Goin' Fishing?

 

Easter 3c, John 21:1-19 with Acts 9:22-30 in the b.g. (April 18, 2010)

 

Doesn't "Easter" seem like a long time ago? I mean we are back into our routines. I am getting up early on Sunday mornings again to write my sermons. You are back at full weeks of work and or running around doing the many things you need to do. The kids are crying, so many people are sick or struggling with health. Even the realities of taxes are upon us.

 

And this morning we see Peter and six others of those early disciples back, FISHING! Only two weeks ago we heard that Peter was amazed after he had run to the tomb in Luke's gospel to see those empty grave clothes. It was incredible. Only last Sunday we heard how Thomas had been moved from doubt to personal faith as Jesus appeared to him and the others in that room. Upon seeing and hearing the risen Jesus Thomas confessed that Jesus is, "My Lord and my God!"

 

So those early disciples had amazing experiences of the risen Lord. Death and evil were limited. But what were those early disciples to do next?

 

They aren't sure. So they gravitate back to what they normally would do, what they thought they "knew".

 

Aren't we like that? When we aren't sure what to do next, don't we often do what we usually have done before: drink coffee, work, watch TV, surf the net, text?

 

But then as now, life as "usual" is anything but easy. To be sure there are wonders in our lives: new births, the love of people, even sacrifices that others make because they are moved to care about and for us. But in the midst of such wonder and beauty there is also pain and death. On Thursday I met some colleagues. Among them was one whom I love and have deep respect for. I just learned that two years ago his marriage of 38 years had been terminated. His pain is still evident. I was blown away. And then, this morning, I arrived at the church to open my emails. There was a letter from a young man, whom I love like a son. I was privileged to marry he and his wife some years ago. They had so many abilities going for them individually and together. But now in his email he relates how they have grown apart and no longer live together. I found myself near tears for both of them.

 

Can you identify with this: with both the wonder of life and the pain of life and death? Does our conviction that Jesus is risen inform, shape, enable us in the midst of such wonder and pain. To be sure the power of death continues to encroach seeking to own and limit us. What shall we, what will we do now?

 

Do we dare to watch the disciples, to be caught up by, drawn into their "story"? Peter and the other six toil all night. These are not recreational fishermen. They are like prairie farmers. They need their harvest. They depend upon a catch so that there will be enough to eat today.

 

But that night there isn't enough. There aren't any fish caught at all! Still, the sun comes up. They are drawing near shore, literally ALL IN. In the distance they catch a glimpse of a figure on the beach. He states the obvious, "no fish, huh?" Their faces may have belied that fact or the way the boats was sailing or?

 

But then this figure on the shore gives them a strange instruction. He invites them (commands them) to cast their nets on the other side of their boat. That was a side that they normally would have never cast into. Now, even though they are exhausted, even though they don't recognize this figure on the beach, they obey him. Amazingly, now their catch is so bountiful that they can't haul it in.  They have been moved from famine to feast in merely a few minutes.

 

Now one of them looks at that figure on the beach and recognizes who he is. It is the Lord! It's hard to say why they didn't recognize him before. Sometimes when we are down, when we ourselves are all in, when we are preoccupied with making a living, we may not see him either. Or, especially when the direction we have been working so hard at, isn't working and we need to go in another direction, we may not recognize that it is His voice beckoning us to try something very different.

 

As those seven are eating with the risen Jesus they all begin to recognize him. This is surprising at some level because they are just eating fish and bread.

 

Now Jesus speaks to Peter. Do we remember Peter? Some days ago he was so bold to say that even if the rest abandoned Jesus, he, Peter, would follow Jesus to his death. But then in the midst of Jesus' trial Peter denies even knowing Jesus, not once or even twice, but three times. It is in the aftermath of Peter's denial that Jesus is killed!

 

How might Peter have felt then? How do you feel when you fail others that you deeply care for and about – your spouse, your friend, your parent, your child? You say something to them that cuts to their heart. You forget a promise and don't come through for them. You allow other things, things that aren't as important as they are to occupy the majority of your time, your commitment. We know these experiences. We may try to forget – but they are real – and the pain is real. Often the consequences are lasting.

 

But now the risen Jesus, standing or sitting around that charcoal fire, the meal of  fish and bread asks Peter point blank, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" I'm not sure what the or who the "these" were. Perhaps it was fishing. Or maybe it was does Peter love Jesus more than the other disciples or even more than the other disciples love Jesus. Whatever it was Peter is able to answer, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus than says to him, "Feed my lambs." It is Jesus' way of saying to Peter – if you love me, well then feed, nurture those I have been called to gather up, to protect, to bring new life to.

But that isn't the end of Jesus' questions or instructions for Peter. Jesus asks Peter a second time, "Do you love me Simon?" Peter says to him, "yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus then instructs him, "Tend my sheep". And finally, a third time, Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?" Peter is hurt but replies, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus gives him a 3^rd commandment, "Feed my sheep!"

 

I have asked myself – why does Jesus ask Peter 3 times if Peter loves him? Many scholars feel that this in some ways reverses  Peter's 3 fold denial. That may well be true. But beyond that I am convinced that we all need to be reminded firstly of God's love for us in Jesus, but then also of the call to reciprocate that love. Such love is not a warm fuzzy feeling – that we can somehow fall out of. NO! This love of God in Jesus is a commitment beyond and through death to never let us go. This commitment is not only for us, but for the entire world.

 

As we experience the love and forgiveness of God in Jesus Christ we are ordered, compelled, pleaded with, to love and serve others – Jesus' sheep.

 

To be sure – we often fail. And I do not in any manner shape or form want to belittle that. It is serious. And there are consequences all over our lives, all over this planet and all over the universe when we fail.

 

But because of Christ – that is not the end of it. Not at all! Jesus takes the initiative to find Peter. Jesus recommissions Peter. Jesus wills both to commission and equips us. Our prior failures are only the "end" if we refuse to glimpse Jesus, if we continually plug our ears and harden our hearts. And then that is only our end – which by the grace of God can reversed in a matter of moments. See Paul and Mary and so many others.

 

There is tremendous hope – not because of us – but because of Christ who doesn't give up on us or this world – EVER.

 

Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed! Alleluia. Even now he is calling us to sometimes cast our "nets", our very living, in a different direction. God grant us the grace to see, to hear and to obey Jesus . Easter is now! Amen.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

 

Why do you come to church?

 

Wouldn't it often be easier to stay away? Here in the Lower Mainland many people do. If you stayed away from this gathering, if you refused to truly enter into this community, you would probably have fewer commitments, responsibilities for your life. There might even be less personal awareness of the needs of others – physically, emotionally and spiritually. I mean if we aren't reminded, we may soon forget. So why not, just stay in bed, have an extra leisurely cup of coffee, watch TV, get in an extra round of golf when there are fewer players on the course, catch that "special" game on TV?

 

I have been privileged to visit with many people, people both inside and outside of the institutional church. During those visits I have heard many different reasons why people rarely or never come to worship. Some say that the church's message is irrelevant. That all we Christians talk about is the future, with little awareness or application to the present. When that's true, I tend to agree with them. I would stay away from church too – if that's all the church is doing.

 

Others boldly state that all or at least the vast majority of people attending church are hypocritical. These people point out that Christians advocate one thing – perhaps loving one's enemies or generous giving –but then actually do the opposite – literally hate their enemies and hoard their stuff. I must admit: often this criticism is justified. We in the church are sinners. We need God's forgiveness. We need the power of God to become different. But I suspect – that so do the people who don't come to church.

 

Another reason that I hear for people not attending worship is that they are tired from the prior week's activities. They need time to rest on Sunday or Saturday or whenever it is that worship occurs. I know that people are tired. Many people work 50 or 60 hours a week or even more. Then they come home to family responsibilities. Many are not only tired – but absolutely exhausted, in need of a regular and complete Sabbath (rest). (Pause)

 

But you are here today. And I am glad that you are here! Yet, I want to ask you, "Why do you come to church?" Why did you get up and make your way to this place today? This is an important question.

 

Once again there are texts from the Bible that are read in our gathering. Do you hear them, now?

 

In John's Gospel, Jesus is reported to say this: "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me". (John 10:27) This is an incredible statement!  Here Jesus employs the image of sheep for those people who trust him. Such people, Jesus says, "hear my voice". Nor is his voice heard in some distant way, the way we might hear elevator music, or airport announcements that aren't for us. No! Instead, Jesus' voice is heard by all who trust him in a personal, meaning filled way. It's as if someone dear to us, reaches out to touch our arm or our hand, or embraces us when we are hurting or hugs us when we are overcome by joy. When such people speak our name, their voice grasps our attention and WE HEAR THEM! 

 

So Christ says to us, in the reading of the Gospel, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them." Wonder about this. Christ speaks to us in a way that affects us, in a way that assures us that He is with us and for us.

 

Indeed Christ knows all who hear him. Such knowledge isn't some kind of cognitive, distant knowing – the way that I know that Gordon Campbell is the leader of the provincial Liberal party and the premier of this province, or that 1 + 1 = 2, or that there is water in Australia. Rather, Christ knowing us, is the way that my wife knows me. She knows what I really like to eat and drink and how I like to eat and drink those things. She knows that if we are alone I will dip my spoon right into the ice cream pail again and again and again. She also knows what I don't like, what I will avoid at all costs unless she really wants me to come – things like Craft fairs. She can also read the expressions on my face the way that no other human being can. She knows when I want to leave a place right now without even so much as a word being uttered. She also knows my hopes and dreams, my successes and failures – and how I live with them or attempt to deny them.

 

Now Christ knows all who will hear him in this wa y, but in an even deeper way. Christ even knows what I am thinking all the time. This is an in depth knowing.

 

We may not wish to be known in this way. There may be some things that we hope others will never know about us.  When others truly know us, we are vulnerable towards them.

 

But what if, that one who knows us so deeply, loves us even still more deeply? What then? You see, Christ knows us fully – and still chooses to love us deeply, unconditionally. This is life-bringing, wonderful!

 

So, please know this. There are at least 2 profound aspects to our relationship with Christ. We can hear Christ speaking to us. We can hear his voice, recognize that it is He who is calling us, wanting to guide and direct us. And he knows us!

 

But that's not the end of our relationship with God, not all there is to who God in Christ is calling us to be and become. There is also a third part of this statement in John's gospel. Listen for it. "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and THEY FOLLOW ME!"

Yes, they follow me – that is Christ. To follow someone means to trust them – to go where they go – to be led where they lead us.

 

So, where does Christ go?

 

In John's Gospel Jesus spends a fair bit of His time with those who are hurting, those who are lonely, those who are sick, those who are dying. If we are to follow Jesus (notice the plural of that "we") we will sick to follow His lead.

 

There are many who are hurting – physically, emotionally, spiritually. There are many whom we have met, whom we will meet who are lonely. They may not have ever had anyone love them unconditionally – and so may not know that God in Christ loves them.

 

Jesus, the Christ, invites us to look around, beyond ourselves. Some have open wounds, struggles we can see almost immediately. Others have deep wounds, wounds that are just as deeply hidden. All need to be cared for, heard, felt and loved. As we listen to Christ's voice we may receive healing and direction ourselves, insight and strength. Together, we can do so much more, than alone. In Christ the sum of the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts.

 

We need to see also that many are dying. The dying may be physical, emotional and or spiritual. Christ cares about the totality of people and creation. The letter to the Colossians speaks of the groaning of the entire creation.

 

I wonder – are we listening for Christ's voice in the midst of all the other voices demanding our attention? Hearing his voice we will be assured that we are loved. He is the Good Shepherd. Hearing his voice we are enabled to receive and live with reality – experiencing new life, receiving forgiveness, direction and hope. Our tendency to be obsessed and worried about ourselves can be let go. Hearing Christ's voice we know that we are not alone. We can follow him.

 

So, why do you come to church? We must answer that question ourselves. I often come because I need to hear again and again the voice of Christ. I need to be reminded that I am loved by God – that the entire world is loved by god. I need to be shown again and again that death and evil will not win the battle. I also come to church because I need to be in the company of those who like me are sometimes hypocrites, yes sinners, but who are seeking to be honest about that and acknowledged it. And I also need to be with those people who from time to time, sometimes even we are not consciously paying attention hear the voice of Christ and get the irresistible urge to follow him.

 

Christ is speaking to us. May we hear His voice. By god's grace may we follow Him. God knows our world needs to receive the love of Chris, the love we are being given each and ever day. Hearing Jesus' voice we can confess in word and deed, that Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Do You See What I See?

 

Easter 2c , April 11, 2010 Acts 5:27-32

 

I have here a very special picture. (Show different people the picture – let them actually see it) On the surface it doesn't seem like much. There's  a man in his 30's casually dressed, shaking hands with a little boy also very casually dressed. The older man is shaking the young boy's hand and has his hand placed on his shoulder in what seems to be an act of acceptance. The little boy seems wide-eyed, if not a little hesitant.

 

But remember. I said that this picture is very special! Well, at least it's special to me. You see even though the event that is portrayed in that picture happened nearly 50 years ago, I remember it, like it was today. As a result of that event I have traveled all over North America to hockey rinks to watch my favorite team play. Yes I have even dragged my wife to such places as Winnipeg, Minneapolis and Vancouver just to see THAT team. She doesn't even particularly like hockey. Even now as I am telling you about this event 50 years after it happened and I am still excited. You see, the little boy in the picture is me. I was 5 or 6 years old. The man in the picture welcoming me, spending about 3 hours of his time with me that day was Johnny Bower. Who is Johnny Bower you ask? Well when I was 6 years old he was only the Roberto Luongo of his day – the goalie for my favorite hockey team. And he spent an afternoon with just me.  I'm telling you, it was very exciting. 

 

Have you ever had anything exciting happen to you? So exciting that you wanted to tell everyone about it? Something so exciting that no one could prevent you from telling others regardless of what those others thought or said about you?

 

It's important to ask ourselves this question because in exploring it, we discover what truly matters to us. Even to this day I have a Maple Leaf jacket, a Maple Leaf key, Maple Leaf jerseys and Maple Leaf pajamas. If you know me just a little bit, you know that I am a Leafs fan. In Vancouver that's not always safe thing to be.

 

But would as many people know that I am a follower of Jesus – when I am not in this church, not wearing my clerical shirt or my Pastoral vestments? How would they know? Would they know by the way I drive? Would they know by the way I treat my wife and children? By how generous I am in the giving of my time and money for others? By the way I care for the earth and her creatures? By an honest and yet hopeful approach to the realities of life and death, economics and climate change, the wonder and horrors of human nature?

 

How do I, how do you, how do we give witness to what we are seeing and experiencing in Jesus? And if we don't give any witness to Jesus– does Jesus, his life, death and resurrection really mean anything or very much to us?

           

In today's lesson from Acts we meet Peter and John. They have met the risen Lord. Their lives have never been the same! Now they are out and about in Jerusalem. They are unashamedly, unabashedly teaching about the risen Jesus just outside the temple. They are also working to care for each other, body, mind and spirit. Many people are being attracted not just to their teaching, but to the reality they now declare.

 

Things are happening. The religious authorities are becoming uneasy for a number of reasons. They don't believe in resurrection at all. They certainly do not believe and in the resurrection of Jesus. Dead is dead. They had seen Jesus die. I mean, who are these men, Peter and John – so uneducated and simple, spreading such fairy tales, "Jesus is risen!" – pmppph.

 

Nevertheless these supposedly simple, uneducated men are now both fearless and loving. Their joy will not be contained. Even as they are tossed in jail, they do not bear malice towards their jailers nor those who have imprisoned them. Instead they continually tell any and all around them about this Jesus and his love for them.

 

Their message is so simple and yet so profound. Did we, do we hear it? "The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins." And then Peter and John continue – "And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

 

I wonder: what/who we are witnesses to? Are we witnesses to corruption in politics? Yes, we are. But we must also be witnesses to those times when we portray ourselves or think of ourselves in a favorable light that belies the darker reality of our thoughts and deeds. Are we witnesses to tragedy? Sometimes we are. We hear about, we see replays of a plane crash, a traffic accident, the ongoing claims of death in immense ways such as the genocide in Darfur or in smaller but very personal ways when heart disease or cancer strikes.

 

We are also witnesses to birth – thanks be to God. But before, underneath and after all of that, we can also be witnesses to so much more. Peter and John knew this. Do we?

 

We proclaim with our mouths that Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. Oh, it's so true! But then we also proclaim with our mouths that on the third day he rose again – that he lives NOW!

 

But do we believe this? Do we trust this? That Jesus the very Son of God, as the writer of Revelation says, "the firstborn of the dead", is alive. Do we believe, and by that I mean trust, living with any and all reality that because He lives we too can live?

 

The power of evil and death do not have to, in fact cannot have their way with us, as we trust and follow this risen Jesus. We can be freed from having to hold on to our possessions with clenched fists thinking that our future somehow is determined by how much we "have". We can trust God and employ what we have been entrusted with to love and care for others.

 

We can witness the genocide, speak out against it while refusing to hate but acting in love. When we do others will want to know why we are doing that, even how they can experience what we are obviously experiencing. Then they too will want to know and experience who Jesus is. 

 

You see the risen Jesus gives His Spirit to his followers: through his breath long ago; through his ongoing breath today. This moving gift of Spirit continues even through such  things as water coupled with promises, through bread and wine enlivened with God's very promise. That Spirit blows where it wills leading us and others who trust him, to go, only God knows where but all the while demonstrating that there can be new beginnings. The old is passing away. The new is coming. God is God. And God loves, cares for and deeply about this world.

 

By the grace of God and God's miraculous power – let's give witness to this in thought, word and deed, come what may! Amen. 

 

Dare To Be Amazed

There is a power of death. I observe such power all around me. From our Chocolate Labrador Abby who hates going to the vet, not only I think because of her pain association with such a place, but also because of the scent of death that pervades that place, to hospitals and nursing homes which  have their own unique "scent" if not sense of death. Even in commercial places such as malls, have you ever noticed that if one venue closes, often others around it, move or close themselves? Personal relationships sometimes have a sense of death. When one relationship ends, others may follow. There is an ancient proverb people that death comes in "threes". Although this may not literally always be true, one death causes me to shudder, two deaths move me to wonder and three deaths push me mentally into a corner that I don't like.  Death has power.  Many of us seek to avoid this particular power like the "plague" ( a saying in itself which has its origins dating back to the bubonic plague through which death claimed many hundreds of thousands lives). 

In some ways we are good at such avoidance. Truth be told, we are almost culturally professional in our denial of death. If we don't talk about it, if we pretend that death doesn't exist, if we venture out on lots of wonderful holidays, if we find new ways to replace our diminishing hair, if we get regular makeovers of our aging bodies, place the right amount of makeup on in a skilful way, well then, we hope (as in wish) that death won't come right away.  Nevertheless, sooner or later death will come. And death always comes claiming life. So often the life that death claims are the very lives of those we love so much.

If you have ever been present when literal death arrives, it's amazing. One moment the person is breathing – even if their breathing is laboured or intermittent. But then in almost a moment or an instant their breathing stops, ending. In that moment the person has died. Then in the not too distant future rigor mortis sets in.

Let me tell you - the women coming to Jesus' tomb that early Sunday morning knew death. They knew that Jesus was dead. They had watched him die. Although some post modern scholars and many post modern people think that the ancients were simpletons – well, in many ways they experienced death much more than we do. The women knew, Jesus is dead. In fact that's why they were coming to his tomb. They are bringing spices to properly adorn his dead body.

But then things begin to go awry. It is good that the stone at the entrance of the tomb has been moved. Now they can enter the tomb. Yet, once inside they don't find Jesus' body. Confusion sets in. What could have happened? We can only imagine what might have been going through their minds.  Whatever has happened, how terrible it is!  Now they can't even show Jesus the honour, the very dignity he so richly deserves, that they so want to bestow on him. As they stand at that tomb, all that is going on within them is interrupted. Now they see two men in dazzling clothes standing with them. They are terrified. These men ask the women an even more perplexing question: "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" The women aren't looking for the living. They were looking for the dead. 

 

But now these two men have even more to say to the women. Do they not remember Jesus telling them that he would be handed over to sinners, be killed and be raised?

The women think. And now they remember Jesus' words. They have to get up. They must overcome their terror. They have to tell the others. And they do! They tell their male colleagues. In telling them and so many others they are also telling us.

Do we notice the initial reaction of the male disciples? Luke tells us, "But these words seemed to them an idle tale". The Greek translation of the English "idle tale" is the illogical thinking of a one who rants or raves – a lunatic. Such a person is incapable of reason or thinking logically.

Who could blame those disciples? If someone comes today and tells you that one you have loved, that one who has died in the last days or year was not only no longer in their grave or burial urn where they had been placed some time but now is actually alive again, what would you think of what they are telling you?

I can tell you exactly what I would think. I would think that the person speaking to me is a lunatic, has "lost it" or has recently ingested some kind of mind altering substance. I would not put any weight in what they are telling me. I know that dead is dead! 

And yet what if these women are telling us the truth? Peter goes to check it out for himself. He races to the tomb. Can you imagine? Not unlike many of us he decides to see what he can see for himself.  He wants proof! At the tomb Peter stoops to look in. He doesn't see Jesus' body either. What he does see are the linen cloths that Jesus' body would have been wrapped in. Peter is amazed. This doesn't mean that he believes in the sense of trusting the women's word that Jesus is raised. Instead Peter is really beginning to wonder about what is going on. 

I am convinced that like the early women we also know something about death. Dead is dead. Like those early women we don't look for the living among the dead. No sirree! We try to be, at least some of the time, logical people. 

Two of my closest friends died last year. If you were to ask those who loved them, their families, their close friends whether or not my friends are dead, they would think you to be quite strange. Dead is dead. I can no longer phone my good friend Art and hear his voice. I can't email him at midnight on Holy Saturday and say, "I am at a preaching loss – what are you going to say tomorrow and how are you going to say it"? Art couldn't directly help me write this sermon. Nor can I talk to my friend Andy reminiscing about what we did when we were 23 and camped out on the Red Sea. His laughter no longer brings me back to my relationship with him, where I was loved just as I am. You see, I have lots of memories, but my 2 friends, Andy and Art are dead.

And yet, something else happens to those earlier followers of Jesus. They are confused. They have many doubts. They weren't born yesterday! Dead is dead. But then, somehow, someway, they do experience Jesus' presence again. And His presence now is much more than mere memory. He eats with some of them. Others of their company feel his very breath upon them. And His Spirit is literally working, moving among them. 

Now this all sounds quite ethereal, fuzzy-wuzzy, eliciting skepticism among any of us who fancy ourselves as logical people. But "logic" this. The early disciples, Peter and Mary among them, had become enslaved to fear. Throughout the years that Jesus walked among them, they had their doubts. They even quarreled while looking for a leg up on the others. Immediately after Jesus' death they hung out together simply because they were too afraid to do anything else.

But then something, someone happens. The risen Jesus comes to them, empowering them to move through their fear, to recall all that Jesus had done and taught. Now they begin to tell, to share with others. Now the early disciples know not just in their heads and hearts, but with every fibre of their being not only that Jesus has died, but that He is alive! Death and evil are being overcome. The early disciples begin to experience a new reality:  because Jesus lives, and they are joined to Him in a profound way, they too can live now and forever without fear. They must live their lives sharing these Jesus realities with others. They are the ones who are to embody Jesus' love, His compassion for the world! Although death and evil are ever real and powerful, the disciples go out to combat those powers, convinced that God has a dream of new life and love for the entire world in Jesus. The disciples begin to dare to believe that God's dream in Jesus will has and will overcome all the powers of evil and death.

How about us? We may well be steeped in our own denial of death and evil, because we know a little bit of their incredible power. Such powers all around us, sometimes even inside of us. But do we also know and experience in our hearts and minds the power of God? God's power is amazingly manifest in the suffering, dying and risen Christ.

At the very least this day I BEG YOU, with Peter, go to the places of death of those and that which you most cherish. See what you can see for yourself. I am convinced that if you do this, there are times when you will see only the "linen cloths" and be amazed!

Granted such amazement isn't belief in the sense of deep trust in God. But God can lead us through such amazement to trust. Millions if not billions of Christians are telling us through the very investment of their lives and too often also their deaths, through the building and ministries of hospitals, schools, care homes and many areas of service, through their compassion and hope that often defies all logic, yes, through their less than perfect but often hope-filled lives that Jesus lives. JESUS IS RISEN. Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! And then, death is not all there is. No sirree! Amen.  

 

Mercy in the Darkness

 

Good Friday, April 2, 2010  (John 18 and 19)

 

Holy Week is always fascinating. I remember two conversations in particular. I asked someone, "Are you coming to worship on Good Friday?" "Oh yes", they replied, "but Good Friday is so SAD. It's the saddest day of the year."

 

I have reflected on that conversation. John's Gospel highlights the cross as part of the triumph of Jesus. And so it is! In John's Gospel Jesus is in control of what is happening even on that day. Even as He is dying it is Jesus who decides when He will drink. "I am thirsty", he says and drink is provided. In John's Gospel Jesus is also in control of when He dies. He dies only after he has taken action to care for His mother. Then He declares His mission complete. He says, "It is finished!" Only then does He bow His head and die.

 

To be sure there is a deep darkness associated with Jesus' death. But such darkness doesn't emanate from Jesus. In John's Gospel Jesus from beginning to end is unmistakably THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD! The darkness around Jesus on Good Friday emanates in the others who are present. Let's glance at a few of them. 

 

Firstly Pilate: Pilate has a sense of what's right. He realizes that Jesus has not done wrong. Yet Pilate gives in to the demands of the Chief Priests and Temple Police. Pilate is seduced by the "easy" way out. But that way has consequences. An innocent One, the very Son of God, is then executed.

 

We can blame Pilate. How could he do that to Jesus?  But are we any different than Pilate? Do we ever give into the demands of others even when we know that such demands are neither moral nor just? Do we remain silent even when others are being degraded or ridiculed? What would God have us do in such situations?

 

Secondly look at the Chief priests and other religious authorities around Jesus. They have their pecking order. Everyone has a place. Woe to anyone who sits in the wrong seat or speaks out of turn! Even when Jesus directly confronts them, showing them new possibilities for living out their faith regarding the poor and the authorities, they refuse to change. Their hearts are hard(ened). In an amazing twist of irony the Chief Priest says, "Better that one man should die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed!"

 

Again, we may look down our noses at the Chief Priest. But ask yourself: "Would you be willing to put yourself and your privileged status totally at risk – physically, emotionally and financially?" Would we be willing to sacrifice all the amenities we now enjoy, which our loved ones enjoy too, for someone else's need, someone that we might not even know very well?

 

Lastly, there are the soldiers. They are "just" doing their job, minding their own business. They are present at another execution. It's the law! But in carrying out the law the soldiers also move to personally capitalize on the injustice of Jesus' sentence, upon his extreme vulnerability. They rationalize: "he's a dead man". Then they take his clothes.

 

How cold!  But do we ever benefit from the poor and vulnerable of this world who work at extremely low wages to provide us with very nice, sometimes even expensive clothing, vehicles, coffee, cheaper vacations? Isn't that taking the clothes right off their backs, if they had many to begin with? For us is it ever, "out of sight, out of mind"?  

 

Approached honestly, Good Friday is a sad time. Approaching the cross where Jesus is nakedly vulnerable, dying in untold pain, while surrounded by others who don't or won't care about him or who will risk little or nothing to change what is happening, we might also begin to see ourselves.  Approaching the cross we may encounter our own darkness: those things about ourselves we don't want to admit to or let anyone else see. But it is this reality, our reality that Jesus takes upon himself at the cross as He dies.

 

Do we not continue to rebel against God individually and collectively? Giving only the left-overs of time, talent and possessions leaves many alone, many hungry – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Refusing to find out what is actually going on locally, nationally and internationally allows us to blame others for the immoral realities of our  world. But this isn't Jesus' way. He goes to the cross for all the world, that all may know and experience both the love of God and then the resulting limits of evil and death.

 

To be sure, the darkness does not disappear. It spreads like nightfall. Grasped by the power of darkness we become blind to truth. Such darkness is not only outside of us, but also grows inside of us. Fear, hatred, jealousy, anger lead us to neglect, take advantage of, exclude or depersonalize others. This is a far cry from Christ's call to love. On our own we are trapped by all of this. We regularly named this reality in an older confession of sin when we admitted, "we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves."

 

But the darkness of sin isn't all there is on Good Friday at the cross. No! As we approach the cross honestly facing the darkness (including our own darkness), we are also encountered by the suffering and dying Christ.

 

And so, a second conversation enters my mind. I asked a group of 12 – 15 year olds if they thought that most people prayed daily. Without even so much as a second's thought they unanimously replied, "No!"  Then I asked them if they thought a person would pray daily if she or he knew that they were soon going to die. Their immediate unanimous response was, "Yes!" Now curious, I asked them, "Why would a person who is soon about to die begin to pray every day?" One particularly perceptive young man said, "Well, that person knows that soon they are going to meet God".      

 

It is important for us to not shy away from the darkness of Good Friday. In that we can meet a part of ourselves. We have a desperate need for freedom: from the hardening of our own hearts, from the paralysis of fear, hatred, apathy, even from ridiculously thinking and acting as if we human beings are all there is. Sometimes we don't see God or God's direction even when God in right is front of us. We can get lost in the darkness.

 

But God doesn't abandon us to the darkness. See Jesus on that cross. John calls Him the Light of the world. Especially through His suffering and dying Jesus shines so that we can see who both who we are but even more importantly who He is. As the crown of thorns claws into His head, as the open welts on His back ooze, as His very body is gasping, suffocating for air, He speaks: "It is finished!"

 

Thanks be to God, Jesus doesn't mean, "that's all she wrote". Rather, Jesus has completed the incredible responsibility that God, His Father, has called Him to. Jesus in His death takes all darkness human and otherwise – our greed, our frantic attempts at control, our violence and hatred against so many and so much, our disconnect from the earth into himself. And so weighed down with such violence & hatred He dies.

 

Was this just? Absolutely not. If ever there was an injustice, Christ's suffering and dying are it. But what His suffering and dying convey for us and for the entire world, is not about justice but rather mercy.  And mercy can transform any darkness! A

Seeing Death

 

Maundy Thursday, April 1, 2010

Exodus 12:1-4, 11-14; I Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35

 

The words around Holy Communion are so familiar that we can almost nod off and tune them out. We can  bury our heads in the book. We can assume that is what is going on is normal, even ordinary because the ritual is familiar and the bread and the wine seem so ordinary, nothing special. Who can blame us? We have a lot on our minds. We have a lot on the go.

 

But tonight we might hear. On this night, the night before we attempt to fully remember Jesus' death- we might be paying a little more attention. Please, listen! " The Lord Jesus ON THE NIGHT WHEN HE WAS BETRAYED took a loaf of bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' And then Paul adds, For as often as you eat the bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

 

As often! For most of us that's pretty often – eating the bread, drinking the cup. It's at least once a week, occasionally like this week twice or more. But do we want to proclaim the Lord's death? Do we want to proclaim anyone's death?

 

Obituaries often begin, "We regret to announce the death or passing of …." Sometimes they begin with a deeper honesty, "It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of our mother, our father, our husband, wife, son or daughter". Obituaries point us to a truth - usually we don't want to proclaim or announce anyone's death. But if we have to do that, it will be as infrequently as possible. I mean many people now are opting not even to have a funeral. Let's attempt to put death completely out of our minds. 

 

Nevertheless, the tradition that Paul receives declares unapologetically that whenever Jesus' community gathers to obey his command around the bread and the wine they (and we) are proclaiming Jesus' death until he comes.

 

Now, Jesus' death is not like my death or your death in at least two very important ways. Jesus' death accomplishes much more than merely dividing his "things", his "possessions". Jesus' death shakes the foundations of the earth. People who had been with him before his death and immediately following his death had been divided and afraid. They were captivated by the things that so easily entrap all of us: fear, pride, envy, jealousy. But Jesus' death and it's aftermath bring them together. Now they begin to move to a different place, a "place" where there is a deep and ever growing realization that God is for all people and all creation. Jesus' death as horrible as it was, as it still is, achieves wonder and good beyond what any human being's life or death can do. The REALITY OF JESUS' DEATH then MUST BE PROCLAIMED. The reality of Jesus' death needs to be experienced and shared in every nook and cranny of our lives.

 

Part of the reason we struggle with proclaiming death, even Jesus' death, is the horror of it. Depending on which Gospel or Gospels you read, the power of evil operative in killing Jesus mocks him, spits upon him, derides him and delivers him into excruciating pain. We don't want to think about that, or dwell in that for any period of time. This continues to be true in the present. So, we "pretty up" bodies before they are buried. We cover the dirt excavated to create graves with artificial green carpet as family and friends come to the cemetery for the burial. We place people who are dying more quickly than the rest of us in special hospital rooms and post signs outside that room saying, "Family Only!"  

 

Nevertheless death remains real and very powerful. Jesus' death is horrific. The powers of death operative around us – particularly among the poor, those obsessed with consuming, and of our earth that groans under the weight of our consumption, are real and horrible. We don't want to look at any of this death and its power. We don't want to deal with it.

 

But such denial doesn't end death's power. Evil and death are still part of our reality, seeking to control us in whatever manner, shape or form they can. So God comes to us in the flesh. God comes to this earth, to people and creatures in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, as God in the flesh, is so many things that mere mortal words cannot sum him up. He is the light of the world, the suffering, dying Savior. Jesus dies for us. Jesus dies for the world. In His dying He empties himself on our behalf.

 

Do you see Him? Do you experience the power of His vulnerable dying? Do we experience the reality that He longs to and wills to join us to each other not because we deserve it, but because He loves us so much. It is only in being joined to God that evil can be overcome. Then the separation between ourselves can be overcome. So, he dies.

 

Yet before He dies He gives us guidance. Watch and listen! He takes a loaf of bread that night. Among those who will abandon and betray Him, He gives thanks. Then He breaks the bread and says to them, (in effect to all of us), "THIS IS MY BODY FOR YOU. DO THIS TO REMEMBER ME". In the same way He takes the cup of wine after supper and says, "THIS IS THE NEW COVENANT", the new promise in my blood. "As often as you drink it, remember me".

 

Will we? Are we remembering him, not just with our minds, but in all the ways we live our lives? Because of Jesus, death and evil do not have to, must not have their lasting, longing way with us, nor with this world. We cannot overcome them by pretending they don't exist. Sooner or later, right now all around us they are rearing their ugly heads.

 

But, dare to proclaim our Lord's death by daily living open to His gifts and by sharing the bounty of His love with others and God's creation, and I am convinced that we too will see that Jesus comes. Come, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Extravagant Passion

 

John 12:1-8,  Lent 5c, March 21, 2010

 

I first met Eva at church. Her eyes flashed. Her smile illumined the room. Eva was short of stature, a seemingly slight woman. At least that's what I thought before I began to know her. Eva came to Canada from El Salvador. At first she didn't tell me how. But she did tell me why –even in those early days. El Salvador was not a safe place for her children – her 6 babies now in their teens and early 20's, her 5 daughters and 1 son. The conflict in El Salvador, the warring guerillas, the sometimes out of control army roamed over her homeland and left no one safe. That conflict had already claimed the life of Eva's husband. So it was that Eva had taken took one of her daughters and fled. She had left all of her other children temporarily in the care of their extended family. Eva promised: she would soon get them all.

 

So, Eva had traveled with her very young daughter Somehow she traveled over dangerous lands for two solitary people. When they reached the Rio Grande River, they swam across entering Texas. There Eva found a family for whom she could work. How she always worked. In the few hours that she wasn't working she applied for immigration status in Canada – again and again and again. She would not give up. And when she succeeded eventually coming with her daughter to Canada in the late 1980's, she immediately began to apply for immigration status for all of her other children. Of course, she had to prove to our government that she was trustworthy, that she could support them all. Eva did this by working day and often night as a seamstress for a reputable company. She also worked out of her own home sewing clothes for people who wanted hand made, unique goods, that she designed and created. Eva's life was aflame with energy and passion for the lives of her children fuelled by the love of God for all. Eva would not rest until all of her children were given the opportunity to come to Canada and live. How often Eva told me: God is good Pastor! God will provide a way.

 

Needles to say - a lot of that way had to do with Eva: her hard work, her indomitable spirit, her trust in God and her great passion to rescue her children.

 

This morning in this time and place, we are encountered by another woman's passion. Dare to hear and see what she is doing, even to smell it, for the aroma is sweet. But also be careful. The aroma of her activity could cause us to stop in our tracks, to seriously wrestle with whatever our passions are. 

 

The pace of Jesus' life and his approaching death are escalating. I don't know if many around him could sense this or not. Certainly he does. Only a few days before, Jesus had done something amazing. His friend Lazarus had died and was buried.  Jesus had been summoned to come. But Jesus didn't arrive until death had already claimed Lazarus. Nevertheless Jesus moves to Lazarus' grave. Once there Jesus shouts at death. Miraculously death flees! Then Lazarus stumbles out of the grave. There may have been a stench but it gives way to new life.

 

Yet not everyone is pleased. The religious leaders are upset. If this fellow Jesus keeps growing in popularity and stirring up the common people, well the Roman powerbrokers will not be pleased. In fact if Jesus' popularity continues to grow the Romans may well step in to alter the present power sharing arrangement. Then the religious leaders status even their income could be lessened. So, Jesus must be stopped. JESUS MUST GO!

 

This shouldn't be unfamiliar to us. It's a human reality. I mean if there's a choice between you and me, between my family and your family, between my country and your country – well what's one to do? Such choices seem to arise quite often.

 

So it was. The religious leaders began to plot. How will they get rid of Jesus?

 

But this particular evening Jesus is among friends. They are having supper. What friends these are: Lazarus whom Jesus loves and has raised from the dead. Beside Lazarus are his  sisters: Martha who is ever busy but so kind. Then there is Mary. She loves Jesus deeply. Tonight Mary's unbridled Passion for Jesus erupts. Mary could be sensing that Jesus' life is quickly coming to an end. So she acts! She does unthinkable things for a woman of her time and place. She lets down her hair. This is an action that no single self respecting woman would do. Mary does it anyway. We need to know that a woman's hair then was even more important to her status than a woman's hair is now.

 

Yet that's only the beginning of Mary's actions. She brings with her very expensive, aromatic nard, a kind of ointment in a jar. How expensive you ask? John tells us: 300 denarii! But how much is that? Well, a denarii was about what a worker would be paid for one day of labour. So the aromatic oil that Mary brings is worth about a year's wages. In our terms an average annual wage in Vancouver is between $60 – 70,000. Some perfume Mary has! But she doesn't care about that even though her family is far from wealthy. So she acts boldly. She breaks the neck of the flask that holds this aromatic oil. Then Mary POURS IT ALL OVER Jesus' feet, rubbing it into the pores of his feet, in between the toes, into the very bottoms of his soles. Such washing of feet was done then only by slaves. And, the anointing of a person's feet was NEVER DONE unless the person had first died, was a corpse. Mary may well have had an intuitive sense about what is about to occur to Jesus. Then, after all this, she then begins to dry his feet with her own hair. Hers is an act of extravagant love!

 

People are upset about Mary's wild, extravagant passion. Judas Iscariot protests. Couldn't we, shouldn't we have spent all this money on the poor?

 

But also know this. Mary loves Jesus for many reasons. Jesus has given new life to her brother. Who else could have done anything like that? And Mary has been at Jesus' feet before. She knows him. She may well realize that he is soon going to die. How could she possibly respond to all that he has done for her? Nothing but the very best will do! So, she gives her all – no holds barred, no concern about what others may say or think. None of that matters to Mary. Her passion is extravagant because her love is extravagant. And all of that is merely her humble response to the enormity and power of Jesus' love for her, her family, and ultimately the WORLD.

 

What/who are we passionate about: The Toronto Maple Leafs? No? Well then, the Vancouver Canucks or Canada's gold medals or your kids, your grandkids, your family or someone else you care about? All of that may be good. That may even be some of God's intention for you. But what are we modeling for these others? Are our lives reflecting a passion for the One who gives His all for us and for this world? This One meets violence with love, hatred with forgiveness, apathy with his own passion. This One who has been steadfast in His love for us, regardless of whether we sleep in or not, forget or deny him by giving him nothing or little of ourselves or only the left-overs of time, talents or possessions.

 

Don't we see? God is ever doing a new thing in this world, in the lives of others in the very face of the power of death and evil. Make no mistake. Death and evil are very powerful, very strong. They seek to claim us, others, everything, all of the time. There is an ongoing stench of death around not only in nursing homes, hospitals or the East Side – but also in our own homes, hovering in and around our own lives.

 

But then people like Eva and Mary approach us. Their very lives offer a reflection of the One who is deeply passionate about all of us. They point us towards that One who is so passionate that he gives His all over to the powers of death and evil so that they will not own or control us.

 

So, I challenge you. Dare to see him today, this Palm Sunday, this Maundy Thursday, this Good Friday and yes, by the grace of God, this Easter. For in such seeing, even trusting we join others:  those who have gone before us in death - to lions, to cancer, to broken relationships. We also join those who have been touched, opened to the grace of God in their deepest struggles. Some such people were enabled to shout even as death sought to claim them, "Oh, death where is your sting?"

 

Jesus, this suffering, crucified, dying and rising One is the One who is most extravagantly passionate about us and this whole world! Can we, will we be passionate about Him in the living of our lives? Amen. 

Party On!

(Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32) Lent 4c, March 14, 2010

 

How many of you like to celebrate, dance, sing, eat and make merry? What a question, eh – and at church too!

 

I tell you 2 stories: there was another little boy. He had always dreamed of having a dog, a puppy. When he was 5 years old, his parents had taken him to different kennels to look at dogs. He had picked one out – at least the mother of his pup. Some months later his dog arrived. His dog was a fox terrier. The boy named his pup LUCKY. You see he felt very lucky to have his own dog. But there was one problem. Even though Lucky loved his family, Lucky also loved to wander. They would keep Lucky on the leash but sometimes Lucky would get away and not return for minutes, or for hours. One day Lucky disappeared and didn't come back at all that day. Nor did he return the 2^nd or 3^rd day. The boy was heartbroken. His parents had looked everywhere. They had put posters up in stores and schools. They had even taken ads out in the local newspaper and on the local TV station. But no Lucky. No Lucky for 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks. But then, when the little boy had almost given up hope of ever finding Lucky, the phone rang about 10 o'clock at night. The little boy was in bed. But he could hear some of what his mom and dad were saying on the phone. Then he heard the door slam, the car leave. In about an hour, he woke up to the bark of his dog. Lucky had come home. Let me tell you, there was some celebrating in that house that night, lots of happy tears, milk and cookies and a treat for Lucky. In fact in the midst of the celebration I don't know who was happier, the little boy, the mom, the dad or the dog. THERE WAS A WHOLE LOT OF CELEBRATING GOING ON.

 

A second story: In my last congregation there was a woman whom I came to know and appreciate. Over time I learned a bit about her life. She was one of 4 girls in her family. 3 of them were doing well. Not that they didn't have some struggles. All human beings have struggles. But the 4^th sister had major struggles. This sister would not be heard from for months at a time. The family had learned that in the midst of all of this daughter's struggles - financial, emotional and mental, that she had moved to the Lower East Side of Vancouver. Now she doesn't even have a telephone. She would rarely if ever call home. Her family was becoming more and more worried. They had tried many things over the years. Earlier on, when she was much younger one or more of her family would make unannounced visits. For years her parents regularly sent money and gifts. At times she would demand or politely ask for money from her parents. It was never paid back even though she had promised. As time went on this daughter's life continued to spiral downwards, out of control. When I left that congregation the family had not heard from her in over 4 months. Can you imagine what it would mean for them if she were to come home, get whatever help she might need, allow them to again become part of her life? Can you imagine the joy that would flow into their lives, particularly the life of her father and mother? Do you think that everyone in the family would then rejoice?

 

I tell these stories to push us into the middle of Jesus' parable. It's so familiar! Do you identify with any of the people in the parable – or perhaps even more than one?

 

In some ways the younger son can't wait for his father to die. He wants everything that he can have from his father not later but right now. This younger son wants the future without waiting, freedom without relationships, rights without responsibility. Amazingly, surprisingly, perhaps even foolishly his father gives him his inheritance. We need to know this would come at a price for the father.

 

Immediately the younger son leaves home. He is the life of the party. He spends everything he has. But then unforeseen circumstances arise. Who knows:  perhaps the price of housing escalates, or the job market crashes, or there is a recession. We are told that most certainly there is a famine. Now the younger son needs to work. He feeds pigs. For any Jewish person this would be the lowest of lows. But this younger son is so famished that he is sorely tempted to eat even the pig's food. But then he comes to his senses. He remembers his father, the life his father provides for any in his father's employ. The younger son decides to return home, apologize to his father, see if his father will hire him. His only hope is to live as his father's employee. He knows that His father's hired hands have a better life than he now has. So, this younger son carefully (manipulatively?) rehearses his speech as he heads toward what was once his home. 

 

The older son seems to be so responsible. He works hard. He never lightens up. He probably isn't overly close to his father. But one day he will be the boss! I wonder if this first-born son is close to anyone, if he is capable of ever truly celebrating, dancing and singing? He has his nose to the grindstone. Others probably respected him, at some level. I mean compared to his younger brother?

 

One night the older son is returning from his day of work. As he nears the house he hears the loud sounds of a HUGE PARTY. It is unusual. So he asks one of his father's employees, "what's going on?" The man tells him. Your  "lost" brother has returned.  Your father has welcomed him back with open arms. The best animal on the place has been killed. Everyone has come to the party. They are all dancing, singing, and drinking!

 

The older son is …FURIOUS! He refuses to partake in any such party! How could his father throw a party for that other "son", that irresponsible ****** jackass?

 

Through all of this we also see the father. When the younger son first approached him demanding his inheritance, the father had divided his very "living" between his sons. This is an extremely unusual action for a Jewish man of that time and place. But he does it anyway. Immediately the younger boy goes his way. For a long time there is no word from him. The father longs for that boy to come home. In fact everyday the father shields his eyes from the sun looking to the horizon. How he aches, how he misses his son!

 

Then one day it happens. The younger son appears on the horizon. In that instant the father forgets himself. He hikes up his long robes and begins to run. His eyes are burning. He stretches out his arms to his son. The younger one is mumbling some confession. But that doesn't matter. What matters, what is most important, is that HIS SON, has come home. The father hurriedly makes ready a party for the entire community even as he  restores his son from shame to full sonship. Everyone will share in the father's joy!

 

Yet as the party begins the older son will not join.  Now this father loves both his sons. So he goes outside to plead with the older one. Do we hear his pleading, the ache in his voice: "Son. All that I have is yours. But now your brother who has been lost has come home. He is found. Come let's celebrate together!"….

 

Whom do you identify with?

 

In so many ways it seems that the father is a fool. He has given his living, his property, all that he has worked for, to his 2 sons even before he dies. In this he would have forfeited some of his reputation in the community. But neither of his sons understands nor appreciates their father. Neither of them lives as if they are truly sons. The younger boy lives with a "gimmme, gimme, gimme" approach! Even after this younger son has lost everything he approaches his father in manipulative ways with a rehearsed speech and a hope to somehow earn his way into the father's good graces. Those of us who have lived a little bit know that there isn't any guarantee that this younger son has changed at all.

 

The older son may have never realized who he is. Remember that the father divided his living among his 2 sons. All that the father has is also the older son's. Yet the older son chooses instead to see himself as a slave: a very good and faithful slave but a slave nevertheless. The older son is bitter and resentful of his father's graciousness to that son who continually abuses his sonship. The older son may have wondered about the old man's mind. By the end of the parable the older son refuses even to acknowledge that  he has a brother. As this older boy reproaches his father he says to the father, "That son of yours".

 

In these 2 son's lives there is both tragedy and hope. Neither one of them appreciates nor lives within the love that their father has for them. Such is tragedy!

 

But, and here is the hope, the father doesn't give up on them. As the parable ends we wonder what will happen in the lives of these 2 sons. There isn't a definitive answer. 

 

Today we gather around a symbol that speaks of the heart of our Father and Mother, God. This symbol is the cross of Jesus. God reaches out to all people, to all creation, to love and care for them, to restore and rescue them from our broken relationships with God, with each other with the rest of creation. God wants to restore us our relationships with each other, to a future that has promise where we are not alone.

 

We have been and probably are at many different places in our lives. Sometimes like the younger son we may have tried to live with a "gimme, gimme, gimme" attitude. We may even attempt to manipulate those who love us, including God. How tragic to not realize whose we are!

 

At other times we may be like the older son – feeling pretty darn good about ourselves. Surely we deserve what we have. But do we ever truly experience the  joy of being loved by God, the excitement of seeing others being loved and found by God? 

 

Don't we see? God the Father and Mother of all, our Father and Mother is the one who gives all of their being for us. Because of God's actions in Jesus we can live now in caring relationships with God and with each other, with the rest of creation now and forever. It's not either or. It's not us against them.

 

Such living is not easy. In fact it is anything but possible if left to our own devices. Look at our track record individually and collectively. There has been a whole lot of excluding, a whole lot of fear, hatred, envy, jealousy and strife going on.

 

But God, our Father and Mother through Jesus wills to change us. Even as the father in the parable rejoices, so too, God rejoices when any of the children return to God, regardless of their motives. When the lost is found, when one who has been dead in their awareness of God, experiences new life, what can any of us do but be thankful and celebrate! God loves this crazy world. 

 

So, will we go from this place to live, to love and celebrate the reality of our God the Father's, God our Mother's amazing love? Or will we miss the party? Amen.