Sermon for June 30

Psalm 27:1-6

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh — my adversaries and foes — they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

The message

(no manuscript this week so here’s a short summary)

Over the past few weeks, we have looked at the psalms. Psalms are songs of experience meant to be shared, to give voice to the feelings of others in the community. Like our new program of coffee hour, table top questions to talk about after church, some psalms center on individual experiences of God’s love or absence,  like our patriotic songs for the 4^th of July, some psalms tell the story of a nation, the history of a kingdom,

The psalms have different emotional content and context, some psalms are for when things are fair and well and God is praised, others psalms are for times when things are terrible and people say “where is God” and yet still other psalms when times are bad but God’s presence is still known.

The psalms strive to clearly express the loving, redeeming power of God and our faith experiences.  We can go through today’s psalm verse by verse:

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  This is nice, this is Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is with us, there is nothing to fear.  This is the passion drive, love towards evangelism, I have seen all week from the church groups reaching out to our neighborhood.  This is when we can say The Lord is my light and my salvation,  my source of joy, hope, life.

2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh — my adversaries and foes — they shall stumble and fall.    Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. This is real, to say the Lord is my light and my salvation, when things collapse is tough. There are adversaries. Our good news is very bad news for some people.  There are people who profit when church is silent, who thrive when the status quo is kept, who remain powerful when the voice of Jesus is drowned, who like it when God’s love is just talked about in sweet little churches whose members never bring it outside the safety of these walls.

4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.  Today, we hear a lot about churches in decline or whatever (I have some issues with a lot of the research on this one), but even so, people still seek the spiritual, We, this place and its people, are the temple  a place to inquire and behold the beauty of the Lord.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.  Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.   We remember pictures and stories more than reading or facts. We retain things better when we sing them, the first thing the children in our preschool remember is “Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so (even  before they know what the bible is). Luther wrote sung versions of the Lord’s prayer and 10 commandments to help teach them.  The Psalms were set to music so people would remember them.  The psalms that exrpress struggle and doubt always talk about a sense of drowning, of being trapped in the wilderness, experiencing the strong, deadly desert sun with no shade and being in the open sight of your enemies. We end with God’s promises, being on a high rock (where the waters cannot reach) and having cover in the tent of the Lord.  Those are the experiences we have (and share)

Sermon for June 23

The reading

Psalm 69:1-16

1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.
4 More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; many are those who would destroy me, my enemies who accuse me falsely. What I did not steal must I now restore?
5 O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
6 Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me, O Lord God of hosts; do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me, O God of Israel.
7 It is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother's children.
9 It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10 When I humbled my soul with fasting, they insulted me for doing so.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
12 I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. With your faithful help
14 rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

The message (this is a rough outline)

The Point:  We express our faith in our hymns, worship, actions and relationships, we can be real and more intentional about that work. 

This week, we continue to hear ancient words of joy and struggle in the collection of psalms. The Psalms are songs based on experiences, on people looking to God for help and reassurance, people searching for God in bad times or silent times and people giving thanks for rescue. The psalms were all composed in and for the people of Israel.  They had some shared experiences that everyone knew, profound moments of shared joy, anger, disappointment and shock.  For joy, there was the Exodus, the freedom from slavery in Egypt, entering the promised land, protection and blessing and becoming a nation. For anger and disappointment there was civil war, dividing the kingdom, losses in battle, and more than anything else, the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians around 780 bc.  Throughout all this was repentance and rebuilding, the restoration of faith and property.  All that is to say Psalm 69 was composed by a person of faith, who felt like they were alone, drowning, surrounded by enemies and with no help coming, who heard God’s good promises but saw bad crap all around them. We could easily bash their lack of true faith, think “well I’m not like them”, I would never say “My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God”.dismiss them as a not so good believer and write them off as a doubter.  Of course, that would ignore the truth that it was honest experience, a place to be venerable, open and let God’s word act on you.   

The Psalms we will go through over the next few weeks are based on a very specific outline. This worship and preaching series on the Psalms is written to show experience the life of faith. The series is based on Pastor and well known Old Testament professor Walter Brueggemann's overview of the Psalms.  In life we move through a pattern of ups and downs, each trial we endure, each tragedy we witness, each unfairness that is exposed, changes us.  Bruggemann breaks the psalms down into three categories or types of experiences. Orientation: When life is stable, things are fair and hard work is rewarded.  (Psalms 113), to Disorientation: When things fall part or collapse, there is unfairness and undeserved suffering, when God’s presence is hard to see and God’s promises are hard to trust (Psalm 69), to Reorientation: When faith in God and creation are found again, but the experiences and moments of disorientation shape our understanding (Psalms 27 and 40).    

Last week was orientation, a song of praise and thanksgiving, a time to celebrate and share God’s love.  This week, its disorientation, doubt, fear and worry, anxiety that should not be.

We write psalms everyday. Our hymns today are the same. They are also the reflections, attempts to give a voice to a larger community, to touch all different people loved by the same God.

This morning our discussion questions to start coffee hour will simply be to talk about a time when, you felt like Pslam 113, Praise the name of the Lord and times when you felt like pslam 69,  Help me God, im drowning, things are hopeless and I cannot get out.  We are a place for both, a place to celebrate and find comfort.

Yesterday, we had our end of the school year party.  I managed to go through all 3, orientation, disorientation and reorientation over the course of a few hours.  At 1:30, I felt good, things were all ready to go.  At 2:00 pm (start time) no one showed up and I learned another church was running a youth focused event at the same exact time (communication is important) and advertised it widely. by 3, only a handful of people came, so I felt disappointed, angry, annoyed, like I was wasting my time.  by 3:30, we had  a great crowd, everyone was having fun and some of the people running the other event came over to help us with our project,

Sermon for June 16

The reading

Psalm 113:1-9

1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high,
6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord

The message 

As Summer begins, we are starting a 4 week series on the Psalms.   These writings are literally songs, written to be accompanied by stringed instruments and to be used during worship in the temple in Jerusalem.  Last week, we took a few minutes during coffee hour to talk about faith, to sit with each other and talk about “if and where we see God acting in our lives”, about our own Pentecost or Holy Spirit encounters.  People had a chance to share faith experiences, from short and simple meetings with others to complex, years long challenges.  The Psalms were an ancient way of doing that same work, they were deeply personal and started in people’s experiences of God.    

King David writes Psalm 51 as an act of contrition and seeking mercy for his sins (in particular sending Uriah off to die so David could marry Uriah’s wife). During his life, Martin Luther often turned to the Psalms. In his 1528 preface to a commentary on the Psalms Luther wrote “It could well be called a “little Bible” since it contains, set out in the briefest and most beautiful form, all that’s to be found in the whole Bible.  Luther’s most famous hymn, A Might Fortress is Our God is based on rewriting the words of Psalm 46. Many people, famous and not, have turned to the words of the Psalms to express their feelings of frustration, joy and hope in the Lord.   

The Psalms cover a great range of human experiences and history with honesty and faith.   Around one third of the Psalms are laments.  Those typically follow a pattern: calling on or invoking the name of God, a complaint that describes a particular distress or suffering, an appeal to God for help and a declaration of trust.  Another significant portion of the Book of Psalms are hymns. They offer praise to God and celebrate God’s presence in the world, with a focus on creation and redeeming (today’s Psalm fits into that group).  The pslams can be individual, the protests and begging for help of one individual struggling to see God in the world and remain faithful in suffering, or they can be communal, an invitation for all to worship, one person’s celebration of joy at God’s grace or giving voice to an entire community’s mourning a loss in battle.  

The Psalms we will go through over the next few weeks are based on a very specific outline. This worship and preaching series on the Psalms is written to show experience the life of faith. The series is based on Pastor and well known Old Testament professor Walter Brueggemann's overview of the Psalms.  In life we move through a pattern of ups and downs:

Orientation: When life is stable and the world seems trustworthy (Psalms 113), to Disorientation: When the bottom drops out and the traditions feels like a lie (Psalm 69), to Reorientation: When faith in a trustworthy God and creation are found again, but the experience of disorientation is not forgotten (Psalms 27 and 40).  

Today is orientation, a song of praise and thanksgiving, a time to celebrate and share God’s love.  The joy flows out, how can I keep from telling you, you are loved.  That push, that joy and peace, that’s what inspires the writer of Psalm 113 to share these words, to put that feeling and experience in the center of the community, for all to share in.  If we are not doing that, we have to ask and wonder why.   

This week, I had an experience that lead me to say praise the name of the Lord.  I have seen a transition and change in our food ministry program.  A new church joining our work, who are bringing prayer, who are helping us to care for spiritual needs, we are giving out this food because we care, we fight food insecurity, we envision a world where no one is hungry and we wont have to do this on Saturday morning anymore but we are also giving out this food because we know God loves you and we want to share that news.

Psalm 113 focuses on the name of the Lord

1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised

I am bad at remembering names and that is bad.  “Oh yeah I know what’s her name” “ yeah, me and that person with the job, who does that thing someplace, we are really close”.  We are reminded that Jesus invites us to call God father, Abba.  Our relationship with the unknowable, unseen, all powerful, incomprehensible, is one of caring parent and child and that is good news we need to tell.   

Sermon for Pentecost

The readings

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. 18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The message

Today was an amazing day at church.  I changed the order of our service.  Virtually every part of the service was moved to a different (and unexpected, incorrect place).  After church, during refreshments, I turned a scheduled bible study for the interested into a “forced” or “guided” conversation about our own faith experiences for everyone.  It was awkward and uncomfortable but most people participated and were able to share faith stories (in some cases for the first time).   

Here is a rough outline of my message (no manuscript this week)

The first time I walked into a Lutheran Church was about 15 years ago.  I had just finished college. I had lost interest in the Roman Catholic Church, getting to the point where I disagreed with so many different things, it didn’t make sense to stay there. I didn’t lose interest in the Gospel, the bible or  Jesus teachings.  In school I was introduced to some different Christian traditions, which all seemed very similar.  I ended up at the Lutheran Church because when I was growing up, we used to go to Karate class in the basement there which our teacher rented. I was familiar with the building so one Sunday morning off I went.

There are two things I remember about that morning.  1- within about 10 minutes of walking into the church, I was an usher, by the end of the service I was on the schedule for next month. What  a large, loving risk, the face of welcome who doesn’t know anyone, a virtual stranger who now knew where the lights, doors and all the keys were, What an amazing way to say you are welcome here.

The other thing I remember was being surprised by how similar the worship service was.  The order was almost identical, the readings where the same or close, the hymns familiar, the order and rhythm the same.  It was not boring, it was familiar, It was not disappointing, it was comfortable.  People would ask “what was it like” and I could honestly say “like church”.  

In case you didn’t notice, this morning, we are not having that familiar worship service, which followed me from one faith tradition to another.  There has been a few changes. This is a big deal. Our church service and order are very intentional, centering around Word and Sacrament, with hymns and prayers to remind us whose words we hear and who we meet in the sacraments, all working together, guiding people through an experience of God, at least on paper.  One reason for the change today is a reminder that to unchurched people, to people unfamiliar with church, worship services or beliefs, what we normally do makes no sense.  Today’s service also  speaks a reminder of God’s disruption   

This experience is very disruptive. We have done this out of order thing for the past 2 or 3 Pentecost Sundays. Since September, we have gone through the bible starting with the first books of the Old Testament and completing it today with the story of Pentecost.    

Most of the events in scripture are disruptive. Creation was a very disruptive event, the heavenly court, the chaos, the nothing, all of a sudden Noah and the flood,  a new covenant too,  Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, the prophets are all disruptive, moving great distances, leaving behind, making witnessing that God is in control.  Individuals are disrupted, communities are disrupted, whole cities and even empires are disrupted.  Jesus ministry was disruptive.  Palm Sunday was so disruptive, the city of Jerusalem literally shakes, Good Friday was disruptive, Easter was a very disruptive event. The missionary work of Paul, James, Peter, disturbs the world, Love replaces hate, Community replaces isolation, welcome replaces exclusion, being children of God replaces being unequal, life replaces death, grace replaces the consequences of sin.  

We are part of a church, a community of sinners forgiven by God, we are invited to disturb anxiety with trust in God’s promises.   

Sermon for June 2

The reading

Romans 6:1-14

What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?

 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 

Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.  For whoever has died is freed from sin.  But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

The message

We continue to go through Paul’s Letter to the Church in Rome. This is Paul’s last, longest and most theologically in depth communication with a church. Unlike Corinth, Phillipi, Ephesus and others, Paul did not found this church and did not know its members. Romans is a summary of faith, why Jesus death and resurrection matters, what the gospel of salvation through Christ means for us, an appeal for prayer and support and an exhortation for holy, Gospel living. Paul also dedicates several chapters to divisions over leadership and welcome between Jews and Gentiles in the church there. The letter is organized based on formal Greek debate, including introduction, points, arguments, supporting evidence and addressing possible counter arguments.

As Paul had a limited number of times he could write to a particular church and information between a community and an outside teacher was slow moving, Paul would try to address questions that might come up, anticipating reactions from hearers, outside teachers who might come in with other, not so good news and trying to address them in advance. The first 5 chapters speak to being saved by faith, not works, saved through gift not accomplishment, saved by Jesus death and resurrection not our good actions. That brings up the question “So what now”.  Paul anticipates that people will ask if being saved by Grace is true, if we are free from the consequences of sin, “why be good”, “why follow the law” why not just sin a lot so more is forgiven, publicly flaunting victory over sin by sinning and not caring. (this way of thinking was very influential in the life and activities of Russian figure Rasputin in the 19th Century, one of history’s creepiest twisters of religious teachings).       

Paul wants to stop, cut off these ideas before they catch on, start to influence the church and pull people away from God’s joy and peace.  To believe that we should continue to sin so that grace may abound only makes sense if we make 2 assumptions: 1- God’s grace is just to relieve us from the punishment of sin and 2: we think sin is definitely more fun. These are the ideas that Paul goes after.  Paul describes a challenging and complete reorientation, what we value, enjoy, even where true happiness comes from have all changed.  We are made new, we are free from sin, we have new life, why live the old life. Jesus death and resurrection matter for today and forever.  This good news shapes us, pulls us away from sin and towards the peace and joy of God’s love. God’s gifts are more than something we think about, accept, teach, or keep to ourselves. we live them. I think of the old hymn This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Hide it under a bushel - NO! I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel - NO! I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it in the church, no. im going to let it shine Hide it on the top of a hill, no im going to the city Hide it from the rest of the week on Sunday morning, no im going to live it

We are now a little more than 40 days after Easter. We just passed the Acennsion, when after appearing, eating, teaching and assuring his followers of God’s promises, Jesus is taken up into heaven. The first Christians, and all who follow, accompanied by the Holy Spirit, work out what to do now that Christ is Risen, now that we have been to the empty tomb. How do we live now that Christ is Ascended, what does being saved by grace look like for me and in our organized life together.  On Wednesday, I had the chance to preach and celebrate communion at Leif Erikson Day School in Brooklyn.   This Lutheran ministry is closing its doors after over 50 years of service and faith based education to the community (education that includes my Pre K year). The things learned there will go out into the world with all the teachers, staff, empowerd kids.  We gathered to mark the Ascension, the time, 40 days after Easter, when Jesus is taken up into heaven.  In this, we hear people going out to use the gifts of God

 So when Jesus and his disciples had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”  Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.  They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

 Jesus knows that the disciples are wondering, what now. The Ascension is about what comes after it, what Jesus first followers, the future church, go and do in the days, weeks, months and years after Jesus blessing.  Do not just stand around here go live in faith, be faithful knowing your sins are forgiven, go and tell the others Christ is Risen, go and follow Jesus instructions to teach and baptize, to welcome, to love, to fight for peace and justice,    Each week, we say don’t let these gifts stay here, after communion, we clear the altar each week as a visible sign that the gifts of God go out into the world with us.  That can be scary, what we talk about is so different.

I imagine that the Ascension was a frightening moment for Jesus disciples, the group still with him, who watched him heal the sick, restore the lame, raise the dead, walk on water, cast out demons and evil forces, calm the storms, teach with authority, feed the crowds, die and rise again. All of this was done with Jesus there, when something was misunderstood, he was there to explain it, when a demon could not be overpowered, Jesus could, when a challenge from a religious authority could not be answered or shut down, Jesus was there to answer, when a crowd could not be fed, Jesus was there to serve them.  Now, at the Ascension, it seems like Jesus is gone, the disciples will be the church, they might not have that place to come back to. 

Of course, Jesus has equipped and prepared them in advance. . In each report of the Ascension, there are some different deta ils, blessing, commission but each one includes the promise of the Holy Spirit.  They are to wait.  Jesus also equips his followers with example, what to do when someone outside needs help (help them), what to do when you are anxious (pray),  what to do when someone is teaching something wrong or self interested or against God’s vison, (you say something), what to do when you struggle (go to a community)

There is an overlap in what we do now that we are saved by Grace and now that Jesus is Ascended, each one calls us to a living, vibrant life where God is at the center.