Questions - A FIERCE FAITH?

20^th Sunday after Pentecost, October 14, 2012

Texts: Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Hebrews 4:12-16 and Mark 10:17-31

Preaching primarily on OT text with the 2^nd lesson in the bg

 

Do you ever argue with someone else – I mean really get into it – about your experience, your understanding of life, the differences you have with that person? How does such arguing go? Some of how that goes may depend on the respect, love, and ability you have to hear the other person. If there is actual "listening" going on in an argument, then both people, both groups may learn more about life, about oneself, about the other.

 

I once knew an older couple, let me call them Frank and Marie. They claimed that they had  never had an argument in 53 years of marriage. Wow!? But later I learned why this was so. Frank never really told Marie what he thought or felt. He simply nodded or remained stoned face as she made her point or said what she wanted to do. And I wonder now, what kind of marriage is that? In some ways it's "easy" but it's certainly not honest. Nor do the two people in the marriage ever really get to see the other person for who he or she is. I did learn later that Frank's thoughts and feelings came out very strongly in some other places in his life.

 

So, let me ask you this. Do you ever argue with God? I mean, do you ever really get into it with God, questioning, debating, wondering, even doubting? If not, why not? If you do, please know that you are not alone. You are in the good company of a number Psalmists, the disciple Peter, and this interesting Old Testament character Job.

 

I have had some significant disputes and questions with God that arise when I don't understand what is happening, when I am unable to cope with the pain or the struggle of life and death. And this isn't just about me...

 

One Labor Day weekend a 5 year old neighbor girl, Audree, was playing in her own backyard. Supposedly she was safe. I mean there was a fence around her yard, everybody in that block knew her and liked her. But the next door neighbor was cleaning his rifle that day, in his basement. And somehow, seemingly inexplicably that rifle discharged. The bullet went through the basement window, through the fence and struck Audree, killing her instantly. That in and of itself is tragic enough. But to add to the overall misery and pain Audree's older brother had died some years before that at the age of 12 after being struck in the temple by a baseball in a pick up baseball game. How much can one family endure? And the father of these 2 children had spent the last years working at his own recovery from alcoholism.

 

I had to ask God from the midst of my own pain as one of those who knew and loved this family – WHY? HOW COME? WHAT NOW? WHERE ARE YOU? The pain, some 40 years later remains in my heart – and I can't imagine how deeply in Audree's siblings hearts.

 

Then there was the young mother of 3 daughters, one being only a baby. Let me call this mother Joan. The family had just returned from a wonderful Disneyland Holiday. And suddenly Joan was filling very ill. She, being a nurse, knew something was seriously wrong. She had herself taken to the Emergency Room. There she was diagnosed with acute leukemia, her cancer markings through the roof. She was air evacuated to a much larger center where she remained in treatment for most of the next year – separated by and large from her 3 precious daughters. There were only 2 matching bone marrow donors found in North America for Joan. And for a fairly long time neither one was willing to donate for her. Eventually one changed his mind. And Joan was given a new lease on life. BUT THIS LASTED 4 YEARS, at which time she suddenly became ill and died, leaving a 5 year old, a 12 year old and a 14 year old, along with a devastated husband.  

 

How long oh God? Why? And Job's question raises itself to God in the midst of ALL SUCH PAIN– where are you GOD?

 

We may at such times wish to resign ourselves as Job does in today's text – just let me be – let the darkness of despair overcome me, let me die...

 

Some of those feelings arose this week, when I hear of Amanda Todd or Malala – or the man that came into my office with cancer in his lung after a year's worth of treatment of cancer in his throat.

 

Today we meet Job a man who has done nothing wrong.  Nevertheless he loses everything: his wife, his children, his fields, his animals. There is no rhyme nor reason that he can see to such great loss. Then when he most needs his friends, someone he can depend upon, they tell him it all must somehow be his fault. If he would just admit his wrongdoing and ask God for forgiveness, everything will be alright. So they say. And how is that? His wife and children are dead.

 

What amazes me in all of this isn't Job's exasperation with his friends, or even his anger and frustration with God. What is amazing, even miraculous and what is miraculous is that Job keeps talking with God, arguing, demanding. Even though he doesn't feel God, can't somehow "find" God, he keeps talking to God. He doesn't give up on hoping that somehow God will come to him, approach him, make God's self known to him.

 

Dear people the trials and vicissitudes of life come to us, swirl around us in so many ways. Do not ignore them, nor deny them. Such attempts at denial are undertaken at our own peril.

 

These trials and vicissitudes, can sweep us off our feet, suck the air from our lungs and move us to wonder – does God care, does God even exist? This reality, far removed from Thanksgiving and such songs as "This Little Light of Mine" is also part of human reality attempting to actually live in the midst of good and evil, birth and death, joy and suffering.

 

But also know this – we live later in the story of history than when Job's story is first told. We live on the side of history where Jesus has suffered and died.  Somehow, mystically and really God enters into our suffering, even though at times we may not be able to "see" or "feel" God. 

 

I am convinced that this is one of the reasons that God  sends God's Spirit among us as community. When we individually or collectively lose our faith, our sense of hope in God, there are others who can still sense, who can still see, who remember and continue to sing the songs. Then it is through them that God's Spirit continues to speak and to eventually lead us out of the pit of despair and woe – to new life.

 

Bonhoeffer, that now famous German Lutheran pastor, who dared to stand up against Hitler with a death plot even though that was against his fundament conviction that killing is evil writes this from his prison cell where he stands condemned to death:  "In a world of suffering only a suffering God can help."

 

It is not morally wrong to sometimes argue with God, to refuse to accept suffering passively. As Job demonstrates such questioning and arguing becomes a fierce act of faith.

 

May God give us when we need such, a fierce faith, both for Christ's sake and the sake of the world.  Amen.

Empty Glasses?

Thanksgiving, October 7, 2012 (Matthew 6:24-33)

Malady – To be overly concerned, to care too much, to be anxious about realities which though they are important are penultimate. (food, clothing, drink – contemporary live, drive, others think).  This deflects us, can even keep us from abundant life.

MT – God has taken care of and does care for us. See Jesus. Therefore live with His underlying love for us and concern for others. Such love, such seeking the "kingdom" comes from and has its source in God. This cannot be defeated or "ended".

 

Happy Thanksgiving. Blessed Thanksgiving! I am truly glad, thankful that we are here – together. And what a beautiful display (here in the chancel). Thanks to all who donated, who helped fashion our display.

 

On this Thanksgiving Day, in the light of today's Gospel, I have to ask – do you ever worry? ... It's a ridiculous question, isn't it? Such a question goes to the core of the human heart. It's probably easier to delineate what don't we worry about, than to identify everything we do worry about. But this is a sermon – a time to reflect deeply on who we are and who God is, so I have to ask – what/whom do you worry about (engage them to quickly respond)...

 

Here's my confession. I worry about our kids – sometimes their mental state, their faith, their employment, sometimes their relationships. At other times I worry about you – your faith, your relationships. Sometimes I worry about your physical health as you wait for tests, for treatments and as you undergo tests and treatments. At other times I worry about how we are or aren't getting along. Sometimes I even worry about our congregational finances – whether we will have enough to do the things we are discerning or sometimes that I am discerning that God is calling us to do. Can you identify with any of my worry?

 

Today, on Thanksgiving Sunday no less, God encounters us with this text from Matthew. Jesus is speaking.  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"

 

One might think that it may be easy for us – for we who have more than enough to eat, to drink and wear to not to be consumed with or obsess about food, drink or clothing. And yet..... if we make Jesus' words applicable to our culture and our mostly middle class status he may say today, "Do not worry about your life, where you shall live or what you shall drive or what others may think about you or even about your health." How about that? Do we ever obsess about such things? Do we ever devote inordinate amounts of our time and energy to such realities?

 

Whenever someone speaks to us, it is very important to consider who that person is. In our text from Matthew's Gospel it is Jesus, God's own Son who is speaking. This is the same One who later teaches his early followers to pray to God to give them daily bread, that is everything THEY NEED to live. So, we and our physical needs are important to God. It isn't that food and drink, lodging and even transportation aren't important to us or to God. But it also deeply matters – that God wills for us and for all people a FULL AND ABUNDANT LIFE, now and forever. It does matter that God loves all of us and wants us to be enabled to live with joy, meaning and purpose, NOT ENSLAVED to things, ourselves or others. All of this matters GREATLY!

 

We know that all of this matters to God, because Jesus speaks of these realities. In fact He gives His life to usher in such reality, the "reign" of God not only over and through us but over and through all realities.

 

Now Jesus doesn't pile up an endless lists of commands just for the sake of giving us more to do. Nor is Jesus in His commands primarily attempting to show us just how hopeless we actually can be: hopeless in the sense of not up to being able to love, or forgive or obey THE WAY GOD INTENDS, THE WAY GOD ENVISIONS.

 

Instead Jesus issues these commands, for example, NOT TO WORRY, to shed light to the possibility THAT BEGINS NOW IN HIM.

 

Let me say some more. Take for instance this glass.  (Hold up an "empty" water glass). Is it possible to remove all the air from the glass? I can turn it over, roll it on its side, even vigorously shake it. Nevertheless some air remains in the glass.

 

However if I fill the glass with some other substance – for instance water, then much of the air that was once in the glass necessarily vacates. So it is with worry. The worry that can consume us, that keeps us focused primarily on ourselves, obsessing about how little there is or what we don't have, or what might be going on with others, must be removed by something other than worry, indeed by someone WITH THE CAPACITY TO FILL US WITH WONDER, JOY, LOVE AND HOPE.

 

A former parishioner has the incredible gift of sculpting, particularly with wood. One Christmas he gave me a cherished hand sculpted gift. I hold it before you. For those of you not close enough to see it, there are a large pair of hands, holding a tiny person. The title of this work is "HELD". I prefer to think of it as "BEING HELD". WE ARE BEING HELD, as people, individuals, congregations, CHURCH, indeed all of creation IN THE HANDS OF GOD. God's hands are loving, sometimes correcting, but always caring for us, for all people and all creation, with purpose!

 

The powerful symbol at the very front of our worship space (of Christ on the cross) is the most direct reminder for us of God's care for us. God loves us! God knows our needs! God provides us with gifts and skills, with other people.  God provides so that our needs and the needs of others may be met.  We do not need to worry. Truth be told, what does, what can our worry achieve?

 

And yet, we still do worry. How we worry! But, with God's help, with the very life, death and resurrection of Christ inscribed on our hearts and minds, we can be turned from our obsession with ourselves, with all that might or might not happen. We can be turned to the love and care of God in Christ for all! From that amazing and wonderful reality may we hear Christ's call for us to follow Him in all the "stuff" of our lives, being mindful of the gifts and resources he entrusts to us. May we be enabled to let go of focusing on what we want, to see the actual needs of others and ourselves.

 

In this reality of Christ's sacrificial love we can be lifted from the morass of worry to deep thanks and appreciation – first to God and then to others. We can live with joyful hearts and minds, open to how God is calling us to live and serve here and now. God's possibilities are endless.

 

Would you join me in prayer? (Turn in the red hymnals to p. 304.  Join with me in praying the very last prayer printed on the page.  

 

O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Go Ahead, Ask Questions

Pentecost 17b, September 23, 2012 (Mark 9:30-27)

1.      Have you ever thought about how you learned as a child?

2.       How have you come to your present perception of the world and what truly matters in the way you are living your life?

3.      Last beginning question, how are you continuing to learn about life/ God/love/creation/ others now?

 

In today's Gospel Jesus has the disciples off by themselves. They are not "getting" what he so desperately wants them to understand, to know. I'm not sure if that's because it is beyond their comprehension of if it's because they don't want to "get it". As they journey towards Jerusalem Jesus had just told  them that he must undergo great suffering, be rejected, be killed and the third day be raised  (Mark 8) But they aren't open to that. In fact Peter says in effect, "No way, Jesus. Such suffering and dying is not for you." Then Jesus rebukes Peter. They continue on their way. Jesus continues his healing work - bringing sight to the blind, restoring those who have been excluded to community. He wants his disciples to know and understand WHO HE IS.

 

So, yet again he tells them about himself. "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." Make no mistake, he will be killed.

 

Did you hear Mark's editorial comment immediately following Jesus' self identification "But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him".

 

They do not understand. They ARE AFRAID TO ASK HIM. . .

 

How can we understand, if we do not ask?

 

I am reminded of a statement by Mark Twain. Since I couldn't find the source I paraphrase. The meat of Twain's comment goes like this – I am not bothered so much by what I don't understand in the Bible. Rather I am bothered more by what I do understand.

 

Were the disciples afraid to ask because Jesus had already rebuked Peter when Peter stood opposed to Jesus' suffering and dying? Perhaps. But hadn't they also seen Jesus welcoming, accepting and helping so many people? Or are the disciples afraid to ask because they are beginning to get a glimpse of this Jesus, that is very different than that which they had been hoping for? Perhaps they had been hoping that Jesus would be the Messiah of their cultural expectation – the One who would throw off the Roman Empire's yoke. Then in their mind's eye, they may be allowed  to do what they would like, to pursue their own interests, to travel wherever, with fewer cares. Or, maybe they had hoped that Jesus would lead them not through suffering and pain, including death, but rather to success, and greater status.

 

Whatever the case, their refusal to ask questions about Jesus' self identifying statements of being killed reveals that they aren't into exploring Who He is, then or there.

 

Thankfully he doesn't give up on them!

 

Nor, does He give up on us! Thanks be to God!

 

Yet – are we also refusing to ask the hard questions of God, of Jesus? I am talking about the hard questions that are around the edges but which cut to the centers of our lives. Why do good or relatively innocent people suffer and die? Why does evil often succeed? And – if God's own Son is betrayed, suffers and dies – well then, who is "safe"?

 

These questions run to the very center of our lives. If God is God, if God has indeed become human and lived among us full of grace and truth... if Jesus is as He claims in today's Gospel, the very Son of man – sharing our humanity, vulnerability, hopes and dreams – well  WHAT ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS?

 

Do you realize that when we stop asking questions we often revert to the exact behaviour that the disciples exhibit in today's text? They begin to argue about who is right. In doing so, they become blind to God to Jesus. Then they are ignorant of their own callings and personhood.

 

While in their midst Jesus has been reaching out to blind people, allowing them to see – literally and figuratively. In their company Jesus has been restoring to community people who had been cast out, excluded. Despite this, all the disciples seem to be able to think about is – who among them is most important? The way they are to live, the very Son of God is right there with them but they don't see any of it. They are blind to what matters, to who matters.  Sometimes the disciples are not only deaf, they are also dumb, LITERALLY. . .

 

Occasionally I have to wonder if we aren't right there with them? What do you think?

 

Where do we see, hear and feel God? Is it with the most vulnerable in our midst? Is it when we are most vulnerable, when we or someone we cherish are sick, hurting or dying? Is it when we are struggling in those relationships we most depend on? Is God there with us then? Are  we seeing, feeling, hearing God even now?

 

Or, are we so busy trying to look good, get more, play more, achieve status in someone else's eyes – that we don't see, don't hear God or others, or even ourselves?

 

Hear the truth. It's an audacious claim – but backed up by who Jesus is. We are loved by God in Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus puts the little child in the midst of those disciples who are foolishly arguing over their own status. Jesus doesn't put the child there because the child's cute and oh, isn't that so nice. NO! Jesus puts the child in their midst – because the child is vulnerable and has little or no status in their culture. It would be like Jesus today placing a person who is a prostitute or an addict in full drug withdrawal in our midst and telling and then telling us that as His followers we are to care for this person. In doing so we welcome both Jesus and God. WOW!

 

That's so offensive to us – so contrary to the way we have been raised to think.  But this is also contrary to our culture: we ourselves are being loved, forgiven and accepted by God in Jesus Christ, before we can do anything. Yes, before. Some would add - despite anything we can do.

 

I know. We like to think we earn our way – our stuff, our status, our reputation. But God in Jesus Christ gives Himself over to our human hands, suffers and is killed to flesh out that such betrayal, violence, hatred and fear are not God's ways.

 

For God's sake, don't be afraid to ask questions – all kinds of them, especially of and to God. For who knows what will happen then? We might actually see Jesus sitting in our midst and realize that even though we are often hurting, by God's grace we can welcome and care for each other – all others. And what will happen then? One can only imagine. Amen.