Choosing the Fruits of the Spirit.

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Our lessons are full of symbols (or signs) today – from the rainbow in our Old Testament lesson, to the dove in our gospel lesson.

They give us hope in a world that does not always appear very hopeful.  We often struggle in this world to make sense in the things that happen around us.  And we are not perfect - as much as we would like to be.  We often do not come up with the best solution to the problems that face us on a daily basis.  We often do not react in a Christ like manner when we are confronted by problems that remind us of the past.  More often than not, we react out of our brokenness – the history we try to leave behind, but can’t because our healing has not yet been perfected.

At one conference I went to, the question was asked, how many have gone through some life changing experience that had shaped us and formed our lives.  The reference was to an experience that moved us toward the understanding that ultimately we are not in control of our own destiny.  One man talked about his daughter’s attempted suicide, and how that event had changed him forever.  We have no idea of the things that people around us might be dealing with on a daily basis.  And we need to understand that we are not always in control.  

But going back to our symbol - here in the beginning of Mark’s gospel we see some of the glory and power of God – “the heavens torn apart” and the Spirit descends – but not like thunder or lightning.  The Spirit descends like a dove – a gentleness that is not normally acknowledged in association with God.

But remember Elijah, fearing for his life and hiding in a cave, he hears the voice of God – not in the earthquake, fire or wind, but in the stillness he experienced the gentleness of God.  Or look at Jonah sitting on the hillside overlooking Nineveh, mad at God for not destroying the city.  God takes pity on him and causes a bush to grow to shelter him from the heat of the sun.

And so with Jesus, this same Spirit that descended with the gentleness of a dove, also drives Jesus out into the wilderness – to be tempted and to face his worse fears and nightmares – . . .   And only now, after learning firsthand about the hardships of life and standing firm and trusting on the Lord, Jesus comes through the ordeal and the angels minister to him.  He is ready to partner with God – knowing that it is not his own power, but God’s grace that will carry him through to the end.

It is only after John’s arrest that Jesus comes proclaiming the good news – the message goes on, repent and believe and follow me.  God has drawn near – he has come down - to deal gently with broken and needful humankind – as Isaiah says, “to bind up the brokenhearted, to free the captives, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

This Lenten season let us enter into our own period of wilderness experience – inviting God in – to teach us something new – or just to remind us of what we already know – that God himself is with us and is willing to partner with us as we journey through this life.  

I was reminded the other day of Trish Schlegel, who, a number of years ago, said that she chose joy for her Lenten discipline.  Joy is one of the Fruits of the Spirit.  In Galatians 5:22-23 we read, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  What if each of us chose one of the fruits of the spirit as our Lenten discipline?  How could we, embodying that fruit, have a positive effect on the world around us?  

We (mostly) have no idea of the kind of pain, or anguish, the inner turmoil or hopelessness that any person we meet might be facing.  

It might be dealing with a child who is ill or unruly or failing in school.  It might be dealing with a parent or other loved one who is dying or suffering dementia.  It might be worry over how to provide food for their children that evening.  I can’t even imagine what kind of pain would cause someone to take their own life; or to go into a school or other venue and begin to shoot innocent people.  What if some small kindness could give them pause, to think maybe there is hope in this world; maybe someone does care!

I was surprised earlier this week to have a deputy sheriff pay for my meal at the McDonald’s drive-thru.  I decided to “pass it on” and paid for the person behind me.  The whole experience set the tone for the rest of my day.   An act of kindness does not go unrewarded, even if only in the feeling you get when you have done something to make someone else’s day just a little brighter.  You may never know the difference your kindness might make to another soul, especially when they are sad, or depressed, harried or stressed or just having a rough day.

God calls us to reach out to others in a positive way, to make a difference in the world around us.  Truth be told, if we look around us, to see how we can make someone else’s day a little better, it will often make our own day brighter and our problems seem much smaller.  With a smile or a kind word, some small gesture, the love of Jesus might spread further and wider than this year’s flu.  I invite you to allow God’s grace to flow through you and reach out to others through acts of love, or kindness, or generosity, or patience, or any of the Fruits of the Spirit.  We might not be able to change the world, but with such small measures, we can spread a little joy to the joyless corners of the world - or at least here in Alvin.  So I ask you - What Fruit of the Spirit could you take on as your discipline, and share to help make someone else’s life just a little better today?

Beyond the vision

The Last Sunday in Epiphany is always the story of the Transfiguration.  This year is Mark's version of the story.  They are all very similar differing only in minor details.  So I quite often like to go to the Old Testament lesson which is always different.  If you were here last year for the last Sunday in Epiphany, you heard me talk about a theophany, that is, a vision of God.  Years A and C both center around Moses up on the mountaintop.  Theophanies are not uncommon in the Old Testament.  You might remember things like Moses and the Burning Bush, Jacob's ladder to heaven, the Valley of the dry bones coming to life, the pillars of fire and smoke that led the Israelites out of Egypt.  The Old Testament is filled with these images of God.  This year we get Elijah being taken up in the "Chariot of Fire."  

There’s a story told by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Wells (a professor at Duke University) about a famous preacher who was a bit of a fraud, because the sermons were great but no one ever realized that in fact they’d all been written by the staff assistant. Finally the assistant’s patience ran out, and one day the preacher was speaking to thousands of expectant listeners and at the bottom of page two read the stirring words, "And this, my friends, takes us to the very heart of the book of Habakkuk, which is…" only to turn to page three and see nothing but the dreaded words, "You’re on your own now."

"You’re on your own now." Just what Elisha felt the day Elijah departed to heaven. Just what the disciples felt at Jesus’ ascension. "You’re on your own now." In England they say, "That makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable." In the US you are more likely to hear, "Yikes."  And our Old Testament lesson says that Elisha tore his garments.

Today's lesson shows Elijah and his disciple (apprentice) Elisha on a journey .  They travel from Gilgal, to Bethel, to Jericho and on to the Jordan.  And as they start out on each leg of the journey, and as a test, Elijah tells Elisha to stay there, but each time Elisha answers, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you."  They continue on until they reach the Jordan river.  To cross over, Elijah takes his mantle (like a coat or cape) folds it up and hits the water.  And lo and behold, the water parts and they walk across on dry land.  And what does that remind you of?  The Red Sea and the flight from Egypt.  The water parting is the sign of the presence of God.

Elisha asks for a favor - to receive double (twice) the spirit of Elijah.  He wants the elder son’s portion of the inheritance.  But there was a condition on his receiving his desire - he must see Elijah being taken up.  The answer is like saying, "Don't fall asleep, because if you miss it, you lose everything."  Now our lesson ends saying that Elisha tore his clothes.  In that time, tearing your clothes was a sign of great anguish.  But the story goes on... 

    13  Elisha picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14  He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.    15  When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

Elijah's mantle fell back to earth and Elisha picks it up.  He uses it to part the water of the Jordan to cross back over.  Again, this is a sign of the Lord's presence and that Elisha has indeed inherited Elijah's spirit.  This is a grand story about the transfer of power from one prophet to the next.  The fifty prophets who followed them to the Jordan can now attest that Elisha is now the prophet in Israel.

The New Testament doesn't have as many examples of a theophany.  But the gospels themselves present a kind of theophany.  If we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; that he is God incarnate, then the whole story about Jesus is an extended theophany.  We get this vision of who God is and what God is like.  We see his interactions with the people around him.  The things he says are often confusing, but the things we see him do are powerful, inspiring. 

So, here we are, 6 days after Peter blurts out that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah.  Gosh, I love Peter, because he’s usually sticking his foot in his mouth and saying something stupid.  I figure if he can get it wrong as many times as he does and still be accepted as the rock on which the kingdom is built, then surely my mistakes can be forgiven, also.  

They are up on the mountain, and when Peter sees this transfiguration, and Elijah and Moses with Jesus, he blurts out, "Let's stay here and build 3 dwellings."  It says that he didn't know what to say because he was scared.  How many times do we get scared and start babbling to cover up our fear, or our lack of understanding?  

A cloud overshadows them - I can remember being on top of a mountain in Switzerland and there was a cloud forming over Lake Lucerne down below us.  It began to rise up until it enveloped us, and it was very hard to see the person in front of you as we were traveling along a narrow path to the top of the mountain, and after a few minutes, it had risen above us.  That can definitely make you nervous.  And a voice came out of the cloud - "This is my son, my beloved.  Listen to him."  And then the cloud was gone and they were left standing alone with Jesus.

This was the second affirmation in Mark's gospel concerning Jesus' divinity.  The first time (at his baptism) - only Jesus heard the voice.  Now his disciples also hear the voice.  What we are to take away from this has to do with Jesus, his image and his divinity.  

Our lesson from 2nd Corinthians says that "Christ is the image of God."  I would take that a step further and say that Christ is the only perfect image of God.  We are also made in the image of God, but being human we are imperfect.  That is why Christ died on the cross for us - to complete us by making that sacrifice; to pay the price for our imperfection, for our sin, and only that makes us worthy to stand before God.  

So, what are we to do with this vision of Jesus?  The disciples didn’t really understand any of it.  Following this encounter, they returned to the valley and the city below.  They had this monumental experience and immediately they were met by a man who is looking for healing for his son who is possessed by an evil spirit.  It’s back to business as usual, nothing is changed in the world around them.  Only them.  This is just one of the many things that helps them put together the puzzle of the incredible life they are living as they follow Jesus.  After he is raised from the dead, they remember all these miraculous things they have seen and finally begin to understand their significance. 

God makes his light to shine on us and in us and through us so that all might see his glory and come to the shining of his light.  Therefore, it is up to us to carry that light out into the world, so that others, when they encounter us, will know there is a God alive and active in the world today.

Amen.

Looking for Jesus

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Today’s gospel picks up Jesus as he leaves the synagogue – if you were here last week, we read the story about Jesus driving the unclean spirit from a man at the synagogue.  Today we see Jesus leave – he doesn’t go very far – just down the street to Peter’s house.  This is a typical Sabbath – after church they go home for the noonday meal and then probably lay around or sit around, telling stories and laughing and generally enjoying the afternoon.  

Oh, yes, and the healing – Peter’s mother-in-law.  She had a fever and Jesus touched her, he took her hand and lifted her up.  She got up and the fever left and she served them.  It was as simple as that.  And now Jesus and his friends are enjoying an afternoon off.

But when evening comes, it’s a different matter.  The Sabbath is over – that means people come out.  When Sam and I were in Jerusalem, we went to Ben-Yehuda pedestrian street before dark on the Sabbath.  There were a few tourists wandering around, n//ot a single shop was open.  It was almost like a ghost town.  As the sun went down, the shop doors began to open and merchants placed their wares out on the sidewalk to attract customers.  Before long it was so packed with people that it was hard to move.  

At one end there was a large crowd gathered and we could hear music coming from the center.  They were watching a group of dancer to performing to typical Israeli music.  An old Rabbi frantically went from one side of the group to the other yelling “messianics” – warning people that these were believers in Jesus – beware of them…  This place had literally come alive from an hour before where all seemed to be deserted.  

So I can see this group gathering around Peter’s house just after dark – shoving and pushing and trying to see who was there and what was going on -- hoping that this miracle worker might do some more --magic.  Bringing friends and relatives who had not been at the synagogue that morning to see this miracle worker.  If Jesus wanted proof of the efficacy – the effectiveness -- of his ministry here, this was it.  This was the proof that what he was doing was good and vital and much to be desired by the people.

Finally, after a very long day, late at night, the last of the visitors leaves and this motley crew, Jesus and his four followers, finally fall fast asleep.  Morning comes, birds singing, sounds of people beginning to stir in the distance – the guys wake up and realize that Jesus is not there.  They look around some and can’t find him.  Neighbors start showing up at the door wanting to see Jesus – but he’s nowhere to be found.

So Peter and Andrew, and James and John spread out a little further looking for Jesus. And eventually they find him up on a hillside overlooking Capernaum.  He’s sitting under a tree – he’s been there since about 4 in the morning.  The NRSV calls it a “deserted” place – but the word heramos really means more than that.  This is a place where one might go when crucial decisions need to be made.  It is a place where you are not only alone, but also quiet enough to hear the voice of God.

We might be tempted to say, crucial decisions?  What decisions?  He’s a hit, a success; people want him to stay – what’s to decide?  Go back down and be their pastor.  But the problem is, success has a tendency to turn one’s head – we get puffed up.  More often than not, when things are going well, we just sort of keep up the momentum – keep moving, why stop when we’re on a roll…   When we do that, we are often operating out of our own power – rather than relying on God’s power.  Too many people don’t think about calling on God until they’ve gotten things into such a mess that the only way they can get out is with God’s help.

But Jesus, at the beginning of his success in Capernaum, goes out to a lonely hill, to talk to God, to pray, to revitalize, to listen to God’s voice telling him where to go – what to do – next.  Jesus doesn’t let success put him over the edge.  He remains focused and he tells the disciples – “We move on.  Others need to hear the message.”

How often do we stop in the middle of our busy-ness and talk to God about what is going on in our lives?  I know for me it’s not really often enough – quite often just enough to get me through whatever it is that is foremost at hand. 

Jesus’ decision here was not between the good and bad.  Our choices seldom are that simple – black or white.  I know that regardless of where I am, God can and will use me to his purpose.  If I were still a school teacher, God would still use me to touch the people where I was.  But I also know that since he called me out of that place in my life, I have touched even more lives in different ways.

Our effectiveness as Christians in this world is directly affected by our continued communication with God.  I remember one course in seminary, it was a one hour ‘lab’ attached to our Old Testament class. The text book was called “The Word is very Near You” and the idea is that a small group got together once a week to practice being in the heramos – listening to God’s voice through scripture and spending that time in silent prayer.

One of the young men in our group was a Lutheran and he was impatient and rebelled at everything the senior leader tried to do.  His comment was, “I don’t have to pray.  My whole life is a prayer.”  Here a number of years later, I remember that remark and think, if anyone at all had a right to say that, it was Jesus – yet, here he is, out in the heramos, talking to his Father, recharging his batteries, deciding where to go and what to do next.

We are encouraged to find some time to spend with God each day.  Out of the three examples we have of Jesus praying in Mark’s gospel, one is in the morning and two are in the evening.  The second time Jesus prays was after feeding 5000 people – he went up on a mountain to pray – following another success – and he walks on water after he finishes praying.  The third time is in the garden of Gethsemane – another decision point – a time of great need – a need for strength to go through his passion.

One of the things that I find, a value or benefit, from morning time with God is that I don’t know what is going to face me on any given day.  People expect certain things out of me – a beneficial word, a comforting word, direction, understanding, whatever.  It just really helps me, to have started my day in prayer, to be able to respond to each person in the way they need.  When I’ve done even the minimum prayer time early, I find that I don’t panic when faced with a situation, I don’t jump to conclusions, I don’t run off in my own direction.  I am able to focus on what God has placed before me and tie into the gifts and knowledge he has given me.

The other thing about today’s gospel that really strikes me – the disciples tell Jesus, “Every one is searching for you.”  This is almost an admonishment – why aren’t you where people can find you?  My co-author wrote a book called “Looking for Jesus” – she said it really surprised her that people were looking for Jesus, because growing up, she thought Jesus lived in their house. 

I think there is a very important point in this idea of looking for Jesus.  We are all looking for something in this life; maybe to help us hold it together, to get past the stumbling blocks of our life, to get ahead, to try to figure what to do, where to go next.  There are many people who are searching for meaning, for love, for significance, for acceptance, for assurance that their life has purpose.  Some people look for it in drugs, sex, alcohol.  Some people are so desperate for attention that they will settle for a poor or abusive relationship or act out because negative attention is better than no attention.

The people from Capernaum saw in Jesus someone who could help them ‘solve their problems’ – but what they may have overlooked was that Jesus was someone who could help them “past their troubles.”  He was someone who could help them move on from the place where they were.

This reminds me of a song that I’ve never actually sung by itself, but it totally expresses what I have grown to know is true; it goes something like this:

Jesus is the answer, for the world today.

Above him there’s no other, Jesus is the way.

Jesus is the answer, for the world today.

Above him there’s no other, Jesus is the way.

If you have some questions

In the corners of your mind,

And traces of discouragement

And peace you can not find.

Reflections of the old past

They seem to face you every day,

There's one thing I know for sure

That Jesus is the way.

The people of Capernaum came` looking for Jesus in the same place where they last saw him – but he’s moved on from there – he knows there are more places to go, more people to help, more demons to overcome.  Jesus doesn’t stay in the last place we saw him – he’s always ready to lead us down new paths – the question is, are we ready and are we willing to follow him.  

Are we like Andrew and Peter and James and John – have we gone out to meet Jesus and to follow him into the world and new adventures?  Or are we still back in Capernaum looking for Jesus in the same old places?

Amen.