April 29, 2018 Easter 5
Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:24-30; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, our strength, and our redeemer. Amen. Psalm 19:14 Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! Do you know that God loves YOU? Do you believe that God loves you? God does love you no matter what. God loves you when you are nice. God loves you when you are naughty. God loves you when you are not sure that God even exists and even if you deny his very existence. God loves you always. God loves you yesterday, God loves you today, God loves you tomorrow, and God loves you forever! God loves you. My father died three Easters ago, April 7th, 2015. My father loved me and taught me to love. Sometimes it took me awhile to understand what he was showing me through his actions. Once when I was very young my sister Marsha and I were home alone. I don’t remember where my mother was, but Dad was out in the fields working. I don’t know what possessed her, but Marsha decided to climb up on the garage roof and rip off shingles. She liked to help Dad and had probably seen him do this. I do not like heights so did not join her. In fact I can just hear myself saying, “I don’t think you should be up there. Are you sure about this? You had better come down.” Next thing we knew, Dad came roaring up from the field on his tractor and came running. He had seen Marsha up on the roof. I don’t remember what happened next, but Dad quickly got Marsha down from the roof. There probably was some yelling. I don’t remember Dad ever hitting us. I just don’t remember what was said or done. What I do remember is Dad then giving Marsha a piece of Juicy Fruit Gum, NOT me, but her! It just wasn’t fair. She was the one in trouble not me, but SHE got the gum. It took me a long time to understand how afraid my father was. What if Marsha had fallen off the roof and was hurt or killed! What if Mum had found her first! I think that he was a little afraid of Mum. Was Dad mad at me because I had failed to convince my sister of the prudence of staying on the ground? No, my Dad’s focus at this time was solely on my sister and what could have happened. The gum was my father’s way of saying he was sorry for being so angry and scolding my sister. The gum had nothing to do with being good or bad. My Dad loved Marsha even when she was doing something wrong and wanted her to know he still loved her even when he disciplined her. He was so afraid of what could have happened. <pause> My understanding of God’s love is shaped by my understanding of my father’s love. Our understanding of God’s love is shaped by our understanding of our parent’s love, the love of our aunts and uncles and extended family, teachers and our church family. I was loved and I returned that love and so it is easy for me to believe that God loves me and to love God in return. We sang the children’s hymn “Jesus Loves Me” often in the church I grew up in and I believed it. Sadly not everyone’s experience is so positive. Some people lost a parent early in life due to death or divorce. Was it somehow their fault, eternally waiting to be found out and punished? Some parents are distant never having been loved they don’t know how to love. Some parents are never around working around the clock or serving in the military or away at sea on a ship. So we come to believe in a distant, uncaring God, a God who created us and then went on to his next project. Some parents are angry and abusive and we come to believe in an angry, vengeful God, a God we need to tip toe around lest he reach out and strike us. My goal this morning is to tell you that God loves you, yes you. God loved you before you were born when you were just a sparkle in your parent’s eye. God loves you from the beginning of time. When God created the world, when God created humanity, God saw that it was good; in fact it was very good. God loves all of creation including you and me. God wants a personal relationship with his people, with you and me. We read the stories of Adam and Eve, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, of Moses, Aaron, Miriam and Joshua and we hear of a God who talked and walked with his people, who was active in their lives. We hear of a God who was angry with the behavior of his people, who destroyed life with a flood, but regretted his decision and promised never to do it again. Of a God who sent Moses to free his people from slavery to the Egyptians and was repaid with a whiny, ungrateful people, who turned to other gods without a second thought, an angry God who considered destroying this people, but who was willing to be persuaded to give them yet another chance; a God who loved his people and wanted to be loved in return. Most significantly for us as Christians we hear the stories of a God who loves his people so much that he sent his beloved son Jesus Christ to free his people from slavery to sin and who was repaid by the crucifixion of this son. God loves his people so much that he sent his son anyway so that Jesus could show God’s people what love looks like, how love acts, when to love, where to love, who to love and why to love. You remember those six questions we were taught in school to ask: who, what, where, when, why and how. Who are we to love? We are to love God with all our heart and all our mind and all our strength. We are to love our neighbor as our self. We are to love our selves. We are to love all people. We are to love all of God’s creation. By loving our neighbor we are loving God. If we cannot love our brother or sister, how can we love a god that we cannot see? Who is love? God is love. If God is in us and we are in God then we too are love, made to love, to be love. If we are part of our neighborhood and our neighborhood is part of who we are then God’s love that is part of us will also be part of our neighborhood. What is love? Love is an intense feeling of deep affection. Love is a great interest and pleasure in something or someone. Love is attachment, caring and intimacy. Love has many meanings: family love as for a parent, child or sibling; brotherly or friendly love, friendship; romantic love, physical love and attraction for another; and self-emptying, divine love as when a firefighter is willing to enter a burning building to rescue a stranger or a man is willing to die on a cross. Where is love? Love is in our souls, our hearts, our minds, our very being. Love is all around us. Love is in the relationship between a mother and her child. When we send a child off to university or war, love is with us and with our beloved child. The spirit of God has been poured into our very souls and so love is in us, you and me and the love of God shines forth in all our interactions with those around us. God’s love is never ending and so can be shared freely and abundantly, there will always be enough for me and you and all with whom we interact. When is love? Love is for all time, for eternity. Love always was, is and always will be. Love was present before the beginning of time, at the time of creation. Love is present in history. Love was present at our conception, at our birth, throughout our lives and will be present at our death. Love is present in times of war and natural disasters, sickness and health, in good times and bad times. Love is for all eternity. When are we to love? Always! Just as Jesus and Stephen at their deaths prayed that God would forgive their murderers, we are to love our enemies, those who hate us, bully us, and abandon us so that they too might come to know the love of God. Why is Love? I do not know how God or love came to be, but I believe God always is, that Love always is. Why do I love? I believe that I love because I was first loved. My mother and my father loved me and so I love my father and my mother, my family and friends. I believe that God first loved me, that God loves my parents and that God loves me through my family, my friends, my teachers and my church and so I have come to love God, my family, my friends, my enemies, my church, the people of St. James’ and the people of Albion, not perfectly, but still I love. How is love? “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) We are to love freely and deeply because we are loved freely and deeply by a loving, gracious, merciful God, not because we are so loveable or good or kind, but just because God loves us. God loves me. God loves you. God is love. Amen.
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April 22, 2018 Easter 4
Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18 The Good Shepherd Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, our strength, and our redeemer. Amen. Psalm 19:14 Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! Here it is the fourth Sunday of Easter and we are leaving behind the resurrection stories and moving on to stories of the Good Shepherd who is willing to lay down his life for the sheep. As many of you know I am the daughter of a shepherd or a shepherdess if you prefer. Mum shipped her January lambs off for the Easter market and now is busy with new Spring lambs. She has 12 ewes who are first time mothers. Mum sees that the mothers have grain, fresh hay and water and minerals to keep them healthy. She keeps a baby monitor in her bedroom so she can hear if a sheep is distressed. Mum helps with the deliveries when necessary and gives the new lambs their shots, documents each birth and bottle feeds when necessary to help out the mother. It is not unusual to call Mum and find that there is a lamb spending a few days in the basement. A ewe may find it difficult to feed triplets since they are built for two. And worrying about wolves is real. Mum came out the barn a couple of weeks ago and smelt the strong odor of coyote and there they were the tracks of a pair of coyotes passing the barn and going off into the trees. I was anxious to hear whether Mum had any further run-ins with the coyotes and fortunately she has not. It probably helps that she has a Great Pyrenees, a large creamy, long-haired dog that lives with the sheep; Candy is very protective of her sheep and knows when something or someone new is around. When I take a visit up home, I can still count on a good home cooked meal and some quality time with Mum. Mum knows for whom she is their shepherd, she knows who her sheep are and they know her voice. When she wants company when she goes for a walk to check on the sheep in the field or help unloading a wagon full of hay I help her and I am a shepherd too. There are times when we are the shepherd and there are times when we are the one being cared for. Bishop Whayne is our Good Shepherd in our diocese following in the footsteps of the bishops who came before him back through the centuries to the original apostles who followed the example of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. He carries a crozier that symbolizes his role as the Good Shepherd. The Bishop’s role is to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church; to celebrate and to provide for the administration of the sacraments of the New Covenant; to ordain priests and deacons and to join in ordaining bishops; and to be in all things a faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock of Christ; sharing in the leadership of the Church throughout the world. Just as my mother protects her sheep, feeding them, caring for their health and welfare, calling for a vet when necessary, providing a guard dog, Bishop Whayne protects the Church and our faith as passed down through the centuries. I work here in Albion as your priest acting on behalf of the Bishop accountable for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, baptizing, offering the Holy Eucharist and providing pastoral care, the feeding and care of the church. Oscar Romero Archbishop of San Salvador in El Salvador spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture and was assassinated in 1980 while offering Mass. While I hope Bishop Whayne never finds himself in such a situation, this shows our bishops are willing to die for the Church they protect. Just as my mother’s sheep recognize her voice and follow her, but scatter when they hear my voice, so the Church recognizes the voice of the Good Shepherd the one who loves and cares for them. In this morning’s gospel from John Jesus says that he is the Good Shepherd and will lay down his life for the sheep. This side of Easter we know that Jesus actually did willingly offer his life and was killed and that God raised him to new life in his resurrection. I find verse 16 intriguing, what did Jesus mean when he said, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” One answer is that he meant the same people as Oscar Romero was defending, the poor, the marginalized, women, children, the powerless, the foreigner, the sick and the lame. We can see this clearly in Jesus’ ministry. Another answer is the gentiles. Although Jesus’ ministry was primarily with the lost sheep that had strayed away from Judaism, following his resurrection Jesus sends out his disciples to proclaim the Good News and to baptize all nations. Peter’s ministry was primarily with the Jews, but Paul’s ministry was to the gentiles, the non-Jews. Who is our ministry for? I believe it is the same. We care and feed the members of the Church. We call back to the church those who have wandered away from the church because of the cares and worries of this life, to those who have been shamed and driven away, the poor, the mentally ill, the other, to those who have lost their faith and those who never had it, to those who have never heard the name Jesus Christ other than as a cuss word. But I wonder if those other flocks might also refer to non-Christians. As Episcopalians we appreciate our way of worship and belief, but we do not believe that we are the only ones who will be saved and go to heaven. I hope and believe that people encounter God in other churches than ours. I also believe in a God so big and awesome that God is able to reach out to people of other faith traditions. Our job is not to convert, but to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and to baptize those who request it. Enough killing in the name of God has been done over the centuries even in our century. We are called to live the life of a Christian in our homes and in our lives showing love and care for all we encounter that they may know we are Christians by our love. My Mother knows for whom she is a shepherd, her sheep and her family. Our Bishop knows for whom he is a shepherd, the Church, the Diocese of Western Michigan, his priests and his family. I am a shepherd for the parish of St. James’ in Albion and for my family including my Mum. Do you know for whom you are a shepherd? It is important to know for whom you are a shepherd to love and to care for and equally important to know and accept that you too are loved and cared for by your shepherd. May the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ be with us for ever more. Amen. April 15, 2018 Easter 3
Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48 Behind Locked Doors Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, our strength, and our redeemer. Amen. Psalm 19:14 Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! Again we find the disciples behind locked doors for fear of the Romans, for fear of the Chief Priest and the other religious leaders. The disciples fear arrest and execution; they feel grief and despair upon the death of their friend and leader Jesus; they are confused and apprehensive about stories of sightings of Jesus and claims that Jesus is alive. Suddenly Jesus appears in their midst despite the locked door and invites them to satisfy themselves that he really is Jesus in the flesh and bone. The disciples can see Jesus, can hear Jesus and even touch Jesus and his wounds. Jesus asks for a piece of fish and eats it, something a ghost could never do. Jesus meets them in their fear and uncertainty and offers them his peace. Jesus engages his disciples intellectually opening their minds to understand the scriptures and that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise again on the third day. Finally Jesus commissions the disciples to proclaim the message of repentance and forgiveness in his name to all nations beginning with Jerusalem. The danger has not decreased and yet I am sure the disciples’ terror has diminished and their stress levels have lowered. They know for themselves that Jesus really is alive. They have witnessed his ministry, arrest, death and resurrection for themselves and can attest to it in full confidence. Jesus is alive! Alleluia! What doors are we hiding behind in fear? What obstacles stand in our way of proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God? What prevents us, you and me, from fully believing and trusting in God? I may fear that people will make fun of me or despise me or ignore me or think of me as being irrational or even crazy for believing such things. Will this affect my employment opportunities, who my friends are? Rationally, intellectually, people don’t rise from the grave, return to life after dying. People don’t walk through locked doors or solid walls except in science fiction movies. Beam me up Scottie! Or Back to the Future in an HG Wells Time Machine. Jesus wasn’t a hologram since Thomas could actually touch Jesus and Jesus could eat a piece of fish. So who or what was Jesus? The author of Luke is telling us that Jesus was a man who died on a cross and that the Risen Jesus is the Crucified Jesus. He shows us the wounds in his hands and his feet that we can touch. The Risen Jesus is the Divine one who can walk through a locked door, but is also flesh and bone. Is there blood? Jesus is divine and Jesus is human. Jesus the son of Mary is also the son of God, fully human and fully divine. Can I believe this? Do I believe this? How can I ask others to believe this if I am not certain? Mary Magdalene did not believe until she met Jesus in the garden. The disciples did not believe Mary Magdalene until they saw Jesus for themselves. Thomas did not believe the disciples until he saw Jesus for himself. This is not an easy request, but the authors of the gospels want us to believe and tell us what they think we need to know in order to believe. They know it will be hard since we cannot physically see and touch Jesus or have him sit down and eat a meal with us, but the author of John has Jesus say, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Luke tells us that the risen Jesus opened the disciples’ minds and hearts to understand the scripture. The Bible can also help us today to understand and come to know God and Jesus. Like the disciples we need help in interpreting and understanding the Bible. We read scripture on our own. We hear scripture in church. Your preacher, that would be me, provides an interpretation in their sermon. Group Bible study gives us a chance to discuss the scripture with others and hear different meanings and interpretations. We read different books and get different, often conflicting interpretations. Sometimes we even find that the Bible has conflicting stories and ideas within it. Who is right? Who do we believe? What should we believe? Can we trust what the Bible says? Sometimes it just seems easier not to think about it! My understanding of the Bible, of God and of Jesus is continually growing, changing and developing. It is like Mathematics. Before we learn to solve quadratic equations we learn about numbers, how to add and subtract, how to multiply and divide, about the power of numbers and then we learn how to solve an equation. I have come to believe that the Bible is the story of a people and their relationship with God, showing their growing and evolving understanding of God culminating in God’s self-revelation through Jesus Christ. The story is not complete. We continue to add to the story as our understanding of God evolves. I no longer read the Bible as a history book although it contains history. I no longer take the Bible literally or believe in the inerrancy of Scriptures, but I do believe it to be true and to contain all we need to know about salvation and growing into the Kingdom of Heaven. Perhaps we fear that there won’t be enough for everyone, that there won’t be enough for me and my family and for others. How can God realistically expect me to share what I have with the poor and the needy? Even Jesus said that we would always have the poor. It is not a one-time thing. How can I be expected to standup against the injustices I see in our society? I might argue that I don’t have the time or the money or the knowledge to do anything. I once asked the Bishop of Lexington what the greatest need was and what I should focus on. He wisely replied that I should work on whatever I was interested in, what I was passionate about and that would meet a need. St. James’ is passionate about feeding the hungry. We believe the people of Albion have a right to fresh, healthy food and so we provide a monthly community supper, we host Lenten lunches and salad luncheons, and we donate to AIM. We are also passionate about gardening and the beauty of flowers and so we work to grow the Albion Community Gardens. We believe in feeding the hungry, but also in teaching people how to grow their own fruit and vegetables. We don’t just believe in teaching, but also in providing the tilled land, the seeds and plants, mentoring children and new gardeners and in planting, harvesting, preserving and cooking the food we grow. In sharing our organization skills, grant writing skills, Master Gardener skills; in sharing our experience of gardening, plowing fields, canning we are helping Albion grow into a community of God, building friendships and relationships, restoring unity across gender, race, age and socio-economic divides in our common need and desire for fresh fruits and vegetables and our desire to restore abandoned land to productive and beautiful gardens to feed the minds, hearts and stomachs of the people Albion. Today’s gospel reading from Luke shares with us the identity of Jesus; shows us the importance of reading Scripture to see God at work in nature and in history, to hear the story of Jesus’ life and teachings and to hear the proclamation of the Good News of the Kingdom of God for all people; and finally Luke gives us his version of the Great Commission, that the disciples and we are to share the story of Jesus crucified and resurrected and to proclaim the message of repentance and forgiveness to all nations. So I invite you to unlock the doors shut on your fears and come out into the Kingdom of God as witnesses for Jesus Christ. Amen. |
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