxieties.  I love the line in Fiddler on the Roof, at the end, when the Jewish community receives news that they must leave their village.  A man asks, “Would this not be a good time for the Messiah to come?”  The answer, “We will have to wait for him elsewhere.”  The disciples and we wonder how will we know the end is coming when Jesus will return.  What will happen between now and January 20th?  Would this not be a good time for the Lord to return? 

         Jesus in this text uses the imagery of a wedding.  “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this…”  We will explore three “W’s” in this text: waiting, wisdom, and welcome. 

         Most agree that the bridegroom is Jesus. Jesus will return to culminate his relationship with the church, believers.  Not just Lutherans.  Not just USA but worldwide.  The ten women represent those anticipating his arrival.  Ten is not a random number and reminds us of the Ten Commandments, perhaps speaking to the many who are seeking to please an unseen god.  At the beginning of the parable, there is no way to differentiate the women waiting except we have a clue that half were foolish and half were wise.  All have lamps but half brought oil for their lamps and half didn’t. The problem does not seem to be that they are women nor that they have various talents.  They are not like the resistant tenants in the previous parables.  These bridesmaids are waiting for the coming of the groom. The problem, the fly in the ointment, is that the bridegroom delays.  “⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.” All the women are waiting and all become drowsy and sleep. 

The end requires WAITING

         So the first thing I see is that we are all waiting.  We do not know when Christ will return, the hour or the day, but we know he is coming.  Persecution, hard times, problems often raise the question – will the end come now?  In the 60s there was a big interest in end times, books about Christ’s return like the Left Behind series, communities preparing, movies and predictions.  Yet today we wait.  For many that has become a cry for us to establish justice on earth with our legal system, with our aid organizations, and with our life styles and resources.  Waiting impacts our way of life and thinking.

         I remember waiting to turn 21 because then I could ….  I remember waiting for Malcolm to propose because then I would …..   I remember waiting for those babies to arrive ….  Perhaps we identify with waiting for the paycheck to be deposited so we can pay our bills.  As Americans we have been waiting for elections and the anticipated social upheaval.  Waiting is not easy.  Waiting raises questions and doubts about our future. 

         Often we tire in waiting and become drowsy. We turn on the TV or call a friend or do whatever.  ALL the bridesmaids become drowsy.  This is not a good-guys, bad-guys criteria.  It is not that some are doing hard work preparing for the wedding while others lazy about.  All the women become drowsy.  Waiting is the name of the game politically and spiritually.

         So how are we waiting?  I would suppose the bridesmaids could have spent their time sharing stories (let’s not call it gossip), playing cell-phone games to entertain themselves, or dodging out to do a task while their friend holds a spot in line.  In other words they focus on the more immediate issues of life.  It is so easy to become sloppy in our spiritual disciplines and perhaps this parable confronts us to ask if we have become drowsy in waiting for Jesus to return.  Is there a spiritual discipline we need to stir up today: prayer, journaling, praise, church going, tithing, or perhaps just calling a friend to encourage.

The end requires WISDOM:

         “⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.”  Now the difference in the bridesmaids becomes apparent.  We think of midnight as referring to the last minute.  Perhaps it means that when we think all is lost. In those “midnight” moments, our drowsiness gives way to alertness.  We now see that half the women have come prepared to trim their wicks and light their lamps and half are unprepared.  Half have been wise and half have been foolish.  All were invited to be bridesmaids.  All of them are together.  All have lamps. None want to miss the party.  But…

         In Proverbs 1:20 we read that “wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square.”  Wisdom calls to all, but not everyone listens.  We are all called and salvation is offered to all but human choice is also acknowledged in this parable.  The serious reality of life is that being in church does not save us, getting baptized does not save us, nor does going through confirmation save us.  “By grace we are saved through faith and that not of ourselves.”  Sitting and waiting for the bridegroom is only part of reality.  We are people made in the image of God, invited to the banquet but we have a choice.

         Usually today we think of oil in the New Testament as referring to the Holy Spirit.  If we make that connection, we have a problem.  The Holy Spirit is not something we keep in a flask for special moments.  The Holy Spirit’s presence is not something we can run out of nor something we can buy at the local market.  Jesus is speaking into the world of the disciples, pre-crucifixion and pre-awareness of the presence of the Spirit of God within the believer.  As I pondered this, two thoughts came to mind.

         First I thought about the sower who throws his seeds on four types of soil: the hardened pathway, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil. The word does not even phase the hardened path.  Seeds thrown on rocky and thorny ground sprout but are choked by the cares of life.  Not all seed that is sown and that appears to sprout comes to fruition.  This tells me that faith is a journey, not some magical moment when I am overwhelmed with the awareness that Jesus is the Christ, the living God.  Our faith is something we must nurture and tend to and cherish, not a historical marker.  Christ died for all, all are invited to the wedding feast and all are invited but not all can enter.

         Secondly I thought of the Luke parable about a man building a tower who first counts the cost before starting to build or the king who evaluates his enemy to decide if he can win before going into battle.  Many evangelists sell Jesus as “Try it, you’ll like it.”  Jesus is presented as the cure all for life’s problems.  With enough faith, mountains can be moved and when they don’t, the problem is the person’s lack of faith.  A possible explanation of the difference between the bridesmaids is that some are prepared with resources in reserve for rough times and others come to the party. They have counted the cost and come prepared.

         During times of struggle and trials, what resources do we have in reserve?    Are we collapsible or can we persevere?  Our internal resources are not something we can give to another, bottle up and give away to our children, husband or beloved friend.  We can share about our experience but we cannot make someone believe or make their choices for them.  They must read the word for themselves and make choices that grow their faith.  That sounds harsh but the wise dig deep and fill their lamps and the foolish run to town in the middle of the night when shops are closed.

         If this text challenges about how we are waiting, it also challenges us about the resources or reserves in our spiritual life.  When tough times come, do we collapse and fall to pieces or do we have a coping strategy and know verses, songs, friends we can turn to?

The end involves WELCOME:

         The bridegroom does arrive and welcomes the bridesmaids who have trimmed their lamps and stand ready.  The door is closed.  It reminds me of the story of Noah and the Ark.  Noah is told the flood is coming.  He prepares an ark to deliver.  He warns and invites his neighbors.  But the moment comes for the flood and the door is closed.  I reflect on the story of Moses and Pharaoh.  Moses tells Pharaoh he is not god and warns him.  “Let my people go.”  God sends ten plagues and still pharaoh does not prepare.  His confidence remains in himself and not God.  The Red Sea closes the door.  Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man.  Lazarus dies and goes to the bosom of Abraham while the rich man goes to the place of torment and asks for a finger-tip of water.  Lazarus whom he did not recognize in life, cannot cross the chasm to comfort him in death.

         Jesus tells his disciples he will return.  It will seem like he is delaying and we will look around at a world that seems out of God’s control.  Our faith in Christ will be tried and stretched.  We will need to be prepared for those times that drain our lamps.  But Jesus will return. “’ ¹³Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

         When the foolish bridesmaids pound on the door and ask to join the party, they are refused and turned away.  The bridegroom replies ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ “  They are not welcome.  In chapter 7 Matthew tells us, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

So let’s summarize:

All bridesmaids want to go to heaven.  Christ died for all.

All must wait for the arrival of the bridegroom.

All  bridesmaids have lamps.

All grow drowsy.

The difference, the wise are prepared with reserves and the foolish must run to town in the middle of the night.  The shepherd boy in Aesop’s Fable got bored watching and waiting.  When he truly needed help he was not prepared.  His laziness led to his doom.  Let us not tire and be drowsy.

The kingdom of heaven will be a place of welcome and rejoicing.  We are warned to stay awake and be prepared for we do not know when Christ will return.  But return he will.  We can count on the outcome of that event.

First Reading: Isaiah 45:1-7

 ¹Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
  whose right hand I have grasped
 to subdue nations before him
  and strip kings of their robes,
 to open doors before him—
  and the gates shall not be closed:
 ²I will go before you
  and level the mountains,
 I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
  and cut through the bars of iron,
 ³I will give you the treasures of darkness
  and riches hidden in secret places,
 so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
  the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
 ⁴For the sake of my servant Jacob,
  and Israel my chosen,
 I call you by your name,
  I surname you, though you do not know me.
 ⁵I am the Lord, and there is no other;
  besides me there is no god.
  I arm you, though you do not know me,
 ⁶so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
  and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
  I am the Lord, and there is no other.
 ⁷I form light and create darkness,
  I make wealth and create woe;
  I the Lord do all these things.

Psalm: Psalm 96:1-9 [10-13]

 ¹Sing to the Lord a new song;
  sing to the Lord, all the earth.
 ²Sing to the Lord, bless the name of the Lord;
  proclaim God’s salvation from day to day.
 ³Declare God’s glory among the nations
  and God’s wonders among all peoples.
 ⁴For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised,
  more to be feared than all gods. 
 ⁵As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols;
  but you, O Lord, have made the heavens.
 ⁶Majesty and magnificence are in your presence;
  power and splendor are in your sanctuary.
 ⁷Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,
  ascribe to the Lord honor and power.
 ⁸Ascribe to the Lord the honor due the holy name;
  bring offerings and enter the courts of the Lord. 
 ⁹Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
  tremble before the Lord, all the earth.
 ¹⁰Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord is king!
  The one who made the world so firm that it cannot be moved will judge the peoples with equity.”
 ¹¹Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
  let the sea thunder and all that is in it; let the field be joyful and all that | is therein.
 ¹²Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy at your coming, O Lord, for you come to judge the earth.
 ¹³You will judge the world with righteousness
  and the peoples with your truth.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

.¹Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
  To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
  Grace to you and peace.

  ²We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly ³remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. ⁶And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, ⁷so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. ⁹For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap [Jesus] in what he said. ¹⁶So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. ¹⁷Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” ¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” ²¹They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²²When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  Today I am going to share one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost.  The Road Not Taken 

SERMON

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

   Let us pray:  Lord, may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart glorify you, my rock and redeemer.  Help us as we ponder the roads we choose.

SERMON

As I write this sermon, one of the questions dominating the news in the US this week has been whether Judge Amy Coney Barrett will make a good US Supreme Court Justice.  I have periodically tuned in to the questioning and answers. The back and forth is worse than a tennis match and requires a depth of legal awareness that is beyond me.  But as I write this sermon, it seems to me the questioning of Jesus in the text is not dissimilar to our modern day situation. Jesus is in Jerusalem, the Washington DC of the Jewish world.  He is at the Temple, the center of government, and he is before leaders. He is in the public eye.  I’m guessing CNN would have loved to be there covering that interview.  Instead we have Matthew’s report.  He is the middle of reporting about that last week of Christ’s life. Can you feel the tension in the air of this story?  The last couple of Sundays we have reflected on Jesus’  parables given about the kingdom of heaven, comparing Judaism to God’s vineyard, and the leaders seem to be the bad guys.  Accountability is coming and the leader’s feathers are ruffled.  The Jewish leaders are “plotting.”

“Then” is the starting word of our text.  We have switched from parables shared by Jesus to the response by those threatened.  Pharisees and Herodians unite to question Jesus.  Both are groups within the Jewish system but Pharisees are defenders of Mosaic law (Pharisees want to be fair, you see), defending Jewish spiritual tradition, and Herodians are defenders of the Herod dynasty, involving Jewish political tradition.  It feels to me similar to the debate now among leaders with differing opinions on how the law is interpreted (I hear the word “originalists”) verses the side that pleas for impact on society by the law (how many might loose coverage if a law is reversed).  Leaders representing the application of law are in debate with ones referring to the meaning of those who wrote the law.  One thread running through the interview is the difference between meaning and impact. 

         In today’s text, the two sides, Pharisees and Herodians, come together to ask Jesus a question designed to trap.  “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?” Caesar represents the hated Roman empire that abuses all of them.  To what extent must the Jews obey a repressive, abusive regime?  This is a moral, ethical question but it is also a legal question.  We stand at the intersection of the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of this world.  Twice in the text we are told the intent of the question is “to entrap” and asked with “malice.”  Jesus even went to far as to call the questioners “hypocrits.”  Ouch! 

“Then.”  Faith lives out its reality in a world of often-murky forces and in response to difficult choices.  Our civil responses occur within the context of our religious beliefs.  Both systems bear weight on us.  I am compelled to obey the speed laws but I am also told by faith to forgive the guy who cuts me off in traffic and not give him the finger. Hmmm.  I am compelled to pay taxes but the honesty with which I respond is a matter of conscience.  Today leaders ask us to wear masks but our response is a personal choice. Clear but not so clear.  Our faith is lived in a context, in the response of “then.”  Those responses often reveal the intent of our heart.  The leaders were trying to entrap Jesus and were malicious in their question.  The answer was obvious.  We must obey the law…but….  I suspect some of the question going on to day may also come from a motive to entrap.  We are so human!  As we respond to situations, we must always check the motives of our heart and then act.

Jesus responds, “¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?”  Jesus does not avoid the question because it is malicious or murky, designed to trap him. He stands firm in the midst of the mess. For most it is difficult to find God in the midst of situations that challenge faith.  In the face of death, war, poverty and disease, we often throw up our hands and ponder, where is God.  How can a God of love allow the civil reality of injustice?  Our pain and discomfort blinds us to a bigger reality and we forget that we live in this civil world that is fallen and we live by a spiritual reality that is eternal.  God is working and answering our question and not afraid of our dilemmas.   Jesus does not zap the Pharisees and the Herodians but uses their duplicity as a teaching moment.

Jesus answers.  We live in two realities.  We must give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and give to God that which is God’s.  When we burn the candle at two ends, we must not be surprised if we burn out.  If we dabble with pornography, is it a surprise there are marital problems?  If we play with fire, we get burned.  Disease kills people and our lives are in God’s hands. The kingdom of the world has truth and consequences. We live in a civil reality.

 But we must also give to God, that which is God’s. Now here comes the bind.  Our civil responsibilities are measured by works but our spiritual responsibilities are issues of loyalty and allegiance and are open to debate about our heart’s intent.  Next week we will focus on Reformation and the truth that we are saved by grace, by faith to do good works.  Our good works do not save us but are an expression of our love of God.  Giving to God is loving God with our whole heart, our whole mind, and with all our strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Justice is tempered with mercy.  Hate is answered with love.  Sin is met with forgiveness.  Civil rules and spiritual rules are different.

So. Let’s go back to our original scenario, the debates we are living with today in our culture.  I would not want to end this sermon leaving the impression that there is only one way, one candidate, one perspective that speaks into our quandaries today.  The answer is not Republican or Democrat, choose a judge now or wait til after the election   Fortunately good, godly people stand on both sides of the isles on these issues and we have the freedom to engage them in public debate even as Jesus engaged people who questioned him, in the Temple. 

The last line to the text today comforts me, “²When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.”  As these people engaged with Jesus, ^“’they were amazed; and they left him and went away.  Coming to Jesus diffuses some of the malice and drive to entrap the other.  Engaging with God and not just arguing our case defuses arguments and anger.  His wisdom goes beyond our reasoning.  As we go to the polls in a few days, we submit to our civil system of choosing leaders.  But as we ponder our choices we submit to a God who sees our hearts and sees what malice may be lying therein.  May we never forget “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)”  Our enemy is not our neighbor.  Our prayer, people will be awed and political unrest will be avoided.  Lord have mercy on us!