Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Untimely Born...


 Untimely Born…

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-11
15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand,

15:2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.

15:3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,

15:4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,

15:5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

15:6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.

15:7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

15:8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

15:11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

 

Another Easter is upon us (what an interesting phrase!). “Upon,” as in “on top of,” or “burdening” us? This may be the language of a parish pastor, for whom “Holy Week” is actually what college frats might dub, “Hell Week.” Of course, none of this harsh labeling is due to any animosity toward God, Jesus, or the celebration of Christ’s Last Supper, trial, death, and resurrection. It’s mostly the result of each year’s Holy Week demanding a string of sermons and services, and some notable amount of “novelty” and/or creativity on the part of the preacher. After all, the congregation will be listening and offering their critique of the Holy Week messages—the few who show up on Maundy Thursday, or the dedicated group who join you at whatever kind of Good Friday service(s) your church or community put up—as well as the hordes who often “fill the church” on Easter. They expect you to tell them something they have never heard before, all the while not losing the narrative of the “tried and true” story of “Up From the Grave He Arose.” This is unlike Christmas, when the universal thrill of the holiday is so all-encompassing that they will be happy almost regardless of what you tell them in the Christmas message. Easter is different—they know the story as well as they do the Christmas one, but will be on the lookout for any fresh way you can relate it to their life, and most especially the one they are living right now. It’s a challenge. Some may just punt, tell the simple journalism account of the ancient event, and with outstretched arms, proclaim, “He is RISEN!” Others of us try and try and try to find a kernel of newness in the narrative. I always found SOMETHING, but it was often not the balm I had hoped it would be. In my defense, however, I DID try to find direct connections to the people I was serving at that point, and when I was successful, they “got” it. I was never one to make fun of the “Christmas/Easter” crowd, either. I was grateful they came, did my best to make them feel welcome in their own church, and take a crack at preaching in such a way they might actually want to come back before December 24. 

 

As one who never preached the same sermon twice—ever—I can say that my commitment to write “fresh” messages each week, including for the major Christian “events,” was good fodder for finding the unusual, the inspiring, or the just “Huh!” moments in the scripture accounts. When I say that I never preached the same sermon twice, it is true, but in a bit of a “mythical” way, in that I DID recycle some of my favorite (innovative or “whacky”—you decide) biblical interpretations of a text, and a story or two. Did I ever tell one congregation about “another church I once served”? Of course, but either omitted or changed the names to protect the innocent. Occasionally, I’d be REAL sneaky and say something like, “I’m going to tell the NEXT church I serve…” I found that this line always got their attention, and may be used as a “back door” into their religious psyche. 

 

Back to Easter. I decided to use this I Corinthians text for this week’s Easter retirement sermon because I don’t believe I ever did. I confess that, in spite of trying to introduce something novel into my Christmas and Easter messages, I kept in the familiar “rut” of Luke 2 and John 20, because these creative reductions of what happened are most familiar to my audience and me, and because if I screw up the rest of the sermon, at least they get the simple story again, and we all know how scripture is often the eternal “earworm” that sticks with a hungry soul, even if the preacher is having a bad day.

 

The first thing that caught my eye in this text was the phrase in verse 6: “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.” Paul tells us something here that is unique. Honestly, it sounds more like the Lukan author, who has a penchant for giving details and numbers, but I like the “most of who are still alive” part. This is significant, especially in light of what Paul will say a couple of verses down the road. When I read verse 6, I thought of the movie, Apollo 13. If you don’t know by now that I am a “space buff,” you haven’t been reading too much of what I write. I grew up through the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo era, and have never gotten over the advances and accomplishments of the people who made it a reality. I STILL like to go back and watch the cache of movies and documentaries I’ve amassed on DVD, and won’t miss new, stirring ones that show up, like the haunting film, “First Man” about Neil Armstrong, as portrayed by a brilliant Ryan Gosling. Of course, Apollo 13 is the Ronnie Howard movie portrayal of the one “failed” mission to the moon, most of the narrative for which came from James Lovell’s book about it, “Lost Moon.” Like the Christmas and Easter stories, you probably know Apollo 13’s. Not long after blasting out of Earth orbit and heading for the Moon, a mundane cryogenic “tank stirring” task precipitated an explosion in the Service Module, the part of the spacecraft that housed most of the essentials for life aboard Apollo. Breathing oxygen was bleeding out into space, oxygen that was also essential to the “fuel cells,” the mechanism that generated the electrical power for the Command Module (home to the astronauts on the journey, and the only part capable of getting them safely back to Earth). Again, not to belabor the story, but in essence, they used the Lunar Module as a “lifeboat” until they could loop around the Moon and fire up the batteries on the Command Module to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. It all worked, they were safely home, much drama was part of how and why, and the rest, as they say, is history, blah, blah, blah.

 

As the movie is winding down, after the astronauts are safely aboard the aircraft carrier, Tom Hank’s voice (as Jim Lovell) narrates the closing scenes. As the camera pans over the jubilant “geeks” at the consoles in Mission Control, Hanks tells us that most of these engineers and flight controllers “have gone on to other things,” but that “some are still there.” Paul’s words that “some are still alive” from the 500-plus that witnessed the events around that first Holy Week prompted this Apollo 13 connection in my possibly twisted mind. I began an investigation, my inner dialogue and I. Is the story of Apollo 13 a micro-cosmic (sorry) “version” of the story of God and humanity? What begins as a romantic “mission” gets suddenly derailed by a human failing, and everything kicks into survival mode. Maybe this is as good a definition of the scriptures of the Hebrew Bible as there could be—“survival mode.” God and humanity going back and forth, trying to find a way to “keep alive” and together. Both parties must pool their “creativity” and expertise to overcome the plethora of obstacles to this partnership. At one part in Apollo 13, when a fight breaks out between astronauts Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, Jim Lovell intervenes and reminds them of the goal—survival and GETTING HOME. The prophets of the Old Testament do exactly the same thing, and it often seems like they are attempting to convince BOTH humans AND God of this, fearing that either/or may be ready to abandon the mission.

 

The Christ Event is the Lunar Module, in this scenario. Christ IS our “lifeboat” who “gets us home,” but even Christ can’t land us, safely. We also need a cast of thousands and our OWN commitment to “re-enter” the scorching atmosphere of life and the challenges of relationships. Once the Lunar Module saves our astronaut-heroes, it is cut free and burns itself up, resurrected in the on-going story of the ones it saved and a grateful nation. You can draw your own parallels here. 

 

Each year it seems we lose another astronaut or one of the principals who got us to the Moon. And we lose more of us who lived through the actual events, such as the hazardous flight of Apollo 13. Thankfully, there are storytellers who have recorded these events for us to read or watch, and even museums dedicated to their remembrance and the “re-living” of them for those who weren’t yet alive when they took place—those “untimely born.”

 

Of course this is our last parallel. Paul felt he “missed out” on the actual events around that first Holy Week—what he labels “untimely born,” and yet it is the incredible richness of his scriptural storytelling, his innovative crisis management, and the church he helps launch that has formed, fostered, and “forwarded” the faith we now share. And to this story, we are all “untimely born,” relying on those who have gone before us to “get us home” in our relationship with God and the Community of Faith. Now WE are part of that on-going cloud of witnesses, just like Paul, charged with keeping the story of redemption alive. The church is our “museum” of the story where we regularly rehearse and re-live the biblical events that give us our meaning and connect us all to God. Easter is the successful and triumphant “splash down” signifying to us that in Christ, we are all delivered home safely. 

 

At the end of the movie Apollo 13, Tom Hanks gives the following speech:

 

Gene Kranz retired as Director of Flight Operations just not long ago. And many other members of Mission Control have gone on to other things, but some are still there. As for me, the seven extraordinary days of Apollo 13 were my last in space. I watched other men walk on the moon, and return safely, all from the confines of Mission Control and our house in Houston. I sometimes catch myself looking up at the moon, remembering the changes of fortune in our long voyage, thinking of the thousands of people who worked to bring the three of us home. I look up at the moon, and wonder, when will we be going back, and who will that be?

 

As a retired pastor, I often find myself doing the same kind of retrospective about the church, “thinking of the thousands of people who worked to ‘bring us home’,” and “wondering who will that be?” that will lead us onward as we “re-live” the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and witness him to the world. Who WILL that be? You? Me, even in retirement? This I know: it will be one untimely born. Amen. Oh, and HE IS RISEN! He is risen, Indeed! Happy Easter, Beloved!

Friday, March 22, 2024

The End of Religion


 The End of Religion 

Mark 11:1-11
11:1 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples

11:2 and said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it.

11:3 If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.'"

11:4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it,

11:5 some of the bystanders said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"

11:6 They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it.

11:7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it.

11:8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.

11:9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

11:10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

11:11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

 

This weekend is what we Christians have dubbed, “Palm Sunday,” because of the “triumphal” parade that occurs into Jerusalem, with Jesus as its Grand Marshall. Of course, there are those who choose to honor it as “Passion Sunday,” reading and elucidating on the Gospel texts about our Lord’s death on the cross. Even with a two-time seminary education, I confess that I am more greatly influenced by the traditions of my upbringing at Grace UMC in Oil City, where this Sunday was always about the parade and the palm branches we all waved, in remembrance.

 

The mnemonics of the day are unmistakable: the donkey upon which Jesus rode (or “both animals” in a kind of circus act, if you are Matthew); the palms, or coats (if you are Luke); the people shouting, “Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”; and the disciples telling the owner of the donkey, “The Lord has need of it.” I confess, though, of something that has always caught my eye in the Markan narrative, even as a child, when it was read in church, and it is in verse 11: “Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything…”

 

Have you ever moved from a place where you had lived for enough time to generate a host of memories? How did that feel? Did you take some extended time to look around one last time, re-triggering some of those precious deposits of your history? Here are a few of my experiences…

 

Way back in 1977, I found myself spending my last week all alone in the home I was raised in. For the final decade of his working life, my Dad had accepted a new job with Venango County as the Assistant Director of Two Mile Run County Park, and the position required him, my Mom, and my youngest brother to live in a county-owned home on the park’s property. They had moved their just a few days ago. My middle brother was away at college, so I was left to close out the homestead, as I was to be married and move into my newlywed apartment with my bride—after a short honeymoon—at the end of the week. The house was empty of furniture, except for my simple bedroom furniture. (My parents were keeping the house, and moving my grandparents into it the following week.) I remember packing most of my belongings into a couple suitcases at the end of the week, putting on my suit, and heading off to the wedding, but before I left, I had to take one last walk around the now empty house that had so many memories for me. The cavernous emptiness of it echoed as I walked around from room to room, remembering many of the things that had happened there over twenty-plus years. While I would visit there again many times after my grandparents moved in, and years later yet again, after my parents sold it to my youngest brother on article of agreement, it would never be the same. That last tour was an emotional fulcrum, as the teeter-totter of life shifted from being part of a loving family to going off to start my own.

 

Years later, I would do another such “walk around” in a small home that was the first owned by Dara and me. This time, it was a small house we had purchased from an elderly widow in our home church, a house we had begun to remodel in a small community called “Rocky Grove” that was just as welcoming and quaint as it sounds—a place that we thought we might live in forever, in a house with both character and much potential. God had different ideas, though, and now I was revisiting one last time the place where we welcomed both our daughter and now a son, who was just a month old. Parked in the driveway and ready to roll was a large U-Haul truck with all our earthly belongings. Next stop: Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in the suburb of East Liberty. I will never forget standing in my daughter’s room where we first placed that precious, tiny “package” into a custom-made bed built into the corner of the room by her loving carpenter/grandfather. Our little girl was two now, but as I took my last look around, I could only think of standing beside that bed/crib, rubbing her little back, and singing lullabies to her until she fell asleep. Even as I write this, I tear up, thinking of scenes like this that we will never relive. They are precious, but seeing them only in the proverbial rearview mirror of life brings a tinge of sadness to otherwise joyous memories. Little did I know that less than two decades later, I would be shedding tears in a similar bedroom scene…

 

Fast forward to the Fall of the year 2000. Our “little girl” had just been settled into her freshman dorm at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, some five hours from “home,” which was the mansion-now-parsonage of the Coraopolis United Methodist Church. We had been appointed to that church the Summer before my daughter’s sophomore year of high school, and she had chosen the third floor ballroom of the mansion as her bedroom. Now here was her Dad, sitting on the edge of her bed the day after we had returned from depositing her at college, crying elephant tears for yet another precious, yet traumatic transition in life. As excited as I was for Shelah and her “new life” at a wonderful college—a place where she would soon meet a man who would become her husband—and with a roommate who would be a life-long bestie, a Daddy had “lost” his “little girl.” Sure, she would be home and would sleep in this room again, but mostly as a guest, and not a resident, for her life was just beginning again. This scene of Dad shedding elephant tears on the edge of her bed would repeat itself for about two weeks before the joy of this transition would begin to overtake the grief.

 

I could go on with many other stories like this, several of them being about how it felt to take the final survey of a church from which I was moving, a place where I had preached a few hundred sermons, and served a congregation I had come to love. I would think of the weddings, funerals, baptisms, and other life transitions I had been privileged to officiate and celebrate with them. 

 

I’m sure by now you are thinking of a few of your own times like this, and if so, this sermon has met one of its key goals. These are precious and unforgettable times for us all, aren’t they? This weekend’s text reveals that even the Son of God had them, too. 

 

Of course, we can speculate that the tears Jesus shed in the Garden of Gethsemane were due more to the thought of leaving his human foray into the “far country” behind, and especially the Band of Brothers he had gathered unto himself. Don’t we try to recapture some of the emotion we imagine Jesus experience at the Last Supper when WE consecrate the elements of Holy Communion? None of us is immune to these deeply moving experiences and life transitions. None of us, even the Son of God.

 

Is this not exactly what was going on for Jesus when the Markan text tells us he entered the temple in Jerusalem and “looked around at everything”? Was it his humanness that was waxing nostalgic about the time he had spent in the temple as a youth? Was he reliving his discussions with the religious leaders when, as a teen, he held them spellbound with his “unearthly” knowledge of the scriptures and the Divine? Could Jesus’ “last look” around the Jerusalem temple have even a deeper meaning for us all?

 

Perhaps it was the timeless, divine “part” of the Son of God who visited the temple that day? Might it be that Jesus was thinking of how his “Father in Heaven” had set the wheels in motion for an eternal reconciliation for all of humankind, not only with the Godhead, not only that which would lead to an eternal home with God, but a redemption that would conquer the power of even the worst of human sin? Humanity, reconciled to God, to the rest of creation, and eventually even to each other, and the utensils and trappings of the temple would no longer be needed to affect it—one last look around the final resting place of religion would send a powerful message, wouldn’t it? This look at “everything” in the temple would most certainly have been an emotional time for Jesus, and for more reasons than we can ever imagine, I suppose. Add to this the fact that the drama that was about to unfold, with himself being the chief protagonist, and he may have also resorted to the familiar temple as a point of brief refuge. 

 

Any way you slice it, what this “look-see” punctuates is the end of religion. I’m using “religion” here to mean the many ways human beings contrive to “appease” God and/or make a useful “connection” to the Divine. After Jesus Christ and the totality of the Christ Event, God has forever been “appeased” by God’s own sacrificial love, and the “connection” is perpetual, due to the same agency. If we use the word “religion” now, we should see it as a polite term defining how we each appropriate the relationship that God has instituted with US, with little help on our part, except other than living with gratitude, pursuing peace with one another, and welcoming others into “the fold.” We may still have our edifices dedicated to our faith, but we Christians now call it a “Communion table,” not an altar—or at least should—because there is no longer the need for a sacrifice, except those born out of love for one’s fellow human beings, and the “least of these.” 

 

Unfortunately, “religion” of the earlier variety is hard to kill off. We rather like to manufacture out own “ways” to God, even if our faith traditions stress “relationships” over “retribution,” as Jesus would have us do. Why? Because we want to maintain control, reluctant to surrender it, even to the Son of God, and/or the Spirit of God. “Old Time Religion” keeps us in the driver’s seat, and too often allows us to welcome those whom we “appreciate” and close the door in the face of the ones we fear or despise. As we know from Jesus’ ministry, too often the temple had become a place of such controlling religion, from the “money changers” to the “high priests” who hammer Jesus because he threatens the hierarchy they had established to “maintain purity” and keep distance from the goyim (Gentiles). Is this not what Jesus prophesied when he said, “Tear down this temple and in three days I will raise it up”? His final look around the ancient temple may have given him the “real” courage he needed to “raise up” a temple not made with hands, but one that would welcome all of the people all of the time, forever. 

 

As modern believers, we are challenged to finally sound the death nell of the kind of religion that excludes and “filters” (judges?) who gets IN and who stays OUT. And as people who believe in the true power of love as came into our lives in the Jesus of God, we must also accept people of “other” religions who likewise focus on relationship than ritual. The three major biblical religions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—are challenged to make peace with one another by the very same Christ Christians “claim” too often as exclusive Messiah. And all other people deserve to be accepted as the People of God, not because of what they believe—or don’t believe—but because of the sacrificial love God demonstrated to the world and the ages in Jesus Christ. It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer himself who dreamt of the advent of a “religion-less Christianity,” pointing instead to a faith that was lived out in beloved community, something Bonhoeffer sketched out in "Life Together."

 

The final end of death and hate was sown by the death and resurrection of the Son of God, and now we, as his followers, may bring it to fruition by ending religion and heralding that the Kingdom (Realm) of God is about relationships. Amen.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Greek to Me...


 

John 12:20-33
12:20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.

12:21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

12:22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

12:23 Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

12:24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

12:25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

12:27 "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--' Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.

12:28 Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

12:29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him."

12:30 Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.

12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.

12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

12:33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

 

Greece has historically been one of the most curious and “factually motivated” cultures on planet earth. Of course, they have also been culturally advanced in the areas of philosophy and the arts, as well, but their almost pathological passion for information is most likely what drove a number of “Greeks” who seemed ever-present and curious during the ministry days of Jesus Christ, to seek him out. The author of the Gospel of John is often the one picking up on the presence of these inquisitive Greeks. 

 

I must say a word about curiosity, for it is what has been the motivator for our world of knowledge arrived at by great thinkers, great researchers, and creative authors down through the history of humanity. When we want to know WHAT happened, WHY it happened, and HOW it happened, we are doing more than answering the typical questions of journalism! These are the questions of enlightenment and learning. I wonder if today’s “curiosity” will carry human learning very far, given what we regularly see of it is more interest in social media, “pop” culture, fashion, iPhones and X-Boxes, and sports betting than in libraries and focusing on the core studies of STEM (Science, Technology, English, and Math). I often wonder that if Jesus were walking through our time, what would be the questions he would get from any curious observers? Would he get inquiries such as “What must I do to be saved?” or “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Or, would he be asked where he “emigrated from?” What was his favorite singer or band? Or maybe even whom did he like in the Super Bowl? I do fear that our cultural “curiosity gene” has developed a serious birth defect. And yet, God still loves us and wants to redeem and reconcile us.

 

Thankfully, the Greeks who sought knowledge of Jesus maintained a purity of curiosity. I would call it a “curiosity within a context.” They knew Jesus to be a “religious” leader of some sort; they were aware of the “miracles” taking place in his ministry, or at least within his “orbit”; and their questions were guided by the universally known and shared environment of these things. They were prepared to “seek Jesus” based on a foundation of the knowledge of him that had begun to “leak out” into the public sphere of “his-story.” Their query, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus,” was much more than a request for an audience. “To see” may very well carry the curiosity of all of human thinking. Do WE not “wish to see Jesus,” meaning all of what he was—and IS—about? 

 

I have suggested that one of the “two Greeks” (or in the case of this particular passage from John, “some Greeks”) may have included Luke, the physician. Luke was Greek, and may have also been one of the two men Jesus met on the road to Emmaus, after the resurrection. That text says that “one of them” was named Cleopas, which is a Greek name. Might the other one be the one who TELLS us this story—Luke? It is clear from reading his Gospel and his contributions to the Book of Acts that Luke is MOST curious about all things Jesus, which would have been characteristic of a Greek-trained thinker. 

 

I believe we need more “Greek” thinkers today, especially that which made them so curious about life, the universe, and everything! And this is especially true in the world of theological thinking. There seem to be only three “streams” of thinking about religion—and I’m specifically thinking of the Christian faith—today: those who codify and assert specific "orthodox" doctrines and dogma about what we “should” believe; those who believe what they are told; and persons who just CAN’T bring themselves to believe, either because of doubt OR that they don’t believe in accepting such doctrinally rigid religion as seems so prevalent. I believe it is not only HEALTHY but also formative to be curious about Jesus Christ, and to be “Greek” in desiring to know more by asking probing questions. Our desire to “see” Jesus should not be limited to “accepting” him via what others tell us we need to believe, but would be better approached by studying the Bible with other good inquirers, and not being afraid to ASK the tough questions. The best theologians have posited that forming and asking good questions is the key to serious theological reflection and understanding. The “Greek” approach to “seeing Jesus” is precisely this, and it has the ability to turn us ALL into better theological thinkers! Coming too quickly to an answer to the question, “What must I do to be saved?” may truly short-change the transformative power of that question, the answer to which may take a lifetime of prayer, study, and regular “recommitment” by the dedicated, growing-in-faith believer. Many will tell you, “Believe it, then live into it.” But what if “LIVE it, and you may come to BELIEVE it” is a better formula, especially for those who are skeptical? There should be freedom to experiment, here, and the church that spends more time “prescribing” than probing, poking, and prodding at what others so quickly want to label and market as “the truth” may be the church that fails. The curious church—the one which truly “wants to see Jesus”—may be the one that resonates with the agnostics, the disinterested and the “Nones” of our day. 

 

It is most interesting that just after being told that “these Greeks” want to see him, Jesus launches into a remarkable “vision” of the much, much larger picture of what he came to accomplish. “These Greeks” may, in Jesus’ mind, represent the countless future generations of the truly curious. He doesn’t rebuff them, he reveals himself to them—and to all of the future questioners who read this passage. The church in our day needs critical thinkers and life-long learners, ones who are willing to let their “seeing Jesus” be part of a transparent experiment in full view of others. Curiosity may have killed the proverbial “cat,” but it is the engine of both evangelism AND discipleship for any church that wants to open its arms to both GOD and God’s human creation. After all, what do you think Jesus meant, if not THIS, in verse 32—" And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”? It is in our passion to “see” him through our serious inquiry about WHO he IS and WHAT he is UP TO, as well as our curiosity as to what it means to US that “lifts him up from the earth.” And when he said that if we do this, he will draw ALL PEOPLE to himself, I believe for Jesus, ALL means ALL. If we are openly curious in our faith walk and in our approach to the scriptures, we send a very different message to the skeptics and other suspicious seekers than those who spout doctrines and “rules” in their direction. It is a message that says their doubts and questions are an “on ramp” to “seeing Jesus,” and that their current lifestyle is NOT a barrier to him “seeing” them! May we ALL want "to SEE Jesus!" Amen!

 

Friday, March 8, 2024

Snakes...Why did it have to be SNAKES...


 Snakes…Why did it have to be SNAKES…

 

Numbers 21:4-9
21:4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way.

21:5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food."

21:6 Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.

21:7 The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

21:8 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live."

21:9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

 

 

Indiana Jones…need I say more? Of course, I will. It becomes clear in the opening action of “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” that our fearless hero DOES have one abiding fear—of snakes. And when he eventually finds the “Well of Souls,” the resting place of the ancient Ark of the Covenant, the place is literally crawling with every manner of viper one can imagine. Filmmakers George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg masterfully shoot this scene in such a way that most of us who ALSO hate snakes imagine them crawling all around us, even in the theater or our living rooms. Even as I write this, I can STILL see those darned snakes! Of course, after peering down into the “Well of Souls” with a torch and seeing all of those snakes, poor Indiana falls onto his back and utters, “Snakes…WHY did it have to be SNAKES…” Today’s text might suggest that God knows.

 

Genesis was not a good setting for snakes. The Adam and Eve Bible myth has Eve being “seduced” by “the serpent,” a reptile usually viewed as a snake. Interestingly, nowhere does the text say that the “serpent” is the devil, or Satan, or any supernatural entity. We have added that to the myth. Prior to the “act of disobedience” we have also dubbed “the fall,” we have an indication that humans and members of the animal kingdom could communicate. The creation myths say that Adam “named” the animals, and clearly was able to live among them, without any threat to his well-being, or theirs. When the serpent communicates with Eve, she appears not to be surprised at all, and when she tells Adam about the encounter, neither does he. The myth would lead us to believe that one of the results of being ejected from the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience (eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) was also that they no longer had the kind of “fellowship” with members of the animal kingdom that they once did. Since this is a Bible myth (meant to communicate a truth, not necessarily be an historically “true” account of an actual event), we come away with two lessons: humans commit acts of disobedience against God and suffer the consequences of this “sin”; and snakes are the bad guys. The narrative of the myth itself talks of God “putting enmity between ‘you’ and the serpent,” so is this meant to be punishment for the serpent, or us? Frankly, I do not feel chastised by the fact that I prefer to have nothing to do with snakes, and they don’t seem to be too upset by having nothing to do with me. I guess it is a kind of object lesson? 

 

I guess we can also infer that the Genesis metaphor of the serpent is meant to stand in for whatever humans did to put themselves in such mortal (and moral) peril. Snakes get the bad rap because most of us don’t like snakes. There are two kinds of people who “like” snakes, though—herpetologists, and the rare and unusual “snake-likers” who want to keep them as pets and try to convince the rest of us how “beneficial” they really are. Good luck with that. As for me, I agree with the late comedian, Richard Pryor, who said, “SNAKES make you run into TREES!” (Meaning that when we encounter a snake in the wilderness, most of us take off running, and running quickly, in the opposite direction, putting us in risk of rapidly encountering an unmovable tree.)

 

There’s generally not a lot of meaty stuff in the book of Numbers, but this week’s lectionary passage has both some substance AND warning for “the people of God,” doesn’t it? As the text says, “The people spoke against God and against Moses…” And they got SNAKES. The moral of the story is, BITCH, and you get snakes! Snakes…why does it have to be SNAKES? Couldn’t God (and his emissary, Moses) just have offered a “Don’t make me come down there!” warning? And these “serpents” were of the poisonous variety, and thanks to their bitey tendencies, the Israelites started dying, as a penalty for their own bitey critique of both God and Moses. That’s sure a hard way to find out these were poisonous snakes, don’t you think? I’ve always gotten a kick out of the “snake-positive” folk who preach that snakes are GOOD, and that it’s “easy” to tell the dangerous ones from the “good” ones. “Just look at the head,” they’ll say, “Poisonous snakes have a triangular head.” I don’t know about you, but as a “snake-negative” type, I’m sure as heck not getting close enough to take stock of the geometry of a snake’s HEAD! When I see a snake, first of all, I notice two things: How BIG is it? And What’s it doing HERE? (Or maybe more wisely, What am I doing HERE, where there are snakes?)

 

The Numbers text directly states that God is responsible for the deadly snakes. While this runs quite counter to my understanding of the nature of God, the forgiveness of God, and the grace of God, I must allow for the fact that the Jewish author or authors of this text were strict monotheists. This means that they must locate ALL causality in either the primary or the permissive “will” of God. Monotheism doesn’t allow for a strong “devil” figure, and it doesn’t even give much room for humans being able to too seriously screw up their OWN lives, unless God allows it. Hence, if there are poisonous snakes as a form of “correction,” warning, or even retribution, then God is responsible. We shouldn’t read too much into this. It’s like if you are reading a Spiderman comic book, you can expect that the story will be about Spiderman and the kinds of things Spiderman gets into. If you’re reading Numbers, then you will read pretty much the view of God that ancient Israelite monotheists would have. It’s their story, and it may not seem to jibe with the view of God modern Christians get from reading about Jesus, although there was a herd of pigs and a few temple hucksters who DID pick up on this nastier streak in the divine personality, at least according to a couple New Testament authors. 

 

I think the “serpent on a pole” was a nice touch. God told Moses to “make a poisonous serpent and put it on a pole” (I’m sure Moses was certain to give it a triangular head when he cast it out of bronze), and that when the people who were bitten looked up at it, they would live. Brilliant. Why? Well, three reasons:

 

1.They had to look at the snake, reminding them of WHY they were getting attacked by snakes in the first place (remember the bitching?);

 

2.They had to look UP, remind them that God is their salvation, the source of their healing, AND the reason they were out here in the wilderness in the first place;

 

3.And while they would be prevented from dying from the poisonous snake bites, the text doesn’t say they would be without the PAIN of the bite, which would remind them to refrain from BEING such a pain, in the first place!

 

This story obviously made an impression on the people of God, for centuries later, Jesus compared HIMSELF to the snake on a pole: 

 

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:14-15)

 

Most scholars believe that with the phrase “lifted up,” Jesus is referring to his pending crucifixion, kind of a “Look up to ME, when I am ‘lifted up on a pole’ (the cross) and you will not die from the ‘bite’ of sin.” It may be a gross oversimplification of the culmination of the Christ Event, but it certainly is a poignant metaphor.

 

Here we are, deep into Lent. So, what are the snakes nipping at YOUR heels? While we no longer believe God “sends” punishment for our shortcomings like those early monotheists, we DO understand that Jesus taught us that we “reap” what we “sow.” And while God-in-Christ FORGIVES us of our infractions, like the Israelites and the snake bites, we may still have to endure the temporal consequences of our bad choices. God may forgive my breach of the law when I get a speeding ticket, for example, but I will still have to pay the ticket. Or much worse, if my sinful behavior causes a breach in a relationship, God can forgive me, but I must ask forgiveness of the OTHER whom I’ve harmed, and work to rebuilt trust in the relationship. God doesn’t make the “hurt” go away, magically, for it serves as an important reminder of how hard it is to mend a broken relationship, kind of like the nagging pain of a snakebite, even when the consequence of death is removed.

 

So, let’s summarize:

 

--We BITCH, we get snakes. God DOES have a sense of humor.

 

--Jesus is our “snake on a pole;” because he was “lifted up,” we, too, are lifted up from the eternal consequences of our sins. However, we may still have to work through the mess we make in committing them in the first place.

 

--There are a few good reasons to read NUMBERS, and this story is one of them.

 

The Lenten journey continues, Dear Ones. Stay out of the “snake pits” of life! Amen.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Sweet...

 


Sweet…

Psalm 19
19:1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

19:2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.

19:3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;

19:4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,

19:5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

19:6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat.

19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple;

19:8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes;

19:9 the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.

19:11 Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

19:12 But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults.

19:13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

 

We all marveled at the images sent back to earth by the Hubble Space Telescope went into service over thirty years ago. This device, orbiting the planet at about 326 miles up, gave us glimpses of the majesty and vastness of God’s creation never before seen by earth-borne telescopes. One image that graced many a magazine cover, and later was splashed all over the Internet, was one of what looked like “fingers” reaching into the cosmos. We were told that these “pillars of star creation” were doing just that—congealing into new stars. Thanks to the orbiter of the space shuttle system, astronauts were able to work some wonder on that magnificent instrument. You might remember that, when they first turned the beast ON, it had a bad case of astigmatism, thanks to some engineer’s error guiding the giant mirror’s grinding. Talk about a costly mistake! The orbiter was able to reach the Hubble, and anchor it into its massive payload section (which is how the Hubble was originally delivered to orbit in the first place). There, astronaut/”house call” repairmen first gave Hubble a set of eyeglasses, giving us our first “clear” images. Then, over subsequent repair and refurbishing missions, the Hubble was kept functioning, and even had its grand-piano-sized equipment modules replaced with more advanced technology. Late in the shuttle program, one final “house call” was made, and the Hubble was set adrift in good working order, only now without its repair crews, due to the retiring of the space shuttle program. Our current means of getting into low earth orbit—SpaceX’s “Dragon”—is not capable of reaching the height of Hubble’s orbit, nor would it be suited to maneuvering its impressive bulk, even if it could (several “Dragons” could be placed in the former orbiter’s cargo bay). Hubble kept cranking out the images to astound us, and remind people of faith that the creation really IS “telling the glory of God.” At one point, the Hubble’s “deep field” instrument was aimed at a tiny, tiny section of the heavens—less than a degree’s worth—as I recall. What observers “assumed” were stars in the first iteration of the transmitted image turned out to be WHOLE GALAXIES, too numerous to count. Think of that—The vastness of space, as we usually see it, is mostly contained in our OWN galaxy, the Milky Way. Now, here were thousands of them, many even larger than our own “home” galaxy, and it only a SINGLE DEGREE of the stellar sky! Just how majestic IS God’s universe? And have we been conceiving of a divine creator FAR too small, given this reality? Hubble may be soon ending its run, but as those ad guys say on TV, “No, there’s MORE!”

 

A larger, more impressive instrument called the James Web Space Telescope (JWST) began returning its pictures a little over two years ago. Its light-gathering ability and technology makes the Hubble look like a Ford Model T, and it’s parked WAY away from the distractions of earth orbit at a much more stable “platform” known as a LaGrange Point. Early on, the JWST scientists pointed it at some of Hubble’s old haunts, just to compare images, and OH boy, did she show her stuff! I expect God will again take center stage as this telescope sends its images back to us over the next decade, or so. The Psalmist, who had only her or his un-amplified eyes with which to gaze at the heavens, far understated just how MUCH the “heavens declare the “handiwork” of God! 

 

This picturesque and inspiring psalm has massaged the souls of God’s people down through the ages. I’m pulling out just a few of the “pregnant” phrases used by the writer for us to look at this week. Here’s one most of us who grew up in the church culture probably learned, early on, if not as Sunday School pupils, in worship liturgy we recited from the Psalter:

 

“The Law of the Lord is perfect…”

 

Much is meant by the “law of the Lord.” We need to go WAY beyond the “law” as codified in Jewish history. I believe this phrase captures the totality of God’s revelation to humanity, a revelation designed to not only restore us to right relationship with God, but also to instruct us how to live in harmony with each other and the rest of the created order. The “perfection” of God’s law will not stop short of a full restoration of the earthly creation, including shalomamong all of God’s people, of every faith, race, nationality, and ableness. That’s what makes it PERFECT, and why the psalmist tells us it “revives the soul.” How cool is that? 

 

I wouldn’t be a good Wesleyan if I didn’t point out that Mr. Wesley picked up on this concept when he spoke of his followers “going on to perfection.” As is the case with the breadth and depth of the psalmist’s words, John Wesley’s view of perfection had little to do with what we think of when WE use this word. Don’t we tend to think of something without ANY flaw? Or imagine perfection almost like Plato did when he posited that the divine had a perfect idea of everything in heaven—the “ideas”—and yet all we could muster on earth were the “things,” or less than perfect representations of the celestial “idea.” Almost any time we pronounce something as “perfect,” we are using the term as hyperbole. However, when we think of the “perfection” of God’s law, whether in the mind of the writer of Psalm 19 or someone like Mr. Wesley, we must realize that GOD views “perfection” very differently. For God, “perfection” means that the creation is fully reconciled and is living in peace and harmony, with the fullness of God’s justice having been restored and practiced. For Wesley, our personal “going on to perfection” means we are participating in this redemption, one that benefits not just OUR status before God, but everyone else’s, as well. Were either perfection to be reached, humanity, the created order, and the divine will all be “on the same page,” as they say. 

 

Now let’s talk about sweetness (and I’m not talking about the late, great running back Walter Payton, for you NFL fans out there, although he WAS pretty sweet!). It’s almost hard to imagine anything “sweeter than honey.” While I know honey has been hawked as some kind of miracle elixir that tends to a multitude of ills, it actually IS something pretty amazing! Whipped up by our bee siblings, it basically lasts forever, with samples found in ancient tombs of Egypt still quite edible. Even if it crystalizes, a little bath in some hot water restores it to its original goodness. And it IS very sweet. Prior to modern chemistry, I’m guessing people like this author could not fathom anything sweeter than honey. However, in our day, we have stuff like Sorbitol, Aspartame, and Saccharine that are actually sickeningly sweet, needing a very small quantity to “sweeten” foods or beverages. There’s something called Thaumatin, also known as Talin, made from some kind of seed arils grown in Africa that is the sweetest thing known on earth, 1600 times sweeter than cane sugar. Most of these manufactured or concentrated sweets leave a bad aftertaste, while honey does not. Doesn’t matter, though. God’s law, God’s plan of reconciling the creation, and God’s love of God’s people makes all of these pale in their “sweetness,” by comparison. Using a “catch all” term for this, God’s GRACE is “sweeter than honey, and the honeycomb”…even sweeter than Thaumatin! And no aftertaste, other than the promise of living happy ever after!

 

Of course, no responsible “preacher,” whether a pastor or a biblical author, would be doing their job if they didn’t take at least one parting shot at us cleaning up our act, even in a poetic, inspirational psalm like this one. “Clear us from hidden faults” makes its appearance. Any good campaign is best served by fixing known faults, right at the beginning, and “hidden” faults may need a little sleuthing to flag before tackling them. Besides, only we can attack our own faults. I’m intentionally avoiding the word “sin” here, as this translation doesn’t use it, and sins are technically infractions, not shortcomings or faults. Our faults need to be fixed for us to fully participate in God’s redemptive action, because they will most definitely get in the way. Again, the Good News is that God will guide us to surface them, empower us to “git ‘er done,” and not judge us for having them in the first place. O that we human beings could view our faults in this way! When we judge ourselves harshly over our faults, we may wind up wallowing in self-condemnation and suffering from an overly negative view of self. When we judge others for THEIR faults, we can pretty much know that anger and resentment will follow, doing more damage to the relationships God’s “perfect law” wants to restore. 

 

And one last phrase that caught this preacher’s attention: God as “our rock and redeemer,” which we may think of as our foundation and our imparted freedom.

 

God as our rock and redeemer (foundation and freedom) sure sends me to Jesus Christ, even though Jesus would not have been in the mind of the original author. Jesus gave us the parable of “building on the solid rock” AND told the disciples that “on this rock I will build my church.” (This latter phrase has been much debated, with some thinking Jesus is talking ABOUT Peter as the “rock” upon which the church will be built, while others of us believe he was careful to differentiate that he meant the church would be built on HIMSELF as the rock. This could have been easy for his audience to confuse, as Peter’s name can mean “rock.”) Regardless of how you parse it, rock makes a generally good foundation! And who but Jesus can the modern Christian label “our redeemer”? As a teenage Christian, I used to listen to one of the early religious rockers, Larry Norman, sing: “Jesus is the Rock and he Rolled my blues away.” Yep. And he just keeps rollin’ along!

 

This sermon is more a collection of thoughts and maybe a few small “teachings.” (This style of preaching, incidentally, would not have been unusual for me during the 36 Lenten seasons in my ministry.) The point is that God is out to save the world, redeem and restore all of our relationships, and reunite us to the wider creation, that will, for all time, “tell the glory of God.” Amen, Beloved!

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Agent 99

 


Agent 99

 

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.

17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous."

17:3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him,

17:4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.

17:5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.

17:6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

17:7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

17:15 God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

17:16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."

 

 

If you can’t tell from reading these retirement sermons, I was a TV kid. My middle brother—Jay—and I were both enamored with the “box” in the family room, and I’m sure some of the plots of the goofy TV shows we watched find their way into HIS sermons, too. We used to watch a wide variety of the inane comedies that populated the major networks in that day: Green Acres, the Beverly Hillbillies, My Mother, the Car, Gilligan’s Island, F-Troop, and even a few later “classics” like Mork and Mindy and All in the Family. Dramas? How about The Twilight Zone, Twelve O’Clock High, Combat, Mission Impossible, Route 66, and the unusual, genre-breaking sci-fi drama, Star Trek. Scenes, illustrations, or even humorous moments from these or dozens others may pepper our messages, as our TV habits had almost as much an influence on our early lives as did our family’s church-going habits and the faith they engendered.

 

One of the silliest of the comedies was Get Smart, a spoof of the popular “spy” movies of the day, featuring Don Adams as “Agent 86” (Maxwell Smart) and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99. This show brought us the “Cone of Silence” and the infamous “shoe phone,” that most certainly “predicted” the modern “smart phone” (an interesting label, don’t you think?). “The Chief” was the director of this crazy cavalcade of Cold War spies, and was the only one on the entire cast who had a quasi-serious role. “The Chief” MUST have felt like God does, presiding over a “cast” of people who brew up more fits and foibles for themselves than ANY sitcom writing team could contrive. I’m sure there are times when God wishes there really WAS a “Cone of Silence.” 

 

I thought of Agent 99 when I read this weekend’s text from Genesis about God speaking to the 99-year-old Abram, making a monumental promise that he would be the progenitor of a large and influential nation—Israel. I’m sure Abram was just as incredulous as WE might be, if a voice out of the blue said WE would “birth” anything, at age 99! God even gave new names to Abram and his wife, Sarai, who was, herself, almost 90 at this point. As one who has often reminded his congregations that Genesis is NOT science, this text and the promise it puts forth is yet another proof of that assertion! No WONDER God proposed new names for Abraham and Sarah, possibly so they could hide from others, when word got out. Maybe it was the ancient equivalent of being in the Federal witness protection program?

 

Had God just referred to “Abraham” as simply “Agent 99,” I would truly get the “joke.” And it WAS a joke, or at least I think it is meant to be. Not that it didn’t happen, “in the fullness of time,” (good Bible phrase), but I DO believe the story is designed to lift up the belief that God LIKES to use the improbable—even the impossible—to get the attention of us mere mortals, and to use US (just as unlikely) to affect world-changing miracles like the birth of a nation, such as Israel. God, as the dramatic magician, so often uses the same “drama” as a stage magician does to postulate the impossible—disappearing an elephant, sawing a woman in half, escaping from a chained sarcophagus lowered into the ocean—and then amazing her or his audience by making it happen. “Watch THIS—I’m going to make an elderly couple PARENTS, and then populate a whole nation from their miracle child!” Can you say “abracadabra”?

 

In the TV show Get Smart, Agents 99 and 86 went through a wide variety of humorous machinations designed to misdirect the audience into believing there was NO WAY they would save the world or finger the “bad spy” in half an hour. But they did. Viewers may have been rendered incredulous, too, but they would have had a good laugh, followed by just “feeling good” because the villain had been vanquished. Code names—Agent 99 and Agent 86…or Abraham and Sarah.

 

We’re pretty sure Abram/Abraham didn’t have a shoe phone, but the text smartly says that “the Lord APPEARED to him. This is a most interesting reference, given some of the prohibitions in scripture about “not gazing upon the face of God.” AND, like the angels who appear to various servants in the Bible, God had to announce god-self—“I am God Almighty.” Abram was obviously frightened by the experience, as he fell on his face, an early version of diving into the foxhole, I suppose. And then God just casually announces what will become known as the “Abrahamic Covenant”—"You shall be the ancestor of many nations.” Not a bad gig for a man of 99, wouldn’t you say? Of course, we have the benefit of history to know things took an interesting detour, but that’s fodder for another sermon!

 

Meanwhile, God also offers that Sarah will be the mother to this brood, another good trick, in that Sarah was thus far barren, and almost 90, to boot, as we said earlier. She will become an important part of the aforementioned “detour,” before God does God’s promised miracle. It’s that detour story that comes up later that reminds me of a Get Smart storyline. The show begins with a statement of “the problem,” or the “mystery” that Agents 99 and 86 have to unravel, progresses into their fumbling and bumbling attempts to do so—adding the necessary comic relief—and ends with a “win” on their part, often arrived at quite accidentally. Today’s text states the “promise” to Abram, then God gives them their “spy” codenames, Abraham and Sarah. Knowing full well that Lent is a “journey” means that we can see the Genesis comedy play out, but probably not in just half-an-hour, with commercials.

 

Of course, OUR lives never parallel these two stories, either the one from the Bible, or that from the late, great TV archives. Have YOU ever stumbled your way into a “win” after pleading with God to act on your behalf? I know I have, and more often than not, frankly. There is a brand of theological thought—called Process Theology—that locates God’s working in every minute detail of life, weaving even our “fumbling and bumbling” together with a divine enticement to keep making the effort. In this model, God “lures” us in a direction that God knows not only will benefit US, but will help draw a larger “picture” that may benefit the wider community. Process Theology doesn’t understand God as one with a singular, “perfect” plan, but as a God who is fully wrapped up in our human experience, using our efforts—good, bad, or humorous—as a “paint” to help form the picture and produce the plan. Vector is more important than creating singular, “perfect” moments. Where the plot MOVES is collaborative, between us and God, and even our bumbling can be efficacious. Sounds like a Buck Henry-written episode of Get Smart…or the Genesis saga of Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah. Film at eleven, as they used to say.

 

What should we learn from the Bible in this Lenten season? Here’s one thing I told my people regularly regarding the Bible: From Genesis to “Notes and Maps,” God is NEVER not loving God’s people. And for Lent Two, maybe we ponder how a Process Theology model of God’s working in our midst doesn’t judge our failures, and even USES them to further the divine plot! This Lent may we also discover anew the NEW Covenant God made with humanity through the Jesus Christ Event. May we grow even more excited about it than Abraham and Sarah were with the one God made with them. And may we never have to utter Maxwell Smart’s signature line, “MISSED IT by THAT MUCH!” Amen!

Friday, February 16, 2024

Spirits in Prison...

 


Spirits in Prison

 

1 Peter 3:18-22
3:18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,

3:19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison

3:20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.

3:21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you--not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

3:22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

 

Lent is upon us. As a local church pastor for 36 years, those words typically struck fear into the hearts of me and my church staffs. We used to joke that first came Advent and two days later, Lent, or at least so it seemed. For the uninitiated (laity), the Advent/Christmas season and the Lenten/Easter cycle were the most intensive activity times in the church planning year. Not only are there a raft of events to plan for, but there was also a strong compulsion on the part of those of us who live and breathe theology, ministry, and inspiration to want to make each of these two seasons bigger and more brimming with “spirit” each year. I know it wasn’t really true, but I could almost “hear” the voices of my gathered parishioners speaking a line from one of Woody Allen’s films: “My God, my God, what hast thou done LATELY?” To borrow a cultural phenomenon that may be easier for you lay persons to understand, the Lenten/Easter cycle is the church’s Super Bowl. Lent and Holy Week are like the game; Easter is the rousing halftime show. I don’t MISS this feeling, the stress it induced, and the hours of planning involved. I think this is why I tended to enjoy the Advent/Christmas season more—secular society had so kidnapped it that those of us in the church could “ride the wave” of excitement the culture built! Just adding a few poignant, “head-turning” moments of spiritual inspiration to the childlike fervor of the weeks around Christmas was usually welcomed by the congregation, and affirmed by it. Easter benefitted from no such hype. Bunnies, chocolate, and egg hunts were for kids; the adults just looked to US and asked, “My God, my God, what hast thou done LATELY?” 

 

So, what does a retired pastor write about Lent in a sermon? Escaping the pressure to pump up a congregation over it, I think I’ll do what I always do—look to the lectionary texts and see if there are interesting phrases that “pop out,” and cause me to question. This weekend’s text from First Peter has several of those. First off, I should state that I’ve always treated the “epistles” of Peter as sermons, for I believe this is what they were, not letters. Oh, someone may have heard them and wrote them down so as to share them with others, but they certainly READ like sermons. Of course, the “role” of sermons is similar to that of scripture. The author of II Timothy gives us that somewhat well-known “other” 3:16 passage:

 

16 All scripture is inspired by God and is[a] useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…

 

A decent sermon carries some “inspiration,” if not directly from God, at least from its author. A good sermon may be a “teaching” about some element of our faith or our walk of discipleship. A meaningful sermon may “correct” or “reprove” the hearers of errors that have crept into our understanding of what it means to BE a Christian, or corrects an errant “interpretation” of scripture that may cause us to use it as a club against those we don’t like, or just simply don’t understand. All sermons should impart SOME “training in righteousness,” in my opinion, for if they don’t, why are we giving them in the Christian church? Of course, a “healthy” debate can be had over what constitutes “righteousness,” with some wanting to nail down “orthodox doctrines” or clearly define “sin,” while others will want to stress the imparting and reception of grace, and hawk “reconciliation” as the gold standard of dikaiosune (NT Greek for “righteousness”—there, that’s  a “teaching”). John Wesley would probably say that “righteousness” is just RIGHT LIVING, or living according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. I’m good with that. 

 

With this in mind, why am I focusing on the phrase in this text, “spirits in prison”? Let’s explore that a bit, shall we? Now, some will take it pretty literally, suggesting that during the three days Jesus was “dead” to us and in the tomb, he was actually “visiting” with the souls of the dead who were in Sheol (Hell), or some form of after-death “purgatory” where they were awaiting God’s “final solution” to the problem of separation from God, Jesus BEING now that solution. The ancient writers of the Apostles’ Creed went there, as one of the lines of the creed says, “He descended into Hell.” Frankly, speculating about this is WAY beyond my pay grade, so I choose to look at this verse symbolically. 

 

The ”spirits in prison” might be ANYONE who finds themselves “bound up” by stuff that: limits joy; destroys or harms one’s psyche; leads to a harmful and/or life-threatening addiction; poisons relationships; blinds one to anything except one’s own selfish desires; robs reason and substitutes foolishness; or just wholly beats down a child of God so severely that he/she/they would have to climb a tall ladder to kiss a snake’s heinie. These “spirits in prison” may never see the Bible’s “Hell,” for they are in one right here and now. It may well be a Hell of their own choosing and design, or they may be an oppressed victim of the ones society (or narcissistic others) has created, but it is a “prison,” just the same. And this is not to discount the literally prisons where our nation locks away the highest number of folk—many for small crimes—than any other country. Christian people—“church people”—should align themselves with the struggle for justice for those who do NOT deserve to be “rotting” in our literal prisons, and as Mr. Wesley believed, we should ALSO care for those whose crimes deservedly put them there. Prison should never be a place devoid of human hope and civilized treatment and provision. We’re not doing so well with that, though. When the church engages in benevolent, hope-bearing ministry to those imprisoned, it is literally following the example of Jesus mentioned in this scripture text! And when we work for justice and humane treatment in our prisons, we are possibly engaging in one of those things Jesus promised in the Gospel of John: “GREATER THINGS you will do when I go to the Father.”

 

In this text, Jesus “makes a proclamation” to the “spirits in prison.” What does he say to them? I think the Gospels are actually FULL of the kinds of things Jesus proclaimed to these “captives.” The message? They are all children of God; Christ came that they might have life, and even life abundantly; Jesus is a healer for their wounds and a balm for their fears; their sins are forgiven; the Holy Spirit has been “lavished” upon them; the hope and promise of eternal life in the presence of God is theirs for the receiving; they are some of the “last” that will be brought to the front of the line; NOTHING will separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus their Lord. And this is just the “short list.” How about this one that ANYONE who feels trapped would want to hear: “I will never leave you nor forsake you…Lo, I am with you ALWAYS, even to the end of the age.” 

 

The proclamation Jesus Christ has for ANY “spirit in prison”—regardless of what that “prison” may be—is that their life COUNTS for something, and that God desires to “free their spirit” from any oppressing force. This may not mean that they will not “reap what they have sown,” if their activity has caused others (or themselves) harm, but it DOES mean that God desires and demonstrates in the Christ Event that they don’t have to STAY in a “spirit prison.” If they HEAR and YIELD to God’s proclamation of freedom—“Those whom Christ has freed are FREE INDEED”—their soul may still have “wings, their life may rediscover its purpose, and they will be reconciled to God and the others they love. 

 

With God’s help, and the support of a caring community, people can be freed of addictions, psychological diseases and syndromes may be healed or at least brought under control, relationships can be restored, and the “still small voice” of God can be heard once again. As the text says, through the death and resurrection of Christ, they can have their “good conscience” restored, and that may be the most freeing thing of all.

 

I like that the “preacher” in this text uses the example of God’s “rescuing” of the animals and Noah’s family. Not that any of us have to believe that particular biblical story as historical, but it IS a good example of God’s desire to rescue, even when society goes really, really bad, as was the case in the Noah story. (I like the idea the story gives us that God chose to save a whole variety of ANIMALS, but I was never too impressed that only one “chosen” human family was spared. This is one reason I have believed this to be a kind of parabolic tale.)

 

One of the other lectionary texts for this weekend actually gives us the “promise” of the rainbow as a sign that God will no longer flood the earth. Interestingly, that text from Genesis says that the rainbow is a “sign” or “reminder” to GOD not to do that! Even God needs to be reminded to rain kindness not flood waters upon us, so I guess we have a little grace when we get on our high horse and unfairly “condemn” other sinners because their “sin” is far worse than ours! But like God, when we see the “signs,” we should be reminded of grace, not judgment.

 

Are you feeling today that your spirit is “imprisoned” in some way? Remember, when we are experiencing something like this, it is REAL to us, even though our travail may pale in comparison to what others face. When I was in full time ministry, I would sometimes counsel with a person whose life was really coming apart, followed closely by another parishioner who was weeping elephant tears because they had a blowout on a new tire. I remember feeling that this was my chance to “play God” and offer both grace and comfort, when it might have been easy to unfairly differentiate between the two. God really IS like that! And we’re trying…

 

If you ARE feeling painfully “confined,” listen to the great proclamation the Lord Jesus offers to ALL of the “spirits in prison.” Start with the OTHER 3:16 from John: “For God so LOVED the world that God gave the only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in him shall not PERISH, but have EVERLASTING life.” Don’t let your current “prison” perish you, and know that “everlasting” life means good stuff can start NOW, not just in the afterlife! Believe the greatest promise of God, that in Jesus Christ, God is truly “Emmanuel”—God IS with YOU! Shalom, Beloved! Amen.

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