Sunday, January 23, 2011
Third Sunday after Epiphany
Matthew 4:12-23
The Rev. Jo Miller
This past week I was in Corvallis with a few people, including Maron
Van, for a 3 hour class on Matthew presented by my New Testament Professor
at Northwest House,The Rev. Dr. Kempton Hewett. I was reminded of an
important detail regarding Matthew’s Gospel. Dr. Kempton brought up the
book “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee.
The story was written in the 60’s reflecting on the racial problems and
prejudice that were facing the nation but the story’s setting was the 30’s. The
story was layered with issues of the past and the present.
Remember this as we read through the Gospel of Matthew this year that it
too is layered. Matthew was written around the post 70’s after the collapse the
of Jerusalem had occurred. The Gospel’s audience is Jewish/Christian and his
story of Jesus is mindful of the predicament and problems of his own
community in the present while also reflecting on the life and ministry of Jesus
set in the past.
Matthew records the launch of Jesus’ public ministry. As the story
unfolds to us Matthew clearly conveys that Jesus’ ministry is going to advance
independently from John the Baptists ministry. In fact we hear an echo of
John’s proclamation in chapter 3:2 “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has
come near” in our reading today. Matthew has Jesus on the move. Jesus moves
from Nazareth to Capernum on the Northeast coast of the Sea of Galilee.
Matthew also employs the quoting of the Hebrew Scriptures to point to Jesus’
fulfillment of the prophets. Matthew signals the beginning of what God is
doing in and through Jesus by the declaration of his kingdom message “Repent,
for the Kingdom is at hand.” He came to announce, to invite all into, to
proclaim the demands of, and to usher in God’s kingdom.
In verses 18 to 22 in our lesson today Jesus begins calling his disciples.
This episode varies a good bit in each of the Gospels. Even though they are not
contradictory, the accounts vary in (1)what led up to the call, (2)which
disciples are mentioned,(3) what order those disciples are called and (4)what
they were doing when summoned. In Douglas Hare’s commentary on
Matthew he notes that Matthew’s portrayal of the call is reduced to its
barest essentials: Jesus summons with irresistible authority, and the men
respond with radical obedience. They drop what they are doing and leave
immediately.
Good grief, James and John leave their dad Zebedee sitting in the boat
with a tangle of nets coiled around his feet. We know that Peter is married
because in a few lessons down the road Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law. What
happens to Peter’s wife? No doubt there must be children. Jesus’ call is for
radical obedience. Hmmm. Not exactly an American trait. We need to also
recognize that they leave their professions. And, back then fishing was a
lucrative profession, as were carpenters who were highly thought of as were
most craftsmen. We also do not hear them asking qualifying questions, they
drop what they are doing and follow.
What they hear is a call to adventure so to speak. Discipleship can be an
adventure that, if we allow it to, can change our life and the direction in which
we are going. The disciples are called into a life of Evangelism. Several of them
had to get out of their boat to follow. It is really hard to get out of one’s boat
to do something radically different. It is really hard to just drop what you are
doing in your life to go and do something different. Jesus’ calling of his
disciples is almost scandalous. I think that is why, for the most part, we stay
safe and secure in our pews. We certainly do not like the way evangelism has
been portrayed to us in our generation. Many have a tendency to shy away from
the word all together.
Perhaps we can go back to what Jesus called his disciples to do, proclaim
the good news that the kingdom of God is at hand, is near us, is in us, it is now.
It was proclaimed by Jesus in word and deed and through teaching. He
demonstrated inclusive love, mercy, kindness, and compassion and forgiveness.
Perhaps we can see the mission of God as a spiritual-social movement
dedicated to plotting goodness and helping to save our corner of the world from
human evil- both personal and systemic. Perhaps it would be the radical
obedience of a community dedicated to the teaching of lifelong spiritual
formation as disciples of Jesus, dedicated to teaching the most excellent way of
love.
This kind of love as Brian McLaren notes would celebrate the good in the
Christian religion and lament the bad. It would invite people into a faith that
would experience formation in the way of Jesus.
To have this happen, though we would have to drop our nets and get out
of our safe comfortable boats that we are currently living in. It would be scary,
adventures can be scary. Like Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. He took the challenge to make a difference in his world, it was a scary adventure and it didn’t matter that he was really small. But, he had help all along the way. So do we in our church community and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ in us.
Jan. 23, 2011 Third Sunday after Epiphany
Matthew 4:12-23
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
July 3, 2011, Third Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Third Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
July 3, 2011
Dave Beuerman
Key quotes for today. First few are from MT 11; the last is, well, seasonally appropriate.
“among those born of women no one has arisen greater than [JtB]”
“John came neither eating nor drinking … they say [of JC] … a glutton and a drunkard”
“you [The Father] have hidden these things from the intelligent”
“no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him”
”For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Forbes: “The middle class has disappeared. Many of the millions of jobs lost … I don’t think are coming back.”
Today’s Gospel reading comes from Chapter 11 of Matthew; this is a very RED chapter. Not in terms of politics; I would have no problem with that sort of politics. Not in terms of finance; being in the red is always troubling. But in the sense of red PRINT, indicating the actual words of Jesus. Chapter 11 is mainly just that, Jesus speaking. It turns out to be a bit of a hodge-podge or a smorgesbord, today’s selection as much as any. It includes some quite puzzling sayings of Jesus, which cry out for attention.
In verses 16 – 19 and even before, John the Baptizer is mentioned. Jesus says of him, “No greater figure than JtB has ever emerged in history.” How would you like to attach that to your resume?! But this is also a puzzle: greater than Jesus, also born of woman (you may recall)? The only sense I can make out of that is, “up to now.” Also, Jesus says that JtB came not eating or drinking, and that He (i.e., Jesus) was seen as a glutton and drunk. The point of this is that folks who do not want to hear will always find some excuse!
Verses 25 – 27, the next segment, poses several puzzles, including do we have to check our minds at the church door? Isn’t the problem here mainly one of intellectual pride? Newton, one of the great figures in the history of science, remarked that whatever folks thought of him, he saw himself as a boy playing on the beach, finding, from time to time, the odd pretty stone – such as Newton’s Second Law of Motion, perhaps! In just the same way, the Saints show remarkable modesty. They know they don’t know it all! AND: we are told to love the Lord our God not only with our heart and soul but also with OUR MIND (MT 22:37, LK 10 : 27, ETC!)
Our minds as well as our ears must be open; more to the point, we must open them. And, of course, that means that we must be open to God. And that is done through prayer.
Another problem posed by this segment is: is Jesus the only way to God? Note that this is much more than can a non-Christian find the Truth through Jesus? The Hindu Gandhi gave a resounding yes to that! But has the Delai Lama not found God? That he would not use that language is not the point. Billy Graham once said that Jesus is NOT the only way; many Christians said that this was a very sad day. On the contrary, I think that most of us would think that Billy had it right. The idea of Christian exceptionalism – which really finds no justification here in any case -- has caused many problems and continues to do so, forming the basis of the religious intolerance which seems so ubiquitous in today’s world. As well as Christian exceptionalism, we have American exceptionalism, another problem; among other things, this masks political and social reality.
Next we have v. 28 – 30, the final segment, in which we learn from Jesus that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. This is very comforting, but is it true? Or, rather, in what sense is it true? For many years I have looked for confirmation of my answer to that. I finally found it in a recent issue of America, the Jesuit magazine, in which we read, “Gospel love is not easy to do, but is quite simple to understand.” Just so, Jesus’ message of non-violence is simple to understand but difficult to practice; so we don’t hear it.
Which brings us to that great patriotic holiday, the 4th of July. What is a Christian who loves his country to think of it, always at war, even at wars? And we now have in addition the war on the middle class and the war on the elderly, not to mention the on-going counterproductive war on drugs. I think that we can only revert to “my country, right or wrong,” with the important add-on, “when it is wrong, change it.” That won’t be easy with so much money and propagandizing on the other side, but non-violent change in the spirit of Jesus Christ IS always possible! And, yes, we will need our minds in the process. A great song for the 4th of July is “This Is My Song (Finlandia by Sibelius).” I’ll close with verse one of that, but first a word from our sponsor, the Kingdom of Heaven, which is also another puzzle.
Earlier in MT 11, when speaking of JtB, Jesus mentions the Kingdom of Heaven, which we have begun to re-learn is not just another place, another time. THAT world (The Kingdom of Heaven) is a world living in accordance with Jesus’ teachings of love and non-violence. THAT world is already here if we recognize it, claim it, become it. THIS world suffers from those who do not hear and do not try to live it. They do it violence and they do God violence.
And now for the musical moment you all have been waiting for!
You know, when you think of it, this speaks against exceptionalism of all
kinds.
This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
But other hearts in other lands are beating
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
July 3, 2011
Dave Beuerman
Key quotes for today. First few are from MT 11; the last is, well, seasonally appropriate.
“among those born of women no one has arisen greater than [JtB]”
“John came neither eating nor drinking … they say [of JC] … a glutton and a drunkard”
“you [The Father] have hidden these things from the intelligent”
“no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him”
”For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Forbes: “The middle class has disappeared. Many of the millions of jobs lost … I don’t think are coming back.”
Today’s Gospel reading comes from Chapter 11 of Matthew; this is a very RED chapter. Not in terms of politics; I would have no problem with that sort of politics. Not in terms of finance; being in the red is always troubling. But in the sense of red PRINT, indicating the actual words of Jesus. Chapter 11 is mainly just that, Jesus speaking. It turns out to be a bit of a hodge-podge or a smorgesbord, today’s selection as much as any. It includes some quite puzzling sayings of Jesus, which cry out for attention.
In verses 16 – 19 and even before, John the Baptizer is mentioned. Jesus says of him, “No greater figure than JtB has ever emerged in history.” How would you like to attach that to your resume?! But this is also a puzzle: greater than Jesus, also born of woman (you may recall)? The only sense I can make out of that is, “up to now.” Also, Jesus says that JtB came not eating or drinking, and that He (i.e., Jesus) was seen as a glutton and drunk. The point of this is that folks who do not want to hear will always find some excuse!
Verses 25 – 27, the next segment, poses several puzzles, including do we have to check our minds at the church door? Isn’t the problem here mainly one of intellectual pride? Newton, one of the great figures in the history of science, remarked that whatever folks thought of him, he saw himself as a boy playing on the beach, finding, from time to time, the odd pretty stone – such as Newton’s Second Law of Motion, perhaps! In just the same way, the Saints show remarkable modesty. They know they don’t know it all! AND: we are told to love the Lord our God not only with our heart and soul but also with OUR MIND (MT 22:37, LK 10 : 27, ETC!)
Our minds as well as our ears must be open; more to the point, we must open them. And, of course, that means that we must be open to God. And that is done through prayer.
Another problem posed by this segment is: is Jesus the only way to God? Note that this is much more than can a non-Christian find the Truth through Jesus? The Hindu Gandhi gave a resounding yes to that! But has the Delai Lama not found God? That he would not use that language is not the point. Billy Graham once said that Jesus is NOT the only way; many Christians said that this was a very sad day. On the contrary, I think that most of us would think that Billy had it right. The idea of Christian exceptionalism – which really finds no justification here in any case -- has caused many problems and continues to do so, forming the basis of the religious intolerance which seems so ubiquitous in today’s world. As well as Christian exceptionalism, we have American exceptionalism, another problem; among other things, this masks political and social reality.
Next we have v. 28 – 30, the final segment, in which we learn from Jesus that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. This is very comforting, but is it true? Or, rather, in what sense is it true? For many years I have looked for confirmation of my answer to that. I finally found it in a recent issue of America, the Jesuit magazine, in which we read, “Gospel love is not easy to do, but is quite simple to understand.” Just so, Jesus’ message of non-violence is simple to understand but difficult to practice; so we don’t hear it.
Which brings us to that great patriotic holiday, the 4th of July. What is a Christian who loves his country to think of it, always at war, even at wars? And we now have in addition the war on the middle class and the war on the elderly, not to mention the on-going counterproductive war on drugs. I think that we can only revert to “my country, right or wrong,” with the important add-on, “when it is wrong, change it.” That won’t be easy with so much money and propagandizing on the other side, but non-violent change in the spirit of Jesus Christ IS always possible! And, yes, we will need our minds in the process. A great song for the 4th of July is “This Is My Song (Finlandia by Sibelius).” I’ll close with verse one of that, but first a word from our sponsor, the Kingdom of Heaven, which is also another puzzle.
Earlier in MT 11, when speaking of JtB, Jesus mentions the Kingdom of Heaven, which we have begun to re-learn is not just another place, another time. THAT world (The Kingdom of Heaven) is a world living in accordance with Jesus’ teachings of love and non-violence. THAT world is already here if we recognize it, claim it, become it. THIS world suffers from those who do not hear and do not try to live it. They do it violence and they do God violence.
And now for the musical moment you all have been waiting for!
You know, when you think of it, this speaks against exceptionalism of all
kinds.
This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
But other hearts in other lands are beating
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Jun 5, 2011, The 7th Sunday of Easter
TWIXT ASCENSION AND PENTECOST
Dave Beuerman, June 5, 2011, The 7th Sunday of Easter, John 17:1-11
Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme!
Today’s Gospel is “A Farewell Prayer of Jesus for his Disciples” but that makes it seem more interesting than it turns out to be! On the other hand, in John’s Gospel this reading immediately precedes the very interesting Arrest in the Garden. On the third hand, in the Lectionary it immediately follows the Ascension, which, again, is very interesting.
These considerations give me ample grounds for giving a review of readings, starting with Palm Sunday, which I had intended to do in any case. Except that this will be, perhaps, more of a revision than a review.
It always seems a shame to me that Palm Sunday has become, in effect, Passion Sunday. I suppose the rationale for de-emphasizing the Palm aspect is that folks may not turn up for Holy Week services. In the same spirit I should say at least a few words about Ascension, which I will at the end.
Still, we may have missed the likes of Marcus Borg’s story of the two processions on Palm Sunday, which really would be a shame. So here goes. Two processions entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. The one from the East was the Jesus procession; the one from the West was the Roman Imperial procession. The latter demonstrated the Roman Imperial way: violence, power and hubris, whereas the Jesus procession was exactly the opposite, featuring non-violence, love and humility. For example, recall that Jesus rode a borrowed donkey; very different from the Roman Imperial procession! To come to the point here: we need to ask ourselves as individuals and as a nation – in the words of an old union song, “Which side are you on, boys, which side are you on?” I suspect if we don’t struggle with that, giving the usual nonsense about being on the side of democracy, we don’t really understand the situation.
Next stop: Holy Thursday, excuse me, Maundy Thursday. There is something very compelling about the words of Jesus here, “Do you realize what I have done for you?” One overall answer would be that He lived for us, He died for us and He rose from the dead for us; we might well add, He ascended to Heaven for us. But here the immediate answer is that He washed our feet – and we are to wash each others feet! There is something beautiful about that. However, taking this very literally and narrowly, this seems absurd. But then such readings are always absurd. Clearly, what is intended here is that we are to have compassion for others AND to ACT on that compassion, the focus being on the other, not ourselves. I think that you really could make the case that Maundy Thursday is the most important day of the year; here we find how we are to continue the work of Jesus. I repeat, we are to continue the work of Jesus!
In the Sundays of Easter, we often have readings from Acts in place of the more usual readings from the Hebrew Scriptures. One of the most challenging and therefore most ignored is Acts 2 : 44 - 45, in which we read, “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” One of many ways around this is to claim that the very early church was really not this communal. But still, there you have a reading from Acts which Marx took much more seriously that we Christians do.
Two passages from two Gospels on The Arrest of Jesus should also be food for thought, especially in a permanent war economy country. In Matthew 26, we read Jesus saying “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” In Luke 22, we read Jesus saying to the one who cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave, “No more of this!” Something I just recently noticed: in the passage from Luke, the victim is a slave, rather like the Russian peasants who might well have fallen in great numbers if the cold war had heated up.
Two thoughts on Good Friday. Firstly, we see here how much God loves us: that he allows Jesus to go through this awful experience of Crucifixion; can you imagine allowing your son or your daughter to go through something like that when you could have stopped it? Secondly, what is most important about Good Friday is what does NOT happen: God does not send in the Marines. The way of Jesus is the way of non-violence. Of all the hard teachings of Jesus, of all the main teachings of Jesus, that has to be top of the charts.
Has all this been too materialistic, not sufficiently spiritual, even not sufficiently theological? OK, let’s talk about THEOSIS as applied to the Resurrection and the Ascension; it begins with the Incarnation. St. Athanasius said “God became man so that men could become gods.” And – I am glad to say -- this is part of our Anglican tradition through Lancelot Andrewes for example. Jesus became human in the Incarnation, rose from the dead as a human and ascended to God as a human. His humanity then implies the possibility of our resurrection from the dead and the possibility of our ascension to God. By using the term “implies” I don’t mean to suggest that this connection is easily understood; indeed, finally it is a mystery, a sacred mystery. More importantly, it is TRUE. Indeed, it is one of the most fundamental Christian Truths.
THEOSIS is an important, beautiful and neglected idea. Perhaps it might be better to say instead of “we could become gods” that “we could become more god-like.” However, with the Love of God, the example of Jesus and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who knows what we might become. We just might find the courage to end war and violence of all kinds. That would truly be continuing the work of Jesus!
I conclude with a reformulation, in the immortal words of the world’s leading authority, my wife, who, as usual, is right on. “Who knows what is possible for us if we would enter completely into the love of God.”
Dave Beuerman, June 5, 2011, The 7th Sunday of Easter, John 17:1-11
Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme!
Today’s Gospel is “A Farewell Prayer of Jesus for his Disciples” but that makes it seem more interesting than it turns out to be! On the other hand, in John’s Gospel this reading immediately precedes the very interesting Arrest in the Garden. On the third hand, in the Lectionary it immediately follows the Ascension, which, again, is very interesting.
These considerations give me ample grounds for giving a review of readings, starting with Palm Sunday, which I had intended to do in any case. Except that this will be, perhaps, more of a revision than a review.
It always seems a shame to me that Palm Sunday has become, in effect, Passion Sunday. I suppose the rationale for de-emphasizing the Palm aspect is that folks may not turn up for Holy Week services. In the same spirit I should say at least a few words about Ascension, which I will at the end.
Still, we may have missed the likes of Marcus Borg’s story of the two processions on Palm Sunday, which really would be a shame. So here goes. Two processions entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. The one from the East was the Jesus procession; the one from the West was the Roman Imperial procession. The latter demonstrated the Roman Imperial way: violence, power and hubris, whereas the Jesus procession was exactly the opposite, featuring non-violence, love and humility. For example, recall that Jesus rode a borrowed donkey; very different from the Roman Imperial procession! To come to the point here: we need to ask ourselves as individuals and as a nation – in the words of an old union song, “Which side are you on, boys, which side are you on?” I suspect if we don’t struggle with that, giving the usual nonsense about being on the side of democracy, we don’t really understand the situation.
Next stop: Holy Thursday, excuse me, Maundy Thursday. There is something very compelling about the words of Jesus here, “Do you realize what I have done for you?” One overall answer would be that He lived for us, He died for us and He rose from the dead for us; we might well add, He ascended to Heaven for us. But here the immediate answer is that He washed our feet – and we are to wash each others feet! There is something beautiful about that. However, taking this very literally and narrowly, this seems absurd. But then such readings are always absurd. Clearly, what is intended here is that we are to have compassion for others AND to ACT on that compassion, the focus being on the other, not ourselves. I think that you really could make the case that Maundy Thursday is the most important day of the year; here we find how we are to continue the work of Jesus. I repeat, we are to continue the work of Jesus!
In the Sundays of Easter, we often have readings from Acts in place of the more usual readings from the Hebrew Scriptures. One of the most challenging and therefore most ignored is Acts 2 : 44 - 45, in which we read, “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” One of many ways around this is to claim that the very early church was really not this communal. But still, there you have a reading from Acts which Marx took much more seriously that we Christians do.
Two passages from two Gospels on The Arrest of Jesus should also be food for thought, especially in a permanent war economy country. In Matthew 26, we read Jesus saying “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” In Luke 22, we read Jesus saying to the one who cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave, “No more of this!” Something I just recently noticed: in the passage from Luke, the victim is a slave, rather like the Russian peasants who might well have fallen in great numbers if the cold war had heated up.
Two thoughts on Good Friday. Firstly, we see here how much God loves us: that he allows Jesus to go through this awful experience of Crucifixion; can you imagine allowing your son or your daughter to go through something like that when you could have stopped it? Secondly, what is most important about Good Friday is what does NOT happen: God does not send in the Marines. The way of Jesus is the way of non-violence. Of all the hard teachings of Jesus, of all the main teachings of Jesus, that has to be top of the charts.
Has all this been too materialistic, not sufficiently spiritual, even not sufficiently theological? OK, let’s talk about THEOSIS as applied to the Resurrection and the Ascension; it begins with the Incarnation. St. Athanasius said “God became man so that men could become gods.” And – I am glad to say -- this is part of our Anglican tradition through Lancelot Andrewes for example. Jesus became human in the Incarnation, rose from the dead as a human and ascended to God as a human. His humanity then implies the possibility of our resurrection from the dead and the possibility of our ascension to God. By using the term “implies” I don’t mean to suggest that this connection is easily understood; indeed, finally it is a mystery, a sacred mystery. More importantly, it is TRUE. Indeed, it is one of the most fundamental Christian Truths.
THEOSIS is an important, beautiful and neglected idea. Perhaps it might be better to say instead of “we could become gods” that “we could become more god-like.” However, with the Love of God, the example of Jesus and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who knows what we might become. We just might find the courage to end war and violence of all kinds. That would truly be continuing the work of Jesus!
I conclude with a reformulation, in the immortal words of the world’s leading authority, my wife, who, as usual, is right on. “Who knows what is possible for us if we would enter completely into the love of God.”
Monday, May 2, 2011
May 1, 2011, 2nd Sunday of Easter
Homily May 1, 2011 David Beuerman
What would your response be if I were to say “Christ is risen?”
What would your response be if I were to say that this is the first Sunday after Easter?
OK, I’m glad we don’t have to start like that!
Karl Barth – or was it Karl Rahner? – anyways, some guy named Karl -- said that the homilist should have the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other. That’s sort of the King James Version; the RSV is - - - Internet in one hand, Bible in the other.
So what do we find on the Internet? Well there is trivia: the Royal Wedding, the President’s birth certificate and all that. There is also depression – in more ways that one! – as when we read that NEARLY ONE MILLION folks just applied for minimum wage, part time jobs at Mickey D’s! So much for the economic recovery!
Turning away from trivia and depression, we open the Bible, the Good News according to some guy by the name of John and we find – Alleluia! – two Resurrection appearances. One of these is without Thomas and one is with Thomas. Thomas is one good dude, slandered with the adjective, DOUBTING.
To me, the key themes in the first appearance are Peace, Forgiving and matters relating to the non-appearance of Thomas; the last of these we will deal with when we come to the second appearance.
Before and after Jesus shows his scars, He makes two statements, both beginning with the word Peace. This is certainly not just an accident and is more than just the start of a kindly greeting. Following this, Jesus brings the Holy Spirit to them and chats them up about Forgiveness. So, Peace & Forgiveness: any connection?
Well, if you will forgive me, I’d like to quote from the Buddhist scriptures on that point, this from the Twin Verses. [READ SHORT VERSION]. I understand this to say that if you don’t forgive, you will have no peace, you have no chance of getting your act together, let alone taking it on the road.
I don’t know if I can forgive YOU if you don’t believe The Buddha, but there is also St Matthew at the end of his version of the Lord’s Prayer. [MT 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do NOT forgive others, neither will you Father forgive you.”]. I rest my case for the NECESSITY of forgiveness.
If peace is not enough of an outcome for forgiveness, let us turn to another authority: The Brothers Grimms’ story of Cinderella! At the end of one version of this, one of my grand-daughters’ favorites, we read that Cinderella forgives her step-mother and step-sisters (collectively, her “steps”), invites them to her wedding with Prince Charming and the steps were never unkind again! Not only that - - the steps learned to smile, as Grandma has pointed out. How to make the world a better place! A little forgiveness can have great consequences.
Even if you are convinced that we should forgive and that forgiving will have good outcome, there remains the question, how CAN you forgive? How do you even KNOW if you have forgiven? Do you have to forget? No! Do you have to deny that you were hurt? No! Do you have to condone what was done to you! No! Is there any simple formula, something like six easy pieces for forgiving? No! Do you have to assume that YOU will be forgiven if you nicely chat up the other party? No, one last time!
There are many highly recommended approaches to forgiveness; all of these seem to involve at least three steps. One is: 1) Awareness, 2) Acceptance and 3) Asking (for help). A more explicitly Christian one is: you are well on the road to forgiving if (1) You no longer HATE the person who wronged you; (2) You no longer want to retaliate; (3) You can and do pray for the other. The last of these is key. Here you may well need to include a plea along the lines, Lord, Help me to forgive. God will help you if you do! Good Luck if you don’t!
What does forgiving have to do with Thomas, whose absence was a big part of the first resurrection appearance and whose presence was a big part of the second resurrection appearance? I would suggest two things: 1. WE need forgiveness for calling him Doubting; 2. He does NOT need forgiveness for being a no-show at the first appearance.
OK, as to the first, we should admit, “Tom, old chap, it is a bum rap!” We need look no further than JN 11 and JN 14 to see that Thomas was a courageous believer and seeker after understanding. Even in today’s Gospel we find his powerful confession, “My Lord and My God!” We have given him this Doubting label on the basis of one incident [BIG PAUSE] how not to judge others! Besides an honest doubt openly expressed is better than pretending to belief where there is no belief. You might also consider exactly what Thomas was struggling to believe – that this was really Jesus, NOT who Jesus was -- and that, in the last analysis, he didn’t need more proof than those other 10 fellas.
Finally (together: Thanks Be to God!), we should forgive Thomas for not showing up at the first appearance, not only because it would have obviated the second appearance, but because we simply don’t KNOW why he didn’t show. We might make a case for community at a time of need, with the idea being that when the going gets tough, the tough get together with their community, their Church. We can face tragedy and sorrow with community support. Thomas may have been brooding about Jesus’ death alone. We need to grieve in our own way. And, again, we just don’t know why he was not there! We might also wonder why he didn’t take the word of the 10; should he not have believed those who were at the first appearance? Well, simply put, I think we just have to allow Thomas to be Thomas!
Well, I lied to you, I’m not done. There is one more thing. Maybe you will forgive me – at least if I make this brief. In the very last sentence of appearance two, Jesus might be seen as being critical of Thomas. But certainly the main point of this sentence is that WE can come to believe without seeing the scars, on the basis of the testimony of the Apostles, the Bible and Holy Tradition.
AMEN!
(From The Dammapada, TheTwin Verses in the Viking World Bible).
“He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me” – in those who harbor such thoughts hatred will never cease.
“He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me” – in those who do NOT harbor such thoughts hatred will cease.
For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by love – this is an old rule.
What would your response be if I were to say “Christ is risen?”
What would your response be if I were to say that this is the first Sunday after Easter?
OK, I’m glad we don’t have to start like that!
Karl Barth – or was it Karl Rahner? – anyways, some guy named Karl -- said that the homilist should have the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other. That’s sort of the King James Version; the RSV is - - - Internet in one hand, Bible in the other.
So what do we find on the Internet? Well there is trivia: the Royal Wedding, the President’s birth certificate and all that. There is also depression – in more ways that one! – as when we read that NEARLY ONE MILLION folks just applied for minimum wage, part time jobs at Mickey D’s! So much for the economic recovery!
Turning away from trivia and depression, we open the Bible, the Good News according to some guy by the name of John and we find – Alleluia! – two Resurrection appearances. One of these is without Thomas and one is with Thomas. Thomas is one good dude, slandered with the adjective, DOUBTING.
To me, the key themes in the first appearance are Peace, Forgiving and matters relating to the non-appearance of Thomas; the last of these we will deal with when we come to the second appearance.
Before and after Jesus shows his scars, He makes two statements, both beginning with the word Peace. This is certainly not just an accident and is more than just the start of a kindly greeting. Following this, Jesus brings the Holy Spirit to them and chats them up about Forgiveness. So, Peace & Forgiveness: any connection?
Well, if you will forgive me, I’d like to quote from the Buddhist scriptures on that point, this from the Twin Verses. [READ SHORT VERSION]. I understand this to say that if you don’t forgive, you will have no peace, you have no chance of getting your act together, let alone taking it on the road.
I don’t know if I can forgive YOU if you don’t believe The Buddha, but there is also St Matthew at the end of his version of the Lord’s Prayer. [MT 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do NOT forgive others, neither will you Father forgive you.”]. I rest my case for the NECESSITY of forgiveness.
If peace is not enough of an outcome for forgiveness, let us turn to another authority: The Brothers Grimms’ story of Cinderella! At the end of one version of this, one of my grand-daughters’ favorites, we read that Cinderella forgives her step-mother and step-sisters (collectively, her “steps”), invites them to her wedding with Prince Charming and the steps were never unkind again! Not only that - - the steps learned to smile, as Grandma has pointed out. How to make the world a better place! A little forgiveness can have great consequences.
Even if you are convinced that we should forgive and that forgiving will have good outcome, there remains the question, how CAN you forgive? How do you even KNOW if you have forgiven? Do you have to forget? No! Do you have to deny that you were hurt? No! Do you have to condone what was done to you! No! Is there any simple formula, something like six easy pieces for forgiving? No! Do you have to assume that YOU will be forgiven if you nicely chat up the other party? No, one last time!
There are many highly recommended approaches to forgiveness; all of these seem to involve at least three steps. One is: 1) Awareness, 2) Acceptance and 3) Asking (for help). A more explicitly Christian one is: you are well on the road to forgiving if (1) You no longer HATE the person who wronged you; (2) You no longer want to retaliate; (3) You can and do pray for the other. The last of these is key. Here you may well need to include a plea along the lines, Lord, Help me to forgive. God will help you if you do! Good Luck if you don’t!
What does forgiving have to do with Thomas, whose absence was a big part of the first resurrection appearance and whose presence was a big part of the second resurrection appearance? I would suggest two things: 1. WE need forgiveness for calling him Doubting; 2. He does NOT need forgiveness for being a no-show at the first appearance.
OK, as to the first, we should admit, “Tom, old chap, it is a bum rap!” We need look no further than JN 11 and JN 14 to see that Thomas was a courageous believer and seeker after understanding. Even in today’s Gospel we find his powerful confession, “My Lord and My God!” We have given him this Doubting label on the basis of one incident [BIG PAUSE] how not to judge others! Besides an honest doubt openly expressed is better than pretending to belief where there is no belief. You might also consider exactly what Thomas was struggling to believe – that this was really Jesus, NOT who Jesus was -- and that, in the last analysis, he didn’t need more proof than those other 10 fellas.
Finally (together: Thanks Be to God!), we should forgive Thomas for not showing up at the first appearance, not only because it would have obviated the second appearance, but because we simply don’t KNOW why he didn’t show. We might make a case for community at a time of need, with the idea being that when the going gets tough, the tough get together with their community, their Church. We can face tragedy and sorrow with community support. Thomas may have been brooding about Jesus’ death alone. We need to grieve in our own way. And, again, we just don’t know why he was not there! We might also wonder why he didn’t take the word of the 10; should he not have believed those who were at the first appearance? Well, simply put, I think we just have to allow Thomas to be Thomas!
Well, I lied to you, I’m not done. There is one more thing. Maybe you will forgive me – at least if I make this brief. In the very last sentence of appearance two, Jesus might be seen as being critical of Thomas. But certainly the main point of this sentence is that WE can come to believe without seeing the scars, on the basis of the testimony of the Apostles, the Bible and Holy Tradition.
AMEN!
(From The Dammapada, TheTwin Verses in the Viking World Bible).
“He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me” – in those who harbor such thoughts hatred will never cease.
“He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me” – in those who do NOT harbor such thoughts hatred will cease.
For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by love – this is an old rule.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Day, April 24, 2011
Easter Day, Year A, Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Rev. Jo Miller
“Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." A quotation from Lewis Carol’s book, Alice in Wonderland. The book has several wonderful quotes. This one I particularly like and in the lastest movies it is used in an appropriate way. As Alice is walking toward her destiny she starts reciting six impossible things which turn out to be real. In my growing up I have heard another phrase, “If I can’t see it I don’t believe it.”
Believing in impossible things. Several nights ago on a science channel there was a program on our sun. I became mesmerized with the young physicist who was explaining the sun and so many of its properties. Our sun is an amazing star.
The scientist talked about Solar Winds- Soar winds stream off of the sun in all directions at speeds of about 1 million miles per hour. How can scientists clock the speed of solar winds and how can they clock it at 1 million miles an hour? To me that is impossible. I can’t begin to wrap my head around a million miles an hour. But it is real.
The speed of the winds coming at our atmosphere could blow it away but it doesn’t. I was so entranced at that moment that I missed the reason our atmosphere doesn't fly off into interstellar space. Some told me at the 8 am service that it was our magnetic poles that prevent those winds from blowing us away. Amazing. There are probes that have moved deep into the Milky Way and beyond that track the solar winds, a billion or more miles out in space and the solar winds are still blowing at phenomenal speeds. The impossibility of it all but it's real.
There were so many impossible things at the beginning of the 20th century that we take for granted. My grandparents would have never believed that you could put a contract in a machine in Eugene and FAX it to Australia in minutes. Now we just create a PDF file and e-mail them. All these documents now just fly through the air leaping from one satellite to another with great speed and not one period gets lost from the document.
Impossible, but real. Telephones that are really computers that you can use as a telephone, or a camera, or a miniature typewriter that you can text a messages to the person sitting next to you. Impossible sounding, but real. The owners of these phones can download apps such as GPS that can tell them precisely where they are sitting while they are texting the person sitting next to them.
Why are we here this morning? Did we come to hear something new, or to hear the old, old story once again. Swiss theologian Karl Barth said that what brings people to worship- not just Easter- but any day is the unspoken question clinging to our hearts and minds. “Is it true? Is it real?
Is it true that God lives and gives us life? Is it true that perhaps this creative, pulsating spirit who seems to fill all space, who established the laws of nature, then broke the law somehow by raising Jesus from the dead? We can’t prove the resurrection like proving that the solar winds travel 1 million miles an hour through space and time. There are people who refuse to believe that the earth’s climate is changing even though earth’s history shows the earth has undergone many climate changes from covering the earth in a tropical forest to Ice Ages. Impossible things that are real and true challenge us all the time. They make us uncomfortable, make us change our minds and perspective. The resurrection is not for the beginner. It is rather an advanced course to be undertaken only after reading about and dealing with the man Jesus and his life and his teachings beginning with Matthew’s sermon on the mount. We need to read and marvel at Jesus’ wisdom, learn from him, become fascinated by his life, fixed on the person of Jesus. If we begin there perhaps we are better prepared to hear this mystery of the resurrection, this impossible event and see beneath and beyond it to a much deeper reality and truth.
The resurrection was not and is not the end of the mystery. On any chosen day we may accept the indwelling presence of the living Christ or reject it. I have read several “Saul to Paul” stories from contemporary, every day people. I can choose to accept what they say or reject it ( that can’t be real). One of my favorite stories was written by a woman who considered herself a quasi-agnostic. “Yea I think there is a God, no not really.” One day while driving her car to the store she was having an internal argument with the God she really didn’t believe in when the car was filled with a blinding light. She pulled off the road and sat in her light filled car and felt a very real presence. She ended up going to seminary, becoming a Methodist minister, and then went on to teach homiletics at a Methodist seminary. Impossible, but really true. Regardless of what we can and cannot see, or believe it will always take a leap of faith. There is something in the resurrection story that reaches into the deepest regions of our hearts and minds where both doubt and faith are found.
In the resurrection God gave us such a miracle of love and forgiveness that it is worthy of faith and therefore as Paul Tillich says is open to doubt. Realities about which we hold no doubt may not be large enough to reveal God to us. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being" as the Word flew across the face of the Universe going 1 million miles an hour the Word threw thousand upon hundreds of thousands of pixels into the Universe creating stars and planets.
Perhaps we can say, without apology, what we proclaim at Easter is too mighty to be encompassed by certainty, too wonderful to be found only within the boundaries of our imagination. Perhaps, the resurrection is yet another impossible thing that is really true.
The Rev. Jo Miller
“Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." A quotation from Lewis Carol’s book, Alice in Wonderland. The book has several wonderful quotes. This one I particularly like and in the lastest movies it is used in an appropriate way. As Alice is walking toward her destiny she starts reciting six impossible things which turn out to be real. In my growing up I have heard another phrase, “If I can’t see it I don’t believe it.”
Believing in impossible things. Several nights ago on a science channel there was a program on our sun. I became mesmerized with the young physicist who was explaining the sun and so many of its properties. Our sun is an amazing star.
The scientist talked about Solar Winds- Soar winds stream off of the sun in all directions at speeds of about 1 million miles per hour. How can scientists clock the speed of solar winds and how can they clock it at 1 million miles an hour? To me that is impossible. I can’t begin to wrap my head around a million miles an hour. But it is real.
The speed of the winds coming at our atmosphere could blow it away but it doesn’t. I was so entranced at that moment that I missed the reason our atmosphere doesn't fly off into interstellar space. Some told me at the 8 am service that it was our magnetic poles that prevent those winds from blowing us away. Amazing. There are probes that have moved deep into the Milky Way and beyond that track the solar winds, a billion or more miles out in space and the solar winds are still blowing at phenomenal speeds. The impossibility of it all but it's real.
There were so many impossible things at the beginning of the 20th century that we take for granted. My grandparents would have never believed that you could put a contract in a machine in Eugene and FAX it to Australia in minutes. Now we just create a PDF file and e-mail them. All these documents now just fly through the air leaping from one satellite to another with great speed and not one period gets lost from the document.
Impossible, but real. Telephones that are really computers that you can use as a telephone, or a camera, or a miniature typewriter that you can text a messages to the person sitting next to you. Impossible sounding, but real. The owners of these phones can download apps such as GPS that can tell them precisely where they are sitting while they are texting the person sitting next to them.
Why are we here this morning? Did we come to hear something new, or to hear the old, old story once again. Swiss theologian Karl Barth said that what brings people to worship- not just Easter- but any day is the unspoken question clinging to our hearts and minds. “Is it true? Is it real?
Is it true that God lives and gives us life? Is it true that perhaps this creative, pulsating spirit who seems to fill all space, who established the laws of nature, then broke the law somehow by raising Jesus from the dead? We can’t prove the resurrection like proving that the solar winds travel 1 million miles an hour through space and time. There are people who refuse to believe that the earth’s climate is changing even though earth’s history shows the earth has undergone many climate changes from covering the earth in a tropical forest to Ice Ages. Impossible things that are real and true challenge us all the time. They make us uncomfortable, make us change our minds and perspective. The resurrection is not for the beginner. It is rather an advanced course to be undertaken only after reading about and dealing with the man Jesus and his life and his teachings beginning with Matthew’s sermon on the mount. We need to read and marvel at Jesus’ wisdom, learn from him, become fascinated by his life, fixed on the person of Jesus. If we begin there perhaps we are better prepared to hear this mystery of the resurrection, this impossible event and see beneath and beyond it to a much deeper reality and truth.
The resurrection was not and is not the end of the mystery. On any chosen day we may accept the indwelling presence of the living Christ or reject it. I have read several “Saul to Paul” stories from contemporary, every day people. I can choose to accept what they say or reject it ( that can’t be real). One of my favorite stories was written by a woman who considered herself a quasi-agnostic. “Yea I think there is a God, no not really.” One day while driving her car to the store she was having an internal argument with the God she really didn’t believe in when the car was filled with a blinding light. She pulled off the road and sat in her light filled car and felt a very real presence. She ended up going to seminary, becoming a Methodist minister, and then went on to teach homiletics at a Methodist seminary. Impossible, but really true. Regardless of what we can and cannot see, or believe it will always take a leap of faith. There is something in the resurrection story that reaches into the deepest regions of our hearts and minds where both doubt and faith are found.
In the resurrection God gave us such a miracle of love and forgiveness that it is worthy of faith and therefore as Paul Tillich says is open to doubt. Realities about which we hold no doubt may not be large enough to reveal God to us. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being" as the Word flew across the face of the Universe going 1 million miles an hour the Word threw thousand upon hundreds of thousands of pixels into the Universe creating stars and planets.
Perhaps we can say, without apology, what we proclaim at Easter is too mighty to be encompassed by certainty, too wonderful to be found only within the boundaries of our imagination. Perhaps, the resurrection is yet another impossible thing that is really true.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
March 6, 2011, The Last Sunday After the Epiphany
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Preacher: Dave Beuerman
A funny thing happened to me on the way to this homily, funny in the sense of strange. The funny thing was this: this Gospel brought to mind too many introductions. I was going to mention the last one which came to mind – but this morning yet another came to mind as I remembered my original inspiration. So, we begin with two wonderful moments: in Cairo the army refused to shoot the protestors; in Wisconsin the Madison police refused to move the protestors out of the State Capital Bldg. For those of us inspired by the non-violence of our Lord Jesus Christ, those are two moments of joy, two moments to remember, and two moments of great promise. Just as The Transfiguration was a theophany, a manifestation of God, so, to me, were these two incidents.
Today’s Gospel continues the great theme – which began already with the Creation story – the great theme of LIGHT, as in Light and Darkness. God seems to be fixated on Light. How come? What is the big deal about light? What’s the problem with darkness? Simply put, Light is good because it enables us to see what is going on – well, at least it makes it possible. Darkness is just the opposite: in the dark, we can’t see what is being done to us, let alone who is doing it.
If anyone is still singing “Everything’s all right, yes … “, if anyone is still chanting “we are number one!,” I can only recall the RVS of an old saying. If you can keep your head when all those around you are losing theirs, then, my son, you probably don’t understand the situation! But who can blame us – we are kept in the dark and/or distracted or simply are somehow kept from knowing who is doing what to whom.
In many ways, these are dark times. Let’s focus primarily if not solely on one issue: the economic cost of war. Unlike some other issues, we can be non-partisan about this; after all, neither major party is willing to even talk about this. For another thing, we can easily – if not pleasantly – contrast the Way of Jesus with Our Way. I try not to be negative; after all, there is much light be seen. But – and you could look it up -- over the past ten years the total cost of our wars has averaged over 100 billion dollars per year. This does present an economic problem. The solution to this sort of economic problem? Cut teachers’ benefits; after all, they only work part time. And we surely can’t afford Head Start; we will have to cut social security; etc, etc and so forth, ad nauseam indeed. But finally, we can look at a country’s budget as a moral statement about the country.
Still, let’s try to be positive and look for Light under three headings: Jesus our Light, Light from the East and Light from Madison, Wisconsin; I would not be surprised if you were surprised by the last of these or if you wanted me to leave out the second. While we will find much positive in these, we simply cannot ignore the negative, if only by way of contrast.
So, Jesus our Light or Back to the Bible. In today’s Gospel, The Transfiguration, we see Jesus for what He is: the LIGHT of the World. Not to quibble, but I prefer Our Light to The Light because we need to be open to light from any source. A quick first example: for me modern physics sheds some light on the dual nature of Jesus: just as we learn in physics that light is of both particle and wave nature, so we can better understand that Jesus is both divine and human.
OK, back to the bible again. One of the great neglected lines of all time is “Listen to Him” – and consider the source! Mary says much the same at Cana. And so we should listen to Him; in fact, we also should also watch what He does and watch how He does it! What should we have heard, what should we have seen? The Way of Jesus is the Way of Compassion and the Way of Non-violence. Fans of the 4th Gospel will want to add, The Way of Truth; cf. JN 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Compassion, non-violence and truth are the hallmarks! I’m sorry to say that I find little of these in contemporary American politics. What we find here is violence and indifference, together with 57 varieties of ignorance, deceit and just plain lying.
In today’s Gospel we find very welcome guest appearances of Moses (hint, hint: The Law) and Elijah (hint, hint: The Prophets). Jesus, remember came neither to repeal The Law nor to trash the Prophets! We must always be mindful and respectful of our Jewish roots. Knowing that Jesus was a Jew helps us understand Him. Two major mistakes of some Christians here: ignoring the Prophets and thinking that The Old Covenant is off. But perhaps the major way some Christians go wrong is misreading the Law! Contemporary American religion would be much brighter without these.
We begin our brief journey to the East with Buddhism. While there are great differences between Christianity and Buddhism, in the end I feel that the common ground is most important, as does our very own Canon Theologian Marcus Borg. In any case, the Buddha can be a light for Christians as well – and, again, we need all the light we can find! I would like to give three examples, the first two from Buddhist Scripture, the third from Buddhist practice.
The Buddha’s “Questions Which Tend Not to Edification” helps me to center on the basics of the Way of Jesus. His words in “The Twin Verses” help me to follow the teachings of Jesus on Forgiveness. Finally, Buddhist emphasis on Meditation practice has helped me to open to this somewhat neglected aspect of the Christian tradition, which is not just for Monastics.
Moving west, how about a brief visit to Istanbul – well, really Constantinople or Mt. Athos? Eastern Christianity can shed some light for Western Christians; it has for me. Their view of the Transfiguration gives us The Light of Mt Tabor, where traditionally The Transfiguration is said to have occurred. This Light of Mt Tabor they understand to be the light that Paul saw on the Road to Damascus and the light which every Christian is to seek. Here we rediscover Centering Prayer and related Christian meditation and mysticism and are encouraged to give these greater emphasis. Historically, appreciation and celebration of the Transfiguration started in Eastern Christianity, died out for a time in the West and was rediscovered for Anglicans by us, the Episcopalians. May we also lead the world-wide Anglican communion to a better reading the Law of Moses, in particular the Sodom & Gomorrah story.
On the way to Madison, a brief visit to Cairo is in order. The protests here were covered pretty well even by our mainstream media. These protests seem to be bearing fruit, thanks be to God! Whatever the final outcome, we can rejoice that these protests were non-violent and they represented the people seeing the light about their particular political situation.
Finally – and briefly, thanks be to God! As with Cairo, the protests in Madison were non-violent and they represent the people seeing the light about their particular political situation. My grand-daughter was among the very many and very diverse people who came out in support of the protests; in her case, it was as a student in support of her teachers.
On the dark side, we find propaganda denying the non-violence from the usual suspects and little and poor coverage of the protests by the mainstream media for whom Cairo was easier and safer to cover. Having a free press is needed for a functioning democracy. It is also very troubling that money is such a large factor in elections, this with great help from the Supreme Court. But let’s close on a more positive if still critical note from The Episcopal Bishop of Milwaukee; this is from a piece “What Religion Looks Like, Wisconsin Edition” on Religion Dispatches.
“I believe we can all agree that our baptismal vow to “respect the dignity of every human being”
is not served by a majority simply pushing through legislation because they have the votes
necessary to do so. As Christians, it is our duty and call to make sure that everyone has a place
at the table and every voice has the opportunity to be heard. Respecting the dignity of every
human being requires taking the time to have honest and faithful conversation that respects
the rights and freedom of all.”
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Preacher: Dave Beuerman
A funny thing happened to me on the way to this homily, funny in the sense of strange. The funny thing was this: this Gospel brought to mind too many introductions. I was going to mention the last one which came to mind – but this morning yet another came to mind as I remembered my original inspiration. So, we begin with two wonderful moments: in Cairo the army refused to shoot the protestors; in Wisconsin the Madison police refused to move the protestors out of the State Capital Bldg. For those of us inspired by the non-violence of our Lord Jesus Christ, those are two moments of joy, two moments to remember, and two moments of great promise. Just as The Transfiguration was a theophany, a manifestation of God, so, to me, were these two incidents.
Today’s Gospel continues the great theme – which began already with the Creation story – the great theme of LIGHT, as in Light and Darkness. God seems to be fixated on Light. How come? What is the big deal about light? What’s the problem with darkness? Simply put, Light is good because it enables us to see what is going on – well, at least it makes it possible. Darkness is just the opposite: in the dark, we can’t see what is being done to us, let alone who is doing it.
If anyone is still singing “Everything’s all right, yes … “, if anyone is still chanting “we are number one!,” I can only recall the RVS of an old saying. If you can keep your head when all those around you are losing theirs, then, my son, you probably don’t understand the situation! But who can blame us – we are kept in the dark and/or distracted or simply are somehow kept from knowing who is doing what to whom.
In many ways, these are dark times. Let’s focus primarily if not solely on one issue: the economic cost of war. Unlike some other issues, we can be non-partisan about this; after all, neither major party is willing to even talk about this. For another thing, we can easily – if not pleasantly – contrast the Way of Jesus with Our Way. I try not to be negative; after all, there is much light be seen. But – and you could look it up -- over the past ten years the total cost of our wars has averaged over 100 billion dollars per year. This does present an economic problem. The solution to this sort of economic problem? Cut teachers’ benefits; after all, they only work part time. And we surely can’t afford Head Start; we will have to cut social security; etc, etc and so forth, ad nauseam indeed. But finally, we can look at a country’s budget as a moral statement about the country.
Still, let’s try to be positive and look for Light under three headings: Jesus our Light, Light from the East and Light from Madison, Wisconsin; I would not be surprised if you were surprised by the last of these or if you wanted me to leave out the second. While we will find much positive in these, we simply cannot ignore the negative, if only by way of contrast.
So, Jesus our Light or Back to the Bible. In today’s Gospel, The Transfiguration, we see Jesus for what He is: the LIGHT of the World. Not to quibble, but I prefer Our Light to The Light because we need to be open to light from any source. A quick first example: for me modern physics sheds some light on the dual nature of Jesus: just as we learn in physics that light is of both particle and wave nature, so we can better understand that Jesus is both divine and human.
OK, back to the bible again. One of the great neglected lines of all time is “Listen to Him” – and consider the source! Mary says much the same at Cana. And so we should listen to Him; in fact, we also should also watch what He does and watch how He does it! What should we have heard, what should we have seen? The Way of Jesus is the Way of Compassion and the Way of Non-violence. Fans of the 4th Gospel will want to add, The Way of Truth; cf. JN 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Compassion, non-violence and truth are the hallmarks! I’m sorry to say that I find little of these in contemporary American politics. What we find here is violence and indifference, together with 57 varieties of ignorance, deceit and just plain lying.
In today’s Gospel we find very welcome guest appearances of Moses (hint, hint: The Law) and Elijah (hint, hint: The Prophets). Jesus, remember came neither to repeal The Law nor to trash the Prophets! We must always be mindful and respectful of our Jewish roots. Knowing that Jesus was a Jew helps us understand Him. Two major mistakes of some Christians here: ignoring the Prophets and thinking that The Old Covenant is off. But perhaps the major way some Christians go wrong is misreading the Law! Contemporary American religion would be much brighter without these.
We begin our brief journey to the East with Buddhism. While there are great differences between Christianity and Buddhism, in the end I feel that the common ground is most important, as does our very own Canon Theologian Marcus Borg. In any case, the Buddha can be a light for Christians as well – and, again, we need all the light we can find! I would like to give three examples, the first two from Buddhist Scripture, the third from Buddhist practice.
The Buddha’s “Questions Which Tend Not to Edification” helps me to center on the basics of the Way of Jesus. His words in “The Twin Verses” help me to follow the teachings of Jesus on Forgiveness. Finally, Buddhist emphasis on Meditation practice has helped me to open to this somewhat neglected aspect of the Christian tradition, which is not just for Monastics.
Moving west, how about a brief visit to Istanbul – well, really Constantinople or Mt. Athos? Eastern Christianity can shed some light for Western Christians; it has for me. Their view of the Transfiguration gives us The Light of Mt Tabor, where traditionally The Transfiguration is said to have occurred. This Light of Mt Tabor they understand to be the light that Paul saw on the Road to Damascus and the light which every Christian is to seek. Here we rediscover Centering Prayer and related Christian meditation and mysticism and are encouraged to give these greater emphasis. Historically, appreciation and celebration of the Transfiguration started in Eastern Christianity, died out for a time in the West and was rediscovered for Anglicans by us, the Episcopalians. May we also lead the world-wide Anglican communion to a better reading the Law of Moses, in particular the Sodom & Gomorrah story.
On the way to Madison, a brief visit to Cairo is in order. The protests here were covered pretty well even by our mainstream media. These protests seem to be bearing fruit, thanks be to God! Whatever the final outcome, we can rejoice that these protests were non-violent and they represented the people seeing the light about their particular political situation.
Finally – and briefly, thanks be to God! As with Cairo, the protests in Madison were non-violent and they represent the people seeing the light about their particular political situation. My grand-daughter was among the very many and very diverse people who came out in support of the protests; in her case, it was as a student in support of her teachers.
On the dark side, we find propaganda denying the non-violence from the usual suspects and little and poor coverage of the protests by the mainstream media for whom Cairo was easier and safer to cover. Having a free press is needed for a functioning democracy. It is also very troubling that money is such a large factor in elections, this with great help from the Supreme Court. But let’s close on a more positive if still critical note from The Episcopal Bishop of Milwaukee; this is from a piece “What Religion Looks Like, Wisconsin Edition” on Religion Dispatches.
“I believe we can all agree that our baptismal vow to “respect the dignity of every human being”
is not served by a majority simply pushing through legislation because they have the votes
necessary to do so. As Christians, it is our duty and call to make sure that everyone has a place
at the table and every voice has the opportunity to be heard. Respecting the dignity of every
human being requires taking the time to have honest and faithful conversation that respects
the rights and freedom of all.”
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A, Feburary 13, 2011
The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A
Matthew 5:21-37, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119:1-8,1 Corinthians 3:1-9
February 13, 2011
The Rev. JoAnne Miller
In my studies for these readings today I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite quotations from Annie Dillard. You can go on line and Google Annie Dillard quotes, there are some good ones. This one I have used before. “On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats, to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. "
The more I studied the readings for today I had another vision. Similar to Dillard’s quote. One of my favorite carnival rides when I was young was the Octopus. It would jerk you from one side to the other rapidly and then up and sideways to the right. It would then drop you down and to the left and just for thrills whip you backwards. They should have called it whiplash.
If we read the whole section of the Sermon on the Mount with eyes open and heart open – Whiplash. Brian McLaren in his book The Secret Message of Jesus calls this section of Matthew the Kingdom Manifesto. A manifesto is a declaration, decree. A manifesto carries with it an absolute pronouncement.
Jesus uses dangerous, provocative language. In last week’s reading of Matthew the last verse said “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Now if you were a Pharisee - sitting on a padded, comfortable pew, enjoying the well-known liturgy and readings for Sabbath worship in Synagogue -and you heard this you would have just been thrown on the hard floor. Crash helmet. The standard that Jesus just set with that line is something like the yellow line in the TV reality show “Biggest Loser.” At the end of the program each Tuesday, after you watch them sweat and work out the person whose percentage of lost body weight is less than everyone else, they drop below the yellow line and they are out. The scribes and the Pharisees are the yellow line. Jesus says not to let your righteousness fall below them.
I must remind myself that the Pharisees are seen as the guardians and paragons of personal piety, goodness, morality, uprightness, decency, justice, and fairness. When all wrapped together you have a good understanding of the meaning of righteousness. And Jesus says they represent the bottom line? Are you holding on to your pew? The disciples who were sitting at Jesus’ feet must have fallen off the rocks they were sitting on. They just heard something that moved the earth under their feet. Here, as in the previous two Sundays’ readings Jesus reveals God - God’s nature and intent for humankind. The external display of religion is not God’s intent for us but the internal transformation of our heart, mind, and soul. It is faith and not religious practice that matters.
Jesus goes on to say that he has come to fulfill the law and the prophets. He makes it clear with each example what he means to fulfill. He begins “you have heard that it was said“....But, I say…” What follows is an invitation not to stay with the minimal standards but to raise them, deepen them, and fulfill them – to take them above the level of the religious specialist. God pulls us from external conformity to internal change. “You have heard that is was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”, and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, “You fool,” you will be liable to the hell of fire. Crash helmet time. Ushers find the flares.
Jesus is telling us to stop insulting people. An insult is a form of character assassination, a socially acceptable form of violence. One that a goodly number of American’s practice because it is our first amendment right. Words, derogatory words can and do lead to physical violence and harm. Scathing words thrown at children does harm to the children. Insults cast at adults for political or religious advantage causes harm. We are called to a higher and deeper moral and ethical way of being. Jesus calls us to active reconciliation with brother, sister, neighbor. In fact, reconciliation seems to be more important than the offering we make at the altar. Before reconciliation can take place, we are called to forgive.
Next Jesus addresses divorce. In Jesus time and before, women were easily cast aside, they were considered property, once they were married and then divorced they were damaged goods. Jesus was upholding women. Even more pointedly is the statement concerning lust. No one, male or female should be regarded as a sex object. And yet, TV commercials exploit sex and lust to sell just about everything. Do you feel our American culture beginning to slip below the yellow line? However, Jesus is speaking to individuals and the individual’s walk. However, individuals are often viewed as their culture is viewed.
The final verses in this lectionary reading are concerned with the taking of oaths. The aim of this interpretation is to establish truthfulness. “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’.” It is the reckless use of oaths that is condemned. Truthfulness is living out a higher righteousness. Philo, a Jewish philosopher roundly condemned those who unashamedly invoked the name of God in pointless oaths. We Christians have not taken this command of Jesus very seriously for all the ways we misuse the name of the Holy. If Jesus was distressed by the linguistic habits of those who swore by their own head, what would he say today?
We can all fall subject to a moral lapse. Own up to it. I have to commend the GOP congressman who did and resigned from the house. He lapsed. He committed adultery in his thoughts. Lust took over and probably ego. Of course, the exposure of his failing was hard to refute. His oath was “yes, yes” and “I regret.” We have a gracious God who calls us to be reconciled, who calls us to search our heart, to confess our failures, who calls us to live in the Kingdom, to be the living light in this beautiful and strange world. God calls us to be the living salt that brings out the highest and best flavor of our humanity. And, every now and then God has to shake us up, take us by the shoulders and shake us to get us to respond. That is what Annie Dillard means when she suggests we wear crash helmets to church.
1. The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth That Could Change Everything: Brian D. McLaren
2. Interpretation on Matthew: Douglas R. A. Hare
3. Feasting on the Word: Year A, at goodreads.com
Matthew 5:21-37, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119:1-8,1 Corinthians 3:1-9
February 13, 2011
The Rev. JoAnne Miller
In my studies for these readings today I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite quotations from Annie Dillard. You can go on line and Google Annie Dillard quotes, there are some good ones. This one I have used before. “On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats, to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. "
The more I studied the readings for today I had another vision. Similar to Dillard’s quote. One of my favorite carnival rides when I was young was the Octopus. It would jerk you from one side to the other rapidly and then up and sideways to the right. It would then drop you down and to the left and just for thrills whip you backwards. They should have called it whiplash.
If we read the whole section of the Sermon on the Mount with eyes open and heart open – Whiplash. Brian McLaren in his book The Secret Message of Jesus calls this section of Matthew the Kingdom Manifesto. A manifesto is a declaration, decree. A manifesto carries with it an absolute pronouncement.
Jesus uses dangerous, provocative language. In last week’s reading of Matthew the last verse said “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Now if you were a Pharisee - sitting on a padded, comfortable pew, enjoying the well-known liturgy and readings for Sabbath worship in Synagogue -and you heard this you would have just been thrown on the hard floor. Crash helmet. The standard that Jesus just set with that line is something like the yellow line in the TV reality show “Biggest Loser.” At the end of the program each Tuesday, after you watch them sweat and work out the person whose percentage of lost body weight is less than everyone else, they drop below the yellow line and they are out. The scribes and the Pharisees are the yellow line. Jesus says not to let your righteousness fall below them.
I must remind myself that the Pharisees are seen as the guardians and paragons of personal piety, goodness, morality, uprightness, decency, justice, and fairness. When all wrapped together you have a good understanding of the meaning of righteousness. And Jesus says they represent the bottom line? Are you holding on to your pew? The disciples who were sitting at Jesus’ feet must have fallen off the rocks they were sitting on. They just heard something that moved the earth under their feet. Here, as in the previous two Sundays’ readings Jesus reveals God - God’s nature and intent for humankind. The external display of religion is not God’s intent for us but the internal transformation of our heart, mind, and soul. It is faith and not religious practice that matters.
Jesus goes on to say that he has come to fulfill the law and the prophets. He makes it clear with each example what he means to fulfill. He begins “you have heard that it was said“....But, I say…” What follows is an invitation not to stay with the minimal standards but to raise them, deepen them, and fulfill them – to take them above the level of the religious specialist. God pulls us from external conformity to internal change. “You have heard that is was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”, and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, “You fool,” you will be liable to the hell of fire. Crash helmet time. Ushers find the flares.
Jesus is telling us to stop insulting people. An insult is a form of character assassination, a socially acceptable form of violence. One that a goodly number of American’s practice because it is our first amendment right. Words, derogatory words can and do lead to physical violence and harm. Scathing words thrown at children does harm to the children. Insults cast at adults for political or religious advantage causes harm. We are called to a higher and deeper moral and ethical way of being. Jesus calls us to active reconciliation with brother, sister, neighbor. In fact, reconciliation seems to be more important than the offering we make at the altar. Before reconciliation can take place, we are called to forgive.
Next Jesus addresses divorce. In Jesus time and before, women were easily cast aside, they were considered property, once they were married and then divorced they were damaged goods. Jesus was upholding women. Even more pointedly is the statement concerning lust. No one, male or female should be regarded as a sex object. And yet, TV commercials exploit sex and lust to sell just about everything. Do you feel our American culture beginning to slip below the yellow line? However, Jesus is speaking to individuals and the individual’s walk. However, individuals are often viewed as their culture is viewed.
The final verses in this lectionary reading are concerned with the taking of oaths. The aim of this interpretation is to establish truthfulness. “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’.” It is the reckless use of oaths that is condemned. Truthfulness is living out a higher righteousness. Philo, a Jewish philosopher roundly condemned those who unashamedly invoked the name of God in pointless oaths. We Christians have not taken this command of Jesus very seriously for all the ways we misuse the name of the Holy. If Jesus was distressed by the linguistic habits of those who swore by their own head, what would he say today?
We can all fall subject to a moral lapse. Own up to it. I have to commend the GOP congressman who did and resigned from the house. He lapsed. He committed adultery in his thoughts. Lust took over and probably ego. Of course, the exposure of his failing was hard to refute. His oath was “yes, yes” and “I regret.” We have a gracious God who calls us to be reconciled, who calls us to search our heart, to confess our failures, who calls us to live in the Kingdom, to be the living light in this beautiful and strange world. God calls us to be the living salt that brings out the highest and best flavor of our humanity. And, every now and then God has to shake us up, take us by the shoulders and shake us to get us to respond. That is what Annie Dillard means when she suggests we wear crash helmets to church.
1. The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth That Could Change Everything: Brian D. McLaren
2. Interpretation on Matthew: Douglas R. A. Hare
3. Feasting on the Word: Year A, at goodreads.com
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