Sermon for April 28

The reading

Matthew 28: 6- 20 (end)

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age

The message

(this is sort of a rough draft of what I talked about at service, at the last minute I skipped the manuscript and changed a lot).

I start with a story, not verified and probably not exactly accurate, but one that should be: Riverside Church, in uptown Manhattan (about 120^th and riverside)  was built by John D. Rockefeller in the 1920s.   He built it for about $30 million and specifically for Harry Emerson Fosdick to preach in it. It opened on Easter in 1930. On Easter day, Dr. Fosdick got up in the pulpit and read one of the Gospels that said: "He is Risen!" and then sat down. John Rockefeller, who was in the front row immediately stood up and asked, "Is that all?" Fosdick replied, "What more is there to say?"  An event as hyped up as a brand new church built by one of history’s richest families for a world famous pastor, renowned for his sermons and deep theological (if unorthodox) thought .  What a great way to show the impact of Easter, “Christ is Risen” is all we have to say, is the most vital thing we can say, matters more than all our carefully crafted stories, illustrations and ideas.  That is what we believe, that is what makes us Christian, that is how we know God’s promises are true and Jesus teachings are true, absolute, a source of comfort and worth following .

My sermon this week was simply going to be “go quickly and tell the others” but I couldn’t stand the idea of not talking about what we tell and how. We tell that Christ is Risen and we tell by Baptism and teaching what Jesus taught. Today is our last Sunday with the Gospel of Matthew.  We are ending a journey that took us from Christmas to Easter.  Matthew is concerned with showing Jesus fulfills prophesies (there are about15 references to Old Testament prophesies about the messiah that Matthew goes out of the way to show Jesus meets).   Matthew is also concerned with righteousness or faithful living.  This comes up again and again throughout Jesus teachings, encounters with the religious authorities, those in need and the public.   

What do we tell? Today, Matthew ends with the 11 remaining disciples (Judas, the follower who betrayed Jesus, turning him over to the authorities, who put him on a trial that led to his death, returns the money and hangs himself).  The remaining 11 go to the mountain (a place of historic revelation where people go to experience God’s news).    There, on the mountain Jesus tells them several things.  First, there is worship, then Jesus tells them “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”  Once that is said, Jesus gives them the church’s share of that authority.  Today, we know this as the great commission Make disciples of all nations, start by Baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teachings them everything I have commanded you”.    This work will not be done alone, Jesus informs them that “I am with you always”.  

The Gospel of Matthew (or any biblical book) can be divided in all sorts of different ways.  One way to understand Matthew is a collection of major teachings of Jesus and the Passion, the story of Jesus last days, death and resurrection.  Jesus teachings can be separated into 5 themes.   First, there is the Sermon on the Mount, a message on the kingdom of God and righteous living that has resonated with Christians and others since Jesus first shares this vision near the sea of Galilee almost 2000 years ago. Then there is the teaching on missionary work and the sending out of the disciples to do that work (sharing the Good news of God’s love is not just something talked about, it is something done with faith). There is teaching on the kingdom of Heaven (God’s presence into our world, the subject that Jesus talks about the most).  After this there is a section on the power, work and life of the church. Finally we have teachings on the end times, God’s  last judgment of humanity, the eternal separation between heaven and hell.  

To read, experience, hear or be in a community shaped by Matthew means a few things?  Active faith, the end of divisions between people and nations, our sure and certain hope in the resurrection,  

We all have our own ways to tell the others.  This is not a guide to invite people to church, to grow (something I still struggle to think is a crisis here for the future), I can’t remember where I saw this but someone posted or told me “the work of the church is not to grow, it is to save people from hell, from isolation, from life without God, from suffering and those are not the same thing”  Invite people into joy, comfort, it can be here, it can be someplace else.  This is the place we come to hear Christ is Risen, outside these walls is where we go to tell the others.

We need to do this work together, we need to be corrected sometimes. Next week, we see Peter’s doubt, Jesus tells them  “all nations”  and Peter hears, figures out that “all” means something else, “all nations that become Jewish, that get ciurcumsized and follow the law”   He learns that all nations means all nations overwhelmed by an encounter with God through a vision and witnessing the Holy Spirit descend on Gentiles.

Sermon for Easter

The reading

Matthew 28:1-10

1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, "He has been raised from the dead,and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

The Message  (Well sort of the message, I ended up not using this manuscript at all, I was going to talk about the guidance to come and see, then go and tell but ran out of time, felt like i said enough,  so the second part will have to wait till next week. I also didn't know about the attacks in Sri Lanka until Sunday afternoon, since I was too busy running around with less important stuff).   

The story of Jesus resurrection reported in Matthew’s Gospel starts with an Earthquake.  A great force that moves the stone away from the tomb. Without this the first witnesses of Easter would have just seen a large stone. Matthew writes a lot about earthquakes. He uses the Greek Root Seismos a lot. It means to shake.  For those of you here on Palm Sunday, we heard the same word, that Jerusalem shook or quaked when Jesus arrived there.  On Good Friday, we are told as Jesus took his last breathe from the cross, the earth shook.  Today, as the empty tomb is revealed, the earth shakes again. The events Matthew witnessed and wrote about are so important and serious, the very physical world reacts, the stones cry out in sadness and joy before they move, rock itself cannot contain God.

Jesus whole ministry was like an earthquake, powerful, disruptive, causing great change and being unstoppable. Having lived in or near NYC my entire life, I do not have any experiences with Earthquakes, other than the occasional movie or TV show. I imagine they are moments of great fear, danger and uncertainty.  There is the obvious physical damage, the loss of buildings, stores, work  homes, churches, even life itself.   There is also the emotional impact, to watch roads, streets, literal rock fall apart, the stuff we step on, walk on, trust will be solid is longer stable, things that felt certain moments before are now in doubt, things we perceived as indestructible are gone. 

I know that cities are built to withstand Earthquakes but that often does not work, I know there are earthquake survival plans,  things that people in high activity zones are taught to do. People are told to prepare by having some basic knowledge, plans and essential supplies ready.  The disciples should have a following Jesus survival kit prepared. They go from walking into Jerusalem with the king and shouts of Hosanna and praise to hiding in fear as Jesus is crucified. They go from being welcomed and beloved healers to the accused of all sorts of crime, they go from certain that Jesus can fix or do anything to figuring out how he could be dead and buried and then hearing he is risen.  I imagine all of the shaking, the ups and downs of following Jesus, has pushed his disciples to their limits, complaining, come on what could possibly be next, give us minute to get caught up, give us something to hold onto.   

This morning we hear the heavenly being at the empty tomb give the women an Easter Survival kit. The heavenly being tells them 2 instructions: First: Come and See where Jesus was buried, the empty tomb, he is not there, he is Risen. Be certain., second Go quickly and tell the others.  That is what they are given to hold onto.

A few months ago, I had a chance to come and see the place where Jesus was buried.  During a trip to the Holy Land, we made one of our last stops at the church of the Holy Sepchlure, an ancient church that covers the places of Jesus death on the cross, the spot where his body was prepared for burial and the cave of his burial and resurrection. Today the place where Jesus body was  is under the care of the Greek Orthodox church.  Visitors have a chance to go underneath a large marble structure (the cover of today's bulletin) and see the tomb. There is a long wait. Once inside the cave where Jesus was buried, there are 2 very large, seriously intimidating priests there who push people out once they have stayed inside too long (which was really not that long).  Even from those few moments, I can tell you, Jesus is not there.

This is not something you can do everyday (unless you happen to be a large, seriously intimidating Greek Orthodox priest). For many of us, this was a once or few times in a lifetime opportunity. It was a long, physically and spiritually intense and expensive trip. It was annoying to finally visit the place of Jesus resurrection and then to be so rushed, It made sense on a practical level. there were many other pilgrims there, patiently (or not so patiently) waiting, including some older people and others having difficulty standing around.  After sitting with today's reading, I realize it makes sense on a spiritual level as well. The 2 Mary's are rushed in this morning's gospel. They simply need to see Jesus is not there, Christ is Risen.  That is the only purpose of this stop. the burial cave is a small place, no corners to hide, things to move or peek under. Take a quick look and go, tell, live faith, keep the good news

That is what Easter is, a time to come and see Christ is Risen from the dead.  That is what church is. Our work is to be a place you can come and see Christ is Risen from the dead.

We do not only see Christ is Risen here, we hear it in many places.   That is what Scripture is for, a place you can go any minute of any day and see "Christ is Risen from the dead", our hymns and songs for worship,  our food pantries, our school, our care fore the community, our building,  all of this is to show God's promises are good and true, Christ is Risen from the dead.  

If you can get one dose  of the good news, that Christ is Risen. if you can come and see once a year and that's enough to last you, great.  If hearing it every year or two is enough to not worry about heaven, if its enough to go and tell the others, to care for the earth, push you to advocate for others, work in faith towards the world God wants for us, great.  I need to hear "Christ is Risen" way  more often. 

Jen and I wait till most major tv series are over so we can stream them and not have to wait weeks or months between episodes, to see what happened.  With that said, im sorry to do this to you but like Game of Thrones and so many of our favorite TV shows, your going to have to stay tuned, come back next week to hear about "go quickly and tell the others"

Sermon for Palm Sunday

 The reading 

Matthew 21:1-17

1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, "The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately. " 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" 11 The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee." 12 Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 He said to them, "It is written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers." 14 The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became angry 16 and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, "Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself'?" 17 He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

The message

Since Christmas, we have gone through the Gospel of Matthew.  This biblical book can be divided into Jesus 5 major teachings and the Passion, the story of Jesus last days, death and resurrection. There is the Sermon on the Mount, a message on the kingdom of God and righteous living that has resonated with Christians and others since Jesus first shares this vision near the sea of Galilee almost 2000 years ago. Then there is the teaching on missionary work and the sending out of the disciples to do that work (sharing the Good news of God’s love is not just something talked about, it is something done with faith). There is teaching on the kingdom of Heaven (God’s presence into our world, the subject that Jesus talks about the most).  After this there is a section on the power, work and life of the church. Finally we have teachings on the end times, God’s  last judgment of humanity, the eternal separation between heaven and hell.   .   

All of that time has lead up to today’s reading and the ones for the next week when will experience the events of Good Friday and Easter, hearing of Jesus death and resurrection. Matthew is concerned with showing that Jesus fulfills the promises of the prophets and old testament prophesies (we have 2 examples today. Look your king is riding on a donkey and my house will be called a house of prayer for all people).  Matthew is also concerned with holy living and community.

Today, we remember Jesus entry into Jerusalem.  This place was the central city for the Jewish religion (the faith practiced by Jesus and his first followers).  By the time Jesus was born, Jerusalem was already conquered by Rome but the Jewish religious authorities retained some power and oversight.  Jerusalem was the city of God, the site of the first temple that King Solomon built (which was destroyed by the Babylonians).  It was the location of the active, second temple rebuilt during the Persian Empire (which the Romans destroy about 40 years after Jesus resurrection).   This is where the prophets were killed to shut them up and keep things the way they were.  This was the place of organized religion and major decisions. Jerusalem was the home of the chief priest and religious authorities, important traders and many religious pilgrims and visitors.  

On a normal day, Jerusalem was a very hectic place.  As Jesus approaches the city, the Passover holiday was also approaching so it was even more hectic.  Jerusalem reaches a scary level of hectic with the arrival of Jesus.  In verse 10, we learn “ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil”.  I don’t remember seeing the word turmoil in the bible too often and I wasn’t really sure what it meant.  I made a rare decision to look at the Greek word. ” Since this is about the 4^th time in 10 years I am talking about a Greek word, I double checked it with a friend.  The Greek  word translated  as turmoil is Seismos meaning “to shake” In the bible it is often used for earthquakes (even today seismology is the study of earthquakes).  

Jesus arrival in Jerusalem is not just chaotic and messy, it’s an earthquake, he shakes the city, the traditions, the power system and the social order.  When Jesus enters a place, even one as powerful and important as Jerusalem (or our own hearts and minds), it is never the same. 

Here is a short list of some of things that Jesus shakes. He changes what it means to be a king.  Military kings, ready for war, rode on war horses, kings who come in peace ride on donkeys. People expected the messiah, the long awaited king to be a powerful military hero, who liberates one specific people from another specific people’s oppression (in this case the Jewish people from Rome).  Instead, Jesus liberates all people from the oppression of sin and death. 

Jesus shakes, shuts down a whole industry with a few words, chasing the money lenders and dove sellers out of the temple (they made their profit by ripping people off in currency exchange)

Jesus shakes the religious authorities, wake up, can’t you see what God is doing. Jesus challenges what is first in their work and teaching.

Jesus shakes what it means to follow God. The religious leaders worry about order and political matters and Jesus says things are going to get messy. They worry “do you have a permit for this parade” and Jesus says “who cares about that”.  They ask “did you clear it with the centurions, high priests, merchants and other officials” and Jesus says “who cares about them”,  They worry  why not wait a few days so that things are quieter, we already have 2 parades scheduled and Jesus says “plenty of room, well figure it out”.   They worry who is going to clean up all that palm and collect all those cloaks and Jesus says “someone or no one will, who cares”.  They worry and worry about control and Jesus says “this is under God’s control”  

Jesus shakes up the lives of the ignored, discarded, the in the way, blind and lame, they woke up in the morinng unclean, outsiders, dependant and in trouble.  They go home walking, seeing, healed, fully restored. Jesus shakes up the lives of the people who did the ignoring and discarding too, showing them all people are loved by God.     

When Jesus enters our world at Christmas, Jesus shakes our very relationship with God.  When Jesus enters our lives, everything is shaken.  We are not the same.  

What does it look like when the church of Jesus enters Woodside.  As part of our Palm Sunday procession this morning, we stopped to paint over some graffiti on the 45^th ave overpass.  It was not much but it’s a small reminder that when the church of Jesus enters a community, things are shaken.   

Each Sunday, our disconnections from each other are shaken, with conversations, with sharing this space,  Each time we open the doors of our school, who we serve  is shaken, each time we encounter someone who is different, annoying, strange, etc, who we care for is shaken. Each time we pray with someone, things are shaken, each time, we walk with someone in their suffering, things are shaken. 

Next Sunday, on Easeter we will see sin and death itself shaken to point of destruction.  

Sermon for April 7

The reading

Matthew 25:31-46

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

The reading

This week, we have our last reading before the start of Holy Week and Easter.  It is the end of one of Jesus’ major teaching sections in Matthew’s Gospel. There are 5 major teaching sections in Matthew.  Each teaching has 2 or 3 chapters dedicated to it. There is the sermon on the mount, where Jesus talks about what the kingdom of heaven is like and what living in the spirit of the law (vs the letter of the law) looks like. Then there is the teaching on missionary work and the sending out of the disciples to do that work (sharing the Good news of God’s love is not just talked about, its done). There is another section on the kingdom of heaven, then the power and life of the church and finally teachings on the end times, God’s  last judgment of humanity, the eternal separation between heaven and hell, saved or condemned, in the presence of God or outside of it.   

Next week we have Palm Sunday followed by Holy Week and Easter. We will gather to experience together the powerful and intense way that God saves us from sin and death.  We will exerience Jesus arrival in Jersualem as king, the quickly changing opinion of the world and Jesus instructions (including communion, to love and to serve). After this, there is Jesus betrayal by one of the disciples, his trial, death sentence, shameful execution, burial, an empty tomb, some female witnesses and the first whispers of his resurrection start to surface.  

Today’s reading forces us to ask who is included in the work of Easter,  how do you get into that flock of sheep, who exactly is saved from sin and death by Jesus death and resurrection, We also have the negative version of that question, how do you stay out of the goat pen, avoid hell. In church, over the centuries, there have been 3 main answers or a mix of all of them, 1: being saved is earned, the reward of good works, faithful living, or right confession (and a little help from Jesus), 2: justification by Grace through faith, salvation is the gift of God we cannot earn and 3: predestination, heaven or hell, our faith and behavior is determined before our lives begin.   These weeks on judgment make this a very serious question. 

Over the last 2 Sundays, we have heard 2 parables on the final judgment, on who gets into heaven or who goes to hell., First there was the man who is not properly dressed for a wedding and then we have the 10 bridesmaids, 5 of whom run out of oil while waiting for the late groom. The inappropriately dressed man is cast out of the wedding feast for the kings son, sent to the place where is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  The bridesmaids who run out of oil are locked out of the banquest and told “I do not know you” by the groom (and person in charge of the event). 

Each week, I wanted to focus what exactly they did that was so terrible,  I mean, I do not think too much about what I wear and in lots of churches “wearing your Sunday best” is not really a thing anymore.  I think all of us have been caught unprepared at least a few times, running out of gas on a long trip, not having enough food for some extra guests.   The man at the wedding banquet is guilty of failing to realize where he was, what gift he was given and responding appropriately. He also fails to trust the king’s mercy or forgiveness.  The 5 bridemaids abandon their only responsibility of welcoming the groom, instead choosing to go on a desperate search for oil in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar neighborhood. 

We skipped the parable of the talents which Jesus tells right before the separating of the sheep and goats. In the parable of the talents, we have a similar story.  3 servants are entrusted with good sums of money to use while the owner is away, 2 of them use the money, grow it and are rewarded. The third person just buries the money and returns it when the owner returns. He is punished for his decision. The last man given a talent is too afraid to lose it, so he does nothing, refusing to use this opportunity and gift.  These readings can make us uncomfortable.   

Today’s reading is even more difficult for us.  You cannot take the NYC subway for more than a few minutes before you fail to give the hungry food, the thirsty something to drink or welcome the stranger.   Even worse, we do not get naked people a lot. Clothing is incredibly cheap and available for free in lots of places. In Jesus time, that was not the case, clothing was very expensive, most people only owned a few pieces and they lasted for life.  I missed my chance a few years ago, I was walking in the winter down a street in Manhattan, I saw a man wearing a garbage bag and it didn’t seem like much else. Everyone on the street was bundled up. I thought, I need to do something, find him a coat, give away mine and buy a new one, call 911 (it was so cold, this was an emergency, not safe to be out there).  Someone beat me to it. A man and his friend in front of me stopped, someone pulled over with a blanket and got the man inside, a coat.  Does that mean, I missed my one chance.  To be a sheep I should prowl the streets in search of the naked, carry a ready to eat hamburger with me at all times, run the food pantry 3 times a month to get more points on that program.

This parable is not exactly about the actual acts, it is about our priorities, our understanding of our neighbors, God’s place in our lives.  Each group, the saved sheep and condemned goats both have no idea what they did or did not do.  When told the good news, the sheep ask “when did we do all those things for you, when given the bad news the goats ask “when did we not do all those things”. The sheep and the goats, the saved and the condemned were not trying to earn their way into heaven. The sheep were just living like everyone was a child of God, like everyone, the poor, the hungry, the naked, the lonely counted.  The goats were living for themselves and thought that was just fine.   

Matthew has focused a lot on the idea of righteousness, of living your faith, following the work and push of the Holy Spirit, of God changing us, moving us into the kingdom, reorientating us to a place where God rules, where Christ saves.  That is where this story calls us to live.

 

This reading (and the parables before it) are not meant to make us anxious about our salvation, On facebook this week I saw a post that quoted Paul’s letter  Remember“my grace is sufficient for you”  God’s great promises are still true, I’m with Jesus is still enough, I am baptized matters.  The reading does tell us something else too.  God is with us, in the world, in the least expected places. God does not value what we value.  God is not the owner of amazon, God is the person in warehouse stuffing that box with crap you don’t need but must have in 4 hours.  In the next few weeks, Jesus is going to be welcomed as a king into Jerusalem but he will also wash feet, be humiliated and mocked, have his identity questioned again and again, be denied by his closest followers and killed in the worst way. That all means something for us and how we live.