Sermons Archives from February 6, 2011 through present date
For Sermons prior to January 2, 2011, click here
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John 3:1-17 “Embryonic Faith” Rev. Lori Eldredge
A poem caught my attention this week, one rather timely:
The Earthquake Came
One sullen day the earthquake came
To place the world among the planets
Full of heat and rage and feebleness.
The earth sucked in her breath,
Sighed in discomfort,
And stretched her arms to ease the pent-up pain.
Man forgot payments and profits,
And, with new priorities, only remembered
To cling to his wife and children
As when the world was young,
For suddenly life was more than ritual or raiment.
The tall buildings swayed and moaned and begged
A drop of lamb’s blood on the lintel
To keep away the earth’s avenging angel,
While the little houses only shook ad trembled.
The streets were filled with people
Hoping to find courage and comfort from those
They has scarcely noticed before when
Fear held them apart – until a greater fear
Dissolved the lesser one in longing.
And for a moment man could find no place to lay his head
Save near his neighbor.
Amid the terror of the streets,
The rubbery rolling of the ground,
There was a gentleness and caring,
Then the earth settled back
Content to rest a little longer
And carry man against her bruised and ancient breast,
As when the world was young.
[Will You Be My Friend?, ©1971, By James Kavanaugh]
“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” [John 3:8]
The wind is not the only thing that seems to move where it chooses… so also the oceans and all the energy that wells up within the earth until it explodes in either earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. These past two weeks we have been all too aware of the pernicious forces of nature. We know to, the fear that results in such trying times.
Peoples around the world have been praying for the people living in Japan. First the earthquake, then the tsunami, and still threats of radiation exposure and fallout, and tainted food. Lives are being changed in some very dramatic ways… and lives will continue to change. There are so many questions about the changes in their everyday living, about survival. The greater theological question is will these changes be redemptive?
Do you remember the television program "The Wide World of Sports"? It began broadcasting 50 years ago… April 29, 1961. Each week, as Jim McKay began the broadcast, we saw played out on the screen the story behind the words “thrill of victory or the agony of defeat". One of the defeats, which played over and over, was a painful ending to an attempted ski jump. The skier, Vinko Bogataj, appeared to be doing well as he headed down the jump, but then, what appeared as no apparent reason at all, he went head over heels off the side of the jump, bounced off the supporting structure, and fell to the snow below. We all went “ooooooo”.
What we didn't know though was that he chose to fall rather than finish the jump. He later explained, the surface had become too fast, and midway down the ramp, he realized if he completed the jump, he would land on the level ground, beyond the safe sloping landing area, which could have been fatal. Surprisingly, Vinko suffered a slight headache from the fall. He chose to change his course of action to save his life. It may be observed that to change one's course in life can be a dramatic and sometimes painful, but change is better than a fatal landing at the end.
Nicodemus faced the same problem. Jesus basically told Nicodemus that he was facing a fatal landing if he did not change directions.
But Nicodemus knew only one way and that was the way of men…. it is the only way that any of us knows. But then Jesus came along and he began to teach us about Heaven, of being Born Again. We hear those words with Nicodemus "You must be born again," and he is confused, we are confused. So he asks, "How can a person go back into his mother's womb and come out again?" We can’t. it’s impossible.
Is it surprising that Nicodemus is so confused? He's a religious leader, one of the Pharisees and a member of the Sanhedrin. He has believed throughout his life that righteousness equated to careful obedience to Torah, all those rules and teachings of right living and conduct. Yet, somehow he came to realize he was missing some spiritual lesson; somehow he missed a critical truth; and so he went to Jesus. Would Jesus provide him with the missing detail? Nicodemus had come to the realization that he was headed in the wrong direction and now he needs to change his path in life. What he knew in his heart, needed to become the reality in his head. Nicodemus was open-minded, but there was hesitation.
Why was he so slow to take Jesus at his word? What was causing him confusion? Nicodemus was a religious man, a powerful person. He was well educated, and he found change difficult. Change is not easy for any of us, whether that change is by our choosing, or that change is thrust upon us by cataclysmic world events.
Change is not easy because like the natural world around us we want to remain in homeostasis - in that relatively stable state of equilibrium or balance - and if one element changes in our system then something else moves to keep the total system in balance. The earth quakes and breaks and then shutters again and “settles back content to rest a little longer.”
And Jesus tells us, “We must be born again.” How? Go back to where you began in faith and take another look. Bob Corrington, my philosophy professor at Drew, used to say, “Questions are answers in embryonic form.” When did we stop asking questions and simply rely on the law? When did we become more concerned about crossing our ‘T’s’ and dotting our ‘I’s’? It seems that when law takes precedence, compassion goes out the window. Jesus knew the disaster that lay ahead for men’s souls, for all of humanity, and Nicodemus in particular unless he changed his thinking, changed his living.
Rather than experience “the agony of defeat”, Jesus invited Nicodemus, Jesus invites us to know “the thrill of victory.” Victory that comes with new faith, a embryonic faith, that allows us to let go of the things of this world and trust God, to love God, to enter into a deeper relationship with Christ and Christ’s church.
As we respond to disasters around the world we have an opportunity to witness to Christ’s love; as we may be caught in the disasters of this world - earthquake, wind, and fire, poverty, and so many more, we have a choice as to how we will respond - becoming cold, or bitter, and burning out from compassion fatigue - we may choose or trust in God, surrendering our souls to God’s will - “Thy will be done” and move forward finding victory and joy in a closer relationship with our Lord and our God, our Creator.
As we respond to Christ’s invitation to come to the table may we come with all our questions, may we truly be open-minded, and without hesitation, enter into the joy of our Lord. Amen.
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Matthew 4: 1-11 “The Weight of Our Souls” Rev. Lori Eldredge
A story:
“Tell me the weight of a snowflake", said the robin to the dove.
“Why, it weighs nothing at all,” replied the dove.
“In that case,” the robin went on, “I must tell you a marvelous story. I was sitting on a branch of a fir tree, close to its trunk,” the robin began, “when snow began to fall...not heavily, not in a raging blizzard, no just like a dream without any violence. Since I did not have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the needles and twigs of my branch. I reached the number 3,741,952. Then when the 3,741,953rd snowflake dropped onto the branch weighing nothing as you say, the branch suddenly broke off.”
With that the robin flew away. To be continued…
[The Weight of a Snowflake” by Joseph Jaworski, internet]
Have you ever thought about the weight of a snowflake…. Or the weight of a feather? It weighs next to nothing. What difference does the weight of one little feather make in a bird’s life? It’s a lot like the snowflake and a lot like sin. One little feather, one little snowflake, one teeny, tiny, little sin…. What difference does one little sin make to our souls?
As Jesus was tempted at the pinnacle in the desert he was promised great things…. power, authority, everything he would need to sustain life…..and he overcame that temptation that we might have the power to overcome our daily temptations… all those tempting little things that add up and, if chosen, gradually lead us to turn away from our walk with God, and the presence of God.
When we set the story of Adam and Eve in the garden we find the stories to be in perfect contrast. Think about the garden – they had everything they wanted, tempted by Satan, and then losing everything when they gave in to gain knowledge for themselves. Yet Jesus, in the wilderness or desert, who speaks only scripture, stood firm in his struggle against deception and evil, with the “Satan”, and in doing so, defined his mission and his ultimate battle for our freedom from the power of sin, for the saving of our soul; and he defined the Christian life and struggle. It begs the question: How are our lives being defined?
Are we following Jesus, doing the will of God, and saying no to other gods – or are we giving in to one little temptation at a time? Maybe our god today is alcohol, or tobacco, or chocolate, or gambling. Maybe it is spending more time with secular activities than with spiritual practices? Our daily spiritual practices, our spiritual disciplines, prepare us to recognize temptation, and gives us the tools to resist them, before they become addictions.
Jesus was led by the
Spirit into the desert to fast for forty days and forty nights – this parallels
Israel‘s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. The people complained of a
lack of water and a lack of food ; they were weak. They blamed God; they
blamed Moses. [Deut. 8:2] And it was when Jesus was at his weakest, after 40
days and 40 nights, that the Devil came to him to tempt him. It’s true: when
we‘re at our weakest, when we are most vulnerable, Satan will attack us too.
Now maybe you don’t believe in a literal devil, or Satan, with the little red
horns and pitchfork, but you do know that there is evil in this world and
somehow it always manages to find us when we are resolved to be on that straight
and narrow path. We recognize our point of weakness, we turn to God, and wham;
it’s Satan all over again.
The Devil doesn’t care if we’re giving into temptation, if we’re sinning, even if we’re apathetic or lackadaisical as Christians, because that’s when he’s got us! And those little things, one at a time as light as a feather, add up.
Sometimes it feels as though we want to throw out the fleece, to test God; yet what we may not realize is we are the ones being tempted.
Will we continue to
walk with God whether or not we get that job, whether or not our cancer is
healed, whether or not a parent or our son or daughter comes through a
life-threatening surgery or tour of duty in Afghanistan? Or, are we going to
bargain with God and say, “If you do this for me, then you can be my God, but
if you don’t , then I’m not going to have anything to do with you.” Jesus
didn’t do this!!!!! And we can’t either. The Spirit-filled life which Jesus
lived was a life that was unconditionally surrendered to God regardless of the
weight bearing on his soul; or, precisely because of the weight he bore
in his soul. He bore the weight of our sins and our souls. Every time we give
in to temptation, every time we turn away from God, we add to that weight – a
weight that will only be lifted when we come again to a spiritual consciousness
that our greatest need is to be in relationship with God and with each other.
When the robin had flown away, the dove thought about the story and said to herself, “I sometimes think that all my efforts and the little I can do make no difference.”
We might think our small acts of resistance against evil as nothing at all. Whether against hunger, or poverty, yet, whenever and where ever we resist evil, whenever and wherever it is we act on behalf of others , as if nothing at all, when we put our efforts together, acting on behalf one another, loving God, great things are possible.
As we prepare to
come to communion this morning I invite you to take a moment to reflect on the
weight of your soul?
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(Whistle)
“Here's a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
But don't worry, be happy
In every life we have some trouble
but when you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy
Don't worry, be happy now ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Don't worry, oooooooooooooo be happy oooooooooooooo
Don't worry, be happy oooooooooooooooooooooooo
Don't worry, ooooooooooooo be happy ooooooooooooooooo
Don't worry, be happy
Ain't got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
But don't worry, oooooooooooooo be happy
The land lord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate but don't worry, be happy
Look at me I am happy ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Don't worry, ooooooooooooo be happy”
Well you got the idea. A more recent version of Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy” is “Hakuna Matata” what a wonderful phrase
“Hakuna Matata” Ain’t no passing craze
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It’s our problem free philosophy
“Hakuna Matata”
We can thank Sir Elton John and Tim Rice for the music and the words - fun to sing and a worry free philosophy!
Neither of these sung expressions of worry free living is what Jesus or the gospel writer had in mind. As you consider the words of both songs neither gives the one adopting the worry free philosophy a purpose. For Timon and Pumbaa only goal was survival, and therefore got spooked by everything. In Matthew, this whole worry free text is preceded by two sentences that puts it into perspective, “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Determine who or what it is you will serve, determine your purpose.
Chose the things of this world or chose God. When we trust in God, we will be given provision for what we need. This doesn’t mean we won’t have to work, be responsible or accountable. The Israelites were given manna or mammon in the wilderness, but they had to go out each day and gather what they needed for the day - no more, no less. And they were provided double the day before Sabbath so they could keep the Sabbath. Mammon is translated as both food and riches. [People’s New Testament, BWJ Jonson, 1891] There was food for the body and food for the soul - provision for a life in balance.
Life in this 21st century isn’t quite the same is it? To live a life in balance is complicated. Not only do we need to balance the body, mind, and spirit, - we need to balance finance,
For too many life has eroded - our lives have been filled with a variety of choices, and not all healthy. Beginning in middle school our children are faced with choices that have the potential to lead them into a life long struggle with substance abuse - alcohol, then drugs. We hear about use in the high school, but it does not begin there.
Life is so much more complicated, yet, we can not dismiss this teaching of Jesus.
Be not anxious, take no thought …. Are misleading….. especially given that we are told first to choose whom we will serve. When we choose to serve God, we don’t stop thinking, but there is a line between reasonable thought and the over thinking that leads to anxiety. Our thinking is not to oppress the mind but liberate it. Reflection and reasonable consideration is required by scripture, and common sense. What Jesus condemns is oppressive care that comes from unbelief, from doubts and misgivings.
Maybe there are a few of us who never worry….no? I’ve had some very anxious moments … and a few years ago a colleague told me I had to let go of things, relax. My response was “How?” That when I first heard of breath prayers. Quite simply they are prayers that can be said in one breath. Inhale, exhale. Everyone has a breath prayer within them. They are prayers of praise and petition. To discover your breath prayer you need to first spend some quiet time alone with God. Tell God what it is you need. Imagine God asking you, “What is it you need from me today?” Try to state that need in a short phrase.
Is it forgiveness? Peace? Personal growth? And then select the name that you are most comfortable with in speaking with God. God, Holy Spirit, Father, Mother…. . As you breathe in, you think of a name for God ; as you breathe out, think of your petition.
For those persons who “forget” to breathe as they become anxious this is a wonderful prayer… it restores breathing and draws us closer to God. Your prayer might be:
- Holy Spirit, Guide me.
- Holy God, give me strength.
- Lord Jesus, give me balance.
If you have lost your balance in life, lost
perspective with life around you, developing your own personal breathe prayer
can help you restore balance, because first it will bring you back to God. When
we remember to breathe ad are restored to God we can then engage in w/holistic
living – keeping a balance of our body, mid, and spirit. Amen
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February 6, 2011 “Think Globally, Act Locally” Rev. Lori Eldredge
You are the light of the world, you are the salt of the earth. These two saying are like the inkblots of a Rorschach test. The Rorschach inkblot is meant to be an empty form which draws out some of the contents of a subconscious mind. These metaphors work in our minds and, as they do, are reflective of our thoughts and hopes for God’s kindom – built on relationships both vertical and horizontal; between God and us, and then among us where God is present.
The teachings immediately follow the Beatitudes - blessings expressed in very conventional terms, easily grasped by those with whom he was speaking. These sayings are no different. Understood in Jesus day, they may have lost some of their meaning for us.
What does it mean to be the light of the world? What does it mean to be the salt of the earth?
As we journey together with God, Jesus said we are “ to let your light shine before other, so that they may see your good work and give glory to your God who is in heaven.” Our good works do not save us, but they are our means of giving God the glory. We can all say praise the Lord….. try that…Praise the Lord. Now again… Praise the Lord. How many of us go about our days with this praise on our lips? If its on our lips, its in our minds; but sometimes our minds are so filled with all the responsibilities of the day, or filled with hurts and grief, or just cluttered with all our “to do “ lists. As we go about our lives how many of us remember to give God the praise deserved for every breath of our days?
Yet as we work, doing the things God has called each one of us to do, the light becomes evident! What does it say to those who witness our works? And may I add our conversation? I will be curious to see what is written about 25 or more women coming together to sew dresses and shorts for the people of Kabala in Sierra Leone. Yesterday that is what happened here in our Fellowship Hall. To me, what happened here yesterday is far greater than what will be happening in Dallas Texas tonight! A photograph came from the Standard Times, so there may be a picture or two in the newspaper, but it won’t get the publicity of the Super Bowl, and that’s okay. I don’t believe that’s what God intends.
I believe our works are to be along the lines of the philosophy expressed on the bumper sticker, “Think globally, act locally.” Have you ever thought about a lighthouse? A lighthouse stands on a hill or rock formation and shines it light out to the sea. It’s light is for anyone who happens to journey within the length of its beam, but that beam only shines so far. It doesn’t matter how bright the lighthouse burns, because of the curvature of the earth , it’s light on the surface of the earth depends on the height of the lighthouse so one lighthouse is not enough, lighthouses dot the coastline so that as beams merge together they light up the coastline, keeping those who venture out to sea safe. And because the beams vary , not in length but by signal, sailors know where they are at sea, and are guided into port. As our works give glory to God, lighting up the world, those who witness our works may also know where they are and be guided into God’s safe harbor.
And salt? Salt in bread or stew gives it flavor. It also acts in other ways…. One as a preservative. I’ve been thinking this past week, it also melts the ice. Think how harsh an icy dark world may seem to those struggling not only at sea but those on land. Lighthouses are often built in rocky places, salt is poured on dangerous paths and roads where people travel… we are called to be the light, to be the salt that we may be channels of God’s grace, working together to make this world a better place.
As we work together, as we create safe places for people to live and gather, we are doing God’s work. Whether it is hosting a community meal, or sewing clothing, or helping to support the Food Pantry, we are making life better for everyone….. and yes one idea for ministry may lead to another, but isn’t this what the kindom of God is all about? How little is it for us to share our blessings, when Jesus has given everything? How little is it for us to give a little of our time when Jesus has given us eternity?
As we prepare our hearts to receive communion this morning I would invite you to think about how our works, our speech, add to the witness of those who have gone before us in God’s work; and how together we may bring hope to this community and world?
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January 30, 2011 Mixed Blessings Rev. Lori Eldredge
Matthew 5: 1-12
We begin today a walk thru of selections from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus saw the crowds and he began to teach them. He sat with his disciples on the mountain and offered lessons in life with others; how it is that we are to live in community. In education there is a philosophy that there are three teachable moments (and they are a lot like the Olympics) The golden moment when people first gather and you have their attention, a silver moment somewhere in the middle of the time you have them, and then a bronze moment at the closing. The golden moment here in the Sermon on the Mount contains the lesson we have come to call “The Beatitudes”. Each of the nine Beatitudes begins with the phrase "Blessed are ...." The word "blessed" is sometimes translated as "happy" or "fortunate".
Initially this seems rather odd, because the Beatitudes were originally delivered to people who were deprived of what we would normally think of as blessings. People who are poor in spirit, mourning, hungering and thirsting for righteousness and persecuted all come up short in what we think of as the blessings of life. Yet Jesus says that they are "blessed" or "happy." Blessed care the poor in spirit…. Blessed are the meek…. Blessed are those who mourn… That seems not to make sense. Human nature deceives us into believing we have to rely on our own strength, or our own personal power. And the wisdom of the world suggests that success comes from what we have and the power to take more for ourselves.
Finding the key to success has created a multibillion dollar publishing industry. 303,000 titles in 20 seconds on Google to succeed in business. The “keys” vary from 1. Don’t innovate; replicate to the key to success is an easy-to-use, fully searchable computerized personal and business very large data base. Add to this all the books on improving your personal life and your relationships. Success is relative.
There’s the story of a man who went down to the river to fish. He had quite an afternoon, catching fish of all different sizes. Now as he was fishing, he was being watched by a stranger and his behavior was very confusing because as he reeled each fish in and unhooked them, he would carefully measure each one. Some he would put in his bucket, and some he would throw back. At the end of the day, the stranger couldn’t stand it anymore. He went up to the fisherman and told him had been watching all afternoon and he did not understand why he released back to the river all the large fish and kept only the small ones. The fisherman told him that was easy…. His frying pan was only nine wide. Success to him was catching fish that fit in the pan! Life’s all relative, at least as human view it. Jesus has a different perspective.
Jesus taught that as Christians we cannot depend entirely on ourselves –on our personal power. We are to rely on God’s power. God is the source of our life and of our strength. The fact is we all go through tough times. Our economy has not been good. We aren’t alone, countries around the globe are struggling. But we who complain are in fact blessed.
Did you complain about the snow this week? Yes/no?
Thank God for a nice warm home!
Did you complain about ice on the roads?
Thank God you have roads and a car!
This week we have watched as Egypt has turned to violence in anti-government protests. Protests over government and economy, yet Egyptians enjoy more freedom than most in the Middle East and has been stable with a 4-5% annual growth….but success is relative.
In a world that is filled with hate, prejudice, and oppression we need to depend on God’s power. If we are to be agents of helping to bring about God’s kingdom here on earth then we need to depending on God’s power. If our vision and our goals are to make this world a more just place then we need to be leaning on the power of God and God’s grace. If we ever hope to restore a just order for humanity and the whole of creation, we need begin again to rely on God’s strength.
The Beatitudes are Jesus’ interpretation of Micah 6:8…did you know Micah’s name in Hebrew is mi ki yah: “Who Is Like Yahweh?” So, Micah 6:8? “What does the require of you ….to seek justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Do these three”
Middle class white America until recently has not had a good understanding of justice. We don’t usually refer to God as ‘just’- yes, God is loving, God is merciful, God is great…. But ask any immigrant, any new citizen, any descendent of those brought to this country in chains, and they will say God is just. God is just because God restores to the righteous the blessings we were as humanity originally given, from which no one is excluded.
Those who are faithful to God now, who seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God , are already deemed "blessed" even if their immediate circumstances are less than fulfilling. Each decision we make, each action we take – these are measures of our lives in God’s eyes.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,…” Matt.5:11-12a
The Quiltmaker’s Gift
Comment: “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise…” Often the wisdom of the world suggests that success comes from what we have and the power to take more for ourselves.
Through Jesus, we learn that God’s wisdom is tied up in how we live and what we give. In the beginning of the story, the King exemplifies the wisdom of the world.
Over time, the King discovers the joy of giving. When the Quiltmaker finds him sitting in tatters, he joyfully tells her, “I may look poor, but in truth my heart is full to bursting, filled with memories of all the happiness I’ve given and received. I’m the richest man I know.”
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January 23, 2011 “Net-Working” Rev. Lori Eldredge
Matthew 4: 12-23
When the captain of fishing boat leaves the pier, he generally has a specific destination in mind, and a specific goal in mind. He’ll have a favorite fishing spot in mind, but he goes where he knows he is going to have success. Very few fishermen will go out and cast their nets in empty waters. Only the inexperienced one will waste time in unproductive waters, and even he learns to move on.
The successful fisherman is not unlike a successful business, having a set of clear goals which it sets out to achieve. With these goals in mind, everyone has specific responsibilities to help realize the business plan. Everyone in the organization knows the business plan, and all the resources and investments are directed toward the success of the business plan.
Of concern to every business is the competition, competing interests. Remember Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He closed his factory after years of success because of competing interests. It was then Willy Wonka set out to find new flavors for his candy and came upon the Umpa Lumpas - and after negotiating a deal with their leader, they became his new labor force to reopen and continue the building of the chocolate factory. Whether Donald Trump or Willy Wonka, a successful businessman has a plan and stick to it, even though there may be challenges, threats, and even reversals.
As Jesus set out to build the kingdom of God he had a plan. First was a mission statement, we find that in the gospel of Luke - claiming the vision of Isaiah – to feed the hungry, to restore sight to the blind, to set the captive free, to set at liberty those who were oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. He also knew he had to recruit like minded people to work the plan. How successful would he be, could he be, if he brought on board individuals who did not share his vision? He needed to net-work, and who knew more about nets than fishermen. They cast their nets into the waters they knew would give them a high yield…. And Jesus did the same.
Now there are two types of fishing - one spelled fishing, the other phishing. The first type of ‘fishing’ we are familiar with, especially as we live on the coast and have access to some of the best seafood in the United States. It puts food on the table and is life giving. The second ‘phishing’ is a type of computer scam- someone sends out millions of emails telling you you’re a winner of a lottery, or have been awarded a phenomenal bequest, and the will be very glad to send it on to you if only you will send them your information so they can complete a transaction. The only problem is, when you send the information, they wipe out your life savings.
As Jesus set out to begin his ministry he went net-working, fishing for individuals who could work the plan, and be life giving. They set out with a common purpose, a common cause, and that was to build the kingdom of God. Do you know our mission statement? Our common purpose?
As Jesus called his disciples he called men and women that brought specific gifts – talents. Who better to feed the hungry than fishermen? We don’t know all their occupations but their new vocation was building the kingdom.
We bring our individual talents as we have been called to participate in Christ’s continuing work, working toward the same goal. Are we all on board with the same plan? What does it mean to build the kingdom, to make disciples for the transformation of the world, especially here in North Kingstown? Do you know the mission statement of NKUMC?
“The mission of the North Kingstown United Methodist Church, a community of God’s people, is to use our time, talents and treasures, to grow disciples for Christ by educating, nurturing and supporting one another in our town and beyond in the practice of hospitality and the sharing of God’s loving word.”
How are we doing this? Are we all working together? Working the same plan?
How are you contributing toward the goals? I don’t mean financially? How are you investing your time, your talent, to help NKUMC be successful in disciple-making business? How are you helping to grow the church?
As we come to worship we come to give our praise to God, to lift our burdens, and to be empowered to go out embracing the goals of Christ and building the kingdom. Building the kin-dom – in which relationships are key.
As we nurture and love one another we are net-working; we are taking responsibility for the ministry of the church, and we are taking responsibility for the transformation of the world.
We are not called to conform to the world, but to transform the world for Jesus Christ and for the fulfillment of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
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January 16, 2011 “What Are You Looking For?” Rev. Lori Eldredge
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 John 1:29-42
Last week in the Gospel of Matthew we read about John the Baptist physically baptizing Jesus and the voice of God declaring “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” The synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke with varying chronologies detail Jesus life. Among the three we can piece together a reasonable biography including the teachings of Jesus.
This morning the lectionary takes us to the gospel of John. John is completely different –and of note is the style with which Jesus relates to his followers. In the synoptics Jesus speaks in parables; in the gospel of John his language in more figurative, he speaks in metaphor; and this is consistent with the style of the writer of the gospel. It is important to understand this because as we hear the words Jesus speaks, or to the questions Jesus asks, and consequently that writer is asking, we might appreciate them on two levels: the literal and the metaphorical.
As the disciples start to follow Jesus he asks them, “What are you looking for?” Or in the King James, “What seek ye?” Today in the church we have a whole generation of seekers- what are they looking for? Along with the baby boomers, the gen-Xer’s , and today’s emergent generation we are all looking for something - that place we can hang our hats - that place we can call home. And right on cue the disciples respond, “Where do you live?”
It does sound like a strange question to ask, but it’s similar to ‘where is the church?’ Do they want a physical address, such as 450 Boston Neck Road? Or are they asking something deeper? What does the church represent? Where goes the church
Stand on the Lordship of Jesus? What does the church stand on the Incarnation of Jesus or on the virgin birth? What is the church’s position on war or taxation, or the law and government?
These disciples had been following John, and John is now pointing them to Jesus. John came to testify to Jesus, that Jesus was the Son of God. There is a not so subtle change underway and the disciples are in the midst of it. Anytime there is a change in our lives we ask questions. If it’s a change in job we want to know what the job entails; if it’s a change in location we want to know about the place we are going. If it is a change in leadership we want to know what or who the person represents; so the question for Jesus is where do you live? Where is your heart? Where is your home?
So as you came to church this morning did you have a question for Jesus? Pat, a former parishioner, told me she came to church every week with a question, and every week it was answered. Sometimes in the sermon but often in the music, or some conversation she had after service. Sometimes it was even in the quiet moments at the beginning of worship. She never knew when her question would be answered, but she did know that if she didn’t come seeking some answer she wouldn’t get one.
What is your question? What are you looking for?
Are you looking for the good shepherd? [10:14] The gate of the sheep? [10”7.9]
Are you looking for the true vine? [15:1,5]
If you are hungry maybe you are looking for the Bread of Life? [6:35]
Or if you are living in darkness maybe you are looking for the Light of the world? [8:12; 9:5]
What are you looking for? Sometimes our thoughts are too deep for words, but the promise is that Holy Spirit knows even the meanings of our groans and interceded for us before God… sometimes we just don’t have the words for whatever it is resides within us.
When we are facing a major illness or when someone we love is suffering?
How do we pray when a whole city or region is flooded or a portion is wiped away in a mudslide? What words do we pray when a shooter opens fire and kills innocent children and bystanders? What words do we pray when nations starve or are plaqued by cholera and other diseases? What words do we pray when our sons and daughters are taken ill and there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do? What words do we pray when those we love die?
Last week we read from the scriptures about John baptizing Jesus, and I talked about the living water we have from Jesus Christ. Water images are every where… but not like we have seen them this week. Whatever we imagine about the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of the Egyptians just doesn’t seem real after we’ve seen the news clips out of Queensland and Rio de Janeiro. Floods in Australia, mud slides in Brazil, and then there are the tears of friends and family related to those killed in a senseless shooting in Tuscon.
We have heard words spoken in anger and fear . We have heard words spoken in disbelief. This is more about our shock, or just being so worn down by life and all the trials we encounter.
Words may or may not come. When they do they may seem inadequate. We want to ask “why” but when we are going through difficulties, it’s not the time. Life will throw us challenges and the time to be asking questions is daily, as we encounter scripture, as we gather as a congregation; the time to ask questions is when our hearts and our minds are still so that we can hear God speaking. People come early to worship exactly for this purpose, to settle themselves and to quiet their hearts, so that they can be attuned to hear God’s voice. We need to be sensitive to this. They are the ones that will come around us when we are in need of strength and guidance and peace.
It’s in asking the questions when we are strong, we are able to store up the reserves.
The Gospel of John has always been my favorite. I love the rich metaphor and in particular the ‘great I am’s’ that echo the “I am” of Exodus [3:14]. When Moses hears God reply to his question, “When people ask, who do I say that you are?” God says, “I AM THAT I AM”
Jesus said “I am the resurrection and I am the life” [11:25] I am the way, the truth and life.” [14:6]
What are you looking for? As Jesus invited the disciples, he invites us today, “Come and see” Jesus said I am the vine and you are the branches.” Like the birds of the air seeking rest from their journey, he tells us - come and find your home in me.” Amen.
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January 9, 2011 BAPTISM OF THE LORD SUNDAY Rev. Lori Eldredge
SCRIPTURE Acts 10:34-43 Matthew 3:13-17
SERMON “Wading in the Waters”
“Surely the Presence” #328
“Holiness” Insert
“Spirit Song” #347
“Wade In the Water” #2107
“God Claims You” #2249
“Sing of the Lord’s Goodness”
“Awesome God” #2010
“When Jesus Came to Jordan” #252
“She Comes Sailing on the Wind” #2122
One of the annual events I have yet to understand is the January First Polar Plunge. I can understand polar bears and penguins plunging into cold arctic waters, but I don’t understand human beings plunging into waters 44 degrees and with zero wind chill. Has anyone here ever participated in the event? People from Boston, Portland, Coney Island New York, Wisconsin, Iowa, people out in Provincetown on Cape Cod, people in North Kingstown participated in the polar plunge. Yes, there are persons who take the plunge in hopes of winning a substantial cash prize, and others in support of a mission or charity important to them…. but I’m not sure this is what motivates most people. What are people thinking that they go so willingly into the water?
So as we ponder this mystery, we might also ask the question why Jesus went so willingly to John at the Jordan to be baptized. What was Jesus thinking?
Jesus studied scripture, so perhaps he thought about the Biblical story, rich with water imagery. Was he thinking about creation and the waters that flowed over the earth, turning chaos into creation and the beautiful garden where all life began? Eden with the springs of water flowing upward out of the ground to nurture that life. And later when humanity had fallen into sin, there was the flood, sent to cleanse the world of all unrighteousness. We may not all agree on the reality of these stories but we do agree that they are part of the early mythology of the Hebrew people. Similar stories are found in other cultures, so mythology or reality, we look for a greater truth of humanities condition of sin in these times.
Later Biblical story tells us of the parting of the Red Sea, God delivering the Hebrews out of the hands of their oppressors and renewing God’s covenant with them. First given to Adam, then Abraham, it is now renewed with Noah. And then there is the story of God leading the people across the Jordan and landing them in Canaan. Deep water, shallow water, all waters of cleansing and renewal. Jesus don’t have to go into the water, but he did, and at his ascension he told his disciples to go and baptize and make disciples in all the nations.
What does it mean for us to come to the water? To be baptized? Looking at Biblical story and these water images, and looking further to the stories in Jesus ministry – the woman at the well to whom Jesus promises the living water, healing the crippled man by the waters of the Pool of Salome, water has a powerful healing agent in human story.
Jesus’ baptism may be symbolic of all the possibilities of healing and wholeness available to us when we are baptized. Yet, more than symbolic because ewe know that by baptism we are incorporated, adopted, into the family of God, and with God all things are possible…. Healing , wholeness……. And more, empowerment. When Jesus was baptized Holy Spirit descended and filled him, empowered him to go forth to endure the temptation in the desert, yes, but to empower him for ministry.
The Spirit comes to us, as God came to the ancient Hebrews and Jesus came to the Jordan…. To empower us for ministry to free those enslaved by sin, by fear, by oppression in whatever form we find it. Jesus’ baptism was a public event, where he went before the crowds that had gathered around John…. And while tempted as he was alone in the desert, his ministry was a public ministry. We are called to public ministry.
We are called to a ministry not only of ministering to individuals but also to change systems. We are called to be engaged in systemic change, to advocate for just causes, to liberate those ensnared by poverty and oppression. Sometimes our work is with individuals, however as Christians we are called to carry our Sunday faith over to Monday morning and through out the week.
What does it mean for us to do this? Where are we doing this? How are we actively engaging the “powers” that persons may be empowered to move toward healing and wholeness?
This is not a rhetorical question!
And if you are inspired to participate in the next year’s polar plunge know that Registration for the 2011 Polar Plunge® Winter Festival is OPEN! I’m not sure , but they say this will be the coolest thing you do all year!
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January 2, 2011 “The Richness of God’s Grace” Rev. Lori Eldredge
Matthew 2: 1-12 Ephesians 3: 1-12
I want to take a moment to wish everyone a Blessed Christmas Season and a Happy New Year. Today is the ninth day of Christmas and, for the church, it is Epiphany Sunday. It is the Sunday the church celebrates the appearance of God in human flesh, or God’s revelation of God’s self to the world. Most often it is associated with the arrival of the magi in Jerusalem and then at Bethlehem. It signifies the universality of God’s grace, with the magi representing, or symbolizing, the world that God has come to save.
The word ‘epiphany’ means to come to a new understanding, a sudden intuitive leap of understanding, especially through an ordinary but striking occurrence. [Encarta Dictionary] There was nothing ordinary about God’s revelation of God’s self, or of God’s appearance in human flesh, in the world.
Released in 2010 was a little book, Revelation of the Magi: The Lost Tale of the Wise Man’s Journey to Bethlehem. Written by Brent Landau it is a translation, with notes, of a manuscript from the 2nd or 3rd century, written - as many early Christian manuscripts and letters were - in pseudonymity, under the name of someone else. It was discovered in the eighth century in a [Zuqnin] monastery in southeastern Turkey, written in the Syriac language. From there it changed hands, was taken to a monastery in the Egyptian desert, and then rediscovered in the eighteenth century when it was collected and removed to the Vatican. Rumors of such a document have existed in Europe for years but the story of the magi has never been taken very seriously, if at all, by Western Christian scholars.
Why? Because there is so little information, and what information that exists in Matthew and Luke does not harmonize. Western scholars could not be bothered when there was so much more important insight and information to be gleaned from other texts. Discovered by Landau as he worked on his doctoral studies at Harvard, already studying Syriac, he raises some interesting questions about the magi and offers new insights into this much neglected text, whose characters escaped anonymity and have been popularized by secular culture: the three kings, magi, the three amigos.
The book is 32 chapters set up in typical biblical notation, with a clear change in form after the 29th chapter. According to the telling the celestial guide appears before the magi leave Shir, somewhere near the Garden of Eden in Iran. Probably near the ancient city of Ur. A word about the magi. Were they wise men? Were they kings? Both are highly questionable. What they weren’t were magicians. There was an ancient order of mystics - and the Revelation of the Magi says this order was comprised of individuals who were a people of silent prayer. These magi were said to be descended from Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, and considered to be a pious man. Seth left the Magi a prophecy that one day a star of indescribable brightness would appear , announcing the birth of God in human form. Every month for thousands of years Magi would ascend a holy mountain in expectation of the star’s arrival. Near the summit was a Cave of Treasures where the Magi prayed in silence. Whenever one of the mystic order died he was replaced by his son or a close relative, insuring the continuance of the order. It sounds a little like a Dan Brown novel, doesn’t it? As they were gathering to ascend the mountain, the Magi saw a great celestial light that descends and leads them to the cave, beckoning them to enter. The light gradually diminishes to reveal “a small , luminous human being.” [p.9] The star-child instructs the Magi to follow it to Jerusalem to witness and participate in the birth of the salvation of the world.
As the magi talk about what happened they discover that each of them saw the star-child in different forms, with each form representing a different time in the life of Christ. (I should mention here that never in the 29 chapters is the infant called Jesus Christ.) The great light then disappears. It is soon after this that the magi learn of the Jewish prophecy of the birth of a Savior at Bethlehem. The star then leads them to a cave in the village, where the revelation they had previously witnessed is fulfilled.
What do you make of the star-child? The luminous infant revealed previous to the journey of the Magi? Some reading the document might consider it is a story… but it was taken seriously enough by the early church that it was considered necessary by someone to redact or add a new ending. After the magi have returned and witnessed to the birth of this infant child, years pass and the Apostle Judas Thomas arrives in Shir and baptizes the magi, now in their old age. We know this is a redaction because of literary changes in form and a pronoun shift regarding the Holy Spirit. In the early centuries of the Christian church, the Holy Spirit was feminine, but by the fifth century, the feminine is erased giving way to masculine pronouns. The Holy Spirit is central to the The Revelation of the Magi and in the first 29 chapters Holy Spirit is in the feminine form. Beginning with Chapter 30 it is masculine. This is not uncommon with the early writings of the church.
But why tell this tale? It raises some key questions regarding our faith and the first is this: If Christ who existed from the beginning of the world, according to the Gospel of John, what would prevent him from appearing in any other manifestation to other peoples of the world? In other words, what can stop God from doing anything? NOTHING! The fundamental message of The Revelation according to Landau is “the revelation of Christ is actually the foundation of all humanity’s beliefs and practices.” [p.29] Since Christ existed at the beginning with God and revealed himself after his ascension, what would prevent Christ from appearing to anyone, in any time, in any place?
Might Christ appear to us in 2011? Are you expecting to see Christ in 2011? Openness to the unexpected is key to a vital spirituality. Are you open to the unexpected? We have been given a wonderful gift in Jesus Christ, and we have been given a wonderful gift in Holy Spirit. Let us be open to the depth of God’s salvation and the breadth of God’s unfailing grace.
Paul wrote that the mystery of God’s grace was made known to him through revelation. He said, too, that in former generations this mystery was not made know to human kind, qualifying it with “as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” Paul was of the same generation as these magi, and Paul recognized that Gentiles, the rest of the world would be grafted in and share the promise given in Jesus Christ. God’s saving grace, the riches of God’s grace have been given for all humankind and not humans alone, but for the saving of the world.
Are you open to the unexpected? Are you open to new revelation? May 2011 be such a year for us as we worship and serve Christ in this community together. Amen.
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