Sermon for November 24

The readings

Kings 22:1-10 

 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.  

In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, 4 “Go up to the high priest Hilkiah, and have him count the entire sum of the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people; 5 let it be given into the hand of the workers who have the oversight of the house of the Lord; let them give it to the workers who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house, 6 that is, to the carpenters, to the builders, to the masons; and let them use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the house. 7 But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.”

8 The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” When Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, he read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workers who have oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a book.” Shaphan then read it aloud to the king.
 
2 Kings 23:1-3 

23 Then the king directed that all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem should be gathered to him. 2 The king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him went all the people of Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. 3 The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, keeping his commandments, his decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All the people joined in the covenant.
 
Luke 24:30-32 
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us[a] while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”


The message


We continue our long wait for Christmas with readings from the end of the Old Testament Book of Second Kings and part of Jesus post resurrection encounter with 2 people on road to Emmmas from the end of Luke’s Gospel. In both cases, God is revealed, in the world during difficult times.  In Second Kings through the finding and reading of the law and in Luke through the blessing and breaking of the bread along with the sharing and explanation of scripture. In both of these events, 600 plus years apart from each other, people in great darkness have seen an even greater light.  The world of King Josiah was a place where the law was forgotten, found stored among the garbage and crumbling structures of the temple.  On the road to Emmaus, the strangers are walking in a daze of disappointment and frustration. Jesus was gone, executed, crucified shamefully by Rome with the full support of the religious authorities.     


 I wanted to share a quick bit of bible study and context. First and Second Kings were originally one book and they tell the story of Judah from the death of King David until the fall of the kingdom and the Exile into Bablyon.  First and Second Kings are a narrative, they tell a story. The main characters include God, prophets, kings and some significant outsiders or foreigners.  The drama centers around the people and kings of Israel trying to keep the covenant and law. The main events focus on God’s reaction to their failures, repentance and success.  It is selective history, composed and complied from lots of ancient sources and records to show people God is truly God, to be worshipped exclusively.  It is a moral world where wrong is punished, there are consequences of doubting God, worshipping other gods or seeking help and salvation from anything or anyone who is not the God who called Abraham, powerfully took the people out of slavery in Egypt and led the people to the promised land.


Today’s section of 2 Kings is known as the reforms of King Josiah. Josiah was one of the good kings of Judah, the Southern Kingdom of Israel, the people entrusted with Jerusalem and from the line of King David.. Josiah was the 4^th in a line of kings that included the faithful Hezekiah, the horrible Manesseh, the short lived but similarily horrible Amon and then Josiah. During the time of Manesseh, things fell apart. He served as king for 55 years, the longest of any Davidic king. He allowed worship of outside dieties, even in the temple, doing all he could to seek salvation from partnership with Assyria (who had destroyed the northern kingdom already).  Manasseh’s actions and political decisions, while they seemed necessary at the time, a reasonable, logical as one of a few bad options, are blamed for the fall of Judah to the Babylonians. The law is ignored to the point of being forgotten. In 2 kings 24, we learn, During Jehoiakim’s reign,


Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled. ² The Lord sent Babylonian,^[a] Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets. ³ Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done. 


Under Manesseh’s watch, the temple had fallen into disrepair and abuse as a place for worshipping foreign gods as well as their prophets and temple prostitutes. At first Josiah sets out to literally clean up, repair and restore the temple.  During this work, the law is found. 


I can remember quite a few times when I have told someone “Good thing I found the keys, the documents, a record” only to have the other person respond with real shock and surprise, saying “oh I didn’t realize you lost it” and a tone that indicates disappointment.


Once Josiah hears the law read, intense and aggressive reforms begin, the temple is cleansed, brought back to the purpose for which it was built, the other gods are thrown out, their images destroyed, proper worship is restored, a covenant is re-entered with the Lord.   


The people of Josiah’s reign were surrounded by emeries and collapsing, had long forgotten God. At the same time, God did not forget them.  The people walking with Jesus on the road, saw God’s promises gone, crucified and buried, They were in the midst of forgetting and moving on, God did not forget them.   

Today, I invite you to Hear the Law, as Jesus defines it. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Hear the law, we are people guided by God, Hear the law, before you vote, hear Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[ Love your neighbor as yourself, before you participate in the life of our city, nation and world.


Hear the law, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[ Love your neighbor as yourself before you give or consider what to do with your resources.  


Hear the law, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[ Love your neighbor as yourself before you decide who is loved by God.   


Hear the law, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[ Love your neighbor as yourself before you wonder what your church should do, before you wonder what you should do,

Sermon for November 17

The readings


Isaiah 5:1-7
5 Let me sing for my beloved
    my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones,
    and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
    and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
    but it yielded wild grapes.
3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
    and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard
    that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
    why did it yield wild grapes?
5 And now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,  and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will make it a waste;
    it shall not be pruned or hoed,
    and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
    that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
    is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,
    but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
    but heard a cry!
 
Isaiah 11:1-5 
11 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
 
Mark 12:1-3 
12 Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.


The message


(No Manuscript this week so here’s a short outline, I talked a lot about a dead plant)


When I first arrived here, the Church of Grace to the Fujianese, one of the churches that share our space with us, gave me this plant as a welcome gift (I brought the plant with me to church)

Over 10 years, this plant has endured a lot, it has thrived, grown, flowered.  After a while it even had a plant baby, a little shoot that grew next to it. I replanted that one in another pot.  It has dried out, almost died a few times and shrived up a few times too.  A few months ago it was at one of those almost dead times. I added compost, put it outside in the sun and watered it. It didn’t exactly work and it was down to a last leaf or two.  Then I went away for a few days and when I came back, both pots were empty (my wife saw a dead plant and dumped it).  A few days after that, some wild flowers sprouted in the pot.  At first freeze, they died too but a beautiful, odd looking frozen brown plant was left. 


1: I didn’t reach out to the experts when I knew the plant was in trouble  (the handful of people I know with advanced degrees  in botany, a pastor, who can grow vegetables in almost sand and who worked as a farmer for years before ministry and a contact at the Queen Botanical Garden would have been a few options). The people of Israel would not turn to the Lord for help, they turn to the Assyrians, to other empires, to their own leaders, to foreign deities like baal, turning to anything and everyone except the God who gave a child to Sarah and Abram, who brought them out of slavery in Egypt and into the promised land, who protected, cared for and brought improbable victory to them.   


2: I originally thought I would pass on the new plant to a new church, that it would be a constant part of how I see and understand ministry, perhaps it would grow when we grew and shrink when we shrink.  Now I wonder what will grow next and I have a good story to help share good news with.


The prophet Isaiah, Jesus (and lots of others) have used metaphors about the life cycles of vines, plants, trees etc as a way to talk about God’s love and presence in the world.  These metaphors, familiar to all people are drawn on to show our sins and failings but also that God’s promises are still good, God’s word will be kept (in a new, different and unexpected way)


 In church, work, life, we can often feel like a failure, like this plant, or fruitless like the vineyard Isaiah speaks of but we are all about the shoot from the dead stump, the reminder that God is not done with us yet,   

Sermon for Sunday, November 11th

The readings

Hosea 11:1-9 


When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I called them,
    the more they went from me;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals,
    and offering incense to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
    I took them up in my arms;
    but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
    with bands of love.
I was to them like those
    who lift infants to their cheeks.
    I bent down to them and fed them.
5 They shall return to the land of Egypt,
    and Assyria shall be their king,
    because they have refused to return to me.
6 The sword rages in their cities,
    it consumes their oracle-priests,
    and devours because of their schemes.
7 My people are bent on turning away from me.
    To the Most High they call,
    but he does not raise them up at all.

8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?
    How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
    How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
    my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my fierce anger;
    I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and no mortal,
    the Holy One in your midst,
    and I will not come in wrath.

Mark 10:13-14   13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belong,


The message


As we begin our time with the prophets, I wanted to do something a little different, a bit of 1^st person narrative to tell the story of Hosea and how today’s reading fits into its historical context as well as the good news of Christmas, that God’s promises are kept, that Christ our savior is born.


My name is Hosea.  History has remembered me as the prophet of doom. Its not the name of a death metal band, it’s a title I was given because of my work, because I was entrusted by the Lord to prophesy, to share God’s word at a very faithless and difficult time, I had to tell people, powerful, important people who thought they were invincible, that a time of reckoning was coming. In the decades leading up to the Northern Kingdom of Israel being destroyed by the Assyrian Empire, we watched them grow stronger and stronger each year, conquering the cities and people around us. We also watched as our kings and leaders freely, openly, publicly worshipped other gods and sought their salvation from alliances with other empires.


I was the only prophet of that time (around 760 bc to 720 bc) whose words were written and saved for history.  I was relentless in my work, constantly trying to call people back to faith in the Lord God, the one who made the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the one who gave a child to Sarah and Abraham, the one who set the people free from slavery in Egypt, the one who brings them to the promised land, gives them the law, appoints their kings and brings victory.  I used lots of examples from daily life to try and show people how far they had fallen from the Lord, how badly they were keeping their end of the covenant, how that would have severe consequences. I told kings, I told priests, I told political leaders, I told everyone again and again. They thought I was joking, they did not care. I told them how they were acting like an unfaithful spouse, who breaks their marriage promises, one of the most important parts of how people lived and society was organized. They thought I was joking, they did not care. I told them how they were acting like a rebellious, misbehaving, ungrateful child, who turns on their parents, the ones who supported, loved, forgave and cared for them. Again, they thought I was joking, they did not care.   


I never said much about my childhood, genealogy, education or early life but most of my life has centered on the work of prophesy. People today, would call me a workaholic, a man obsessed with his job. In fact, where I went, who I married, even how I named my children, were all part of my work.. My home and family life were pretty bad, As I first heard God’s call to prophesy, I was told, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord”. That is exactly what I did. I married a woman named Gomer, we had 3 children and she was unfaithful to me. Now a lot of people in the bible have meaningful, powerful names:  Jesus will be named Emmanuel, meaning God with us, Joshua means “God is salvation”, Samuel means God has heard our prayers, Abigail means “my father is joy”. 

Well my kids, they have different sorts of names, the ones that a concerned court or government would ban.  First, there is my son Jezerel, named after the place where King Jehu begins his violent revolt and takeover of the kingdom. It will be where that dynasty falls as well.  My second child is a daughter named Lo-ruhamah, indicating that the Lord will no longer have pity on, help or protect the northern kingdom of Israel (Judah will survive a little longer).  Perhaps the worst name is my third child, a son, Then the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.   This means God is withdrawing from the covenant, there has been enough disobedience, too much really, enough worship of other gods, enough seeking salvation from other states.  This means the fall of the Northern Kingdom.  Assyria will be the unworthy tool that the Lord uses to end the northern kingdom.  Their ruin will be a sign for all history.    


In the beginning I mentioned I was known as the prophet of doom but sometimes I wonder why. This punishment is drastic, overwhelming, but like all the others, is temporary. My children will be renamed, I will forgive Gomer for her infidelity, the Lord will say: yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God


I ended my little first person view of the world according to Hosea with a promise and today, as we start with the books of the prophets, promises will be very important.  The prophets are the last major section of our long Advent, the wait for Christmas, for the birth of Jesus, for something people have waited almost 800 years for, the fulfillment of God’s great promises of restoration, forgiveness and freedom from that cycle of sin, punishment and repentance.   


The prophets, people who brought the world a message from God, They worked  2 sets, the northern and southern kingdom, in the years around before, during and after the destruction of the northern kingdom by the assyrians and the temple in Jerusalem in Judah, the southern kingdom (by the Babloyioans around 586 bc).  Since they were such a diverse group, It can be hard to define or classify the prophets in any way. Some receive a calling directly from God,  Some prophets came from long lines of religious leaders with established backgrounds and histories, others just appear out of nowhere.  Some had positions of great influence in the royal courts, others were outsiders that no one payed attention to.  Some spoke good news, others shared a message of dire warning about the things to come.  


Each prophet gets real, they speak truth to power (and to all). Through Hosea the Lord God says, The more I called the people of Israel, the more they went from me; we have seen it several times since September, We saw the people rescued from 400 years of slavery in Egypt, only to complain they were better off there, protest life in the wilderness and eventually worship and give credit for their freedom to a golden calf.  We saw King Ahab follow his wife Jezebel and lead the people into the worship of Baal, a deity worshipped by many of the people surrounding them (the people that God was protecting Israel from and leading to victory over). In the Southern kingdom, we see and the prophets condemn King David sends Uzziah the Hittite, a loyal and faithful solider to die in battle so David can have his wife Bathsheba.  We saw King Solomon build the great temple in Jerusalem, along with all sorts of temples for the foreign gods of his wives.  We saw their obsession with wealth and greed and their lack of concern for the people


In each case, there are consequences.  There is a cycle of God’s call, people’s initial excitement and obedience, people falling away, being punished, repenting and being restored.  In response to the worship of the golden calf, the priests go out and kill all of those who continue to worship this idol (about 3000 people).  King David is confronted by Samuel and stopped from building the temple. His name will not be associated with it.  Solomon’s behavior leads to the division of the kingdom into the northern and southern kingdoms, the brief time of a united people will be no more.  In response to the widespread, king approved worship of Baal in Israel, the Lord sends a 3 year drought. Things get worse.   Overall, the prophets share a few messages, they call people to repentance, back to faith, they insist that God is real, God matters, their words are often bad news, condemning the realties of the people’s lives (in particular the worship of other gods, inequality, disobedience).  At the same time, there are promises, that God has not forgotten the people, God’s promises are still good, they will be fulfilled, in new, unexpected and wider ways.

   

Sermon for November 3

 The readings


Kings 18:17-39   When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father’s house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
                                            
20 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred fifty. 23 Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29 As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lordcame, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; 32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time, 35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water.

36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lordfell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.”

Mark 9:2-4
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.


The message

We continue our long Advent, a time of looking at the Old Testament and history of God’s communication with the world.  The biblical books of 1^st and 2^nd kings (originally probably one book) tell about the years of the monarchies in Israel and life in the divided kingdom.  These books tell a story. That means there are main characters. They include God, kings, prophets and some significant outsiders. The books are historical, telling about the reigns of different leaders, connecting with news from kingdoms outside Israel and tracking the lack of faithfulness that leads to the division of Israel into north and south.  The books of Kings are not written to simply report what happened in the long ago past, they were written to teach communities about God. (primarily that God alone is God and God is active in the world/ controls history).  The 2 main prophets in the book of kings are Elijah and Elisha.  They each do signs of great power, faith and speak truth to power, confronting faithless kings who have turned from God and worshipped the gods of neighboring empires. Each one, all the prophets, want God’s message heard, want God’s kingdom come, want people to live in the peace and joy that God promises. Jesus disciples want the same.  We do not always get what we want, or understand what we get.   


Today’s reading reports one of the confrontations that happen between king and prophet. This time, it is the prophet Elijah against King Ahab.  Samaria has endured 3 years of drought, punishment for the falling away from the Lord. Ahab blames Elijah and Elijah blames Ahab and his worship of the foreign god Baal.  Ahab, along with the 900 prophets of baal and Asherah (which the queen has been caring for with the resources of the people) have been powerless to bring rain and end the drought but Elijah hasn’t done anything either. This matter, figuring out whose actions, behaviors and decisions are causing the drought (and therefore how to end it), will be settled in public.


At this point in the story, Elijah takes charge.  He is the one who determines what will happen, when, where and how this debate will be settled. The plan is easy enough, each group, Elijah and the prophets of Baal will each choose a bull as a sacrifice.  In front of the whole community, each one will call upon their god and see what happens, whether Baal or the God of Israel will send fire to consume the sacrifice. The 450 prophets of Baal fail.  Elijah taunts them, going as far as to imply Baal couldn’t answer because he was sleeping or in the bathroom (wandered away) and urges them to try harder, to cry out (a ritual that involves cutting and self-mutilation).  Their efforts fail, there is no fire. Baal is either a false god, does not care or the petitions of the prophets are worthless.  No one witnessing this day can say, Oh, Baal’s prophets didn’t really try, there were not enough of them (remember this is 450 against 1) or these were the weakest, least faithful of Baal’s prophets.   Elijah wants the crowds to see that all the prophets of Baal are powerless, that Baal, despite all the worship, temples and sacrifices of an empire, despite getting the worship of the king of Israel, is powerless


Now, it is Elijah’s turn. The victory of God will be total. Elijah offers a prayer, calling out “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”.   After Elijah’s prayer, then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering.   The people realize, the Lord indeed is God but this is not the end of the story This request is not about Elijah proving himself or showing his magic power,  This was done as evangelism, as a call back to faith, so that the people will know God who created the world, who sent and saved from the flood, called Abraham, gave a child to Abraham and Sarah, who made the Exodus, who set the people free from slavery in Egypt, wrestled with Jacob, gave the 10 commandments and brought them to the promised land, that God is God.  The truth of this proclamation will not be doubted.  In the verses after our reading, we learn Elijah orders all the prophets of baal to be seized and killed. Then, there is the promises of rain, then there are signs of rain, then there is rain. The drought is ended.  God’s power and influence in the world is complete.  


You would think this should settle it, the prophets of baal where shown to be powerless, unable to call down fire, end the drought or even save their own lives. The Lord God sent the fire, and then sent rain. In a reminder that false gods and powerful people do not go gently, the conflict will go on, Queen Jezebel, who led Ahab to worship baal in the first place, is angered, enraged by what had happened. Her power, rage and promise to kill Elijah scares him, worries him, makes him ask seriously, How much more do these people need to see, what else do I need to do, come on, after all that, baal worship is still a thing. Elijah would like to keep zapping people with heavenly fire. Instead, the Lord talks and walks with Elijah, hides, sustains and protects him, In 2 Kings 9, Jezebel is killed by Ahab’s successor King Jehu (well she gets thrown out a window by her own people to save them from war, then eaten by animals).  Jehu, remaining faithful to the Lord, sets out to rid baal and any worshippers from Israel.   


This story of the conflict between Elijah and the prophets of baal is set next to the story of the transfiguration.  We see these 2 of the many different ways God is revealed to us.  Elijah’s victory over the prophets of baal and the transfiguration are the exceptions, the stories that are not like the others.  In most of the Old Testament, God works in the world through called people, messengers and leaders set apart and empowered to do something.  The transfiguration happens apart from the people, is only seen by 3 disciples and they are made to keep it quiet.  Apart from these few moments on the mountain, in the rest of the New Testament, Jesus looks just unremarkably like everyone else God will be revealed through walking with the outsider, welcoming all, eating with the despised and ill, praying, teaching, healing and through death and resurrection.    


In the moments after the Transfiguration, Peter, John and James are wondering what Elijah did all those centuries before, what more do we need to do, we have healed, taught, cured, stopped storms, they were eager to tell the others about the transfiguration, offering to build temples or booths at the site, to use this moment to win over the hold outs, to convert those who don’t believe Jesus is the messiah, the long expected savior, the son of God, to go tell the religious authorities in the temple to pack their stuff and get out, maybe Jesus could bring this show on the road, transfigure in the morning in the temple. Forget that, an account of what happened will not even be shared till after Jesus resurrection.   


We worship and serve the God who defeats baal, who was transfigured on the mountain top but also
who was born on Christmas, who died on the cross, who rose from the dead.   Our God will intervene in the world, in powerful and necessary ways, but also calls, sends, entrusts us to do the same.  We are called to trust, hope and share our joy, our care for others, our faith, our confidence in these things.   

Sermon for October 27

The readings

Kings 12:1-17, 25-29

1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3 And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, 4 "Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke that he placed on us, and we will serve you." 5 He said to them, "Go away for three days, then come again to me." So the people went away. 6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the older men who had attended his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you advise me to answer this people?" 7 They answered him, "If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever." 8 But he disregarded the advice that the older men gave him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and now attended him. 9 He said to them, "What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, "Lighten the yoke that your father put on us'?" 10 The young men who had grown up with him said to him, "Thus you should say to this people who spoke to you, "Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must lighten it for us'; thus you should say to them, "My little finger is thicker than my father's loins. 11 Now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.' " 12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had said, "Come to me again the third day." 13 The king answered the people harshly. He disregarded the advice that the older men had given him 14 and spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." 15 So the king did not listen to the people, because it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16 When all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king, "What share do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David." So Israel went away to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah.

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and resided there; he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 Then Jeroboam said to himself, "Now the kingdom may well revert to the house of David. 27 If this people continues to go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, the heart of this people will turn again to their master, King Rehoboam of Judah; they will kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah." 28 So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. He said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." 29 He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

Mark 10:42-45 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 

⁴² So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ⁴³ But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

The message

Happy Reformation Day. This morning, we are about half way through our long Advent, the wait for Christmas, the wait for the birth of Christ our savior. We also remember the events that led up to Martin Luther posting the 95 theses, a call to debate that started a confrontation with the Roman Catholic Church’s leadership and eventually led to an even more divided church.  Of course today’s reading, from the history of ancient Israel, is also the story of God’s people being divided from each other.  There is a lot of overlap between these two events, the division of Israel into the northern and southern kingdom and the Protestant Reformation both involve the question of authority and human leadership in God’s world.

For those who are not too familiar with the time and place where Israel splits (which I assume is almost everyone), we start with a little history. A few weeks ago, we heard a reading from the Book of Ruth, the story of King David’s ancestors set during the time of Judges.  Israel was a group of tribes, each with their own identity and area, with little unity. This was a time when the tribes of Israel were governed by a series of Judges, tribal leaders who served as prophet, priest and president (a history we learn about from the appropriately titled book of Judges) There is a cycle throughout this book and time period: the people of Israel break the covenant with God, do what is evil, prohibited, forget the power and importance of God. As a result, the Lord allows or does not prevent the people from being defeated, pushed and punished by their enemies The people repent, cry out for Help,  In response the Lord calls and raises up a leader, the spirit of the Lord comes upon that leader and he or she manages to defeat the enemy and restore peace,

The time of the judges ends with hope for the future under a king and a united empire.  God sends Samuel to anoint Saul as king and soon after, God sends Samuel to remove a failing Saul and anoint David as the next king. Last week, you heard about the start of King David’s reign, a time of great celebration, proud worship, trust in God’s power and hope. After David, his son Solomon is anointed as the next king. David and Solomon do great things, win victories, build the temple, unify the 12 diverse  and different tribes.  They also do horrible things. David and Solomon are jealous, greedy and ultimately prove to be more self-interested than God interested or community interested. A very public forgetting that they serve in God’s world.   David and Solomon both taxed the people greatly, used forced labor or slavery, favored one part or people of Israel over another, betray the people they were anointed to care for and violated biblical laws. Most importantly, they do not stay loyal to God, they forget whose word and power they are maintained by.  Solomon builds the temple in Jerusalem (which David cannot do because of his lack of loyalty to God). Solomon also builds worship sites for the gods of all his foreign wives. As Solomon grows older, he dabbles in following those other gods.  There will be a reckoning for this, the price of David and Solomon’s actions will be paid by those who come after them. Today’s reading is that reckoning, that experience of what sin in power leads to, when people are allowed to stray from God, when they forget we are in God’s kingdom.    

When Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, became king, he seeks guidance. One group convinces him to take a hard line on his power and plans to continue Solomon’s path of enslavement, tax burdens and personal wealth building. The ten northern tribes had enough and revolt, establishing the northern kingdom and taking the name Israel. They Appoint Jeroboam, an Ephraimite, as their king.  The two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, known as the Southern kingdom or kingdom of Judah, remained loyal to the family line of David.  (God’s promise was that the savior would come from King David’s line, which means David’s line must go on). Of course, the cycle of sin, punishment, repentance and restoration keeps going.  The kings and leaders do not remain faithful, greed leaks in, fear leaks in, desire for power leaks in, selfishness and self interest leaks in, maintaining a legacy, all these things leak in and changes things for the worse.

Noticeably missing from the work of the new kings of north and south was a time of prayer, of asking the Lord God for guidance or direction, of acknowledging God’s role in calling and anointing a leader. Jeroboam and his counselors come up with repeating the sin of the newly freed people of Isreal, creating golden calfs, idols to worship and give credit for the Exodus to.  Rehoboam  doubles down on Solomon’s me first leadership style, There could be some marginal acknowledgment but no effort to create, enforce or shape God’s vision for the world, no works of faith that would hurt their power or wealth, no sacrifice on behalf of others or the community.  This leads to the rapid end of the United Kingdom and leaves North and South at the mercy of outsiders.  People think they have the mandate of God and that means they are God. Really God has only ever given us people a few mandates for all, Love God and Love one another, serve and care for creation. That applies to everyone. When kings stop doing that, there is trouble.  When the church stops doing that, there it reformation.   

We could say that the Protestant Reformation starts because leadership amongst God’s power (now the church) were acting like these ancient kings, protecting their own wealth, power and place, forgetting God calls us to be different from the world, servants of the community and proclaimers of God's grace, love, forgiveness and welcome. This power system where people say what they need to say to get anointed, crowned or elected and then do whatever they want is what Luther attacks and its what Jesus attacks. Our reading from Mark 10, Jesus is in the middle of some harsh teachings, preparing for his trial, death and resurrection, healing, curing and watching his back, when James and John, who followed Jesus from the start, completely misunderstanding what Jesus is saying and so much of what they had witnessed. They decide now is the time for their reward, a power play, a more serious version of calling shotgun or calling “not it”, of we asked first, we get it.  James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Then the other 10 disciples hear this has just happened, they began to be angry with James and John.  Jesus responds “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Sermon for October 13

The readings

Ruth 1:1-17

1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. 6 Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had considered his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back each of you to your mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband." Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. 10 They said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." 11 But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, 13 would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me." 14 Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 So she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." 16 But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!"

Mark 3:33-35 
33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”











The message

During a trip to the Holy Land back in January, we stopped by a place in Bethlehem called the Shepherd’s fields,  Not far from the church of the nativity, that marks the place of Jesus birth, this is the place where for almost 2000 years Christians have celebrated as the fields where the shepherds were first to hear the good news, witness the countless angels sing out “Christ is born”. Our guide told us this place we were standing had a history even older and then asked a riddle or joke “this land belonged to someone who before he got married, was Ruthless”.   Now out of a group of 4 pastors and about 35 people of faith who were willing to put in the time, money and work of a Holy Land Trip, I am the only one who knows the answer is Boaz.  That is the land owner in the book of Ruth who rescues Ruth and Naomi, who acts with compassion and understanding.  It’s funny because the word ruthless can mean angry, without mercy, pity or care but it also can literally mean without Ruth.  (the only reason I knew that was part of our Summer series last year was 5 weeks on the Book of Ruth). 

We get a little ahead of ourselves. The story of Ruth is important, It is told because she will become the great grandmother of King David and she is one of the 4 women (and non isrealities) mentioned in the geneology of Jesus.  The book of Ruth is set during the time of the Judges, the period between Moses, the 10 commandments and the wilderness and the time of the kings. The time of the judges stretches for about 350 years. It was a time when prophet / political leader / priests like Gideon and Deborah (yeah there was a woman judge) led the people of Israel. It was a time of conflict, war, victory and loss.  Samuel is the last of the Judges who facilites the change to rule by kings, anointing Saul, removing Saul and then anointing David (whose story you will hear next week).  

The first chapter in the Book of Ruth is the story of refugees, a family that flees famine for a better life in a new country, one where they were not quite welcome. The Moabites were sort of distant relatives to the Israelites,  these two peoples had some encounters centuries ago that did not go well.  Ruth is the story of a family that undergoes great loss, the deaths of a husband, and sons. The remaining women face very limited prospects for the future, They were three women alone at a time when women alone could not fare well. They do what they have to do, Naomi releases her daughter in laws so they can go and survive in Moab (they would have to be taken in by relatives there), Ruth refusing to leave Naomi, travels to Bethlehem with her, picks left over grain, finds favor with and then seducing Boaz. After this, she quietly sits by while he takes care of everything needed to marry her (a powerful, smart and driven women disappears from the story, knowing in that time and place, their best chance was “I rich, land owning man who want to marry this servant girl, I get what I want”,  her speaking would not help).  


Throughout the Book of Ruth, she is often identified as Ruth the Moabite from Moab, the foreigner, just to stress that she is an outsider, a foreigner, a not quite wanted or welcome person who the law demanded they marginally tolerate. The Shepherd’s fields, where the first people to hear Christ is born worked and where I knew the answer to a riddle, were also within sight of some Israeli settlements and in the distance you could see the wall that separates Israel from the West Bank / Palestinian territories.


This was a border we crossed many times, with a group of young, well armed soldiers peeking in bus, the driver saying Americans, us saying Hello and the soldiers leaving after a brief look.  The borders seemed like not big deal, but I couldn’t help realize for millions of people, these walls and borders were not funny, they were very real barriers.

That is the story at the heart of the book of Ruth, part of King David’s Geneology (part of his story will be next week’s reading), part of the genology of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is someone for whom these barriers were real.  Ruth’s faithfulness, loyalty, promise keeping are in this history.  They were real, even foolish, against self preservation moves. They were risks that could have easily led to life as prostitute or beggar or death.  Boaz did real, counter-cultural, unexpected, strange and odd things to marry Ruth, The story of Ruth reminds us that humble beginnings were not an inspirational tid bit, they were God’s real presence with those in need.  

Finally, we come to our reading from Mark. Here family is not redefined by borders, genetics, biology, class or anything else. Family, connections with others is defined as people loved by God, who worship the same God and receive the same grace. At one point in his ministry, Jesus is apparently spending too much time teaching so his mother mary tells hjm, hurry up your brothers are outside waiting,  Jesus responds

Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

That’s the book of Ruth, a God who transcends barriers, political, social, biological and even sin and death

Sermon for October 6

The readings


Deuteronomy 5:1-21 
 
5 Moses convened all Israel, and said to them:

Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I am addressing to you today; you shall learn them and observe them diligently. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 Not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. 4 The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the fire. 5 (At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to declare to you the words[a] of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:

6 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 7 you shall have no other gods before[b] me.

8 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, 10 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation[c]of those who love me and keep my commandments.

11 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

12 Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 14 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.
16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
17 You shall not murder.[d]
18 Neither shall you commit adultery.
19 Neither shall you steal.
20 Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 Neither shall you covet your neighbor’s wife.
Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
 
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.[a] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem[b] on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
 
Mark 12:28-31 
 
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”



The message


Sort of (no manuscript today)


Today, we are in the time after the major event of the Old Testament.  The time after the Exodus / escape from 400 years of slavery in Egypt.   The God who created the world, bringing order from nothing, who calls Abraham, giving a child to the old and barren, wrestles with Jacob, walks with Joseph, making and keeping great promises.


The 10 commandments starts with God. declaring, I have heard the cries of my people and the call of Moses. Moses (and Aaron) goes to the pharaoh, demanding the freedom of the Israelties and bringing the 10 plagues, the water to blood, gnats or lice, flies, death of livestock, boils  hailstorms, frogs, locusts, three days of darkness and death of the first born of Egypt.  These plagues show the power of God. 

We now find ourselves after the Exodus, an event celebrated by the song, the song of the community and the song of Mariam,(the sister of Moses and Aaron) and perhaps the oldest text in the bible : Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown  into the sea.”   That’s the big moment, the literal road out of slavery was cut through a sea that parts and then buries the armies of Egypt.

Sing to the Lord who has done great things, who defeated Egypt and their great army, who set the people free from 400 years of slavery, who heard their prayers, fulfilled great promises, who called their leaders, soon fades to “where are we going, what we will we eat, we were better off in Egypt, you lied to us, life sucks here, we’d rather be slaves, our neighbors will kill us, were going to die of disease, attacks or war, thirst or hunger. They will go as far as making and worshipping a golden calf, giving this idol they force Aaron to create credit for freeing them from Egypt. This broken, anxious and chosen community receives the law, the 10 commandments (along with about 610 other rules and policies)  


Today, I do not want to focus on the meaning of these laws in how we live (you can look at the 10 commandments in Luther’s small or large catechism there the commandments serve a very particular purpose, the law reveals sin, exposes our inability to save ourselves or earn salvation through good works. This pushes us to the cross and God’s grace.

When Moses first shares the 10 commandments, the law pointed people to God, remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm:


The first 4 commandments focus on how we interact with God and the last 6 focus on how we interact with each other.  The law points us to the God who gave promises to Sarah and Abraham and then a child, who rescued the people from Egypt, who spoke through the prophets, who healed the sick, taught the authorities, rose Christ from the dead.   When Jesus is confronted by the religious authorities, asked “which is the greatest of the commandments”, Jesus responds The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”