Where am I going?

For whatever reason, Sam has been singing the opening lines from Paint Your Wagon a lot lately, and it’s gotten stuck in my head. “Where am I going, I don’t know.  When will I get there, I ain’t certain, all I know is I am on my way.”  Do you ever feel like that?  Not sure where you are going or how you are going to get there?  Or even what to do once you do get there?

Sam and I had the pleasure of spending the past week down in Galveston with 20 other retired clergy couples.  There were also 7 members of the Church Pension Fund who led us through a series of talks, exercises and discussions designed to help us look at our life and our goals for living out our retirement and Christian vocation as couples.  The Credo conference that I attended in September did very similar things, but was focused only on clergy.  But this conference acknowledged that spouses are an important part of our life, planning and future.  

So in essence, this conference helped us address that burning question in Sam’s mind, “Where are we going...”. I think the disciples, after the death of Jesus had some of these same burning questions.  Where am I going?  What do I do next?  How do I get to my next assignment?  If you remember last week, after baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch, Philip was whisked away by the Holy Spirit and set down in Azotus.  But mostly the apostles had to walk where ever they went.  

In today’s lesson from the Acts of the Apostles, our focus is on Peter who is preaching to the household and friends of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion.  Peter is breaking a lot of rules just being in Cornelius’ home and preaching to these Gentiles.  Because the leaders considered this new sect to still be a part of the Jewish religion, they insisted that only Jews were acceptable in their movement.  They wanted to limit who could be included in God’s salvation.  But God had other ideas and He was beginning to spread his net over all people, not just Jews.  

So even though these are not circumcised believers, as Peter preached, the Holy Spirit fell on them all and they began to speak in tongues and extol God.  This is one of those examples where the disciples/apostles had to make an about-face and hurry to catch up with what God was doing in this place.  They not only had to accept the gentiles, but they realized that they also had to baptize them. 

When Peter got back to Jerusalem, he had to defend his decision before the counsel.  He had done at least four things that were wrong.  He stayed with Gentiles in their house.  He ate their food.  He preached to them.  And He had them baptized.  The church was not happy with Peter.

But Peter, even though he had broken the rules, knew that he had done what God wanted him to do.  And that was more important that any rule that had been imposed.  God’s will, not mine, be done.  So, what does that mean for us today?  It means when God leads the way into something new, whether we like it or not, whether we agree or not, we at least need to pay attention.  

The Gospel lesson tells us that we are to abide in God’s love – to obey the commandment is to love one another as God has loved us.  It also tells us that we are no longer servants, but friends.  That means something special - it has deepened the relationship between us and God – we are no longer slaves, but now are friends because the master has made known to us what he is doing in the world.  God is always navigating new pathways into our broken and torn world, and we sometimes have to run to keep up with what he is doing and the way he is reaching out to all people.  

His desire is that all should be saved.  In Chapter 2 of Acts, Peter preaches his first sermon and says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Not if they are good enough.  ..  Not if they believe exactly like us...  Not if they are without sin...  But if they call on the name of Jesus, then they shall be saved.  

Our two lessons from John both speak of love and abiding in the grace of the Lord. Jesus also says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”  To many of us, in our humanity, question whether we are good enough to be chosen, but the truth is that we are all created in the image of God and he has chosen every single one of us.  All we have to do is answer his call to love, both God and one another.

And if we love him and choose to follow him, then we need to be prepared to go to uncomfortable places and live into the kind of love that he has for all creation.  When I started the journey with God, I told him, “If you open the door, I will step through it.”  That’s the way I’ve lived for the past 18 years.  Walking through open doors and trying not to look back when a door closes.  Following where God leads and very grateful that this last door he opened was right here at my home.

I’m not sure where I will go from here.  I have several short term plans for next month and Sam and I want to do some traveling.   Our collect says, “You have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding...”  We plan to continuing to follow the Lord, because he has already led us into more wonderful places and relationships than we could have imagined.  I plan to continue preaching the love of God to those who will listen and to seek his will for our lives.  I also plan to continue singing a new song to the Lord whenever and wherever I can. I know that God is going to be here with you after we leave and that he will make a way for us to return someday.  

I believe that God has great plans for Grace Church, but you need to be willing to step into whatever role God has for you in follow him.  What is your plan for following the Lord?  What doors are you willing to step through for the Lord?

Love abides and grows

Today I want to focus on the second lesson - the letter from John.  This weekend feels to me like love is in the air.  Sam and I just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and I talked briefly about love yesterday at the party.  It seems so appropriate this morning to talk about love because some form of that word appears 27 times in our second lesson this morning.  Twenty-seven times, I think maybe John is trying to tell us that love is important. 

There is a story told about John who spent most of his later life as an exile on Patmos Island.  It is said that John would be brought out to preach to the people and he would say, “God is love.”  Each time he said the same thing.  Someone asked when he was going to say something else, and he replied, “God is love.  When you learn this, then I will teach you something else.”  

In our second lesson, John begins, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God.”  We often think of love as being a warm fuzzy kind of feeling toward other people, or an attraction to someone or something.  When Sam and I went to marriage encounter, we were taught that “love is a decision.”  It is a decision that needs to be made on a daily basis.  That funny little feeling that couples get that leads them toward marriage will not last a lifetime in the same way.  It is an attraction that can lead them toward love, but that love must mature and grow if it is to last a lifetime.   But in its early form, it is not the kind of love John is talking about here.  John uses the word, Agape, in both its verb and noun forms, throughout this reading.  

The Greeks have actually 6 words for love.  I’m only going to name 4.  There is Eros - the kind of love that is primarily sexual in nature.  It is the kind of love that keeps the species alive and can be the foundation for the bond of marriage. There is Phileo - a brotherly love or warm tender affection between people that draws them to be friends.  There is storge - the kind of love parents have for their children, it is the bond between family members.  

Then there is Agape -  Agape is defined as:   The unconditional love that sees beyond the outer surface and accepts the recipient for whom he/she is, regardless of their flaws, shortcomings or faults. It’s the type of love that everyone (should) strive to have for their fellow human beings. Although you may not like someone, you decide to love them just as a human being. This kind of love is all about sacrifice as well as giving and expecting nothing in return. The translation of the word agape is love in the verb – form: it is the love demonstrated by your behavior towards another person. It is a committed and chosen love.

Agape is the kind of love God has for us.  It is intentional.  It is God’s intention to treat us with love, even when we are not very lovable.  It is the glue that can hold a marriage together through rocky times.  It is the bond that can hold a family together when things go wrong. And it is the one thing that can hold a church together when people’s personalities rub each other the wrong way causing conflict.  Agape love is what we should be striving for as a congregation, because it is only through agape love that we will survive and grow strong.

Sam and I will be gone during this next week.  We are going on a “retreat” designed for retired clergy couples - yes, I know that I don’t always act retired.  We have been required to read a little book called “Strength for the Journey” in preparation for this retreat.  It is a little book that is designed to help us integrate all areas of life into a well-rounded balanced life.  It includes using prayer, ministry, study, movement and uses of technology and the arts to keep us centered in Christ.  Sometimes we think that going to church several times a month, and saying grace at the table before we eat and maybe a bedtime prayer is enough.  But God really wants more from us.  In our gospel lesson for today, Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.  Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.”  

I think one of the most important things is being able to hear God when he speaks to us.  It takes practice and awareness to hear God.  God will lead us, guide us, direct us, nudge us for all kinds of reasons; sometimes to help us and sometimes so that we might help others.  But we have to know what his voice in our life sounds like.  

Most of you have heard by now that I have been declared ‘cancer free’.  It was the quickest journey down cancer road that I can imagine. Two months, that’s all it was.  Now I have a medication that I am being required to take for 5 years - one pill a day.  Well, I’m going to credit God with the miracle.  The miracle is not that He took away the cancer.  He didn’t.  The miracle was in the timing.  My doctor told me he wanted me to get a mammogram.  I ignored him.  The Clear Lake Breast Center called to set up an appointment time and I said no because I just didn’t want to go through that.  About a month later they called again - and this time I said yes.  I’m sure I was nudged by the Holy Spirit.  To catch this thing at stage zero was the miracle.  The actual malignant portion was 4 mm at it’s greatest dimension. 

The surgeon and his team used their God-given talent to remove the cancer and start me on the journey to healing.  I believe that God has a purpose for each of us and he gives us our talent and our love to further his purpose on earth, whether it’s healing, or encouraging, or feeding or comforting, or teaching.  And I believe that each of us is called to grow in love, and the way we do that is by being in community.  I believe that we are called to minister to all people we meet in some way and it’s so much easier to do that when we work together.  

We only have a month left together, but God has something wonderful in the works for Grace church.  I know that you are going to be blessed by God’s plan for Grace.  You’ve hear a couple of times now about the ‘Blessing Box’ that has been proposed for Grace.  I hope that the vestry will follow through with this idea and you will all embrace the concept to make it a reality to help fight hunger in Alvin and especially in our neighborhood.  I didn’t realize until recently how large our low income community was.  The Blessing Box, especially on weekends and during the summer, may be the only source of food some children will have.  We initially stock the box and the idea is, take what you need and give what you can.  Working and praying together, Grace Church can become a beacon of hope here in Alvin.  

May God bless you and keep you, feed you and encourage you, and grow you into the church that He wants you to be.   Amen.

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.

Follow that star.

Today we celebrate the Epiphany.  Twelve days after the birth of Jesus.  This is the third week that we have surrounded ourselves with narratives concerning the first month of Jesus’ life.  Today’s story concerns the coming of the Magi, the ‘Wise men’ or Sages who saw a star and left home and hearth to follow a dream.  We’ve been told all our lives that these were Gentile astrologers, and I’ve preached that in the past, but that is not the understanding given in my new study Bible.

It is the Jewish Study Bible, a Bible written by Jews for Jews, Messianic Jews - those who believe in and follow Yeshua Messiah, Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior.  Many of the leaders of the Jewish leaders had been carried off to exile in Babylon around 600 BCE when Judah and the first temple fell to Nebuchadnezzar.  

Many years later (60-80), after the Persians had conquered the Babylonians, King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return home, but not all of them did.  Probably close to half remained in Babylon where they had become established with homes and jobs and families.  They were still Jews and they studied the Torah and worshiped Yahwah, the God of the Jews.  So according to my new Bible, these sages were members of the Jewish community established and led originally by Daniel in Babylon.

We celebrate the coming of these sages or Magi 12 days after the birth of Jesus.  We don’t know exactly when they came, but our scripture today says, “after Jesus was born...”  After, not when.  Tradition says it was 12 days later, but from scripture we know that it might have been as much as 2 years after his birth.  After all, it takes time to see the star, search and interpret scripture, prepare for a journey and then travel.

Many of you will remember that on Christmas Eve, I talked about the Son of God lying in a manger and those who heard and who cared enough to go out of their way to see this child.   These Magi saw the star and went out of their way to see this thing that the Lord had prepared.  500 miles out of their way - by donkey, or horse back, or camel, it doesn’t say.  It is estimated that it would have taken them any where from 25 to 50 days to travel one way.  They had to prepare and take their own supplies, there were very few inns or restaurants on this trip.  This was not a small undertaking.  

The important thing is that they saw this star and said “yes” to this journey.  Too many of us might consider this to be a fool’s journey.  Well, today’s gospel lesson is a prime example. Here we have a number of people – the gospel doesn’t tell us how many – tradition says 3, because there were three gifts. Anyway, the Magi are people maybe Jewish, maybe not, who have seen a sign in the sky, who go out of their way to discover what that means.  

But these wise men, sort of like university professors of today – single focused – continued on their journey until they came to the Christ child in a house (not a manger) and knelt down before him. They also brought him gifts – gold and frankincense and myrrh – gifts for a king. According to tradition the gifts had special significance – gold represented his deity and purity; frankincense represented the fragrance of his life, and myrrh represented his sacrifice and death. 

But the most important part of today’s lesson is the light – the Magi followed the light and we live in that light.  St. John tells us, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” The Magi followed that light and Herod tried to snuff it out, but it wouldn’t snuff. 

Our first lesson today says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” Jesus had come into the world.  And Jesus has come into our world, too. And the question is, what are we going to do about it?  These Magi said ‘yes’ to God, to following the star.  How can we as individual, and as a church, say ‘yes’ to God?

There is a study in improv where one person throws out an idea.  The next person must say, “yes” and add to that idea.  And this continues around the room with each person saying ‘yes, and...’  We can do that same thing here in church.  When someone comes up with a new idea, instead of shooting it down or listing reasons why not, say, ‘yes’ and think of ways you can help or expand on the idea.  One woman said when her church decided to have a health fair, she immediately thought, I’m not a doctor or nurse, how can I possibly help?  Then she remembered to say, “yes, and...” and she found ways she could be involved and help to make it a success.

Grace needs new ideas on how to expand our fellowship with one another to help us become a solid community in Christ. and to work together to reach out to others.  Several new ideas have been put forth that I believe are worth pursuing.  I would like to see Grace church begin to develop a closer community life through fellowship and working together on projects beyond the Fish Fry and the Pumpkin Patch.  What can each of us do to further a closer bond that brings people in and furthers the life of the parish?  As ideas are put forth, follow the example of the Magi by saying, “Yes, and ...” And find ways to help, expand or promote to begin to make Grace Church a thriving community of Christ’s love once again.  In 2018, as we call a new rector, prepare a place that is welcoming and alive.    

Amen

My Lord and My God

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May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer.  Amen.

Our gospel lesson today picks up where last week’s gospel left off.  It is the day of Jesus’ resurrection.  And according to John, the disciples were locked away in the house for fear of the Jews.  For John it's very important that the doors be locked - it makes a statement - not even locked doors can keep Jesus out.  Jesus comes and stands among them.  He speaks to them - "Peace be with you." And he shows them his hands.  And they believe.                      

Except for Thomas - where was Thomas that evening?  We don’t have a clue where he was, but this meant that Thomas had to hear about this second hand.  Rumors…   Gossip…   Idle chatter…   Pipe dreams…   Speculation…  who could believe such a thing?

I worked with Father Jim Morgan in Huntsville for 6 years and he was always repeating something that someone had told him. One day something he said struck me as somewhat outlandish - and I turned to him and asked…"Do you believe everything you hear?"  He stopped and pulled back and looked at me.  Then he said, "I guess I do."  A regular "mister gullible" there…  And on the other extreme is my husband, Sam - "mister skepticism himself!"  Questions everything you tell him.  He and Thomas are like two peas in a pod.  

The word "faith" is not used in this passage - but it certainly is implied.  Faith is defined as a firm belief in something for which there is no proof.  And I guess it depends on what you call proof when it comes to believing in God and in Jesus.  Thomas wanted proof - the same kind of assurance that the other disciples had already received.  He’s not asking for anything different.

By not being there that first night, Thomas missed out on so much - .  He missed out on affirmation - seeing Jesus – now that’s not like missing out on seeing friend Joe when he stops by the office…  “Oh yeah, you just missed Joe…,”  “Oh that’s alright – I’ll see him tomorrow.”  No, Jesus had died, his stopping by the office was a big deal – he wasn’t supposed to even be alive!  And at that point, no one knew if he would ever show up again.  

The second thing Thomas missed was peace, Jesus offered the disciples peace – peace of mind, peace in their heart, peace in their very soul.   Peace may very well be the first ingredient in experiencing God.  When you are anxious or afraid, or active, you are not in a receptive frame of mind.  Jesus can be standing right there beside you and you might never know it.  When that peace comes over you, you know that Jesus is near!

The third thing Thomas missed was the sending out – the authority to go out in the name of Jesus and to tell the world the story of Jesus.  How he came and lived among the people – how he walked the dusty roads – how he touched the people to heal them and to drive out demons – how he died, and how he rose again.  But Thomas missed it – how could he tell the story of resurrection when he had not witnessed it?  Where was his authority?

And the fourth thing, Thomas missed out on the receiving of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, receive the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus in our day to day lives.  The Holy Spirit is that voice that might tell us, where to go… what to do…  and it provides those moments of inspiration, of insight – those times when you hear something come out of your mouth and you know its true (or at least feel sure it’s true) and you don’t have a clue where it came from, because it had never been a conscious thought in your mind.

People have a tendency to berate Thomas for his questioning - his doubts.  But there are valid reasons for examining our faith.    Tell me, what kind of a faith do we have if we simply believe everything we are told?  I fear that is when we end up with tragedies like the 1978 Jonestown mass suicide when more than 900 members of the People's Temple drank poison because their leader The Rev. Jim Jones told them to do so.  

Or closer to home is the Waco standoff between the Branch Davidians and the FBI where David Koresh and 74 of his followers were engulfed in flames.  Koresh apparently believed that he was the returning Jesus - the Second Coming.  Reading our lesson from Revelation reminds me of my friend Leah's commenting, "My Jesus will return in a cloud of glory, not a blaze of gunfire."  I think that Jim Jones and David Koresh's followers were examples of what happens to people who go on blind faith - who don't wrestle with what they believe.

Faith that has wrestled with the harder questions has a much better chance of standing the test of time and assaults.  I really like Robin Williams "Top Ten reasons for being an Episcopalian," especially the one that says, "You don't have to check your mind at the door."  We invite discussion, we invite questions, we even invite differences.

God knows it's hard to come to faith - remember the man that came to Jesus and exclaimed, "Lord, I do believe - help my unbelief."   I invite you to grapple with your faith - to come to a firmer understanding of what it means to be a Christian.  I invite you to examine your faith.  Paul tells us in Philippians to "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling."  And he continues with, "For it is God who works in you, to will and to act according to his purposes."  

It's okay to ask for proof - just as Thomas did.  But when you receive that proof - just as Thomas did - then accept it and embrace it with everything you have - just as Thomas did.  "My Lord and my God."  It is God's faithfulness to give us what we need - for us to come to faith in him.  Faith itself is a free gift from God.  

Jesus will always meet us where we are, and he invites us to live into what we do believe, and when we are ready, He will come and expand our experience of him and he will make himself known in our life, in our church and in the world around us.

Restoring sight to the blind

Listen to the sermon.   

As Jesus and his disciples were walking through the temple area, they saw a man who had been blind since birth.  Their question to Jesus was, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?  Whose fault is it that he is blind?”  

Look around you in this world today.  Maybe it’s human instinct to find fault.  Maybe it’s a coping mechanism to keep the unknown at arms length.  Whenever anything goes wrong, people start looking for someone to blame.  They want to fix the fault with something or someone tangible – accessible to them.  Not God – that’s too esoteric – maybe not satisfying because you can’t take God to court.  But more than that, if it is God’s doing, then we have no control and most people don’t like feeling helpless.  

As my field work for seminary, Bishop Payne sent me to Rockdale, Texas as the lay vicar of a little mission church with about 30 members.  Some of these parishioners had some very interesting and varied ideas about theology – that is, about God and those things dealing with God.  This Gospel lesson came up in one of our discussions and Meg took exception to this lesson.  She was very incensed that God would cause someone to be born blind just so that God himself could be glorified.  

February 11th is the day set aside by Holy Women, Holy Men to remember Fannie Crosby.  Fannie is remembered as a prolific songwriter, who from about 1860 to 1910 wrote the words to over 8000 hymns.  The most famous one is: 

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine,

oh what a fore taste of glory divine.  

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,  

Born of his spirit, washed in his blood.   

This is my story, this is my song.

Praising my savior all the day long.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my savior all the day long.

The thing about Fannie, is that she was blind; not from birth, but from the incompetence of an ‘unschooled doctor’ who treated her for an infection when she was about 6 weeks old.  If anyone had a right to be angry over their condition, she did.  But she was not angry and she didn’t complain.  Besides writing hymns, Fannie was also a teacher and lecturer who traveled around the country.  When asked if she would like to have her sight, she replied “no.”  She was afraid that the beauty of the world would distract her from praising God for all he had done for her.

So back to our lesson:  Here we are with a man who has been blind from birth.  In the age and culture that Jesus lived, blindness and other maladies were considered to be judgments from God – the result of sin.  

Since that time, I’ve given a lot of thought to Meg’s complaint.  What I understand is that we are all born, in whatever state we are born in, so that the glory of God can be shown forth in us.  As human beings, we are born in the image of God, and in that image, we show forth the glory of God, if we allow him to work in us and through us.  Fannie allowed God to work in her, and his glory was shown forth in marvelous ways.

 As with so many stories in John’s gospel, there are two dimensions to this story.  The physical blindness is a symbol of the spiritual blindness that many people experience.  The man is blind, both physically and spiritually.  When he receives his sight, he tells everyone that Jesus opened his eyes.  

The Pharisees, although they can see, refuse to acknowledge that God is working through Jesus or through the man who was blind.  They remain spiritually blind.  This upsets their world for a person who was born blind (that is in a state of sin), to receive their sight.  You can read that as being cleansed from their sin. This is really outside their experience so the Pharisees say that Jesus is a sinner.  The man answers, “I don’t know if he’s a sinner.  One thing I do know, I was blind, now I see.”  I can almost hear the sarcasm when he says, “You don’t know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes?”       

We cannot always control what happens to us – and we can’t always find someone to blame.  There is an email that has gone around periodically – it speaks to our lesson today.

  

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. 

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. 

A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" 



The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.  I wrote: 'Today is a beautiful day; but I cannot see it.'  Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply stated the fact.  The second sign reminded people how fortunate they were to have their sight. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? 

 Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.



It ended with this statement, “Faith is not about everything turning out OK; Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out.”  Fannie Crosby was OK with her condition.  She made the most of her life regardless of her physical blindness because she had spiritual sight.  There is something healing about being content with those things in our life that we cannot change.  

The man in our Gospel did not ask to be healed – he did not demonstrate great faith to effect his healing.  He accepted his life as it was, and God blessed him so that he could learn faith through what he experienced.  I ask you to consider where God has touched you, so that your faith might be increased, and God’s glory seen in your life? 

Encounter with a stranger.

Listen to the sermon.

Jesus is traveling – remember last week he met with Nicodemus in Jerusalem.  Now he’s headed back home to the Galilee area.  We see in the midst of this journey, a chance encounter.  Most Jews would travel the Jordan River Valley so that they could stay out of Samaria.  But that's the hot route and the longer route.   Jesus chooses to go through the hill country of Samaria - more direct and much cooler in the warm Judean climate.  There he comes across the city of Sychar near where Jacob’s well was located.  That's the first thing we notice. 

The second thing that we note about this scene is the time: noon.  The sun would have been bearing down and very warm.  When we were in Jericho in May, it was 115 degrees in the shade, so although this would have been a cooler location, it would have still been very warm.  This was when most people stayed home out of the sun.  That’s why there was no one else at the well.  The disciples had gone into town to buy food leaving Jesus alone.  

Women who draw water do so in the early morning hours so that they will have fresh water all day long.  They would usually meet in the morning to visit and gossip while they filled their water jars.  This was as much a social gathering as it was a functional activity.  But this woman has come at noon – deliberately avoiding the other women.

When Jesus speaks to the woman, he is breaking two taboos.  He is speaking to a Samaritan – This woman is "the other" - an outcast both as a Samaritan and as a woman who's lifestyle was not approved by those around her.  No self respecting Jewish man would speak to a woman in public that he was not related to - but Jesus does. 

Jesus speaks to the woman – maybe from the shade of a tree – if there is a well, there would have been trees in the area.  He asks for a drink of water.  Innocent enough, a traveler would be wanting water and he obviously doesn’t have any way to draw water himself.  She is aware that he is breaking a taboo and challenges him on it – “How can you, a Jew, talk to me -  a woman, a Samaritan?”  

An interesting conversation ensues.  If you have been reading from the book, Living Well through Lent, it focuses on listening and on honing our listening skills as we talk to others, to truly hear what they have to say.  This is a really good example of listening - there is true communication, a give and take, listening and responding.  There are a lot a people out there in the world who just want someone to listen to them, to hear what they are actually trying to say.

As this conversation unfolds we find that this woman has some pride in where she lives.  This is Jacob's well and through it God has provided for the people of the town.  But we also find that she is ashamed, and embarrassed, to be seen by the other women in public.  She wants that living water so that she no longer has to come to the well.  Sometimes you really have to pay attention to these chance encounters – Christ encounters - those times when it seems more than a coincidence.  When we listen to the words being said, and we find God purpose behind them. 

Years ago, I had just come off a Cursillo weekend, so I was pretty in tune with the Spirit.  I took my car in to be serviced and went across the street to the pharmacy get some breakfast.  As I sat in the booth by myself, reading, a woman came up and asked if she could sit with me.  I was somewhat surprised – I didn’t know her – and there were only 2 other people in the place leaving plenty of free tables and booths.  I graciously said yes and she slid in an introduced herself.  I told her my name and she said, “Oh, I went to school with a Danny Doerr.”  I said that was my husband’s brother – and then things got a little weird.

She said, “He had an uncle, Sammy, about his age that died while we were in school.”  Now that’s the last thing I would have expected.  It was true, Sam is named for his uncle Sammy who dies before he was born.  All this had happened 40 years before – and I found it odd that of all the people who would have sat down with me that morning, this woman would know and remember all this.  

As our conversation unfolded, it became obvious that she was deeply disturbed by a family situation.  Without going into detail, it was something that I could relate to and speak confidently about.  I felt like I was able to instill hope into her situation.  I came away feeling that God had used me that morning, and that I had encountered Christ in a very real way.  

I'll be the first to admit that I'm human and I don't always listen as closely as I should and that's another reason this story speaks to me.  This morning, my reading from Jesus Always spoke to those times we fail to act or respond as Jesus would.  It said, "It's tempting to gloss over what you have done or failed to do.  You may not be overwhelmed by feelings of shame, but you feel restless and unsettled - mildly guilty.  Even at times like this, I continue to love you perfectly.  .  .  Remember I can make all things, including your failures, work together for good because you .  . are called according to my purpose.  .  .  Realizing how much I cherish you even when you're not living well deepens your relationship with me."  That is not unlike our story  and it describes this woman very well, and Jesus comes to her just as he comes to each of us.

Even though the woman has not responded kindly to his request for a drink, Jesus has offered her living water, which she more or less sneers at.  But he doesn’t turn away.  He knows the kind of life she had lived and is currently living.  He knows the pain and anguish she suffers from and so he says the words that will catch her attention.  "When you drink this water, you will never thirst again."  He wants to help her to overcome the things that restrict her - that hold her down.  

She latches on to this – she comes at noon to draw water, because she wants to avoid the other women, those who sneer at her, and whisper about her behind upraised hands.  They don’t approve of her lifestyle and if they speak at all, they make snide comments to her.  She would rather not have to come to the well at all.  Her response is, “Sir, where can I get this water so I don’t have to keep coming to this well?”

Her physical thirst is a symbol of the spiritual thirst.  So now he takes the conversation to a new level, “Go call your husband."  And she replies, “I have no husband.”  She tells the truth about her marital status – not about her living conditions.  But Jesus sees right through it.  God knows the truth about us, we might as will admit those things that we do wrong.  It doesn't do any good to try to hide or cover up those mistakes, errors, or sins in our life.  They cannot be hidden from God.  Now that she is being honest, they can get somewhere in this newly born relationship.  

Notice that Jesus does not treat her as if he consider himself above her in any way - he actually treats her as an equal.  He never condemns her - he simply states the facts of her life.  He meets her where she is in life.  He doesn't tell her that she is going to hell, or that she has to change.  He simply listens as she complains about being forced to come for water in the middle of the day and He listens as she talks about not having a conventional marital relationship.

She begins to see that this man is truly different - he makes her feel different.  He makes her feel better than she has felt for a very long time.  By his very presence and conversation, she begins to see that her life is worth living and she, as a person, does have value.  She asks him if he is the Messiah and he reveals himself to her.  "I am the Messiah.  I am the one who saves."

Jesus meets us where we are - anywhere we are - in any state of sin - or any state of grace.  Jesus comes to us and offers to make our life better.  We don't have to go searching for him - he's right here with us.  When we meet Jesus - he always takes what he finds in our life and he elevates it - to become all that it can be - so that we can become all that we can be. He gives us new life and new reasons for living.

Our view of Jesus here is a living witness to the way we are being asked to treat people we meet who are different from us - not as beneath us, or unworthy, nor as sub-human, but as equals.

This woman responds to grace by going into the town (the same town that has rejected and ostracized her) and she brings the people back - to meet Jesus themselves - to see and understand for themselves - just how gracious God is.  The story ends with - " Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony...  "he stayed two days.  And because of his words many more became believers. "  

In our lesson from Romans, Paul tells us, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  He didn’t wait for us to repent and be forgiven.  He didn’t wait until we changed our ways or were good enough, or without sin.  He did it, knowing that his love and action on our behalf would be a beacon to gather us into his fold to redeem us.

Let us pray:  O precious Jesus, open our ears to hear the cry of those who are hurting, and help us to graciously invite them into the fold by being a living witness to your caring mercy.  Amen.

Little Man, Generous Heart

Listen to the sermon.

In today's lesson Jesus is traveling.  He is making a purposeful move from the area of Galilee to Jerusalem.  He has a date with destiny.  He has come down the Jordan river valley – a wide valley with cliffs on the western side.  Our text says he entered Jericho and was passing through.  The way it is written indicates that Jesus was not intending to stop in Jericho.

The entourage that followed him was greatly enlarged as the town folk wrestled for an opportunity to see this miracle worker.  You may have noticed that healings do not play a prominent role in the lessons we’ve had the past couple of months.  The focus here is on his teaching.  Jesus is trying to leave his disciples with a firm foundation, for the time is quickly approaching when they will no longer have him with them.  And a lot of his teaching is done by example.  Today is one of those days.  

During his trip, there have been two things that have been prominent in his teachings – wealth and relationship.  The point Jesus has been making about wealth is not that the rich are condemned, but that what you do with what you have is more important than how much you have.  He is concerned about having a right attitude toward both your money and your possessions – not holding on with a closed fist, but ready to use it where and when it is needed.

And the point about relationship is that there are things more important than who you are and what position you hold.  What he offers to Zacchaeus – in way of example to his disciples – is a no-strings attached relationship.  One of the things that Jesus says is that he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel – and Zacchaeus is one of those lost sheep.  Zacchaeus is a big man if we count his worth in riches, power and position – but he is small in stature, and he is small in the eyes of his fellow Jews.

What is so unusual in this story is that when Zacchaeus could over the crowd, he “ran ahead and climbed a tree” in order to see Jesus.  Those are two things that no self-respecting male would do in that society.  This tells us how very important it was to Zacchaeus that he be able to see Jesus – to step out of character so far.

It would be wonderful if each one of us could be that desperate to see Jesus as he draws near to our lives.  One of the things that I fully believe is that God will draw us to that place or event where we can see Jesus.  He will draw us to the place we need to be in order to receive God’s word or his healing.

I remember back in the mid-eighties there was going to be a spiritual formation workshop at Camp Allen.  It was during the summer and Fr. Fred encouraged me to go, but I didn’t really feel like I could leave my family for a whole week during the summer to attend.

But each time I passed the poster on the church bulletin board it called out to me.  One of the two presenters was a Sister Barbara – a former Roman Catholic nun turned Episcopalian – and every time I saw her name, I felt a deep, deep longing.  It was a pulling of the Holy Spirit – to put me in a place where I could receive healing.

I finally couldn’t stand it any longer – I signed up to go.  And that week brought, not only a deepening spirituality, but also the beginning of a healing process for me.  Another thing that happened that week was a vision (one that I refused to openly acknowledge until 15 years later) - of me, at an altar, celebrating the Eucharist.

I think that Zacchaeus must have had an experience not unlike mine – a deep longing, not even sure why or what it was for – but knowing that this was something he had to do – to see Jesus.  It was an urging of the Holy Spirit.  And Jesus sees him in the tree – and Jesus knows in an instant that he will be making another stop on his journey. “Zacchaeus, come down – I want to go to your house.”

That provided instant elevation for Zacchaeus – made him someone special – because this Jesus not only knew his name, but wanted to go to his house.  Jesus doesn’t use any of the formulas that he has used in the past – “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Go and sell all your possessions,” or “Go and sin no more…”  No, he simply says, “I want to stay with you.”  -  I want to be in relationship with you.  I will be your friend, no strings attached.

And Jesus says that same thing to each one of us.  He wants to stay with us.  He wants to be in relationship with us.  No strings attached - even if we do nothing, the relationship is there for our pleasure, for our benefit.  We can live into it or not.

Perfect love will eventually bring about perfect response.  When Zacchaeus heard his neighbors grumbling – he voluntarily offered to give up half his possessions.  It was not something he was coerced into doing.  It was not a requirement to relationship.  It was a gift freely offered – in response to the pure love of God through Jesus Christ.  And with it, not only did Zacchaeus received vindication, but his whole household with him.

We don’t know what kind of healing Zacchaeus might have received from this experience – but we do know his response to it.  He did not give away everything he had – he did not sell all his possessions – but he exemplified a right attitude toward all he had amassed.  And in response, Jesus declares that he had received salvation and that he, too, was restored as a son of Abraham.

We are all children of God, regardless of who we are or what we believe.  Being made in his image, all people can claim that relationship.  But many people don’t – God calls, we respond.  Zacchaeus didn’t have to come down and take Jesus home, but he answered the call of God.  We are all called in the same way – and Jesus wants to come be a guest in our house.  He wants to come live, not only in our house, but in our whole life, and he calls, "Come down for I want to stay with you."

It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you have done – Jesus calls out – come down, I must come to your house.  No one is so far above his call that they don’t need Jesus.  No one is so far below his call that they cannot receive him.

When we answer his call, there is a response that we have to make to Jesus.  Just as Zacchaeus turned his life around, we often have to make adjustments in our own lives.  Jesus will be our guide.  Consider this as you fill out your pledge card, if you haven't already done so.  Think about what Jesus would have you do in response to your relationship with him.  If he is going to live in you, how do you go about living in him?


Let us pray:  Lord, when you send your son, Jesus, to live in our hearts and minds, -  guide us, we pray, to understand the response you would have us make to honor that relationship.  Make us faithful stewards of time, talent and treasure in all we do or undertake.  Amen.