The Light

Sermon

The Light

Sunday, December 11, 2011

John 1:6-8, 19-28

In preparing for this sermon, I mentioned to my husband, Devin, that I planned to include a discussion of the rose candle that we traditionally light on the third Sunday in Advent. In his customary direct and, usually, very “right on” way he replied, “Why only the rose candle? Why not all of them? I don’t understand what any of them are about.”

Well, I don’t know if that’s true of everyone here – I am thinking that many of you know exactly what each of the Advent candles represent. Nevertheless, I took Devin’s comment to heart, remembering that the basis of our faith is communal worship – reading Scripture, praying and breaking bread together. Together being the instrumental word here. And, if we are to be together, it goes without saying, that we should share a common understanding of what we are “together” on.

Today, as we observe the lighting of the advent candles in our Advent wreath; as we offer prayers of praise, thanksgiving and repentance; as we await the birth of the baby Jesus in a Bethlehem manger, let us pray that together we can in some small way understand the true wonder of what it is that we are awaiting – the Good News.

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of our activities here at Grace in the Desert, and in other Christian communities throughout the world, during this Advent season is to prepare for the celebration of the arrival, or birth, of Jesus. We are preparing to celebrate the incarnation of God in the baby Jesus. We are preparing for the birth of a child through whom all of creation will be reconciled to God.

Scripture readings for Advent reflect on the gift that we are about to receive. They also alert us to our expected participation in receiving this gift through a life of repentance, faithfulness, stewardship, mission and the hope of eternal life.

Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians says:

Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise the words of prophets, ²¹but test everything; hold fast to what is good; ²²abstain from every form of evil. ²³May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. (1 Thes. 5:16-24)

Advent is also the time for a reflective journey that helps us to focus our spiritual lives as members of the Grace in the Desert community. As we anticipate God’s arrival in the Incarnation, we take on the responsibility of understanding our role as a community commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself," remembering the prophet Isaiah’s incredibly powerful words:

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and to release the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance for our God; to comfort all who mourn in Zion – to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.”(Isaiah 61:1-4)

Advent is also a time to reflect on the amazing gift that we receive through the Incarnation. Dietrich Bonhoeffer offers a powerful image of this incredible birth story in one of his Advent reflections:

“What is going on here, where Mary becomes the mother of God, where God comes into the world in the lowliness of a manger? World judgment and world redemption – that is what is happening here. And it is the Christ child in the manger himself who holds world judgment and world redemption. He pushes back the high and mighty; he overturns the thrones of the powerful; he humbles the haughty; his arm exercises power over all the high and the mighty; he lifts what is lowly, and makes it great and glorious in his mercy. (Bonhoeffer, D., God is in the Manger; p. 42)

A second Bonhoeffer quote, this time from a Christmas sermon that he delivered in 1940, completes his thoughts on the arrival of the Christ-child:

“This is about the birth of a child, not the astonishing work of a strong man, not the bold discovery of a wise man, not the pious work of a saint. It really is beyond all our understanding: the birth of a child shall bring about the great change, shall bring to all mankind salvation and deliverance.”(“The Government upon the Shoulders of a Child, Christmas 1940)

John’s Gospel also describes the arrival of Jesus into our lives just as powerfully, and makes clear that this child was sent from God, and that this child is God.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light…He said, ‘I am a voice crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.’” (John 1:6-8, 23)

John was sent by God to point people to Jesus; to point people to the light; to “Make straight the way of the Lord.”  Jesus is the Light. To see Jesus – to see the light - is to believe; to have faith; to be redeemed; to be reconciled to God.

In preparing for the birth of Jesus we must understand that like John the Baptist we are anointed through our baptismal vows to carry on the work of John; to point people to Jesus; to point people to the light.

I believe I have now arrived back where I started – or, at least I hope so. We are back to the candles – the light.

At the beginning of Advent we decorate the church with evergreen wreaths, boughs, or trees that help to symbolize the new and everlasting life brought through Jesus the Christ. The Advent wreath is a symbol of the beginning of the Church year. It is a circular evergreen wreath with five candles, four around the wreath and one in the center.

The circle of the wreath reminds us of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life. The candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His son.

The four outer candles represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of Advent, which themselves symbolize the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ.

The colors of the candles vary with different traditions, but there are usually three purple or blue candles, corresponding to the sanctuary colors of Advent, and one pink or rose candle. One of the blue candles is lighted the first Sunday of Advent, and a prayer offered. On subsequent Sundays, previous candles are re-lighted with an additional one lighted. The pink candle is usually lighted on the third Sunday of Advent. The pink symbolizes relief from the long wait for the advent of the Christ child will soon be over. The joy of his birth will soon be upon us.

The center candle is white and is called the Christ Candle. It is traditionally lighted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The central location of the Christ Candle reminds us that the incarnation is the heart of the season, giving light to the world

The light of the candles itself becomes an important symbol of the season. The light reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life, and hope. It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world as we reflect the light of God's grace to others (Isa 42:6).

The progression in the lighting of the candles symbolizes the various aspects of our waiting experience. As the candles are lighted over the four week period, it also symbolizes the darkness of fear and hopelessness receding and the shadows of sin falling away as more and more light is shed into the world. The flame of each new candle reminds us that something is happening, and that more is yet to come. Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as the Christ Candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over the fact that the hope and promise of long ago have been realized.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light…He said, ‘I am a voice crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.’” (John 1:6-8, 25)

AMEN

More Light and More Water, Please

Sermon
November 20, 2011

More Light and More Water, Please
Matthew 25:31-46

When I first arrived in Nevada four years ago, one of the first things that I did was to buy one of those cute little cactus groupings that are arranged in colorful bowls filled with sand and rocks.

I was quite proud of the one I found. It had several small round cacti that were bright orange, red, and green. It also had a rather spectacular tall green cactus with very long and very sharp spikes. The bowl itself was a multi-colored ceramic affair that fit perfectly on a small table near one of the sofas in our living room.

I was totally happy. I had become a true Nevadan complete with cactus and a couple of dream catchers.

However, my husband was quite annoying in his nagging me about the care of my cherished cactus. Time after time he said, “It needs more light, and you need to water it every once in a while.” I being my stubborn self, would reply, “It has plenty of light, and it’s a cactus, it doesn’t need water.”

The cactus remained on the table, pretty far from any natural light, and I watered it only once every couple of months and even then with just a little bit of water. After all, it really didn’t need any water – right?

Wrong - Very wrong.

About eight months after I purchased this poor little set of plants, I happened to look across the room and saw, much to my dismay, that the proudly tall green and very spiky cactus was limply hanging over the edge of the brightly colored bowl, and a milky fluid was leaking from its side - leaking all over my landlady’s fairly expensive beige wall-to-wall carpet.

My beautiful cactus was dead.

What in the world you might ask does my ignorance how about to care for a few little cactus plants have to do with today’s readings.

A great deal really. The words that we have just heard spoken in Ezekiel’s prophesy; Paul’s exhortations in his Letter To The Ephesians; and Jesus’ teachings in Matthew’s Gospel are all about caring. Caring about God’s creation and caring about God’s children; caring in a way that will make the world a better place; caring in a way that drives us to live as Jesus would have us live – watching out for and over people, places and things in need, and helping where we can.

Caring enough to give light and water.

In the Old Testament lesson, Yahweh calls Ezekiel to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel – their leaders. He is to condemn them for feeding themselves and not their sheep. They have failed to heal the sick and to see the lost. They have ruled harshly, and as a result the sheep have become scattered and become food for wild animals.

Yahweh pronounces judgment: “Behold, I am against the shepherds…I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them…I will bring them out of the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land…I will feed them with good pastures…I will seek that which was lost…I will feed them in justice.”

In Matthew’s Parable of the Sheep and the Goats deeds of mercy, meeting the specific needs of people, especially those who may go unseen and unheard, such as those suffering from persecution throughout the world, are the way to righteousness; the way to eternal life.

Jesus’ words are emphatic. We need to be mindful of the poor and the needy throughout the world. We need to care for all Christians - persecuted Christians in particular; and we need to support those who proclaim the Gospel and those whom they serve.

“Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

We are left with no ambiguity with regard to our duty. Christ will bless those who show mercy to “the least of these;” to those who watch for opportunities to minister to needy people throughout the world.

Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians could not be clearer. He writes,

“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,  and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.”

Paul prays that, in our hearts – with the eyes of our hearts enlightened, we will see the gift of salvation that Jesus gave us through his death on the cross. Paul prays that we will become good shepherds of that gift and that through it we will come to know the joys of eternal life both now and in the world to come.

Paul prays that in seeing the gifts that God has given us, we will understand the incredible gift that we have to give others, and that we will engage in the giving of that gift – in caring for the sick, the needy and the lonely.

Now, you are going to ask me how does all that relate to the story about my cactus and to life, in general?  Well, pretty simple – I was not a good shepherd. I failed to recognize the gift of my little plant. I failed to understand that my little plant needed light and water and in so doing – I killed it. Pure and simple – it died for lack of care.

Now I am going to take a big leap from my cactus plant to our church, Grace in the Desert. 

That, quote/unquote, nagging that you are hearing this month from various members of the vestry and clergy, that nagging phrase that says, “Without your support we won’t be able to do the things that God is asking us to do here at Grace,” is a nagging that we all need to pay attention to. 

Grace in the Desert is our gift; it is is our church and it has a mission – a mission in Christ to serve our community and to care for the sick, the needy and the poor – to care for God’s sheep. Our gift of Grace has made us shepherds.

Our jobs as shepherds cannot be carried out with insufficient light and water.

Most assuredly without abundant support Grace, and our work at Grace, will die just like my cactus; just like any plant or human being will die if left uncared for; just like sheep who stray will die and be food for wild animals.

As members of the Grace in the Desert community we are the shepherds of our Church. Our membership at Grace is a symbol, an outward manifestation of our membership in God’s Kingdom. As members of God’s Kingdom, we need to tend our sheep. We need to hear the nagging. We need to move the plant, and water it! We need to respond with action; not complacency.

Grace in the Desert can be a great light in a troubled community and a troubled world. Grace in the Desert can heal many, many people. Grace in the Desert can bring us all closer to the eternal life that we all seek.

These are profoundly important goals. They cannot be reached without light and without water.

God Expects Justice

Sermon God Expects Justice Matthew 21:33-46 October 2, 2011 “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” (Is 5:7) Earlier this week I spent three days in Denver at the National District Attorney’s Association’s conference “Strategies for Justice: Advanced Investigation and Prosecution of Child Abuse and Exploitation.” The FBI was the main presenter at the conference. The audience came from all 50 states, and was packed with over 200 prosecutors, law enforcement agents, child protective services workers, and a smattering of others like me who have a growing interest in this topic. Each day workshops centered on different aspects of the issues that face youth throughout the nation who are the victims of sexual and physical abuse and children who have been trafficked – or, to use a, perhaps, more familiar word, pimped. More elegantly put, The US State Department identifies trafficking as: “someone who is coerced, forced, or deceived into prostitution – or maintained in prostitution through coercion.” They add, “It is critical to understand that a person’s initial consent to participate in prostitution is not legally determinative: if they are thereafter held in service through psychological manipulation or physical force, they are trafficking victims.” You might ask, “How many kids does this really affect?” Overall, the incidence of child physical and sexual abuse has remained pretty much the same for the past 10 to 15 years – approximately 1 in every 4 children are affected. Some researchers say the rate may have even declined a bit. “Good news,” you might say. Keep in mind, however, the U.S. Census population indicates that the number of children under the age of 18 has grown 2.6% since the year 2000. You can do the math. Like many others, you might also say, “But that sort of thing doesn’t happen around here.” However, experts state that human trafficking among youth occurs nation-wide. More importantly for us here in the Las Vegas area, Shared Hope International, a non-profit organization combating human trafficking, recently published an extensive study of trafficking throughout the U. S. over the course of the past 10 years. Their data indicates that between the years 1994-2007, 5,122 Las Vegas youth between the ages of 12-14 were arrested for prostitution and reported that they were being managed by a pimp. The only other area in the United States that came even close to those numbers within that period of time was Kansas City, Missouri with a reported 227 cases. Here is a typical case of human trafficking. Alissa, age 16, met an older man at a convenience store in Dallas and after a few dates accepted his invitation to move in with him. But soon Alissa’s new boyfriend convinced her to be an escort for him, accompanying men on dates and having sex with them for money. He took her to an area known for street prostitution and forced her to hand over all of her earnings. He made Alissa get a tattoo of his nicknames, branding her as his property, and he posted prostitution advertisements with her picture on an Internet site. He rented hotel rooms around Dallas and forced Alissa to have sex with men who responded to the ads. The man, who kept an assault rifle in the closet of his apartment, threatened Alissa and physically assaulted her on multiple occasions. The man later pled guilty to trafficking Alissa. “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” (Is 5:7) What are the issues? What are the issues not only for law enforcement and the courts, but for us here at Grace and for other churches throughout the area; for all of us who claim to be Christians proclaiming the Good News – the Kingdom of God? Indeed, what is the Good News? First the issues: For one, we need to develop stronger community wide partnerships between law enforcement, prosecution, social services, faith communities and other organizations. We need partnerships that will drop a “the law says…,” “this is my turf…,” or “this is the way we do things…” attitude. Would you be amazed to hear that every single FBI presentation included the statement, “We need the help of the faith communities; we can’t do it without them” We need to ask ourselves the question, “How can we work together to find a new and better way of reaching these kids. How can we successfully extricate these children from their pimps and help them re-enter society; begin a healing process that will allow them to flourish in normal relationships?” How can we bring Christ to them?” How do we follow Paul’s example when he says, “…but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward in what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Jesus Christ.” (Phil 3:14) How do we discern God’s call for us in confronting this painful social dilemma? How do we respond prayerfully and practically to that call? In order do any of that difficult but important work we need to have a long, hard look at our attitudes; our attitudes that scream out, “these kids are “troubled,” “criminals,” “prostitutes,” “liars,” and yes, “worthless.” How do we overcome our attitude that leads us to believe that these children are not our responsibility, or worse, beyond help? Now for the Good News: We need to pay Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel. Jesus Said to them "Have you never read in the scriptures: `The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’”When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet. (Mt 21:44-46) The Kingdom of God will not go to those who reject Christ and his message of salvation – it will not go to those who demean and destroy lives. The Good News is that the Kingdom of God will go to “a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” The Kingdom of God will go to the Christian Church and its practice of righteousness – its participation in justice – social justice – the healing of the sick, the lonely, the outcast – its efforts to embrace all those who have lost their way. The Good News is that we are being called to respond to a national crisis and we have the tools to do the job. We have the opportunity to improve our current system of response to these young people who are currently arrested, placed in detention for three to five days, and then, more often than not, released back onto the streets – back to their pimp, or some other pimp who has “bought” them. In response to Isaiah’s lament: “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” (Is 5:7) We pray: Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven; behold and tend this vine; preserve what your right hand has planted. (Psalm 80:14)

But I worked harder!

Sermon September 18, 2011 But I Worked Harder; I Should Get More! Matthew 20:1-16 Two weeks ago a small group here at Grace in the Desert embarked on a year-long course of study called Kerygma. Kerygma is well-known curriculum used in many Christian formation study groups throughout the country. It is an intensive historical, theological and experiential look at both the Old and the New Testaments. Kerygma is the Greek word used in the New Testament for preaching. It is related to the Greek verb kērússō, to cry or proclaim as a herald, and means proclamation, announcement, or preaching. Paul described Kerygma quite succinctly in his Letter to the Romans when he wrote, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!’” The New Testament teaches us that Jesus launched his public ministry when he entered the synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. He identified himself as the one Isaiah predicted in Isa 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.” (Luke 4:17-21). This text is a programmatic statement of Jesus’ ministry to preach or proclaim Kerygma, good news to the poor, the blind, and the captive Mark in his gospel begins with the words, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” In other words, Jesus proclaimed the Good News; Mark, and others taught or wrote about the Good News. Our study of Kerygma is our study of good news. The Good News proclaimed by Jesus as he traveled throughout Galilee and Judea proclaiming and healing. The Good News reported in the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; the history of Acts; the Letters of Paul; and the apocalypse of Revelation. Today’s Gospel tells us of good news in a rather roundabout way. It is hidden in a story that describes a master and his methods of employing day laborers. Throughout the day the master goes out into the marketplace and hires those who show up looking for work. Some laborers come early in the day and others at later times throughout the remainder of the day. No matter what time workers showed up and no matter how many hours a day they actually worked, the master paid them all the same amount of money at the end of the day. Those who worked for 12 hours earned exactly the same as those who worked for only two or three hours. Understandably, you might ask where is the good news in that story? What’s so good about those who work hardest and longest getting the same amount of pay as those who hardly work at all? Faced with similar situations wouldn’t we sit back and say, “Oh wow, good news, I work hard every day writing reports and pleasing customers and some guy who just sits around and plays video games in-between coffee breaks gets paid just the same amount as I do. That’s not fair.” Sound familiar? Where in this apparently unjust situation is the Good News? The Good News in both these examples is that God doesn’t care how hard or how many hours we work. Working hard is not the way to win points with God. What God does care about is how faithful we are. He cares about how we receive Christ into our lives. He cares about how we continually grow in our faith through repentance and prayer. He cares about how we proclaim our faith in all areas of our lives. And, finally he cares about how we heal others through manifesting the Christ in us, and reaching out with care and compassion to those who have never heard the Good News and to those who may have forgotten about it. As Paul said, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the Good News.” The Good News is that the reward that we receive for our faith is the grace of God, a place in his Eternal Kingdom both here and in heaven, and the peace that passes all understanding. We receive these rewards in exactly the same way and same amount regardless of whether we are rich or poor; whether we work eight hours a day or only two hours a day; whether we have developed our faith early in life or late in life; whether we are White, Black, Asian, Native-American, or any other ethnicity. The Good News is not just for those of us here at Grace in the Desert, and it certainly is not just for us Episcopalians. It is for everyone throughout the world who holds Christ in their heart and soul; who manifests Christ in their lives. The grace that God bestows on those who have faith is exactly the same for each and every person. No one gets more; no one gets less. There is plenty for everyone. The question then becomes not “how much will I get,” but rather, “do I take advantage of how much I have?” The Landowner summed it up when he said, “Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am too generous? So that last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matt 20:14-16) God is generous, and He has chosen to give us all the same amount of grace – each and every one of us, and that grace has nothing to do with how hard we work – not at all. This is a hard concept to grasp for many of us here in America where materials goods are coveted; prestigious titles sought and envied; beautiful faces and bodies favored; and “money talks.” Living in our highly competitive and largely materialistic world I would bet that it rarely enters our minds that in God’s eyes we are all the same. More importantly, I am quite certain it is not the normal course of events for us to remember that God expects us to see that everyone is the same in terms of the grace that God has bestowed on them. How easy it is to discriminate against the homeless; to judge the unemployed; to mock the physically and mentally challenged; to forget the sick and the lonely; to run from those in need; to dismiss the disenfranchised. How easy it is for all of us – all of us. But to follow Christ is to remember that “the last will be first and the first be last.” That gets me back to Kerygma. Kerygma is foundational to our faith; Kerygma is essential to our formation as Christians; essential in our theological and personal understanding of Scripture if we are to live with Christ as the center of our being. Our communal study of Kerygma enriches the faith of our community and of our individual members. It encourages us to take our faith into the world to proclaim and heal. In the First Letter of Peter there is a section that has the heading, “A Call to Holy Living.” It reads, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly held in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”1 Peter 1:13-16 This week I encourage you to seek the Good News in yourself and in your life. At your most difficult moments, open your hearts and minds to God’s grace and let the knowledge of your place in His eternal Kingdom both in the here and now and for ever and ever heal your anger, your frustration, or your pain and fill you with peace. Then, once you are settled, share your Good News experience with someone else - be holy and let your feet be beautiful.

Put on Shoes...

SERMON
Put on Shoes…
Matthew 10:24-39/June 26, 2011

As I write this sermon, I am sitting on an American Airlines Boeing 737 flying from Miami to Las Vegas. Earlier this morning, I left Port au Prince, Haiti for Miami. Soon I will be home in my own bed in Pahrump, Nevada. This trip is the exact reverse of a trip that I made only 72 hours earlier, leaving my home in Pahrump for Las Vegas; and then flying from Las Vegas to Miami; and from Miami to Port au Prince.
How many miles –around 9,000. How expensive – very. Why – to be a disciple of Christ by going to provide support and caring to Haitians who continue to struggle in the aftermath of an unbelievably devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010 that was soon followed by a force 2 hurricane; a massive cholera epidemic; and a period of violent political unrest during which it was frequently too dangerous to venture into the streets without fear of being kidnapped or shot.
I first went to Haiti in 1999. At that time, the extreme poverty throughout the country was grim, but the people’s eyes were bright; they had smiles on their faces; they laughed and sang and danced continually; they were filled with the Spirit – you could feel it everywhere you went. The Spirit brought love; hope; patience; compassion; and joy to the people of Haiti, despite their poverty and political turmoil. Despite massive challenges, life was filled with the gifts of the Spirit.
In 1999, I left Haiti with a song in my heart, inspired by the many, many joyful, creative, and deeply spiritual people that I had encountered; spoken with; eaten with; and worshipped with. We had shared the Spirit in a most glorious way.
Today, in Haiti, the people’s eyes are not bright – rather they stare vacantly into space. Smiles no longer grace the faces of these beautiful men, women and children. Rather, grim, frozen faces are set towards the immediate task of sustaining life at that moment in time. Today there is no laughing; no singing; no dancing. The Spirit is not visible in the faces of Haiti today.
On June20, 2011, I leave Haiti with a heavy heart. I have seen a people, once proud and resilient, compassionate and caring; fun loving and immensely talented in so many areas, now defeated and living amid ruins and poverty that are truly overwhelming even to those of us well versed in tragedy and pain.
As before, on my other trips, we spoke together, ate together, and worshipped together. However, this time, the Spirit seemed only vaguely present, as if through a thinly veiled memory rather than a real presence in the moment.
The ruins that once were Haiti are ever present in these people’s lives. At least a quarter of a million people were killed with at least another quarter of a million living in tents and tin shacks. Collapsed buildings line most streets; roads have turned to rubble and dust; garbage is piled high everywhere with pigs routing and goats grazing for their daily sustenance; water mains continue to break causing flooding in many areas, including the tent cities where so many infants sit at their tent door staring out into space; many people have no idea where their family members and friends have gone – are they somewhere in another tent, or are they dead?
If ever there was a human tragedy, this is it.
Today’s Gospel is all about the mission that Jesus gave his disciples – their marching orders, so to speak. Jesus tells the disciples to go out and to heal; he gives the disciples authority over unclean spirits; and, he warns the disciples that this will be no easy task. There will be hardships of all sorts; rejection, danger and even persecution.
Jesus tells his disciples, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have come not to bring peace, but a sword.” He concludes with a sharp reminder that to be a disciple means choosing the way of the cross over the comfort of a familiar and comfortable lifestyle dedicated to love of self over love of God, by saying, “…whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who find their life for my sake will find it.”
Jesus is asking his disciples to show caring and compassion – to receive – even the lowliest, and to heal. Jesus tells his disciples that it is in caring, compassion and healing – in receiving those who are suffering, those who are in need, that they will find eternal life; the inner peace that only God can bestow both here on earth and for ever more. Jesus also makes it clear that being a disciple is not an easy job. It is a job that entails courage, leadership and all sorts of personal sacrifice.
We are the disciples of today. We are the ones who are being asked to take up the sword – to show caring and compassion – to receive even the lowliest, and to heal if we aspire to enter the Kingdom of Heaven; if we are to experience eternal life through a right relationship with God in the here and now.
There were others on my recent trip to Haiti – two nurses, a doctor, a businessman, and the Executive Director of National Episcopal Health Ministries. Only four of us were Episcopalian, but religious orientation really had nothing to do with the commitment to care and to heal that we all came away with after our brief but compelling visit.
Regardless of religious orientation, we all saw that the Spirit has been lost. It did not take an Episcopalian to figure that out. We all experienced heavy hearts, and feelings of being overwhelmed by the absolute and total destruction of a country and its people. We all mourned the loss of life, both literal and figurative, and we mourned the loss of hope for those who still live.
We all felt the need to take up the sword and to care, each with our own gifts for these brothers and sisters far less fortunate than we.
In his Letter To The Ephesians, Paul writes, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” He goes on to say, “As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace…take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all of the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
What marvelous imagery, “As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.”
The future of Haiti is unknown. However, here in Nevada we have made a commitment to “take up the sword,” and “as shoes for our feet” to put on whatever will make us ready to bring caring, compassion and healing – to receive – our brothers and sisters at St. Luc’s Church and School and the Hospital Ste. Croix in Leogane, Haiti. It will take leadership and courage, it will be complex and hard work, and it will require sacrifices - that is what mission work is all about.
Today, I pray that you as well will find a mission that causes you to “take up a sword,” and “put on shoes” that will lead you to the caring and compassionate work your mission requires.
There are many “Haiti’s in this world. Las Vegas is filled with them.
Once again to quote St. Paul, “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you…” AMEN

Eternal Life - right here; right now

I don’t know about you, but I remember exactly where I was at 6 PM on Saturday, May 21st. Does anyone else here remember where they were – does anyone even remember the reason for remembering that date?

Six PM on May 21st, 2011 was the supposed moment of “the Rapture.” The moment in time when the world would come to an end and we would all be swept up into heaven to meet God. At least those us who were worthy would have been swept to heaven. No one was quite sure what would happen to the unworthy – whatever that means – but, certainly it seemed as if that group could not look forward to a positive outcome.

At exactly 6 PM on Saturday, May 21st, I was at an altitude of about 32,000 feet in a Southwest jet flying from San Francisco to Las Vegas. I was supposed to have been on this plane about five hours earlier – but that is a different story altogether. Suffice it to say that all 120 of the passengers, myself included, were frustrated, exhausted, and definitely numb – very, very numb.

As we dozed, or gazed at words on a page of some magazine or book we had retrieved from the crowded space where our feet were supposed to be comfortably resting, but were instead crammed sideways on top of the luggage that our reading material was in, a man cried out – “It’s 6 ‘o clock – it’s time for the Rapture!”

A few people turned to look at this informative gentleman. A few people chuckled, without even turning their heads. However, the majority of the passengers continued to stare into space or at their reading material – who knows what their thoughts might have been.

I thought to myself, if anyone is going to get “carried up” certainly it will be us. After all, we are already at 32,000 feet. We are already half-way there!

Well, as we all know, there was no rapture on May 21st. Harold Camping, the leader of Family Radio, a main spokesperson for the Rapture occurring in our day and age, was absolutely sure it would happen on May 21st, 2011 at 6 PM – but, it didn’t.

Unfazed by his miscalculation, the very next day Mr. Camping quickly announced that due to a mathematical miscalculation, he had been wrong. He stated that the date for the Rapture now had been extended – the new date: October 2011.

Of course, Mr. Camping first predicted that this momentous event would occur way back in 1994, so if you’re looking for a solid date here, Mr. Camping may not be your best resource at this point in time.
Where did the concept of the rapture come from anyway? What is the Rapture really all about?
The concept of the Rapture comes from something called Christian Eschatology. Christian eschatology is the study of the end of things - the end of an individual life, the end of an age, or the end of the present world and the beginning of the World to Come.
Christian eschatology is concerned with the return of Jesus – the Second Coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead. The Rapture, or the Last Judgment, signals a new heaven and a new earth, and the ultimate consummation of all of God's purposes.
Eschatological passages are found in many places throughout Scripture, especially in Isaiah, Daniel, the Gospel of Matthew, the Pauline epistles, and the Book of Revelation.
One rapture passage that we are all quite familiar with is found in Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians.
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. “(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
In this very graphic passage Paul describes the essence – the very concrete essence - of the Rapture as envisioned by Harold Camping. “Then we who are alive…will be caught up in the clouds…to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.”
But did Paul actually mean to be so concrete? Will we really be caught up in the air and fly to heaven accompanied by archangels?
And what does the Rapture have to do with today’s Gospel passage from John – a passage frequently referred to as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer?
With regard to Paul and the Rapture, a thorough study of Paul’s writings indicates that he probably was not speaking concretely when he wrote this passage to his community in Thessalonica. (By the way this particular letter was probably written sometime between 50 and 52. Just 20 years after the crucifixion and well before any of the Gospels.) Paul’s intention in this letter, as in his other letters, was most probably to have his words interpreted spiritually and metaphorically.
In fact, Paul actually instructs us in how to interpret his writings in 1 Corinthians when he says, “we (meaning Paul himself) speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught us by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)
So, in speaking of those who “sleep” or are “dead,” Paul is actually referring to people who are spiritually dead.
In his Letter to the Romans, Paul explained that some of these “dead” people were raised from their spiritual deadness when they awoke to the fact that the promises contained in their scriptures had indeed been fulfilled and that Jesus was truly the Messiah. He told the Christians of Rome to start acting like they were alive. He wrote: “yield yourselves unto God, as those who are alive from the dead.” (Romans 13:11)
In the same way Paul tells us that when he woke up to the fact that Jesus truly was from God - that Jesus truly was the Messiah, he – Paul - awoke spiritually. At this moment of conversion, Paul was “raptured.” However, Paul’s being “raptured,” or his being “caught up” into heaven while he was still physically alive was a spiritual and not a literal event. Paul’s rapture symbolized his awakening to the inner spiritual realities of what it means to have faith in the resurrection - in Christ.
In his letters, Paul is telling us that it is time to “wake up,” to join the living who already live and move and have their being through God in that reality.
Now, to today’s Gospel and Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. The prayer is offered by Jesus at the conclusion of his farewell dinner. Jesus is preparing to offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He is also offering prayers of intercession for his disciples and for future believers. Jesus begins his prayer with:
“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.” (John 17:1-2)
He concludes with the petition:

“I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours…And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” (John 17:9-11)

Jesus is praying for all who have been given to him by the Father – all of his followers. He prays that they may have eternal life…that they may be one with God just as Jesus is one with God, both on earth and in Heaven.

He prays that his disciples will have the strength and the courage to continue his work after he has died. He prays that his disciples will serve as witnesses of God’s saving grace to those in this the chaotic world who have no faith. He prays that through this witness, through this “disciple-work,” the world might be saved and experience eternal life.

“And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Jesus, like Paul, is not speaking concretely – he is speaking metaphorically. When Jesus talks about eternal life, he is not referring to the length of one’s lifespan; he is referring one’s relationship with God.

Jesus is telling us that eternal life does not begin when we go to heaven – it is not the rapture envisioned by Harold Camping. Eternal life is the spiritual awakening that comes when we enter – in this life, not the next -into relationship with God through our belief in Christ’s resurrection – when we participate in the Easter glory - when we acknowledge our salvation through God’s grace in the gift of His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Eternal life as Jesus understood it – and, as Paul understood it – is living at peace (shalom) with one’s self and one’s neighbor. A peace solidly rooted in our relationship with God and in our work as God’s witness in bringing that peace to our neighbor.

It is for that eternal life – that peace at the very core of our being, and through our work, at the very core of the world – that Jesus prays.

No, Mr. Camping – no rapture needed here – not in October 2011, or at any other time. No, thank you. We have Easter and we have eternal life right here, right now, and for ever and evermore. AMEN.

I Am The Gate

I Am The Gate - John 10:1-10

May 15, 2011

“So again Jesus said to them. “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:7-10)

When I saw that this was the Gospel reading for today, I had to smile. I had to smile because instantly I remembered an incident that occurred early on during my recent pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey. An incident that prompted me to feel the presence of Christ in and around me, and caused me to see, in a new way, the shepherd path that Jesus walked for us all. The shepherd path that Christ expects us to walk.

It was late afternoon; the sun was setting. We were all completely exhausted after having driven about 250 miles over the past nine hours. During this time we also visited four ancient, historic sites, one of which had over 150 steps to ascend and, of course, 150 steps to descend.

Our little pilgrim group had just completed a tour of the fourth and final site of the day, the Roussanou monastery in Meteroes, Greece. The monastery, built in 1517, is now a convent for Greek Orthodox nuns. It is situated way up on the pinnacle of a vast and absolutely exquisite mountain range.

At the conclusion of our tour, we literally stumbled onto the bus. We were finally on our way to the hotel designated for that night’s stay. Everyone was looking forward to a glass of wine, some supper and bed.

As our bus rolled quietly down the mountainside, I saw a dog trotting toward a gate near the side of the road. Then, a flock of about 30 sheep began slowly, one by one, to come up over the crest of a steep hill. Finally, following the dog and the last of the sheep, was the shepherd with his crook. He looked completely exhausted. We all saw him at the same time. Some of us said, “Oh look, there’s the shepherd – he looks so tired.” Then we forget about him as we dozed off, chatted, and/or simply watched the mountains roll by.

Back at the hotel, we had a pre-dinner Eucharist. As the deacon of the Eucharist, I read the evening’s Gospel lesson that included the following passage:
“So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:3-7)
Afterward, as we sat around the dinner table, all we could talk about was the shepherd that we had seen as we drove away from the monastery. We reflected collectively on our thoughts of seeing this exhausted servant faithfully guiding his flock to the safety of the gate of their pen, where all would spend the night together. We collectively and viscerally experienced in a new way what Jesus was trying to convey to his disciples when he said, “I am the gate…”

We felt in our bodies and in our souls the exhaustion that a shepherd feels – the reality of being a shepherd. We sensed the challenges, the hardships, the loneliness and aloneness of being the only one to tend even a small flock, much less all of God’s children.

We discussed how difficult the journey to the cross must have been for Jesus.

We saw with new eyes, heard with new ears, and understood with new hearts the difference between false gods and God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

We felt the presence of Christ there at the table with us. It was a stunning moment. A moment that I am sure none of us will ever forget. We had met our shepherd. We understood the gate.

John is the Gospel of the “I am” statements – “I am the bread of life” (6:35); I am the living bread” (6:51); “I am the light of the world” (8:12; 9:5); I am God’s son” (10:36; “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25); “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6); “I am the true vine” (15:1).

Through metaphor and through works, in John’s Gospel Jesus shows us “the way.” He urges us to differentiate between the futility of seeking happiness by grasping at the promises made by we might today call “false gods” such as wealth, fame, instant cures for whatever ails us and the benefit of living a life of Christian discipleship – following Jesus – in order to truly live life – a life not necessarily free of pain and suffering, but a life filled with an abundance of peace – a life that promotes a society filled with ears that hear, eyes that see, and hearts that comprehend.

“Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate.” (John 10:7)
Soon after returning from my two-week pilgrimage, I read “Journey to the Common Good” by the well known biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann. In this brief three-chapter book Brueggemann discusses ways in which Scripture can affect the faith and life and practice of our modern-day church as we journey together toward the common good that God wills for the world – as we continue Jesus’ shepherd work in our church, in our community, and in the world.
Very briefly, Brueggemann believes that we are currently experiencing a crisis of the “common good.” In his analysis of this crisis he uses the Exodus narrative as the text that contains the memory of the way in which ancient Israel moved from Pharaoh’s slave labor to the holy mountain of Sinai and their covenant with Yaweh (God). This narrative sets the stage for a repetitive series of journeys seeking the “common good.”
Briefly, slavery in the Old Testament occurs initially because Joseph, the Israelite, created a food monopoly for Pharaoh. Subsequently, the peasants having less and less food of their own, came to Joseph, now a high-ranking Egyptian official, and over a brief period of time gave him their money, their land, and finally themselves to ensure that they would have enough food.
“So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh…As for the people, he made slaves of them from one end of Egypt to the other.” (Gen 47:20-21)
Pharaoh’s only interest was in manipulating the economy in order to concentrate massive wealth and power under the roof of the royal family at the expense of the community – or, the “common good.” By the end of the book of Genesis, we read of a deteriorated social system consisting of Pharaoh, Pharaoh’s family, the elite guard, and the state slaves who submit to slavery in order to receive food from the state monopoly.

In the first five chapters of Exodus we learn that Pharaoh has become more and more aggressive and abusive to his workforce. He is driven by anxiety over the possibility of losing his power and wealth – his food monopoly. Finally, the abused laborers can stand it no more; they cry out – they cry out publically and God hears their cries.

“Out of the slavery their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.” (Exod 2:23b-25)

The human cry of the slaves evoked a divine resolve:

“The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…“ (Exod 3:7-8)

The divine resolve then turns into what Brueggemann calls human agency – Moses is ordered by God “to bring my people out of Egypt.” With Moses leading them, the slaves watched the Red Sea waters open for them as they departed the Pharaoh’s anxiety system and stepped into the wilderness. Once in the wilderness, however, they began to complain about their new life based on risky faith and yearned to return to the ways of slavery and guaranteed food. The situation was tense.

Finally Moses complained to God, and God responded to the complaint.

“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites: say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread’; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” (Exod 16:12)

Manna - the Bread of Heaven – grace in the wilderness given in the palpable form of bread. The bread in the wilderness was a divine gesture of enormous grace and abundance; grace and abundance – God’s response to human need.

Brueggemann’s overall point is that the fear of scarcity, of losing power and wealth, nullifies the grace and abundance of God. The pursuit of “more” can never be satisfied. If we are to be truly “satisfied” we must be guided by the summons that follows from the assurance of generosity.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their ways, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isa 55:6-7)

In today’s torn and troubled world, we are the “human agency;” we are the “shepherd”; we are the “gate” through which the Lord may be found. Through our baptismal covenant we are the human agency anointed by Christ with the Holy Spirit to go forth and lead our communities through today’s troubled waters from Pharaoh’s world of anxiety and slavery to God’s world of grace and abundance.

I want to close once again using Walter Brueggemann’s words and prayers for us all.

“Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet, and more than a prophet, I argue, practiced in most radical form the main elements of prophetic ministry and imagination. On the one hand, he practiced criticism of the deathly world around him. The dismantling was fully wrought in his crucifixion, in which he himself embodied the thing dismantled. On the other hand, he practiced the energizing of the new future given by God. This energizing was fully manifested in his resurrection, in which he embodied the new future given by God.”
(Brueggemann, Walter. 2001. The Prophetic Imagination. 2nd Ed. Minneapolis. Fortress Press. p.116)
Prayer:
Lord, grant us the courage to die to our complacent and numb selves so that we can be reborn and re-energized by the new future given by God. AMEN

Whoever Serves Me Must Follow Me

After he washed their feet, had put on his robe and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Lord and Teacher – and you are right for that is what I am. So if I your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” (John 13: 16-17)
A number of years ago, I attended a Maundy Thursday service in one of the largest Episcopal cathedrals in the United States. It was a huge, gothic structure with an enormous sanctuary that held multiple religious objects including , of course, a large free-standing altar covered with a full Jacobean frontal – a massive red silk brocade piece with a gold thread design emblazoning the center of this magnificent altar decoration.
The various seats and areas for kneeling were decorated with needlepoint covered cushions; prayer books and hymnals abounded, as did beautiful linens and multiple silver chalices and crystal flagons and cruets. The sanctuary also held a 32 member choir and 60 rank organ along with the music director/organist and a harpist. The east wall was dominated by three massive stained glass panels.
There was no foot washing ceremony at this service, but as the Eucharist drew to a close the many lanterns scattered around the church dimmed. The choir began to chant Psalm 22, and ever so slowly the priests, deacons, chalice bearers and acolytes began to “strip” the altar.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.”
Chalices and other vessels were reverently handed to Altar Guild members waiting at the sanctuary door. The Fair Linen was carefully folded and also handed to an altar guild member. Then the frontal, the cushions, the Altar Book, the Eucharistic vessels, the prayer books and the hymnals gradually disappeared, one by one. The ceremony proceeded slowly, gracefully, and tragically. All the while the choir was singing Psalm 22 ever so quietly.
“ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?”
As the music drew to a close, altar guild members handed the clergy transparent black cloths, and the rector reverently covered first the altar cross, and then the processional cross. With the processional cross leading, the choir, the clergy, the chalice bearers and the acolytes solemnly processed out in silence. As the rector, the last in the long line of mourners, passed by the first row, members of the congregation silently exited row by row.
No words, no music; the lights so very dim that it was hard to see the person next to me.
Out into the darkness went the cross; out into the darkness went the clergy; out into the darkness went the congregation – out into the darkness we all went, following Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemene.
I was not alone as I shed tears and felt a painful emptiness my heart; an emptiness that I had never experienced before. I was not alone when I thought, “Christ is gone; there is no Christ – what will I do?
I believe that this sense of desolation and loss is felt by all of us each Maundy Thursday evening as we re-experience the heart-wrenching moment that confirms the reality that Jesus will be betrayed; he will be scorned; he will be tortured; he will suffer agonizing pain; he will be crucified; he will die.
Our sense of desolation comes when, as we follow Jesus into the darkness of the Garden, we believe that we also are entering the darkness; we sense that we also are going to our death – our spiritual emptiness.
We believe that we are entering the darkness. But, in reality if we have truly heard Jesus’ words; truly paid attention to his teachings; truly followed his astounding journey from his birth to his baptism in the River Jordon to his betrayal in the garden – if we have paid attention, we know, in fact, that we headed for the Light.
As Paul so eloquently says in Ephesians 2,
“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God is prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:4-10)
This evening, Jesus’ task on this earth is finished. In a few short hours, he will depart this earth to become one with the Father. And we, if we have heard his message; have received him into our heart; have been truly baptized by his Spirit, will follow him into the darkness of the garden, through the agony of the crucifixion, and into the Light of the Resurrection and our salvation.
And what then? What is salvation? What does it mean to be saved – what does salvation mandate?
In John 12, Jesus tells his disciples, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will be my servant also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.”
Our Salvation - our Light –Jesus tells us, is made manifest through being the good servant; through moving in and through and with God in our lives, following the Way of his Son. Our salvation is made manifest in following the direction that Jesus has given us this evening when he said,
“So if I your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”
As we follow Christ into the Garden of Gethsemane, we follow him into the light of his Father’s Kingdom by loving and serving Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our humble lives here on earth.
If, in some small way, we can accomplish this task of serving one another as Jesus has served us - our call from Jesus - we will come to truly know the peace that passes all understanding; we will understand the meaning of our salvation; we will be true participants in the glory of the Easter resurrection – the life everlasting.
Just a few short months ago we celebrated the birth of Jesus. Tonight we follow him on the first steps towards his death – and, believe it or not, the star that lights the way, shines more brightly than ever,
A stable-lamp is lighted
Whose glow shall wake the sky;
The stars shall bend their voices,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
And straw like gold shall shine;
A barn shall harbor heaven,
A stall become a shrine.
This child through David’s city
Shall ride in triumph by;
The palm shall strew its branches,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
Though heavy, dull, and dumb,
And lie within the roadway
To pave his kingdom come.
Yet he shall be forsaken,
And yielded up to die;
The sky shall groan and darken,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry
For stony hearts of men:
God’s blood upon the spearhead,
God’s love refused again.
But now, as at the ending,
The low is lifted high;
The stars shall bend their voices,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry
In praises of the child
By whose descent among us
The worlds are reconciled

AMEN

The Journeys of Paul Through Greece and Rome

The Journeys of Paul Through Greece and Rome


Of this Gospel I have become a servant according to God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Eph. 3:7-10)

It is hard to believe that it was two brief weeks ago to the day that I left Nevada and traveled to Miami, Florida to join a Lenten pilgrimage of 20 people. Together with our leader and shepherd, the Rev. William “Chip” Stokes, rector of St. Paul’s, Delray Beach, and his wife Susan, we were headed for Greece and Turkey to follow Paul’s journeys through those two ancient cultures.

My preparations for the trip, both at work and at home, had been massive. Concerns about safety and other travel-related matters kept me awake for more than a few nights. Butterflies filled my stomach as I waited to meet my unknown traveling companions at the Miami Airport Lufthansa ticketing gate on Sunday, March 27.

How would this trek through two unknown countries, with essentially unknown pilgrims from Florida, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Nevada – yes, there were two of us Nevadans: myself and Patsy Pumphrey from Trinity, Reno - unfold?

After a grueling nine and one-half hour overnight flight from Miami to Frankfort, Germany, a mad dash through an airport that would confuse even the best of scholars, and a brief one-hour flight to Athens, Greece, we de-planed and finally began the meat of our trip on board a massive touring coach with an absolutely incredibly spiritual and well-informed guide – Sophia.

Staying in a different hotel each night throughout this two-week pilgrimage, the Greek portion of our journey began in Corinth where we stood on the platform that Paul is thought to have preached from, and wandered through the ruins of Corinth’s very large agora, (marketplace). We visited one of the tiny stone shops in the agora that scholars believe was the site of the tent-making business established by Paul during his stay in that city. Many of us felt Paul’s presence strongly as we wandered among the ruins of this ancient Greek site

In the days that followed, we visited Thebes; Delphi; Meteores; Kalambaka, where we toured two incredibly beautiful Greek Orthodox monasteries high atop ancient mountains; Veria, Pella; Thessaloniki; the Prayer Point where Paul baptized Lydia; and Phillipi, where Paul first preached the Gospel to Europe.

After that, it was off to the Greek border where we were met by our Turkish guide, Ali, in an enormous Mercedes touring bus. Ali assured us that we were his personal guests as he welcomed us on behalf of his family and his countrymen. He remained true to his promise during our five days in Turkey.

The nine hour days in Greece had been grueling; but, the 10-11 hour days in Turkey were at times endured with faith and courage only. Knees and legs were quickly giving away as we, non-stop, climbed step after step and walked only on cobblestones and marble amid restored ruins that were both massive and magnificent.

Our brains became increasingly fuzzy as we toured the First World War Battlefields of Gallipoli; the ancient city of Troy; Pergamom, where the first Christian was put to death; and Theratyra, where the remains of two of the Seven Churches of Revelation are located. Then on to Smyrna; Sardis; the Temple of Artemis; Laodicea; Philadelphia; and the Travertines at Hierapolis, where Cleopatra, seeking to reclaim her beauty, once swam in one of the natural pools in this massive Ancient Roman city high atop a pastoral mountain-top dotted by sheep, cattle, chickens, and goats grazing peacefully as their shepherds watch over them.

Finally, we came to the massive ancient city of Ephesus. Our walk through only a small part of this magnificently restored Greek and Roman city took well over two hours – we could have gone on for several days and still not seen everything. The sophistication, intelligence and power of the Ancient World are nowhere more evident than in this enormous area that once was home to over 250,000 people.

The last day of our journey was spent in Istanbul where we visited the Blue Mosque; Hagia Sophia (where From Russia with Love was filmed); Topkapi Palace (where Topkapi was filmed); and, of course, the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar – with over four thousand shops and many excellent salesmen. Our pilgrims spent the afternoon buying rugs, jewelry, spices, and multiple beautifully colored pashminas.

Each day we celebrated both Morning Prayer (on the bus) and a Eucharist Service (frequently among the ruins). We read the letters from Revelation as we visited each of the Seven Churches. We celebrated Chip and Susan’s 35th wedding anniversary. We tended to and prayed over various travel-related maladies and one fall. We gave courage and support to several people who simply could not walk another step. We laughed, we chattered non-stop, we prayed together – a strong pilgrim community was formed.

In periodic group discussions, everyone had time to reflect on what the day or the journey meant for them. Everyone was moved beyond words by the courage and faith of Paul who endured rejection upon rejection and severe physical punishment, and who, in order to bring Christ to the Gentiles, simply refused to be daunted by the astounding power and sophistication of the Greek and Roman civilizations.

Without question, today, Saturday, April 9, as we sit scattered throughout the homeward bound plane on yet another tedious 10 hour flight back to Miami, nodding off and wondering what time it really is, (there is up to a ten-hour time difference between Greece and Turkey and the United States for some of us) we have a far better understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, and what it takes to have the conviction and courage to be an evangelist.

Perhaps, most importantly, however, as Paul hoped, we see through the “eyes of our heart” - through new eyes - the Power of the Spirit. After following Paul, it is impossible not to believe.

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of this glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the power of his great love. (Eph. 1:17-19)