Listen to the Sermon for March 20, 2011
Category: Church of the Good Shepherd
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New life requires risk, trust
Sunday's readings are filled with images of renewal – new birth, new life, new creation. These images imply that God’s promise for new life entails God’s gift of a fresh start, freed from the restrictions of our past lives in order to enter a new relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Lent is a time for engaging our new life in Christ more deeply, risking new levels of trust. The purpose of Lent is not to dwell on suffering, or to spend forty days bewailing our manifold sins and wickedness for the sake of feeling our pain. Lent is about engaging in the ongoing process of renewal, regeneration, and new birth; it is about encouraging us to trust and to risk going forth and being sent out with the promise of new life.
Lent may require us to “think outside the box” of piety and religiosity, just as Abram and Sarai had to break with their past, and Saul and Nicodemus the Pharisees with theirs. The promises of God bear not only upon the future of our individual lives in relationship to God, but also upon the future of our parish, our diocese, and our Church as a whole
To respond to the promise for new life means we have to be ready to redraw and rename the places on the journey. When the ancient ones told the story of Abram and Sarai, they were also inscribing new place names and creating a new social geography on the territories of their migrations in company with God.
God may be inviting us to rethink how we do Church in light of the socio-geographies of the times we live in. When Saul the Pharisee became Paul the Apostle as we know him, he brought new words, images, and new community structures into being, “calling into existence things which do not exist,” by trustfully following Jesus into new life.
Lent is for listening to that call in our own lives. In the words of James Russell Lowell, “New occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth.” Lent is for careful thinking about how to step into the as-yet-unmapped future, to deepen our relationship to God, to trust the picture of new life in Christ, and for identifying the breaks with the past that we need to make in order to respond to the promises of God.
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Being sorry is not the same as repenting
I was especially moved by these words in the Litany of Penitence in yesterday’s Ash Wednesday service:
For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of
concern for those who come after us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.We've been praying that prayer for a long time! This prayer book was published in 1979, 32 years ago. That we’re sorry about our poor stewardship of creation is clear. That we’ve repented is not so clear, because to repent means to change behavior. Our sorrow must be strong enough to motivate us to make a change. However, as I lamented the sloth in my own green habits, I also noticed some signs of hope, some of which are fostered by the city in which I presently reside, Lexington, Kentucky.
Curbside Recycling ~ We have two cans, provided by the city. One can is green and is for household trash. The other can is blue and is for recyclables. We put paper, glass, plastic, aluminum, and a number of other items in the blue can and set it out by the curb every Thursday morning. A city crew comes by and picks it up. They take it to a place where the items in the can are sorted and recycled.
Bicycle Lanes ~ Lexington has bicycle lanes on roadways all over the city. They connect to some very nice bicycle trails. Cyclists ride them to work, to school, to church, and for recreation seven days a week. Motorists watch out for them and slow down. Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit in Lexington is 25 mph. In most other cities, it’s 30 mph. That 5 mph can make a big difference in an encounter between a passenger car and a bicycle. I don’t want to suggest that instituting bicycle lanes here was a simple thing, but mainly it took creative thinking, leadership, and application of some white paint on pavement.
Energy Saving Light Bulbs ~ Gay and I almost never buy an incandescent bulb anymore. The improvements in compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) and the number of options now available, the energy savings, and the availability make this kind of energy conservation a no-brainer! To make it even better, our local electric utility provider sent us some coupons that provided significant savings on the purchase of CFL's. We’ve come a long, long way from those fixtures with the “starters” my parents used in the 1950’s. But I am grateful for the example they provided. My dad was a homebuilder and he used fluorescent fixtures wherever possible. Lexington, like many cities, now has reasonable building codes that foster more extensive use of energy efficient lighting.
I am grateful to be living in a city where it easier to practice "green" habits. I feel that I've moved a little beyond sorry and am actually demonstrating some repentance in my care of creation. Thanks, Lexington, for fostering such a climate. Other cities can learn a lot from your good example.
A friend of mine was complaining about “tree huggers.” I confessed to him that I am a tree hugger and always have been. He pointed out that peoples’ livelihood depended upon the ability to harvest lumber from old forests in places like the Pacific Northwest and that the needs of people outweighed the needs of the Spotted Owls. I had to point out that human beings are endowed by the Creator with more options than the other creatures with which we share this planet. When God entrusted the stewardship of creation to humanity, it was because God had specially equipped us with cognitive resources not given to any other creature. We are supposed to be smart enough to figure out how to steward the resources of creation in a way that respects and sustains all life, not just humanity.
One of my Lenten disciplines is going to be to find more ways to be a good steward of creation, with or without the help of municipal resources. I want to be a contributing citizen of “this fragile earth, our island home.”
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Seeing Things in a New Light
Isn’t it amazing what can happen in a relationship when one sees another in an entirely new light?
Being with my wife during childbirth was such an experience for me. I saw a strength and courage in her I had never realized was there and it was awesome to me. We were carried to a new level in our bond with each other through that experience. I saw her in a new light.
A silly incident disrupted a friendship with a person who was like a brother to me. For months we were estranged and did not speak. Then, a time came when we were both involved in an event from which neither of us could gracefully escape. He was experiencing a serious physical problem at the time and was walking in procession just ahead of me. I saw him take the arm of the clergyman who was walking beside him to steady himself as pain ran through his body. My cold heart melted and I felt enormous compassion and concern for my friend. The next day we had lunch and never again did we let anything interfere with our friendship. We saw each other in a new light.
A young man was assessed a stiff penalty after his third DUI offense. Someone close to him recog-nized what was happening and confronted him at the risk of their relationship. It was the most loving thing to do. She saw her friend in a new light and, because she did, helped him to see and accept the truth. He decided to remove alcohol from the position of supreme commander of his life.
Peter, James, and John were the inner circle of disciples. They probably knew Jesus better than anyone. That’s why he took them with him to the holy mountain. When they looked at him, they saw the shining glory of God enveloping him and they witnessed a metamorphosis. They recognized two other figures standing with Jesus; Moses the lawgiver and Elijah the prophet. Suddenly they realized something about Jesus they hadn’t understood before: Both the law and the prophets pointed to God’s Messiah and Jesus, their rabbi and friend, is that Messiah. Perhaps Jesus understood his mission in a new way as he heard the voice of God saying, “This is my own dear Son, with whom I am well pleased – listen to him.”
After they came down from that mountain, Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem and the cross. What he and his disciples had experienced gave them the new perspective to bear what lay ahead of them.
The Transfiguration is a story about transition. Anytime we see in a new light, something within us changes. We, too, need those epiphanies when God helps us to see people, places, events, and circumstances in a new light.
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What do you worry about?
Jesus said, "… Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear” (Matthew 6:25).
On Sunday, I’ll be in a place where this gospel will be read to a congregation of people who have plenty of things. I wonder how the same gospel might sound to people in Haiti or Darfur or, closer to home, our neighbors in Appalachia or our Room in the Inn guests. People who really don’t have enough may have difficulty finding the good news in Jesus’ words.
Those who have enough and those who do not will perceive the message differently. But the message is the same: don’t be anxious about these things, instead, look beyond them to see God’s hand at work.
This passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount and part of Jesus’ challenge: life in the kingdom of God has different values. It includes the poor, the merciful, those who mourn. It includes our privilege and duty to bring light to the darkest places, to salt the world with mercy and justice. These words of Jesus, taken out of context, sound unrealistic to someone who is suffering. But seen in context, we realize that Jesus is reminding his followers of God’s love for everything and everyone God has created and encouraging his followers to focus on their lives as citizens of God’s kingdom.
Jesus’ aim is to disconnect the link between value and virtue. God did not send a hurricane to New Orleans, but God inspired thousands of compassionate followers of Jesus to help those who remain rebuild their lives. God did not send an earthquake to Haiti, but God moved the hearts of thousands of Christians to bind up their wounds. God did not drive people out of their homes in Darfur, but God led people to build schools for their children to restore their hope. God did not curse the people of Appalachia with poverty, but God blesses them with believers who help them repair their homes. In God’s kingdom, we know that God’s bounty often passes through our lives on the way to others who need it most. We who are blessed are privileged to bless others.
Now, on to Egypt, Syria, New Zealand…
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Today
Those of us who are old enough to remember the 1960’s will recall how important a genre of music called “folk music” was in that era. One of the early folk music groups was The New Christy Minstrels, founded by songwriter/guitarist Randy Sparks in 1961. One of Sparks’ hit songs, recorded by this group in 1964, is entitled simply Today. Some of the words of this song came to mind as I reflected on the relationship between the past, present, and future.
Today, while the blossoms still cling to the vine
I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine
A million tomorrows shall all pass away
‘Ere I forget all the joy that is mine, TodayI can’t be contented with yesterday’s glory
I can’t live on promises winter to spring
Today is my moment, now is my story
I’ll laugh and I’ll cry and I’ll singIn this bit of poetry set to a lovely tune, Randy Sparks and The New Christy Minstrels reminded us to appreciate the present moment and cherish the joy of now. I once heard a preacher put it in a less poetic but equally effective way: “Yesterday’s gone. Tomorrow hasn’t come yet. Today is all we have. Use it!”
During a time of transition between rectors, our church is engaged in a process of reflecting upon the past and discerning the future into which God is calling us. As we do this, we want to remember that if heritage and hope do not inform the way we live today, we are destined to be prisoners of our past or disciples of our daydreams. Either way, we are disconnected from the present, which is the scene of the greatest reality.
A visitor to the Vatican was approached by a sidewalk peddler outside the walls. He was offering a hen, a very special hen, for sale. “This hen is a direct descendant of the cock that crowed when Peter denied the Lord,” said the peddler. “Yes,” responded the visitor, “but does it lay eggs?” Whatever the hen’s past or future, the visitor wanted to know if she was doing what hens do today.
Jesus joined the past and the future together in a new way. He is the intersection of the horizontal dimension of time and the vertical dimension of spiritual reality. He warned the religious leaders that their genealogy did not relieve them of responsibility for their present actions. Likewise, he warned the rich young man that good intentions, no matter how worthy, could not give him the eternal life he was seeking at the present moment. Addressing the crowd in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times…but I say unto you.” He said to the woman at the well, “The time is coming and now is.” Each step away from the past and into the future is dependent upon the spiritual dimension we refer to as “The Kingdom of God.”
Let us enter faithfully into this process of discovery and discernment so that this community of faith may be fruitful and vibrant in the here and now. And may we cherish the opportunity and the joy that are ours today!
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Collaboration and Community
When I started the car and the radio came on, an interview was already underway with the author of a recent book about the significance of civil discourse at every level of our lives. I was unable to get the name of the author or of his book. However, in the course of the interview, he made this statement about the statutes, ordinances, policies, guidelines, and customs which govern us: "These are the structures we have set in place to make it possible for us to collaborate."
I'd like to add that followers of reveal religions like Judaism and Christianity believe some of those structures are God-given. The Ten Commandments come to mind. They are given to us as a revelation of God's desire for the children of God to live together in ways that advance God's vision for creation.
Because human beings are by nature more or less suspicious of authority, if not defian of it, we tend to resist rules that are imposed upon us. And, yet, the author's words remind us that we need such things to make it possible for us to work together toward common objectives and shared visions. If our human structures for collaboration are ineffective, then we have structures to guide us through an orderly process of improving them. We have been given higher order thinking ability to move us past our fears and mistrust into collaborative behaviors.
Theologian and University President George Rupp wrote a book about community and commitment in which he points out that there is no life without community and no community without commitment. God created us for community. We have been placed in families, tribes, nations, societies, nations, and organizations. Jesus' first act in his public ministry was to form a community when he called his disciples. The call to follow Christ is always a call to life in community with others of his followers. Continuation of community requies something of us. We need each other!
In our life together in the Church, the nation, or the global village, we accomplish more together than apart. We live in an increasingly interdependent world. At the same time, we are more aware of the differences that threaten us. In light of that interdependence and diversity, perhaps effective collaboration is more critical now than at any point in human history. Our world and our progress as God's children requires that we devote ourselves to working together in effective ways.
The Baptismal Covenent in The Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church contains two questions that invite us to commitment to civility, collaboration, and community:
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
Our answer to these questions is, "I will, with God's help." Those of us who have given such an answer to these or similar questions are in the best possible position to become specialists in civil discourse and collaborative behavior in pursuit of our Creator's vision of healing and advancement of human life on "this fragile earth, our island home." God help us do it!
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Nurturing the Most Important Relationship of All
Think of the most important relationships in your life. Who are the people who matter to you and to whom you matter? How do you nurture those relationships? Do you routinely show up for meals with them? Do you communicate with them? Do you celebrate special occasions with them? Do you check in with them on a regular basis? Do you go out of your way for them? Do you feel a sense of responsibility to them? Do you delight in their company? Do you lavish gifts upon them to express your devotion? Do you tell them what they mean to you? What would your life be like without them? Do you ever take them for granted? Would it bother you if you drifted apart.
Does your relationship with God matter as much? How do you nurture your relationship with God?
One of the consistent themes of the Bible is God’s desire for a relationship with us. God went searching for Adam in the Garden of Eden. God appeared to Abraham and made a covenant with him. The first two commandments God gave to Moses on the mountain have to do with putting God first. God in Christ said, “Follow me” to some strangers and formed them into a community of friends and disciples. They and their successors called to others to follow Christ and join that community, the Church, where we continue to work on that relationship today.
God wants to be first in our lives and promises to transform all other relationships. In an attempt to express the primacy of our relationship with God, the faithful do things like give the first tenth of their treasure to God and worship on the first day of the week. Because God matters, we show up for meals, communicate, celebrate special occasions, check in regularly, go out of our way, feel a sense of responsibility, delight in God’s company, lavish gifts upon God, and express what God means to us through prayers and praises. Life would not be the same without God and we don’t ever want to take God for granted.
God matters to us. But even more important is the message that we matter to God! Of all God’s creatures, human beings come first. We are the apple of God’s eye. Because this relationship is so important to God, God shows up for meals, communicates with us, celebrates special occasions with us, goes out of the way for us, feels a sense of responsibility toward us, delights in our company, lavishes gifts upon us, and tells us we are beloved. We matter to God and God never takes us for granted.
I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
he moved my soul to seek him, seeking me.
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
no, I was found of thee.Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea.
'Twas not so much that I on thee took hold,
as thou, dear Lord, on me.I find, I walk, I love, but oh, the whole
of love is but my answer, Lord, to thee!
For thou wert long beforehand with my soul;
always thou lovedst me.