Rik's Sermons: May 2017

Sunday, May 21, 2017

The Spirit of Truth - the Advocate

Sermon for Easter 6A – RCL

May 21, 2017

Jesus said, ”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

”I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

The Reading today is more from Jesus’ “farewell discourse”. Jesus has just washed the feet of the disciples, Judas Iscariot has left to betray him and Jesus has given us a new commandment – to love one another as Jesus loves us. Jesus then goes on to say that if we keep his commandments then he will send another Advocate to be with us for all time. And that advocate is the Spirit of truth.

Notice that Jesus says that we will receive another advocate – “another” because Jesus has been the advocate while he walked in human form among us. Jesus was the advocate who came to show us that God’s dream is one where we do love one another. Jesus came and showed us that God’s love for humankind will not end – not ever. Even when mankind tried to kill that love on a cross the love of God refused to die. And even goes so far as to promise the third person of the trinity – the Holy Spirit – will walk among us forever and remind us that we are never alone.

The Spirit of God’s truth – that same spirit that hovered over the waters at the time of creation will be with us at all times. That is the promise in this gospel. And all we have to do is to keep Jesus commandments. We are to love God and love our neighbor. Simple enough – or is it. Sometimes it is not too easy to love our neighbor. Sometimes our neighbors do things that make them very unlovable. Sometimes our society seems to be so out of whack that it makes it impossible to love our neighbors.

And sometimes because of all the turmoil in our lives we feel abandoned and alone. The good news is that even when we feel abandoned by society and those around us we have the Spirit with us. And I admit the promise of this nebulous thing we call the Advocate of truth is not easy to grasp. We would rather have the embodied God, Jesus, to walk along side us. We can understand a companion in flesh and blood.

But the spirit? How is that comforting? I for one have a strong theology of the spirit. I believe that the spirit is manifested in many forms. Sometime it is in the form of the friend who is always your companion. The friend who will tell you when something is not right. The friend that loves you no matter what you do. The friend that knows when to just walk by your side in silence – the friend you know you can reach out to no matter what.

At times we feel like we have no one – that the world has abandoned us but if we sit still and open our hearts to the presence of the God we will discover that the Holy Spirit is there. And sometimes we discover that she has been trying to get our attention for years. Because she is nothing if not persistent in trying to break through our barriers to show us that we are loved.

I have has some very strong experiences of the Holy Spirit moving in my life. In one instance – when I was a lay preacher – I was scheduled to preach during the summer. The Gospel was the feeding of the five thousand. I spent the week before preparing for that sermon and had an outline all ready to go. And then the Holy Spirit showed up and everything was turned on its head.

On that Friday I came home and in the mail was “The Missionary” – the former monthly newsletter of the diocese. The cover story was titled “A voice for the Voiceless.“ It was the account of a young man who committed suicide because he was gay. The article was written by his friends who had not known the despair that this young man had entered into. I was moved to tears when I read the article.

The next morning I sat down with my outline to write my sermon on the feeding of the five thousand and instead a very different sermon came out. I sat down and in under 30 minutes I wrote a sermon on the sin of exclusion. How words indeed hurt and can even kill. As I wrote that sermon I reached for reference books and opened them to the exact page that had quotes that fit perfectly.

When I was done I read the sermon and thought – who wrote this? It wasn’t me. It was certainly a powerful expression of God’s love to all of us. A sermon on keeping the commandment to love God and Love our neighbor. It was a sermon written with the Holy Spirit pouring through me. It was one of the most powerful feelings of God being present in my life that I have ever felt. God the Spirit – the Advocate – flowing though me and being present to add another voice to the voiceless. The promise that no matter what happens – whatever horrors society presents the advocate will be with us.

Catherine Keller – a theologian and professor wrote in her book “On the Mystery” that “Whatever horrors we as a species perpetrate against the earth and all its populations, the spirit in process continues to call us towards the “new heaven and earth”: the renewal of creation.”[i] The Spirit moves though each of us when we Love God and Love our neighbors pushing us to bring God’s dream of Love to this earth.

The Advocate is with so that we are not alone. The Advocate is with us to push us to express God’s Love to all of creation. The Advocate is with us so that we can be ensured of the promise that we are never alone. That we are never un-loved. That is the promise Jesus made to his disciples before he was crucified. That is the promise that God makes to us.

Oh – and just a cautionary note. When we open our hearts and bodies to the Sprit of God please remember to have your crash helmets ready and hold on tight. Because the Advocate will show us God’s love and will push us to show God’s love to a society in ways that we may never have dreamed of. The Sprit will move us to go out and bring God’s dream of Love to this earth in ways we never expected.

May the Holy Sprit be with each of us and move us to show that we are never alone. To show the world that God so loves all of God’s creation so much that he sent the Spirit of Truth, the advocate to be with us always.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

[i] Keller, Catherine – On the Mystery pg 165

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Abundant Life!

Sermon for Eater 4A – RCL

Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Welcome to Good Shepherd Sunday. A Sunday when every preacher gets to come up with something to say about sheep. A Sunday where it was perhaps just a little tempting to dip into my own sermon archive and see if I could do a repeat. And hope that nobody recognized it! Because how much do I really have say about sheep and shepherds!

But there is certainly more to this than sheep. It is important to note that Jesus’ discourse that we hear the beginning of this week is Jesus explaining the healing of the man born blind– and if you want to hear the continuation of the discourse you can come back next year on Good Shepherd Sunday! - or open your bible and read the rest of John chapter 10. This discourse is Jesus explaining the sign of the healing of the man born blind. Jesus is telling the people what just happened – he is trying to interpret for them.

Jesus is explaining that the man who heard his voice – before he could see Jesus – was healed. That Jesus is the gatekeeper to a promise of God – and that promise is abundant life.

There is some danger in this reading of interpreting it as being exclusionary. That Jesus will only open the gate to those of us who already believe. But that is not what Jesus promises in this message. The gatekeeper calls out and opens to those that respond. So yes Jesus is the gatekeeper but he is also the one who continually calls to each and everyone of us. Calls us by name. Calls to us when we are blind and cannot see. Calls to us when we are deaf and cannot hear. Jesus continually calls to us. And when we respond the gate is opened.

Jesus later says that while there are sheep responding to his call now there are other sheep that have yet to hear his call whom he will call and bring into the fold. So it is a danger when we use this passage to exclude. This passage is not about excluding but about going out and calling. Calling all who are in need to an abundant life in God.

Which brings me to the second danger. And that is how we interpret an abundant life. For so many of us I think abundant life equals more possessions. Abundant life equates to never being worried about where the next indulgence is coming from. And the prosperity gospel that is preached by some takes advantage of that thought. The prosperity Gospel preaches the strange opposite that if you do not have enough abundance, enough wealth, the fancy car, the boat, the house on the lake… to name a few things, then for some reason you are not in God’s pleasure. That you are doing something wrong with God because you are not being richly rewarded in this life. And for some preachers that means you obviously are not giving enough to the church. So open you wallets and generously give to support the mission of God in this place.

But that is not what Jesus says is an abundant life. An abundant life is one where we go and offer sight to those born blind. It where we reach out to the outcast and offer shelter. It is where we feed the hungry. Jesus opened the eyes of the man born blind which would allow him an abundant life – but then the very people who were supposed to give thanks to God and let the man back into society turned their backs and threw him out of the synagogue. And when Jesus hears of their actions he searches out the man and offers community. Offers abundant life.

So what does abundant life mean to you? Is it money? Is it shelter? Is it a feast? Is it safety? It can be all of these things but all of these things can also lead to death. If we worship money it leads to death. We will isolate ourselves and not give thanks to God. We will objectify all those we see around us who have less than we do and worship those who have more money – idolizing and trying to figure out how we can get more. More than my neighbor. More at any cost. Or do we choose life and use our money in ways that helps build community. Do we support the arts and agencies that build up those who are in need?

Is shelter life giving? Or do we build walls only to keep people out? My husband has commented that one of the places he grew up had no community. Everyone lived within walled compounds. They drove up to their automatic gates or garages. Pushed a button to open the gate – drove in and without ever getting out of their vehicle closed the gate/door behind them effectively walling off the inconvenience that the world outside their gates might cause. Shelter and security in these extremes can bring death. Death to a neighborhood where no one interacts. Where no one know your name. Where there is nothing but isolation.

Or do we choose life. One of the things I miss about our previous house was its wrap around front porch. We would sit out on that porch many an evening interacting with the neighbors and hearing about their lives. One or more of our neighbors would often join us on the porch. And we would hear how that community grew. We heard about neighbors who made sure that everyone was fed during the depression. We heard about a neighbor who always fed the hobos that rode the rails thru town. We listened to the stories and built a community that looked out for each other. That took people into our homes for a meal or perhaps an adult beverage and hospitality. Today I get some of the same thing walking the dog through the neighborhood or taking him out to play in the front yard.

Abundant life is what we hear about in the psalm today. It is about God providing a feast in the most unlikely place – in the midst of our enemies. Let’s be real about this – the last place I want to sit down to a feast is in the midst of my enemies – in the shadow of death. But that is what God offers. A feast in the most unlikely places.

And we are called to set the table for just such a feast. In the midst of trying times we are called by the good shepherd to enter the gate and to set the table. We are called to continue to call everyone to come to the feast. We are called to offer abundant life – and that doesn’t mean offering abundant cash. It really is about loving God and loving our neighbor. It is about building community. We are called to search out those who society has discarded and offer them a place a God’s table.

We heard one description of the church offering abundant life in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles . They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, in fellowship and in the breaking of the bread and in the prayers and “.. as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.”

Having the goodwill of all people. That is how we choose abundant life. All people. Even those we disagree with. Even those who do not want us to be part of their lives. And that is not an easy calling. It is much easier to have the goodwill towards people just like us. It is much easier to hang out with people just like us. But that is the definition of death. Not life. Living behind walls and seeing the outsider as one who deserves to be outside – because obviously if they were right with God they too could have their walled compounds too. That is death.

Jesus opens the gate and calls all people to walk through the gate. Jesus opens his heart to the one who the Pharisees threw out of the synagogue because they could not believe that Jesus had opened his eyes through God’s abundant grace.

Jesus offers an abundant life that is counter cultural to many of us. Because the abundance is not counted by the number of dollars in the bank or in the fancy cars we drive. Abundance in measured in calling out to those who society discards and offering them a place at God’s table. Abundance is opening our doors and feeding the hungry. Abundance is reaching out to those without possessions and offering clothing. Abundance is about siting with those who have nothing and listening to their hopes and fears. Abundance is about opening the gate to all people. And I thank God that I see that happening in quite and not so quite ways.

I see it on Wednesdays when people come into this church for healing prayers and to share in the breaking of the bread. I see it when members of this congregation sit and listen to the homeless person who wanders in. I see it when we let someone find a little bit of peace by just sitting in this place. I see it in the building of a community of people who strive to love God and Love our neighbor. Who strive to set a table for all of God’s people.

Because on this fourth Sunday of Easter we hear that God desires us to have an abundant grace filled life. A life where God’s abundance is spread before us in the most unlikely ways. An abundance where not even death can kill God’s love for us. An abundant life that is so counter cultural that we often only glimpse it in the most unlikely places and in the most unlikely encounters with our risen Christ. An abundant life where we choose to walk through the gate and where we too call God’s people to enter into a place of abundant and grace filled life.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Journey of Healing

Sermon for Easter 3-A RCL

· Acts 2:14a,36-41

· 1 Peter 1:17-23

· Luke 24:13-35

· Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17

Now on that same day two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

The disciples asked “Are you the only Stranger in Jerusalem who doe not know the things that have taken place in these days?” And Jesus responded “What things?” And so the conversation begins between the stranger – who we know is Jesus, and two of his disciples. A conversation that allows the disciples to have their hearts broken open with the scriptures. A conversation that allows them to express all of their fears and doubts. Listen to their conversation. “We thought this Jesus was going to overthrow the Roman occupation. Did we not see him ride triumphantly into Jerusalem? We thought he was the one. Not like all those other prophets and pseudo-messiahs that we heard about. And now he is dead. And now what do we do. Some of the women have said he is risen but it can’t be true. It is the hysteria of grief and magical thinking.” Perhaps the only way they could finally understand anything was to first have someone listen to their fears, doubts and disappointments.

The story of the conversation and the journey are ones that we can all probably relate to on some level. Have you been disappointed by someone or something in your life? In our times of grief we can both throw up walls and just as unexpectedly let them come crashing down with our emotions threatening to drown anyone who happens to be in the vicinity. So when Jesus asks “What things?” the disciples wall of grief starts to crumble. The disciples name their dashed hopes and dreams. And then Jesus starts to rebuild their faith. On that road to Emmaus a healing happens.

Not an instantaneous healing but the beginning of a journey of healing. Perhaps if Jesus had been recognized immediately there would have been an instantaneous healing – like we heard with Mary when she suddenly recognized Jesus in the Garden when he called her name. But these two needed something different. Their grief and disappointments were perhaps too big. So Jesus does the good active listening trick of drawing them out. Of asking an open-ended question. And then first listening and then taking them – again – on the journey of the scriptures. Of interpreting to the disciples – again – the things that Jesus taught them during his time with them. Things that obviously they still had not really heard. Their hope for freedom from the Roman occupation kept them from understanding that Jesus came to usher in a different world within the existing world in a way the world did not understand – and in many ways the world still does not understand.

And there is good news in this slow recognition because I am willing to bet that many of us are very much like these two disappointed disciples heading to their home in Emmaus. For many of us our faith happens as a journey – and frequently becomes clearest in retrospect. Can you think of a time that you recognized God’s presence? Did you recognize it immediately or was it in looking back you recognized it? I know that I have had times that I only really recognized how God-filled a moment was when I have told the story to someone else. It is then that I recognize God at work.

There have been several times that God has shown up for me. A few years ago I was very disappointed that I did not get a promotion in my secular job. I had just spent 13 months carrying out the duties of the Assistant Deputy Director for Surface Water Quality and in the end they hired someone else. I was told it was not because I wasn’t doing a good job but because management wanted to perhaps look at grooming someone who could grow much higher in the organization. And I was disappointed to the point that I wanted to quit. I knew I could do a good Job – because everyone said I was already doing it. It was certainly time for a new Job – or so I thought.

As luck would have it this news came down on a Wednesday morning. Luck because I was scheduled – as I usually am – to conduct a healing service at St. Paul’s at noon. And for no discernible reason we had a record crowd of people show up for that service. People suddenly appeared who needed prayers for healing. People who had never shown up before were suddenly drawn into the building.

And it was when someone back at the office asked how my lunchtime service went that I suddenly recognized God’s not so subtle message of healing for me. I recognized that my calling was not to be the Assistant Deputy Director. My calling was to walk with people and be a conduit of God’s healing grace through service to the church. So now I don’t think it was a coincidence that when my heart was broken that all the people showed up who needed healing. God showed up and opened my heart. God showed up on the journey and let me know that I was on the right road – not on a road up the bureaucratic chain of command but on a road of service. And like the disciples my heart burned as God’s love for me was made clear.

I like the various post resurrection stories because they are all different and they show that there is no one way to recognize the Risen Lord in our midst. We may be like Mary and have a one-on-one encounter in the garden when Jesus calls our name. Or we may be like Thomas who needed proof before we would believe the things the others had said. But for me I most frequently find God in the Journey. Especially in journeys that are in community. And when my eyes are open in the breaking of the bread and in the prayers.

I invite you this Easter Season to look and see where you find the Risen Lord. The promise of Easter is that God does show up – whether in the Garden, in the locked room, or on the Journey. And your journey may be as short as a walk in the Garden or the seven miles the desciples walked – or even the journey of an entire lifetime. No matter how long or short our faith-journey is the promise is that Jesus will walk with us. And be with us even when we don’t recognize it. And when God shows up on our journey we are healed. So let us continue to break bread together and be conduits of Christ in our world. Let us ask our fellow travelers “What things?” and then listen to each other’s hopes, fears, and disappointments and yes Joys in the love of God for all of God’s creations.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!